UNDERSTANDING THE PHASES OF LIFE !

The subject of divine guidance is very intricate. It calls for broad spiritual sensitivity and analysis.

Among other things you have to discern between what God is saying to span through your entire life time and the ones He is saying for particular seasons of your life.

God deals with us in phase by phase pattern. If you don’t want to be phased out with a particular phase you must be sensitive to know when you are due for the next phase.

Elijah was wise to move away from the dry brook into the next phase of his life. 1Kings. 17:1-end.

Don’t dry up with a drying brook! Never get phased out with an already ended phase.

Never engage in an ended battle. Be spiritually dynamic!

At every cross road, never fail to enquire at the mouth of the Lord; which way next, Lord?

His guidance will end you up in your greatness.

In leadership endeavor, understanding of phases of life is very crucial.

Understanding of times and season will always put you in command.

MOVE, ELSE YOU WILL SOON BE REMOVED!

MOVE WITH THE CLOUD OR GET LOST IN THE CROWD!

The cloud of glory is shifting towards Oluyole this weekend, it will resting permanently upon this new birth assignment. Like the wise men saw the star and located where it stay, locate where the cloud is staying: THE POTTER'S HOUSE!

THE POTTER'S HOUSE IS THE PLACE!

There is an appointed place where ‘destinies’ happens at a natural frequency. Matthew 18: 20 says, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them...” For the Lord has chosen Zion and appointed it for his habitation (Psalms 132: 13-16). Zion, the Church is God’s habitation. It is a place of fellowship where God commands His blessing (Psalms 133: 1-3). Unusual things happen when we come together in God’s presence because of the corporate nature of our faith and the unity of the spirit. The word of God makes us understand that because the Apostles were in fellowship many signs and wonders were performed by them (Acts 5; 2, 4: 33).

Not being in fellowship therefore means removing yourself from the magnetic field or the pool of miracles. No matter how anointed your house is, it can not be a substitute for the house of God. Don’t toy with fellowshiping with the brethren in the house of God; make it a necessity as long as you live! Zion, the dwelling place of the Almighty God, is where giants are raised according to Psalms 87.

YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO MISS THIS GREAT EVENT!

Your presence, we believe will add colour and beauty to the day as you witness the birth of ‘RUACK MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL’ a.k.a. “THE POTTER’S HOUSE”: where souls will be refreshed, destiny redefined and the future recaptured!

YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO MISS THIS GREAT EVENT!

Your presence, we believe will add colour and beauty to the day as you witness the birth of ‘RUACK MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL’ a.k.a. “THE POTTER’S HOUSE”: where souls will be refreshed, destiny redefined and the future recaptured!

SECRET OF PROGRESS: BE A THINKER (3)

May 16, 2010
Often our first look at any issue does not give us the first picture, rather does not give us the totality, the entire picture but the more we look the more discoveries we make. If you look at a man’s dress the first time you may see one or two colours but when you look closer you discover that they could be more than that. So don’t just give a broad look to issues. Look into the depth of the affairs of your life and you will have amazing discoveries. God delivers your life into your hand and tells you, make discoveries. That’s a whole bundle of success dropped from heaven. Make discoveries. So, man’s problem is not that he doesn’t have gift but he couldn’t make discovery about himself. Every good thing you see on earth here today didn’t drop from heaven. All were deposited in a man as inch of success, he now has to make discoveries by looking well within and without and gradually he will make discoveries by looking well within and without and eventually makes discoveries. God has deposited everything inside man. Man’s greatest job is discoveries for his recovery from his pains, failures, predicaments and stagnation.

Let’s begin to ponder! Let’s begin to accept responsibility, begin to think, to imagine. Look well to your affairs, look well to your going. Don’t be quick to draw conclusions about the issues of your life. Don’t be quick to say it cannot be done. Don’t be quick to say I don’t have time, well; this is an issue bigger than me. There is no temptation, no challenge that will come your way that God has not prepared you for, inside it. He will make a way of escape for you if you care to know the way. As you look well you discover ways of escape. Look well to you social challenges, your physical challenges, your health challenges, your material challenges, your family challenges. Look well. You have to be first convinced that you can find an answer to your personal challenges, accept responsibility. Ponder! The prodigal son pondered, I can’t continue like this, I have to do something, and he came to a conclusion, I have to go back to my father’s house. Something tells him ‘what if he doesn’t accept you?’ He said, well I will just tell him that, old man don’t accept me as your son but at least as a slave. He pondered, he had alternatives. If he doesn’t take me as a son, I will tell him to take me as one of his hired servants. At least I will be earning daily pay! Let’s ponder after alternative solutions to our challenges. If I do it this way and it doesn’t work I will do it the other way. You should even confuse the enemy by letting him know you have answers. While you are praying, be thinking and you will find the answers. It’s a new day for you! This month you shall surely go forward! SHALLOM!

FAMILY CORNER

SHOW THAT YOU CARE

Children need to be loved and cared for also. I have discovered that not only adults have emotional needs, children do too. Their emotions change as fast as their bodies develop. As parent, you need to be available for them, as you are the best person to meet their emotional needs. If these needs are left unmet, the children are likely to look outside for help, which may not be good enough.

You must learn to interact with them, hugging and kissing them often. If you don’t do it to them, some one else will do it, which may be disastrous to their destiny at large. You as a parent must be your children’s best and true friend but unfortunately, the pursuit of other things in life has taken pre-eminent of our attention. That is why it is easy for the devil to manipulate them into all manner of vises. There are many young ones who have questions about issues of life, but do not know who to ask. Make yourself approachable, and give your children the opportunity to ask questions. Also, ask them questions about happenings in their lives. Be interested in everything that pertains to them. Your children shall forever remain as a source of inspiration and joy to you all the days of your life and beyond in Jesus name. Peace!

YOUTH CORNER

BE ADVENTUROUS

The glory of man is revealed by his adventure. The beauty of a bird is not in its perching on a tree but in the air. The usefulness of an aircraft is not in being parked on the tarmac but in the air. The glamour of a ship is not in the harbor but on the sea.

