SOME ARE MARRIED TODAY AND THEY WISH THEY WERE NOT MARRIED BECAUSE THEY GOT UNEQUALLY YOKED WITH SOME UNBELIEVERS PERHAPS
I ALWAYS SAY HUMOUROUSLY “WHAT WE DO NOT KNOW, WE DO NOT KNOW. WHAT WE WON’T LEARN, WE CANNOT KNOW AND WHAT WE DO NOT KNOW, WE WILL ALWAYS PAY FOR IT.”
NO GRADUATES IN THE SCHOOL OF THE SPIRIT, YOU ONLY MAKE PROGRESS.
MANY SPEAK WITH SOLE AUTHORITY SOMETIMES AND I WONDER WHAT IS GOING ON.
WE SHALL REMAIN DISCIPLES OF CHRIST TILL WE ARRIVE IN HEAVEN. HE REMAINS THE MASTER AND WE REMAIN THE LEARNERS
EVERYBODY’S FUTURE IS IN GOD’S PLAN. OUTSIDE GOD’S PLAN, YOUR FUTURE BECOMES BLEAK
WE DID SOIL TEST THEN CLEARING IN PREPARATION FOR THE ARK (FAITH THEATRE) PROJECT AND ANNOUNCED IT AT SHILOH 2015 YET GOD WAS QUIET
HE DID NOT SPEAK FOR FOUR YEARS BUT HE IS NOT DUMB-HE CAME THROUGH EVENTUALLY
WHEN GOD KEEPS MUTE IT MEANS STAY WHERE YOU ARE
I’VE HEARD THE VOICE OF THE STRANGER SEVERALLY. IT WAS BY THE GRACE OF GOD I ESCAPED
YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO REACT AGAINST THE VOICE OF THE STRANGER WHEN YOU GET WORD SOAKED
I WAS VERY UPSET WHEN WE CAME TO CANAANLAND IN JANUARY 1997 BUT I ACCESSED DIVINE GUIDANCE BY THE VOICE OF THE SPIRIT THAT THIS IS THE PLACE
OPEN UP TO THE WORD (SCRIPTURES) EVERY TIME YOU NEED TO KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO
GOD SENDS SOME PROPHETS OUR PATH TO GUIDE US OFF THE PATH OF ERROR WHEN WE ARE ABOUT TO MISS IT
NO MATTER HOW ANOINTED A BELIEVER IS, HE HAS NO CAPACITY TO GUIDE HIMSELF
EMBRACE THE VIRTUE OF MEEKNESS IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE TO BE GUIDED
WHEN GOD GUIDES, HE REFRESHES THE GUIDED
MOST OF THE TIMES, HE GUIDES US OFF OUR INTEREST, OFF OUR WAY OF THINKING
HOW CAN A CHURCH FOR PEOPLE…GO AWAY FROM PEOPLE, WHAT KIND OF LOGIC?
GOD FOUGHT FOR US HERE (CANAANLAND), IF NOT WE WOULD HAVE BEEN DEFEATED. ALL THE demons ROSE AND SAID “NOT HERE” BUT GOD SAID “THIS IS THE PLACE.”
THE LAST WRONG STEP EVERYONE OF US TOOK, IS THE LAST YOU’LL EVER TAKE IN YOUR LIFE
– Bishop David Oyedepo on UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD LEADS 6 at Midweek Communion Service || LFC Canaanland || 27th September 2023
UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD LEADS 6.
Every subject of scriptures has unfathomable depth. Romans 11:33. God’s Word is God’s wisdom in print and it is deep. 1 Corinthians 8:2. The brighter we see the faster we go. Jeremiah 1:11-12. The brighter we see the greater speed we gain. Church Gist. Please let’s recognize that access and following divine direction is individual’s responsibility. The Lord is MY shepherd, not OUR shepherd. Therefore I shall not want. Psalm 23:1-6. Absolute responsibility of individual believers. Absolute! Proverbs 3:5-6. John 5:30. As My Father has sent me, so send I you. So wait on me to get to know where to go, which turn to make. Which step to take
We arrive in this world one by one, even a set of twins came one after another. The two can’t drop at the same time. We saw in the story of Jacob and Esau, the elder shall serve the younger. So they came one after the other. Romans 9:11-12. Jeremiah 1:5. We are formed as individuals. So it is a settled program. Our adventure here also answers to the individual’s responsibility. 1 Corinthians 3:8. The adventure here answers to the individual’s engagement, individual’s commitment. Church Gist. Individual investment. Luke 19:12-17. The one who made ten more, he said “Have authority over ten cities.” There is only one city in heaven so it is here we are talking about. Romans 19:17-21. One came and said “Come and take your thing my friend, you think I will be working for you?” and he got damned. Seven disappeared into thin air. They received their own rewards one by one. You don’t pass exams in groups, you pass one by one. 2 Timothy 2:21. 1 John 3:3.
