I LOVE GOD MORE THAN I LOVE ME
EVEN WHEN DEATH COMES KNOCKING, I LOVE GOD
JESUS IS THE ONLY ONE THAT COUNTS IN MY LIFE, I DON’T COUNT TO ME
SOME PEOPLE COME TO ME FOR COUNSELING BUT THEY ALREADY KNOW EVERYTHING SO I TELL THEM HUMOROUSLY – YOUR CASE IS BEYOND
ME
WHEN YOU THINK YOU ALREADY KNOW YOU WON’T KNOW ANYTHING MORE.
I ASK THE LORD “I MUST HAVE MY TAKEAWAY FROM THIS SERVICE” EVEN WHEN I AM THE ONE TEACHING
I DON’T LOVE MINISTRY, I LOVE GOD
YOU WILL BE SEEING GODS IN THE LIKENESS OF MEN IN THEIR NUMBERS THIS ENDTIME
LOVE FOR GOD ENABLES US TO WEAR GOD AS A GARMENT, THE SAME WAY JESUS DID
WHEN THE LOVE OF GOD IS AT WORK IN A MAN, GREAT THINGS KEEP HAPPENING ON THEIR OWN ACCORD
LOVE IS NOT THEORETICAL, LOVE FOR GOD IS PRACTICAL
IF YOU LOVE GOD, IT MUST STIR PASSION FOR THE LOST IN YOUR SOUL
ONLY GENUINE DISCIPLES BECOME APOSTLES
IF YOU LOVE GOD YOU WILL LOVE HIS WORD: YOU WON’T BE LOOKING FOR YOUR BIBLE EVERY SUNDAY
THE REAL FAMINE IS NOT THE FAMINE OF FOOD AND WATER. IT IS THE FAMINE OF THE WORD
LOVING GOD IS A CHOICE PEOPLE MAKE.
IF YOU LOVE HIM YOU WILL SERVE HIM AND YOU WILL GIVE WILLINGLY AND EXCITEDLY.
FAITH DELIVERS ACCORDING TO THE LEVEL OF THE LOVE OF GOD AT WORK IN US.
EVEN WITH MACHINE GUN IN FRONT OF ME, I CANNOT DENY JESUS
– Bishop David Oyedepo on UNVEILING THE SUPERNATURAL POWER OF LOVE at SHILOH 2023 Day Two, Hour of Visitation || REDEEMED TO FLOURISH IN HARD TIMES || Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland || Fourth Word Session.
We are in a great feast of a great King. He has been feeding us with life and the feast is still on. In the precious name of Jesus, this feast will deliver maximally in your life. Psalm 25:9. Where meekness stops, that is where insight stops. It takes meekness to access light. The meek will He teach His way. The meek! There are people you want to sit down to counsel with and they already know everything. “I know that. I did that” and I will say humorously “I think your case is beyond me. Your case is beyond me. What I have is only the stethoscope, I don’t have the X-ray machine. I don’t have the MRI, I don’t have the scan. Your case has passed beyond my level. Church Gist. So we move on to where they have an MRI and scan to help you out. All that I know you already know. How can I help you? It takes meekness.
I come into service and I ask the Lord “I must have my takeaway from this service” even when I am the one teaching. What are you teaching me? What are you showing me? By the grace of God tomorrow evening we will be releasing two volumes published from my archives. They are my takeaway from His presence. It happens daily. When you think you already know you won’t know anything more. You already know, they mention a topic “Oh, that topic? I dealt with that two years ago. When it comes to tithing, I am an expert. Everybody knows. Even Papa knows. Tithing? Say something else. Soul winning? I know soul winning, I have 30 years of experience.” Church Gist. When you come as one that does not know, He teaches you. May the things we have learned today add value to each one of us. It is the light, it is not the person. You never walk in darkness anymore in the precious name of Jesus.
Shiloh is a feast of the Word. We are gathered to be taught the way forward, we are gathered to be taught the way out of unwanted situations. We are gathered to be taught the way to command breakthroughs at impossible times. Church Gist. We are gathered to be conferred dominion upon by reason of authority and light from God. In the precious name of Jesus, this Shiloh will make the greatest difference in everyone’s life including your life in the name of Jesus.