Do what you are created for, to create, to dare new things, to venture.

You never get fulfilled standing on the same spot doing nothing. Your joy is tied to what you are adding to life. Adventure! Be on the move!! Add more to life!!!


PEARLS OF WISDOM

o Every time you give in worship, you give into plenty!

o When you let go, you become a “goal-getter”!




RIDE ON PROPHETIC WINGS

 You shall partake of the goodness of the Lord this week!

 This week, God will connect you to the ‘door opener’ of your destiny!
IN JESUS NAME!


CELEBRANTS FOR THE WEEK

1. Sis. Ehinlaye Monisade: May 16
2. Adekemi Emmanuel: May 16
3. Sis. Akanbi Bolanle: May 17
4. Sis. Alli Beatrice M: May 19
5. Sis. Ojo-Alabi Abiola: May 20
6. Aderogba Oludayo: May 21
7. Bro. Olayiwola Tunde: May 21
8. Sis. Adedipe Atinuke: May 21
9. Bro. Adeleke John: May 22


NEXT SUNDAY

MAY 23, 2010

 FINANCIAL OVERTAKING!


PRAYER POINT FOR THE WEEK!

FATHER, SETTLE MY CASE THIS WEEK!

DON’T SEEK SIGNIFICANCE!

Isaiah 10:15-16, “Shall the axe boast itself against him that… fire.” One great temptation with the human is to forget the source and begin to commend himself. The strength of the axe is dependent on the user of it. The instrument is at the mercy of the user. The keyboard is here but it can’t play itself. The axe is there, no matter how sharp it is, cannot cut down a branch of a tree. The instrument is at the mercy of the user. Anointed preacher, but the Lord giveth the Word. ‘The Lord gave the Word, great was the company of them that publish it.’ (Psalm 68: 11) He has title; he has degrees, but has no impact! Whenever you see the act of God in your life, remember to give Him the glory. You are just an instrument! I strongly believe that over-commendation leads to condemnation. Commendation is condemnation in disguise! The instrument is there but cannot perform without the user of it. Jesus Himself acknowledged this when He said, ‘I can of myself do nothing.’ (John 5: 30) And if Jesus, as close as He is to God, said He can’t do anything without God, I think I will be stupid to think I can do anything without God. I will be too stupid!

Please learn this secret, that in the secrecy of your heart; never praise yourself. Never let it even cross your mind that you are doing anything tangible. You see the heart of man is very drifty that he tells himself if they don’t praise me, I will praise myself. Never! It is the pathway to the grave. Constantly ask yourself why me oh Lord?

Billy Graham, (the great American Evangelist) said when we get to heaven and he has a chance to ask God a question, all he will ask is: ‘Lord why me? Of all people why me?’ Those are men who count themselves as nothing. He has had the privilege of meeting the most powerful key people all over the world. ‘Why me’ he asked? He understood he’s just an axe in the hand of a hewer of wood. I am just an instrument! I love the song that says ‘if you can use anything Lord you can use me.’ If you care to use anything like me, I am not the best of all men but if it interests you at all, if I ever have any comeliness for you to even look at me talk-less of handling me.

Never let it cross your mind that you are a specialist in any assignment. Never, because that will be your downfall. Never let it cross your mind ‘if it were not for me’. Never enter into the shell of commendation. I believe the greatest gift God can give a man is that of keeping himself humble. Oral Roberts said his grandmother used to tell him, ‘Oral remain small in your eye.’ Never see yourself as a significant man. Live your life as if you are not doing anything significant. Don’t feel as if you are doing anything special, don’t! It will help you maintain a sense of appreciation that somebody is behind you, using you. Those who feel too significant lose relevance because your attraction is dependent on the one using you.

Who knows there is an axe any where? Now after a tree is being cut, do they say an axe cut the tree? Who will they mention? The one who used the axe! Don’t let anybody find out what you are doing; let them know who is doing it through you. That’s how to maintain relevance; that is how to go forward.

A few years ago somebody climbed the altar and with excitement was sharing a testimony, he said ‘when Bro. Steves prayed for me…’ and some fellows were shouting, I said, ‘shut up, don’t shout a man down.’ The greatest of preachers still answer Bro. they call Graham, Bro. Graham. What have I done close to Graham? How many nations have I been to? Those who seek significance will lose relevance. Never seek to be significant, never seek to be popular. Never seek to be known rather seek for people to know ‘Him’ in the open or in the secrecy of your heart. Don’t enter the shell and say ‘well they don’t know my importance but I know I am important.’ You know we all have tendency for that. ‘Now I think they will know me’. That’s what the wife of Jacob said; ‘Now my husband will have recognition for me.’ (Genesis 29: 31-35 Paraphrased) But the hatred continued until she named the child ‘praise be unto God, Judah.’ If you don’t want to lose relevance don’t seek significance. The one using me is the one giving me a name. If you make Him known He will ultimately make you known, if you project Him to the world He will ultimately project you to your world!

This is the undoing of many people in ministry today. They forget the user and capitalize on the used and so the used becomes useless. When the used forgets the user it becomes useless. May you not become useless in Jesus name! We are all familiar with the story of how Jesus rode on an ass; after Jesus came down we never heard anything about the ass again. So don’t let THE MAN come down from your back. Keep your back readily available at all time both in the open and in the secret of your heart. If you let Him come down, your case will be worse than King Saul’s. Keep acknowledging Him. It is well with your soul in Jesus name, keep the progress walk on. Shalom!

PROGRESSING IN 2010

INTRODUCTION
You are welcome to a new year, the year The Potter has determined to do something new, glorious and beautiful in your life. I greatly rejoice with you. The potter is taking you forward this year, so read on and be mightily blessed.

