The Refiner's Place Ministries

PASTOR’S CORNER

DWELLING IN THE MYSTERIES OF GOD’S LOVE:

LOVE PRESERVES BY PROMISE

REFERENCES: ACTS 13: 32- 34, LUKE 24: 34- 45, I CORINTHIANS 15: 50; 53-57, ROMANS 8:2

Love preserves.

You do not allow what you love- what is dear to you- to be destroyed. Instead, you do what you must to keep and preserve it.

When God preserves, He does so by first giving a promise.

Acts 13: 32- 34

And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again…

Other versions omit again in verse 33, because they could not see how Jesus could have died and have been raised more than once.

Yet, the integrity of the Scripture is without question.

When a man is baptised, he dies, is buried, and raised up from death.

In as much therefore as Christ was baptised, He also died, was buried, and raised from the dead. This means that His death on the Cross, and resurrection from the grave was indeed again.

…as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

When Christ came out of the water, God declared Him, for the first time, to be His beloved Son (Lk 3:22). When He resurrected from the dead again, He was declared to be the firstborn Son from the dead (Col 1: 18).

And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption…

... now no more return to corruption.

This means that He had once seen corruption, but now, He was not to go back to it, ever again.

So, after the first death and resurrection; after the first declaration of His Sonship, He saw corruption and death. He was stripped, beaten, wounded, humiliated and killed.

However, when He arose again; after the second declaration, it was never again to behold corruption.

It is time also for you to hold on to God’s promises; to declare that you will now no more see affliction, oppression, demotion, failure, humiliation, anymore.

…he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.

When God wants to preserve, He gives a promise.

Even as He allowed satan to touch Job, by His word, He set boundaries that the devil could not dare to cross.

In order for Christ to know that He would never again see corruption, God gave Him a promise. He gave Him the sure mercies of David.

Be sensitive and careful when God begins to talk to you about Jeremiah, Job, Ezekiel, Elijah, Elisha, Peter, John, Mary, Martha or Paul.

Take time to study the life of that witness of the Faith, because He is leading you to the promise that will preserve you.

This is the confidence- the mystery behind the boldness- with which we rebuke, and frustrate the enemy. We hold on to, and declare the promise.

Christ spoke based on the promises of God. He was not discouraged by the knowledge that His disciples would leave Him, because He had a promise that His Father would be with Him.

He told the Jews to destroy this temple (His body), because He had the promise that He would be raised again on the third day.

He went to the Cross by promise.

He even comforted His disciples by the promise. It did not matter that they did not know He was coming back. He had the Word and that was His confidence.

He was confident that His troubles were temporary because He had the promise. He had the assurance of the Father that, although He is killed and buried, He would get up.

Men may see you going through the fire, and conclude that you have lost; but you know that He will not abandon you there. Therefore, you speak boldly at the sight of the raging fire, and walk confidently in the midst of the burning furnace because you have the promise that preserves.

Understand that God did not write a new Scripture to bring Christ our Saviour back from the dead. The Father simply referred Him to what is already written; and what was directly written to David worked for Him.

Whenever God wants to bring you out, He will send you to the Book. When the Book is given to you, it becomes the Living Scripture.

Lk 24: 34- 45

Saying, the Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of the them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.

After appearing to certain disciples in Emmaus, the men went back to give the others the good news- the Lord is risen indeed.

As they reported what they had witnessed, Christ appeared in their midst. Standing before a group of terrified and frightened men, He invited them to handle Him, that they may see that He was not a ghost, as they assumed. He even asked for meat. When broiled fish and a honeycomb was placed before Him, He ate the meal right in their presence.

Then, He told them that all that had happened to Him was a reflection of all the words of promise God had given Him.

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

His sufferings, death and resurrection were according to the promise of the Father.

Whatever will happen in your life is going to be by the promise. Your blessings, breakthrough, promotions, fulfilment of destiny; they will be by the Word.

Now, consider.

All things written concerning Christ, in the law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms, came to pass. In your life, all things written in the law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms, as well as the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles and Revelation must come to pass.

Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.

It is therefore crucial that you know the promise of God concerning your life. Sadly, many are still struggling to walk in the reality of God’s promises because they lack understanding. Like the disciples, they are in need of the spirit of understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.

After resurrection, Christ ate meat, bread, fish and honeycomb; and He went to heaven. How was that possible? (O, and did the meal digest?)

I Cor 15: 50

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

How was it that Christ inherited God’s kingdom, when He was flesh and blood?

I Cor 15: 53-57

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

We have seen Jesus preserved by divine promises. It is time to see you.

There is a point you get to, where you declare that, there is no law- scientific, spiritual, ancestral, territorial- that has the capacity to stop you.

Death is swallowed up by the victory that you have in Christ, and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith (1Jn 5:4)

There is a celestial body that is not subject to any law of this realm. When you put on this body, no power can kill you. Whatever comes upon you, will experience you as iron- impenetrable, destructive to them.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law (NIV)

God has revealed the power of death to you.

You need to get this now.

It does not matter how many times you see signs of death around you. Death has no power where they is no sin. The question that matters therefore is whether sin is in your life, or not.

This is how you put off corruption and put on incorruption. When you conquer sin, you conquer death, corruption and mortality.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Brethren, God gives you the victory, continually.

You are preserved, as long as you dwell in the word of God, in the love of God. As long as you yield to His instructions, rebukes, and corrections, you are continually preserved.

In the presence of the disciples, Christ levitated, ascending into heaven.

Where was the law of gravity at that point? It did not have the capacity to bring my Master back to the earth.

Christ is the end of the law. Therefore, no law had the capacity to dictate how far He could go, or how long He could stay up.

He ascended, and kept ascending into the heavens, because His law declares that what goes up, goes higher still; and cannot be brought down.

What law in your world is waiting for you to crash from your high place in Christ? It is time to prove them wrong.

Let it be known that no law, no vision, no dream has the capacity to bring you down; because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made [you] free from the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:2)

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• Fire of God, clothe me like a garment.

• Raw fire of God, appear in my life.

• By the mercies of the LORD, I will not see oppression, affliction, humiliation…any more.

• Any law, in my world, fighting against my destiny; I overcome you, and damage you by fire.

PASTOR’S CORNER

DWELLING IN THE MYSTERIES OF GOD’S LOVE:

DEALING WITH THE ENEMIES OF GOD’S LOVE

REFERENCES: MATTHEW 24:12-13, ROMANS 8:35, LUKE 22:31, PROVERBS 27: 22

As you learn to dwell in the mysteries of God’s love, you must know that His love attracts enemies.

Enemies will come against you when they discover that God loves you. You must know these adversaries of God’s love, and how to deal with them.

Matt 24:12-13

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (NIV)

The abounding iniquity refers to an increase in wickedness; in the works and manifestations of evil.

When the enemy sees God’s love in your life, he will rise against you. He will multiply bombardments of attacks against you, for a purpose.

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

There will be attacks against you, against your children, finances, health; all because you love God.

The attacks are to make your love for God grow cold.

The enemy’s hope is that the overwhelming bombardment of attacks will make you fall away. Yet, God has called you to endure hardness, as a good soldier of Christ; for it is he who endures to the end that shall be saved.

Rom 8:35

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Tribulation, sickness, discouragement, un-forgiveness, distress, persecution, peril, sword...These are all personalities in the kingdom of darkness; and they are on a mission.

Their mission is to separate you from the love of Christ.

When you confess and declare your love for Christ, these personalities will come to shake the confidence of your declaration. The devil sends them to separate the love of God, your trust and confidence in Him, from you.

However, God allows these bombardments because, through them, He works to separate your weaknesses- your error, indiscipline- from you.

Observe a grain or legume. At the beginning of its journey, God allows the chaff to grow with the grain.

However, at the time of harvest, God expects there to be a separation.

This is the picture of a Christian. There are chaff- ancestral, foundational, territorial- that you were born with; that have grown with you and that have stubbornly clung on to your life.

When you reach the point of maturity- of harvest, God expects you to cast them off.

Lk 22:31

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

The devil however has a different plan. While God seeks separation in order to save the grain, the devil fights to discard of the grain and retain the chaff.

The corn I de-husked did not grow on the altar; I sought for it.

In the same manner, the devil searches out anyone who is loved by God.

He saw that Peter was loved by God. He was always where Jesus was; he did what others could not do; his name was changed from reed to stone.

When God loves you, you are in good trouble. You will do well not to compare yourself with others, but rather prepare for a fight.

Pro 27: 22

Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

It is a common practice in Nigerian villages to separate beans from the chaff by pounding in a mortar, with a pestle. Special care is taken during the process, because the aim is not to crush the beans, but to separate the chaff from the beans.

God also mounts pressure on you for this purpose: to separate your foolishness from you.

When you discover that you are going through the mortar- and- pestle pressure, it is because God needs you now. He wants to put you in His mouth, but that will not happen while your life is encased in the chaff of sin that have grown with you.

Now, the devil’s agenda is the opposite. He desires to take the wheat- the love of God- from you.

When he succeeds in doing this, men will tire of following after God. Their love for His presence, His word, service, prayer... would have gone cold due to constant attacks of confusion, discouragement, disfavour, sickness, disappointments...

This is the fight. The enemy of God’s love in your life wants to sift you, making you an empty, fruitless chaff, retaining only the worst of you.

God however wants to separate you from the worst of you, retaining all the good that He has predestined you to be, for His good purpose.

But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

The devil succeeded in sifting the love of Christ out of Peter.

The bombardment of the wicked sifted love out of his life...first, he was confronted by the damsel, then by other men who kept insisting he was with Jesus; one even noticed his accent!

Satan organised all these.

Thankfully, Christ had prayed for him, that he would be converted again; that he would once again walk in the love of Christ.

In whatever way you have been separated from the love of God, today, I call you back, in the name of Jesus.

God has a mortar and pestle, with which He separates the chaff of malice, anger, envy, laziness, indiscipline... from you. When He is done, you will become a grain that He can put in His mouth. Then, you will speak from the mouth of God, and every word you say will be backed by Him.

The devil instead seeks to take you away from the love of God. He does not want everyone to enjoy the love.

