SPEAK LIFE

If you knew that every word you ever spoke would become a reality, what would you rather speak? What would be your communication? If you knew you could create anything with your words, what would you rather speak? But that’s just the truth. Our words become reality in our sphere; our words created the things that now exist in our sphere. When God created man, He imparted the same word-ability He has in man so that he could continue the creation by calling forth those things that are not from the realm of the spirit into the physical world. So then you might be responsible for the good things or the mess in your life because of the words you have been speaking. The words we speak today create our tomorrow – that’s just how it works! The Word of God tells us in Proverbs 18:21 that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” (NKJV). Years ago when I got to see this I changed my communication and made up my mind never to voice out the devils desires to make them a reality in my life. I would rather be silent about a matter than to co-operate with the devil to wreck my life!

The first thing you must understand about words is that there are only two kinds of words; life words and death words. The Words of God are life words. Jesus says, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63). Words from the devil or from our negative experiences are death words. Words work for or against us. In every situation, we are faced with the choice to either speak life or death. It is important to know that every word you say is a tool in the realm of the spirit. When you speak life, you put angels to work on your behalf, but when you speak death, you give the devil a big opportunity to operate in your life. You get exactly what you say (Mark 11:23,24) – you harvest what you sow. Words are powerful seeds and they never die! Words are spiritual! Words are the coin of the realm of the spirit. Words are the seeds for change. If you don’t like what you are getting, change what you are saying! 1 Peter 3:10 says “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:”

Angels respond to The Word when spoken from the mouth of the saints and they see to it. Even so the devil listens for negative words to make them real. If the devil wants to attack a saint easily, all he does is to get him to talk negative so he could have a legal right to carry out his evil works in his life. The devil doesn’t have the ability to torment a saint without his permission. Many folks bind demons in their time of prayers and loose them with their words few minutes after the time of prayer. They bind sickness during prayer, then the next minute you hear them say “I am sick” – they give the devil a legal ground to afflict them. They empower the devil to work against them. They talk wrong and they are wiped! We must avoid dual confessions. When you declare: “by His stripes I am healed”, stay with that confession! Refuse to weaver or stagger at it, maintain the confession, do not cower in the face of opposing circumstances. The question you should ask is: “what informs my confession or communication – The Word or my experiences?” Philemon 6 declares “That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” Always stand on The Word and make it your response to any situation. It is your responsibility to know what God’s Word says about the various areas of your life. If you are ignorant of The Word, you’d become vulnerable, you’d be limited in your faith confessions because faith begins where the will of God is known. What you say is the communication of your faith. Words build, words destroy!

In Hebrews 3:1, the Word of God tells us that Jesus Christ is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. It says: “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,” (NKJV). What does it mean? It simply means that Jesus Christ Himself is the surety that the confessions of the saints (which line up with His Word) are a reality! Jesus takes our faith confession very personal. We must take this confession thing very seriously – it is everything! We see in Matthew 28:18-19 and Luke 10:18-19 that Jesus gave the Church the authority to act in His stead here on earth. It is important for us to know that there is no other way by which we exercise this power except through our words – faith-filled words! Ecclesiastes 8:4 says “Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?” That authority is exercised through our mouth – our words! Revelation 1:6 tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ has made us kings and priests unto God. Whatever you say about your life or situation is your confession about it and that word will stand, it will greatly determine how things would turn out for you. You don’t just say what you see; you say what you want to see. When the Word of God becomes real to us we would see things differently – from God’s perspective. It wouldn’t then matter how things appear in the physical. Romans 10:10 tells us that by our confession of Jesus Christ as the Lord, we are saved. This is the way other heavenly blessings are received, we believe in our hearts and confess what we believe with our mouth then we have it.

We must also be careful about the words that are released from our mouths towards others. James equates good communication with perfection. James 3:2 says “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” Also, Colossians 4:6 admonishes thus: “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Our words can build or destroy, heal or afflict our hearers. We must think before we speak if we must always maintain good communication with people. I want to leave you with these words from Solomon: “Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?” (Eccl. 5:6). Blessings!