Maybe you have been going round the circle all these years, God is set to break that stagnation via this teaching. Life is all about “PERSONAL SINCERITY”. Only the sincere succeeds in life. If you are more sincere with yourself, you will succeed more in life. The major problem of humanity is insincerity. Many are not sincere, that is why they are not progressing, as they should. You can never succeed more than how sincere you are in life. Self-deception is the mother of all deception! You can hide from the Pastor, your friends, husband or wife, but not from yourself.

One of the major criteria for personal sincerity is known as “PERSONAL ASSESSMENT”- What is also known as “SELF EXAMINATION”. Until you assess yourself, you may never gain access to progress in life. Sit yourself down and ask yourself some soul-searching questions about your life. Be open to yourself if the door of progress must open to you. Ask yourself some questions about yourself! Why Was I on the same spot all through last year? PERSONAL ASSESSMENT! Why are things not working for me as they should? What am I doing wrong that needs to be right this year? PERSONAL ASSESSMENT! Personal Assessment determines personal progression. You can never make progress more than how much you assess yourself. As a housewife, maybe your husband is always beating and slapping you, sit down and ask yourself some questions, “Why is this man always slapping me”? Is your mouth over working against your husband? “Why are they always firing me at work”? “Why has no man proposed to me yet despite all my prayers and fasting? May be you are not “marriageable”.

2 CORINTHIANS 13: 5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own self…” Don’t just be living year in and out, sit yourself down and ask yourself some truthful questions. Why have I been going to Church and yet not in touch with God? Put yourself before the mirror of yourself and critically examine yourself. What am I doing wrong that needs to be right in order for God to step right into my case?

There is a boy’s story I love so much in the Bible, many people call him the prodigal son but I call him the smart boy. This is his story according to LUKE 15: 11-23. The father had two of them but one day, he demanded for his own portion of the father’s wealth. He wasted the money and became broke and began to suffer and he sat down and advised himself on how to conquer his lack. His solution did not last, so one day; he called a “world conference” comprising himself and himself. Then he began to examine himself, where he missed it and traced his way back home, where he was welcomed, loved and honoured. He would have died if not for sitting himself down and tracing the genesis of his crises. Friends, critically assess yourself so that your case does not become too critical in 2010. Personal assessment bailed out the prodigal son from his predicaments. Whatever you don’t constantly assess will progressively decay.
You are the first accuse of your fortune or misfortune in life. People are fast in blaming others for whatever happens to them, when basically man is the architect of his fortune or misfortune. Please take your life very serious, whatever you have been doing all through for years and there is no positive result, sit down and think. Before you look upward in prayers, look inward! Before you call down fire on the source of your misfortune, be sure you are not the source.

PSALMS 90: 12 (Paraphrased) “Help us to weigh our progress with the number of years we have lived and if not balanced, give us wisdom to do better”. Those who are quick to accept blame easily find solution but those who shift blame, get blind to solution. The purpose of personal assessment is not for self-condemnation, but for positive motivation. This year, you shall go forward from glory to glory in Jesus name.

HOW TO ESCAPE HOPELESSNESS

The reason people complain is because they have lost hope, but you can live in hope on a daily basis! When most people arrive at a dead end and there is seemingly no more hope, murmuring and complaining take over. I am glad however to inform you that, what satan shows as the end is not actually the end. He deals in shadows, but God deals in realities. That is why David declared in the Psalms,

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me...” Psalms 23: 4

So, there is the shadow of death! Satan does not have the power of death! Jesus took it from him; he is left only with the shadows. If you do not have a good understanding of the power that is in reality you may be overtaken with the shadows you see around you. But how do you inspire hope when the dark shadows of life seem to becloud you, and make life unbearable and uncomfortable? How do you inject life into what seems to be dying? It is simply by the weapon of THANKSGIVING. What we thank God for can never die neither can it grind to a halt. When we thank God it is an expression of our faith and our hope for a brighter future. People who thank God are able to see beyond their circumstances. It is when you can’t see beyond your circumstances that you complain. I would like to say therefore that the only way to express your Christian maturity is by your thanksgiving. Every mature Christian is an addicted thanksgiver. It therefore also follows that every murmurer and complainer is a baby Christian. When you are mature you will always see something to thank God for even in the midst of negative and contrary situations. Your thanksgiving is an evidence of hope. Remember, what you see today is just a shadow; the real thing is coming tomorrow. David said,

‘...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalms 30: 5

With the breaking of every morning, there is a great weight of joy awaiting you! If you are a man of hope nothing good can be cut off from you, because hope keeps you in a position of anticipation. This position is strengthened as you continually give thanks to God. Let thanksgiving become your daily thought, your daily language and your daily expression. Never measure your praise and your thanksgiving by what you see; because there is something beyond what you see, there is joy ahead of you! Your thanksgiving is the catalyst that makes it appear. Your thanksgiving opens the gate that blocks your entrance into joy unlimited. When you thank God, satan becomes confused. It is the repellant that puts him at a point of resistance. It will amaze you to realize that when you thank God and praise Him, He comes closer and satan stays away, but when you murmur and complain, satan comes closer and God stays away! Thanksgiving inspires enthusiasm, and enthusiasm simply means ‘God within’. It therefore follows that God does not come except you are a ‘thanksgiver’! Hence, hopelessness is a disease that only thanksgiving can cure. Look around your life and thank God for what remains! Hear this, you may not be able to recover what has gone but there is something better that lies ahead of you, there is hope! Yesterday is your enemy but tomorrow is your friend. It is waiting for you and calling for you. Depart from your yesterday and embrace your tomorrow. Whatever you had yesterday can never, never be as glorious as what is waiting for you. What lies ahead of you is of a far greater value than what lies behind you.

“...Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2: 9

This Scripture should inspire you to thank God. He has made provision for a tomorrow that is brighter than your today! So, wake up in the morning with thanksgiving, in the afternoon give thanks and at night close the day with thanksgiving. Do you know that today is the womb of your tomorrow? Just like a man needs to put life into a woman’s womb for her to conceive, the life you need to put into today to produce a brighter tomorrow is thanksgiving. Hence, if you neglect thanksgiving today, you can’t see a brighter tomorrow. So, rejoice evermore and in every thing give thanks, a great future awaits you in 2010 in Jesus mighty name. Shalom!