I pray for you; that whatever the devil has put in place against you, to separate the love of God from you, shall be destroyed in the name of Jesus.

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• Fire of God, possess my life again, to love God again.

• Whatever the devil has put in place to separate me from the love of God; I scatter and destroy you by fire.

• Every attack of the devil to separate me from the love, fire, power of God; I destroy by fire now.

• Whatever the devil has put in place to take me out of the land of the living; I destroy by fire now.

• Whatever the devil has put in place to take me out of the love, fire, power, presence of God; I destroy by fire now.

• Any personality behind any affliction in my life; I destroy you by fire in the name of Jesus.

PASTOR’S CORNER

DWELLING IN THE MYSTERIES OF GOD’S LOVE:

LOVE IS AN INHERITANCE

REFERENCES: TITUS 3:7-8, I JOHN 4:13, I CORINTHIANS 2:12, ACTS 4:12, ISAIAH 30:27- 29, ACTS 25: 17-19

Love is an inheritance.

You did not work for it; it was given to you in love, and because of love. This means that love is both the source and sustainer of your inheritance.

Love is also the foundation, and the ultimate; for God so loved the world that He gave Love.

While we were yet sinners, He died for us. Love is a gift given to us as an inheritance. It has nothing to do with what we did, or deserved...

Today, you are going to put an end to every evil ancestral work that has been showing itself alive in your life. Whatever evil you inherited from your earthly ancestry must be terminated in your life.

Science believes that sicknesses, traits, and medical conditions are hereditary; I believe that the wisdom, strength, power, mental acumen in Jesus is also hereditary. If Jesus has it, then I have it by inheritance.

He takes away the first that He may establish the latter.

You have been redeemed into a new blood line.

Because you have new blood- the blood of Jesus- flowing in you, the only traits that are permitted to be seen in you are those of your new heritage.

Therefore, any evil trait of your old bloodline that is still showing itself significant in your life shall be taken away.

Tit 3:7-8

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works.

The vision of God is that we should be made heirs; that we should receive capacity to inherit all that He has.

Do not give your life to a man who cannot give you the capacity to become an heir.

You need a man who will build up in you, the capacity to receive all that God has for you.

Inheritance is not for babes, but for matured people.

You have to grow to become an heir. You need to go through the process of being made an heir. To that end, you need someone who will feed you with the word of God- the sincere milk of the Word- by which you will grow, in divine capacity, knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and power.

This is according to the hope of Eternal life, that is, Jesus Christ; and it is a faithful saying.

It is therefore your duty to constantly say it- affirm it, declare it, insist on it, do not stop asserting it... that the power, wisdom, strength, knowledge of God; all these are hereditary, and are your inheritance. Keep saying it in prayer, undaunted by whatever you see.

We continue to affirm this in TRPM, and will not stop, so that others who believe in Christ will be encouraged to continue in Him. Thus, they will also enjoy divine inheritance.

When you inherit God-His power, wisdom, strength, fire- it will show in your body, business, life...

...These things are good and profitable unto men.

Brethren, as long as you say these things, you will make profit by them. However, if you do not have these things, you will suffer loss.

I Jn 4:13

Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

I Cor 2:12

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

We know that we are in God because He has given us His Spirit.

You did not pay for this Spirit. It is an inheritance; and you cannot have the Spirit of God and not have His love.

God gave us His Spirit, on purpose and for a purpose.  

We have His Spirit, so that, through Him, we may know all the things that God has given us freely.

By the Spirit therefore, we have access to all that God has given us: His power, wisdom, fire, strength, wealth, blessings...

But what are to do about the adversarial powers of our households and territories?

Acts 4:12

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

There is a name.

This name is given to you on earth, by God.

Again, He gave you the name on purpose; for by this name you are saved from sin.

By this name also, you must be delivered- from ancestral influence and judgement.

Your deliverance is non-negotiable.

YOU MUST BE SAVED.

This is the assignment of this ministry: to build you up, and teach you to get rid of every enemy of your divine heritage.

You have the Spirit, by which you know all that God has given you as your inheritance.

You also have the Name, by which your deliverance is guaranteed.

Therefore, you are to use the Name against every enemy of your body, business, marriage, destiny...

Use the Name to cut down, and destroy every ancestral power that dares to block your way.

Nothing in your ancestral bloodline is permitted to boast over your life anymore. No evil inheritance is permitted to be significant in your life any longer.

Do not join those who believe they must get to heaven before they enjoy their lives.

God loves you so much that He gave you the Nam to use here on earth.

It was not an afterthought.

He had already anticipated, and therefore, made provision for you to conquer these powers on earth.

Do you know the weapons and power that are in the Name?

Isa 30:27- 29

Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

The Name can walk. No distance is too far for Him to reach.

The personality called The name of Jesus can locate any evil stronghold, and He goes there full of anger and indignation. The weight of what He carries is so great.

The Name speaks. He speaks destruction upon your enemies.

When you call upon that Name, He will appear, and when He does, your enemies will see and recognise Him.

There is fire in the Name.

O! That you would understand the mystery of the Name!

When you say, ‘my life, be delivered by fire in the name of Jesus’, you are calling forth the fire that IS in the Name.

And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

His spirit shall flow to the neck of the midst of the neck of your enemies, and He shall destroy them.

Ye shall have a song...

Then, you will have a song. Brethren, you must have the song of victory.

That is what you have been given the Name for; to guarantee that you will sing the song of victory.

You cannot be in the Kingdom of God and lack the power of God. You must constantly affirm your inheritance in Him, and speak destruction against every ancestral flow by fire in the name of Jesus.

Acts 25: 17-19

Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth. Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed: But had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

Oftentimes, you wonder why you face such magnitude of opposition. It is not because of anything you have done physically; but because, you have chosen to affirm that the power of God is alive in you.

The accusations against Paul had nothing to do with grievous sins. No! They wanted him dead because he insisted that Jesus, whom they had killed, was indeed alive.

As you affirm your inheritance constantly; as you insist that the power of God is alive in you, be ready for a fight. Be ready to use the Name, so that by it, you can destroy the work of darkness and enthrone divine inheritance in your life.

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• My Father, show Yourself alive in my life.

• Mercy of God, show Yourself alive in me.

• Evil inheritance showing itself alive in me; I cast you out by fire in the name of Jesus.

• My life, you cannot serve two masters. Therefore, any ancestral inheritance showing itself alive in me; I cast you out by fire in the name of Jesus.

• Power in the name of Jesus, show Yourself alive in me.

PASTOR’S CORNER

DWELLING IN THE MYSTERIES OF GOD’S LOVE:

LOVE DEMANDS FELLOWSHIP

REFERENCES: I JOHN 1:3-4, HEBREWS 4:15, LUKE 10:38-42, JOHN 11:20-35

There can be no love without fellowship.

When you love someone, you talk to each other. There is a communion of thoughts, emotions, and an understanding of each other.

I Jn 1:3-4

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Good leadership demands that I take you up to the level I operate from. You should not be far from the place I am.

I want you to fellowship with me as I fellowship with God.

Therefore, what I have seen and heard, that is what I declare unto you; what I teach you. I do this so that you can have fellowship with me; so that you will commune with me, and be where I am.

If the Word of God was not taught or discussed in this church, how would God become real in the lives of the people?

Fellowship with me, as I fellowship with the Father; so that you can hear and see Him as I do...

That way, no one will be able to deceive you, because you will know the Father, and be known by Him.

Heb 4:15

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities

Our High Priest can be touched with the feelings of our weaknesses, sicknesses, griefs and sorrows. However, that can only happen when you are in fellowship with Him. Except you talk to Him, relate with Him, commune with Him, you cannot touch Him.

As you fellowship with Him, you develop a bond that allows Him to discern when something is wrong with you. Through fellowship, you are able to touch Him with the feelings of your pain, troubles, and sorrows.

Faith is ineffective without fellowship. You cannot merely believe your way into a person’s heart; you get to the core of their being through fellowship. You cannot stand apart from Christ, and yet expect to touch Him just by believing.

You have joy in His presence because, there, He reveals the thoughts of His heart. This was David’s secret- he was a man after God’s heart.

Lk 10:38-42

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Length of time does not determine depth of fellowship. Fellowship is not a function of who found Christ first or how long a person has been in Christ.

It was Martha’s house. It was Martha who received Jesus into the house.

Martha found Jesus, but it was Mary who understood Christ.

It did not matter that it was Martha’s house, or that it was she who had invited Jesus in. When it came to fellowship, it was Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus and heard His word.

Martha was a generous and hospitable hostess; but she did not understand that fellowship was the key to getting all of Christ.

It is good to give, but the benefit of giving is lost when the giver fails to sit at the feet of Jesus.

Mary made a choice to sit, and hear at the feet of Jesus. She developed a close bond with Christ, not for immoral reasons, as some have alleged, but because she sought His word; she knew that the entrance of His word would make her a god.

We have learnt that the entrance of God’s word makes men gods (Jn 10:35).

By sitting at Jesus’ feet, Mary set herself to receive the word of Christ- the word that had the capacity to make her a god.

Jn 12: 1- 8

Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

We are in Martha’s house again. Christ is an invited guest again.

Martha is serving, again.

Mary is going for the feet of Jesus, again.

It is not what you give, but what you receive at the feet of Jesus, that transforms you.

Brethren, if you find yourself in a place where you are encouraged to give and serve, but you are not taught the mystery of fellowship; if you do not learn to sit at the feet of the pastor and receive the word of God, you are been done a great disservice.

While living in Martha’s house, Mary bought a very costly perfume and anointed the feet of Christ with it.

When you love Jesus, you will make the place of His feet beautiful (Isa 60:13). You will not need to be prodded before you do the needful in His house.

As Mary’s focus was the feet of Jesus, she sought to wash off the dust, making it clean and beautiful. She was not satisfied with using water; rather she used a really expensive perfume and her hair- the glory of a woman- to do the job.

Pride is only found in the heart of those who do not sit at the feet of Jesus.

Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

Her financial investment towards the feet of Christ was so great, that it caught the attention of Judas.

When the thieving apostle complained about the high cost of the perfume, Christ answered for Mary...

