OUR JOURNEY FROM 5 CHURCHES TO 22,000 CHURCHES IN 33 YEARS
HOW GOD OPENED DOORS INTO 83 NEW NATIONS THIS YEAR
MY DESTINY ENTERED INTO REST IN 1976 WHEN GOD TOLD ME TO SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM
THIS IS YOUR YEAR OF CRUISING ON THE COVENANT HIGHWAY!
YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF GOD’S KINGDOM IS GOD’S COMMITMENT TO ADVANCE YOUR LIFE!
THE WAYS OF GOD ARE THE HIGHWAYS OF LIFE! DON’T GO YOUR WAY, IT CAN BE COSTLY!
NEVER DESPISE THE WAYS OF GOD THEY ARE THE HIGHWAYS OF LIFE!
IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO SEE SOULS SAVED, WE MUST GO FORWARD TO ENSURE THEY ARE ESTABLISHED IN THE FAITH
EVEN AS AN OLD CONVERT, MY MOTHER IN THE LORD (MS BETTY LASHER) KEPT PRAYING FOR ME TILL SHE WENT TO HEAVEN.
MY PASSION FOR THE WORD AND FOR FELLOWSHIP IS NOT BY CHANCE, IT IS A RESULT OF HER PRAYERS.
DON’T BE A LAY-BY CHRISTIAN. LUKEWARMNESS DOES NOT PAY, IT DOES GRANT ACCESS TO THE WAY FORWARD.
WAKE UP. BE FERVENT IN SPIRIT SERVING THE LORD
THE ECONOMY HAS NOT ONCE AFFECTED ME IN MY LIFE, IT HAS NEVER AFFECTED THIS CHURCH ONCE. IT IS YOUR STAND.
LET THE YOUTHS WAKE UP! THE DAYS OF REVIVAL ARE BACK HERE WHERE TEENAGERS WILL BE REIGNING.
WAKE UP AND TAKE YOUR PLACE IN IT.
WHEN GOD ENTHRONES YOU, NO DEVIL CAN DETHRONE YOU.
Bishop David Oyedepo || 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting Day 3 || Faith Tabernacle Canaanland || 11th January, 2023
The ways of God are the Highways of life! Isaiah 55:9. We already gathered people for training for our programme, ‘Entering into seventy five nations according to the Prophetic Word’. We were in that meeting when I said, ‘Stop it! That’s not the way to go’! They have already arrived from various places. Church Gist. I said, ‘Stop it, we are leaving tomorrow morning, now everybody go back to your various places’! We went His way without any drop of sweat, He gave us entry into eighty three nations.
The ways of God are the Highways of life! Don’t go your way, it can be costly! Full of hassles! Go His way! Church Gist. In case you want to know, when He gave us five thousand Churches to plant, it is contained in the Prophetic book because I have all of those things there and you have your copies! That was more than the running number of Churches as at the time that He said it!
Now, we started Church planting in 1987. Then fast forward 1987 to 2001 and by showing the way to go, He did it! Please don’t despise the ways of God, they are the Highways of life! Never despise the ways of God they are the Highways of life! To show that He showed the way, He redoubled it the following year by planting for Himself ten thousand four hundred Churches in Nigeria, one thousand three hundred across thirty five other nations of the world. Church Gist. He did by discovering His way and going there! Every teaching of the Word shows the way God wants our lives to operate on the Highways of life!
I know we started Cell Ministry here in 1992 or thereabouts, but what we saw in 2022, thirty years after! One year was more than what we had before! God has a way of fast forwarding His agenda when you discover His way! All these ones that we are talking and saying, ‘Let’s build a great Church’! It’s about ‘let’s build a great life-You’! Church Gist. God is showing you the way to the greatness that He has for you! Please mind it! It’s not enough to secure a vision but to know the way to go about it! My way is higher than your ways and my thought than your thoughts Isaiah 55:9. It works! His ways are the Highways of life!