Life Signposts

I was passing by a Bank the other day and I saw standing signposts with this inscription: “NO PARKING, NO WAITING, NO HAWKING, NO LOITERING, KEEP MOVING!” And I thought to myself “wow! These are the instructions of life” If we keep these instructions in our lives we would be propelled to live in Today and for Tomorrow. In life we must try not to quit or be perturbed by the happenings around us. We must always remember that we are running a race. Time is attached to every thing we do in the Kingdom. Learn to forget the things that are behind and press into what God has for you now and tomorrow (See Philippians 3:13,14). You can never change anything in your past but you can always influence the future. I know you might have incurred much injuries in the course of the race of life but forward is the only option for you. God will heal your wounds as you stay on track. Hebrews 10:35-39 say: “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”

TOO BUSY TO COME

In Luke 14:16-24, we read a very insightful parable given by the Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. It was about a certain man who made a great supper and bade many through his servants to “come; for all things are now ready” All he required of them was to COME. Everything was set. All they needed to do was just COME. Few days ago while I was reading this portion of Scripture, the Lord strongly impressed these words in my heart: “TOO BUSY TO COME”. Then He further expounded it in the manner I want to share with you briefly.

The Lord Jesus went on to say that they all with one consent began to make excuses. Here are the excuses they made: “And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” (verses18–20). Jesus carefully chose His Words. He said they made – not gave – excuse. Meaning their excuses were all made up, – not sufficient enough to have kept them from attending the supper. Plainly, it wasn’t really in their hearts to attend. Let me ask you, if you had invited your friends for a celebration which, of course, is a very special one for you (maybe your Birthday, Anniversary, Wedding etc) and they give these kind of excuses, would you find them reasonable enough to have kept your friends from attending? Just A closer look at these excuses, you will discover that they weren’t concrete enough to have kept these people away from attending this great supper – too flimsy! These were things that could wait for a moment without anything actually getting spoilt or negatively affected – just one supper.

Now, here’s the point, 3 categories of people accommodate certain excuses in life which are deadly. You’d do well to see if you are represented here and make necessary adjustments:

 Those too busy to receive Salvation. In the first category, we find sinners who are too busy to be saved. So occupied with vanities that they never give a thought about their eternal destination. So chocked up with activities that they never have the time to go to Church, listen to a Preacher or even read a tract. They are so blind to spiritual realities that they haven’t yet seen the need to consider their eternal destination. These people are too occupied with various activities and ambitions that they think they are ok and don’t need anyone – even Jesus. Some of them have much of the various necessities of life and they feel so satisfied with things and ignore the vacuum calling for their attention while some even try to fill it with worldly pleasures, achievements, good works etc. They are too busy to receive eternal life.

 Those too busy to come into Intimacy with God. In the second category, we find saved and sanctified folks who are too busy to develop a lifestyle of fellowship with the Lord. They have the time for everything else but God in their everyday life. For them, time spent with God is like a waste. They never say so but they act just so. Their time is too precious for the Lord; He can have the leftovers if there are ever any. Joyce Meyer says “if you’re too busy to have time with God then you are too busy”. Having time with the Lord through the study of the Word, Meditation and Prayer are vital ingredients that make for the growth and establishment of the Believer. When we fellowship with the Lord, He helps us connect with His exact purposes for our lives. We then become useful to God here on earth, He then uses us as agents of change – impacting lives and changing destines. The presence of the Lord must never be neglected in our lives. When we fellowship with the Lord, He works in us and through us. We then become fruitful and more effective. Time spent with the Lord is never a waste – it’s a seed! Whatever it costs, be sure to have quality time with the Lord – not leftovers! When we neglect our time with the Lord we show irreverence for His presence. It is like having Jesus sit down on your dining table to feast with you, and because you are in haste, you leave him there and walk away saying “Lord, when I’m back I’d see you”. No true Believer would consciously do such a thing in the physical, but that is exactly what we do when we neglect our time with Him daily. In fact, if Jesus were to physically show up in your house, you’d cancel every appointment for the day and just want to sit with Him all day. This should be our approach to our time with the Lord Jesus daily. He is always present with us in reality. Let’s re-arrange our priorities – first things first!

