THE PROPHETIC THEME FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER IS ‘WISDOM FROM ABOVE ENTHRONES’.
AFTER I FOUND THE JACKPOT OF LIFE (MATTHEW 6:33) IN 1976, I SIGNED A PACT WITH GOD ON IT.
I WAS ABOUT GOING INTO COURTSHIP WITH MY WIFE, I HAD TO ASK HER TO CHECK WHETHER SHE WANTS THAT KIND OF LIFE OR NOT AND TO SIGN IF SHE DOES THE SAME NIGHT I GOT IT.
THE PROOF IS HERE THAT I HAVE BEEN SOLD OUT TO GOD AND I AM STILL SOLD OUT TO GOD
YOU CAN’T BE SOLD OUT TO GOD AND NOT KNOW, FORGET RELIGION.
GOD’S WORD STILL WORKS, IT IS VALID FOR ALL TIME BUT APPLICABLE TO ONLY THOSE WHO BELIEVE.
PROMPT RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD IS THE GREATEST CHALLENGE OF BELIEVERS TODAY
- Bishop David Oyedepo at October 2022 Leadership Empowerment Summit / Trumpet Service.
Most people are weary because the word does not seem to be working in their life and I want to show you one covenant requirement that guarantees maximum delivery of the fulfilment of God’s word in our lives. Only those who ask questions are entitled to answers. When the Church was crawling, I took three of our coworkers and then we were on a fast. Why is this church not growing? Only those who ask questions are entitled to answers. If you don’t ask questions you keep doing the wrong things, going off course all of one’s life. What must I do to make the word work? Church Gist. That man said what must I do to inherit eternal life? There is always what to do for God to step in. A man was told that there was a pool at Bethesda that had five pouches and an angel comes at any time to stir the pool and whoever steps in first no matter the level of the disease shall be made whole but He has been there for a long time. Maybe he didn’t arrive there the first year but he came there anyway. He was there for 38 years and could not experience what the stirring of that water offers because he could not comply with the demands. Whosoever steps in first is made whole of whatsoever disease.
Prompt response to God’s word is the greatest challenge of believers today, whether revealed to them in their devotions or personal study. I am coming. It is gone. You can imagine Pharaoh’s army was pressing hard, the Red Sea was in front. The only option is “tell them to go forward”. Church Gist. There was no time or you will be captured by Pharaoh’s army and taken back to continue your servitude. Prompt response at that time is critical. That is where most of us have found ourselves today. God’s word is working for many in this church and many around the world in the body of Christ. When will it start working for you? When you choose to align with the requirement of prompt response.
Hebrews 13:7. The Bible said we should follow those who teach us considering the outcome of what they teach in their lives. We are called to be followers of those who obtain the promise not who explain. I followed the faith of Hagin, that helped to boost my faith. I followed the faith of Copeland that launched me into realms of prosperity. Church Gist. Every word sent through God’s ordained messengers is ordained to lighten their world. Psalm 36:9. Ephesians 4:8-11. Only those who truly crave to receive such word experience the proof. Taste and see that the Lord is good, He never changes His word. Psalm 34:8.
Let’s look at the word in this way; manna comes in but has no power to survive 24 hours. Worms will overrun it. You carry it day by day, you miss it today that’s all. God’s word has hours for you to respond to it before it goes. John 12:35-36. It is a little while before the light goes. If you don’t grab it, it is gone. I grabbed Matthew 6:33 in 1976. I wrote that in July, now we were going into courtship, I had to ask her to check whether she wants that kind of life or not and to sign if she does the same night I got it. Church Gist. I found the jackpot of life. It is still working today. Nothing excites me in my life today like souls being saved. All of the acts of God in the lives of people. He is the one confirming His word into signs and wonders. I can’t confirm anything, I can only declare it. He confirms the word. A little while is the light with you, believe in the light and prove that you do by stepping into it. Your light will not become darkness.
Exodus 16:19-20.
