MANY HAVE BECOME VERY GOOD AT LYING AGAINST ME
DO WHATEVER YOU LIKE CONCERNING ME BUT PLEASE, DON’T TOUCH MY GOD -YOU CAN’T FIGHT GOD AND WIN
SURRENDER YOUR LIFE TO GOD, THE “LIFTER UP OF YOUR HEAD”, WHO CAN SOLVE ALL YOUR PROBLEMS AND REMOVE YOUR SHAME
A GOOD SERMON IS ONE YOU CAN REMEMBER AND IF IT IS TOO LONG YOU WON’T REMEMBER
IF YOUR HEAD IS BOWED BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN MISBEHAVIOUR, RESTITUTION IS NECESSARY FOR GOD TO HELP YOU
GOD REQUIRES US TO PUT THINGS RIGHT AND MAKE AMENDS FOR OUR MISTAKES BEFORE HE CAN LIFT US UP AND HELP US
HOW I WAS SAVED FROM THE SHAME AND FINANCIAL DISTRESS OF A DEBT BY A WOMAN SENT TO ME BY GOD
THE GOD WHO SENT HELP TO ME BEFORE I KNEW I NEEDED IT WILL SEND HELP TO YOU TODAY!
SORROW, STAGNATION AND SHAME CAN CAUSE OUR HEADS TO BE BOWED BUT GOD CAN LIFT OUR HEADS
THE LIFTER OF THE HEAD CAN BREAK THE HOLD OF FORCES THAT WON’T ALLOW YOU TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT
EVERY FORCE THAT HAD BEEN HOLDING YOU DOWN THEY WILL LET YOU GO TODAY!
GOD HAS MANY WAYS TO HELP US DEPENDING ON OUR NEEDS. HE CAN BE OUR WAY, TRUTH, LIFE AND LIFTER UP OF OUR HEAD.
FAILURE AND DEFEAT CAN CAUSE OUR HEADS TO BE BOWED, BUT GOD THE LIFTER UP OF HEADS CAN TURN THEM INTO SUCCESS AND VICTORY
IN THE NAME OF THE LIFTER UP OF HEADS, FROM NOW ON YOUR FAILURES ARE OVER!
GOD HAS THE ABILITY TO BE WHATEVER YOU WANT HIM TO BE TO YOU
HE IS CALLED THE FRUITFUL VINE WHO PROMISED THAT THERE WILL BE NO BARREN ONE AMONG HIS PEOPLE
BEFORE THIS DAY IS OUT EVERY NEGATIVE DOCTOR’S REPORT WILL BE COMPLETELY DESTROYED!
- Pastor E. A. Adeboye on “LIFTER UP OF MY HEAD” at June 2024 Thanksgiving Service || RCCG || 2nd June, 2024 ||
Psalm 3:1-3. Exodus 3:13-14. What kind of name is that, “I AM THAT I AM?” Well, Bible scholars, those who know the Bible very well not little boys like me, they said that means God is saying, whatever you want me to be to you, that’s what I will be. Ahhh, That’s very good because you can hear David saying here, “God, you’re my shield, you’re my glory, you’re the lifter up of my head.” Church Gist. God is simply saying, if you are sick, call me the Great Physician – Exodus 15:26. If you’re sick you call the doctor and God is saying if the doctor has told anyone of you listening to me today, that there is nothing more they can do for you, turn to the Almighty God and say, “you’re my doctor. You’re the God that can heal me.”
- I am praying for someone here today, before this day is out the doctor’s report that is negative will be completely destroyed!
If you feel you need deliverance, some of us know we do. Some of us each time we go to bed we are afraid – afraid of nightmares, afraid of some visitors that keep visiting us every night, afraid of one demon or the other that just will not let us go, turn to the one who is called the Lord of Hosts. Church Gist. Psalm 24:7-10. If you need deliverance, call him the Lord of Hosts and he will arise and your enemies will be scattered. So all the evil forces that have been bothering you up till this moment, just call on the Lord of Hosts today and you will never see them again!
If you need provision, if things are hard and I know things are hard for quite a few of us, call on the one whose name is Jehovah El Shaddai – the God who is more than enough. Church Gist. Genesis 17:1. Call on him, the one who is more than enough and he will meet your needs.
Have you been told that you can never ever have a child? That your own barrenness is of the acute type? Well, call on the one who is called the fruitful vine. John 15:1-5. Church Gist. There is one who is called the Fruitful Vine the one who promised that there will be no barren one among his people. It doesn’t matter how old you are, call on him today.
- In the name that is above every other name, 9 months from now, you will be carrying a set of twins.
So I can go on and on. He has many ways depending on what is your need. When all ways are blocked, call on him who is called, “the Way.” Church Gist. When you don’t even know what’s going on, my counsellors are they telling me the truth or are they lying to me? Call on him who is called the Truth. When it looks as if death is about to swallow you up, call on him who is called the life. He has several names.