Interestingly, we are going to return back one by one. Romans 14:12. Every man shall give account of himself to God. We arrive one by one, as we journey it is on an individual basis and we are returning back home one by one. So everybody should just take responsibility. One of the things the Lord told me very early in those days, some 42 years ago. You are absolutely responsible for the outcome of your life. That would get us serious. Everybody is absolutely responsible for the outcome of His life. Church Gist. To understand how God leads is an important subject for every one of us. No graduates in the School of the Spirit, you only make progress. Paul with all that revelation did not say “I am perfect” but “I am pressing, I am making progress. I am going forward.” That is vital. Many speak at sole authority sometimes and I wonder what is going on. We shall remain disciples of Christ till we arrive in heaven. He remains the master and we remain the learners. May we keep making progress.
The need to understand how God leads cannot be overemphasized because there is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12. Some are married today and they wish they were not married because they got unequally yoked with some unbelievers perhaps. Some are in business today, one kind or another and they wish that they were not in business. They wish they were in their own career pursuing their career like before. They never asked God, they just jumped. Like I always say humourously “What we do not know, we do not know. What we won’t learn, we cannot know and what we do not know, we always will pay for it”. Isaiah 5:13. The Word of God still teaches believers today how to be led by the Spirit in order to make the most of their lives. Isaiah 48:17. John 1:1. Church Gist. Psalm 119:105. God’s Word still guides us, God’s Word still leads us. I remember the Lord said to me forty years ago, 1st October 1983 from this scripture “I am committed to leading you if you are committed to following me”. That is what I got there. God will only be committed to leading us to the level that we are committed to following Him. Not that you have packed your luggage to the airport and you said “Should I go or not?”, you have already gone. That would be tempting God and thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God.
We all know that the value of a product is determined in the factory and not in the market. You can’t turn this microphone into a pair of shoes. From the factory, it is already an instrument for amplifying your voice. You can’t wear it as a tie. It is determined out there. We are fretfully and wonderfully made. Each one should just locate where he belongs and stay there. Church Gist. You are in a career and nobody has called you into business, don’t dabble into it. Stay there, everybody’s future is in God’s plan. Outside God’s plan, your future becomes bleak. Elijah was down and out but God stepped in and opened a new chapter to his life. The same way God is stepping in for someone here.
You are going to escape the trap of the wicked.
You will not misinvest your resources.
You will not go into a wrong business, you will follow His leading step by step.
How Do We Access Divine Guidance?
1. Open up to the revelation of the Word.
He is a humourous God, at times you are at a crossroads and He just steps in by the Word and speaks to you directly or the Holy Ghost brings into remembrance some certain things that you have learnt before that’s now applicable now. Awesome God! Open up to the Word every time you need to know which way to go. Psalm 119:105. Church Gist. A number of you must have had a lot of experience from God’s Word in charting the course for our lives. That Word lives and abides forever. It’s still leading the steps of men today. Open up to the revelation of the Word; don’t close up. Isaiah 34:16. He’s the same God, he hasn’t changed. So he is still speaking behind the Word today. Isaiah 30:21. So he is still leading the way to go by his Word.
I’ve had quite a few experiences of God speaking directly from his Word in answer to certain questions. I was feeling a pull in my spirit towards the movement of the base of our ministry to Kaduna and I told my wife and said, “Let’s pray.” As we were praying, “stand up, take your Bible.” I did and I believed he opened it, straight to the verse – Acts 22:10. Church Gist. I said, “Lord what shall I do?” He said, “Arise, get down to Damascus.” Straight, no guess work. I tapped her and said, “God has answered” – on our way to Damascus, the City of Persecution. I’ve never heard, City of Persecution, it came to me right there and then. Awesome Jesus! He still answers us on the way to go directly from his Word if our heart be open.