And these two shall become one flesh! Whatever name that you call your partner in marriage is your name! ‘Big fool’! That’s Mr Big fool calling Mrs Big fool! Nobody called you, you are the one calling yourself, the two of you are one! And you gave him or her a slap, that’s you slapping yourself! Church Gist. A sure madness! God showed me! He showed me! No, I hate to be called a fool! No! I hate to be called mad! His ways are the Highways of life!
In the Precious Name of Jesus, may the things God is showing you in the cause of this month hold real life value to you! And may you go full blast into it! And you will be glad that you did! My destiny entered into rest in 1976! Complete rest! Unperturbed rest! Church Gist. Zero distractions! Seek ye first the advancement of My Kingdom, and all these things that people are dying to get… Matthew 6:33. I heard it from His mouth! I heard from His mouth, if you heard it anywhere they are quoting me without saying so! I didn’t read it from any book in my life! What else do I need? To seek one thing and have all things added to me? Thank you Jesus! I was on top of the moon!
-May you value His ways! May you be tireless in walking in His ways!
There is nothing in that Book to God’s advantage! It’s all to your advantage and my advantage if you will harken to My voice, observe to do all that I commanded you to do! I will in return set you above all the nations of the Earth, you won’t be lobbying for it! Church Gist. Deuteronomy 28:1-2. It’s your turn! This is your year of cruising on the Covenant Highway! The traffic rules are here (The Bible). No stopping! No parking! The rules are here! Don’t get in the slow lane on the highway!
Open up! We have been on the street corners riding on the byways and it’s enough! Get up! Come on here on the Highways of life! And you are the one that He is talking to! I’m the one that He is talking to! You are about to gain the greatest speed of your life in experiencing God’s favour, God’s grace and God’s glory in all areas of your life!
There are things that He is telling me, I can’t say them now! Lest I be stoned! But interesting! One day He walked up to me in 1987 and said, ‘My son, there is a place for you at the top if you are interested’! Friends,how many are interested in being on top tonight? Is anybody interested in being in the valley? Church Gist. At the bottom? Is anybody willing and praying to be the tail? So for all of us who are saved, there is a place for us on top if we are interested, ‘Oh yes Lord, I’m interested, okay’! The question is what do I do? He said ‘Then, whatever I tell you to do, do it! John 2:5.
It is your open, unrestricted access to the topmost top! I will set you on high above all nations of the Earth! Deuteronomy 28:1. My friend that was the day being the President of Nigeria holds no value to me! Sir, I was thirty years old when I saw it! I saw it and I screamed! Yeah! I got it! To be asked to be the President of this great nation, I’ll consider it a demotion! This is one key to be above all nations of the world!
Amen! Childlike Faith! Fool’s Faith! You catch the Word, you receive it and believe it! You are empowered to become it! It’s your turn! Everyone committed to advancing the Kingdom has committed God to advance his destiny! Your commitment to the advancement of God’s Kingdom is God’s commitment to advance your life! It was the Lord that advanced Moses! Church Gist. He is the advancer of men! Promotion cometh from God, so if you are committed to advancing His Kingdom, you have committed Him to the advancement of your destiny!
-May your commitment be unwavering, consistent and righteous! May your commitment be without murmuring and complaining! Isaiah 55:9.
-Lord, show me the way to go in every area of my life before this fasting is over! Show me! It is the Lord who has shown us Light! Show me Light on the way to go!
Don’t go your way, it can be costly! There is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the ways there of, are the ways of death! You can’t go His way and not cause waves. No! Jesus said I do the things my Father said I should do, I go where He said I should go and He began to cause waves everywhere and that’s you. Don’t be a lay-by Christian. Lukewarmness does not pay, it does grant access to the way forward. Wake up. Be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.
