THE CALL

The call of Abraham was a type of the call to the Christian life. Genesis 12:1 says “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:” I believe these instructions are clearly spelt out. It’s a call to a life of consecration to God and to His divine purposes. But unfortunately, there is a lot of compromise in our response to the call today. It is very common to find believers who want to mix earthly culture with their Christian life. I believe this is because these believers have not really understood that Christianity is a call that entails leaving and cleaving – just like marriage. You see, there can’t be a mix of the both! I’m yet to see a culture on earth that doesn’t have a demonic influence in it. 2 Cor. 4:4 tells us that the devil is the god of the system presently operating here on earth. It says “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” The devil tries to influence everything on earth, but as New Creation in Christ, we must stand out and refuse to bow or condescend to his influence.

The Word of God clearly tells us in Philippians 3:20 “…our citizenship is in heaven…” (NIV). In the Kingdom of God, dual citizenship is illegal. Some believers still cling tightly to their earthly descent to the point that the Heavenly citizenship has no reflection or expression in their lives. 1 Peter 2:9,10 makes it so clear that “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: Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” also we see in 2 Corinthians 5:17,18 “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things [are] of God…” The Christian life is a call to a new identity – entirely! John 1:12,13 says “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

This is not to say we should have nothing to do with our earthly relatives. But if we claim to follow the foot steps of Jesus, then we must ask ourselves intelligent questions like: what was the place of earthly culture in the life of Jesus during His earth walk? When we ask the Holy Spirit questions like this and upon critical research, we would easily put things in the right perspective. Then we can follow in Jesus’ steps. If not we would miss it greatly. It’s about total consecration to God and His eternal purposes on earth – nothing else!

IN THE NAME OF JESUS

I bring you a seasoned Word from the heart of the Master to your very heart. I believe that the greatest gift a man can ever receive on earth is the gift of access to the Name of Jesus. This gift is obtained at the new birth i.e. when you become born again. At the new birth the seeker uses the Name of Jesus for the first time and this introduces him or her to a world of possibilities, a place where everything is possible through that Name called JESUS. God has given the New Creature the power of attorney to use the Name of Jesus. Glory to God! I believe Christmas should be a celebration of Jesus Himself, the salvation that He brought to the world and the gift of His awesome Name. The Name of Jesus is a defence (Prov. 18:10). The Name of Jesus is a place of authority and power. The Name of Jesus is the hope of the believer. The Name of Jesus is access. The Name of Jesus is the key that unlocks the unlimited resources of Heaven. The Name of Jesus is God’s greatest revelation of Himself. The Name of Jesus is all the Names of Jehovah and their benefits combined in one – all in one! Hallelujah! With the Name of Jesus in our hearts and on our lips we become armed and dangerous, too hot for the adversary to handle. It is the Name of Jesus that makes the New Creature endangered specie. The New Creature in Christ is not only to use the Name of Jesus to claim things or to get things done but he is primarily designed to live in and by that Name.

Now take a look at this, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. Did you see that? The first emphasis of the Archangel Gabriel about the Baby-Son (Jesus) Who was to be birthed by Mary was the Name and the Name is directly linked to the salvation of mankind. A name is that which describes the character of a person or thing. The Name Jesus means ‘saviour’, the same meaning for the Word Joshua or Yeshua in Hebrew. Every New Creature was baptized into the Name of Jesus at the point of salvation (Matthew 28:19). I hear the Holy Spirit say that the reason this is so, is because the moment that salvation connection is made through any man, woman, boy or girl, all the resources of heaven is at the disposal of the one who got saved. This is to say that salvation is the door that introduces us to all that God is and has. Through salvation, a new relationship is birthed and by virtue of that relationship, all that God has now belong to the believer. Salvation is the door that leads to an eternal experience in God. God now becomes your Father. The word ‘father’ means source. The Father then becomes responsible for us. This all happens because of the Name of Jesus. Peter understood this revelation and spoke these words to the people in 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.” This is the time to let the world know about this. The world need help, it is searching everywhere. Never has the Gospel been more relevant than at this moment. The world needs to know that there is salvation in no other than in the Name of JESUS. We dare not be silent at this moment. We must speak out. This is our season, this is our time.

Every believer in Jesus Christ ought to use the Name of Jesus Christ every single day we live. We ought to undo the works of the devil in the lives of people every where we go through that powerful Name. We must be conscious of that Name every moment just the way we are conscious of our senses. We do this through meditation on the Name. Think on that Name. Ponder on the power of that Name, let the Holy Spirit flood your spirit with the Wonders and realities of that Name. Then you can do as Peter did in Acts 3. “Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6). Peter was conscious of what he had to give in this situation. It is so good to know that even if you don’t have money in your pocket you can get things done through faith in the Name of Jesus! This makes us unlimited. Glory to God! It doesn’t matter what and what and what we don’t have. What is most important is what we have – the Name, that awesome Name of Jesus. Hey, it’s time for us to start giving what we have – the Name of Jesus! Philemon 6 helps us to understand that the communication (expression) of our faith will be more effective by acknowledging the things that we have in Christ Jesus. I want you to observe what Peter said to the crowd that gathered to see what has happened “And when Peter saw [it], he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?... the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus… And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” (Vs. 12,13 & 16)! I believe that the Church is yet to understand how powerful we are with the Name of Jesus in our hearts and on our lips.

Please prayerfully consider these Words. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [Phil.2:9-11]. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him…And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” [Col.3:17,23].
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].” [John 14:13,14]. “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give [it] you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” [John 16:23]. “Blessed [be] he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.” [Psalm 118:26].

My prayer for you today is that the Holy Spirit will flood your heart with light along this line. I pray that every limitation you have ever known will give way as you begin to use the Name of Jesus by revelation. Please give someone the gift of introducing him/her to the Name of Jesus this Christmas season. Make your season count for the glory of God! I pray that you have a blessed Christmas and an exceptional New Year!

LIFE DIGEST - VOL. 12

This is fresh & real! Get inspired to live as God has ordained for you. Check out the 12th Edition of LIFE DIGEST. Read great articles from Dr. E.W. Kenyon, Dr. T. L. Osborn, Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, Evangelist David Hathaway and from Billy Graham’s Ministry. Just click on this link: http://www.lifecommissionministry.org/WebPDF/ld12.pdf to open and download the PDF version. I pray it blesses you!

FIRE FIGHTERS

The Word of God tells us “but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” (Jude 23, NKJV). The first thing I want you to note here is that before you can go on fire rescue, you must be sure that you’re fireproof, meaning that you must ensure that you are not putting on or holding anything that can be burnt. This is very important and significant in the realm of the spirit just as it is in the physical. Sin is flammable and before we can do what the opening Scripture says, we must be sure that we take this caution! We must live right before God so that we can be useful to Him in helping the lost out of the flame of destruction and redirecting them to the path of life. The Word of God also shows us in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 that there are things that are flammable and things that are not. Please take out time to check that out today!

When dealing with fires, we have this sense of urgency. Those in the fire service understand this too well, that any delay in responding to a fire outbreak spells disaster or loss. Fire is wild! As a soul winner, you are likened to a fire fighter. There are certain people the Lord will show you who you will know are surely on their way to damnation – hell – and don’t even know it. You will need to fight for their lives in earnest intercession and, as surely as the Lord leads, you must speak to them. When the Lord sends us to pray on behalf of a lost soul or to speak to them for Him, He expects immediate action. God wants us to approach soul winning with the urgency of fire. It’s about life and death. A life is at stake and something must be done immediately.

Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, in his classic ‘Evangelism by Fire’ described delay in taking the Gospel to the unsaved as a fire fighter who is informed about a fire outbreak, instead of acting immediately, decides to shave before going to quench the fire. It is unfortunate that that’s really how many believers approach the preaching of the Gospel. We must think differently. We must change our approach to the Great Commission. The way that leads to destruction is a wide road and many blindly follow that road. We can’t afford to watch them get into the eternal flames of destruction. Now is the time to act. Now is the time to do something urgent! Let’s have them saved for the glory of God! Great shall be our reward. God bless you!

SPIRITUAL HUNGER

There’s a longing in the heart of every man (or woman) for God whether he acknowledges it or not. Also, deep down in the heart of every believer is a desire to know God the more. Man was created for God and he must only find full satisfaction in God. There is a place in the heart of every many that only God can fill – nothing else! When Jesus was teaching on the mount in Matthew 5, the first thing He said was “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 5:3). By the phrase ‘poor in spirit’ Jesus was referring to those who see or acknowledge their need for God. Everyone needs God but not everyone acknowledges their need for God. That’s why today we have Atheists and folks who tag themselves as ‘Godless’. Further in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6). Righteousness means right standing with God. So Jesus was still dealing with the same issue but in a different dimension. When the Lord fills your present hunger and thirst for Him, it only means that you should step up into a higher level of hunger and thirst for Him. It is progressive. As long as you are on earth, you will never get to the point where you have it all.

I believe one of the worse things that can happen to a human being here on earth is to live a whole life time without the divine influence. Also, one of the worst things that can happen to a believer here on earth is for him to lose his hunger for God. We can never get to a place where we have enough of God. We just keep needing Him every single day we live and every single moment we breathe here on earth. The Psalmist says “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.” (Psalm 42:1-2,7). Spiritual hunger is the inspiration for spiritual advancement. Something’s got to keep you going! If a man is not hungry for something, there won’t be any form of urgency in his life or pursuit. It is hunger for accomplishment that drives a man to pursue his dreams. It’s a desire for success that causes a student burn the night candles. It’s a desire for money that causes a man to work so hard especially where there are incentives and a good reward system.

The Holy Spirit is the One who stirs up a spiritual hunger in the hearts of people. Even though this spiritual hunger is birthed by the Holy Ghost in the heart of every believer in Jesus Christ, it has to be nurtured by the believer. Smith Wigglesworth was a man who had a great understanding of what spiritual hunger was. I came across some of his sermons compiled in a book titled: ‘Cry of The Spirit’, and was so amazed at how deep this man was hungry for God and His manifestation. His major hunger was to know God in reality. His knowledge of God sparked up an unusual flow of the supernatural from His life. Spiritual hunger is the key to walking in the Supernatural. When you become so hungry for the Lord, it stirs up the manifestation of His personality in and through you. Your hunger for the Lord will spur you to seek for the Lord earnestly, not because He is missing but because you want to know more of Him. It’s just like the Psalmist says: “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.” Psalm 63:1-8.

A major indication of your hunger for God and the things of the Spirit is seen in the way you desire God’s Word and your response to what It says. What physical food means to a hunger body is exactly what the Word of God means to the human spirit. Your spiritual hunger is displayed by your ardent desire for the Word of God. I believe every real Word from the Lord must end up stirring an ardent desire or hunger for God in the hearts of the hearers. We can’t know enough of the Lord. Our desire to know Him more and more will spur us to price the knowledge of Him above all else. Paul says: “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:7,8,10-14

Spiritual hunger drives us to go the extra mile for the Lord. Spiritual hunger keeps us longing for more of the Lord every single moment of our lives. Spiritual hunger brings us to that point where nothing else can satisfy us but the ultimate – the Lord Himself. Spiritual hunger helps us activate the flow of the Supernatural in our lives. A man who is spiritually hungry never settles for anything spiritually substandard. One of the ways the devil successfully keeps a lot of believers in a state of lukewarmness is through quick satisfaction. He makes them believe that they have arrived. It is time to let go of anything that makes you let go of the Lord. We must keep laying hold of the Lord. If it means fasting and praying, if it means locking up yourself for days, if it means crying out loud to the Lord, what ever it is you can do to revive your hunger for the Lord, please do and the Lord will rain upon you afresh. The Holy Spirit brings revival to the life of the believer and helps him lives a revived life – always alive towards God. Spiritual hunger keeps a man humble before God, because he always sees his need for the Lord. I believe that one of the things that will sustain us and help us stay unadulterated with the filthiness of this world in these last days is spiritual hunger. I pray that the Lord will stir up in you a new and undying passion and desire for Him that will cause you to go deeper in the Lord and be useful for Him in His end-time harvest. Amen!

MISSION TO DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

It was a Supernatural venture! From our departure to our return was absolutely Supernatural – nothing else! We (the team) felt so honoured to have the Lord work in us and through us in the manner He did. It was an experience of the power of God to be remembered eternally. We can’t forget this one in a jiffy.



On the Day 1 of our Mission to Delta State, Nigeria, we held ‘Catch the Flame’ Conference (our believers’ conference which is aimed at stirring up the revival fire of the Holy Ghost in their hearts which will enable them to plunge into the harvest field of the Lord to reap the ripe harvest of souls) at the Ogwashi-Uku Community Town hall. It was a great Holy Ghost experience. We preached the Word of God powerfully by the enabling power of the Holy Ghost. 10 Souls were saved and about the same number were filled with the Holy Ghost. The Lord honoured us with an awesome atmosphere of the Holy Ghost. It was just there in the air. We all enjoyed and soaked in His manifest presence. We’ve never experienced it like it before. Thank God it is the beginning of a new dimension for us. The impact of this meeting was so strong that the attendees were requesting for the Gospel tracts we made available for the conference. Truly, we’ve never given out Gospel Tracts like we did during this event in any other event. We made it clear that we weren’t just going to Delta State to hold an event but to spark up a flame that will continue burning and will spread all over the place. Thank God, that was exactly what was done in the Name of the Lord.



On the Day 2, we left for Otibio Community in Delta State where we were to have an evangelistic outreach. On our arrival to Otibio community, we met with the Christian Association of Nigeria’s (CAN) Chairman in the community. He received us with great joy and we had a brief talk with him on our mission in the community. We immediately launched out into the harvest for a great haul. We went from house to house, business locations, open and hidden places alike – wherever the souls were. We distributed Tract booklets, Devotionals, little Bibles, etc as we declared the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There was a Word for just everyone – the aged, men, women, youths, teenagers, boys, girls, children – everyone! There was such an awakening and a sudden awareness of the Lord brought about by the Holy Spirit in the community as was revealed through certain experiences and encounters we had from various people we ministered to. The people of this community are so hungry for the Word. It appears that a lot of them only understand Christianity as a religion and nothing else. But by the utterance of the Holy Ghost we bore witness to the living Jesus. When we were through with our evangelistic outreach, we dropped copies of our evangelistic believers’ Tract titled ‘Urgency!’ with the CAN Chairman to be distributed to the Churches in that community, this tract is meant to inspire the saints to becoming passionate and effective soul winners. We also dropped copies of Gospel tracts to enhance their soul winning ventures. We were told that nothing of such had ever happened in Otibio Community prior to this time. The people received the Word with great joy and excitement. By the time we were leaving Otibio, there was great joy in the city!