Then said Jesus, Let her alone

Leave Mary alone.

Leave me alone! Let me stay at the feet of Jesus!

Let this be your answer to all those who seek to draw you away from the feet of Jesus.

Let it be your answer to every one who wonders why you have chosen to hear the Word, while they are cumbered with many acts of giving and service.

Giving is good; hearing the Word is better.

...against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

Mary was sensitive to know that she had to prepare the body of Christ in anticipation of His burial.

She understood that, once He was arrested, there would be no opportunity for Him to anoint Himself.

Her preparation was so impressive that it had soldiers tearing up the garment of Christ amongst them, and casting lots for His undergarment.

It takes fellowship to be able take care of God.

Mary could prepare the body of Christ for His burial because she knew what was to happen. She knew what was to happen because He had revealed it to her during their time of fellowship.

Martha could not see what Mary saw, because she did not stay in the place where secret things are revealed.

Jn 11:20-35

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him...

Martha met Jesus, while He was on the way to her house.

Her words showed that she believed that He was the Christ; that He had the power to save her brother from death, and that He would raise Him up at the Resurrection.

Then she left to call Mary.

Mary also met Jesus at the same place.

She also said the same thing Martha said to Him.

Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

However, her manner was very different.

Mary ran up to Jesus, and fell at HIS FEET.

Again, her focus was His feet!

It was while in that position that she spoke to Christ. She did not speak with an entitled attitude; she humbled herself before Him and declared her belief.

And she wept.

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept.

Her tears moved the Lord with whom she had fellowshipped.

The One at whose feet she had sat was moved by her pain. He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled (NIV)

This is my vision for you; that what troubles your soul must trouble the soul of Jesus.

This will only happen when you fellowship with Him.

Christ was moved by the tears of Mary. Her pain became His pain, and He had to do something about the matter.

When you are dear to God, you become a dangerous person to the wicked. Whoever troubles you will suffer the wrath of God because your trouble is His trouble.

Jesus wept.

Love made Jesus weep.

Two women. The same Lord. The same location. The same words.

However, they got completely different responses from the Lord.

The cause of the difference was in Mary’s disposition.

Mary fell and stayed at His feet. She acknowledged that she was not worthy to stand before Him.

Find your way to the feet of Jesus. Get close enough to touch Him. Access the mysteries of Love, until what moves you, moves Him.

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• My Father, I receive the Spirit of Your Love, to fellowship with You.

• My Father, I rededicate my life, to fellowship with You again.

• Whatever negative mindset that keeps me from seeking and hearing God; I destroy it now.

• Whatever draws me away from the presence of God, I destroy you by fire.

• Any form of darkness that has been covering my life; disappear by fire.

• Any darkness working tirelessly to cover my life; I destroy you by fire.

PASTOR’S CORNER

DWELLING IN THE MYSTERIES OF GOD’S LOVE:

LOVE IS A SPIRIT

REFERENCES: I JOHN 4:16, JUDE VS 20-21, GALATIANS 2: 20, LUKE 10:19, HEBREWS 11:1, JOHN 12:32, JOHN 17:20

I Jn 4:16

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Since God is Love, and God is a Spirit; then Love is a Spirit.

We can substitute Love for Spirit.

...and he that dwelleth in [the Spiri]t dwelleth in God, and God in him.

So, we have established that:

God is a Spirit

God is love

Therefore, Love is a Spirit.

Your deeds reveal the presence or absence of love in your life. A Christian, who takes the things of God- of His Kingdom- with levity, does not have love in him.

Jude vs 20-21

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith...

Let us also work this out. Faith comes by hearing, by the Word of God. This means that the Word is the material with which the lives of men are built.

It would therefore be wickedness, and proof of the lack of love, if I fail to give you the Word of God.

Basing sermons on socio-political stories, motivations or on Google is a great tragedy. It is a great disservice to the God who is Spirit, and who desires His people to be built with the only worthy material- the Word, which is spirit and life.

...praying in the Holy Ghost,

The Word is also the basis of effective prayer. Praying in the Holy Ghost can only happen when a man has been built by the Word of God.

Praying in the Holy Ghost does not always mean praying in tongues.

Praying in tongues, without having built yourself in the Word, is an abuse.

When a man prays in the Holy Ghost, he prays in the Presence of God- from the womb of the Holy Ghost- speaking revealed words in prayer; not necessarily in tongues.

The apostle said I speak the truth in Christ (I Tim 2:7, Rom 9:10).

This means that it is possible to speak the truth outside Christ. Satan’s words to Christ perfectly exemplify this (Luke 4:9-11). He spoke the truth, but not in God.

When you pray, make sure you have drunk of the Spirit. Get to the realm where your words reveal that you are intoxicated with the Spirit of God.

Understand that whatever utterance the Holy Ghost will give you will be based on the Word you have taken into your soul. The depth of the Word in you determines how far you will go in the realm of the Spirit.

...Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

And the writer continues...

When you pray in the realm of the Spirit, having built yourself up in the Word, you develop the capacity to keep yourself in the love of God.

Now, the Word is spirit and life.

Therefore, you build yourself in the Spirit of the Word

You pray in the Spirit; and thereby,

You keep yourself in the Spirit of God.

Simple arithmetic...

Beware!

The admonition to keep yourself in His love implies that there is the tendency to lose your place in God.

Gal 2: 20

I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

A crucified life is a dead life.

As a Christian, you are dead- crucified with Christ. Notwithstanding you live; except it is no longer you who lives, but Christ lives in you.

This new life of yours- which you now live in your household, in your country, in your world-, is lived by the faith [the Spirit] of Christ; the One who loved you and gave Himself for you.

It is important at this juncture that you consider what you are about to hear...

You DO NOT live by YOUR faith in Him.

You LIVE by HIS faith.

When a man is discharged and acquitted in a court of law, the expectation is that he will rejoice at the verdict. However, if his countenance is sad, the judge will suspect that something is fishy.

The just does not have faith to live by; he lives by the faith of the Justifier- the Person that justified him.

Lk 10:19

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

This Scripture shows that you did not have the power until Christ said you did. So, when you trample upon wicked powers, you do so with boldness and audacity by His faith, not yours.

Heb 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

There are two things involved here.

• Substance: the material

• Evidence: the proof that the material is already in you, and is right.

Substance is material- something tangible.

For instance, when you walk into a building, you can tell what it is used for, by the things you see there. The altar and pulpit here tell you that this building is a church, not a school or a theatre, whether there is a minister present or not.

This means that, by speaking the Word, He is revealing that He has deposited in you the substance to tread on serpents.

Evidence is proof of something else.

You have not seen a pastor in the building, but you know that there IS a pastor because the altar and the pulpit are evidence that someone ministers there.

So, He has told you, or revealed to you, or dropped it in your spirit that you will do exploits. You do not have any physical pointer to that effect, but you know that you did not drum up the idea or dream yourself. You know what you saw, what you heard, what you perceived.

Whatever He has revealed to you, for which you have not seen any physical sign, you hold on to by His faith. That He said it, is a sign that He has put the material to make it a physical manifestation in you; the revelation- the vision, the divine inspiration- is the evidence.

Jn 12:32

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

Christ did not die because we believed Him.

It was His faith that made Him hope that by dying, everyone will come to Him.

His faith made Him lay down His life, saying, ‘I will go so that you can live this life’.

You live by His faith, not yours.

Acts 1:1

The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach

By His faith, Christ also died so that you would continue what He began to do, and to teach.

He wired you. Therefore, He knows that what He put in you has the capacity to continue what He started.

You did not know when He made that decision. You live His life now, continuing what He began, by His faith.

What you are to continue?

While in the world, He declared that I am the Light of the world. When He was about to leave, He declared that you are the light of the world.

Where is the light?

Physically, you do not see yourself glowing. However, when you speak to darkness and cast it out, you do so by His faith.

Faith comes by hearing...Walking by this faith therefore demands that you hear what He said.

Whatever He has revealed to you, is His faith for you. He is telling you that the substance to make it happen is in you.

That good thing you saw will happen.

I Jn 3:8

...For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

He also began to destroy the works of the devil.

He allowed them to stop Him, so that you can be unstoppable.

He understood that, except He dies, He will remain one Man. It was therefore expedient for you that He die, so that, He may raise many like Him to continue His work and spread throughout the world.

So, He has put in you the substance to become Christ-like; to be the light of the world, to destroy the works of the devil; to rule as lord of the Sabbath; to seek and save the lost; to reveal the Father to humanity.

He paid the full price to get you, even in Nigeria. Your sinful life, notwithstanding, because the price He paid had the capacity to get you.

Now, you are His.

Now, you must continue what He began.

He allowed Himself to be stopped so that you can be unstoppable. He died so that you can be called Christ-ian.

The substance of motherhood does not suddenly appear the body of a female when she is grown. It is present there in the body of a baby girl. It is evidence that she is a mother, although she is just a babe.

By His faith, you are empowered to eliminate death, sorrow, limitation, powerless-ness and the reign of evil in your world.

Jn 17:20

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

As Christ prayed for His disciples, He declared that, as many as believe on Him, through the epistles that His disciples write, will also become partake of His prayer for His disciples.

Whatever it is that God said about my life and destiny; when you come here, believing and following my word, you are bringing yourself under the cover of the Christ’s prayer upon me. This means that whatever He said to me shall also come upon you.

This was the story of Paul. He believed all that was said about Christ as he received it from Ananias.

Ananias also walked by the faith of Christ.

When he saw Saul, he called him, ‘Brother’. Left to him, this was a murderer and a persecutor of God’s people. However, since Christ called him a chosen vessel, Ananias called him ‘Brother’.

Paul continued the work of Christ in the land of the Gentiles, by the faith of Christ. He was not there when Christ gave His back to the whips of the soldiers and endured humiliation and a painful death. Yet, he walked out the vision of Christ: He was stopped so that Paul could take the gospel to the ends of the earth, and be unstoppable.

You no longer live for yourself. You are called to continue His vision.

This is the story of love. His love for you made Him give up all- His power, prosperity, length of days, beauty...so that you can pick them up, and run with them.

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• Raw power of God to continue what Jesus started; take over my life.

