HAPPY WITH CHURCH TONIGHT

The prayer meeting was wonderful today. There is no way to describe the refreshing of the Holy Spirit. There is no replacement for that. We had many hindrances against its success. We had a wedding in the morning, so people were tired. The temperature was high. There is much traffic in the town. But even so, the faithful people came to meet with Jesus. It is so wonderful to see people hurrying to church. A teenager gave a testimony how she was attacked by a spirit of fear and how she resisted it. Wonderful! We praised God in English and Nigerian languages. We prayed in English and in the tongues of Angels. .We rejected the evil spirit of religion! We gave thanks to God. We sang a new Nigerian Chorus calling God “The All sufficient God, the Over-Do God!” Then the Message came:

“So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land…

(Gen 42:8, 9)

GRACE FORGIVES AND RECONCILES

Joseph is a type of Christ. If you can’t see Christ in Joseph, you miss the purpose of his story. The grace of God is clearly evident in His life. After many years of pain and many tears along the way, Joseph’s dreams come true. His hungry brothers bow down at his feet. All they want is ‘to buy’ food. But each time their money was returned in their sacks.

Lesson: Grace does not ‘sell’ food. For as long as you want ‘to buy salvation’ you will not be saved. Salvation is by grace alone!

Joseph hides his identity from them. He decides to test them with harsh words and actions. The purpose is to find out if they are still cruel and wicked or if they have changed.

It is clear that Joseph longs to reconcile with his family. It is also clear that he has forgiven his brothers. His sons are named prophetically Manasseh (Forgetfulness of sins) and Ephraim (Fruitful in the land of affliction). Joseph has already forgiven his brothers in his heart, but he still needs to test them. He calls them ‘spies’! He calls them evil! In Hebrew the word ‘spies’ means to be walking about, to be a tale bearer, a slanderer

Lesson: The first encounter with Jesus is never pleasant.

Jesus calls the Syrian woman ‘a dog’ before the grace of God gives her the miracle. It is the same with the woman at the well. Jesus reminds her of her sins before He reveals Himself as her Savior. When Apostle Paul met with Jesus for the first time he fell from his horse and became blind for some days.

Joseph has forgiven his brothers? After all the pain of rejection and betrayal, how is that possible? The answer is found in the words of Joseph. Over the years, thru prayer and meditation, he has discovered the purpose of his life. He was able to see beyond the present events, beyond the weakness and sins of men. He saw Jesus was suffered on the Cross but was exalted at last by the Father.

Lesson: Free and happy reconciliation needs a repentant heart. You cannot reconcile with an unwilling, stubborn proud person.

Lesson: You cannot truly forgive as the Bible commands except you do it as Jesus did it and for His sake. No other forgiveness is acceptable to God or to your conscience.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2)

In Christ I declare:

I am a child of God!

I am saved by grace, thru faith in Christ Crucified!

Even if Jesus is ‘harsh’ with me, I will cling to Him, for no one else has the words of Eternal Life!

I forgive others as Christ forgave me!

In all trials I shall seek to find God ‘behind the scenes’!

All glory goes to God!

In Jesus name

Amen!

 
Fidelis and Vivian just got married this morning. To God be all the glory!
Below is the Prayer request I posted on their behalf about a month ago:

There is a brother in our church who has sickle cell anemia. He is 32 years old. His name is Fidelis. As you know, most people with SS do not survive so long. This brother is one of the most gentle and spiritual sensitive men I know. He can’t sing at all, but when he tries to do so, the anointing of the Holy Spirit falls on the whole church.
He is a tailor by profession and a very good one at that. His wedding will be on the first Saturday next month. The girl he wants to marry has genotype AA, so technically, there is no problem (none of their children shall be SS).
Theirs is a true love story. They were class mates in Secondary school. Then they lost contact. She went to University and he learned tailoring. They met again ‘by mistake’ last year. It was love ‘at first sight’. Both of them are born again and serious believers. For his sake, the sister changed churches and now attends Father’s House.
I saw him yesterday. He is so excited…’We were like those who dream…’ This wedding is a miracle. He proposed marriage since January but the girl’s father refused to agree. This is because of the sickness that can take his life any time. But she insisted that she wants to marry Fidelis and no other. Last month the father has agreed.
He told me that 60% of the preparations are complete. That he needs some word of encouragement to go on because his money now got finished. I said thank God! For now God can take control! He told me that he loves his future wife very much, that he is not worthy of her. She is beautiful inside out. She has faith that God will heal him completely and both will live long and happy lives. She also believes that they will have children and all the blessings of God. He has some chronic sores on his feet. That is why he only uses slippers. But he has faith that he will have black new shoes on his wedding day. Right now he limps because of the damage done to the hip but he has faith that on his wedding day he will work straight. I agreed with him and said Amen!
Please pray for a true brother and a true sister in Christ! Pray the way you pray for your family! Pray that God will supply all that they needed: joy, peace, health, strength, finances and favor with men. Pray that their wedding day will be glorious and many will give their lives to Christ. For him that they say will die is now the bridegroom ready for his bride! All glory to God!
God bless all faithful humble intercessors!
In Jesus name,
Amen!

“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2Cor 12:9)

STOP TOLERATING JEZEBEL (3)

“But I have this against you: that you tolerate that woman Jezebel…” (Rev 2:20)

These are some of the signs to identify a Jezebel attack. May the truth set you free!