Kingdom advancement prayer is every believer’s responsibility. Job was the greatest businessman of His time but a man of prayer. How do I know? God told those His mocking friends your case will remain the same unless Job prays for you. It is his prayer that I can accept. Job 42:8-10. That validates the prayer life of Job. He was a man given to prayer so praying for your mockers didn’t make a difference to Him. Job 42:7-9. This is a man who prays by Himself to win the heart of God. Being in big-time business is not an excuse, it is where your heart is that shows what you are doing. You are in big-time business but you are always going around, having lunch, mid-lunch with friends all around. Some people have seen breakthroughs that I guess God is regretting that He gave them breakthroughs. May God not regret over you. They always have a story of reversal, “I know when it used to work well for me but things right now because of the economy” No! It is because of your stand. Church Gist. The economy has not once affected me in my life, it has never affected this church once. It is your stand. When you shift your ground, things start shattering. Job 13:15. Job stood his ground. His wife said, curse God and die. He said why are you speaking like one of those foolish women. You saw how God decorated the life of Job. Effectual fervent prayer endears us to God. Commitment to praying for others endears us to God. Ephesians 6:8. We enter into favour when we commit ourselves to pray for someone’s release, someone else’s breakthrough.
Now we are looking at an aspect of our kingdom advancement prayer life tonight.
What are we to pray for?
Tonight we are looking at: we must continue to pray for all our new converts to be established in this Church for life. Every abandoned new baby, if not picked up on time, has no chance to live. If a baby is born and left by the dustbin and nobody comes with compassion to pick that baby up, in no time the baby will be dead. The dogs will eat up the flesh. If there are pigs in the area, they will feast on it. Colossians 4:12. So one of the ways we care for newborn babies is fervently praying for them. If nobody picked up Moses, crocodiles will feast on him and there will be no one called Moses today. Church Gist. Somebody was there and you are the somebody, pick up that new convert and begin to clear every assault of the wicked from off him. We are not only called to bear fruits, we are to ensure that our fruits abide. You don’t witness to someone, he gets saved and you live him there. Satan will start laughing. This one doesn’t know what it takes. He eats him up. You go after him in prayers.
Galatians 4:19. I am travailing to birth you, I am travailing until Christ be formed in you. The labour room of prayer is the birthplace of souls into the kingdom. But it doesn’t stop there. The labour continues until they are secured in Christ. Church Gist. John 15:16. It is not enough to see souls saved, we must go forward to ensure they are established in the faith and that brings us to supernatural favour with God. Things you don’t know you need are added unto you.
What are we praying for them for? For their eyes of understanding to be opened to the wonders of the Word. Ephesians 1:17-18. Psalm 119:4. Lord open their eyes to behold wondrous things out of your law so they can be established in the faith. I am supposed to be an old convert but before my mother in the Lord went to heaven, she said David just to let you know, I am praying for you. Church Gist. My system just came awake. I can’t tell what her prayers did for us because the passion for the Word was uncheckered. The passion for fellowship, you can’t beat it. It doesn’t happen by chance. Somebody must be praying somewhere.
What else are we praying for? For the light from the word to shatter the powers of darkness around their life. Church Gist. John 1:5. I grew to know myself with tuberculosis but upon feeding on Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I could see clearly that Jesus is still alive and I ministered to myself based on the light I got and tuberculosis left forever! Forever! It wasn’t going gradually, it left!
We pray for Access to Light! Thy Word is a light unto my path! It’s a lamp unto my feet! Psalms 119:105. Lord grant these new converts access to the Word that will shatter the power of darkness arranged against them! In the beginning was the Word… John 1:1 and 5. Wherever Light comes in, darkness packs out! No one will suffer the assaults of the powers of darkness here! When you are praying that for others, God is multiplying the effect back to you! Church Gist. You are praying for others, it’s also responding to you in that area! Whatever good thing any man does, the same he shall receive from the Lord!
What are we praying for them?
For Spiritual understanding of the truth that will grant them access to their inheritance! Colossians 1:9. And that’s the gateway to our inheritance. He’s given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us unto glory and virtue. Church Gist. We are praying that God will boost their Spiritual understanding in the knowledge of His will.