• My life, I charge you; receive the power to function in the faith of Christ.

• Works of the devil in my life, household; I destroy you all by fire.

• Any serpentine, ancestral power working tirelessly to stop what Jesus said; I terminate you by fire.

• Any proof of the works of darkness in my body; I cast you out by fire.

PASTOR’S CORNER

GIVE NO OPPORTUNITY TO THE WICKED IN CHRIST

ANTICIPATING THE ADVERSARY

REFERENCES: PSALM 105:37, DEUTERONOMY 25: 17-18, HEBREWS 12:2-3

Whether you are prepared or not, the adversary will come...

You must understand that, for the adversary to not overcome you, you must be prepared to overcome. That, however, is only possible when you anticipate the adversary’s move.

Anyone who will frustrate the agenda of the adversary over his life must be prepared. He must have anticipated the adversary and taken measures to floor him.

Jesus said, if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up (Matt 24:43). 

This was a good man- holy, anointed. However, his lack of anticipation made him a victim of the adversary’s attack.

Holiness does not exempt you from the adversary’s gaze. It rather makes you a target.

The Philistines rose against David when they heard that he had been anointed king. (II Sam 5:17).

Also consider Jesus. The devil that came against Him, while He was alone in the wilderness, did not leave forever; he left for a while.

That same devil came again, when He was with His disciples.

For many Christians, that devil assaulting their married lives is the same devil that came against them while they were unmarried. Alas, many fall victim to his devices because they do not anticipate him.

You have a responsibility to anticipate and prepare accordingly for the onslaught before it comes.

Ps 105:37

He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.

Trust the testimony of God.

When He brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, no one was feeble among them.

In the kingdom of God, no one is poor. No born again Christian is poor.

If anyone is poor physically, it is because something transpired to keep them from their original testimony.

Such a Christian has a responsibility to learn what the original master plan for his life is, and work in into reality. (III John 2)

Deut 25: 17-18

Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

These people were on the way. Yet, an adversary came up against them.

How did the enemy meet you five years ago? How did he come against you while you were single?

If you know how he came against you then, you will know how to deal with him now.

The question is: how did the people become feeble? At what point in their journey did feebleness creep in?

The enemy did not come while they were all strong. He waited until he saw that there were feeble, weary ones amongst them. Those were his target.

Brethren, the enemy will reproach the name of God in the life of a feeble Christian.

The enemy will not seek out firebrand Christians; he will seek out murmuring, grumbling, complaining, discouraged Christians.

Moses, Joshua and Caleb were in this same assembly. They encountered the same challenges, were fed with the same food, yet the enemy could not get them.

Why then were the ones at the rear feeble?

Heb 12: 2-3

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Brethren, if you have been called like Jesus, to be a light in your household and generation, consider Jesus. If you will become mighty in the hand of God, consider Jesus.

Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds. (AMP)

If you do not consider what Christ suffered, you will become weary.

This opposition came to stop Jesus from fulfilling His destiny.

Many are called to do special things, but they are faced with grievous opposition; the kind that refuses to let up and back down. Such opposition desires to make you lose your strength and displace you out of destiny.

Jesus overcame because he had anticipated the adversary. He was not caught unawares by the plotting and devising against Him. He had prepared for them; therefore He was unstoppable, in spite of the level of the opposition.

You are also unstoppable, in spite of the grievous opposition against you.

It is your responsibility to anticipate their coming against you, on the way. That way, you can confidently withstand them and overcome.

Do not allow the enemy to deceive you into thinking God does not love you.

Consider your example. Jesus was the only begotten of the Father, beloved of Him. Yet, He faced such opposition.

When the storms hit and it seems you cannot trace God, trust Him, like Christ did. Press on and you will become mighty in the hands of God, like Christ.

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• My life destiny, glory), you are still unstoppable. In spite of the grievous opposition against you; you are unstoppable. They tried it against Jesus and failed. Therefore, they must fail over my life.

• My life, receive the fire to be unstoppable.

• My destiny, you cannot turn back. Receive fire to press forward forever now!

• Any power waiting against me on the way; I shoot you down by fire.

• Any power working hard to deflate my spiritual capacity; I waste you by fire.

• My strength, rise up now!

• Any grievous opposition against my divine position, to force me out of destiny; you are a liar. I destroy you all by fire.

• Every power, ancestral flow, covenant, curse or judgement, opposing my progress; I waste you all by fire.

• Every door shut against me; every book closed against me; I command you to open now.

• Any power dragging my position with me; I cast you down by fire.

These article is saved. 

PASTOR’S CORNER

GIVE NO OPPORTUNITY TO THE WICKED IN CHRIST

UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE OF MATURITY IN CHRIST (C)

REFERENCES: REVELATIONS 5: 9-10, ROMANS 9:33, I PETER 2:6-9

In the first two parts of this teaching, we have learnt that maturity is needed in order to resist the encroachment of the wicked into our lives. If you must put an end to the claim and hold of evil over your life, you need to eat well and grow from strength to strength.

Rev 5:9-10

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation...

Christ did not just die; He was killed. Remember this the next time anyone seeks to threaten you with visions of death. Christ died so that you may live to fulfil your days, and for so much more...

By His death, by His blood, He redeemed us; He bought us out of our households, tribes, and nations.

Let us consider the example of a pen again.

When a pen is bought, it is taken away from the midst of many. At the moment of purchase, that pen is no longer a part of the many other pens.

In the same vein, when Christ redeemed us, He bought us out of the multitude, freeing us from the limitations, patterns, evil experiences of:

Kindred: in Christ, you are no longer subject to the patterns of evil experiences of your household. Whatever spell, curse, judgement, evil pattern and satanic expectation others suffer is no longer permitted to define your life.

Tongue and people: you are no longer to be identified by the ways, nature, peculiarities and failings of your tribe and language. Statements such as ‘that is how people from his place behave’ should no longer define you.

Nation: who says you cannot go far because of the nation of your birth? In Christ, you are called to live according to an order that supersedes the order of your birth country. Therefore, no pattern of ‘local champion syndrome’ or ‘limitation by reason of location’ is permitted to hold you bound.

Brethren, it is time to walk in the reality of this Word.

Christ has bought you (remember that He bought ALL of you- your life, glory, marriage, children, finance, body, talents...) and has taken you out of the order of the powers of this world, and brought you into a new order.

You are no longer permitted to live according the order of your family, tribe, or country. It is time for you to insist on following after the order of Christ alone. No pattern, behaviour, limitation, no expectation of darkness is permitted to define you.

... And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth

A priest sends prayers up to God. He offers up the incense of prayers to the heavens, and calls down the power of God.

A king declares his authority. He does not seek to negotiate with the devil, but declares divine sentence against him.

This is the order to which you have been redeemed; into the place of divine kingship and priesthood.

Note that the Word says He has made us...it is not the exclusive to pastors. We all are priests and kings, called to reign.

Reign over what?

We are not called to reign over one another; pastors are not called to reign over their flock (you have been taught here that everyone has his portion of inheritance in Christ, and no one can take that which belongs to another). Rather, we are called to reign over the powers we were called out from.

Rom 9: 33

As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence...

In the Church of God, is laid a stone that will make men stumble. How is that a good thing?

When the prophet Simeon spoke about the baby Jesus, he revealed that, for some He will be a source of rising, while for others, He will be a source of falling...(Lk 2:35)

This means that Christ came as the stone. For all who believe in Him, He is a source of rising. However, for others, He is a source of destruction.

... and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” (NIV)

Now, when you are told you shall not be ashamed, there is a message there: shame is hanging around to be significant in your life.

Understand that, when you are in Christ, there are personalities and powers committed to disgrace you. And they have succeeded over many Christians; many lived in righteousness but were financially destitute. Others were assaulted with sickness all their days.

Therefore, prepare for the fight.

However, you have the key to frustrate their expectations...

The Word for you is: check the stone. There is another side to it; the side that causes every power seeking your disgrace to stumble and fall. (Ps 27:2)

The stone is the name of Jesus. That name will not cause His children to stumble; rather, in their lips, His name is a weapon of stumbling and offence, to overcome every power on assignment to disgrace them.

Observe the progress. He begins as a stone; as you mature in Him, His name becomes a rock...

I Pet 2: 6-9

Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

When you hear Paul and Peter say the same thing, you will do well to pay attention.

Like Paul, Peter is giving a charge: fight to frustrate every agenda of confusion and shame.

Unto you therefore which believe he is precious...

Your weapon of offence is the name of Jesus. Now, to those of us who believe in Him, He is precious. The question then is:

Are you in Christ? Is He precious to you? You must get to point where He is everything to you- your hope, future, brother, parents, possessor of your life, owner of your destiny, lover of your soul...

Is His name a stone in you, or a rock?

...but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

However, to those who disobey, He is dangerous.

For everyone who is redeemed-bought and called out- by Christ, there are powers fighting to keep him back.

These powers are the disobedient ones. They seek to disobey the counsel of God for your life.

Anyone who has been in Christ for some years has received messages from Him.

So many Christians have seen visions of beautiful things from God; yet, they have not become a reality. Many have even become weary of such beautiful messages.

They do not understand that there are powers fighting to disobey these messages.

These are the powers that disobeyed God in heaven, and were brought down; have you not considered that they will also seek to disobey Christ in you? This is the fight.

“A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message- which also is what they were destined for. (NIV)

God already made provision for this enemy of His children. Whoever disobeys His message is destined for destruction. They must fall and be crushed by the rock-that is their destiny.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

The fight is between you and the darkness He has called you out of. God is giving you a divine charge: show to that darkness that the power that redeemed you is greater than all that had held you bound. In doing so, you display the praises of Christ; He who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.

Brethren, the raging of the enemy is no cause for alarm; be excited because there is a good fight before you.

Wield the rock of offence.

Fight; establish the Lordship of Christ- your true owner- over your life.

Execute judgment over the thieves involved in the evil transactions over your life.

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• My soul, I charge you; receive the authority to appear, speak, progress, prosper, and advance as a king.

• My life, you are king. Therefore, receive the sufficient authority to reign over principalities and powers as a king.