IT’S YOUR SEASON OF VISITATION

“…The angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, named Nazareth. To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:26). This verse marks the beginning of the happenings that led to the first Christmas- the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It began with a visitation. An angel was sent from God to a virgin called Mary. So, Christmas is not just a time of eating and drinking, it is a season of divine visitations. Just as God sent angel Gabriel to the village of Nazareth to locate that young virgin, I perceive that an angel is being sent to locate you right where you are now.

Mary was hiding in a corner where nobody knew her, in a village that was probably not on the map of their nation, yet, an angel was sent to her. Bible history makes us understand that there were only 12 houses in the village of Nazareth, yet the angel went and located Mary in that small settlement. In modern times, such a place may not even qualify to be called an hamlet, but when God wants to visit a man, where he is located on the earth does not matter. No matter where you are now, I know that something is about to happen for you. This is your season of visitation!

Christmas is all about visitation; visitation for change of status. When the angel came to Mary it was for a change of status because after that encounter her life never remained the same. From the hidden corner where she was, she became a recognized figure, not only in her time but for generations after. In her testimony she said, “…My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my saviour. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:46-48). That is what Christmas is all about; a change of status, God taking you from your low estate to the top, where you become a reference point for all generations. I want to say to you this day, that if you will open up your heart for God’s visitation at this season, by Christmas next year, you will have a big story to tell! MERRY CHRISTMAS IN ARREARS!

A LIFE OF SERVICE

Your life is a gift from God, what you do with it is the gift to your world, to your generation. You are not living until you come to understand that you are a gift to your world. You are not qualified to live until you realize and appreciate the fact that you are a gift to your world. Your life is a gift from God, what you do with it is your gift to the world. There is this moving story of Joseph. His brothers sold him and they thought that was the end of his life. If you are a gift from God your life cannot be terminated. There maybe some cloud, some suspension, some delay, if you are a gift from God you will soon emerge. Your life is a gift from God, what you do with it is your gift to the world.

I want to say that the best thing to do with your life to make it a gift to your world, it is to be prepared to serve. Your service to the world is your gift to the world. Your gift to the world is expressed via your service to the world. I want to believe that the primary reason for living is serving. Your actual value in life is determined by your service. You cannot be more valuable to your community than how much and how well you serve the community; and Joseph had this lifestyle! Before he was sold out by his brethren he was serving. When he was in slavery he was serving. They put him in prison he was serving; he came out of prison he was still serving that’s why his name has refused to die.

When your natural life span is over, your service keeps speaking for you. So your service prolongs your tenor of living. A man’s service to his world prolongs his tenor of living, prolongs his life span. Servants actually live longer than their days. The more committed your service is, the more the generation after you will speak of you. The true value of a man is the service he has rendered to his generation. Do you want to be valuable? Serve with all your heart at every stage of life. Service is not a function of position; service is a mission, a purpose. It is not the position that you occupy that determines your service. Service is a lifetime event. I said Joseph served before he left his father’s house. It was food he took to his brothers when they arrested him. He served them till they sold him and they thought they had finished him. You can’t finish a gift, a man who’s serving. They sold him and when he got to his new house of slavery he was still serving, he served his way up and from there they sold him out again, they put him in prison, he was still serving in prison. It’s not a function of position, office; it’s an attitude, an all lifetime event. He got to the house of Pharaoh he was still serving, the Bible said, he interpreted the dream yet he refused the position. He told the king, I suggest that you look for a man that will look after this matter. He served all his life. The same thing with David and Daniel! Concerning David the Bible says when he had served his generation, David was not a king, he was a slave, a servant. Please make yourself a gift to your generation no matter the position you occupy. Paul the apostle in 1 Corinthians 9:18 said, ‘But I use not this power.’ He was talking about the right he had in the Corinthians church. He said I do not use this power even though I have the power. He said I abuse not my power in the gospel verse 18, he said I make the gospel of Christ without charge lest I abuse my power in the gospel. Those are deadly dogged servants. He said for necessity is laid upon me. Woe be me if I do not this thing. He saw himself as a gift, gifts don’t misbehave. Jesus told the parable of a man whose master went on a journey and entrusted the assignment to him and when the master left he said I think I am in charge. And Jesus said, ‘Blessed is that man who when his Lord shall come shall find him so doing.’ Shall find him so faithful, so committed.

Genesis 45:1-7, “Then Joseph could not refrain himself… deliverance.” Can you hear a servant speaking? God sent me to preserve life. He didn’t say God sent me to oppress you. Your actual value in life is determined by your ability to serve. Living is serving and serving is living. And there is no one that serves this way that does not end at the peak of life. The glory of God is reserved for servants of God. Only servants of God qualify for the glory of God. I pray that God will give you an understanding heart. Serve your way up. The scripture is full of stories of men that rose up by this common attribute, they were servants, they counted themselves as gifts to their world, gift from God and they put that gift to use in service to affect their world and they touched their generation. “How God anointed Jesus Christ of Nazareth with Holy Ghost and power who went about,” that’s not the man that should go about. He said if they won’t come I will go. They called him, master, come, he said, I am coming. If it is to heal somebody, I am coming. He served His world and today the world now adores Him. Servants today will attract adoration tomorrow. Your world will adore you tomorrow if you serve her today. I am glad it has worked in my life, I am sold out, I want to serve and serve. Please don’t mind position, don’t look for position, and don’t cry for title, it does not last. I tell myself don’t struggle for seat. Stand to serve so that when you sit down the seat can fit you. I know many people in the past who are seated in exalted positions but are no longer there. Seats don’t last. Saul was seated on the throne, he didn’t last there. David went to serve, his throne is still on till today, 3,000 years after David declared Jerusalem as the city of God, and they are still celebrating him. Saul was seated on the throne, the throne was shifted. Serve your generation!