*She speaks lies, half-truths, deception.

*She produces emotional manipulation; emotional roller-coaster; up and down spiritually; manic-depression

*She does not give glory to God in her speech, actions or when giving ‘a testimony’

*She has an unstable, unloving, divided and unhappy marriage; most of them end in divorce

*She uses people (her husband, staff or friends) as messengers, slaves;

*In the office: oppressive working conditions, no promotion, no joy, no job satisfaction and no reward

*She may be quiet, shy and nice but she has a hot temper when ready to attack; it is life a double personality

*She intimidates, threatens to kill others and produces panic attacks; fear of sickness and death and nightmares

*In particular, she attacks the emotions, increases sexual lusts, greed, love of money, luxury and entertainment

*She loves and skillfully plans vengeance

*Her intent is to make you run, to abandon God’s purpose for your life, to backslide

*In particular she hates the true prophetic gifts of the true worshippers

*She wants you to lose spiritual sight, to be deceived and believe false prophecies, making wrong, ungodly choices

*Other signs: Fear, loneliness, tiredness, confusion, lack of sleep, depression, suicide thoughts, a desire to resign from your job or ministry and paralyzing self-pity; sexual immorality, homosexuality and lust

*Chronic sicknesses that defy ‘regular’ prayers or medical treatment, bareness,

*Imbalanced marriages (one partner is too strong and the other too weak), divorce,

*Financial Imbalance: For example, you want to buy a car. It costs 200, 000 naira. You easily gather 180,000 but the last 20,000 will be impossible for you ‘to rise’. The money will be stuck at that level and you shall not be able to buy the car. After that, you start losing even the money you have gathered. With all your efforts and prayers, you are not able to finish family projects. It makes you feel like a failure, tired, frustrated and angry blaming God!

THE SOLUTION

Fast and pray! Stop tolerating Jezebel! This is a decision you have to make consciously! Learn to do spiritual warfare! Put on the whole armor of God! Do not allow your children to misbehave! Pray for wisdom, love, patience and strength to be a godly mother to them! Be careful especially after you have had some level of success! Do not be proud! Jezebel attacks thru pride! Submit to God and resist the devil! You need to do both and in that order! Proclaim the power of the name of Jesus, the power of the Blood of Jesus and the Word of God! Praise God until He ‘comes down’. Invite the Presence of the Person of God the Holy Spirit in your marriage and in your home! Be filled with the Holy Spirit! In all things give thanks to God!

In Christ I declare:

I reject fear, manipulation, sexual lusts, greed, rebellion, doubt and pride!

Jesus my Lord has opened for me a door of peace, joy, prosperity, happy marriage, fruitfulness and ministry! No man or demon can shut it again! Jesus is Lord! All glory to God!

In Jesus name,

Amen!

STOP TOLERATING JEZEBEL (2)

“And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done; also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there” (1Kg 19:1-3)

We shall look at how Elijah was attacked by the spirit of Jezebel and his reaction to it (1Kg 19). We shall learn precious lessons from this encounter.

Notice the reaction of Elijah. He becomes afraid and runs away from his place of ministry. The previous day he was bold like a lion. Today he is a coward like a chicken. This emotional ‘roller coaster’ is typical of Jezebel attack. She boldly identifies her target: it is Elijah’s life. The word ‘life’ appears three times in just two verses. In Hebrew it means the soul, the heart, the center of desires, pleasures, lusts and appetites. Elijah ‘ran for his life’. The adulteress hunts your very life (PV 6:26). The spirit of Jezebel attacks the soul, the center of emotions. The power of sexual lusts is increased. The desire ‘to enjoy life’ at any costs takes possession of the mind. Selfish ambition, greed, love of money and enjoyment are all part of the strategy of Jezebel.

Jezebel promised Elijah to ‘make his life’ miserable unto death. In Hebrew, the word ‘make’ means to determine, to appoint, to bring down or to carry up, to overturn and to fulfill purpose. All these words imply that Jezebel thinks she is a god.  For only God has the power to do all these things. She deceives herself thinking that she can kill Elijah any time she wants.

Lesson: Be careful! Jezebel intimidates with lies. Her strategy is that you will backslide, that you will run abandoning your ministry and the purpose of God for your life. God forbid!

DAMAGED PROPHETIC VISION

Then we read that Elijah ‘saw that’. What did he see? He saw himself defeated and dead by the queen. The word ‘saw’ means to discern, to perceive, to experience, to feel and to have visions as a prophet. The same is related with the word ‘Jireh’ that means Provider. Elijah was a prophet of God. He was a seer. He sees visions of God, of His power and holiness. But now, under the attack of Jezebel, afraid to death he now sees things upside down. Fear has destroyed his capacity to see the truth. He now sees lies. Without vision people perish (PV 29:18). Under the spell of Jezebel, Elijah cannot trust God for His provision and protection. So he runs away to save his life. The word ‘run’ means to vanish, to follow another, to carry load like a slave and to become weak. The mighty prophet has lost his sense of purpose, identity and anointing. He needs God. He needs deliverance and assurance of life. He cannot trust God for protection and provision.

Lesson: I dwell at the Cross of Christ! I cannot trust my eyes! I live by faith and not by sight!

In Christ I declare:

I destroy every spell of Jezebel over my body, soul, spirit, marriage, family, ministry and all that belongs to me!