Thank you Jesus for Word 1, Word 2 and Word 3, we have been fed. Thank you for it! We are here again to be fed again. Church Gist. Thank you for being there for us in Jesus’ precious name.
Among the oncoming holocaust of the end times is what the Bible calls ‘Pestilences’. That has gone beyond material stuff. Pestilences! I mean incurable diseases and aches. Matthew 24:4-8. Church Gist. Finance can’t handle pestilences, otherwise, you saw people dying like wood in developed countries under the COVID-19 saga. “Wars and rumours of wars” money can’t handle that yet God has a plan of exemption for His people.
I will be speaking to this subject which looks so simple but the most powerful spiritual force in the world of the spirit. Three forces that rule the world – faith, hope which is vision and love. The greatest of them all is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13. I like us to sit up properly and lay hold on this. Church Gist. It is not knowing this that matters but this becoming an experience in one’s life. That is what makes it profitable. My prayer is that this will not be a theory anymore in anyone’s life but an experience to celebrate for life.
UNVEILING THE SUPERNATURAL POWER OF LOVE. Anchor scripture here is 1 Corinthians 2:9. Genuine love for God makes a believer a living wonder. It turns believers into pathfinders, pacesetters and trailblazers. Genuine love for God! It gives the believer access to the deep things of God that make high flyers on the earth. Church Gist. Eagles don’t know of fire or heat on the earth. It turns eagles out of believers. So they don’t have a feel of the gruesome issues on the earth. They ride the storms smiling – the eagles! You can’t set traps for eagles, they are in the sky. You can’t waylay them, they are off the human sphere. You can’t threaten them with fire, fire does not burn in the sky, it burns on the earth.
Love makes a believer an impossible case for the devil and I will tell you why. The love of God secures divine presence for the believer. What makes love the greatest spiritual virtue? Divine presence! Money can’t buy it, position can’t buy it. True lovers of God are indestructible! Forget about it. He dwells in God and God in him. You will have to destroy God first. 1 John 4:16. What makes love the greatest spiritual virtue is divine presence. Church Gist. The unbeatable force of divine presence. You put up a fight of faith, love doesn’t fight. Battles clear the way when love is coming. Psalm 114:7. The sea gave way as it saw them, they didn’t fight. God was their sanctuary. It makes a believer more than a conqueror. You are not fighting yet you are winning. You better reposition. The things coming are beyond food. You can beg for food from a neighbour and he will give you. You can’t beg for rescue from pestilence. Do you know how many doctors passed on during COVID-19? Medical expertise equals zero in the face of pestilence. Zero plus plus! That is one hidden secret. That is why the devil went about. Church Gist. According to Bible prophecies, the love of many waxed cold so he can make a prey of them. As your love drops His presence goes farther and farther until it is gone. You better keep your love for God alive, it is your ultimate security in these hard times. In these times of uncertainties. It is your ultimate security.
We tortured COVID-19, you know it. We defeated COVID-19 and it went shamefully off the earth. Divine presence! It will destroy any mountain, it will dry up any sea. Wake up! Come alive! I once stated that you may have read some of the books I have written but don’t ever claim to know my secret until you discover my heartbeat for God. The secret of my secret is my heartbeat for God. I love God so much. I love Him more than I love me. I love this Jesus more than I love me. Church Gist. He is the only one that counts in my life, I don’t count to me. So I smile when death comes knocking. When you wear divine presence as a garment, you walk barefooted to the most brutal war front unscratched. Even thorns will not pierce your leg.
You better check it! This love for things, love for fame, love for position, love for reputation has run many people dry. I don’t love ministry oh, I love God. Ministry is an assignment, every believer has an assignment. You know giving is an assignment? “He that giveth with cheerfulness”. Church Gist. The love of God is on its own. It gets to a point you’re just indestructible. A man was lost in the sea overnight and came out and went to his next assignment. Have you ever seen that before? He’s not a diver. They stoned him and left him for dead and they gathered helplessly, “how do we bury this man for God’s sake?” Nobody could pray over him. This is Paul, proper Paul, god in the likeness of men. Church Gist. They couldn’t pray over him. While they were on “eh, what do we do?” Paul just jacked up and said, “what’s happening? What’s the next meeting?” He said, “I don’t know what to choose, whether to go or to stay”. Death had no meaning to Paul, he was wearing God. He wasn’t practicing His presence, he was wearing God. Church Gist. What secures that for you and me is a genuine, growing love for God.