2. Through the voice of the Spirit: John 16:13-14. The Spirit of God is still showing people today which way to go. Many of us must have heard his voice time and again. Church Gist. We were faced with some challenging issues in Kaduna in those days and the lady landlord of our leased property was puffing – “it’s my property, I’m not giving you again, you have to quit, I’ve sent you a message.” I said, “stop that! Have you even seen any Church under the Sun before? You never live to see one.” I said, let’s go. So one of the Elders said, “but there is a property here that somebody asked us if we are interested to build our school. Let’s branch there in case we will like it.” We got there and I said, Jesus, what are you saying? He said, “this is the place.” Church Gist. We had no budget for it, no plan for it, “this is the place” – he got it. He speaks to us today by His Spirit.
We got in here January 1997 when they came to show me this place, I was very upset – “this can’t be the place, never! No no, God is smarter than that, this can’t be the place.” When we got here I said, “Okay, let’s pray – Father thank you, what are you saying?”- This is the place. Church Gist. The voice of the Spirit is still sounding today if you will be on key to hear. 1 Corinthians 2:14. You and I need spiritual understanding to receive the things of the Spirit. He’s still speaking today.
The Ark project is ongoing now and then we declared it 2015 at Shiloh – “Jesus we are ready, we’ve done the soil test, clearing, Lord we are ready.” He kept mute and I’ve learnt before that when he keeps mute it means, “stay where you are.” He’s not dumb. So he kept mute and I kept asking. He was still mute. Church Gist. Then one day he said, “Don’t talk to me anymore on this subject until I talk to you if I need to.” – period, silent. I left off. He said, don’t talk to me, I won’t remind him; until I talk to you – when he talks to me I will know. Then suddenly he came through – not the first year, second, third, fourth year but he came through and here we are today just being carried by the Wind. The moment you allow the Wind to lead you, he carries you like the wind carries the eagle. You won’t bear burdens any more!
Acts 8:27-30. “The Spirit said to him” – I pray tonight that every one’s spiritual ear be opened! Church Gist. The same way Jesus heard from Heaven, as we partake of this Communion, our ears will be popped open to hearing the voice of the Spirit of God.
Then Cornelius sent to Peter – it was a dramatic thing. Acts 10:19-20. The Spirit of God is still speaking today. Here is the problem: we have the voice of the Shepherd and the voice of the stranger. The stranger came and said, “Has God said you shall not eat all the fruits of the garden?” That’s the stranger. He always likes to twist the truth. She said, “no, he said we should not eat the one that …” “Ah, that’s the one to eat. Church Gist. That’s the one God eats when he comes here. You will just be like God straight.” He striped them naked and went away. Now listen to me, I’ve heard the voice of the stranger severally. It was by the grace of God I escaped. The answer is: get Word soaked, you will only be able to react against the voice of the stranger when he shows up.
3. Through God-sent prophets: Amos 3:7. There are prophets sent our way. Luke 4:25-26. There are prophets sent to you. God is the same, he has not changed. Hebrews 13:8. He sends some prophets our path among others to guide us off the path of error when we are about to miss it. There was a time Judah was in a fix – 3 Kings rose against that tiny nation. 2 Chronicles 20:3-15. Church Gist. A most cost effective way, no importation of weapons, no getting of people to fight, he said, “go and sing, I will deal with them.” 2 Chronicles 20:17-22. Through the ministry of the Prophet they knew the way to go and God confirmed it. He hasn’t changed o. Not one of those enemies escaped. I see all your enemies, all the enemies of your soul levelled out!
Biblical Proofs of being led by the Spirit:
How do I know when the Spirit of the Lord is the one leading me? What are the characteristics, the things that manifests themselves as God leads men?
1. When God leads, he goes before the led. To do what? Church Gist. To make the crooked paths straight. When God leads, he clears the barriers on the path of the led. When he leads his own sheep out, he goes before them. John 10:4-5; Isaiah 45:1-2. He goes before the led… and can any gate be shut against God? Psalm 24:7. When God goes before you, all the iron gates, all the gates of brass, they clear the way. Psalm 24:7-10.
2. When God leads, He goes with the led.
Matthew 28:18-20. He goes with the led. Luke 10:1. Church Gist. So He goes with them.
3. He walks with them.
Mark 16:15-17.
4. He works through them.
When God leads, He works through the led. He works through you and me to accomplish the mission for which he’s leading us to do. Church Gist. John 14:10. Philippians 2:13. He works through the led to accomplish his purpose.