I destroy every evil covenant done against my life and destiny! I declare that I am healed, delivered, prosperous and free!

I plead the Blood of Jesus upon my life, marriage, husband, children, ministry and the work of my hands!

To God be the glory!

Jesus is Lord!

In Jesus name

Amen!

STOP TOLERATING JEZEBEL (1)
“But I have this against you: that you tolerate that woman Jezebel…” (Rev 2:20)

The women fellowship was good. We had some spiritual opposition at the beginning. Both generators refused to start so we had no power. This is not the first time something like this happened. I carried my little torch light and decided that even in darkness we shall seek God. We praised God for His goodness, for His grace and protection from January to December. . We shared testimonies and then the Word of God came. We prayed according to the Word. We did warfare against the evil spirit of Jezebel. We shall surely see results. No doubt about it!

We studied the effects of the spirit of Jezebel upon the servants of God. Please note that Jezebel is an evil spirit. It has no gender. Men and women are affected by it. We are commanded to stop tolerating Jezebel. This is our Lord’s command. To tolerate it means to endure, to bear something, to stay passive, to permit misbehavior without hindrance or confrontation. Our Lord commands us to stop doing that. Do not make it easy for this demon to abide in your home or church! We are to identify, to confront and reject this evil spirit that has produced a stronghold in your life. Pray that your eyes be open to see the truth! Pray that your ears be open to hear what the Spirit says to the churches and to you in particular!

We shall look at how Elijah was attacked by the spirit of Jezebel and his reaction to it (1Kg 19). We shall learn precious lessons from this encounter. Elijah had a great triumph on Mount Carmel. He was standing alone confronting 850 false prophets who served Jezebel. Their gods refused to answer. This is because the God of Israel hindered their performance. Then Elijah prayed to Jehovah. Fire came down and consumed the sacrifice. The people of God who were backsliding at that time bowed down in worship declaring that Jehovah is God! At the encouragement of Elijah, they killed all the false prophets. The victory was complete and Elijah was established as a true prophet and servant of God. The following day ‘Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah has done…’ This is a lie. The truth is that Ahab purposely avoided telling his wife about the success story of Elijah as a man of God. He did not tell her how Elijah was bold and stood alone; how he prayed and how God miraculously answered him by fire. He did not give glory to God for the event on Mount Carmel. He only told his wife that her prophets are dead.
two people are husband and wife. Ahab manipulates his wife’s emotions. He knows her weakness and foolishness. He knows that she is over-emotional; that she will react with passion to kill. But Ahab wants Elijah dead. He hopes his wife will do the ‘dirty and dangerous job’ killing a prophet of God. He knows the word of God that forbids harming the servants of Jehovah and in particular His prophets (Ps 105:15). But Ahab does not care if his wife dies in the process so long she can kill ‘the trouble-maker of Israel’. Observe that Ahab does not cover his wife spiritually; therefore he is a bad husband and she is foolish too.

Lesson: The evil spirit of Jezebel tries to destroy your marriage and all other relationships thru lies and manipulations. The marriage remains imbalanced. The husband does not tell his wife the truth and he does not completely trust her. The same goes for the wife. What is the solution? Make up your mind to always speak the truth in love. Then trust God for the consequences. In this way you shall shut the door to the devil and your marriage shall heal and even proper.

In Christ I declare:
I am a child of God! I am filled with the Holy Spirit! I am a woman of God! I am a servant of God!
I refuse to tolerate the evil spirit of Jezebel! She is a liar and I refuse to listen to lies!
I love the truth that sets me free!
I speak the truth in love!
My marriage is blessed!
To the glory of God!
In Jesus name
Amen!

“You are altogether beautiful, My love;

there is no flaw in you” (SS 4:7)

I heard a whisper this morning… Coming on the breezes of another place… My Lover speaks and I hear Him clearly… I was going to the kitchen when I heard His voice…I stop half way down the stairs…Me, ‘altogether beautiful?’ What shall I do with these words? For so long my heart was full of the opposite; damaged by men who said I am plain, or even ugly…who shall I now believe? Whose words are true? What words should I permit to settle in my heart? I was told to be careful, that lies are sweeter than truth…but Truth to me this morning is sweeter than the honey comb…

’No flaw in me’… Is He serious? Is He talking to me? All these years I used heavy make-up to hide my pimples and now my wrinkles…What do I do with these words of love? When I was young I so wanted men to praise my looks…I was disappointed…The ones who said I am pretty (never beautiful) lied to me to gain my body…The ones who said I am ugly, laughed at my pain… So many years of silent struggles, accepting what I have, learning not to compare myself with others…I forgot about the power of love…Me beautiful? Is this a joke? Does God joke? What if it is true?

I am still waiting on the stairs…shall I go up or down…But then He speaks again, the same words…This time His strong arms embrace me…He seals His words with His touch…with His kiss… my heart beats faster…my body trembles… I hold the railings… suddenly peace that passes all my understanding fills my heart…I lift up my head…I smile…and yes, I am foolish enough to believe! What do I lose if I believe my Lover? Only my doubts… Anyway, there are no people around, only the angels who take a break from their busy work…

Love eternal has spoken…Lover boasts of what only Lover can do…This is the sweet truth: Jesus Christ my Lord has washed me from all stains of sin, lies, mockery and shame…He shed His Blood to make me free and fair…no more guilt, no more pains,  no more ugliness…what a miracle…what a wonder…

Back to earth…I go down to the kitchen: I make a cup of coffee; I sit down and drink it slowly…Yes, Today is the day My Lover has made, I already rejoice, I am already glad in it… Glory!