Ephesians 3:17-19. Can pestilence molest God? Can war threaten God? Can famine capture God? That is, there’s a place for all saints if you look at that, all saints, not for Pastors or Apostles and Prophets, for all saints. Ephesians 18-19. You will be seeing gods in the likeness of men in their numbers this endtime. Church Gist. Attack will strike in the city and they will find themselves and their homes from another nation. War strikes right there and he’s back to his home in Nigeria. Church Gist. That’s how powerful the love for God is. It enables you and I to wear God as a garment, the same way Jesus did. He will appear and demons will say, “hey, have you come to destroy us before the time?” They couldn’t stand him. You won’t find him wasting his time, “hey come on, go out! Where are you from?” He comes out, they go out.
– something is breaking forth in one’s life!
That’s why I’ll like you to make this part of your takeaway from here, “Lord, help me to wear your presence as a new garment. Not only while in Church, everyday of my life”. Church Gist. Your struggles will fly off as if they are not real. He takes over the things concerning you and when he takes over, you can go to sleep, it’s done.
– again, my prayer is that everyone here will plug into this power line!
When the love of God is at work in a man, great things keep happening on their own accord. Romans 8:28. They keep working on their own together for your good and my good. Church Gist. You’re not crying for it, they just line up in your favour, they line up in my favour. It’s God’s order.
– from now, no area of anyone’s life here shall run dry again!
With the love of God at work in a man’s life, great things begin to happen on their own accord for that individual. Church Gist. Unfortunately while all of us have this virtue of love within us because it’s one of the vital fruits of the spirit, most of us have not cared to learn how to stir or engage this treasure. We have it but we haven’t learnt how to put it to work.
Now, what is love? I have 5 descriptions here that may help us.
1. Love for God in our context implies a God-first lifestyle. Matthew 22:37-40. Church Gist. God-first lifestyle, that is, everything about your life has God as first.
2. Love can be defined as placing God above all else including yourself. God above me, God above all that pertains to me, God above all that I have, God above all that I am. Luke 14:26-27. Church Gist. That on a daily basis, Gir before your face all of the time in truth and in deed. That imparts on all other areas of your life without any undue concern. It takes care of them. His love in you overflows to all the things that concern you.
3. Love can be defined as a Kingdom advancement priority lifestyle. Matthew 6:33. Church Gist. Kingdom advancement addiction gets every good thing to keep adding to your life without crying for them. Matthew 6:33.
We are trying to define Biblical descriptions of genuine love for God.
4. Loving what God loves. John 21:15. John 3:16. If you so love God, what are you giving up to see others redeemed? John 21:15-17. Love is not theoretical, love for God is practical. Church Gist. How dwelleth the love of God in you? You see your brother in need and you pray over him, “be warm, okay. That’s okay”. He said, “how dwelleth the love of God in you?” God’s love has proofs, tangible proofs. Do you love Him? It must stir passion for the lost in your soul if you do. Church Gist. It’s not about just going about the streets, it’s about taking your position in this mammoth harvest season in whatever form.
5. Love for God is also described as denying oneself for Christ’s sake. Luke 9:23. Self denial, depriving yourself of certain things for His sake. 1 Corinthians 9:23. Church Gist. There’s a self-denial element of this. “I would have done this but for this purpose, I can’t. For this reason, I cannot”. Nothing of value is free. Only genuine disciples become apostles. There are so many things going on in the world today. Only genuine disciples, committed, faithful disciples that become apostles. We have to deny ourselves certain things to be a disciple indeed and as He proves us, the Apostle in us emerges – the pace-setting grace comes alive. It’s not something you organize or cook up, it’s something you grow into.
– thank you Jesus!
– somebody’s story is changing!
Now, what is in love that makes it the greatest spiritual virtue? We started with that.
1. When a believer is truly in love, he is in God and God is in him which makes him a living wonder. Romans 8:31.
2. All true lovers of God carry divine presence which makes the believer more than a conqueror.
Battles don’t wait for you. With faith, you have to fight. You put up a fight of faith before you can have victory. With divine presence, you walk from victory to victory without throwing a fist. Church Gist. His presence clears the barriers on your path. You emerge more than a conqueror. Winning without sweating. That is your new realm.