Let your soul keep crying, ‘What can I do to help others, my family members, my children? Parents who serve their children today will eat the fruit tomorrow. “He that tendeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof.” Serve your children, your parents, your neighbours, your husband, your wife; you will eat the fruit tomorrow. You see those whose homes are scattered today, regret pains, why? No investment yesterday. Remember those who serve today will be adored tomorrow. If you are truly ready to serve you can’t lack creativity. All that David used to face Goliath was service mentality. The man who had power was seated on the throne. It’s not power that makes people excel. There was none as powerful as Saul, yet he couldn’t face Goliath. Power doesn’t last as much as service does. Power cannot be stretched as much as service can be stretched. So get ready to serve today, get ready to work today. Don’t be gain motivated, be service driven. I look forward to a great month for you; a season of harvest, when indeed your destiny, dreams and expectations will surely come to pass in Jesus name!

THE NECESSITY OF CONTROL!

Another scriptural strategy for overcoming spiritual dryness is control. In every equipment, (especially mechanical equipment) you always have control valves, without which the equipment would not perform effectively. The human being can be likened to a machine; a piece of equipment that is designed to function efficiently and produce great results, so there is need for controls. When we talk about taking control over your life, we are talking about being disciplined. The best controller of your life is you. No man can control you better than you. No man can watch over your life better than you. So, it calls for acceptance of responsibility; taking up the challenge to rule over your life.

A man’s maturity, socially and spiritually, is measured by his ability to control himself. The truth is, the level to which you are able to control your life determines how ‘hot’ you would be as a Christian. When you lack control you end up being a cold believer because then, satan can easily drag you into many evil practices, even against your wish. You don’t like to do it but because you lack control, you just find yourself in it. (Continued in our next edition)

Why do we need control? The human body is like a horse that likes to go wherever it likes except it is bridled. That is why the Bible says that a perfect man is one who is able to bridle his mouth and his whole body (James 3:2). So, man needs control at all times so as not to go haywire and end in destruction. Every vehicle, no matter the speed limit, must have a brake system; otherwise it would be a death trap. The safety of every vehicle is in the efficiency of the brakes. In the same way, life requires a ‘good brake system’ in order to guarantee safe arrival at the desired destination. You hear some people say, “I am a man of my self, I can do whatever I like.” Such people live their lives without control only to find that what they thought was liberty is actually bondage.

Control begins from the mind. That is the engine room of life from where you monitor, determine or choose what to allow or disallow. And the best way to control your mind is to fill it with the word of God. Let God’s word be the moderator of your thoughts, imaginations and choices. Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind...” Renew your mind with scriptures! Don’t just stop at reading, meditate on them and then make quality decisions to effect changes in the necessary areas of your life. That is the way to experience transformation.

Don’t let your mind run haywire, control your thoughts! “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind…” (1 Peter 1:3). Your thoughts determine your actions and your actions determine your outcome in life.

YOUR FUTURE IS CERTAIN

“... Don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow...” Matt. 6: 34(CEV)

When it comes to the future, we all tend to fall into two categories: those that panic about the future and those who don’t think about it enough. You are constantly faced with the future and have to make what seems like huge decisions that may well affect the rest of your life. Sometimes we don’t really know what we want to do, where we want to go or who we want to be; and in the bit of trying to figure it all out by ourselves, we end up the more confused. This is not the plan of God for our life; we don’t have to live in confusion. Even if we don’t know tomorrow, we have, and serve the God who knows yesterday, today and tomorrow and who is ever willing to show us!

The fantastic thing about God is He has it all at hand. He knows where He wants you, He knows what He has planned and He knows who you will be! The key is to trust Him. The chances are you can plan out the next fifty (50) years of your life, but it’s a waste of time because He has probably got something different in store that you never even thought of! The Bible says, “He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, more than we can ask or imagine...”

So, where does that leave you? Well, you don’t have to worry or panic about your decisions; just ask God to make sure you make the right choices at the right time. Especially in this our month of direction, when God has promised to show us the way to our own place in life! Focus on who you are, not what you do presently. The Bible says “we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, who have been called to show forth the praises of God Himself”. We are heirs to the kingdom. Your qualification does not qualify you for what God has planned. You may be the best person in the world at something but if you don’t develop the character God needs, He will raise up someone else for the job.

It doesn’t matter what situation you are in right now or where you think you may have gone astray. Every road you take will lead you to God’s expected end because God’s plan cannot be derailed, not even by the devil himself. Joseph’s brothers thought selling him off was going to finish him without knowing that, that was the actual way to his destiny. Potiphar’s wife also thought sending him to the prison through her husband was going to alter God’s plan for his life, but that was the actual road to his throne. That situation you are going through will definitely lead you to the actual future God has in mind for you! So, relax and rejoice in the Lord.

Be flexible, you may be totally certain about your future or what you want to become, but still remain totally attentive to God’s voice and calling. If God calls you to something else, be ready to roll with it. Remember, you can’t see the future, but God can! YOU WILL GET TO THAT COLOURFUL DESTINY IN JESUS NAME!

CONTEND FOR GOD’S PROMISES!

Mark 11:1-6, “And when they came nigh to Jerusalem…and they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.”

To every promise of God there are people who, and situations which, will stand to question you. There is no free promise of God; every promise of God is tied to certain oppositions that are there to contend with you. They will seek explanations from you. Why do you think it should be your month of possibilities? Why do you think it should be yours? Why do you think you should prosper? Why do you think you should be smiling? Why do you think you should be married? Satan will always be there to question you. Every blessing of God is subject to questioning before it becomes a blessing. Promises are not blessings, promises are a picture of a blessing. Your picture is not you, your photograph is not you, it’s a picture of you. Promises are not blessings, they are pictures of blessings.

