‘For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you; that the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me’ (1Cor 11:23, 24)
We had a wonderful Holy Communion service yesterday. The Lord’s Table was set before us. The Holy Spirit covered us. The Word of God was given to prepare our hearts for the blessings at the Table. The following are some highlights:
If you refuse to be baptized in water or to partake from the Holy Communion, then you are not born again.
We remembered Jesus Christ, His person, His birth, His youth, His baptism in the rived Jordan, His wonderful works amongst men. But we especially remembered His words. You cannot remember Jesus, if you do not know Him personally. The more you study the Word of God, the more you remember Jesus, for He is the Word incarnate. The more you study the Word of God, the more you ‘gain’ from the revelation of the Lord’ Table.
The bread and the wine is a symbol of the Body and Blood of Jesus. As food is for the body, so the Holy Communion taken by faith feeds and strengthens the soul and the spirit. We remembered Jesus not from pictures or from imagination, but especially from the Word of God. That is the sure revelation!
The Holy Communion is a sermon; a visual sermon that speaks especially to the conscience. We proclaim His death until He comes back again. We shall lift up the Cross until He comes back to take it from our hands.
We are coming to the Lord’s Table with the right attitude. We come with faith, with love and with hope.
We do not take the cup ‘unworthily’. This word is an adverb. It is connected with action. It does not mean that we are unworthy of His gift of love. The truth is that indeed, we are unworthy to receive anything from God. But the word here describes the action of taking the bread and the wine, not our standing with God. We are not carless, ignorant, joking, doubting or pretending as we partake from His table.
The Holy Communion cannot be taken alone. You cannot sit alone in your room and partake from the bread and wine. It is designed to be as fellowship with the Lord and the brethren. The Lord’s Table should help us to appreciate the Assembly of God’s people, the power of being one with others in the Body of Christ. The Holy Communion is a gift to open the door for singles in the church to marry other believers. Have faith!
When we take the Holy Communion, Jesus did not ask us to remember names, or places, or things or even doctrines. We are to remember Himself, our Lord and God.
After taking the Holy Communion ‘worthily’, something wonderful happened that sealed our obedience to God’s Word. The Holy Spirit ‘fell’ upon the whole congregation. Suddenly, great joy, ‘inexpressible and full of glory’, came as shower upon a thirsty land. A blanket of compassion and freedom covered the whole congregation. All peoples stood up and shouted for joy, sang and danced for more than an hour. Fear, doubt and depression ran away. Faith, strength and healing came in.
If you have taken the Holy Communion and nothing good, no miracle happened… then you have not taking it well!
Pray for a fresh revelation of the power and glory of the Holy Communion!
All glory to the Lamb upon the Throne who shed His Blood for our salvation!

‘If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now Mine eyes shall be open, and Mine ears attentive unto the prayer that is made in this place’ (2Chron 7:14, 15)
Revival is a sovereign act of God. History proves that God indeed answers the earnest, desperate prayers of His humble servants to heal the land, according to His promise. Revival is defined as the coming down of the Holy Spirit on a geographical area, with peculiar, supernatural signs following. The born again believers are awakened from slumber and become ready to stand as active witnesses for Christ. The preaching of the Gospel has great impact and many souls are saved. The worship of God flows from hearts humbled by His goodness. Miracles of healing, deliverance and financial breakthrough increase.
The main hindrance for revival is the believers’ infatuation with the spirit of religion. This demon is a fake ‘holy spirit’. It brings people to church but they never get saved. It encourages men to be skillful hypocrites. These false brethren are very difficult to detect. Except for the gift of discernment of spirits given by the Holy Ghost, no natural eye can identify them as false. They just come to church to increase the numbers. They are either passive or become trouble makers. But they do not have any expectation of an encounter with God. They are like stones tied on the neck of the congregation. When the flood of trials comes, the congregation is not able to rise above the tide and drowns helplessly. This resistant attitude coming from the religious fake brethren is a main source of discouragement to the pastors, to the leaders. It takes wisdom and courage to do warfare for a religious infested congregation to be free once more. Then revival comes.
The religious spirits usually say: ‘We don’t want revival. The price is too high. We want blessings! We want money…’
Ignorance of the Person of God the Holy Spirit is another main reason why revival is delayed.
We are to pray earnestly for personal revival and city revival. It is our holy duty and God’s given responsibility. God can truly change a city. We do not have to intervene in the politics but just prayer and intercession opens the door for changes for good.

THE STORY OF GLASGOW
The city called of Glasgow in Scotland was founded by a Christian Catholic man called St Mungo. His motto over the city was this: ‘Let Glasgow flourish, by the preaching of God’s word and the praising of His name’. This blessing was written over the old buildings of the city. Some time ago, the government officials decided to ‘edit’ the blessing of their founder. They only kept the first three words: ‘Let Glasgow flourish. You can see it written on the buses and on their flags. Since they ‘removed’ God from their motto, the crime has increased. The streets crime, especially the attacks with knives is now double than it is in London. Glasgow has per-capita the highest amount of murders/violent crimes, and the highest number of organized crime groups. Also Glasgow is the third easy place in the United Kingdom to acquire a firearm due to its abundance of highly organized sectarian groups. Another problem is that nobody seems to care about the poor parts of Glasgow which are home to some of the worst social deprivation in Europe, if not in the civilized world.
The only explanation for this tragedy is that they grieved the Holy Spirit. Let’s pray for Glasgow, for revival, for a change that will glorify God!
Let’s also pray for Warri, Nigeria!
Holy Spirit, Glasgow, Scotland needs You!
Holy Spirit, Warri, Nigeria needs You!
Please come!