Hidden in Christ I now boldly declare: “I am altogether beautiful.. there is no flaw in me!”

“Oh, My Wonderful Lord… Your grace is now my ‘make-up’… Your Joy is now my strength…Your Glory is now my hope…”

“And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.” Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him” (Gen 37:33-35)

Joseph’s beautiful coat that represented leadership was torn in pieces by his brothers and soaked in the blood of a goat. It was a goat that Jacob used to deceive his father Isaac. Now his children use the same means to deceive him that his beloved son was dead. Jacob made a covenant with the spirit of depression that he will spend the rest of his life in mourning. He wasted 22 years believing a lie.

Lesson: If you doubt God’s promises and dreams, you shall be deceived to believe a lie. You shall be sad and unable to enjoy your life. You cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit who is the Holy Comforter.

In the midst of so much family sorrow, this is the truth: Joseph is alive and he is the prime minister of Egypt. He is the richest man alive. The dreams of his youth have indeed come true. But when Jacob hears the truth, he does not believe it. He holds to the deception of 22 years ago. But his sons insist that Joseph is alive. They show him the carts full of gifts. They tell him the words of encouragement sent by Joseph who is a type of Christ.

“Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him: ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you… And behold your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt….” (Gen 45:9-13)

Seeing and hearing the evidence of truth, the scales of deception slowly fall from Jacob’s eyes. The power of lies starts to fade. Truth has won the battle. The true evidence has overpowered the lying evidence. The old man is revived. He is now ready to even trek to Egypt, if need be. The only thing he now wants is to see his beloved son once more. Depression is gone, joy has come. Failure is gone for victory has come! Poverty has gone and prosperity has come! The power of lies is broken, for truth has set a soul free!

Even me, I am free indeed!

In Christ I declare:

I am a child of God!

I believe the Word of God, which is Truth!

I believe in Jesus Christ, who is Truth!

I am filled with the Holy Spirit of Truth!

The Holy Spirit leads me into the center of Truth!

I reject and disconnect myself from any lies, deception or any false prophesy I ever believed in the past! I destroyed the spell of depression over my life!

My God given dreams and promises shall surely come to pass!

God has redeemed me from the wasted years of foolishness, deception and doubt!

I have a new beginning! Jesus is Lord!

To the glory of God the Father!

In Jesus name

Amen!

GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD

Joseph was a man who knew both love and hatred. Envy kills. The brothers hated Joseph unto death: because his father loved him more, for his coat, for his words and for his dreams. Joseph was sent by the father to visit his brothers and to give them provisions. They decided to kill ‘the dreamer’. Later they saw ‘no profit’ in a dead man and chose to sell him. This is how Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. This betrayal happen at a place called Dothan (Gen 37:17). The name means ‘Two wells (of blessings)’ Later it became the city of Elisha (2Kg 6:13). It was here that Elisha told his fearful servant to look around and see the angels, the armies of the Lord. But on the day when Joseph was betrayed and sold, the angels kept quiet…

Joseph is a type of Christ. Both were betrayed and sold for money by their own people. Jesus proclaimed the truth that He is the Son of God. But truth was crucified on Golgotha Hill. Can truth live again? Can God’s dream be fulfilled? Can the prophecy of long ago ever come to pass? Indeed, all prophesy is fulfilled in Christ Jesus, our Lord!

“He shall see the travail of His soul and be satisfied…He shall see His descendants…I will give Him a portion among the great…” (Is 53:10, 11)

Joseph was loved by his father and hated by his brothers. He knew the sweet comfort of true love. He also discovered the painful reality of jealousy, hatred and evil. This was a life lived in the extremes. It was not Joseph’s fault that his father loved him more than the rest. Also, it was not his fault that God gave him wonderful dreams. The brothers hated him and were jealous on him. They made up their mind that they will never bow down to their younger brother. They decided that Joseph will never be their boss. That is they wanted him dead, so that his dreams will die with him.

Joseph was now a slave in Egypt. Without his coat, dressed in rags, he becomes a slave to men. In Potiphar’s house his other coat was stolen too. He went to prison dressed as a prisoner. Can his dreams ever be fulfilled?  Time will tell…

Evil had its way for a time. But ‘love never fails’ (1Cor 13: 8). At last, all things worked together for good for Joseph, for he was called by God and he loved God (Rom 8:28). He interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh and was promoted to the position of Prime Minister of Egypt.

Lessons: When Joseph told his brothers about his dreams they understood them right away. That is why they hated him. But Pharaoh needed an interpreter.

When God gives the unbelievers dreams, they need a believer to interpret them. But when God gives a believer dreams, these are very clear. They come with their interpretations. If you always look for someone to interpret your dreams, it may be that you are not born again! Selah!

Finally Joseph told his brothers that God was with him in his life’s journey! God changed the evil for good!