A colt is tied somewhere that belongs to you and there are people standing there and Jesus said they will question you. Don’t be surprised when you feel Satan is questioning you and your blessing. He doesn’t see why you should take your colt, he doesn’t see why you should ride on it, he doesn’t see why you should ride upon your high places. So while you are climbing up, he pulls your leg down. Don’t be surprised Satan is pulling your leg. Many believers are unaware of oppositions, so they are surprised when opposed. It is because he doesn’t want you to get that thing God promised you. Jesus said, ‘Some men will ask you when you are trying to loose that colt, whereon never man sat.’ So there is a blessing for you no man has ever sat on. It’s exclusive for you. That colt has been tied there waiting for somebody who will ride it and the person who will ride must be ready to loose. That you are not enjoying life does not mean that enjoyment is not in stock for you, it’s there. Enjoyment is waiting for you, but you have to pay the price.

You see the colt afar off, you go close to it “Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, …” Isaiah 43: 26. The word ‘plead’ means ‘to argue’. Argument is not just making a noise, argument is not: “it’s my own, it’s not my own”. Argument is intelligence. The baseline for argument is intelligence. Intelligible presentation of facts! That’s why a lawyer in the court doesn’t have to be shouting. He pleads his cases and then the judge adjusts his goggle and says “I’ve never heard this kind of thing before” and says “court rise” because the man is too confused so he goes to the chamber to put the case together and comes out, “Based on the facts before me, even though the young man didn’t do gyration, he said something intelligently, the case is ruled in favour of his client”.

God never keeps us unawares that Satan will question where we are going. Satan doesn’t see reason why you should grow; why your children should excel in school, so don’t be surprised if they bring the report card that your child came 20th in position. It’s a challenge to you, that doesn’t mean that that child will remain there permanently. So you do something about it. You carry the case and say Satan you know this child must be loosed because the front position belongs to him. The only reason why Satan has remained on the way of many of us is because we have not yet questioned him. He asks you, “what right do you have to loose the colt?” You ask him “what right do you have to hold down the colt?” Satan is only waiting for an intelligent presentation and opposition, oppose him. He doesn’t see a reason why you should have your child but you tell him your reasons. Jesus said, “If any man ask you why, tell him the Lord has need for it.”

“And they went their way.” When the Lord has told you something ahead of you, just go towards it. “…and found the colt.” They found that what God said was there. By the door in a place where two ways met. And then they went into action. They loosed him as the master told them. “And as they were loosing him certain of them that stood…” When you begin to do what God tells you to do, you seem to be making progress towards something and suddenly there is a stop somewhere, that is not an indication that you are on the wrong path. The children of Israel started off from Egypt, as they were going they met the red sea. Does that mean God has changed His mind? God has told them where to be going, He didn’t tell them to bother about what they will meet on the way. The in-between-experience on your journey is not as important as the end of the journey. You will meet in-betweens but don’t keep your eyes away from the end. As you meet them be tackling them with your hands but don’t let your eyes shift from your goal. There will certainly be obstacles, for you to think there won’t be obstacle on your way is a dummy thinking. As they began to loose the colt some came and said, ‘Hey, stop! What do ye, loosing the colt?” They said unto them even as Jesus has commanded. If you are operating by the command of the Lord you will be let go. And they let them go, not because they were powerful but they said Jesus had commanded them. So the secret of our “possibilities” is a “thus saith the Lord.” This is the key word I want you to take note of. So if I were you I will not let thus saith the Lord depart from my mouth. When you say as the Lord has commanded, you will see as the Lord has promised. You will see as you have desired. What has the Lord said about you? Keep saying it and you will see what He has promised come to pass. He has promised to give you peace, joy, success, abundance, children, home, growth, to multiply you, build you like cities without wall, make your case possible. Say it and see it! “and they let them go”; no further questioning. “Thus saith the Lord” is the finality in all issues of life. After a “thus saith the Lord” there is no further questioning. For when the Lord commanded who can say what says thou? Like Ezekiel 37, ‘…and I prophesied as I was commanded and as I did that to my amazement while I was prophesying bones were locating bones and I prophesied again as He commanded. As I did that, the wind began to blow, life began to emerge. It’s the same principle everywhere, at all times, in all generations. Remember what led the children of Israel to go out of Egypt was what Moses said, ‘Thus said the Lord let my people go’ and in Exodus 12:32 hear what Pharaoh said, ‘Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone’.

If it is a “thus saith the Lord” you are saying it may be contested but it will certainly win, so don’t stop saying it. Moses had to say it about ten times, but he eventually went because “forever O Lord thy Word is settled in heaven.” (Psalms 119: 89) The Word of the Lord endureth forever. Argument of men may not endure but God’s Word endureth forever. Arguments may come but they cannot endure as much as the Word. And when they said as it was commanded they let them go, they let them go with their colt and their blessings, into their destinies. You will not be let go if you are not saying as you are commanded. I see you go particularly in this month. It’s what you can loose that you can ride. So don’t blame anybody for not riding yet. Do you want to ride? Go and loose. You are not qualified to ride if you are not ready to loose. The colt you will ride, you must go to loose. You have need for money? Loose it. You want to ride a colt? Go and loose one. It is the one they loosed for Jesus that he rode. He said I’ve seen it somewhere, go and loose it, bring it here, for the Lord has need for it. Anything you need, go and loose. You are in need not because of unavailability; you are in need because you have failed to loose what belongs to you, because of inaction, because of intimidation, doubt. Loose him for the Lord has need for it. Anything you discover that is yours loose it because the Lord has need for it. He wants to glorify his name in your life, He’s happier when he sees you happy. He’s happier when he sees you making advancement. You will ride upon your high places.

Promises plus prophecy that is commanded is what becomes a blessing. God said to Ezekiel, I promise you they shall live. And Ezekiel said how shall this be? He said okay prophesy. So promises plus prophesy equal a blessing. You have the promises no doubt, plenty of them but promises are idle, passive, weak, inactive without a command, which we call prophecy. Promises are for all but blessings are for few. Promises are free but blessings are not free. If wishes were horses beggars will ride! If promises are blessings all beggars will be eating but they are not. You turn promises into blessings as you prophesy.