‘When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased because for a long time he had wanted to see Him. From what he had heard about Him, he hoped to see Him performed some miracles. He plied Him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. …The Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked Him…’ (Lk 23:8-11)
Herod the tetrarch was not a true Jewish king. His father, Herod the Great was a puppet of Rome. He became king thru politics. He became friends with the Caesar in Rome who just placed him on a throne in Jerusalem. He was the one who killed all the babies in Jerusalem trying to kill the infant Jesus. After his death, his kingdom was divided into four, a part for each of his sons. This is how Herod ‘junior’ became king. He divorced his wife to marry his sister in law, Herodias, who was also his niece. John the Baptist rebuked him and for that, the prophet died.
Herod was a worldly man. He was also a religious man. Jesus calls him ‘a fox’. This animal symbolizes a low class, weak and deceitful man; someone who lacks power and dignity; the total opposite of what it means to be a king. It also represents a dangerous, secretive, doubting, gossiping, slandering and unstable person. In other words, Herod was a doubter.
Herod liked to listen to John the Baptist. He enjoined the prophetic anointing as the best entertainment there is. But at last, when faced with the decision to kill John or to displease Herodias and his political guests, he killed John. This is a great lesson here: it is not enough to like going to church, to enjoy prophetic utterances. If faith is absent, doubt will manifest and prevail at last and kill the very thing you treasure.
When Jesus became ‘famous’ in Palestine, Herod thought the He is John risen from the dead. This gives us a hint of a troubled conscience. It is possible that Herod regretted his decision to kill John. But the same doubt tried to convince him that it was a necessary crime, to save his marriage and status as a king.
It is a terrible thing to live with a troubled conscience. The only cure is to come to the cross and repent. Only the Blood of Jesus cleanses and heals a weak, evil and troubled conscience.
The conscience is a warning system, as part of the spirit of man. God planted it there to warn against any evil or trespass against the law of God. Just like pain is given as a gift to the body, so that we know when there is a sickness, so also the conscience is for the soul. To ignore the warning of the conscience is to weaken and eventually destroy its sensitive work. A man with a dead conscience can kill another without feeling any regret. I heard that Hitler’s strategy was to desensitize the consciences of his people. The young soldiers will say again and again: ‘Hitler is my conscience! Hitler is my conscience!’ That is how they could do horrors and feel no fear or regret. It is the same strategy the suicide bombers use in terrorists attacks. It is not courage that sends them to die. It is an evil, dead conscience that helps them to feel nothing.
The final stage for Herod is seen later, when face to face with Jesus, the only thing he wants is just some magic, some miracles or pure entertainment. Gone are the days when he wanted to listen to the Word of God thru the mouth of John. Now the Word incarnate stands before him and he is not interested at all. Jesus keeps silent. No Word, no Miracle…Herod did not know that on his birthday, when he silenced John the Baptist, he silenced the God who sent him.
It is said that for as long as there is life, there is hope. But from the picture of silent Jesus in front of a doubting king, we should say that for as long as Jesus speaks, there is hope. For faith comes by hearing of the Word of God. But once the Word of God shuts His mouth, the man is doomed. He may still carry a crown on his head, but the life and the hope is gone forever! Selah!
Rejected by Jesus, Herod mocks Jesus. Doubt hates to be defeated. When doubt prevails, it kills the God who holds its breath.
After Jesus died, Herod was betrayed by Herodias’ brother who went to Rome and convinced the new Caesar that Herod is an enemy to the empire. The Caesar convicted Herod of treason and sent him into exile to a village in today France. Herodias was given a choice to stay or to follow. She chose to follow him. They both died there. Nobody knows where they are buried. This is the tragic end of a weak, doubting and reprobate man and his wicked wife. God forbid!
Doubt is a criminal! If it sits on the throne of your heart, it will eventually destroy your worship and destiny.
Repent! Seek the Lord and His mercy! Do not rest in prayer until God speaks a fresh word to your heart!
Speak Lord!
Let Your Word speak!
Let Your altar speak!
Let Your fire speaks!
Let Your Spirit speak!
Let Your prophets speak!
In Jesus name, Amen!
(Jam 1:1-8; Mk 6:14-29; Lk 13:31-32; 23:1-12; Heb 9:14)

MY LETTER TO A FAMILY FRIEND, A PASTOR WHOSE WIFE JUST COMMITTED SUICIDE LEAVING HIM BEHIND AS A SINGLE FATHER TO A TEENAGE DAUGHTER
(please pray for a miracle of healing and revival for them)

Dear Pastor…
I have been praying for you and your daughter. This is the revelation I have received so far. Pray and see if it is useful to you in the process of recovery. Your wife’s self-inflicted death has left behind pain that no words can describe. I can only point you to the God of all grace who alone can truly heal.