The manna of the word comes and goes. The revelation of the word comes and goes. Therefore hold that fast which thou hast lest another man comes and take your crown. Hebrews 3:8. Psalm 19:2-3. Grab it, if you don’t grab it, it goes. When He showed me Deuteronomy 8:18, I grabbed it and screamed I can never be poor. I have found it. This is His agenda and this is what it takes to enter into it and I signed up. I have never had to beg or borrow. Somebody is somewhere saying giving is not it, don’t stress me, don’t pressurize me. Just violate it and you see how you are pressurizing your life on your own. I caught it before I become a Pastor of a church. Our Fellowship in those days, no offerings. That was when the ministry will need everything we can get. Hello brethren, if you brought anything for the Lord tonight there is a box by the door, drop it there. Simple! Our lack of prompt response is why the devil steals the word. Luke 8:11-12. Your obedience adds nothing to God, your disobedience reduces nothing from God. It is your cup of tea. Deuteronomy 28:1-13,14-66. Calamity upon calamity drawn out of belated obedience. Church Gist. None or belated obedience carry equal curse. By the wayside, they are just having fun with God. They are not serious minded people. When a student blows it in an exam, sit up and get serious otherwise you won’t change class. You will be repeating the class until they are tired of you. You have become the founder of the class, everybody meets you there and leaves you there. That is not life. He has the capacity to do it but he just won’t do it. Sit up, no! He will be going from party to party.
No one keeps knocking on any door forever, you knock for a while and you go back. The word you don’t open to does not add value to you. The word you don’t open to on time never delivers. Now is the accepted time. Our response to the word is a now and today issue. 2 Corinthians 6:2. That is why the word seems ineffectual in the life of many. Poor response, no response and the word goes. No response will make the word of God of no effect. James 1:22-25. We are not blessed for knowing what God says, we are blessed for diving into it. A delayed response is a breeding ground for frustration. Songs of Solomon 5:1-8. The frustration of delayed response. It is not all this writing notes about. There is nothing wrong with writing notes, what are you doing with the note? God’s word works for only doers that respond promptly to what they heard. Why is this church not growing? He showed me four steps that will grow the church. We started the same day planning to hit the town with come and see fliers. In March 1984 our first flyers came out, we went to strategic locations in Kaduna and gave them to everybody. When I came to the world somebody had to tell someone to come and see, go to town and tell people to come and see what Jesus is doing in this church. So we drew the diagram of how to locate our outskirts church. Church Gist. Up till now, we are still printing in bales. Prompt response unleashes unusual grace for continuity. Unusual grace is released for continuity. Keep sowing the seed He told me, and as the grass grows, the sheep will come for it. Keep teaching life applicable truth. March 24th 1984. You can’t come to this church without having what to write no matter how much you have read in your life. The kitchen is active. There is no meeting without a loaded note. Every act of prompt response unleashes unusual grace for continuity. May you receive that today. This is so important.
That is how prompt response engenders maximum delivery of what the word of God says. You are in for the best of time, you never go back into captivity. Your prompt response is critical, engage with it.
All the heroes of faith as enumerated in scripture were men and women of prompt response. We have examples of men like Noah, Moses, Deborah, Gideon, David, Esther, Peter and Paul and many more. He entered into the boat of Peter, launch into the deep, and he obeyed. He didn’t say who are you? Follow me and I will make you fishers of men, they left their father, left everything and followed Jesus. Prompt response. If anything has been given us as grace in this commission, it is prompt response to every heavenly instruction. Church Gist. A poor start in a race has already excluded you from the prize. On your marks, set, go. I am going to the toilet first, okay go. Before you come back they have already hit the tape. If you try to run, they just push you out as a security problem. You have missed it. Poor response makes you a loser, it is prompt response that makes you a potential prize winner.