“You thought evil against me: but God turned it into good, that He might exalt me, as at present you see, and might save many people” (Gen 50:20; Douay-Rheims Bible)

The prayer meeting was good. We started well and ended even better. The ‘hot’ praise invited the presence of God. We worship the Living God, expecting miracles in our midst. It is so good to have faith in God alone. All problems seem small in the light of His presence. We stood on holy ground this evening. The very air ‘tasted’ holy. If the people came to visit me, they could have been disappointed. I did not have a new dress to impress them. I did not have money to give to them. All I had was Christ and Him crucified. This evening, the All-Sufficient God and His grace was more than enough for all of us. If you have never experienced the glory of God in a prayer meeting, then pray that you may! There is nothing like it! With hearts made tender by the Holy Spirit the message came:

“Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! Come therefore let us now kill him…”

“Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them” (Gen 37: 19; 42:6-9)

Jacob had a favorite son called Joseph. He was six years when they came back to the Promised Land. Eleven years have passed since then. Joseph was now a young man of seventeen. His father gave him a coat of many colors as a gift. This coat was not only beautiful. He who dressed with this ‘royal’ coat was not supposed to do menial work. He was the leader, the priest and king of the home.  In their tradition it was given to the heir, to the one who will inherit the family property and carry on the name. Naturally it could have been Ruben, for he was the first born son. But he committed adultery with the father’s concubine and so he became disqualified to represent the family. There were other sons older than Joseph. In fact, he was the one before last. But Jacob made a clear display of his choice; it was Joseph who will inherit the family name.

Lessons: God’s plans for you are good. God wants to promote you in life. As a child of God you are not supposed to work like a slave. God will give you wisdom above the unbelievers. It does not matter your education or social status. God’s favor upon a man is all that matters. .

THE COAT AND THE DREAMS ARE GIVEN AS GIFTS

The coat of many colors was given to Joseph by his earthly father. God, his heavenly Father gave Joseph two similar dreams. He did not invent them. The dreams were not the products of any hidden ambition for leadership or an unholy imagination. The reason why God gave him two dreams is to confirm that the matter has been established in heaven and no man or devil can stop the dreams from being fulfilled.

Lessons: No man promotes himself to be a priest or king. The call has to be from God with signs following. No one can destroy a man who God calls to Himself. The gifts and the callings of God are irrevocable (cannot be withdrawn) (Rom 11:29)

In Christ I declare:

I am a child of God!

I am a king and a priest called by God to serve Him!

I am a faithful servant of God! Therefore I shall be promoted by God!

God’s favor is upon me! I fear no devil and no man! I only fear God!

My life brings glory to God!

In Jesus name

Amen!

 
“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” (Nu 23:19)
The answer is clearly implied: God’s Word is always truth! God is always faithful to His promises! God speaks and He acts! There is power to perform deposited in His Word! God said: Let there be light! And there was light!
God will perform His Word to you who believe!
Faith 100%! Doubt 0%!
No shaking (as we say in Nigeria)!
In Jesus name
Amen!

 
“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1Cor 4:12)

God is the Creator and the Owner of everything. We are only stewards, chosen by Him. We have to give an account for the way we use God’s resources, our time, our blessings. Marriage, children, ministry, jobs, money, things…all these are gifts from God. You have to give an account for the way you use them!

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—

the great locust and the young locust,

the other locusts and the locust swarm—

my great army that I sent among you.

You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,

and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,

who has worked wonders for you;

never again will my people be shamed.

Then you will know that I am in Israel,

that I am the Lord your God,

and that there is no other;

never again will my people be shamed” (Joel 2:25-27)

We all have wasted times and opportunities. We all know the shame of loss and failure. We all made wrong choices and mistakes. We all felt like going back in time and repair those foolish decisions.  But no one can go back. Time only goes in one direction. Wasted years can be terrible bringing regrets and shame. But God has a word for His children who wasted years in the past.

God will not bring you back in time, to be young again. But God promises to give you a supernatural financial increase, an overflow of harvest that will more than compensate for the lost opportunities of wasted years. Only God can perform this miracle! It is not the result of hard work or human promotion. You need to trust God, His Word, His promises and His power to perform miracles. Nothing less than that will do!

Join me in trusting God to the end! All loans and mortgages shall be paid by the power of the Holy Spirit! We vow to give God all the glory!

In Jesus name

Amen!

To be quickly rich without any labor, this is the dream of all sinners. That is the foundation of gambling.

Gambling – definition: To play a game for money or property; to bet, to take a chance, to risk on an uncertain outcome; to expose yourself to danger and to proceed in the face of it.

The attraction of gambling is entertainment and the love of money. Both are very addictive strongholds of satan. The victims are people who are lazy, covetous, foolish and ambitious in the same time. That combination is deadly. Gambling is a scheme to escape labor, but in reality, gambling is an evil spirit that kills and destroys.

‘Dear Lord Jesus, I pray that you expose this wicked, seducing, evil spirit of gambling so that we can hate it enough to separate from it totally. We ask for forgiveness for any desire to be lazy, to cheat or to covet and desire wealth in the same time. Let Your light shine on our understanding!

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen!’