Please, pray for the people of Otibio and Delta State as a whole that they will continually experience the power of the Gospel and the influence of the Holy Spirit.

INDEBTEDNESS

Do you know that every single day you are alive on earth, you owe at least someone the preaching of the Gospel? That’s right. For every day you wake up and discover that you’re still on planet earth and still breathing, you’re a debtor! The earlier we understand this, the more fruitful and productive we’ll become here on earth. In Romans 1:14–17, Paul made an amazing declaration towards the Gospel mandate. He says “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” (NKJV). Paul was simply saying “I’m owing everyone the Gospel.” Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, Himself was also compelled by this sense of indebtedness during His life and ministry on earth. Mark 1:38 says “But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” (NKJV). Paul, by divine revelation, understood the heart of Jesus in reality and function in it.

I noticed that whenever the Lord lays it upon my heart or stirs up my heart towards reaching out with the Gospel to any land or community, I often feel this sense of indebtedness towards that community until I actually preach the Gospel to them. I just literarily feel that I owe them something that I must pay. And after I have preached the Gospel to them, no matter their response to it – whether positive or negative – I experience an unusual outburst of joy within me as though I had just paid a heavy debt. I believe it is the Holy Spirit who creates this sense on indebtedness in us to enable us fulfil our part in the Gospel mandate. The truth is that we’re going to give account to Jesus on that great day when we stand before Him. He will ask us about how faithful we have been to the task He gave us and how obedient we have been to His instructions. Every believer has been entrusted with the supreme task of preaching the Gospel to everyone who will listen. We owe the world the Gospel!

If the Body of Christ will faithfully play her role of taking the Gospel (Good news) of the Kingdom of God everywhere just like the journalist spreads the daily news, there’s going to be an amazing spread of the Gospel all over the world in a short time. We must be faithful to the Master because we love Him and because we love and care about the people He has sent us to. How true are the Holy Ghost-inspired words of Paul the Apostle: “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.” (1 Cor. 9:16,17,19). Also in Acts 20:26 Paul says “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.” Are you free from the blood of your neighbour, friend, colleague, etc? Have you preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them? PREACH THE WORD!

LIVING A LIFE OF INFLUENCE

Influence is the effect what we do have on other people especially those connected to us in one way or the other. Relationships or associations spread the chain of influence. In every relationship the law of influence is at work. That’s why we must watch out for wrong influencers. Dr. John C. Maxwell says ‘leadership is influence’. Leadership is another vehicle by which influence spreads. We might not all be leaders in that sense but every believer is a leader in one way or the other. In fact everyone is a leader in the area he or she excels. We are either influencing or being influenced. Influence could be direct or indirect. There are so many people today who are being influenced directly or indirectly without being aware of it. It appears influence is subtle a times. It could be silent but yet strong. It may take some time to build up, but then it becomes so glaring. Influence is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things – living extraordinary lives! It’s about doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way! Jesus Christ is our perfect example of a life of influence.

The influence of the Holy Spirit is the greatest influence in the world. The Holy Spirit is the One who makes the Saints people of influence through living the Kingdom life and the preaching of the Gospel. To be a great Kingdom influences on earth, we must not be people who only preach the Gospel but don’t live the Kingdom life or live the Kingdom life but don’t preach the Gospel. The two must be in place for a life of influence to become a reality. This was what made John the Baptist so different. John the Baptist was a great man – the greatest man born of a woman (Matthew 11:11). It is true because Jesus said so. For so many years, I’ve be thinking about John the Baptist. What made him so great? Why was he so different? How could city people be so stirred by the words of this man that they left the cites and made their way for the wilderness? I thought it should be vice versa! What amazed me most was that John the Baptist never performed a single miracle (John 10:41), but he was a wonder. He so commanded the attention of the whole nation to the point that even the authorities wanted to know who he was and everyone sought for his counsel. Wow! I want you to catch the spirit of this piece. Jesus said about John the Baptist that he was a burning and a shining light (John 5:35). What a life! I believe John’s secret was in his understanding the way of the Holy Spirit and how to yield to Him. In fact John was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb! Can you beat that? I tell you, if you listen to the Holy Spirit, He will make you an influence.

You don’t need to have money before you can become an influence. You don’t need to be popular before you can become an influence. You don’t need to go to school before you can become an influence. You don’t need to be the president of a nation before you can become an influence. Just be different! Do things differently. Influence is about making a difference. (Daniel 1:8). Through influence, kings can be brought into subjection. Small people can shake kingdoms through influence as in the case of Daniel. You can’t help but be different when you walk with the Holy Spirit. I also considered the life of a great man of our time – Billy Graham. Mr. Graham has made so much difference in the world that it is almost impossible for him not to be known in any nation. What made him so different? Why did he have such a command in America and other parts of the world? Of course, there are many preachers who do the same things he does but why is he so different? I was amazed when I discovered from one of Kathryn Kuhlman’s writings that Billy Graham doesn’t function in the power gifts (healing, miracles & special faith). I wondered how he commanded such great attention – I don’t think it’s by human efforts.

Jesus said a lot about influence. He taught that influence could start out as a seed but no sooner does it produce an amazing harvest (Matthew 13:33). This applies to both positive and negative influences. Jesus also taught that believers are the light, salt and yeast of the world (Matt. 5:13-16; 13:33). You can’t be ignorant of the absence of salt in a meal. You can’t be ignorant of the absence of light in a room. You can’t be ignorant of the presence of yeast in a loaf of bread. This simply means that Jesus never expected believers to live secret lives or to live as secret disciples. In fact He said “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16). It is time for this dark world to see the marvellous light we bear! John 1:5 says “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” Before Jesus ascended into heaven, His last words were “But ye shall receive power [the ability to influence], after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses [influencers] unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). This was exactly what Jesus did during His ministry on earth. Apostle Peter said this of Him “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38). This is influence! I believe Jesus’ prayer life played a great role in establishing His influence upon men everywhere He went (See Mark 1:35). We must learn from the Master – He’s our perfect example!

In a nut shell, the Great Commission Jesus gave to the Church is to go into the entire world, [Business, Religious, Academic, Fashion, Sport etc worlds] and influence the people with the Kingdom life by both living the Kingdom life and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom. I make bold to say, until the world start being influenced by the Kingdom life that we possess as believers, we are far from fulfilling the Great Commission! The Gospel is the power [influence] of God that brings people to the point of salvation. Living for the Gospel is simply living a life of Kingdom influence. A man of influence cannot hide and cannot be hidden because he’s so different. If the difference between us and the world cannot be easily identified, then we’re not really influencing the world. It is time for Believers everywhere to begin to take the divine influence into every place we find ourselves – that’s why we’re there. It appears we’re too quiet about this Gospel. We must be noisy about the Gospel because everyone everywhere must hear it. We can’t afford to fail the Master. Let’s shout it out on the housetop, in the market place, in our neighbourhood…everywhere that Jesus Christ is the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life. With this message we can influence the world and in turn become men and women of influence! Let God use you to display Himself to the world!

THE FRUIT OF GENTLENESS

The Greek word for gentleness as used in Galatians 5:22 is: ‘Chrestotes’ it means moral excellence (in character & demeanour (Outward behaviour: somebody's behaviour, manner, or appearance, especially as it reflects on character). To be gentle means to be discreet, prudent, compelled by wisdom (not just knowledge), knowing what to do and how to do it at all times. It also means to be sober (thoughtful). It really takes the Holy Spirit to be gentle. In one word, gentleness means wisdom (See James 3:13-18, NLT). Ultimately, being gentle means actively walking in the Wisdom of God – not just having it, but actively walking in it.