All kinds of doctrine are flying around because they have not experienced the word. They have only heard, they have only taught it perhaps. Tell me how we are flowing in financial fortune as a church. Prompt response to His instructions on corporate prosperity. September 4th 1987. Your church is building all over the world. No stress, no pressure. Prompt response. He simply told me that the tithe that Abraham paid was not his personal tithe, it was the tithe of the 318 men in his army that went to war and came back with the spoils. So they paid corporate tithe. So it is with every organization, every business, every institution including churches. I heard from Him life. Church Gist. Hebrews 7:1-8. That was it, we just came under an open heaven. This is an everlasting giving church and we don’t have a problem with it. Any word you lay aside, the devil will come and eat it up. That is what that Luke 8:11-12 says. The truth of March 24th 1984 is still growing the church right now. We have had an average of 1000 people who subscribe to be members of this church since we started that. It is on their form and they fill up. By doing what He says to do. Every word you set aside till later you have lost it. It will take grace to recapture it.
One of my very close acquaintances in ministry asked me “Sir , what is the secret of the prosperity of this church?” I said you won’t like it if I tell you. He said am I a child? I won’t ask you a question if I won’t like it. The first answer I gave, he was looking to the skies. You can’t have a sweet soup without money that goes into it. Can you cook water as soup? Obedience may be costly but the end result is priceless. If you check our storyline, you find out that most of the divine instructions, most of the divine visions and directives were promptly responded to even when they were not in view by the time God said so. “it is time to spread out” – April 20th 1987 and our church planting began. We heard it April 20th, the churches started in May. Maiduguri, Mubi, Bauchi, Azare and Biu. Everybody in the office was turned to a missionary to go and take those places. You better wake up, God said something and you said you are coming.
Lagos Invasion Mandate, same day someone was dispersed. “Get down to Lagos and raise me a people”. It was not in view, I had no idea, no premonition. If you don’t respond, it goes. We moved and see what grace has done. “Turn your all-night prayers to breakthrough seminars where the word of faith is taught” – December 30th 1993. That instruction grew the church from 3000+ to 50,000+ in five years. We started immediately no go come. Prompt response. Hebrew 13:7. Ask if there is any businessman who wants to be under stress. Church Gist. Ask if there is any individual career man who wants to be caged. What must I do? They told that young man what to do and he went away sorrowful. I can’t do that one. Some ask insincere questions, they don’t want an answer. Mission to Africa delivered 4th of May 1994, the mission opened up. We set up an office by June 14th and then missionaries went out in January. There is no magic about these things, just walking in the light of God’s word. You are going places.
Pull down those bungalow structures and build an L-shaped structure in the old church and terminate with an office tower – February 1995. That came in February, March we began. By July children moved to the L-shaped structure, we used that as overflow for midweek services and it was dedicated in December. The tower was built within that period. Every time we respond promptly God’s grace just flows. He proves that He said so and He backs it up. You will not labour in vain anymore. God is up to anything He says. God has no problem with bringing His word to pass, He only has a problem with our unbelief and our slow or no respect for our part. September 17th 1998 – this Tabernacle shall be dedicated on September 18th 1999. The following day we were here. Church Gist. The Monday that followed, we were here. He did it. He backed it up because He said it. Every statement of Scripture is as spoken by the mouth of God. Our response commits his integrity to back it up. Isaiah 34:16. Whatever that book contains, God said so. When you engage the weapon of obedience of faith, you have committed God to confirm it. You are going to see wonders. Then, “I the God of wonder double is visiting you, that came May 4th 2015, the same night it was shared with the pastors at our evening preparation for Sunday Service. God spoke to me. On June 1 we launched a seven-day prayer and fasting. By July 26, the Church doubled. Prompt response with the obedience of faith commits God to perform His word. God’s word still works and will keep working for life. God’s word still works, it is valid for all time but applicable to only those who believe.
I like you to go with this understanding. Thank God for visionary encounters. Thank God for prophetic encounters but none of them will compare with the more sure word of prophecy of scriptures. You don’t need one big man to come and prophesy to you that your future is great, it is in the book. We have an enviable destiny after the order of Isaac. Isaac went forward and became great and the world powers envied him. Church Gist. You have that destiny. You shall no longer labour in vain. The good news is God’s word still works, it is valid for all time but applicable to only those who believe. Luke 1:47. James 2:18. You don’t wait hanging on God, you take your part and let God prove His part as He has always done.