 Those too busy to make and keep a Commitment. In the third category, they are saved, fellowship with the Lord everyday and are excited about it but do nothing for the Lord and His Kingdom. They are always in the ‘closet with the Lord’. They have accepted the first part of Mark 3:14 “Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him” but not the second part: “and that He might send them out to preach,” (NKJV). The Great Commission is God’s number one mandate for ever saint. Many saints claim to love the Lord but are too busy doing so many things that they ignore what matters most to Him – His heart beat. Jesus said in John 14:15 that obedience to His command is the proof that we love Him. His command is for us to take the Good news (Gospel) of His love and life to the world (Mark 16:15-18, John 3:16; 10:10). This ought to be our greatest passion and preoccupation. But we see saints who claim to love God but have no corresponding actions to that effect. They never make a commitment to the Lord to be absolutely obedient to the Heavenly vision. They make no commitments whatsoever to Kingdom matters. In these last days we are seeing so much lack of commitment to the things of God. Remember, one day we shall all stand before The Lord Jesus, our works would be judged on the basis of how obedient we have been to His commands – the Heavenly vision.

We can as well accord all these excuses to the devil’s influence over the minds of people. But we must understand that we always have the choice to make and then become responsible for our decisions. Another trick the devil uses apart from excuses is procrastination – pushing things that ought to be done today into a tomorrow that never comes. We must take our stand against the devils influence and discipline ourselves prayerfully to always put first things first. Accept God’s Salvation, Get into Intimacy with God by spending time with Him and Obey His biddings and you’d experience His fullness!

ALIVE! 2010

What a great time we had at ‘ALIVE! 2010’. ALIVE! Is an annual event for Believers organised by Zoe World Evangelism Ministry (The Evangelistic Ministry of David C. Okoye) and held on every Good Friday of the year to celebrate the risen and living Jesus, spark up a holy flame for world evangelisation among the saints and make heartfelt intercession for the salvation of souls all over the world! Last year (2009)we held the first one in Jos, Plateau State of Nigeria. It was an awesome start up of this annual event. And this year it was held in Abuja, Nigeria. Indeed it was simply a divine set up by the Holy Spirit. The atmosphere was that of true worship to the risen Christ. The Lord unveiled the Word to us in an immeasurable way which led to a renewed commitment to the Great Commission and a deluge of intercession for the salvation of souls all over the world. It was indeed an extraordinary meeting with the Holy Ghost!

I believer Good Fridays should not only be remembered with Communion services, but it should also be a time to reflect on how faithful we have been to the Heavenly vision. Jesus said if you love me, keep my commandment (John 14:15). Our obedience is THE PROOF of our love for The Master. The Great Commission must be taken more seriously especially in this historic moment when we see Bible prophecy unfold before our very eyes. This, indeed, is a prophetic age and we must not fail our Lord Jesus. This should be our most treasured moment. Now is the time to act. If we delay, we lose! Reflecting on and evaluating our level of obedience to the Supreme mandate – The Great Commission – should be a major highlight of our Easter celebrations. Isaiah 6:8 says “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” This is still the heart cry of the Lord, will you respond today? Please do!

ROOTED AND BUILT UP

“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:6,7 NKJV).

The terms ‘rooted’ and ‘built up’ say something about ‘planting’ and ‘construction’ which give us a good picture of what it really means to abide in Christ. In these last days it would really be impossible for any Christian to thrive in the faith without being rooted and built up in Christ. Many distractions, many storms, many shakings are just all over the place – everywhere! This generation is standing in a very dangerous place. It will be very impossible for this generation to get away with what the previous generations could get away with because the Lord has shown this generation so much for us to play the fool. We are a learned generation full of God’s revelation. A close look at the opening Scripture, you’d notice that the focus is Christ. It says for us to be rooted and built up IN CHRIST JESUS THE LORD. This is awesome.