“Ladies and gentlemen” is an official way we address an audience both formally and informally. It’s quiet ridiculous to address a crowd as gentle people. Calling everyone gentle could just be as funny as calling everyone wise! The world’s definition of gentleness is totally different from the Bible’s just like it is with the word ‘love’. We must be very careful about using the dictionary to define spiritual things. The closest definition of gentleness, out of all other definitions given by the dictionary is having a gracious and honourable manner [Manner of life, lifestyle].

Gentleness is not quietness or taciturnity even though they could be virtues of a gentle person. A gentle man is known by the results he produces. You don’t know gentleness by just outward display – but result! Real gentleness starts from the heart and then reflects on the outside. Even though Gentleness doesn’t mean quietness, it has a lot to do with how we use our words. A gentle man is conscious of his use of words (James 3:2; 1:19; Col. 4:6).

WHO IS A GENTLE PERSON? – Gentleness can be identified (Philippians 4:5).
1. One who is born again (Every saint has the fruit of gentleness. We just need to grow in it).
2. One who has received The Holy Spirit, yields to Him and walks with Him.
3. A person who walks in practical wisdom – Prudence. He’s driven by the force of wisdom (Phil. 4:5, NKJV)
4. A person who has strength of character – the entire fruit of the spirit is the character of the Christian.
5. A person who always knows what to do in every situation – He’s never stuck! (Col.1:9-11).
6. A person who has control over his life by controlling his tongue (James 3).
7. A person who maintains a disciplined prayer life – His stability comes from his fellowship with the Lord.

Jesus Christ is our perfect example of a gentle life just as in all other fruit of the spirit.

AREAS OF FOCUS IN DEVELOPING THE FRUIT OF GENTLENESS
1. Words: Col. 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (NKJV).
2. Actions: Philip. 4:5 says “Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.” (NKJV). A gentleman always thinks before acting and not vice versa.
3. Understanding: Eph. 5:17 “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
4. Time Mastery: A gentle man never goes late for an event because he has mastered the use of his time.
5. Value: A gentle man understands true value and so doesn’t waste his time, energy or resources on things that don’t produce value.
6. Discernment: A gentleman is always discerning. He knows what to do at all time since he’s always keen to the voice of the Spirit.
7. Integrity: A gentleman or woman is known for doing what is right (doing the Word) no matter the cost.

The more gentle you become, the lesser the mistakes you make – Gentleness is Christian maturity! The strength of a gentleman is in how keen he is to the voice and leading of the Holy Spirit. How we need to be gentle in the world and time we live in today. It will change everything about us!

How do we grow the fruit of gentleness in our lives?
1. By knowing and yielding to the Holy Spirit!
2. Always pray Col. 1:9-11 for yourself. Also spend time praying in the Holy Ghost – it keeps your spirit keen.
3. Consciously cultivate it by doing the Word.
4. Develop a conscious of it by confessing it daily. E.g. “I’m walking in gentleness today in the Name of Jesus.”

“Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel--rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” 1Peter 3:3,4 (NKJV).

DEFINING MOMENTS

Today, I write to talk to you about something very vital, helpful and urgent. I pray you dedicate some minutes of your time to read this piece. It will bless you big, I promise you!

From time to time, in our lives, it becomes so necessary to halt on the activities, rush, noise, etc. in order to listen to our selves, define our values again in the light of God’s Word and so make informed decisions. And as simple as this may seem, it is what defines who we are and who we would eventually turn out to be in life. Defining moments are those moments we set aside to call things what they really are and see things the way they truly are. The Word of God tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? --unless indeed you are disqualified.” (NKJV). You see, decisions are so vital to us daily that we just make them, sometimes without even premeditating on their consequences. Every decision has its consequence – what it delivers in return – whether good or bad. Most of the time, the state in which we were when we made a decision determines the quality of decision we make and the consequences thereof. For us as Believers in Jesus Christ, this is very important because if we can learn to listen to our spirit man, we would foresee certain things and events and as a result make informed decisions by the Help of the Holy Spirit who resides in us.

The Lord Jesus had defining moments during His time on earth. He always had moments when He was just alone with the Father – different from His time of prayer and study. I believe He virtually drew His strengthen from those moments that He had to stay away from the crowd to listen to His heart and the heart of the Father. Having defining moments is not an option for people who want to step into the fullness of God’s plans and purpose for their lives. It brings about an unusually focus, direction and progress. There was something about the life of Jesus on earth. He was a wonder to everyone He came in contact with. He had a word for everyone He met. He had a solution for every problem He encountered. He was always on top of circumstances. He was simply in charge! When men met Him, they were changed. Just something about His life! But of course, these things did not just happen. They happened because He cared enough to step out from the crowd from time to time to get things straight. Friends, you know as much as I do that this world is a noisy place – full of distraction – and if we’re not careful we’d lose what we’ve got in a bid to achieve much. Before the Lord Jesus went to the cross, He had a defining moment at the Garden of Gethsemane where He settled it once and for all that He will fulfil His purpose – the death on the cross – no matter what! Jesus is not just the Son of God but He is the pattern-Son of God. We must follow His example to please the Father.

In order to get the best out of our defining moments, we must ensure that the following are considered during defining moment:

1. Check your motives – why do you do what you do, are you a ‘man pleaser’ or a God pleaser? Are you doing things for love sake or for selfish reasons?
2. Ask yourself the right questions.
3. Be sincere with yourself – just tell yourself the truth about you even if it hurts.
4. Give yourself a sincere evaluation of how far you’ve gone in fulfilling God’s dream (purpose) for your life on earth.
5. Be sure you’re alone with the Holy Spirit.
6. Just think, write and pray – nothing else! You might also want to fast during those moments. Please do, it will help greatly!
7. It is so important you pray in preparation for those moments because God must be involved in it if it must be worth the while.

With these things rightly in place, you’re sure to always come out a different and better person than you went in. The Word of God actually says that we should judge ourselves so that we will not be judged (1Cor. 11:31) and that is one of the things defining moments will help us to do. Note, it didn’t say for us to condemn ourselves but to judge (discern, evaluate or weigh) ourselves. So when we do it properly, it improves the quality of our lives and service to God.

How often should we have defining moments? This could be done as often as possible especially when at the point of making major decisions that affect our lives. For instance, Jesus had it just before going to the cross, Abraham had it before taking Isaac to the mountain to sacrifice him in obedience to God, Jacob had it before going to meet (reconcile with) his brother – Esau. For me, apart from other times I set aside to re-define things in my life, I find my birthdays the best days for it. Reality dawns on me the most on that day of the year. I ask myself questions like “having spent so and so years on earth, what’s my life really worth for the Lord and His Kingdom? Am I really fulfilling purpose on a daily basis?” etc. I know it doesn’t have to be the same for you but whatever time it is, be sure to get the best out of it. I believe that the Lord gets the best of our attention and speaks to us during defining moments. In fact, one thing you’ll never miss during defining moments is the voice of God! The Holy Spirit will speak expressly to you if you’re sincere and open to Him!

There is one thing we must do which would enable us to have the right definition in life on a daily basis. This all important thing is seen in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ during His time here on earth. We see that in Mark 1:35 which says “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” (NKJV). If we would simply get ourselves to do this everyday, everyday will be purposeful, fulfilling and well maximized to the glory of God. Friend, let’s not waste our time here on earth. Everyday, hour, minute, second, micro second matter and must matter to us as they matter to the Father. Hope this helps. Blessings!

