HOW BISHOP OYEDEPO’S “FAR ABOVE” MENTALITY WAS IGNITED FROM THE TESTIMONY OF SMITH WIGGLESWORTH IN THE BOOK ‘THE APOSTLE OF FAITH’
MANY PEOPLE RECEIVE TESTIMONIES AS GOOD STORIES AND THEY ARE ENTERTAINED.
TESTIMONIES ARE NOT STORIES, THEY ARE PROPHECIES. IF YOU RECEIVE AND BELIEVE THEM YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THEM.
THE ACTS OF GOD ARE NOT ACCIDENTAL, THEY CAN BE REPLICATED ANYWHERE AND FOR ANYONE. SO ANY TESTIMONY YOU HEAR CAN BE REPLICATED IN YOUR LIFE.
GOD IS ULTIMATE IN OUR SEARCH CONCERNING OUR HEALTH AND WHOLENESS
TESTIMONIES ARE DECLARATIONS OF THE ACTS OF GOD.
WHEN YOUR FAITH IS LACKING, SEEK TESTIMONIES. THEY ARE ONE OF THE AVENUES GOD UTILISES TO INFUSE FAITH INTO A WEAKENED HEART
- Pastor David Oyedepo Jnr at Mid-Week Communion Service || Canaanland.
Our Father tonight we have come before you to give you all of the praise and all of the glory. Your faithfulness is evident in every area of our lives. In our midst as a congregation, your mighty hand has been at work and we have come today to say we are grateful, accept our Thanksgiving tonight in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, it is your pattern to give the best last, therefore tonight let each one of us take hold of the best of the month in the name of Jesus. Whatever is yet to have been delivered in any life, let tonight be the night of delivery. We give you all the glory because we know it is done in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
Our line of teaching in our Midweek services all through this month has been COVENANT PATHWAYS TO RECEIVING YOUR HEALING MIRACLES. It is important that we begin tonight by reminding ourselves that it is the desire of God to see every child of God in health. 3 John 1:2. Outside of sin, one of the central focuses of the price of redemption was our health. Church Gist. Isaiah 53:1-5. From here we see detailing of some of the central focuses of the price of redemption and one of those focus points is our health. Matthew 8:17. According to scripture, the price of redemption had a central focus on the health of the redeemed. That is why the word of God declares prophetically that I will restore health unto you and heal you of all your wounds (Jeremiah 30:17).
Furthermore, we discover that in the ministry of Jesus on earth, His power was sufficient to tackle every sickness and every disease. Acts 10:38. So no matter their diseases, no matter their challenge, no matter their pain, the power of Jesus was sufficient to heal them. The good news is that power has not decreased. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Church Gist. What he did yesterday, he can still do today and what he can do today he is still doing forever. That is why we must recognize that when it comes to God, He is the ultimate in our search concerning our health and wholeness. He carries the conclusion for every matter concerning our health and wholeness. That is why I know that for someone here, from this season onward sickness shall never be identified with you again.
It is important that we are reminded that when it comes to our access to these healing provisions, there are scripture positions or pathways for us to access the provision of health that God has in store for us. Church Gist. We have been looking at those pathways all through this month and tonight we are going to be looking at the final pathway that we are examining this month and that is HEALING AND DELIVERANCE THROUGH THE POWER OF TESTIMONIES.
Why are testimonies powerful? First of all, let us describe what testimonies are. Testimonies are declarations of the acts of God. When God does a thing in the life of one and it is declared, it is a testimony. The declaration of the acts of God is the thing that we call testimonies. Why are testimonies powerful? We will look at a few things here tonight and I believe that the Spirit of God will grant us light as we do.
- Testimonies are raw interpretations of scriptures.
Isaiah 8:16,20. From this scripture, we see that God places equal weight on the word of the law and testimony. The testimony is the declaration of the acts of God. But then we discover that these testimonies that are declarations of the acts of God are simply interpretations of the word of God. Every time you hear a testimony, it is a practical interpretation of a particular position in scripture. That is why when a man begins to appreciate and embrace the power of testimonies you are taking delivery of the interpretation of a particular position in scripture. Now, look at this very carefully this evening, the word of God makes it clear to us that it is as far as you can see that He gives to us. Genesis 13:14-15. The scripture makes it clear that it is as clear as you can see that determines how quickly He gives to us. Jeremiah 1:11-12. Clarity determines speed and clarity determines scope. The scope of what can be given to you is determined by how well you can see. The speed at which it can be delivered to you by how you can see. The clarity of our sight is facilitated spiritually by testimonies. There are things that you read that your understanding will be limited until you hear a testimony. Church Gist. The testimony then reinforces the clarity of what you have read.