I decree that my God will cause his face to shine upon you and make your crooked path straight, give you joy and peace, establish you in righteousness. Open the two-leaved doors before you, make sure that your gates are not shut to blessings. Your various colts are loosed today. And anyone who queries their being loosed loses his life for it. At the command of the Lord I say go and ride on your colt. Enjoy strange open doors this month. That colt that has been reserved which no one has ridden upon, go and ride it! Enjoy God’s blessing. God is on your side.

ENHANCE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

One way to overcome spiritual dryness is by enhancing our relationship with God. And our relationship with Him is basically that of love, we are called into a love relationship. Jesus made us understand in Matthew 22:37-39 that loving God is the greatest commandment of all, and next to it is love for your neighbour.

He also said that on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. That means; love is the foundation for all that we do in the Kingdom of God.

You know, when Jesus sent to the seven churches in the book of Revelations, one of the things He had against the church of Laodicea was their lukewarm-ness. He said, “…Thou art neither cold nor hot…So then because thou art lukewarm…I will spew thee out of my mouth” (Rev 3:15-16). Lukewarm-ness and compromise are the reasons so many believers have been over-taken by evil today; their love for God has gone cold.

Apostle Paul praying for the church in Thessalonica said, “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God…” (2 Thess. 3:5). You need to pray that prayer for yourself: “Lord, direct my heart to love you! Make me hot in my love for you!” (Continued in our next edition)

Also in Revelations 2:4-5 Jesus said to the church in Ephesus, “…Thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent…” So, when we talk about fighting spiritual dryness, we are not talking about struggling with sin, it’s all about generating hot love for God in your heart. Repent and return to your first love! When you are filled with the love of God, it becomes natural for you to hate sin because love for God produces godly fear, which is also respect for God. Let your soul keep longing for God on a daily basis, when you are confronted or tempted with evil, let the love of God in your heart prevail.

Loving God also means loving your neghbour. 1 John 4:20 says, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” In my view, anybody who can’t relate well with humans that he can see, can’t relate well with God. Love your neighbour as yourself! You can’t love your neigbhour and plan evil against him or go about castigating and pulling him down!

Apart from his love for God, I believe that Joseph also loved Potiphar his mater. He said to the wife who was trying to lure him into immorality, “…My master has committed all that he has into my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither has he kept back any thing from me but you, because you are his wife…” (Gen 39:8-9). Joseph considered the fact that Potiphar trusted him enough to leave all his possessions and wealth in his hands and for that reason he preferred to go to prison to lying with his wife. The way you relate with people is a reflection of the way you relate with God. If you truly love God, it will show in your relationship with men. May God’s love fill your heart today.

NOT ENOUGH TO MORE THAN ENOUGH

Have you ever wondered how to turn lack into abundance? The key lies not in making confessions over and over or trying to use the Bible as a magic book. Eradicating lack in your life has everything to do with executing a spiritual principle that always gets results. Simply put, if you want to see increase in your finances, you must put your “not enough” in the hands of Jesus. His hands are anointed to multiply whatever you give Him.

Every one of us has faced a situation or circumstance that looked impossible at one point or another in our lives. When you have a light bill due, or your baby needs a pair of shoes and your bank account looks deficient, you will be tempted to worry and wonder how things will turn around, particularly if deadlines and time constraints are involved. If you ever find yourself in this type of scenario, the first thing you need to do is shut out the voice of fear that will try to invade your thinking. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. When fear enters the picture, you have just set yourself up for more of what you do not want.

Get back to your center of peace and turn to God’s Word. Therein lies the answer to your problem. I like the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand with a couple pieces of fish and a few loaves of bread. In Mark 6:36-44, the disciples were facing insufficiency. There were 5000 hungry men to feed, not including women and children, and all they had was a two piece fish dinner! Even after traveling the countryside with Jesus and seeing the miracles He performed, they were confounded when faced with the shortage of food.

However, Jesus did not miss a beat; He performed a miracle. The anatomy of it is found in this passage of scripture (also in Matthew 14:17-21), which says: “And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.”

First, we see Jesus wanted the fishes and loaves brought to Him. Herein lies insight into getting our needs met. We must bring our “not enough” to Jesus. When we do, we will see what happened to the loaves and fishes happen to our resources. “…he…took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled…” Not enough food in the hands of Jesus multiplied to more than enough!

What is it in your life that is lacking? Is it money, a home, food? Whatever it is you need, begin to tap into the law of sowing. Give what you do have to Jesus by sowing it into the life of an anointed man or woman of God, a church, ministry, or outreach that is ministering to others in the area in which you need assistance. When you put what is lacking in Jesus’ hands, it is guaranteed to multiply.

Your season of lack and want is over in Jesus name!

THOU SHALL NOT WORRY!

Thou shall not worry because you cannot worry your way to happiness.
You will agree with me that we all like what's familiar, and today is practice for tomorrow. If you practice worry, fear and anxiety, you'll get better at them. Sadly, practicing these robs the present moment of happiness and joy.
Instead, practice being happy, joyous and free. What you focus on increases, so become aware of your thinking. As soon as you notice yourself thinking frightening thoughts, change to something positive.

An excellent thing to change to is gratitude. When you focus on what you are grateful for, your sense of the fullness and abundance of life will increase. If you believe you have nothing to feel grateful for, stop and hold your breath for as long as you can; then hold it a bit longer. When you breathe again, notice the feeling of gratitude for the air. When you are accomplished at feeling grateful for the air that you breathe, you can move on to the other wonders your life abounds with.
Whenever you catch yourself indulging in worry, fear or anxiety, stop and practice gratitude instead. You cannot worry your way to happiness.

Shalom!

HOLDING THE PROMISES

Divine promises will forever remain as promises unless someone discovers the secret to realize them. To every promise, there are secrets behind them! This is why many have the promises yet can’t hold the content of the promise. Many have the promise of divine health for example that “by the stripe of Jesus we were healed” yet still die in their sickness. Is God a liar? Far be it for the Almighty to lie! What is missing that is making us miss out of God blessings in our lives?