3. Also it is interesting to know that staying in love with God makes a failure-proof believer.
1 Corinthians 13:8. Because love never fails. No matter the hardship on this earth, you never know failure! They don’t have to have jobs, you can create jobs. He gives you an insight that employs them. God is an awesome God. They think your case is closed but you are ordained to be their rescue. You are ordained as their rescue agent. They closed the case of Joseph but God reopened it. Church Gist. God is above every situation and circumstance on the earth, so never mind the going on. Just take your appropriate position in God and things will keep answering to you according to His Word. God’s love never lacks proof. Every true love commands open proof as we saw in the case of Paul. That is you God is talking about. Charity never fails.
4. Now, the big thing: the love of God enhances our access to revelation.
John 15:15. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10. The larger a believer’s heart for God, the greater his access to revelation. Revelation connotes spiritual illumination which will shatter any gang up of darkness anywhere in the world. Church Gist. You arrive and darkness knows that somebody has arrived because of the presence of God you carry. It gives unlimited access to light. You won’t run out of revelation anymore.
5. Now listen to me, the real famine is not the famine of food and water. It is the famine of the Word. Amos 8:12. That is where the famine begins. Everybody loses control when the Word is out of place. When the Word cannot be accessed. The love of God gives us access to the Word that clears the harassment of famine off our lives. Elijah never lacked because he never lacked access to the Word. He sent him to a Brook called Cherith and fed him there. He sent him from there to the Widow of Zarephath to help her out. Church Gist. He never knew lack because he never lacked access to the Word. The famine of the Word is the real famine. Matthew 4:4. So one’s life is cut short when the Word of God is no longer accessible. The love of God gives us access to revelation. You never run revelation dry any more.
Can I tell you this? Absence of access to revelation is the breeding ground for frustration. Church Gist. Hosea 4:6. Isaiah 5:1-3. It takes revelation to break forth in these hard times.
6. It empowers our faith to deliver maximally.
Because faith works by love. Faith delivers according to the level of the love of God at work in us. Church Gist. Galatians 5:6. It is love that gives value to faith. 1 Corinthians 13:2.
7. It enhances access to the wisdom from above.
David a man with a heart for God, we saw him behaving himself wisely. 1 Samuel 18:5. Behaving himself more wisely and behaving himself very wisely. You look at all those scriptures in that chapter – wisely. The love of God opens us to the wisdom of God because we dwell in Him and He in us. Christ is the wisdom and the power of God. So the wisdom oozes forth from us when we succeed to carry and sustain His presence. It is not enough to carry His presence but to sustain His presence. When His presence goes, everything goes off. When His presence left Samson, he was reduced to a piece of paper. Church Gist. There was nothing in him anymore, he became helplessly helpless. It is not enough to be saved, it is important to stay in the faith. It is not enough to be in love, it is important to stay in love. Staying in love and sustaining God’s presence, it makes all the difference all the time. The good news is many have escaped this morning.
What more? Love is a choice. John 21:15-17. It is a choice people make. Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve. Choose ye this day whom ye shall love. It is a choice! You make your choice to get married to a person by reason of your love for each one. Church Gist. So it is a choice we make. God won’t make that choice for you, He won’t make it for me. May you make that choice today and enjoy its blessings for life.
Some physical proofs of love as stated in scriptures are as follows:
1. If you love Him, you will love His Word.
You won’t be looking for your Bible every Sunday. Psalm 119:97, 162. If you love God, you will love His Word.
2. If you love God you will love His house.
Psalm 122:1. Psalm 84:1. You won’t love God and not love His house.
3. You will have delight in keeping His commandment.
John 14:21.
4. If you love God, you will serve Him cheerfully.
5. If you love God, you will give willingly to the course of His Kingdom. 1 Chronicles 29:3. Church Gist. If you love Him you will give willingly and excitedly.