THE MIRACLE OF SALVATION

From time to time, in my evangelistic ventures, I come across a lot of people who want to or even try to reason out the salvation that we’ve got in Christ Jesus. They want to understand with their mind why they should be born again. They want to reason out facts and figures that would convince them beyond any reasonable doubt that Jesus Christ is what He claims to be. I’ve thought about this matter over and over again and sometimes even come to the conclusion that they have the right to have this information in order to accept the Lord Jesus. But one day after the Holy Spirit ministered to me deeply during a moment of contemplation on the Word, I could only come up with one thing: The whole idea about salvation is a miracle! Everything about the Christian life is simply supernatural! It is impossible for the unrenewed mind to grasp spiritual or supernatural things. How can you explain that God has a Son having not married? How can you explain the fact that a virgin could give birth to a holy child without sin or any defect? How can you explain that the Almighty Holy Ghost tabernacles in the body of a human being? Please stop the search and accept the Truth (Reality) from God’s Word and simply live! We that are saved may be able to narrate how we got saved (our salvation experience) but can never explain why we got saved! The Holy Spirit worked on our hearts to show us the need to be saved, that’s all we can tell. This is the reason why those looking for reasons to be saved might never get saved and may end up dying in their sin and go to hell to spend eternity with the devil who has given them the reason to embark on an endless and unrealistic quest. It’s too expensive a thing to do. How unfortunate! I don’t want to go to hell because I am a profession who wouldn’t accept the Truth until I understand it. Sometimes school too could be a problem! We can know too much to accept the basics and simplicity of things to our own hurt.

One thing every believer must understand is that the successful work of evangelism can never be accomplished through logic but in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord never sent us to convince the world of anything. We were sent to preach – declare, announce, proclaim, shout out – the Gospel (Good news of the Kingdom) to a dying world and to leave the conviction to the Holy Spirit. It is very important you understand this because if you don’t, the work of evangelism will continue to be a mystery to you. Someone said to me the other day “I have become scared of evangelising lately.” As I talked with this fellow, I discovered that he was already stepping out of the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was trying to understand the Gospel through philosophy! You see, we live in an age when people want to attempt to explain everything logically even spiritual things which could only be received in the spirit. This becomes an obstacle and leads to delusion and deception.

I Peter 3:15 says “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” This doesn’t mean that you should try to logically explain the Gospel to people. Notice, it says for you to sanctify the Lord in your heart which means that you must have a personal conviction of the Lord and His workings in your life as you expose yourself to His Word having been saved. Then it says for you to prepare yourself to explain to every man that asks you the reason for your HOPE. Notice again that it didn’t say ‘a reason for your believing in Jesus.’ But it says ‘a reason for your hope’ which means, having been saved, as you study the Word you’d be able to see through the eyes of the Spirit the hope we have in Christ just like Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian Church (See Eph. 1:15-18). We must prepare ourselves – on purpose – to tell the world the Hope we have in Christ. That hope is only in Christ. Glory to God! The world is hopeless and helpless without Christ. This should concern the saint and push us to reach out passionately to a dying world. The Lord has given to the Church a Gospel that contains the Hope that the world needs. Yes, real hope is encapsulated in the Gospel we preach! We must shout it on the roof top – all over the world – that there is hope in no other but Christ Jesus who suffered and died for the sins of the world! This is good news to the hopeless. This is good news to the helpless. This is good news to the disillusioned. Glory to God! We’ve got the message of hope for the world. This is the message that produces the miracle of salvation to all who receive it! It’s the message that works. That’s why we must, of necessity, declare it with excitement and everything inside us! That’s why we must intercede for the lost with every passion in our hearts knowing that until they receive this message of hope, it cannot work for them. They don’t need to stay out there wondering what it is all about. They need to come into the fold to understand what this thing is all about. They will be eternally changed by this miracle-producing Gospel of Hope in Christ Jesus! PREACH THE WORD!

THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We are a people of prophecy! The Lord is pouring out His Spirit upon all flesh in an unprecedented way all over the world just as He promised long ago. We are seeing prophecies fulfilled, without any questions, before our very eyes. What a day we live in! The Holy Ghost is simply taking over everything and everywhere! Are you in the flow yet? The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is for everyone – Believers and non-believers alike! It is important you understand that. This outpouring is for all but it will have different effects in the lives of these 2 classes of beings – The Believer and non-believer.

What is the outpouring of the Spirit? Please understand that this is different from the ‘down pouring’ of the Holy Spirit. The down pouring of the Holy Spirit refers to His arrival on earth which has already happened as we see in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit came on that very day and has been on earth ever since then – He hasn’t gone back! The Holy Spirit is very much in the earth NOW! The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit refers to the spread of the influence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit didn’t just come for the Disciples or the believers at the Upper Room. He came to fill the whole earth! You see, the Holy Spirit is everywhere but He is not manifesting everywhere. He only manifests where He is welcome and reverenced. But He wants to manifest everywhere! Thank God, we’ve got a prophecy to that effect. We’re seeing more of His manifestations everyday! When the Holy Spirit is poured out there would be Divine order, salvation, the miraculous, restoration and a lot more! The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit always precedes the flow of the Supernatural. The Outpouring simplifies the task of taking the Gospel into all the nations of the world! Remember, “…Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6). The Gospel we’ve be called to preach is not in Words alone but in the demonstration of the Holy Ghost and power! (I Cor. 4:20).

The Lord declared His intention to flood the earth with His Spirit through the Prophet Joel in the Old Covenant Book of Joel 2:28,29,32 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.” (NKJV). This is amazing! Let me briefly describe from this Scripture The Effects of the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit:

1. “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” – To prophesy here means to declare or preach with power. That means believers will declare the Word of God with an unusual flow of the Anointing of the Holy Spirit (1Thess. 1:5).
2. “Your old men shall dream dreams” – Of course, you know this is not referring to dreaming at night. It means old folks would hope for more. They won’t let go until all their dreams are accomplished. They’d finish well and strong!
3. “Your young men shall see visions.” – That means young men (and women) would get a vision for their lives. They’d simply be purpose-driven. They would not just be ambitious about anything but about God’s world vision.
4. “whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.” – This refers to the unsaved! The outpouring of the Holy Spirit will result in their coming to know The Lord as Lord and Saviour – A great harvest of Souls everywhere! Isaiah 59:19 says “Then at last they will respect and glorify the name of the Lord throughout the world. For he will come like a flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord.” (NLT).
5. “For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance” – This means that the Church will focus on the Gospel and in reaching the world for the Lord. The Church will simply become the House of Salvation. Hallelujah!

It would be impossible for all these things to happen without the Outpouring of the Spirit. Isaiah 32:15-17 says “Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.” We can see that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be the biggest event before the coming of the Lord. I want you to understand that all these things are already happening in the earth, it is only increasing on a daily basis. Those who walk with the Holy Spirit, always yielding to Him, will be at the fore front of these prophetic manifestations.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit produces a holy flame in the life of the Believer. The flame is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in and through a believer that produces a burning passion (love) for the lost and the desire to reach out to them! The Holy Spirit is the source of the flame! The outpouring of the Spirit will also produce an unusual hunger for God in the hearts of the saints. It will produce revival in the lives of believers. The Outpouring of the Spirit is not for fun, to feel good or have some goose bumps – it’s for the harvest! It is simply for a Jesus revolution! It brings a revelation of Jesus everywhere! We can ask for it in prayer for a particular area or for a person or group of persons and we must act in faith to see it happen!