• Sufficient power to make the divine message for my life a reality; possess my life.

• My life, you are called out of darkness. Therefore, receive sufficient power to crush every evil, ancestral thing.

• Forces of darkness, rising to disobey the counsel of God for my life; you are destined for destruction. Therefore, I crush you by fire.

• Any wicked power from anywhere not to allow the message of God to happen in my life, you are destined for destruction. Therefore, by the power of the Rock of Ages, I crush you by fire.

PASTOR’S CORNER

GIVE NO OPPORTUNITY TO THE WICKED IN CHRIST

UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE OF MATURITY IN CHRIST

REFERENCES: TITUS 3:7-8, HEBREWS 6: 16-18, MATTHEW 13:38- 41

As a Christian, you must be aware that your adversary, the devil, is an opportunist. He is always looking for an open door into any life. It is therefore your responsibility to ensure that he finds none against you in Christ.

Many Christians are angry with God. They wonder why certain trials and temptations continue to harass and frustrate them, especially since they were told, by evangelists and pastors, that salvation was a ticket to a trouble-free life.

What was not preached is this: it is not enough to be in the Lord; you must grow into maturity in Him. Some things will not happen in the kingdom until you mature.

Tit 3: 7-8

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Becoming an heir- an inheritor- of God is a process; it is not automatic.

Every divine heir is made. The disappointment many Christians suffer is because this truth was not preached to them: that the power, fire, blessings... that are in God can only be fully accessed by those who are mature in Christ.

Eternal life- Christ in you- stands as a personality, and expresses a hope: ‘Now that you have received me, you need to grow, in God’s fire, wisdom, knowledge, power...you need to mature’

Paul wondered at the depth of the unsearchable riches and wisdom of God. Well, they are accessible to those who are mature in Christ.

This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

Maturity is very important; important enough to be constantly affirmed for the benefit of those who are in Christ. Why? Because it is the key to living a profitable life in Christ!

The hard truth is this: Christianity is not profitable to babes. Dryness- unprofitability- in Christ is a sign of immaturity in Him.

No wonder we are enjoined to say this constantly: every Christian must grow so that he can inherit all that is in God.

An immature Christian, who depends on the wisdom, power and capacity of this world, will suffer much loss in the hands of the wicked.

No one sends a 10-year old to do the job of a grown man. He will falter under the weight of threats, bullies and distractions. That is the story of an immature Christian.

However when he inherits God’s fire, power, tenacity...he becomes unstoppable. He is a force to be reckoned with.

A mature Christian is quick to respond to the things of the spirit because of his level of maturity. He does not need to be cajoled behave well because he has outgrown childish ways.

Many Christians are still babes because of the company the y keep. A man who sits in the midst of gossips and idle talkers has no sense of destiny. Like Jesus, there are certain people in the kingdom that you need to rebuke because their words do not have the capacity to help you on your way to possessing your inheritance.

The church is not a social gathering; we do not dress up to play church. It is a place of transformation; where you are equipped to get more of your divine inheritance.

Heb 6: 16-18

For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

When a man swears an oath, it is to prove to the other party that he is sincere. Now, men swear by a greater being. However, when God decided to emphasise the extent of His commitment to His promise, there was no one greater for Him to swear by; so He swore by Himself.

The bible says He desired more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel.

Observe the following:

He desired to show, not tell.

Secondly, His desire was not to everyone in the kingdom, but to those who have matured to inherit the promise.

When you consider certain promises in the Word, and wonder why they are not fulfilled in your life, God is telling you that they do not belong to everyone: they are not for liars, gossips, vain talkers, lukewarm Christians, immoral Christians. Whoever desires the manifestation of those promises must grow.

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie...

Here, He uses an oath to confirm the unchangeable nature of His promise. So, by the promise and an oath, God commits Himself to His Word.

Whenever God swears by Himself in the Word, it becomes a thorn in the devil’s side.

However, the Word will only work for the heirs of the promise.

... we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

This is the picture of every serious Christian. Like the writer of this verse, I fled from my household, and came to Christ for refuge. Now, if you have been to a refugee camp, you know that it serves two purposes: shelter and protection.

A Christian who walks in this understanding will not play around with his Christian journey. He will not waste time with idlers.

You run into Christ to discover your place and be protected.

Until you discover your place, safety is not guaranteed.

Now, this is my strong consolation; I cannot run to Christ and still suffer what I suffered outside the camp.

However, you must not be ignorant of the devices of the enemy.

When you flee to Christ for refuge, the enemy adopts another strategy; he brings the battle to the camp.

How? He seeks to connect you with un-serious people in the Kingdom. When a person is not ready to grow, do yourself a favour and excuse yourself from such a person.

Matt 13:38- 41

The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

This is Christ explaining the parable of the wheat and the tares...

The soil is the kingdom

The good seed are the children of the kingdom

The tares are the children of the devil.

Christ planted the children of the Kingdom. These are the ones who charge you to be committed to your destiny in Christ.

Then there are the children of the devil. These are the ones who waste your time and lure you into a lifestyle that is contrary to God’s word.

Brethren, beware: the devil has sown his people into the kingdom of God. There are men and women planted by the devil in the Kingdom.

Why?

The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity

They are planted by the devil to cause offence in the Kingdom. He plants them to turn men away from God’s presence. Many people have blacklisted the House of God because of these seeds of darkness.

He plants them to bring down the fire of God, and cause harm and destruction in a place of refuge. He brought this into the House of God to bring frustration into the hearts of God’s children.

Christ’s expectation is that His children will grow, mature and inherit the promise. When they do so, the wicked ones become irrelevant.

Sadly, while the bad seed is focused in his evil assignment against the good seed, the good seed has been distracted from the divine charge to grow and mature.

The children of God have become distracted by the pursuit of money and other temporal achievements. They fail to grow and mature into their divine inheritance of the promise.

Brethren, rise up from the place of frustration that the enemy has put you. Shake off the things that offend. Grow, mature; receive the fire, power, wisdom...that God has apportioned you in Christ.

Do not give place to the wicked anymore in Christ.

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• My life, I charge you; receive the fire the Almighty God has apportioned you.

• Every package of the wicked against my life; I scatter and destroy you by fire.

25TH SEPTEMBER, 2016

PASTOR’S CORNER

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERY OF A NEW LEVEL IN CHRIST

EVERY NEW LEVEL DEMANDS SEEING THE SUPERNATURAL JUDGEMENT (B)

REFERENCES: MATTHEW 22: 41-46, JOHN 9: 39, JOHN 16: 20-22, PSALM 62: 3-4

We have learnt that there can be no new level- divine or satanic- without a supernatural judgement. Attaining a new level in Christ therefore requires that you are able to see supernatural judgement.

Matt 22: 41-46

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

Let us consider the questions posed in this scripture, for these are the questions the church must answer.

What is your vision about Christ? How do you see Him? What do you think about Him? Your answer to these questions determines how you live.

What do you think of Christ in you?

What do you think about the price He paid for your adoption, salvation, prosperity, longevity? What do you think about your salvation, your Christianity? What do you think of this man, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, who spoke to the wind, who died on the cross, who was buried, and rose again the third day, who ascended to heaven?

What is your vision about this man- the Christ?

A man who lies and manipulates in order to prosper has not seen the power of Christ to prosper.

A man who lives in fear of the enemy sees has not seen the greatness of His power to deliver.

The bible tells us that those who err in vision will inevitably stumble in judgement. This means that, when a man’s vision of Christ is wrong, he will judge wrongly- walking in error and messing up his life.

Let us consider this example.

How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

How will Christ’s enemies be made his footstool if He is seated at God’s right hand? When you understand this scripture, you will not waste time crying to Christ to come and save you. Rather, you will see that you are the battle axe by which His enemies are to be brought down. You are to take up the responsibility of fighting in His name.

Unfortunately, many Christians think a lot about the enemy but do not give much thought to their judgement of Christ. Therefore, their awareness and fear of the enemy is greater than their confidence in the power of Christ.

Jn 9: 39

And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

This means that Christ came to give you seeing eyes, and to make your enemies spiritually blind. Yet, many Christians live and walk blindly, while living in fear of diabolical personalities who seem to be able to see every step they take.

And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

When you think right of Christ, you will become an unsolvable puzzle to the enemy. They will see you move, but acknowledge that they are powerless to stop you.

But this can only happen when you think right about Christ.

Jn 16: 20-22

Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

While a mother travails to bring forth her child, she alone endures the pain. Once the child is brought forth, the mother, father and family members rejoice, but the baby cries. The little one cries because he senses that he has been pushed out of his comfort zone and brought to a new level.  

Now, at the time of birth, mother and child are separated for a short while. Once the child cries and is cleaned, he is returned to the mother.

Every Christian that has been called by God to move into a higher level must understand this: a time will come when you will cry, while the world around you- the world of your marriage, household, destiny, business, ministry- rejoices.

When Christ said ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death’ (Mk 14: 34), He understood that it was time for Him to bring forth. Therefore, He could intimate His disciples of what was ahead:

And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

After the moment of pain, confusion, and sorrow in reaction to the process of advancement, Christ promises them joy that no man can take away. And, upon visiting them, He fed them with His power, equipping them with boldness and joy.

This means that, as you walk into the new level, with weeping, no one is permitted to rob you of all that Christ gives to you. No man refers to any personality, vision, word, power...no one is allowed to take away that which you wept to get.

Brethren, Christ will visit you again, and no man will be able to take your joy, blessings, testimonies from you. When you understand this judgement, you will keep moving- through the fire and the water- because you know it is only for a while.

Ps 62: 3-4

How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

The wicked imagine and envision evil, and proceed to seek consultation on how to bring it to pass. And this is not a one-man show; it is a conspiracy.

They imagine evil against a man- his life, marriage, business, children, destiny- and consult on how to bring him down.

The key to overcome this conspiracy is to understand supernatural judgement. Whoever imagines such evil against you, as well whoever they consult to carry it out, shall be slain. Why? Christ was full of power; yet He died in weakness for your sake. He was brought down for your sake. Therefore conspiracies to bring you down must be squashed.