The impression I have is that your wife was not a wicked woman but a weak one. There is great difference between these two words. The devil took advantage of her unsanctified weakness and like a coward he is, he attacked her there. But she was not a wicked, selfish or hateful person. The reason for this weakness was her inability to hold on the anchor of hope that goes behind the veil, straight into the heart of the Father. She was not established in the intimacy of God and like a ship without an anchor, she drifted away in the storm that took her life. I see her suicide more like an accident at sea than a planned crime.

In the medical school we were taught that the main reason for malign depression and suicide is the loss of hope. To recognize the value and to hold onto the hope of Glory, that is life and sanity. Sometimes the hope is deferred, the fulfillment of promises are delayed. That is when we have to go on trusting ‘the bare’ Word of God. Like Abraham, against all hope, in hope we believe.

Your wife could not appropriate her strength of HOPE. It means that she left behind a great treasure of unused blessings. You are to take charge of that storage of hope. It belongs to you and to your daughter. Opened it and used it for the glory of God, for the shame of the devil and for your encouragement. That will be your testimony as a family. That the hope left behind is not lost but used by you and your daughter to fulfill God’s destiny. I believe even your wife will like you to use and invest the hope she left behind as ministry to the poor and hopeless. Then her death is not a loss but gain to the Kingdom of God! The words given to me this morning by the Holy Spirit for you give me the assurance that your wife was truly saved and now she is in heaven. I believe!

Let hope be your friend. Hope is useful to chastise children. You need hope to train your daughter in the way she should go as a woman of God. Hope is a detergent and it will wash away any shame of failure for sins and weakness of the past.
(PV 13:12; 19:18; Rom 5:5; Col 1:27; Heb 6:18, 19)

This is what I received from the Holy Spirit for you. I pray that your heart and your daughter’s heart will be revived by the power of resurrection. Let Hope rise! Let Hope work! Let Hope do exploits on your behalf!
Love in Christ alone
Lia.

Mary Slessor was born in Scotland. She came from a poor family. Her father was a violent drunkard but her mother was a born again Christian. She was convinced that God called her to go to Africa, to Calabar in particular. At that time Nigeria was an English colony. Very few English men wanted to go and live there. Because of malaria and other infectious diseases it was called ‘the white man’s grave’. She was a single woman of 28 when she went to Calabar as a missionary. It is hard to understand the terrible and mysterious forces against which missionaries are ranged.
Witchcraft was interwoven with life in such a way as practically to rule the land. Superstition was rife everywhere. When a chief died numbers of people were murdered, and his wives, after dressing in their finery, were strangled, in order to go with him to the spirit land. Blood sacrifices were offered to ‘jujus’. The human skull was worshipped. Guilt was decided by eating poisoned beans or the hands plunged into boiling oil. When twins were born they were always killed, for they said one belongs to the devil and they did not know which one is that. Their mother sent away into the bush to do the best she could, generally to starve and die, or to be killed by wild beasts.

Mary had heard about all these things in faraway Dundee, Scotland. Now she was going to see them for herself, to fight the demons in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. She had nothing except faith in the Lord who had died to save these poor uncivilized people. Born again herself, and overflowing with love to her Savior, she had a salvation worth speaking about, a real, definite thing, and with this treasure to share with all who would, she went forward eagerly, joyfully, into the dim, mysterious future now opening before her.

She quickly learned the Efik –Calabar language fluently. She eat the native food. She always dressed in a straight baggy sleepless dress. Her red hair was always cut short, like a boy, for she never had time to dress it. God gave her favor with the elders, the chiefs and the rest native people. She had the courage of a man, better said of a lion. Each time the elders gathered to convict someone of stealing, witchcraft or other crimes punishable with death, she will go in their midst and argue as the lawyer of the accused. She was a smallish woman with a strong voice. Almost always she got the death sentence changed into public beating, saving the lives of many. Then she will take care of their wounds in her hut and preach Christ to them. This is how many became saved. All abandoned children were adopted by her and many grew up to help in her ministry. She was engaged once to a man from her home town, but later he became afraid and he refused to come to live with her in Calabar. The relationship ended and she never married another. She never had natural children but left behind a great harvest of fruit that still abides.
She was sometimes lonely. She lived in the deep jungle villages most of the time. When her mother and sister died and she did not hear of it until a year later.