What else are we praying for? We are praying for passion for God and for souls. You don’t need to be an old Christian to have passion for God. No! The Samaritan woman just met Jesus now and she got fire in her tail and went to the town to say, ‘Come and see a man who showed me the way to all things that I did’! Church Gist. John 4:29. Many believed on Him through the Words of the woman and many believed as they heard directly from Him. ‘Come and see a man’! We should pray for them for passion for God and for souls.
I wasn’t baptised in the Holy Ghost when I got to that village when I was 19 years old. I said, ‘Jesus! See that I don’t leave this village the way that I met it’! That’s passion! Passion for souls! I wasn’t baptised in the Holy Ghost then, we haven’t even been taught that the Holy Ghost is relevant but passion! How can I be in this village for seventy two days without a Church! Church Gist. No! And Jesus built Himself a Church! I heard my send-off from that Church, they gave me a lantern! The Light that you brought to our village, let it shine round the world!
We pray for them to be delighted with passion for God and for souls! You say, ‘What were you preaching? I can’t tell! They were listening! Was it recorded? No! No recorder! Where will you get the recorder from? Church Gist. But God honoured my passion and gathered the people! We secured land from the village head! We built the land with palm fronds and other stuff. I had my send off in that place!
That Church building was in place in forty days. Passion! Let’s pray for passion in the lives of these new converts! Passion for God and for souls, it does not require experience! Church Gist. Just passion based on truth and a genuine heart for God! So it’s not just about calling to visit someone but break off the chains around the person, let him break forth into Light!
We also pray for them to have passion for fellowship. They are now members of God’s own household! Passion! Every genuine son returns home after work. Passion for fellowship- For that is the service station for renewal of strength! They go from strength to strength for everyone that appeareth before the Lord! Not, you know? Church Gist. iPad and iNotes! Fellowship! Forsaking not the fellowship of one another not of equipment!
So all these demonic things that people are carrying about, they are supposed to be supplementary, they are not the real thing! Can you shake hands with your iPad? Has it ever asked you, is everything okay? Has it given you covenant exchange before? Church Gist. No! The devil just came in through coro harassment and just shut some people out of the Ministry but he failed woefully here! He is crying now!
🎶Thine the praise, I see the victory, satan is weeping! Thine is the praise🎶
He can’t recover from that weeping forever! Conquered forever! He can’t rise again! Hebrews 10:25… Much more so as you see the day approaching! You need strength because the wickedness of the wicked is multiplying! You need Spiritual strength to deal with them!
Why must you be out there for fellowship?
To keep the wicked out of their territory! That is the city of refuge! That’s God’s New Testament City of Refuge! Haven’t you heard? Upon Mount Zion there shall be deliverance… Obadiah 1:17. It’s in Zion! Where is Zion? The Church! Hebrews 12:22. Fellowship is a ‘no go area’ for the devil! Church Gist. Three times they have attempted to bomb some of our Churches in the Northern part of Nigeria! Never! Dummy devils! You bomb Jesus? How? Where did you get it from? He is seated right there in Church! He falls on you and grinds you to powder!
That’s how your life and family will become a no go are for the devil. Just secure your place in God’s city of refuge! Anybody in the Old Testament that wanders outside the city of refuge, the manslayer will catch him! And say, ‘Good for you, you have been hiding here all along’! No one will be slain by the devil!
What are we praying for them? For their needs to be met! That blind man said, ‘Whether I be a sinner or not, I know not oo. One thing that I know is that once I was blind but now I can see! His need was met and his establishment was secured! We are praying for their needs to be Supernaturally met so they can be established in the Faith! Church Gist. So you must know what to pray and commit to praying it! Thank you Jesus! We are in for the best of time! In the Name of Jesus!
But why must they be established in this Church for life?