Final note:

God has already given you the Blessing. When you walk with Him, He gives you the promise, and takes you through a process of preparation. At this time, He empowers you to receive the earlier promised blessing.

Seeing the supernatural judgement is part of the preparation process. As you sharpen and correct your vision, you move closer and higher towards receiving, and retaining the Blessing.

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• Fire of God, appear in my life, higher than ever.

• Evil powers, attacking on every side to take my joy from me; I slay you all by fire.

• Evil imaginations and consultations, going on to stagnate my life; I slay you by fire.

• Every attack of the wicked to bring me down; I slay you all by fire.

• Every decision of darkness to make sorrow unending in my life; I slay you by fire.

• Any wicked power or agent of darkness consulted against my life; I slay you by fire now.

18TH SEPTEMBER, 2016

PASTOR’S CORNER

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERY OF A NEW LEVEL IN CHRIST

EVERY NEW LEVEL DEMANDS NEW CONNECTIONS

REFERENCES: I CORINTHIANS 13: 11, LUKE 5: 39, ISAIAH 65: 8

A new level will require new connections. Whether for good or evil, no new level can be attained until you are connected to a new person, someone who will give you a push in the desired direction.

A new connection in Christ is for construction (Acts 20: 32). You are connected in Him so that you can be built up. When God wants to set you ablaze in Christ, He will also connect you to His word- a revealed Word- that will continue to speak in your soul until it takes you up.

The devil changes people’s levels as well, by connecting them to someone who will pull them down. Therefore, as a Christian, you must choose your companions carefully, like Daniel, and observe their lives: are they going up or down?

I Cor 13: 11

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

If we rearranged this verse in the order of occurrence, we would have: I thought, I understood, and I spoke. This is because every word you speak is a reflection of your understanding, which itself is a by-product of your thoughts.

As a child in the kingdom, Paul admits that he thought, understood, and spoke as a child. But, he could not stay a child; to become a man, he had to take on the responsibility of putting off the garb of childishness.

Putting away childish things demanded that he think deeper, understand better, and speak from a higher dimension- a place of greater, deeper understanding.

The level of one’s maturity will reflect in the relationship with God and His Word.

A child will wail when hungry, will throw tantrums when things do not go his way. A child lacks discipline, self control and is very restless. In the same way, a childish Christian will find it hard to stay with the Word, boasting instead in the number of bible chapters he reads in a day. A child will make threats to God when things do not go his way, and will throw up his hands in despair at the sight of battle.

A man is different. Like the three Hebrew men who stared down death by furnace, a man has enough depth to stand confident in the faithfulness of God, and enough understanding to trust Him even if He does not save.

You attain this level of maturity when you stay with the Word, looking into it, for hours. When you sit with one verse for hours, comparing versions, prayerfully seeking out the mind of God until you understand, that is a sign that you are a man.

The things you do, the places you go, the way you dress, speak and behave...all these are markers of your level of maturity.

Lk 5: 39

No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

Brethren, it is time to set down the old wine. The old way, teaching, teaching must be set aside, because God wants to connect you to someone who will give the new- new experience of His power, fire,

When you remain stuck in the old way, you will fail to move when God moves. Moses struck the rock (three times!) when he was commanded to speak, because he was still dwelling in the past.

Isa 65: 8

Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.

When God passes a judgement against a family, a force will rise to carry it out. Any time, something new is about to happen to anyone in that family, that force will rise to destroy the person because of the judgement.

Now, God does not destroy. However, when He passes a judgement, it cannot be reversed. Therefore, He creates a way of escape from the powers that are committed to carrying out the judgement.

In order to rescue His own from the judgement of destruction, when something new is about to happen in his life, God will connect him to his servant. This gives His the legal ground to rebuke the destroyer: Destroy him not for My servant’s sake, because there is a blessing in him.

Abiathar came from such a family. When a force of darkness arose to destroy every man in his household, because of the judgement passed against the family in the days of Eli, he ran to David, and was saved.

It is important to be connected to the right person, and also understand the purpose of that connection. You must therefore let go of the old- ways, thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes- that have kept you limited, and take up the new. Then, by reason of His covenant in His servant’s life, God can defend you and the blessing in you.

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• Holy Ghost, connect me to Your power.

• My life, receive the new experience of God’s power and fire.

• Every old thing in my life, against my destiny; I push out by fire.

• The blessing of God is in me. Therefore, every power seeking to destroy me; I waste you by fire.

11TH SEPTEMBER, 2016

PASTOR’S CORNER

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERY OF A NEW LEVEL IN CHRIST

NEW LEVEL DEMANDS NEW TEST

REFERENCES: MARK 1:11-13, I CORINTHIANS 15: 32A, JOHN 7: 32-36, 45

Every new level demands, and is therefore preceded by a new test. Just as no one is promoted without passing the required test, no Christian can rise to another level without going through a test. Everybody will go through their own test; the timing may differ, but the reality is inevitable.

Mk 1: 11-13

And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

Anyone who desires the raw power of God must be ready for a great test. Jesus, at the beginning of His ministry, was openly declared by God to be His only Begotten. How wonderful it must have been to be so openly celebrated by the Most High God. What a great show of God’s love!

Well, if God loves you, then be prepared to be tested, and a great test it will be.

Immediately He was declared as God’s special Son, He was driven by the Holy Spirit, not to the city, to be welcomed with fanfare and feasting; rather the Holy Spirit drove Him to the wilderness, and there,  He had to contend with temptations from the devil, and wild beasts.

Daniel was in a lion’s den for a day. Jesus dwelt in the midst of wild beasts for 40 days!

Anyone who desires to attain a new level must be ready to face and conquer wild beasts. These beasts could be members of your household, of your in-laws’ household, or even your work place. Your test may even require you being surrounded on all sides by wild beasts- a sign that God loves you so very much- and your new level will depend on you passing the test before you.

Some of the wild beasts you encounter are God’s way of keeping you at alert and in the best shape possible. No one acts carelessly and sleeps deeply when he is surrounded by wild beasts.

Wild beasts are also His instruments of making you battle field- ready. You may have spent time studying God’s word- you know the laws and the judgements- but have never had real life experience using them. God will drive you into the midst of the wild animals so that you can use the Word, and use it some more, until you experience its efficacy at work. That way, when you face any challenge afterwards, you will confidently use the Word-knowing that it works.

Jesus could curse the fig tree and give it no more thought because He had tested the Word in the wilderness. The public is not the place to test the efficacy of the Word; it is tested in the secret. The wilderness is your secret school, and the wild beasts are your test subjects.

There, face to face with a hungry, growling beast- that is planning how to pin you down, rip off your throat and feast on your juicy flesh- you will have to speak the Word and see if it really has the power to save you.

The man with the beast-like demons at the Gadarenes had to bow before Jesus, because Christ had already dealt with and overcome beasts in the wilderness.

All Christians may be armed with the same faith as the apostles, but not all generate results when they use the Word, because not all have tested the Word in the wilderness and certified its power.

This is the scenario. The devil moves the wild animals against Jesus. Christ could either run, be chased and cut down by them, or speak the Word. When He speaks, angels will execute His judgement against the wild animals, thus thwarting Satan’s agenda.

This was not a one-time situation; it happened continually. This means that He had to speak, and speak, and speak. This was to prepare for the man-beasts He would encounter in His ministry- the hypocritical teachers of the law, the upholders of traditions and religion that were keeping God’s people in bondage and would fight anyone seeking to set them free.

God will not take you up to a new level without preparing you. Therefore, the wilderness is the fiery place of training, preparing and equipping you for the challenges of the new level. If you must speak at that level and see things happen, then get ready for your wilderness experience; get ready to face your wild beasts.

Yours could be the wilderness of sickness, lack or delay. There, it might seem like nothing you do is working. Still you press on, keep speaking- fasting, praying, and studying- because the Word does work. God is simply training you to trust Him even when it seems you cannot trace Him.  

I Cor 15: 32a

If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me...

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul charges them to take on the whole armour of God, because he knew that there were beasts in their land.

Paul also learnt that he did not fight the beasts for nought; he knew that there was something to gain when one deals with, and tames wild beasts.

When Christ fought the wild beasts, He gained boldness and confidence in the power of the Word.  He knew He could tame the Pharisees, He could command the fear and obedience of devils, and He could tame the hearts of men.

Jn 7: 32-36, 45

The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come. Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come?

Is it possible to be physically in the midst of the enemy, and still be invisible to them? Can the enemy know where you dwell, but find it impossible to reach you there?

This is the puzzle Christ placed before the Jews with His words. And they pondered ‘What manner of saying is this that he said...’

Brethren, all you need to live in the reality of the picture painted above, is to know the manner of the Word. This was the same Word that made it impossible for the wild beasts to come to Him for harm.  

When you

Jn 7: 45

Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?

There are wicked personalities seeking to bring you down to their level; your responsibility is to reject and frustrate their expectations. Leave them confounded by speaking the Word against them.

Christ spoke to the wild beasts and disempowered them, such that He was untouchable while He dwelt in their midst, and left them in due time, unscathed.

You also must let the enemies in your environment know that you will leave them unhurt; therefore, they will seek you and not find you, although you are right under their nose. They may think they know where you are, but they are not permitted to come near you.

Speak the Word. Test its efficacy. Then, you will gain confidence to tame every beast in your new level.

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• Fire of God, transform my life.

• My soul, I charge you. Receive fire to speak out.

• My soul, receive power to display the power of God.

• Any power seeking my life for evil, you shall seek me but not find me; because where I am, you cannot come!

• Any power harassing my soul, I bind and I set you on fire.

• Any wicked power assigned to bring me down; hear the word of the Lord. I bring you down by fire.

• Angry powers from anywhere, raging against my life; I bind and destroy you by fire.

• Any satanic officer, sent to arrest me; I bind and destroy you by fire.

4TH SEPTEMBER, 2016

PASTOR’S CORNER

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERY OF A NEW LEVEL IN CHRIST

NEW LEVEL DEMANDS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (B)

REFERENCES: EPHESIANS 5:15-17, JOB 31:35, PSALM 139: 14-16

Attaining a new level in Christ demands that one acquire additional, relevant information- about the kingdom, the way of God, the devices of the adversary and the mystery to thwarting them.