PRAYER ALERTS (for men who commented on my blog)

1. Dear Silvia, It is unfortunate that I am living this life. I just believed now that I am truly contaminated by the useless spirit of gambling. All the time, I will vow to forget going inside those shops but once I drive out, I feel some forces dragging me to go there. I am very honest in this narration. I will be weeping openly asking myself hundreds of questions why I am been dragged like this. It is a terrible situation. I have prayed and prayed and to no effect. I am really in trouble. How else can I be dragged out of this trouble? Any other help or advice? I know that the only person who can me help is Jesus, the Victor Himself. Please pray for me…

2. Dear Silvia, I am in the verge of taking my life because I do not understand how I became a gambler. I used to be a born again in Christ but since I came to Europe, life turned me upside-down. Living in UK it has been the greatest regrets in my life. The government is making people lose their lives because they made gambling easy to come to your doorsteps because it generates lots of taxes for them, I have tried to run away from gambling but they keep bringing the shops to my doorsteps. I have lost all I have and I’m never happy with my life. My wife took my children away because she doesn’t understand me anymore. The worst part is that none of my friends and family knows that I am gambling. I have successfully hid it from even to my closest friends for 5 years now. I have discovered that every gambler is a liar. God hates lies. I don’t understand how these forces push me around. I will pray and pray to avoid it yet, that week will be the worst in my finances and it will force me to think of way out. I lost my job as a hotel Manager because of lack of concentration and mistake I’ve made, so I got fired. The next day, I found myself stealing fish in the market and I was caught and handed over to the police. All these happened in a space of one day. I did not see the fish and I paid through my nose for it and now I have a police record. I don’t even remember how it all happened. I don’t believe I did it but they said I did it and shame and ignorance of what is happening to me, I was cold and shaking.

3. I have lost my confidence in my abilities as a man. I lost my speech and can’t even speak proper English. I think like a 10 year old. I am afraid to walk out of my house because the next minute, I will sneak into gambling machines. There, young people are crying asking how they became gamblers. The addiction is much worse than drug addiction. I am now sick from diabetes because of nervousness. I shake a lot and fear will take all my motions and senses out of my life. I can’t sleep well. I am not eating well and I never have money in my account. My mortgage is under threat. My car is about to be taken because I had it on higher purchase. I don’t have good job anymore to meet up with my expenses. I don’t know how to rescue myself from this addiction. Pastors have prayed for me. Some exposed me when I made confession which I did not like. I am in real trouble and need any assistance from anywhere. I was just checking for the spirit of gambling and yours popped up so, I started reading it and it got me moved.

4. I decree that I am free from the spirit of gambling for the Word became flesh and dwelt among men to be their light which shines in darkness and the darkness comprehends it not. After reading this little but powerful blog, the word entered me like it entered Ezekiel when he began to prophesy. Silvia, I cannot thank you enough for this page for my life has taken a new path from now on. I was (am) a very good Christian until I came to Europe and the spirit of haste and gambling took over me, blown all my life savings from home and from work. An insatiable desire to make quick money suddenly possessed me.

I declare that I am an over comer and I can all things thru Christ who strengthen me. .

My desire today is that I will return to encourage as many who are fighting bad habits in their lives. May      God grant us speedy recovery from the days the canker worm has eaten away. Peace in Jesus name to your soul.

5. Dear Silvia, My name is D… I’m in the same situation; Gambling has destroyed me, my wife, my business, my family and children. Please pray for me so I could be delivered from the spirit of gambling.

Six months later…

PRAISE REPORT

Dear Silvia, Thanks for your prayer. Indeed the Lord is good. Not only I have stopped gambling, now I am attending a Christian gambling re- habilitation program in a church I started attending. I gave my life to Christ.  I love to serve Him. Praise God I am healed in Jesus Name. I also get encouragement from your posting and your program on you tube. Overflow. Sermon…..Amen

Let’s pray:

“Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you on behalf of Your children. I ask for mercy and forgiveness on their behalf. I ask that You come down and intervene in their lives. They need You! They need Your deliverance! They need a new beginning with You!

You devil, you worldly evil spirit of gambling, you spirit of fear, suicide and witchcraft… I come against you and command you to leave God’s children now! I destroy your spell upon their lives! I destroy any occult covenant made against their souls!

I plead the Blood of Jesus over their body, soul, spirit, marriage, family, business and ministry!

Holy Spirit please come!

We vow to give God alone all the glory for the miracles of deliverance!

I declare that the power of sin is broken! Let God’s name be glorified!

In Jesus name

Amen!”

DREAMS COME TRUE – BUT SOME DO NOT (3)

In the Bible there are good and bad examples of people who had dreams and who made vows.

WISE FAITHFUL DREAMERS

*God gave Jacob a dream. Jacob made a vow to pay his tithe. His dream came true and he kept his vow.

*Hannah desired children. She made a vow to the God who ‘shut her womb’ that if she has a son, he will be given to God for His service. God answered her prayer and Samuel was born. As soon as it was possible, she kept her vow and gave the little boy to the temple. In response to that, God blessed her with more children.

* Prophet Jonah vowed to give glory to God for his salvation

FOOLISH DREAMERS

*Jepthah was a man of war and a judge of Israel. He made a foolish vow to God, that if he wins the war, he shall offer the first ‘thing’ that will come out of the gate of his house (Jdg 11:30, 31). Possibly he thought it will be an animal. He won the victory. Coming home happily, he was met by his daughter, who was his only child. Wise beyond her years, the girl understood and cooperated with his vow. She never married and lived her life as a living sacrifice, a reminder that God takes vows seriously.

*Absalom wanted to be king. His father David was on the throne and if he was patient he could have been the next king. But he was rebellious and wanted to fulfill his own dream thru evil means. He sounded so religious…he told his father that he vowed to offer a sacrifice to God. He deceived his father and manipulated the people of Israel. He finally succeeded… Absalom is now the new king… But he sat on the throne just few days before he died a shameful death. God can never bless rebellious dreams!