Her motto was: ‘One with God is in majority’
This is what the High Commissioner of Nigeria said in 1909:
‘Miss Slessor can go where no white man can go. She can sway the people when we cannot sway them’
The Calabar elders gave her the title of ‘Eka kpukpro Owo’, ‘Mother of All The Peoples’
These are her words spoken before she died:
‘Heaven is now nearer to me than Britain. My life is one daily, hourly record of answered prayer….for guidance given marvelously, for errors and dangers averted, for enmity to the gospel subdued, for food provided at the exact hour needed, for everything that goes to make up my life and my poor service. I can testify with a full and often wonder-stricken awe that I believe God answers prayer… I know God answers prayer. Glory be His wonderful name!’
Her very last words were not in English, but in Efik:
“O Abasi, sana mi yok…” (O Lord, release me…)
She grew old but her work and ministry never stopped. She collapsed and died in one of the villages in the forest. The villagers she loved so much brought her corpse to the city by canoe. She had a state funeral with all honors. She left behind Calabar a much better place; thousands heard the Gospel of Christ and multitudes of souls got saved. Only God can reward such a labor of love. Amen!
(in the picture there is Mary and some of her adopted children)

Absalom called Joab but he refused to come. He called him the second time, but his call was still ignored. Then he thought of a way to attract his attention. He remembered that Joab’s field of barley was next to his own. He then told his servants to set it on fire. That was enough for Joab. He came immediately and did what Absalom wanted (2Sam 14:28-33).
These are two wicked and manipulating men. But the story has a greater spiritual meaning. When God is calling you and you refuse to answer, He can burn your field with fire. Your ‘field’ is next to God’s own. You are God’s neighbor. God is not far from you. He knows everything you do, good or bad.
What is your ‘barley field’? God can burn your property, your marriage, your money, your health…The loss may be painful but the gain is greater if you come back to God. Many a man answered God’s call for ministry thru the burning of his field. Jesus baptizes with fire, so He has all what is necessary to burn the things you love more than Him.
Some people, like Jaob, answered the call. But there are many, even with all the destruction around them, they still refuse to come to God. Their ashes remain bitter and never turn to beauty. The truth is that once your filed is burn, there is not much God can do to still call your attention. God says: ‘My Spirit will not strive with man forever’ (Gen 6:3). If the infatuation with idols is too great, like Ephraim’s own, God says: ‘Leave him alone…’ (Hos 4:17). It is painful for fire to destroy the thing you love. But it is even worse if God decides to leave you alone to the useless ‘comfort’ of your fake idols.
The best thing to do is this: If God is calling you then please come to Him immediately. Why are you stubborn? Why tempt God? Why suffer so much loss and pain? God loves you and He will do anything to attract your attention… you need a Savior, a Deliverer and a Friend Forever! God is calling you…Come home!

“A religion without mystery must be a religion without God”
(Jeremy Taylor)

The younger son went away, to ‘a far country’ to waste his inheritance (Lk 15). He lived a prodigal life. The world ‘waste’ means to scatter something that was whole into small, useless pieces. He spent all his money on ‘riotous living’, from party to night club and back. Losers gathered around him and encouraged him in his wild dreams. Until all the wealth was gone. He then ‘joined himself’ to a man, hired to feed swine. Hungry and cold, lost and lonely, he arrived at the bottom of the valley of life. But that is the point of grace. He remembered the bread in the father’s house. That bread was always on the table, more than enough for sons and servants. He thought he will never remember the father’s love and provision, but now, all he could think of was the fresh baked bread at the Father’s House.
The backslider will always remember what he wants to forget. He will remember the taste of the Word of God, feeding the soul. He will remember the sound of worship and the touch of the Spirit. None like it. The world has no idea of what is best in this life. God will so arrange the circumstances of your life that you will not have peace in the world and the longing for the reality of the Spirit will draw your heart home.
Son, come home!

“Lie has traveled half the world already when TRUTH is just putting on his shoes. But TRUTH always wins the race at last”

“The grass wither, the flower fades: but the Word of our God shall stand for ever” (Is 40:8)
Because of sin, life has many problems. Our natural tendency is to focus directly on our problems and ask God to remove them. But that is an immature and selfish desire.
The correct strategy is this: in the middle of your problems, remove your eyes from them and look to God with faith and worship. As you ‘identify’ God in the middle of the crisis, that vision is enough to bring peace to your soul, wisdom to your mind and the strength to do God’s will.
For example, Job was tormented by the devil and suddenly he found himself living in hell on earth. He had problems of health, of marriage, the loss of children and all his wealth. When attacked with so many problems, Job fell into the trap of complaining.
Please note: it is very easy to grumble in the midst of life’s problems. It is very hard to ignore them and seek God in the midst of them all. Like the clouds cover the sun, the problems hide God. You must find God in midst of them and they shall disappear!
For a long time God kept silent. But when God finally speaks to Job, He does not address his problems. What God does is to point Job to Himself, to His power and glory. Once Job sees that, he repents of doubt, foolishness and impatience. He worships God and the problems become like dust under his feet.
If men create problems to you…do not look at the men!
If moneys create problems to you…do not look at your account!
If microbes create problems to you…do not quickly go to the lab for ‘blood test’!
In sickness and in health, in poverty and riches, in old age and in youth…seek God, His Kingdom and His glory!!!
We are like the grass and like the flowers. We are strong and beautiful just for a season. But life on earth is short. Even problems have to bow at the hour of death! We should remember that God gave us this life as a gift. He will ask what did we do with it? How often did we seek God in the midst of it all!
The problems, like our mortal bodies, are only temporary…Let’s go to the Word of God who never shakes and never fails! The Word of God stands forever! Though it all, learn to trust in Jesus and in His Word! Do not fear the problems of life! Let the same problems fear you, for you have found the secret key of success! It is the eternal strength found in God’s Word alone!
I do not trust my beauty! Like the flowers on the field, it slowly fades!
I do not trust my mind! Like the reed by the river, it can bend under much pressure!
I do not trust my emotions! Like the grass, it is fresh in spring time but pales in July!
I do not trust my wealth! Like paper, it can be burnt by a stray spark coming thru the window!
BUT I TRUST GOD AND HIS WORD!
IN CHRIST, I STAND FOREVER!
MY BODY MAY BE OLD, BUT MY SPIRIT IS RENEWED EVER DAY!
I WORSHIP GOD! I TRUST GOD! I LOVE GOD!
I STUDY AND BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD! ALL HIS PROMISES IN CHRIST ARE YES AND AMEN!
THIS IS MY CONFESSION IN THE PRESENCE OF MANY WITNESSES!
IN JESUS NAME!
AMEN!