God’s servant our father said he had read from scriptures Ephesians 2:5-6, 1:21-22 but as he was reading the book ‘The Apostle of Faith, he came across a testimony. In that testimony, Smith Wigglesworth heard some noise in his living room and he came out of his bedroom into the living room he saw on his rocking chair a personality sitting on the chair with horns and with a tail rocking back and forth. He said he hissed and went back to sleep “I didn’t know it was you the devil”. He said when he read that testimony it was the interpretation of Ephesians 2:5-6,1:21-22. After that, he said my far above mentality was instantly ignited.
There are things you understand not by explanation but by demonstration. That is why you discover that when at a particular point they are explaining to the child but as the child begins to grow in school they begin to go not only for theory but also for practical. Church Gist. Some things can only be understood by demonstration. 1 Corinthians 2:4. some things must be demonstrated to be understood. Our clarity of understanding in terms of the school of the spirit is facilitated by the demonstration seen in the various testimonies that we heard. Testimonies are raw interpretations of scriptures.
Acts 8:5-6. The Bible says hearing first before seeing. So they were hearing about miracles before they began to see miracles. There was something about what they heard that determined what they saw. According to scripture, it will start with the hearing of testimony before you can receive the manifestation of testimony in your life. Church Gist. That is why you must understand that every time we have an opportunity to hear testimonies it is not just the telling of stories, it is a spiritual interpretation. It is the practical demonstration of a spiritual truth. For somebody here today, I see each one of us by the power of testimonies encountering our total liberty.
- Testimonies are prophetic in nature.
Testimonies are prophecies directed at the hearers. Revelation 19:10. When you hear a testimony by God, it comes as a word from God to you. It is an announcement of what God is set to do in your life. Prophecies are always about telling what God is set to do. It is an announcement of what God is said to do. Testimonies are announcements of what God is set to do in our lives. That is why we must understand the power of testimonies. Psalm 119:111. So we can be possessive of testimonies. When you hear a testimony you can dive into it as a prophecy. You can step into the reality of that testimony because testimonies are the spirit of prophecy being announced in our direction. Church Gist. It is those who receive and believe them that are able to experience those testimonies. John 1:12. Those who receive testimonies and believe them are permitted to experience them. That is why you and I must ensure that we don’t downplay testimonies. Testimonies are potent instruments for delivering our desires. Many people have read the book, RESCUED FROM DESTRUCTION. It is a testimony of our mother and how God rescued her from destruction. I have seen so many testimonies born out of the testimony of the rescue. Because of that rescue, the testimony of it is a prophecy for others that require rescue.
One of us shared a testimony that she was on her way to Church and she had an enlarged heart. She was coming to church and on her way to church that day while on the way listening to the service, she heard a testimony of someone that was healed with an enlarged heart. She told the husband, “did you hear that? This is my own turn”. She got into the church for the second service and heard another testimony of an enlarged heart and then she knew her day had come. By the time she went to check that week, her enlarged heart was healed. Psalm 62:11. She heard the testimony and took it as a prophecy “it is my own turn” and when she heard it again she knew indeed her own day had come. Before you knew it she was also standing sharing the same testimony. Why? She had received it as a prophecy. Many people receive testimonies as good stories. They are entertained by the testimonies. “Ah! See what God did for that person. This God is wonderful oh”. It is just a good story. Church Gist. You know how you read Bible stories to children. You tell them Noah built an ark, rain fell. There was a lot of rain. It covered the whole earth and the ark started floating. Noah sent the bird out, and it went out and came back, Noah sent another bird out, it went out and came back this time with a leaf in its mouth, then he sent the last one and it didn’t come back. Then Noah knew there must be ground somewhere. Then the boat landed, so Noah had an ark. It is a testimony, the children are entertained. They laugh, they clap, and they are excited but it is only a good story. But God said testimonies are not stories, they are prophecies. Those who receive them and believe them naturally experience them.
- Testimonies are replicable
Testimonies can be replicated, they can be repeated. They are not accidental occurrences, they are not the product of luck, every time you see a testimony, they are simply the act of God that God is willing to do again. Acts 10:34-35. God is able to do what he has done before and He is no respecter of persons so what He did for one He is ready to do for another. So it doesn’t matter what it is, when you hear a testimony believe that it can be done again. God’s servant said that years ago when He went to Oral Roberts University, he got to the ground and looked at it and said this can only be God but it can happen anywhere. That is understanding the fact that testimonies can be replicated. So when you hear a testimony, realize that this is God and it can happen to anyone including me. It is available for anyone including me. Every time you hear testimonies, position yourself to have them replicated in your life. Galatians 3:5. Church Gist. That is the difference in each one of us experiencing what we desire. God is saying that there is nothing you are hearing that He is not ready to repeat again. He is no respecter of titles, persons or places. All you need to do is position, as you position and take actions with the demand in line with those testimonies, you see the testimonies delivered again in your life. For someone here that shall become your own experience.