When we find our roots and foundations in Christ and He becomes our all, then we have it made. But it is equally important for us not to ignore the phrase “The Lord”. That phrase alters our idea of these two verses. It brings to light the fact that being rooted and built up in Christ is founded on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The acceptance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ is the bases for anyone to be rooted and built up in Christ. The Lordship of Jesus Christ is what follows after the New Birth. It means Jesus Christ becoming your Master, guiding you daily through His Words and Spirit. Many Christians have not submitted to the Lordship of Jesus in their lives in reality even though they confessed it when they received salvation. It is not automatic or a quick fix, it has to do with yielding willing to the Mastery of Christ through His Words and Spirit. There are so many troubles and insecurities in the world today just because men do not know the Person and the Place called Christ.

ROOTED
In Matthew 13, we read about the very familiar parable Jesus gave – The Parable of the Sower. In verses 20 and 21, Jesus describes one of the four categories thus: “But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.” (NKJV). We cannot run away from tribulations or persecutions as long as we are still in this world. Nevertheless, what we do during these tribulations or persecutions tell us much about how rooted we are in Christ. Remember that Jesus is the Word made flesh (John1:14). So being rooted in the Word equally means being rooted in Christ. Persecutions and tribulations would always arise from time to time to test our level of ‘rootedness’ So it is really not about professing that we are rooted in Christ just with our lips but what our responses or reactions state during these times. Being rooted in Christ simply means taking in the Word so much that all you do is on the basis of the Word and nothing else. Living in a world that opposes anything that has to do with Jesus Christ, being rooted in Christ is the only way we can make it as true Pilgrims on earth. We just need that support that comes from Christ alone that strengthens and supports us. A tree firmly rooted would outlast the wild wind.

BUILT UP
The Lord Jesus tells us in Luke 6:46-49, “But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” (NKJV). Observe that the emphasis of Jesus was on the doing of the Word. This is what separates the boys from the men. These two builders both came to Jesus, they both heard the Words of Jesus but what actually made the difference was their response to the Words they heard – one acted on the Words he heard, the other didn’t! The results were different too! James tells us that we deceive ourselves when we only hear the Words and do not do what it says (James 1:22). Paul tells us that it is the doers that are justified and not the hearers alone (Romans 2:13). Jesus says why do you call me Lord, Lord without doing what I say? (Luke 6:46). You can practically build your life in Christ by just being a doer of the Word – as simple as that. Let your acting on the Word not be based on how you feel or what you think about it. But let it be on the basis of pure faith knowing whose Words they are.

We can see that Jesus connected both being rooted and built up to the Word. To be rooted and built up in Christ means to be rooted and built up in the Word. The Word is not an element but a Person but we connect with the Person of The Word – Jesus – through the written Word. The more time we spend in the written Word (the Bible) the more of the Living Word we know (John 1:1-4,14).

TRUST GOD

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jeremiah 29:11, KJV). There’s just something about the New Creature in Christ who knows what it means to trust in the Lord. He’s not perturbed by the physical evidence or facts. He knows how it would turn out – good! Romans 8:28 says “And we are conscious that all things are working together for good to those who have love for God, and have been marked out by his purpose.” (BBE). The difference between ‘here’ and ‘there’ is ‘T’ signifying time. There is the ‘there’ of your life. The difference between now and then is process. We must go through processes in life which are the seasons of our making.

At the end of the day, the summary of a life that clings to the Lord relentlessly would be like this: “So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.” (Joshua 21:43-45, NKJV). The pains would be swallowed up by the pleasure of fulfilled promises!

REFUSE TO BOW!

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered, "Your Majesty, we will not try to defend ourselves. If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then he will. But even if he doesn't, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18 GNB).