Charles Spurgeon was one of the greatest preachers who ever lived. He was a Baptist minister initially, but later he separated from the mainline denomination because they became too liberal in doctrine. At twenty, he became a full time pastor at the famous Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. He preached there until his untimely death at the age of fifty seven.
It is said that in his life time he preached to about ten million people. Thousands got converted. His voice was loud and clear. The anointing of God was strong upon him. Men will weep like babies convicted of sin under the power of the Holy Spirit and the preached Word of God. He was never officially ordained by any denomination. He did not believe in the ordination of men. He said that God’s calling and ordination was enough for him.
He grew up in a Christian home. He got converted at sixteen. As a boy, he has been searching for God for some years. He went to different churches trying to find the way of salvation. He said that no preacher could explain the way of grace to him so that he can be saved. He could have been deceived himself by saying that he is already born again for he grew up in a Christian home. But he knew that he is just a good religious boy and not saved. One day, during a snow storm, he went to a small church to hide from the cold wind. The real preacher could not come because of the storm. ‘An ordinary, nameless man’ stood there to preach to the small, freezing congregation. The preacher read Isaiah 45:22 and said: “look unto Jesus alone! Look unto His drops of Blood! Look at the Lamb on the Cross! Look Jesus in the grave! Look at Jesus raised from the dead! Look at Jesus seated at the right hand of God the Father! Look and be saved! Look! Look!
Suddenly, his eyes opened to the way of the Cross! He knelt down on the icy floor and at last, he believed! The Holy Spirit filled his soul and this is how God arrested His mighty soldier.
He was sick often. He suffered from painful rheumatism and chronic kidney infections. He also had depression and could not sleep well. His wife Susannah was also too sick to attend most of the church services and to listen to her husband preach. But all these could not stop the man who burned like fire behind that pulpit, who preached the Word with passion and power.
He died at the age of 57, in a hotel room in France where he went to find healing form his painful rheumatism.
He had two sons, twins. One of them, Tom Spurgeon succeeded his father as the pastor at the same church.
His sermons have been translated and published all over the world and read by millions of all denominations.
His secret as a mighty preacher was a solid conversion and the experience of carrying the cross daily. He paid the price for revival and he witnessed it personally in the lives of millions all over the world. He did not allow his body infirmities or the difficulty of family life to slow him down the race. He often wept in public. When asked ‘Why?’ he will say that nobody can know his pain or his burden for souls.
This is the truth. There is a price to lead revival and to make an impact in your generation. From Paul to Charles Spurgeon, all God’s servants, all who truly inspired others with their commitment and faith; these were people who carried on with ministry against great odds. They were human beings like us, but they also had a fire in their bones that made them light to the world.
The question is this:
‘Are you willing to lay down your life for the Gospel of Christ, for souls to be saved and for the glory of God to cover this land?’

“For what does the scripture says? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness…
(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead, and called those things which be not as though they were” (Rom 4; 3, 17)
We declared the Word of God over our lives. We declared that from now on, if anybody asks: Who is your father? Who is your mother? We shall confidently answer: “My father is Abraham. My mother is Sarah!” If people will mock, we have decided to endure with grace and wait for the Holy Spirit to explain the reason why we say so.
We declared: “I believe in God the Father! I believe in God the Son! I believe in God the Holy Ghost! So, I can never fail!”
We also declared: “I am not ashamed of my God! I will loudly proclaim that He is my God!”
We danced in the Spirit: first with the human instruments, later all music stopped but all of us still continue to clap the hands and dance at the beat of a mysterious sound of heaven.
We declared that somebody shall go to a pilgrimage to Israel next year! God has provided all the necessary founds! Just believe!
We saw the vision of a round, big table surrounded by our children and grandchildren. It means that the single shall marry and the barren shall be fruitful. For the vision makes no sense except God connects the dots.
We declared that our future is better than our past!
We declared that God has revived our hearts, our marriages and our finances!
We declared that we worship the God who made Abraham a father just by His Word! He that was called impotent became a father or many nations!
We declared that we worship a particular God: the One gives life to the dead! All dead areas in our lives have been inundated with the rived of life!
We declared that God calls invisible things and they cannot resist the voice of their Creator! They all say ‘yes, Lord!’
We declared that the sick are healed, the poor will have money, the tormented will have peace, the single shall marry and the married shall have children!
Faith 100% and doubt 0%!
The anointing was so strong that we could not close the service in time…
Praise the Lord!

“Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets” (2Sam 6:14, 15)
This is one of the most touching storied in the Bible. Jesus is getting ready to go to the cross. The religious leaders became frustrated trying to arrest and kill Him. They were looking for ‘a sly’ way to capture God without offending His people.
This is a very great revelation: in Greek, the words ‘seeking to kill’ are the same with the words ‘seeking to worship’. Herod sought Jesus to kill Him and the Wise men sought the same Jesus to worship Him. You can see, same words, opposite actions…O, how the appearances deceive so many… how religion has ‘killed’ truth and the joy of salvation…but yes, it is possible to find Jesus in the midst of sinners and murderers of His presence…Seek until you find Him whom the world wants dead…Seek Jesus and you shall find eternal life!
Mary decides ‘to sacrifice’ the most expensive treasure she has: an alabaster box of very expensive, fragrant ointment (Mk 14:1-11). The price of it was about a year of wages.
Worship is sacrifice. It will cost you personally. It will cost you time, money, and emotions. The religious people will despise you and you shall lose your standing with them. No true worshipper still keeps his reputation in the midst of religious ‘wolves’. Your worship shall trigger anger in others, enough to destroy and kill the best of men. Do not be deceived, worshipping God is costly!
David understood the power of the presence of God. The law of God is simple: he who hosts the Ark , that man and his house hold shall be blessed beyond measure. The joy of worship manifests itself in music, singing and dancing. That is what David did. He brought the Ark of God into Jerusalem with the sound of trumpets. Did you hear that sound? TA-TA-TAAAAAA!!!!! That is godly, flesh- disturbing noise! Boast that you know your God! Sing unto God a new song for Him alone! Dance on that holy ground until your feet hurt!
Please observe: David did not dance for entertainment! He did not dance to please the lust of flesh. David did not even dance at the beat of the drums…Just like Mary of Bethany, David danced at the hidden music, the beat of his heart, as worship overflew the bounds of his spirit…
For as long as church is ‘as usual’ the Holy Spirit will remain ‘cold’ and He will not move. But when God’s children step into the light of His presence, with grateful hearts and dancing feet, the religious ice melts and God’s smile is revealed once more.
Do not seek miracles! Seek the God of miracles and all good things shall follow!
Now, let the trumpets sound and let the worship begin…
Let’s dance…

“Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives be rescued from the fierce?
But this is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce;
I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.
I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine.
Then all mankind will know, that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Is 49:24-26)
Even if a mother forgets her baby, God does not forget His children. Even when they are in a strange land, apparently forsaken, poor and lonely, God knows about them all. God never forgets His responsibilities as Father or Redeemer!
When His children become rebellious, He chastises them. That is a sign of fatherly love. But in judgments there is always mercy. Look for this divine seal of love, the mixture of chastisement and mercy! It is the peculiar family style of the household of God!
The above promise is prophetic. Isaiah saw ahead, with the eyes of the Spirit, that God will always have the last say concerning His children. During their captivity in Babylon, after exactly seventy years, God opened His door of mercy and His people came back to Jerusalem. The so called ‘warrior and fierce’, the Babylonian and Persian kings, they willingly released their victims. God decreed that their Captors will even sponsor the return of the Jews. And it was so!
Apart of this historical event, the revelation in the above scripture is eternal. The prophetic principle, the nature of prophecy is so that we can apply it directly to all the children of God, for all times. Prophecy moves over long periods of time but delay is never denial. Trust God and trust His prophets! Prophecy is a message of hope given as a light during periods of darkness and depression. The devil hates the true prophets and true prophesies. You have to bind the evil spirit of religion, before you can plunder his goods and release his victims (Mt 12:29). Resist and bind the devil and you shall enjoy the true benefit of prophecy.
This is the application for us who are in Christ:
God will never forget your name and your situation.
God is in charge of your life.
Even if all things seem hopeless, with just a touch, God changes all things, in a second.
No true child of God dies in his sin, in his depression.
No child of God will remain lonely and wretched to the end.
If you are a believer, God will surely come to your rescue.
God will remove mountains and dry the seas, just to make a path of breakthrough for you.
God can use even the breeze to blow strength unto your tired bones.
God loves your testimony as an overcomer and He will not allow you to lose your weapon to the end.
Just have faith and wait for God to come to your rescue. What you call ‘strong man’, your kidnapper, your boss, your oppressor, your violent husband… all of them are in God’s hands. The God you keeps you alive, is the same God that can seize their breath if He wants to do it.
God will trouble them that trouble you.
God will make the rich proud man go away empty and disappointed!
No prophet will be able to bless an oppressor. Their wickedness will come back to them. They will fall in the pit they dug for you. They will be hung on the gallows they raised for you. They will divorce for the reason that they attacked your marriage! They will be excommunicated from the assembly of the saints, for their slander against you! Their laughter shall be turned to weeping for the unnecessary grief they caused to you! They shall be weak, confused, afraid, poor and isolated for the betrayal against your trust!
This is called the justice of God!
Just learn to rest in His care. Learn to praise God even before the manifestation of the miracle of deliverance, for it will surely come! Your testimony is God’s property, available to the ‘all mankind’ to ponder on the mighty acts of God on your behalf!
Your name is engraved in His palms! The nails at the Cross tattooed your name there forever!
God knows His job!
God loves you!
This is the truth that sets free!
BE FREE!
In Jesus name, amen!