But today, the pastor had asked us to speak on, “The Lifter up of my Head.” The question is: what and what are the things that could cause your head to be bowed?
- Failure: it could be failure because when you fail, you can’t lift up your head. 1 Kings 19:4-8. If your head is down today because you have failed, call on the one who is called the Lifter up of my head and he will change your failure to success. Church Gist. You can never see a student who got his result and he failed woefully in the exam, it’s difficult to ask that fellow to shout hallelujah. But there is a God who can change failure to success.
- so I am decreeing in that name of the lifter up of heads, from now on your failures are over.
- Defeat: John 5:2-9. I remember very well years ago when Nigeria Green Eagles (now Super Eagles) won the world cup, when they returned to Nigeria, they came during the day. They paraded all the way from Ikeja to Lagos. Church Gist. There was a lot of noise because they won. Not too long after that, they went for another competition and they lost at the very very beginning of the match. Nobody knew when they came back, they sneaked in at night because defeat will cause your head to be bowed.
- I pray for everyone of you listening to me today, you won’t know defeat again!
- Sorrow: if somebody is sad, it’s difficult to lift up your head when you’re in sorrow. But there’s someone who can change sorrow to joy. Luke 7:11-15 – You don’t have to be there to know that the woman was not shouting, hallelujah! Her head was bowed because she had so many questions, “God, why me again? I lost my husband, I have only one son. Church Gist. The devil didn’t go to the house of those who have 7 children, he came to my house with only one son.” She knew that all those people who were following her to the graveyard many of them were not really sympathising. They were asking questions, “are you the only one in town? Why is it that it is you that this kind of tragedy is happening to?” But then she met the lifter of the head on the way and he said, “stop weeping.”
- In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I decree to somebody, you will never weep again!
- Stagnation: when you find yourself on the same spot year after year. You work hard but there’s nothing to show for it. I remember very well one of my sons who said, “every year when it is time to write reports about me, they will write something very very beautiful – hardworking, diligent, faithful, always on time. Church Gist. When it comes to promotion, they will quietly forget.” So they left him there, every year good reports and no promotion. Then we called on the Lifter of head and within 2 weeks they gave him double promotion.
- Have you been stagnant all these years, today the lifter of heads will lift up your head!
Many at times you find that you are in (under) control of forces that just will not let you lift up your head. Luke 13:11-17. You know what is right but certain forces won’t allow you to do it. You know what can lead to your joy but certain forces will only ask you to do what will lead to your sorrow. Church Gist. You have certain forces working so hard against you that you have even surrendered. But I have good news for you today, the day that woman met the fellow who is called the lifter up of head, that very day every force bending her down just disappeared.
- in the name that is above every other name, every force that had been holding you down they will let you go today! I decree in the name that is above every other name, in the name of the one who called me, if they will not let you go, the fire of God will consume them!
- Shame: when you are ashamed, it’s not easy to lift up your head. The Elders have a saying, “shame is heavier than load.” If your carrying a load and you’re feeling uncomfortable, you can put it down but shame, it stays there. Church Gist. But there is someone who is called the ever present help in trouble. Whatever is causing you shame, the Almighty God will take it away today!
I’ve told you the story before: I had just become General Overseer, I went into my village and there was quite a bit of celebrations. Then one wealthy man in the town came to me and said, “well, now you are General Overseer – big man. But you have no house in the village. Church Gist. Your father’s house? It’s nothing to write home about.” We are talking about 1981. He said I will help you because just in case you have something to do now and your friends decide to follow you home, where will you show them as your house? He said, I will supply you all the blocks you need to build the house. When you finish building, whenever you have the money you can pay me. “Ah! Lord, thank you.” I said, this must be God. I said, God has sent help to me.
- and may God send help to you!
So, with that encouragement and he supplied all the blocks, looked for little money here and there, got the house built, the day I roofed the house, he sent a messenger to me, “I want my money” and I have spent everything I could to just get the house roofed. Ah! I was sitting down at the Redemption Camp. At that time, all the houses in Redemption Camp were less than 20. Church Gist. I had been there to pray all night, was sitting down in my very little office when the messenger came. I said, “oh God, I have never gone beyond my limit before o, I didn’t say I want to build a house o this man got me into it o. Now, I’m being put to shame, have mercy on me.” - I pray for someone here today who needs mercy, God will have mercy on you!
I have told you the story before I have finished praying because I prayed all night, I put my head on the table and fell asleep. When I woke up there was a woman standing by my office. She said, I’m looking for the head of this organisation. I said, the head of the organisation is in Heaven. Church Gist. She said I know, I’m talking of his representative here on Earth. I said, yes I am the one. She said God told her 3 days ago to leave North, take so much money, travel to Lagos. “When you get to a particular spot on the way to Lagos, I will tell you where to get down.” She travelled, got to the front of Redemption Camp, God told her, “get down here, cross over, ask for the one in charge here.” God said I should give you this money.