- Testimonies are faith stirrers.
They stir your faith. So where faith seems to be weak and almost unavailable, one of the vital things that are required to stir your faith is testimonies. Something happened in Luke Chapter 8, the Bible tells us that this mad man of Gadarenes was healed by Jesus. Luke 8:38-40. At first, there was no faith in them, the Bible said in verse 37, they begged him to leave. When his testimony went round the Bible says they were waiting for Jesus and they gladly received him. The first person to receive him was somebody who had a sick daughter, the second person was the woman with the issue of blood who came behind and touched the hem of his garment and received her miracle. The one whose daughter died had the daughter raised back to life all from the singular testimony of that mad man. He went around announcing what God had done for him and the testimony began to multiply in the lives of others. Because testimonies are faith stirrers. Those who lacked faith, had faith injected in them by reason of the testimonies that they heard. Church Gist. This is so important that is why we must embrace the reality of the testimonies. You hear testimonies who had a dangerous diagnosis and their faith seemed to be totally down by what they heard, what did they do? They carried testimonies of others and began to drink into them. If God healed HIV He can heal this. As they are hearing the testimonies their faith begins to build up and their faith is subdued. Testimonies are faith stirrers. When faith is lacking, seek testimonies. They are one of the avenues God utilises to infuse faith into a weakened heart. Testimonies are faith stirrers. They stir our faith.
- Testimonies are faith boosters.
To stir faith means to provoke faith but testimonies don’t only provoke faith. They boost or increase our faith. One day the disciples told Jesus to increase their faith, not that they don’t have faith but increase the faith. Let our faith come to another level. A man came to Jesus with his son, first, he met the disciples and they prayed for his son and he was not healed. Jesus looked at this man and said if you can believe this thing can be done and he said Lord I believe but help my unbelief. I have faith but the faith doesn’t seem to be enough to tackle what I am facing. You know there are people who when the case is minimal no problem. When they have a headache, he can command it to go but there are certain diagnoses when the person hears it. The faith he has is there but not for that kind of case. I have shared this testimony before that one day a woman came to meet me after three services, she had heard the word in all the services. Then she came after and said Pastor they gave me this diagnosis and she told me what it was. Church Gist. A heart problem. I said Jesus took your infirmity. She looked at me like I was not serious. She said, “Pastor it is a serious case and they said it is bad”. I quoted the next scripture for her, she said “Pastor they said it is very bad”. Church Gist. So I tried to give her a third scripture just to quicken her faith and she looked at me and said Pastor they said it is very, very bad. She started with bad, very bad, to very, very bad. She said it was very serious. The issue was that she didn’t have sufficient faith to tackle the matter at heart. There are times that people have faith but it is not enough, testimonies help to boost it. You know the scripture, you quote it for other people but now that the case is you. It is a different matter. You now discover that even though the scripture isn’t here, the faith seems to be insufficient. What do you need to shift your faith to the next level? Testimonies. It boosts your faith and when faith is boosted, oppositions are blasted. Many of us need a faith boost. That is why you seek testimonies. As they boost your faith, the thing opposing you is blasted off the way.
Some years ago, someone came to my office and began to explain his problems to me and when he finished explaining he looked at me and smiled and said Pastor have you heard such a thing before? So I told him the day before yesterday someone came and I shared the issue of that one, last week someone came and said this, your case is small. He said, “Okay! pray for me now”. The faith came alive when he discovered that others have had his issue and overcame it. The Bible says no temptation will come to you but such that is common to man. God is faithful, He will not allow you to be tempted more than you are able. Church Gist. In the same temptation, He will create for you a way of escape. Don’t specialize your issue, commonize it. The cheapest way to commonize it is by testimonies. When you look at testimonies, you discover that your case is not special. What the devil is trying to make you feel is that matter is special. That man thought his case was one of a kind. But when he realized it was as common as that, suddenly faith came back. It was boosted up because he recognized that the issue was common. The God that gave others triumph is settling your own case.
The beauty of testimonies is that you can engage the testimonies of others and engage your own personal testimonies also. David said God who gave me the lion and the bear will give me this giant, so even your testimonies are a tool. If you don’t have the kind of testimony that looks like this current case then look at somebody else. Church Gist. Utilize their testimony and it will commonize the issue you are facing and it will be defeated. From today, you are no longer going to be defeated. So anytime any issue is in front of you go back to search for the arsenal of testimonies. In this Church, we hear testimonies of different kinds every day. Go back to those arsenal of testimonies and let God repeat them. For you, your life will be a life of testimonies.
Isaiah 8:16.
Until you are His disciple, you can’t experience the power that testimonies have to offer. God wants to make your life a living wonder but it is only those who are in Christ that are permitted
I declare the renewal of your strength.
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