We understand the Church as the City of Refuge against all assaults of the wicked! We need to take cover around here! Luke 11:26, so we secure their lives in fellowship for continuous renewal of strength as we mentioned the other time! For access to their inheritance in Christ? Psalms 132:13-16. Church Gist. Zion is God’s inheritance distribution centre! Psalm 65:4 We get them there to carry their lot by the Word of God!
Now finally! What is in Kingdom advancement prayers for me? Please listen to these interesting facts: Nehemiah was turned from a cupbearer to a governor through passionate Kingdom oriented prayer! He just heard the affliction of the people in captivity in Jerusalem and he went into three weeks of fasting! And praying, Lord have mercy! Nehemiah 1:6. He approached the king with his life in his hand! The King said, why are you sad?… Nehemiah 2:3, Church Gist. You don’t answer the king like that in those days, they kill you on the spot! The King said what exactly do you want? And he said, let me pray about it and he made an unbelievable demand that showed rebellion!
The King granted him all that he desired! And in Nehemiah 5:14 he became the governor! He never looked for the government, he never looked for anything! Even though he was not the governor! No! He was an agent of deliverance! So it can make a governor out of a cupbearer! If you check Jeremiah 30:19-21. What are they seeking for? For growth! Watch out we are in for the best of time!
I have seen it longest of time that it will soon become the Winners world, in terms of innovation. In terms of depth of insight. In terms of solution bearing capacity. Church Gist. That nations will be looking for you to help them. It was insight that enthroned Joseph. It was not money, it was insight. Genesis 41:38. God will be showing His people some amazing things this end time. May you be well positioned for that.
Then we had Daniel who served God constantly by praying three times a day and was turned from a captive boy to become the prime minister of Babylon. Prayer was his natural habit. Even when threatened by death, He opened His window. Daniel 6:10. It is not a prayer for show, it is not an emergency prayer. Daniel 6:20. The King knew he was serving God in prayer, he was praying for the sin of the land, he was praying for God to intervene in the lives of people. Church Gist. When God enthrones you, no devil can dethrone you. He enthroned the man Daniel and he remained relevant to Babylon for 65 years. Three kings came and went, he remained relevant. Three times a day, serving God on the altar of prayer. I pray that kingdom advancement prayer will become your new spiritual breath and watch where that will take you.
We also have the example of David, a man with a heart for God. He prayed also three times daily and was turned from a shepherd boy to the most reputable king of Israel In history. In 1996, the nation of Israel celebrated 3000 years that David reigned. You mean you can remember someone for three thousand years? Jesus Christ came as the son of David. He prayed 3 times a day. Psalm 55:17. That was his schedule. Psalm 119:46. He was an all-loud mouth for God. He will pray and he will share testimonies. He will be in a meeting as the chairman of the council “just a moment, I want to tell you what the Lord is doing”. He has started again. Now let’s continue with the meeting, I hope you understood what I am talking about. 🎶Jehovah is the Lord, from everlasting till everlasting, Jehovah is the Lord🎶 Sing with me. All the chiefs, high chiefs, low chiefs had to start singing. He became a national hero at 17, let the youths wake up. It is your turn. Church Gist. The days of revival are back here where teenagers will be having the reign. Wake up and take your place in it. One of my younger ones in FUTA, he met me one day and said “Sir can you remember what you told me in 1971 or 1972?”. I said what? You told me that my level of commitment to God will determine my ultimate accomplishment in life. What? You sat by the well when you told me that. I said then I must be a man by the well. He said I worked with it. He emerged the first professor in their class. Speed from heaven, serving God in their church. You are not wasting your time serving God you are investing it into a future. You are investing it into posterity into eternity.
Prayers: Engrace me to make kingdom advancement labour, my new spiritual breath. Morning, afternoon and evening seeking the advancement of your kingdom and the well-being of others. So I can begin to enjoy favour from you.