I want to emphasize the fact that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will produced a renewed spirit of evangelism among Believers with Supernatural manifestation to bear proof of the Gospel we preach. It is intended to multiply the impact of Jesus Christ on earth. What do you think would happen if there are 100 Jesuses in your town? We’d simply run the devil out of business! The Holy Ghost wants to duplicate Jesus Christ everywhere and right now He’s working at it, preparing men and women like you and me. Are you ready for this? Romans 8:19 says “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (KJV). There is just one more word for you – MANIFEST THE SPIRIT!

“Is it not yet a very little while Till Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.” (Isaiah 29:17,18. NKJV).

THE WONDERFUL LIFE

The Word of God clearly tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” This is simply amazing. It appears as though the Church is yet to fully comprehend this passage of Scripture. We seem not to be living in the fullness of it. Understand this Saint, the life we have in Christ is not an ordinary life. No! It’s not. The above Scripture tells us that we became new beings – and of course with a new life – when we got born again. If this is true – and of course it is – what kind of life did we receive at the new birth? What kind of life was imparted into our spirit then? See, it is so important we catch this Saint, because the quality of life we live as believers will be in proportion to the revelation of God’s Word we’ve received into our spirit!

By virtue of our new birth in Christ, we received the very life of God. Can you handle this? At the new birth, God imparted to our spirit the very life He possesses. In the Greek, this life is called ‘zoe’ meaning The God-kind of life. Another meaning for this term is eternal life. Understand that this doesn’t just have to do with longetivity of life. This actually refers to the quality of life that God has. The amazing thing about this kind of life is that it changes the nature of the man who has received it entirely. When we received that life, we received the full package of God into our spirit. This zoe-life of God contains the righteousness of God which we receive and then become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We can simply call the zoe-life of God ‘the divine package’ because it has all the benefits of salvation contained in it – all in one. This is God’s biggest and best offer ever! Glory to God! So the child of God is a possessor of the fullness of God. That is why we’re told in Colossians 2:10 “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” The new creature lacks nothing! We’re complete in Christ even though we are still growing into that fullness, but we are already what God has made us to be!

The zoe-life is not an ordinary life. It’s a higher life! It’s the Supernatural life. It’s the extraordinary life. It’s the unusual life. Romans 5:17 tells us that we reign in the realm of this life through Jesus Christ! In this realm of life ignorance cannot survive because Christ has become our wisdom. We don’t learn wisdom, it is imparted to us by the Holy Spirit (Of course, you know there’s another kind of wisdom which belongs to the world – not of God). Wisdom is a spirit! It is one of the seven spirits of God as revealed in Isaiah 11:1-2 [Also see Revelation 1:4; 3:1; 4:5]. The Seven spirits of God are actually the full [seven-fold] operation or manifestation of the Holy Spirit (There are no seven other spirits. It is actually the same Holy Spirit operating or manifesting in seven dimensions which display the fullness of God. If you have the Holy Spirit you have them but you must consciously yield to the Holy Spirit in these areas to manifest them).

The zoe-life is a journey in grace. It’s a life that moves by the wind of the Holy Spirit. It is a life that is anchored on and operates by the Word. It is also called the wonderful life! When you have this life you walk in love naturally, you simply become a wonder to the world. This is why Jesus came. He came to give us the wonderful life – the same quality of life He has. He said in John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” NIV renders the phrase ‘more abundantly’ as ‘in its fullness’ which fully expresses what Jesus meant. This God-kind of life is governed by love – the agape-love of God! I’m so passionate about this subject because this is what I’ve been divinely ordained to share all over the world – to tell the world about the wonderful life in Christ! To receive this life, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN!

Life Digest - Volume 11

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REPORT FROM CATCH THE FLAME CONFERENCE, NIGER STATE.

It is simply just the beginning of something big. Though starting in a little way, it was just an inspiration or a spark up of the continual flow of the Holy Flame from the Lord upon His people all over the world. Tagged “Catch The Flame” Conference, the event is a divine initiative from the Lord to David on 9th December, 2009. The Lord inspired Him to start holding believers’ conferences alongside the ministry crusades he holds with the team. The event is designed to stir up the hearts of the believers towards flowing with the Holy Spirit in the area of evangelism, thereby spreading the influence of the Holy Spirit. “Catch The Flame” Conference, Niger State, Nigeria held on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th of June 2011 was the first step of faith towards carrying out this divine mandate. It is was a 2-Day, 3 sessions event. As it is well known, Life Commission Ministry exists strictly for the purpose of winning the lost and inspiring the saints to do the same. The conference is in line with the vision of the ministry.

On Friday 24th, the first day of the conference, David spoke on the outpouring of the Spirit. According to him, the Holy Spirit instructed him to build an altar of salvation on the first night of the event which he did. He explained the urgent need for men to get saved all over the world and that the Holy Spirit wants to set men aflame to enable them go everywhere and preach the Gospel with power and fervour. Journeying through 1Kings 16 through 18, he explained how the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal relates to the present world situation and the need for more men like Elijah who would challenge the status quo.

On Saturday 25th, during the Ministers and Church Workers’ conference, David taught on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, explaining why they seem not to be in operation in many Churches today and how we can get them to start operation in our Churches again. It was a moment of insight and revelation as this resulted into a moment of passionate prayer. In the evening, the people came with real expectations to receive the fire of God in their lives. David briefly shared on what he titled: The Supernatural Labourers. Reading from Matthew 9:35-37, he emphasized that God is not looking for just teachers of the Word or just preachers of the Word or just healing ministers. But in order to get the job done properly, God is looking for labourers after the kind of Jesus – Supernatural labourers – who would teach, preach and heal – all three! He challenged the people that all God is looking for is available vessels who would be willing to go and do whatever God wants done. With this he led the people into receiving the Holy Ghost and fire. The fire of God simply fell on the people as they prayed and cried out to the Lord.

Though it was a believers’ conference, we had 14 people make a commitment to Jesus as Saviour and Lord of their lives for the 2 nights. Hallelujah! The Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the area requested that we returned to repeat the event on a larger scale. We know that the impact of this event will remain in Niger State, Nigeria. The event was immediately followed by Strategic Evangelism Training (SET), a one week training done by the ministry to teach people the basics of soul winning.

ACCORDING TO PATTERN

God has a pattern – a blueprint – for whatever He does. It is our responsibility to enquire of Him the pattern for whatever He asks us to do. This then means that God is not just concerned about getting a task done but also about how the task is accomplished. This is worth considering if you desire to walk with God successfully. Is your life presently according to God’s pattern or first, have you discovered God’s pattern for your life? The reason there seems to be so much confusion and disorder in the body of Christ today is that men and women no longer seek to follow God’s pattern in accomplishing His purposes for their lives. This is unfortunate. It is important we understand that success in any divine task is not determined by how gigantic or glamorous it is but in how much of it fits into God’s pattern. God’s Pattern is His standard.

In giving Moses the blueprint for the construction of the Tabernacle of Witness, the Lord instructed him thus, “And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.” (Exodus 25:40, NKJV). God told Moses to see to it that he built the tabernacle according to specifications. It seems to me that God cares about the very details of our lives. You know, some times we are tempted to think that the Lord only cares about the ‘spiritual things’ of our lives. But it is so clear that if by virtue of the New Birth we now belong to the Lord, then it means that He has total possession of us and if He has total possession of us, it then means that He has a pattern on how our lives should be run – physically, spiritually, mentally, financially, academically, socially etc. God is not careless about His property! 1 Corinthians 6:20 says “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” (NKJV). Think on this for a moment.