We sent our missionaries the other time to one of those countries in Africa, a French speaking nation…and then the Lord spoke to a French woman, two days before the time that some two missionaries are coming from Nigeria, “go and receive them immediately into your house till when they get where they would stay”. So she told her husband and they went to ask for when the Nigerian flight would arrive, they told them, on that day…and then they went there, we are looking for Nigeria missionaries, “Oh we are here”. The Lord told us to come and bring you to our house. Church Gist. They were feeding fat in the house. Amen! He works through them, He does wonders.
5. He works for them.
1st Thessalonians 5:24.
So is there anything extremely out of place for you to handle, He steps in because He told you to do it. He works for them. They may be clapping for them but they are not the ones in charge, they are not. Church Gist. It’s God at work who sent them on such assignment. He works for them and they think they are the ones working the work. That’s why we must put pride aside. Only God does the impossible. That’s what makes all the difference. Psalms 25:9. Let’s embrace the virtue of meekness if you want to continue to be guided. Because most of the time, He guides us off our interest, off our way of thinking. You ask me till forever, there is nothing I learnt about Church growth that would approve this place for a Church. No! How can a Church for people go away from people, what kind of logic? And then to shut down the Church in town that we have been in for years, get to the bush and let’s see what happens.
I wrote a piece sometime, I titled it “ The Agony and Triumph of Walking in God’s will”. You want to do his will, most times, it can be agonizing. Church Gist. He fought for us here, if not we would have been defeated. All the demons rose and said “not here”. But God said “I said it, I’m here, I came before them, I am with them, I am walking with them and I’m here to work for them, satan, what do you have”.
– My prayer again is that No one would miss out of God’s leading.
Habakkuk 2:1.
– My prayer again is that the same God leading this commission step by step bailing us out of potential errors, would lead each one of us, till we accomplish his purpose in our lives.
– No one would live his life in regret.
– No one would be ensnared by the devil.
– No one would lead himself.
I conclude with this, no matter how matured a sheep is, it cannot guide himself. No matter how anointed a believer is, he has no capacity to guide himself. So we remain under a Shepherdhood for life. Isaiah 58:11. Continually till the end of time. Church Gist. When He guides, He refreshes the guided. When He guides goodness and mercy attends to the guided. When He guides your cup runneth over, when He guides the anointing gets fresher. Psalms 23:1-6. That’s your God for you.
– No one would miss it anymore.
– The last wrong step everyone of us took is the last you’ll ever take in your life.
Finally, good news, it’s never late to be right. Say with me “its never late to be right” say it loud, again. Church Gist. I’ll take the last story and then we close. We were on our way early in the morning to Makurdi from Kaduna, to catch up with a Full Gospel Businessmen fellowship meeting where I was speaking and we had an all-night prayers down that morning and then I told the driver to go and sleep because you have to drive early in the morning, so he slept…and he was speeding, he took off the main road and went another road. By the time I woke up from my sleep, I said “this can’t be the road to Makurdi, this is not a Trunk A road”…and he said “this is the road Sir” and he was speeding, I said “slow down”. We saw a man going to the farm, walking bare footed, maybe he’s never entered a car in his life, I said park, “excuse me sir, we are going to Makurdi”. He said “ahh, you’ve missed your road”. We were running to meet the time but we have missed the road again. In case we don’t want to hear we would still be going, we would arrive in another city, faraway from Kaduna.
No! It’s never late to be right, so we turned back. I had to change my dress in the car to catch up with that meeting. It can be very tormentous when you miss the way. Do you know what it means to change your dress in the car, especially when you’re changing to suit and the car is speeding, because we were trying to catch up with time. Church Gist. The good news is, “It’s never too late to be right”. If we had refused to make a turn there, we’ll be going wronger and wronger till the end of time.
– You won’t miss your steps.
One more time, say with me, “it’s never late to be right”. Lift up your right everyone and give God thanks. Everybody give God thanks, there’s no one like Him, magnify Him. Receive grace to take responsibility to follow the leading of your Shepherd. You are here on purpose, you’re on a mission but you need to know the steps to take to fully deliver that mission. Church Gist. Give Him thanks everyone, give Him praise.
– The battle over your life is over.
– There shall be no misdirection anymore in Jesus precious name.
Give the Lord a biggest hand of praise.
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