Can you see the humorous God? I was part of building that grass church. I was going to their houses every morning by 5:30, the same time they will go to the mosque. Teacher has come to pray for you. Village people, they value teachers. I said I have come to pray for you, your farm will do well this year. Your market will sell. Oya bow your heads and they will be interpreting for me. Then I lead them to Christ in prayer because they can’t argue. They can’t argue in prayer. “Jesus I didn’t know you are the Saviour. I just know now. I give my life to you”. Jesus just taught me the way to catch them. Tell them now this prayer continues in the pastor’s house on Sunday. Hey! They want to come to mosque. Church Gist I know! I cornered them one by one. Where there is a will there will be a way. They say twelve souls in a year, where will I get it from? I am working in the back. Well done! Are you the owner of the bank? If they sack you tomorrow, can you carry the bank? You attend naming ceremonies, you meet people all the time and you even give people lift who are not born again and you are ashamed to tell them. You know I am the assistant manager. I can’t talk to them. I make altar call to kings. You are the one who invited me, I have to give you what I have. Bow your head let’s pray, you have to. Brand new day!
– The passion of Christ will overwhelm you.
– You will not give room to any nonsense in your life anymore.
Just before we take the communion, I have this good news for you. In the early hours of Monday, at the take-off of this prayer and fasting season, by a strong prophetic signal, the Lord asked me to declare three Sundays of prophetic release after the order of Ezekiel 37:1-4. You recall how God once told me while I was dwelling on the Book of Ezekiel on the mountain with prayer and fasting. At the end of that episode, on my way trying to descend from that mountain. Church Gist. God said to me, behold I have touched your tongue with the coal of fire and from henceforth as you say it, you see it. Every word declared by the Spirit of God this coming Sunday will lead to your rescue. God is out to validate this en masse in these three Sundays of prophetic release. As we all know, God’s agenda is communicated through prophetic channels because prophets are God ordained timekeepers in the execution of His agenda on the earth. Amos 3:7.
Therefore no matter the state of any individual that comes to this services, there shall be supernatural turnaround by the creative power of God through His prophetic trumpet. The bones shall live again. I see God opening the graves of many. That is, everyone appointed to death by the wickedness of the wicked shall be set free. Church Gist. Everyone whose destiny has been closed by the wicked shall be opened. I see everyone coming out from their graves to their high places in life. God’s agenda for every one of the Winners Family worldwide shall come to pass like a dream of the night. As the Lord lives all dry bones shall rise again. Ezekiel 37:1-4.
– Everyone called a weakling, every one that they said nothing good can come out of your life anymore, you are emerging a might man of valour.
– There shall be mighty men, boys, girls, women of valour coming out of that valley of dry bones in the name of Jesus Christ.
Let me tell you something, prophets stand to be misunderstood all the time. You can imagine we had an eviction notice from our church premises in Kaduna and God said “arise get down to Lagos”. What kind of arrangement is that? Are you not running away? Prophets stand to be misunderstood unless you are a man of the Spirit. You stand to misinterpret what they are doing unless you are a man of the Spirit. Church Gist. We said we are not going out for foreign mission in 1995 and I got home and God said you are going out now. Haba! You have shattered all our budget. You have budget? Who gave you budget? Are you not budgeting on my money? They stand to be misunderstood. I heard Him clearly “you are going now!”. Prophets tend to be misunderstood by those who are not working in the Spirit. Now note what I am talking about.
– Many people whose destinies are considered dead will rise again.
When Jesus came, He showed that is still on. As he said it is finished, there was earthquake everywhere. The graves were opened and the dead came out of them. Church Gist. Something is going to break open this coming Sunday. Many will walk out free though they came bound. They will walk out free of charge.
Prayers: thank God for the prophetic word, it is addressed to you. It is addressed to all.
Moses called on God and He answered Him by a voice. Before this fasting season is over everyone will hear the voice of His Majesty. A voice always provokes testimonies.
– Your testimony shall be undeniable.
– You are breaking forth.
– It is your turn to laugh. God will make you to laugh. All that hear will laugh with you. In the course of this fast, the answers will be dropping. Your desires will be coming alive and being turned into testimonies.
Celebrate and magnify our God.
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