Are you building according God’s pattern – God’s standard? One thing is certain, just like a man can reject a building if the builders refuse to build according to his desired plan, pattern or specifications, so also God will reject every building, thing or life that doesn’t correspond with His pattern. God will not accept anything less. He would not be satisfied with sub-standards. 1 Corinthians 3:11 tells us that “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (NKJV). Jesus is our pattern for life. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world not just for the salvation of souls but also as a pattern-Son for all other sons of He’s who would be produced by virtue of the finished work of Christ. No wonder Apostle Paul, by the Spirit, tells us in Romans 8:29 that “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (NKJV). This clearly tells us that God wants us to pattern our lives after His Son, Jesus Christ – not any man! Many people make men their pattern and when those men fall, they also fall. God doesn’t want us to go about making men our pattern. Men are limited and fallible. He wants Jesus alone to be our pattern – our focus! Who are you patterning your life after?

When we start building our lives according to God’s pattern, we’d suddenly discover that there is no need or grounds for competition. Success in life is all about doing the will of God for our lives and being satisfied with it. Please, get this straight: Jesus is God’s pattern for our lives. Also the Word of God is God’s pattern for our lives. But then there is God’s specific pattern for our lives which we can only uncover by revelation or divine encounter. This is very important because, in as much as we are all meant to live according to the Word of God and to look to Jesus as our supreme pattern for life, God has called us to different areas of service which we must particularly ask Him to reveal to us. God has shaped us for a particular assignment. He has designed us to fit into His specific purposes for our lives and until we discover it, we can’t properly build according to His pattern. Hence, the need for prayer!

Just as God said to Moses, “And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.” (Exodus 25:40, NKJV), we must understand that the pattern for our lives can only be revealed to us on the mountain. So does it mean that we must go to a mountain to get the pattern for our lives? No! The word ‘mountain’ is a symbol of prayer. It is also a symbol of divine encounter. That is to say that we get the blue print for our lives by enquiring of the Lord in the place of prayer. We get it by revelation. We don’t figure it out with our heads. You see, when we stand before the Lord on that day of judgement, Jesus will only be concerned about what God designed us to do and not just anything. We must all give account to Jesus of our stewardship with regards to what God wanted us to do. So we can see that it is a very serious matter and we must do whatever it takes to get the proper design or pattern for our lives. It is worth spending time in the place of prayer to know and understand God’s pattern for our lives.

The role of the Holy Spirit in helping us know, understand and build according to God’s pattern cannot be over emphasized. We must depend on the Holy Spirit to be sure that we are building according to God’s pattern. It is not enough to know God’s pattern for our lives. It is also important that we walk with the Holy Spirit to ensure that we build daily – everyday! – according to that pattern. That means the Holy Spirit helps us maintain a life that follows God’s pattern consistently. He helps us stay with it. As long as we depend on the Holy Spirit, we can’t get it wrong. God sent the Holy Spirit to us, the saints, to help us know His mind. 1 Corinthians 2: 9-10 says “But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” (NKJV). God always reveals His mind to us through the Holy Spirit. That means if you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you are limited in life and there is no way you can know, understand and build according to God’s pattern. The Holy Spirit has come to help us build according to God’s pattern. Jesus, in John 16:13 said “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (NKJV). So if you’re born again and don’t have the Holy Spirit, invite Him into your life by a simple prayer to the Father in the Name of Jesus, asking Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit and He will! Don’t live another day without the Holy Spirit. Let Him help you build according to God’s pattern!

THE SUPERNATURAL VS. THE NATURAL

There is the natural way of doing things. There is equally the Supernatural way of doing things. When we do things in the natural, we do it in the flesh. When we do things in the Supernatural we do it in the Spirit. Man is a spirit being and God designed him to operate in the Supernatural naturally. The distortion of this plan came as a result of the fall but that has been taken care of in the New Creation produced by Christ in His redemptive work. He restored man to the original plan. When we do things through the natural means, we are limited to the human ability. When we do things the Supernatural way, we simply employ the ability of the Omnipotent Father God. It is actually a choice for us to employ the natural or the Supernatural means of getting things done. There is indeed the Supernatural dimension to all aspects of life. We have employed the natural way of doing things for so long that we seem to be aliens to the Supernatural life. Whatever is birthed through the natural means will eventually hunt us. You can verify this from an Abraham who chose a natural option to produce an Ishmael. Today you know as much as I do that the Ishmaelites (hope you understand?) are the greatest human problem we have and it is prophetic. It’s time to start walking in the Supernatural – the realm where we really belong.

To be born again means to be born into the Supernatural realm where everything is ‘of God’! Every New Creature have been dipped into the Supernatural. Just as fishes don’t struggle to swim, we don’t struggle to manifest the Supernatural life. We live in it naturally. Someone may ask “if that is the case, why then is the Supernatural manifestation so scarce?” Well, that is why you are reading this piece. Many Believes don’t know that the Supernatural power of God is already upon them. They have not stepped into it. They have not put it to work. They have not placed a demand on the Anointing. They have not approached it as the way of life. They are surprised when they see a preacher manifest it. If only they can understand, if only they can see it for themselves in the Word, if only they will begin to live in the consciousness of it and put it to work every single day of their lives, they would be amazed at how much power is available to them in Christ. They will simply live the Supernatural life naturally!

The Holy Spirit came to help the Church step into the Supernatural life. One of the major reasons why we seem not to see much of the Supernatural in and through the Church of today is because we have not yielded to the Holy Spirit in the area of world evangelism, especially in reaching those in our neighbourhood, places of work and activities. The power of God will only manifest for the purpose for which it was meant. We don’t work in the Supernatural just to feel spiritually high, get some goose bumps, and go for picnics. It is for serious business. It is for establishing the Kingdom of God in the hearts of men whereever we find ourselves. The Holy Spirit who imparts eternal life to those we minister the Word too is always ready to bring the miracles to manifestation whenever we dare to step into it. It is the most Supernatural thing to have souls saved – become possessors of eternal life. If God can do this through us then there is nothing else that He cannot accomplish through us.

Consider these Scriptural quotes below. These are just few examples of the differences between the natural and Supernatural ways of doing things in our daily walk with God and their consequences:

“Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” (Jeremiah. 17:5-8, NKJV),

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7, NKJV).

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16, NKJV).

Simply, walking in the spirit is walking in the Supernatural and walking in the flesh is walking in the natural. The former is unlimited while the latter is limited. You choice where to operate! Choose the Supernatural and flow with the Holy Spirit!

REFUSE TO COMPROMISE

One of the greatest challenges of Christianity today is compromise. We live in a time when compromise is just about everywhere. So many believers are wakened by the compromises of those they look up to as ‘Giants of the Faith’. It appears the standard is dropping rapidly. So many things are creeping into the Church today that were previously never to be mentioned in Church. So many things are done in the name of being relevant to the world. The rate at which we compromise on our stand for Christ is so amazing and, I believe, gets Heaven’s attention. Today, many unsaved folks believe that there is no difference between the saved and the unsaved since there is virtually no visible line of demarcation between the both – there seems to be no boundaries. The devil is busy fighting leading ministers, throwing all sort of assaults at them to make sure he lowers the standard of the Christian life and make other saints believe it is impossible to live perfectly before God. The reason the devil fights ministers of the Gospel is because whenever anyone of them falls, the Christian standard drops in the eyes of men and this produces a harvest of compromise among many believers who say things like “if so-and-so will fall into this, then who am I not to fall…” It’s unfortunate.