I’ve never met her before, I’ve never seen her since then. I checked the money, it was the exact amount I was owing. Church Gist. If this story I’ve just told you is true and it is, that God who sent help to me before I knew I needed it will send help to you today! I pray from the bottom of my heart, you will never know shame again!
But let me close because a good sermon is one you can remember and if it is too long you won’t remember. There is this God called the lifter up of my head but what happens if you are the one responsible for your predicament? If your head is bowed because of your own misbehaviour, what will you do to get the lifter up of your head to come in and help you? Church Gist. There’s one word called, Restitution. Put things right, go over what you have down that led you into your predicament and restitute – put things right. My God is a holy God, he’s not going to just see you having messed up and just say, “ehn, you’re the lifter up of my head.” He will say, alright, I am there, all power belongs to me I can do anything but you got yourself into this situation. If I get you out without your restituting, I will be condoning sin. When you get home, read Joshua 7 and Joshua 8 – the whole chapter. What happened? God had just given mighty victory to the children of Israel in Jericho and he warned them. “Everything you see in Jericho, the gold the silver, I don’t want you to touch any of them they belong to me.” Church Gist. That’s what God said. But then one fellow said, “ehhhn, I mean, who is God? What does he see?” Stole some gold, stole some raiment and hid it and the people went to war. Now God had promised Joshua, “everywhere the sole of your feet shall trod upon, I’ve given it unto you. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.” – that’s what he promised Joshua.
But then now, they went to war against a very small town called Ai and they were thoroughly beaten. The Bible said, “Joshua fell on his face.” His head wasn’t just down, his head was on the floor. “God, what shall I do now? There are many enemies around me, now they will hear that God has knocked me down, God has defeated me and the rest will gather forces together and come.” Church Gist. God said, “it’s a very simple matter Joshua. You can get up, I am the lifter up of heads. But everything you’ve done wrong you have to put right. Otherwise, I won’t go with you anymore.” Joshua got up, found out what went wrong, restituted everything, then God said, “ahn now, we can continue the journey. These people who defeated you, I will show you how to wipe them out.” Church Gist. There is someone who is called the lifter up of heads. You want him to lift up your head? Restitute your ways.
I’ve told you the story before and with this I am closing. I’ve told you the story of one of my students when I was a lecturer at the University of Lagos and he had this very strange problem. The problem was, he smelled like a dead body. If he sat by your side, within 5 minutes you will relocate. Church Gist. They used all manners of soap, the doctors recommended everything and the boy kept on smelling. Then he came to me for prayers. By then, I was born again, I was a pastor. As I was about to pray for him, God said, “don’t waste your prayer, he has restitution to make.” As a young fellow, he’s not married so I can’t say he married the wrong woman or whatever. But then God asked me to ask questions. By the time I was asking the question, we got the point.
He was a teacher in a primary school before he came to the University and in the school, the children were contributing a penny each – kobo kobo. It was long ago now, at a time when one penny was money. The children were contributing the money so that at the end of year, they will be able to have a party. But this fellow got admission into the University of Lagos by September and disappeared. Church Gist. The children came back to school, the teacher was no longer there and with the teacher, went their money. So they reported him to God: “God you know where the teacher is o, he took away our money.” That’s when he began to smell. You can’t fight God and win.
You know I was telling some people not too long ago, you can do whatever you like concerning me o, lie against me and many of them are very good at doing that now, mock me, but please don’t touch my God because if I say I want to fight you, you can run away. If you want to fight God? Where will you run to? Boy, this is what God said. “Yes” – he said it’s true. Church Gist. “Will you go back to the school and go and give those children their money?” I advised him and said, “if I were you, I won’t give them one one penny, I will give them one one shilling. It was in the days of shillings and pence and a shilling then, I think it was 12 pennies or something. He went back to the school, as soon as he arrived the children saw him, “heee our teacher has come back!” He said to them, “do you remember the money you were saving with our…” “We remember” and they told him how much and he restituted, he paid them – a shilling for a penny. Then he came back, “Sir, I’ve done what God asked me to do.” I said, now we can pray. God said, “there’s no need, tell him not to drink ice water for 2 weeks.” Church Gist. He stopped drinking ice water and he became completely whole and has been whole since then.
God can fight you with the water you drink. When you find your head down and it is as a result of your fault, restitute your ways and then the lifter of your head will come into action. Which brings us to the conclusion: there are some of you who have not even been saved. There is someone called, the lifter up of your head. He is ready to lift you out of sickness, lift you out of poverty, bondage, curses, shame, if you will come to him. Church Gist. He says in his Word, “if I be lifted up, I will draw men unto me.” Come and surrender your life into him, he can solve all your problems but failure to come to him means you’re telling him, “I don’t need you.” Well, if you don’t need him, then you can continue with your problems. But I appeal to you today, come and surrender your life to the one who can remove your shame, who can solve all your problems.
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