Now as we close on this Empowerment Summit, I like to turn to us as individuals. We must be personal in our walk with God, on the day of temptation, it is you and the tempter. Nobody was around when Peter was challenged by those three individuals including a young girl. You must be personal in your walk with God, refuse to be lost in the crowd. The battles of your life are personal battles, you need to take a strong personal position to remain ever triumphant. You must endeavour to be very personal in our walk with God to make the most of our journey on earth. Galatians 1:16. Philippians 1:21. 1 Corinthians 9:24-26. Act 26:22. Romans 1:1, Titus 1:1. Endeavour to be personal. Philippians 3:13-14. One of the greatest things that occurred to me in my life was my time out with Jesus, October 1-4 1981. Unusual encounters, among them, is that you are absolutely responsible for the outcome of your life. Church Gist. From Isaiah 51:1-3. Everybody is absolutely responsible for the outcome of His life. Be personal. I don’t feel like going to church today, why don’t we just sit together? How? I know where I am going, I know who I am going to meet. Jesus has invited me to a feast. What am I to do with you? Jesus does not reward groups, He rewards individuals. 1 Corinthians 3:8. Everything that keeps you going today is by your personal engagement. Can anybody breathe for you? Can anybody eat for you? Can anybody go to the toilet for you? Everything that keeps you strong, healthy and going is by your personal engagement. Life is a personal adventure. When you are tired or engaging personally you have lost it. Therefore awake thou that sleep. It is your turn. A state of spiritual slumber is a state of defeat. You are always defenceless in your sleep. No matter how much of an expert of a driver you are, if you go sleeping on the steering you are heading for a calamity. Most of the accidents in December, it is not any devil, it is not ember months, it is sleep. You carry passengers to a place for 16 hours and you get there and carry another one on the same day. You doze off and say it is ember month. No! It is sleeper month. Spiritual slumber is a deadly risk. It is a risk of the highest order, don’t try it. Samson slept on the laps of Delilah, He was reduced to a toy, from a one-man army to a toy. Church Gist. He was asleep. Solomon went into a deep spiritual slumber and lost his mind, reduced to a piece of bread. How can a man in his right mind marry 300 wives and 700 concubines on top, just one man. That was a state of deep slumber. Come awake, your destiny is in your hand. Every time you point a finger at someone as your problem, you are pointing three to yourself. You are three-quarters responsible for the outcome of your life. All your teachers, all your Papas, the maximum they can contribute is 25. The remaining is yours. Therefore come awake. 1 Samuel 2:30. You want honour? Go ahead, serve Him consistently, serve Him excitedly. I have never met a man in my life since I started following Jesus who will look me in the face and say you are a fool, you think they are abusing me when they see me? No! Thank you Sir, you are just a blessing for all of us in Nigeria. When the Father honours you, no devil can dishonour you. Your time and that of your family to be honoured by the Father is finally here
God does not promote groups, He promotes individuals. He sets up one and brings down another Psalm 75:6. I didn’t know what it was but I made this statement in 1979. The time of brethren let us go is over. I am gone, if you are coming you can follow. I began to take personal responsibility in my walk with God, it became so fascinating, so fulfilling, it is your turn. Whether it works or not? See grace in this church. See grace in this short man. Whether these things are make-believe stuff, see what is happening on the ground. God will decorate your life. Your mockers will hide their faces. They will follow you to serve God.
In 1984 we needed three thousand naira to pay off our rental for the church facility. October 3rd 1984. We gathered a few of us, about seven and I said “Hey folks understand what I am saying now that we are still on the same level. If I had this money, God will appeal to me to give it. A time is coming when some of us will take off in the air and you will say you don’t know what they are using, this is what we are using we are sold out to God. You can’t be sold out to God and not know, forget religion. You can’t be dedicated to God and not know. Church Gist. October 4th 1984 those words came out of my mouth. The proof is here that I have been sold out to God and I am still sold out to God. It is working. What am I saying here? Make your stewardship a personal issue. Don’t open your destiny to destiny destroyers. Until you settle with God he can’t settle you. Engage with the settled word and He will settle all areas of your life.