What is compromise? The word ‘Comprise’ means so many things like agreement, acceptance, exposure to danger or disgrace among others. But for the purpose of this discourse, I go with the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition that says Compromise means “to weaken a belief, standard etc by adapting it.” I want you to understand that before there is ever a compromise, there is first a standard. Compromise is questioning the truth. Compromise is altering the truth. Compromise is dropping the standard of excellence due to prevailing circumstances or difficulties in life. Compromise exists at different levels. The word ‘compromise’ is not negative in itself. It could be negative or positive depending on the direction it goes and what is compromised upon. There are positive compromises and equally negative compromises. Years ago, there was a clear-cut difference between what was a sinful act and what was a righteous act. But today, it seems we have to do some deliberations and discussions to find out what is right and wrong. I believe something is wrong somewhere. There is a need for a restoration to the divine order. It is clear that the devil is releasing his worst missiles of evil upon the earth because he knows his time is short. The most unfortunate thing is that so many Christians who were zealously serving the Lord have simply walked away from the faith, giving heed to deceptive and lying spirits. The Lord Jesus Christ, during His earthly ministry, warned against such things in the last days and here we are in the centre of it.

The Word of God is the Believer’s standard for living. It is our principle for living and anything done to violate what it talks about is termed ‘compromise’. Compromise starts when a person begins to question what he already knows is right. For instance you know it is right to go to Church, but then you begin to ask questions like “does it really matter if I don’t go to Church? After all going to Church doesn’t take one to heaven…” you’re already in the midst of compromise. When the devil aims at destroying a believer, he tries to get him to stand alone – away from other believers. When you compromise on the Word of God, it means you’re trying to reduce God to your human standard. And you know as much as I do that God will not and is not about to drop His standard for any one or any reason. II Timothy 2:19 says “Yet God's solid foundation stands unmoved, bearing this inscription, <"The Lord knows those who really belong to Him."> And this also, <"Let every one who names the Name of the Lord renounce all wickedness."” (WNT). Standard is another word for foundation.

As a believer, every single day, you will face the temptation to compromise in one area or the other of your life. The devil already knows that since you’re born again, you’re determined to stick to the Lord all your life and will never want to consider renouncing your faith, so the only way he tries to come in is by tempting you daily to compromise on what God’s Word declares. The devil hasn’t changed his strategies, he only modifies them. He’d say words like “did God really say…?” You see, it is very important that you understand that one day we shall all stand face to face with God – the Judge of all the earth, He is going to judge us personally. His judgement will not be based on your standard or what you think, but He will judge us according to His own perfect standard. God has a standard. I Corinthians 3:11 says “For no other foundation [standard] can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (NLT). Never make any man or human being your standard because if they fall, you fall too! Making men your standard makes compromise inevitable. Let Jesus be your standard for life. “looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of [our] faith…” (Heb. 12:2, ASV).

The antidote to compromise in these last days is to purpose in your heart not to accept anything less than God’s standard and trust the Holy Spirit to help you remain faithful to the Lord. This is exactly how Daniel handled the wave of compromise in His days. While the other Israelites were saying “How shall we sing the LORD'S song In a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:4; NKJV), the Word of God tells us that “…Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…” (Daniel1:8; NKJV). In Daniel chapter three, the three Hebrew boys said ‘we will not bow to anything but God.’ So what are you saying today? I believe that no one ever goes to Heaven by mistake. You go to Heaven on purpose. You must be determined to serve the Lord in spite of the opposing trend in the world. In fact we must set a new trend for the world to follow – The Kingdom trend! We are in the world but we don’t belong to its system. The world system is governed by the devil and we dare not bow to his flawed standards. If we bow we burn! We belong to a different system! We can’t be fooled. We know who we are (1John 4:4)! We are only pilgrims and sojourners here on earth. In Christ alone we stand and overcome the world (2 Cor. 4:4, 1John 2:15-17; 1John 5:4,5)!

As I write this, I’m so conscious of the fact that so many people have compromised on their visions and dreams in life because they no longer see the possibility of it coming to pass. It appears as though it will all end in their imaginations and so they have dropped the standard. They now believe God for at least anything that is reasonable enough. They have simply reduced God to their standard. Romans 12:2 tells us “And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, and ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (ASV). Trust is Christ. Refuse to bow!

NO MORE DEPRESSION!

Depression is of the devil, it is a result of the influence of the devil on the mind of an individual. One who is depressed is pessimistic, disheartened and loses value for life even to the point of desiring to end it. I strongly believe that there is a spirit of depression that, if or when given an opportunity, influences the minds of people. I always count it a privilege to share my experience on how the Lord delivered me from depression. You know, I once experienced depression to such an extent that I laid in bed as though I was physically sick. My body was ok but my mind was terribly in trouble because of the war that was raging in there. The devil came with various thoughts of the sins I had committed in the past and started bugging me with them, telling me that my sins were not yet forgiven me and that I had to do something before the Lord could forgive me of them.

Some how I knew the truth about the matter because I grew up hearing that God forgives us our sins through Jesus Christ if we confessed them to Him (1John 1:9). But for some reasons I started considering what the devil was saying to me and that was where my problem started. I never believed that I would one day in my life contemplate suicide. But I did. I thought to myself; why not just end this pain once and for all? But thanks be to God, in the midst of the darkness, Jesus (the Light) walked in! It was a miracle. When I got healed of it, I made up my mind that I would never live another day of my life under the yoke of depression and that I would never watch anybody within my sphere of influence go through the pains and pangs of depression.

I really don’t know what makes you depressed, but one thing is sure, God has a solution for it in His Word. Here are few lessons I learned from my experience:

1. Depression comes when the Word of God is only in the head and not in the heart – when there is no personal conviction.
2. The devil, if allowed, can have a very strong influence on your mind even if you are born again.
3. There’s a spirit responsible for depression and it operates through negative thoughts. When you stop thinking about the things that make you depressed, you stop that depression.
4. Consciously meditating (thinking) on the Word of God keeps you from the path to depression. You don’t just stop thinking about the evil thought but you START thinking the right thoughts (the Word of God) because your mind can never be idle – at every point in time you are thinking about something.
5. Every thought is a seed that would eventually produce a fruit.
6. Whatever you meditate upon is magnified in your life naturally. As a man thinks in his heart so is he.
7. You have the power to choose what to think on – you are responsible for your thought life. You can’t stop evil thoughts from coming to your mind but you can refuse to think (meditate or ponder) on them.
8. When evil thoughts persist, pray in the Holy Ghost – your heaven language (you must be baptised in the Holy Ghost to do this).

Philippians 4:8 tells us exact what kind of thoughts to permit in our lives as Believers. It says: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.” (NKJV). This is powerful! This is how it works. Glory to God!

A PRAYER FOR YOU!
Father in the Name of Jesus, I thank You for these ones who are reading, thank You for Your great plans for their lives. I pray that You strengthen them by Your Spirit to walk in Your Word and be perfected in it. I pray that You empower them to think the right thoughts and be free from the influence of depression. Right now I come against every satanic influence over their lives in form of depression or whatever it may be in the Name of Jesus. I declare them free indeed because Your Son – Jesus Christ – has purchased their freedom and made them free. Thank you Father for this in Jesus’ Name. Amen!