In the first part of this teaching, we learnt that, as the wicked speak evil judgement with tongues fired up by hell to destroy the course of a man’s life, a Christian must be prepared to also speak- to frustrate and destroy every evil word spoken against him.

Eph 5:15-17

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

A wise Christian must understand that the days are full of evil, and that he needs to redeem the time he will spend in each day. He will therefore work in the place of prayer to ensure that evil does not encroach on his time in any day.

In redeeming the time, it is important to understand what the will of the Lord is. For instance, a man who lacks this understanding will question the need to redeem the time in each day.

It is also important to understand: if the will of God is that His people escape the evil in the day, whose will is it that evil befalls man?

Job 31:35

Oh that one would hear me! Behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.

When the devil came against Job, every word he spoke concerning Job was according to what was written in his evil book.

This means that whatever evil befalls a man had already been written against him. Its manifestation is simply the activation of a programmed evil.

Brethren, the devil has written a book against every man, and in it, he has written against them, judgements that are contrary to the will of God. This means that, any Christian who is ignorant of what the will of the Lord is, and how to wield it as a sword of redemption, will be at the mercy of the devil’s will.

God also has a book. When you look into His book, you will find revealed, His will for you.

Ps  139: 14-16

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

The psalmist was aware of the Source of his life, and the power behind the Source of his life. Therefore, he understood that, as God is wonderful and marvellous, so is he.

He also understood that God has a book, in which is written all the days that make up the journey of his life. The days of a man- all the days ordained for him- are written in His book. God has seen your prosperity, greatness, marriage and children before even one of them was even formed. As a case in point, David’s 13- year wilderness experience was as it was written in book.

When a man is ignorant of the content of the book concerning his life, he inevitably wastes time. Israel spent 30 more years in captivity because Moses did not understand this mystery.  

The devil has also written, in his book, how he desires your days to be. Like an engineer, he determines how he wants to frustrate and waste your days and destiny, before executing his plan against your life.

When a Christian is unaware of what the will of the Lord is, he would find it hard to determine if his experiences agree with the book of God, or if it is a design from the devil’s book.

The content of God’s book is your weapon of warfare against every judgement written in the book of the adversary of your life. Study therefore to understand what His will is, and cut down every contrary word in the enemy’s book.

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• My life, I hand you over to God.

• Any evil judgement written against me; you are a lie. Therefore, I cast you back to the sender.

• Whatever book the enemy has written against my life, waiting to perform in my life; I destroy you by fire.

• Whatever is written against me, waiting for an appointed time to perform; I destroy you by fire.

• This is my day. Therefore, any evil written against my day; I scatter and destroy you by fire.

27TH SEPTEMBER, 2015

PASTOR’S CORNER

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIES OF ADOPTION IN CHRIST:

DEALING WITH THE ENEMY OF ADOPTION

REFERENCES: I JOHN 2: 13- 14, LUKE 1: 17, PROVERBS 24:7

I Jn 2: 13- 14

I write unto you fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong. And the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

What makes a Christian a father is the depth of the revelation of the Word he has accessed. Being a father is not determined by your date of salvation- how many years you have been in the Lord- but rather by how much of the Word you have accessed.

We see from this scripture that there are three levels of maturity: the children, who know God as their Father; the young men who are strong and have overcome the wicked; and those who have accessed relevant knowledge about Jesus from the beginning - the fathers. They have been able to access Jesus from the beginning (Genesis). Knowing the Father, or overcoming the wicked, does not make you a father.

God will only speak to you based on your level of maturity- a child, young man or a father. This means that the message you receive from God is based on your level of knowledge. It also means that the level of revelation you receive will be determined, and limited by the level of your maturity.

No man can give what he lacks. It stands to reason therefore that your revelation, and the depth of it, determines your elevation, and the height thereof, in life. If you must fulfil destiny therefore, you must seek to become a father; you must seek to go deeper in the knowledge of the mysteries of Christ, from the beginning.

 Lk 1: 17

And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

A father is one who teaches and builds up the life of his children. He investigates their lives to discover where they are still struggling and builds them up to maturity.

It is however a sad reality that the devil has turned the heart of the fathers against the children. Many fathers fail to seek the wellbeing of their children and care more for their own prosperity. But even the faithful fathers have a challenge: the devil has also succeeded in turning the hearts of their children against them. Whenever a Christian fails to heed the divine instructions given by his father, or chooses to obey in part, he is disobedient.

Now his disobedience is because he lacks the wisdom of the just. This means that, although he is just, he lacks the wisdom that goes with it. This lack of wisdom is the cause of division between him and his father, because wisdom demands that his heart be in agreement with the heart of the father.

It is therefore necessary that the hearts of these fathers be turned back to their children. In the same vein, the hearts of disobedient children must be turned back to the wisdom of the just. But what is the purpose of this mandate?

...to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

This is the sum of the whole matter: to prepare men for God. Until your father prepares you, you are not ready for God.

No man can walk in the reality of God’s power, glory, prosperity... until He is prepared by his father. Consider this: God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. Now, God had sent the prophet to Nineveh but he turned to Tarshish. Yet, when the fish swallowed Jonah, it swam and took him to Nineveh! It knew the right location.

Every man prepared by God to be your father knows your destination and has been prepared to prepare and lead you there.

That fish was not the only fish in the sea, but it was the one prepared by God. You also need the father, who has been prepared by God, to swallow and vomit you in the right direction of your destiny.

God is never in a hurry. Whatever vision of greatness He has revealed to you, He will wait until you have been prepared, by your father, before bringing them to reality. It is therefore in your best interest to humble yourself before your father and submit to be prepared.

Bottom line: you are not ready for God- for His power, fire, prosperity, blessings, promotion- until you are ready to be prepared.

Pro 24:7

Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

Peter referred to some of Paul’s teachings as hard to be understood. Paul also enjoined Timothy to endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. This means that hardness cannot be avoided. When a man therefore declares that the standard of the Lord is too high, he is a fool.

Now folly has a price: when a man rejects preparation, he loses the opportunity to gain the relevant knowledge needed to sit and speak as a ruler in judgement.  

There are rulers in every household and environment, determining the circumstances of those under their rule. Only a Christian, who has submitted himself to be prepared, can sit in judgement over them and overrule. A fool therefore denies himself this great privilege and makes himself a victim in the journey of life.

The standard of God may be hard, but it is accessible.

Only the fish prepared by God could swallow Jonah and vomit him, whole.

Only a body prepared by God could stop sacrifices.

Are you ready to be prepared?

 PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• Fire of God, swallow me now.
•  My soul, receive fire to go deeper in Christ.
• My Father, help me to obey all your commandments.
• Holy Ghost, I am ready to display Your power at the gate. Fill me with Your fire.
• Fire of God, clothe me like a garment.
• You display of wicked power over my life; I bury you by fire.

20TH SEPTEMBER, 2015

PASTOR’S CORNER

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIES OF ADOPTION IN CHRIST:

WINNING STUBBORN POWERS THROUGH ADOPTION

REFERENCES: MARK 5: 2-7, II KINGS 13: 14-25

The scriptures declare: ‘Blessed be God who will always cause us to triumph’. This means that there will always be a battle to fight but God will always give us the victory. It is always written that whatever happens to man is common to all men, and there will always be a way of escape out of it. Yet, many Christians have heard this gospel, this good news, but still died in their problems. Why is it that for them, there did not seem to be a way of escape and a testimony of triumph?

Today, we will learn how, and receive the power to conquer and win in the battle over such stubborn powers through adoption.

Mk 5: 2- 7

And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him...but when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him, and cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure Thee by God, that thou torment me not.

There are certain things to consider here:

When the devils saw Jesus, they ran and worshipped Him; but that was not all. They recognised Him as the Son of God. The Pharisees saw Him as the son of Joseph and Mary but the devils saw His true identity- they saw that He had been adopted to be the Son of God.

Brethren, the devil knows the real you. When a man is adopted by God, he does not need to announce himself; the devil already knows who he is. On the other hand, when a man is without a father, no form of pretentiousness or amount of appellations can fool the devil about his true identity. (So, if you want to know who a man really is, consult the devil). Remember the sons of Sceva? While the devil they confronted recognised Jesus and Paul to be carriers of the Father’s spirit, he declared the sons of Sceva to be fatherless vagabonds and treated them as such.

The devils did not only worship and acknowledge the Son-ship of Christ; they also declared that they did not have the power to challenge Him, and begged Him by His Father. They recognised that He was made by His Father and entreated by His Maker.

I pray that the power, that will cause evil personalities to submit to you, will possess you, in the name of Jesus!

They begged Him not to torment them; because they knew that every son of God is a tormentor. It is therefore sad to note that, today, Christians are the ones at the receiving end of torment. If you are such a Christian, it is a sign that you are still a babe and in serious need of the power of God.

II Kgs 13: 14- 25

Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horseman thereof. And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands. And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD’S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them...

The king of Israel recognised that you need a father in order to conquer stubborn powers.

As Elisha lay sick and dying, this king, with tears in his eyes, came calling. He had a stubborn enemy and he knew that he needed his father’s backing if he was to conquer. He did not regard his status and position, his place or his prestigious company; he recognised what Elisha himself had seen in Elijah: the importance of discovering, seeking out and obeying ones father.

O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horseman thereof

The king admitted that he needed the charge of his father to ensure certain victory over his stubborn enemy. He knew that, with his father’s backing, he could go to battle, confident of victory. The enemy will bow because of the divine pronouncement of the father.

Now, when the king came to Elisha, he came with a bow and arrows. He came prepared for battle, but his trust was not in his weapons. Rather, he sought the father’s blessings first.

 And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.

So Hazael king of Syria died; and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead. And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel.

True to the words of Elisha, Joash beat Syria thrice. In doing so, he recovered all that his birth father had lost in war to Syria.

Joash understood that he needed a different approach to fighting this war. To conquer what conquered his birth father, he needed a spiritual father to touch his weapons of war and ensure victory. Although Ben-hadad stubbornly continued to return in battle against him, Joash continued to beat him until, by the third defeat, he had to concede the cities to Joash.