6. If you love God, you will give to the needy around you.
1 John 4:21. It’s your turn
We are going to pray one prayer and then we close. What is the prayer? There’s what we call the spirit of love. It empowers our love above prevailing circumstances. Church Gist. Peter truly loved Jesus but he couldn’t ride the storms. He denied Jesus three times. But after the Holy Ghost came, Peter became unstoppable sir. We are going to pray for the enduement of the spirit of love. It will empower us to ride the storm of life. Church Gist. As people’s love begins to wax, your own will keep waxing stronger and stronger. Peter said, “if it means to die, I will not deny you”. He really meant it sir but when he was face to face with that severe situation, he cowed. Romans 5:5. The Holy Ghost fires the love of God into us. We are going to pray, “Holy Ghost, fire the love of God into next levels in my heart. Endue me with the spirit of love”. 2 Timothy 1:17. Church Gist. There’s a spirit of love, the Holy Ghost fires the love of God into our soul. We are going to pray that prayer so we can ride the storms of life without shaking, without vibration. Sir, I don’t know what anybody can put in front of me and say, “deny Jesus”, I don’t know. Machine gun? Machine flyer? What are you going to do? Deny Jesus? No! It takes the Holy Ghost Sir. Acts 4:13. Church Gist. The Holy Ghost emboldens you to ride the storms of life without going down on your love for God.
So, there’s the fire of love and what we are doing right now is to pray, “Lord, enfire my love by your spirit”. Pray that prayer as we close in this service.
—-PRAYERS—-
Jesus said to Peter, “I’ve prayed for you that thy faith faileth not”. Amen? And vision delivers by faith. Habakkuk 2:1-4. And faith can fail, that means, vision can fail. But charity never faileth. 1 Corinthians 13:8. Church Gist. Luke 22:31. Faith can fail, vision can fail because it drives on faith but love never fails. Welcome to this failure-proof realm of life. It will interest you sir, not one day did we pray, “Lord, build Faith Tabernacle”. Not one day did I confess, “You shall build Faith Tabernacle”. In fact, they were on the design table when I remembered, “oh, there’s a record”. They were on the design table.. it’s not being pursued. Pursue after God sir, every good thing will pursue after you. I’ve seen major prophetic lifelines deliver without any prayer point sir. Church Gist. We are here today oh, this Church has never raised one prayer point on The Ark. Our prayer points are the same all over the world. So, people pursue things instead of pursuing after God.
A. W. Tozer taught me in 1977 back then from his book, “the harder you pursue after me, the higher you fly”. Church Gist. Let’s exchange our pursuit for things for pursuit after God. Pursuit after God is key to seeing His work come to pass in our lives. They come to pass on their own, sir.
– that will be your experience from now!
If God is the one to confirm it and you’re in Him and He’s in you, you’re not looking for Him, you’re not going to remind Him, you’re actively in partnership. Church Gist. He’s there everyday, not that He went somewhere and you have to remind, “sir, don’t forget oh”. He’s there with you day and night and He’s opening those new chapters to you one after another. You don’t need the struggles. Church Gist. This thing works!
– in the name of Jesus, you’re already holding the keys in your hands to flourishing in hard times.
May all the things you have heard thus far as revealed by God, not one cancels another, it’s a buildup. If you love Him sir, you’ll serve Him. Church Gist. If you love Him, you’ll give. If you love Him, you’ll operate in the supernatural. Faith will launch you into the realm of the supernatural, it will change your mentality. I’ve never asked God once, “how do you want to do this?”. No. “You will build this Tabernacle in one year”. “Carry on Jesus, you can do anything”. “Okay. Covenant University will resume here, 7 months only”. He did it. Church Gist. So, with love, we see so brightly that when God speaks, we don’t have any problem. It’s a buildup. Not one message has canceled another one here and not one will. All that Bible put together within 1500 years, the package, no contradiction. Isn’t that God awesome? Awesome God. But to wear His presence, my beloved son, is the greatest asset to a believer. When plane is doing like this (shaking), you’re at rest, you’re taking tea on the head of the devil. Because, His presence can’t crash. Church Gist. Can His presence crash? His presence cannot crash. When you’re on the road, can it suffer a road crash? No. You’re relaxed, it relaxes you. Psalm 23:4. His presence allays all fears. Sir, every category of human beings live with fear of one thing or another. Church Gist. All those business people around the world that don’t know Jesus, they live in fear everyday of their lives and here you are relaxed, relaxed in His presence.
– you’ll be relaxed for life!
– lift up your two hands everybody and celebrate Jesus.
– give Him thanks for the day. It has been an hour of visitation indeed. Celebrate Him! Magnify Him! Give Him glory and praise!
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