Matthew 6:33
It will bring into favour with me. Since you are seeking the interest of my kingdom, I will continue to shower you with favour of all other things that you could be seeking. As a boy He gave me the privilege to recognize that, I signed up for it and it has been working. Many people in this Church are operating in that realm today. Until your stewardship becomes personally personal, you can’t go far. Deceivers are all around, and sweet talkers are all around. Church Gist. My prayer is that every grace I have contacted through diverse sources to date shall find expression in your life. I saw the authority of faith in Hagin and I went after it. I saw the grace of abundance on Copeland I went after it. I saw the passion of souls in T.L. Osborn and I went after it. I have never had one regret by tapping into those graces. Stop chasing after the shadows, nobody ever catches it. Chase after the God of reality and watch how He will keep decorating you. Many global giants will rise in this place. They are rising, the number will keep multiplying. A time is coming on this earth when it will be said that it has become the Winners’ world. The greatest employers of labours will rise from here. Great researchers inventors will rise from here and you are ordained to be one of them.
Is there any among my friends I would have confided that God said we should go to Lagos. He would have said No! Send someone there, you are the Oga. Who among my friends would have consented to our leaving Ipaja to come to this forest and say there will be no church there anymore. This is madness, this can’t be God. I have been having a personal walk with God. I have been hearing Him for long. I am not guessing. If you share the tithe you pay with someone, they will say you should start a school in your village. Matthew 7:6. Church Gist. Give not that which is holy unto dogs. You think they are in church but no, they are outside. They come inside but they are outside. Don’t discuss your personal discoveries if it is from the word. There were 200 folks following after Absalom in their simplicity. None of them returned. They were lost in battle, none of them has any record that they returned. Please make your walk with God a personal issue. If consistently personal and you find yourself going to where God has ordained for you.
Somebody was giving for transportation of people from their Zonal Fellowship and her friend said that is too much. Some folks bought buses, others are still buying, you say that is too much. They got a miracle baby from it. You better don’t sell off. He is looking for who to derail, He won’t find you.
Somebody was looking for a native doctor in Ijebu Ibo here, but by divine design, he found his way down to Canaanland. He said he has been hearing about this place so he entered. His telephone that was fully charged stopped. So he couldn’t reach the native doctor, the native doctor couldn’t reach him. Church Gist. There was service that day, he gave his life to Christ. By Saturday, the job he was looking for a native doctor for, He later came that He has been given employment. Your God has it why look for someone else to help you? Your God has it and is willing to give it to you if you will do what He says.
I decree your release into a world of unlimited space.
This day will mark a turning point in everyone’s life. May every work put in your hand continue to blossom.
May the God of this commission continue to manifest to you through your obedience.
May each one of us enjoy God’s commendation this year. Grace to receive God’s commendation receive it now. Grace to remain an excited labourer in the House of God, receive it right now. Church Gist. God does not pay leaders, He pays labourers.
You can’t be serving God and serving sickness therefore I curse every attack is sickness and disease against anyone or his family.
You can’t be serving God and be oppressed of the devil, may every oppression be broken over everyone’s lives.
May the praise life we encountered in September remain the lifestyle of every one of us for life.
If we need His voice, then we must give Him His praise. Grace to remain an ever-praising steward at all times, receive it now.
Depression is cursed, you never know it anymore.
Grace to make it to the streets of gold of heaven in grand style receive it now. Let this grace come upon every one of us. No one shall miss his steps to the street of glory.
The prophetic theme for the month of October is WISDOM FROM ABOVE ENTHRONES. It is your turn to be enthroned. Every form of slavery is over. Genesis 41:38-44.
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