The story of the three Hebrew children in Babylon would continue to be famous because of the spiritual strength and virtue displayed by three Hebrew young men who chose to stand out and firm for what they believe and represent. The fame of the story is not rooted in how popular the story has become over the years but in the fact that these real men chose to absolutely trust and identify with a real God who they have never seen with their optical eyes even in the face of physical and tough conditions. It is so amazing when you look at this age only to see men living without values and firm desires for what they truly claim to be their convictions. We are easily tossed to and fro by the tides of this age like Ephesians 4:14 puts it. We act like the reed instead of the rocks that we claim to be. We bow at every challenge, back out at every fight, become indecisive at the cross roads and stumble at every seeming obstacle just like a driver who enters every pot hole on the road. What is happening to us? I share this piece with a burden for change in my heart. I ask, can we have a repeat of the event documented in Daniel chapter 3 again or something higher in this time when everyone runs away from making a commitment – everyone says ‘why me?’

The opening text is the response of the three Hebrew men to a royal declaration from a then-world-power king. His declaration was voiced by a herald: “You will hear the sound of the trumpets, followed by the playing of oboes, lyres, zithers, and harps; and then all the other instruments will join in. As soon as the music starts, you are to bow down and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Anyone who does not bow down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” (Daniel 3:5,6 GNB). These guys had guts. They were at the cross roads. They must make a decision and it must be now with no time to think or consider an alternative. They knew their lives were at stake, but they would rather die than to bow. They would rather burn than to bow. They would rather descend into the fiery furnace than to dance to the kings music! It is rightly said that those who don’t mind dying never die. They strongly resisted the pressure of fear! Amidst other virtues which these three Hebrew men possessed, I have highlighted only four. They are:

5. The Knowledge of God: Daniel 11:32 says “And such as violate the covenant he shall pervert and seduce with flatteries, but the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits [for God].” (AMP). They knew their God and were sure their God knew them even in a foreign and evil land. They didn’t become conformed to the tide in Babylon. They didn’t have an ‘exchange of gods’ kind of life like others did.

6. Identity – They identified themselves as men of The Covenant. Identity is everything. If you don’t know who you are, men would tell you who they think you are and paint a false picture about you until you become nothing more than a people pleaser and a slave of men. When we begin to understand who we are in Christ and the Kingdom from which we have come in reality, it would change everything about us. 1Peter 2:9 says “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God's] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. [Exod. 19:5, 6.]” (AMP). It all starts with identifying who you are. Who are you?

7. Courage – They had guts. Courage is not always the absence of fear. Courage means making a firm decision to ignore your fears in order to do what you have to do. Like Joyce Meyer would say “do it afraid”. Many people you think are courageous would tell you how they handle their fears. The 3 Hebrew men had the courage to be different and to make a difference. Imagine the fact that they were not the only Hebrews in Babylon. There were thousands of them who were equally taken captive. But only three stood out. How about the remaining covenant men? – They bowed unfortunately! It takes courage to be different and to stand out of the crowd for good in a world full of perversion and wickedness where large majority support godlessness.

8. Unconditional Faith (Strong Conviction): The role of faith in an incident like this cannot be down-played upon. Hebrews 11:6 tells us “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” You can perceive the voice of faith from them when they said: "Your Majesty, we will not try to defend ourselves. If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then he will. But even if he doesn't, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18 GNB). A careful look at these three verses, you would see their faith in God, His ability and His supreme will even if He willed for them to burn!

Today we might not all face a physical Nebuchadnezzar, but there are situations and circumstances which set themselves to challenge or threaten our faith and claims in the Lord. We must not give in or give up but stand tall in Christ. Refuse to cower, refuse to bow because God’s on your side! Avoid dual confessions – maintain your confession of faith in God’s Word alone (Heb. 4:14). Never give voice to doubts and fears in your mind. Talk victory all the way! Shout The Word out loud because the shouting side is the winning side. REFUSE TO BOW!