Friends, there are secrets that make the promises a reality. Until these secrets are discovered and diligently obeyed, we keep missing out. These secrets to me are known as covenant responsibilities. Only a ‘covenantly’ responsible man will the blessing of God respond to. You don’t claim the promises; you search out what you need to do for the promise to manifest in your life.

For example God has promised you and I divine health, but in Exodus 23: 25-26, the secret that makes that promise a reality is found. It says, if you serve God will the totality of your being, you will have nothing remaining in you with which to serve sickness and disease. He has promised to supply all our needs but only when we are set to be a source of supply towards His kingdom also. It is not the size that matters to God; it is the act, the habit and the attitude.

Every promise God has made to you, go back into His word and search out your own covenant responsibility and when you have discovered it, obey it and very soon your blessings shall be uncovered and the world will rejoice with you. Shalom!

A WALK WITH GOD

Christianity is a call to responsibility, that is why it is reserved for those who are willing to do something about their lives; and life as it were is like a game. Your input determines your output! Just as stars in the world of sports are made through rigorous, committed and non-compromising exercises, so also is Christianity. Paying the price is what gets you the prize as a Christian. We are in a race that demands necessity not convenience, that is why we are called soldiers. The Bible in 2 Timothy 2: 3 says, “...Endure hardness as a good soldier of Christ.” It says “hardness” not “hardship.” Hardship refers to suffering but hardness means discipline, responsibility and consistency in the race. One of the ways to maintain a disciplined life is via a walk with God.

Your source determines your resources. It is the root that determines the fruit. If you want to change the fruit of any tree you must first change the root. If you want clean water, treat the source. There is nothing a man has that will not be exhausted except he locates the source. It is your connection to the source that guarantees daily supply. I discovered in the Bible that all men that excelled had this feature; they were personally linked with God. They walked with God and as a result they made it in life.

Who you walk with determines who you become. You cannot walk with God and live as a weakling on earth. A walk with God is the secret of triumph and victory; it is the source of all manifestations and the master key to diversities of unparalleled achievements in life. It makes you undefeatable by the enemy. I have found this to be the greatest anchor of life. I love Elijah’s statement in 1 kings 17: 1, He said, “As the Lord lives before whom I stand...” Where are you standing this month? What is your heartbeat this month? Is God in your programme? And how much of Him is there? Let your soul pant for God. Let there be a renewing, an establishing and strengthening of your personal relationship with Him. That is the foundation for a successful destiny! Shalom!

YOU ARE OVERDUE FOR A CHANGE!

Somebody rightly said, “Good is the enemy of best.” People sometimes become so satisfied with their past successes that they don’t press for anything higher and before they know it, they become obsolete. Whatever level you are now, is not your rest, so don’t settle there like concrete. Standards are changing everyday. The success of yesterday cannot match the standards of today. As a matter of fact, yesterday’s success, if it is not improved upon, becomes failure today.

Where you are now is already tired of you, in case you are not tired of it. A higher place is waiting for you! The turbulence you are going through now is an indication that you are long overdue for a change. And like I said in the previous article, when you are due for a change and you don’t move, God organizes some ‘heat’ around you to forcefully move you forward. So when you begin to see some unpleasant situations or challenges around you, before you bind the devil, tell yourself, “I am due for a change.”

You must keep moving because you need to create space for those coming behind you. They are eager to take your place, so when you don’t move they get tired of you and overtake you. You are either moving or you are pushed out of the way. Sometimes the things that are pursuing you are simply helping you to arrive your destination earlier than you planned.

A young man in our local assembly encountered that kind of change a few years ago. He testified that as I was teaching one day, I said, “There are some of you who are sleeping on beds that do not belong to you. May the owner become angry with you and take it from you.” That word turned something on inside him because he had been squatting in somebody’s house for long and everything about his life was stagnated. So he bought the tape of that teaching and kept listening to it. The first night he heard the message, he got to where he was squatting and moved his things from the bedroom to the living room, in readiness to move out. The summary of the long story is that he got his own apartment and moved out of that house. And as soon he did that, God gave him speed concerning his wedding, which he had been planning for years. In no time, he was able to get married and settled down as a young man should!

Micah 2:10 says, “Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.” It is dangerous to remain on one spot because after some time, your celebrated success becomes polluted. If you stay on there, it would destroy you and if you stay a bit longer, it will destroy you with a sore destruction. That means stagnation leads to irreparable destruction. That will not be your portion, in Jesus name!

People become stagnated because they refuse to move when they ought to. It pains me to see people with great potentials becoming stagnated in life. There are people who used to be ‘stars’ in their careers, but because they refused to change position, they have been left behind and all the younger folks who came many years after, have overtaken them. Now they are full of castigations and backbiting. This happens in every field of endeavour, every one who is not making progress will ultimately castigate the one that is making progress.

Arise and depart! Initiate progress for your self! Take steps and you will be surprised how fast you will rise to heights beyond your imagination. Don’t let stagnation catch up with you! You can change whatever you don’t like in your life by thinking of how to introduce something new. You have the power to change your failure into success. It simply begins in the mind, once you start thinking of a way out, ideas will begin to flow into your mind and in a short while, you know the next step to take.

Ideas dwell in the womb of initiative and initiative is the first step towards change. That is why anytime you see stagnation trying to settle with you in any area of your life, you must react against it because what you don’t oppose in your mind, you will soon approve. And once you have approved it, you can’t change it. What you refuse to change soon becomes corrupted and eventually leads to destruction. Your reaction against stagnation is the proof of your desire for a change.

Nothing has the power to change itself, every change is initiated by someone. Stop waiting for a change, it’s time to accept responsibility and begin to initiate changes in your life. You don’t have to endure that terrible situation! Stop watching darkness take over your life, start initiating changes that will take you from where you are to where you ought to be!