It is not just tears…it is sowing righteousness during difficult times! That is the secret to a surprising harvest of great, happy testimonies! In season or outside season, if you are happy or sad, if you are well or sick, with money in the pocket or none, morning, afternoon or evening, to friends and strangers…speak the Word to all around you…you will never regret this type or supernatural farming and the harvest will be beyond your dreams!

‘You have heard that it was said to the people of long ago: Do not murder; and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment….anyone who says ‘You fool’ will be in danger of the fire of hell’…settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court…for you will not get out (of prison) until you have paid the last penny’ (Mt 5:21-26)
This is a portion from the Sermon of the Mount, the Constitution of the Kingdom of God. Jesus preaches to the believers, for the unbelievers can never obey His law. In the above scriptures, Jesus reveals the power of sinful anger. He equals anger without cause with murder. The religious leaders taught the people that if they physically kill a man, they shall be judged by the court and condemned by the judges. That is how they interpreted God’s 6th command: ‘Thou shall not kill’ (Ex 20:13). So the people had to devise means by which murder should be done in secret. The interpretation of the law by the religious leaders made the people more skillful hypocrites, just like themselves.
Religion indeed has the power ‘to nullify the law of God’ (Mk 7:13). The word ‘nullify’ in Greek means to kill the effect, the fruits, the supremacy, the control and power of the Word of God. Religion makes church to become a social club, the preacher becomes just a speaker and the Bible, just an interesting fiction novel. Think about it! The evil spirit of religion infiltrates the churches and like a slow, silent poison, destroys the power of the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing the Word preached with the power and the anointing of the Spirit. Religion destroys any chance for the hearer to have faith. Doubt then is the only option. What God calls ‘a command’, religion turns it into an opinion. Religion removes the authority of God’s law to convict the soul of sin. The fear of God is demoted to become the lesser fear of men, of human courts and of police. That is a spiritual tragedy! No wonder there are so many sick, afflicted, oppressed, hopeless and wretched people in the churches…
Jesus brings back the Spirit of the law. Jesus never destroys the laws of God, but He brings back the spiritual content in them. Even in the Old Testament, all God’s laws are spiritual. But the Pharisees cleverly separated the Spirit from the Word of God. They continued to teach the Bible, while quenching the Holy Spirit by their religion. Jesus reminded the people that fearing men and their judicial system is not good enough for God. That type of fear is sin and bondage itself. That is why Jesus said that murder is not done just in the natural, for example, killing a man physically. He said that murder originates in the heart and it manifests thru speech. Anger, intolerance, impatience, losing your temper, refusal to forgive another, jealousy, hurtful speech, insults, slander…all these are criminal, these are the bullets of AK47. We wrestle against wickedness in high places (Eph 6:12). Theses demons arrest the souls of men. The least they can kill are sleep, self-esteem, peace and joy in the victim’s soul. This sinful anger against another is one of the greatest roots of poverty that no man can cure. The angry man pays until his last penny. The welfare system cannot help! The compassionate but undiscerning ministry cannot help! The sympathy of people cannot help!
The worship of God is quenched when ‘criminals’ lead the congregation. God expects a sacrificial offering of repentance on His altar! Calvary can never be ignored! The Blood of Jesus speaks and cannot be silenced by sinful, reprobate men!
Are you a murderer?
Can you frustrate and intimidate someone until the person becomes a fool? Then you are a murderer, if the courts of Nigeria have convicted you or not! God who created you, Jesus Christ who died for you, warns you against the added sin of procrastination. The earlier the better you repent to God and you settle your arguments with men. For if you have offended anyone, that person becomes your ‘enemy’ taking you to the court of heaven. Do not deceive yourself! Do not expect mercy from God when you still oppress, terrorize and make life miserable for another human being.
Joseph’s brothers, King Saul, Herod, Herodias, all these were wicked, jealous, angry people. They could have killed many more if God permitted them to do it. The lesson here is that anger has a power of its own that cannot be contained. Anger is not just an emotion. Anger will explode into murder, dragging its victim to hell. The angry heart kills. The angry tongue kills!
Please do not resist the deep truth of these words! If you judge ourselves here and now, we shall not be judged by God later! Allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate your soul and bring it to its knees. Repent and turn away from sinful anger. Be angry with the principle of sin, but do not be angry without cause with men! Do not allow the devil to become your heart’s tenant? He will pay his rent with the blood of the innocent! (Eph 4:26, 27)
Finally, pray for mercy! God delights in showing mercy!
A true child of God is forgiving and merciful as his own Father in Heaven!
He that has ears to hear- let him hear!
Amen!

“Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up [to Him] and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but [only] one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Lk 10:38-42)
There are two sisters in a village called Bethany, close to Jerusalem. They had a brother named Lazarus. Bethany means ‘house of misery’. It gives the impression of a poor village, dusty and forgotten. But the Lord saw something in that place, a pearl of great price…may you find what He found…
During His travels with His disciples, He often stayed in the house of Martha and Mary. He did not like to sleep in Jerusalem, with its majestic temple built by Herod, with its expensive houses and theological schools for rabbis. He chose to trek back to Bethany and rest his body in the house of His friends who loved Him as a Person, and not just as a miracle worker.
Both sisters loved the Lord. Martha seem to be the older one, for she was the one who ‘opened her house’ to Jesus. Possibly Lazarus was the youngest in the family. Mary soon made a habit that became the talk of the home. Each time the Lord came to visit, she will sit at His feet to listen to His words. She did not sit at the feet of Peter or Andrew. Her eyes, her ears, her heart, her attention, her time, her strength… were for the Lord alone.
Martha became angry with her younger sister. She needed help in the kitchen. After all, she was the hostess and it was not easy to feed so many men. She rebuked Mary in private, but Mary refused ‘to repent’. This time, she came to ‘the parlor’, hot with sweat and flour on her dress. She complained and she ‘judged’ Mary to the Lord. Mary is supposed to be in the kitchen, helping her with the cooking and the serving. That has been the traditional place of all godly women in the past. Mary should be rebuked for breaking with the holy, respectable tradition… so she thought.
To her greatest surprise, Jesus gently rebuked her. He said that her frustration comes from worry about too many things. He also said that the work of serving men is good. But there is another type of ‘work’, not found in the textbooks of men. It is called ‘the ministry of the Word of God and prayer’ (Ac 6:1-7). It is an apostolic ministry of breaking new grounds, of replacing the traditions of religious men with the realities of the Kingdom of God. The apostolic ministry is so rare and precious that men may ignore it. But it has to be recognized and given priority over all the rest forms of laboring for God. Men need help and encouragement. That is a good and godly work. The poor shall always be amongst us, said the Lord. God rewards all who help His needy people in so many ways. But Mary discovered ‘the one thing necessary’. That in fact is a spot and an anointing. It is a positional, peculiar, special, eternal ministry, uniquely blessed: to seat at Jesus’ feet and to listen to His word. Selah!!!
What does it mean to sit at the feet of Jesus? Let’s ask our sister, Mary of Bethany…
Mary honors Jesus with her faith and her submission to Him as a Teacher and a Prophet. There is no greater respect and honor you can give to a public speaker than to listen attentively to his speech. Mary loves Jesus more than her own life; she loves Him more than her own reputation as a godly woman. Mary loves Jesus with a passion that kills all other pursuits, even in ministry. True worship is creative! Her love made a way where there seems to be no way. She was the one who later anointed Jesus with the perfume from her alabaster box. Jesus said that her love and her deed will always be connected with the preaching of His Gospel. True preaching is forever one with worship!

Have you found this blessed spot and Jesus’ feet?
Are your eyes gazing uninterrupted at His lovely face?
Have you disciplined your ears to desire to listen only to the Word of God?
Has your soul found rest under His gentle yoke of teaching the Word?
Is your heart trained to abide in His presence, to desire nothing else, for as long as the Teacher is speaking?

I know that you are busy…you do useful many things for the ministry…I am not saying that is bad…but do you ever stop and think about just pleasing the Lover of your soul?
I know that you give offerings and you help the poor…I agree with you, it is a good thing to do…but do you ever stop and think if the Master needs something…maybe a cup of water…something that only true love can offer?
You say that life is short, therefore you must enjoy it…you take care of your family…people say that you are a responsible man…that is good…but do you ever stop and think if there is a way to bring a smile on the Teacher’s lips?
I know that you are busy, active and committed in the church…people see and greet you well…but do you ever stop and think of Him who died on the Cross that you and your family may live?

As for me, against all odds, I found that place…my heart, my feet, they could not rest from seeking until I found that blessed spot…men have pushed me aside and prayed against my passion…men laughed at my longing and pointed other things to do…but the Lord of my sister Mary became my Lord also…He called me heavenwards and revealed the space prepared and preserved for me alone…throughout my journey, He encouraged, defended and covered me…I have never seen a Man like Jesus…He speaks mysteries and my heart melts at the sound of His voice…He who holds the stars in His hand, holds my breath and my soul forever…The Lord is my Shepherd, what can man do to me? Nothing… for I fear nothing except to grieve Him by my doubts, restlessness and foolishness…I have found peace and joy…this is my treasure…this is my testimony…My spot at His feet is secure forever…His seal is there… my name is stamped on that holy ground and none can erase it…From the words of His mouth, I share with you all… in the presence of my enemies, He calls me to His personal banqueting table…I seat with Him on His throne…men’s eyes stare at something close to the ceiling…surprised, I too look above and see: His banner over me reads:
“FOREVER LOVE”