WISDOM ABOUT VOWS

Think long and pray before making vows to God. Do not make vows that you know you cannot keep. Do not involve others in making vows (remember Jepthah!). As a pastor, father or husband, over-rule foolish vows made by your family or congregation (Nu 30). That is the duty and authority of spiritual covering. If you have any doubts, it is better not to make vows to God. The only exception will be the marriage vow.

The holy divine protocol for angels and men is to come to the presence of God with a heart of worship. Fear God who is in heaven for you are like dust on earth! Come to His presence with a desire to listen to the Word of God. Be careful with your words. Do not talk too much, especially when in church! Do not over commit yourself. “Be quick to hear and slow to speak… Serve God with trembling…Work out your salvation with fear and trembling…”

GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS VOWS

Be like God who is faithful to all His vows and promises!

*God vowed to David that his son shall be King forever. The promise came thru in Christ, who is the Son of David!

*God vowed that every knee shall bow before Christ, the Son of the Living God:

“I have sworn by Myself;

The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,

And shall not return,

That to Me every knee shall bow…” (Is 45:23)

In Christ I declare:

By God’s grace I shall be faithful to my marriage vows!

To the glory of God!

In Jesus name

Amen!

Most vows are made in times of trouble. Even then, be careful with making vows to God for he expects you to fulfill them! A vow is a solemn promise to do something for God. So a vow is a very serious thing for it is a binding thing on you. God will punish any man who takes His name in vain. He will expect the vows to be fulfilled. After a period of ‘grace’ if the vow is still ignored, the punishment shall come. We usually make pledges and vows to God when we are in trouble. For example we say: “God, if you help me get a job I will become an usher…” or “God, if you heal me, I will pay one million naira to the church…” Then God hears and answers you. Now you have your job and you are healthy. And the vow is long forgotten. You excuse yourself, saying that God understands your situation…That is a snare and God will punish the foolish man.

“It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows (counting the cost)” (PV 20:25)

STRANGE POVERTY

A broken vow is one of the main reasons for poverty among the believers. God says that if you ignore your vow, He will not bless the works of the hands. In a way, God will extract the penalty of broken vows and pledges done in His name. For example, you hastily and foolishly pledged to give one million naira to the church. Even if you ignore the vow you made, God will take that amount from your salary. For the next ten years you shall suffer lack. This is something to think about when you see men very active in church activities and still unbalanced financially. This judgment is a proof that God will punish any man who takes His name in vain (Ex 20:7). Be careful not to manipulate God when you are in trouble! For God can never lose!

THE FEAR OF GOD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM

What to do then? The first thing is to fear God! When coming to church talk less! If you are in any doubt, better do not make vows or pledges to God or to men!

This is what king David said;

“I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;

I will pay You my vows,

Which my lips have uttered

And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble” (Ps 66:13, 14)

MY TESTIMONY

In 1986 I became saved. The conviction of the Holy Spirit was so strong upon me that I thought I will die. For the first time in my life I saw myself as a sinner. I did not know God before then. But seeing no other way to survive God’s confrontation, I prayed for the first time in my life. I also made my first vow. I told God that if He comes down from heaven and saves my soul, that I will be His friend and servant all the days of my life! He did save my soul. My life was never the same again. By the grace of God I also kept my vow! I testify that God has blessed the work of my hands and the words of my mouth. The spirit of poverty does not have a foot hold in my life! Selah!

In Christ I declare:

I paid (and I’ll continue to pay) the vow which my mouth spoke when I was in trouble!

To God be all the glory!

In Jesus name

Amen!

The prayer meeting went well. My sermon was a difficult one. I felt like a doctor before doing surgery. The case was not easy and I did not know what to expect.  I needed the wisdom, strength, compassion, patience and love of   the Holy Spirit. The congregation was ‘flowing’ with the Spirit. There was a desire to worship God, a longing to thank Him for all things he has done for us. It is possible to pretend thanksgiving. But tonight it was real and deep. The hearts became tender in the hands of the Potter. Then the message followed…

“Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

Do not be rash with your mouth,

And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.

For God is in heaven, and you on earth;

Therefore let your words be few.

For a dream comes through much activity,

And a fool’s voice is known by his many words” (Ecc 5:1-3)

This is a true saying: God gives visions and dreams to men on earth. All these shall come to pass. But a word of caution is needed here. The church attracts men who manufacture dreams for themselves expecting God to fulfill them. Their dreams seem good and they claim God is their source. But then something is wrong. After years of waiting for any manifestation, with many prayers and prophetic utterances following, their dreams become a barren land, just a pet fantasy. These dreamers love to make vows to God promising great things. Later they ignore all those great promises. These vows and the emptiness of their lives hunt them later. These men become disappointed, angry and bitter with God who refuses to be manipulated and fulfill their secret ambitions for fame and wealth, all wrapped in lofty man-made dreams. The church environment in particular attracts this type of religious spirits. That is why we need to be sure that the dreams planted in our hearts are truly of God!

We generally take it for granted that it is a good thing to invite men to church. We reason that if they hear the Word of God they shall change and become spiritual. Indeed, it is a good thing to invite men to the presence of God who alone can change hearts. But in the passage above we see that there is a warning in coming to God with a wrong attitude.  The danger is to practice a superficial religion, having no desire to repent of it, lacking the fear of God and still insisting to come into His presence. God knows the hearts of all men. Not all prayers are acceptable to Him. Not all worship is pleasing to Him.