Yet, this would not have happened if the king had not sought out his father, with tears. Men might have mocked him for weeping, but the result justified his actions.

Today, many cry in the wrong places. Would it not be more sensible if you were willing to cry in the presence of your father and receive the divine charge to win and conquer that stubborn enemy once and for all?

Brethren, if you greatly desire to win that battle against the stubborn powers that have tormented you and dispossessed you of your portion, you need to be adopted. It is time to discover, seek out and obey your father. Only then can you overcome what overcame others and recover all that your household has lost.

PRAYER POINTS

In the name of Jesus,

• My life, receive the fire that cannot be tormented.
• I receive the power to recover all that is missing in my household.
• Fire to recover all; possess my life.
• Ancestral power, forcing good things out of my life and destiny; I shoot you down by fire.
• Any wicked power that has subdued my life; I destroy your power by fire.
• Anything that conquered my parents, working tirelessly to conquer my life; I kill you by fire.

PASTOR’S CORNER
UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIES OF ADOPTION IN CHRIST:
ADOPTION RELEASES THE FATHER’S SPIRIT
REFERENCES: JOHN 1: 31- 34; II KINGS 2: 2- 22

When a man is adopted into son-ship, it is because the Father desires that he operates in His [the Father’s] spirit.

Jn 1: 31- 34
And I knew Him not: but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptise with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptiseth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God.

A father is not chosen but discovered. John did not know that Cousin Jesus was the Messiah- the Son of God. Instead of revealing it to him, God gave him the key to making that discovery. This is the key: Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining... Any time you encounter your father, you will see the spirit of God upon him. He will consistently function in his role as a father, leader and mentor. Then you will testify that he is a man adopted by God, and a carrier of the Father’s Spirit.

II Kgs 2: 2- 22

When you do discover your father, you must be willing to pay the price to go wherever he goes, even when he tries to dissuade you. That is the price of adoption into son-ship. However, it takes revelation understanding to accept such responsibility; because until the mystery is revealed to you, it cannot be released. You cannot hold on to what you have not seen.

Now, the sons of the prophets at Bethel came to Elijah...

This means that they were prophets who ‘fathered’ sons in Bethel. However, these prophets were unknown; we never heard of them- they were nameless. It was their sons that approached Elisha, the son of another prophet, one who was known, to reveal what they had seen to him.

At Jericho as well, there were nameless prophets that fathered nameless sons. These also approached Elisha with the same revelation. These men were indeed prophets, for they could ‘see’; however, while they were content to remain at that level, Elisha was aiming for greater things.

As Elijah and Elisha continued on, fifty of these sons of prophets followed them, but only to watch the events that were about to unfold from afar.

When the father and son reached the River Jordan, Elijah smote the waters with his mantle and Jordan parted ways for them to walk over. It was then that he turned to Elisha and asked for his request.

Note that, until Elisha crossed the Jordan, he had not seen anything he had never seen before. No son can claim to have finished his training until he sees what he had never seen. Ministers of God who misbehave do so because they are ‘undone’. They did not wait to cross over Jordan with their fathers before moving on. Just as a meal that is undone will manifest its raw nature eventually, these ministers reflect their old nature under the slightest pressure.

In response to his father’s offer, Elisha asked for a double portion of his [Elijah’s] spirit. This shows that he was not after the father, but the spirit in the father, and a double portion of it!

Although his request was a hard thing, yet, according to the word of Elijah, Elisha received a double portion of his father’s spirit as he saw him ascending. This scene was witnessed by only Elisha; the 50 sons of the prophets could not access this.

It is possible for people to misinterpret your relationship with your father but adoption will reveal the true picture. When the sons of the prophets approached Elisha, they referred to Elijah as his ‘master’. However, as he ascended into heaven, Elisha called him ‘my father’. They saw a master and his servant, but Elisha was looking for a father to make him a father- in- the- making.

The sign that he had received a double portion of the spirit was not the mantle of Elijah that he picked up, but the fact that he removed and tore his own garment in two- two mantles, symbolising the double portion of the spirit upon him. It was only then that he took up the mantle of Elijah, because, at that moment, his own mantle became more valuable than that of Elijah.

As he crossed over Jordan, the sons of the prophets bare record that the spirit of Elijah was upon him, and approaching him, they bowed to him.

Brethren, there is no son-ship without suffering. Because he was willing to endure hardness, Elisha received his request- a double portion of his father’s spirit. That was why he tried to dissuade the sons of the prophets from looking for Elijah; he knew that his [Elijah’s] spirit was residing in him.
On their part, when they saw that the spirit of Elijah was indeed in him, they entreated him to do what their own fathers had been unable to do- remove the bitterness in the waters of their land. And so, Elisha, the prophet from Jerusalem, became the problem solver of Jericho.

Brethren, it does not matter how many Christians are already in your household; you must be dissatisfied with the status quo and desire the extraordinary. Like Elisha, you must be willing to go the extra mile, pay the ultimate price, to get the ultimate prize- a double portion of the Father’s spirit.

PRAYER POINTS
In the name of Jesus,
My soul, receive the fire to make impact.
Every attack of the enemy to make my assignment an ordinary thing; I destroy you by fire.

6TH SEPTEMBER, 2015

PASTOR’S CORNER

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIES OF ADOPTION IN CHRIST:

ADOPTION DEMANDS SACRIFICE (pt 2)

REFERENCES: ISAIAH 50: 1, LEVITICUS 25: 8-10, 47, ISAIAH 61: 1-2

In the first part of this teaching, we saw how Moses’ mother sold him out to Pharaoh’s daughter for a fee, and how it took an encounter with God, after 80 years, to reverse the consequences of that transaction.

Before we proceed today, I would like you to consider this: imagine that your car was stolen and resold to someone else. Would the fact that the new buyer paid someone for the car nullify the fact that you, as the rightful owner, were not paid? Or would it deter you from claiming what is rightfully yours?

Consider this as well: to whom did Christ pay the great price for our salvation? Well, when mothers shed water and blood in the delivery room, do they shed it to anyone in particular? So, just as water and blood are the price mothers pay to bring forth new life, Christ also shed His water and blood to redeem us. And just as the water and blood women shed at delivery are not given to anyone, Christ did not pay anyone; He simply fulfilled His divine responsibility necessary to bringing us back to God.

Isa 50: 1

Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

Whenever you experience strange relations, with a strange man or woman in your dreams and are powerless to reject the advances of the latter, it is a sign that you have been sold to that strange personality; it does not matter whether you are aware of the transaction or not.

Now, like the stolen car that was re-sold, this stranger did not conduct the transaction of sales with the original owner of your life; because God is the producer/owner of your life. Therefore neither the seller nor the buyer of your life had the legal right to sell or acquire your life.

So, God is asking here: is there any personality- idol, power, or kingdom- can claim that he paid Him for your life? Can any demand that God return the money he paid for you? If none can make such a claim, then God’s claim of ownership over your life is still undisputed.

Lev 25:  8-10, 47

And thou shalt number seven Sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

The year of jubilee confers liberty on everyone, and on that day, two things must happen: every man must return to his possession and his family. This implies that the man had been taken away from his household and sold to another family.

So, if you had been sold to any strange power or kingdom, as you hear the sound of the trumpet heralding the day of jubilee, get ready: it is time for you to return to your destiny.

And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger’s family: after that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him: either his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.

Powerlessness is at the root of this matter. Parents and ancestors sell their children and household respectively to strange powers because they lack power. It is powerlessness that makes a man or woman sell out his or her children to the devil, a decision borne out of the need to protect their loved ones...unfortunately, by that same act, they subvert the destiny they were trying to protect.

But in the day of jubilee, everyone must return to his possession and his home. This is the decree made by God, the owner of the buyer, the seller and the sold, to all parties involved: It doesn’t matter how long you have been in the ownership of the stranger or what the agreement of purchase was; once the sound of the trumpet heralding jubilee is heard, you must be let go.

That idol you were sold to is the stranger that has waxed rich and taken over territories in your environment. That is why your fathers sold the entire household to him. But the good news is: you may be redeemed. Even if you have no one to help you, once you are able, you can redeem yourself.

And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, both he, and his children with him. For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom i brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Now, what happens when the person in captivity has no one to redeem him, and he is unable to redeem himself as well? Well, there is hope even for such. For in the year of jubilee, liberty is sure for him and his children...

Why? Because all the parties involved- the seller, the buyer and the sold- are servants of God, and His decree overrules all outstanding agreements.

Isa 61: 1-2

The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to... preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn

Remember that Christ has paid the great price of water and blood to bring us back to God, just as He was likewise born by water and blood.

The above scripture testifies to the divine assignment of Christ; to proclaim the acceptable year (of liberty) of the LORD, and execute God’s vengeance on the thieving parties claiming ownership of His possession.

In Luke 4: 18-20, Christ confirmed His assignment. However, He did not mention the day of vengeance of our God, before He closed the book. He did not read that portion because the dispensation of the Holy Spirit had not begun, and no one can execute vengeance when the Holy Spirit has not been given.

In order to fulfil the whole part of that scripture, Christ paid the price to declare the acceptable year of the LORD and in doing so paved the way for us to have access to the Father. He has also charged us to execute vengeance on every power that fails to yield to the divine judgment of God concerning our liberty.

It is therefore our responsibility, since we are in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, to declare the day of vengeance of our God.

Now, consider this: the year of jubilee for Israel, according to God’s revelation to Abraham, was after 400 years. Yet 430 years after, the devil was still claiming ownership of Moses’ life. It is therefore possible that one remain in captivity long after your year of jubilee has come!

Do you hear the trump of jubilee? Make haste therefore and execute the vengeance of God upon every power to whom your life was sold.

PRAYER POINTS

• My soul, receive the fire to execute the vengeance of the LORD

• My Father, anything in me that has been wasting my time and my life, I surrender them to You. Have mercy, wash me with the Blood of Jesus and receive me again

• Any wicked power that my life was sold to; this is God’s judgment: you are a thief. I bring the vengeance of God upon you today. I damage and destroy your power by fire.

• Any wicked hand, dragging my life backward; I cut off by fire.