What then are the signs of trouble, warning that God may be ‘angry’ with you in the church?

*A rash mouth

This is a religious man who talks too much. He does not worship God while he is praying or making requests from Him. This man does not think before he talks, prophesies or makes vows to God. His mouth leads his body. He is loud, proud and foolish. He wants others to hear his prayers and vows, to gain their admiration. He has no interest in fulfilling his vows for he does not fear God. He will be greatly surprised that God expects that vows done in His name should be paid without delay.

*A hasty heart

This man is too impatient and easily moved. The ‘anointing’ in a service will make him say things that he will regret later. He is not prepared to meet with God. He is too emotional and his flesh rules his decisions. He makes vows and later regrets them. He does not fear God.

*Foolishness

It is a strange sight to see a religious fool. The presence of God should make men wiser and better. But some never change. Their worship and ministry is called ‘the sacrifice of fools’. God does not accept their labor and prayers. They come to church for many years but still, they do not even know that they do ‘evil’. Their ignorance of God is a shame and a rebuke!

I Christ I declare:

I am a child of God!

I repent for talking too much, when addressing God or men!

I repent of impatience and foolishness!

I separate from the evil spirit of religion!

I give all the glory to God!

In Jesus name,

Amen!

 
The wife of a man of God asked me for prayer. They are family friends from the US. They were missionaries in Nigeria. Now they have a ministry in Mexico. The pastor has kidney stones and is in serious pain right now. They trust God for a healing miracle and they do not want surgery. Please pray for them! Thank you for your prayers! God bless you all!
“Many followed Him (Jesus), and He healed them all” (Mt 12:15)

“But I have this against you: that you tolerate that woman Jezebel…” (Rev 2:20)

Our women’s fellowship this evening was very good but not the way I planned it to be. I prepared my message and was very excited to share with them. Five sisters shared their testimonies. Two of them recently had been delivered from spiritual attacks cause by the evil spirit of Jezebel. By the mouth of two witnesses, every truth is established. I knew that I have to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. I decided ‘on the spot’ to expose the religious spirit of Jezebel and that we should do warfare against it. This was ‘an old’ topic we have studied long ago. But the Holy Spirit made it to sound new and gave me the utterance to preach God’s Word. We combined prayer with praise, worship with intercession. We made prophetic declarations: “I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord!”  The Holy Spirit was totally in charge and the service was flowing ‘like the oil’. I am so blessed even as I write this letter to you all! May you feel and tap from the ‘hot anointing’ released this evening in Father’s House!

Below are some points from the (unprepared) exhortation:

*Stop tolerating Jezebel! To tolerate it means to stay passive, to permit misbehavior without confrontation. Do not allow your children to misbehave! Pray for wisdom, love, patience and strength to be a godly mother to them!

*Submit to God and resist the devil! We did both!

*The effects of Jezebel are seen in the attack on Elijah (1Kg 19). This man of God was bold yesterday and had a great victory. He killed 850 false prophets. Now a woman (Jezebel) threatens him with death and he runs away from his place of ministry. These are some of the effects: Fear, intimidation, loneliness, tiredness, confusion, lack of sleep, depression, suicide thoughts, a desire to resign from his office (job, ministry) and self-pity.

*Other effects of Jezebel spirit are sexual immorality, homosexuality and lust

*Chronic sicknesses that defy ‘regular’ prayers or medical treatment, bareness,

*Imbalanced marriages (one partner is too strong and the other too weak), divorce,

*Financial Imbalance: For example, you want to buy a car. It costs 200, 000 naira. You easily gather 180,000 but the last 20,000 will be impossible for you ‘to rise’. The money will be stuck at that level and you shall not be able to buy the car. After that, you start losing even the money you have gathered. With all your efforts and prayers, you are not able to finish family projects. It makes you feel like a failure, tired, frustrated and angry.

We then prayed as a congregation. We also prayed two by two. We proclaimed the power of the name of Jesus! We proclaimed the power of the Blood of Jesus! We praised God until He ‘came down’. We invited the Presence of the Person of God the Holy Spirit! Some of the women manifested the spirit. Some got delivered. Some got healed. All were blessed. We ended with a call to be filled with the Holy Spirit and with thanksgiving to God.

In Christ I declare:

I am a child of God!

I am a woman of God!

I refuse to tolerate the evil spirit of Jezebel! She is a liar and I refuse to listen to lies!

I love the truth that sets me free!

I resist the Jezebel spirit and it must flee from me!

I destroy every spell of Jezebel over my body, soul, spirit, marriage, family, ministry and all that belongs to me!

I destroy every evil covenant done against my life and destiny!

I declare that I am healed, delivered and free!

Jesus my Lord has opened a door of peace, joy, prosperity, happy marriage, fruitfulness and ministry! No man or demon can shut it!

Jesus is Lord!

All glory to God!

In Jesus name

Amen!

 
A man of God, a friend of the family, asked me to pray for him. He has been sick for about two years. Because of the pains, he has difficulty doing his ministry. The doctors say that he has stomach ulcer. He took all the prescribed medication but there is no much improvement. He is born again, Spirit filled and he believes in miracles. Thank you faithful humble powerful intercessors for all your labor of love! God bless you all!
“Many followed Him (Jesus), and He healed them all” (Mt 12:15)