WE HAVE LONG EMPHASIZED FAITH AND MISSED THE SUBSTANCE OF OBEDIENCE THAT MAKES FAITH WORK
NO REASON UNDER HEAVEN IS TENABLE FOR DISOBEDIENCE
YOU HAVE TRIED A LOT, ALLOW GOD TO TAKE OVER. HE HAS THE SWEETEST WINE
OBEDIENCE IS STRONGER THAN THE STRONGEST PRAYER.
OUR ESCAPE FROM THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS IS THE MOST COSTLY ASSAULT TO THE devil AND HE COULD DO NOTHING.
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE SITTING AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE AND LIVING AN UGLY LIFE
WHERE OUR OBEDIENCE STOPS IS WHERE GOD’s BLESSINGS STOPS FLOWING.
THE CASE OF A CHILD OF GOD CAN NEVER BECOME HOPELESS. AS LONG AS YOU’RE JOINED TO THE LIVING GOD, THERE IS HOPE
THERE IS NO IRREVERSIBLE CASE WITH GOD AND WITH OBEDIENCE OF FAITH.
ONE OF THE GREATEST TREASURES OF THE KINGDOM I HAVE IS THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SECURITY OF THE COVENANT
GOD’s COVENANT WITH THE REDEEMED IS AS BINDING AS HIS COVENANT WITH THE DAY AND OF THE NIGHT
UNTIL OUR PART IS PLAYED FOR THE DELIVERY OF ANY PROVISION OF REDEMPTION, GOD IS NOT COMMITTED
THE OBEDIENT DON’T GO AFTER BLESSINGS, BLESSINGS GO AFTER THE OBEDIENT TO OVERTAKE THEM
- Bishop David Oyedepo on UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF OBEDIENCE OF FAITH 4 at Midweek Communion Service || LFC Canaanland || 12th June 2024 ||
UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF OBEDIENCE OF FAITH 4
Hebrews 11:17-19 is the anchor scripture for this series that we are looking at in our Midweek services this month. This is part 4.
Hebrews 11:17-18. That’s the temptation there. “Your seed shall not be called by Ishmael but by Isaac.” “Now bring that Isaac and let’s kill him.” That’s the temptation there. “You said it Lord, what is happening here?” He said “Do what I say.” Hebrews 11:19. “I believe He said in Isaac shall my seed be named. Isaac is an adolescent, he is not married. He has no seed. But I believe you can reconnect the neck after I cut it.” Somebody say obedience of faith. Church Gist. “Stay here, I and the lad will go and worship and come back.” He couldn’t have been saying that grinning. He was smiling. Otherwise those men will not let him go to kill his son. They will think it is madness or he has become senile. Genesis 22:5. “Hello, young people, stay here. I and the lad will go and worship and come back” with a smile. He believed that God could reconnect the neck. Obedience of faith.
We have a lot of reasons why we won’t do what God says. “You see… You know… You understand my position. You know the security in town. You don’t know who you are talking to.,” Yet you go to the market, do you know who you are buying from? Church Gist. No! No reason under heaven is tenable for disobedience. Anybody can pity you because we are humans but as far as God is concerned, He is a covenant keeping God. You either get it right or you are wrong.
It is proven all through scriptures that obedience of faith is the master key to provoking the manifestations of the wonders in the Word. You can’t experience the wonders loaded in this book (the Bible) without obedience of faith at work. We have long emphasized faith and missed the substance of obedience that makes faith work. Show me your faith without your obedience and I will show you my faith by my obedience. James 2:18. “I believe God.” Church Gist. Now the question is, do you obey what He says to do for what you are looking for to be released? John 2:5. He told them some weird things to do. They were looking for wine, he said go and pour water. We don’t know the difference between water and wine? Pour it publicly, so they can see you are a fool. After they poured it, He said “take a cup of it to the chairman of the occasion.” What do I call it? “I did not tell you what to call it, just take it to him”. The man said “Oh My God! Where did you get this from?” Obedience of faith. No corner corner, no vibration. You have tried, Allow God over. You have tried a lot, allow God to take over. He has the sweeter wine. Obedience of faith is the gateway to it.
A man was born blind, Jesus came and plastered the eyes again. So he can be blinder. ‘Go to the pool called Siloam and wash.’ “What nonsense? I mean you mean you are adding salt to injury. I am not going.” Church Gist. Well done. He went and washed and came back seeing. Obedience is the trigger for all the wonders in the Kingdom. Obedience of faith.
John 14:21. Obedience provokes His manifestation. He shows up for our rescue. He shows up for our change of story. When we do what the Word says believing, we have committed God’s integrity to perform and confirm His Word in our lives. For instance, “Go to all the world and preach. What I say to one, I say to all.” And God was working with them. You want God with you? Then get involved. Church Gist. His presence will always make a difference, any day, any time. Matthew 28:18-20. Mark 16:15-16, 20. Do you want His sustainable presence? Get involved in the going after the lost. You have committed Him to enclose you with His presence. That makes you an unbeatable individual in the battles of life.
In the Kingdom of Christ, obedience speaks louder than voice. Obedience is stronger than the strongest prayer. Obedience is of greater value than the strongest sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:22. 40 days of prayer and fasting won’t change your story. Pray for grace to obey what He says to do, that’s okay but it will never be a substitute for obeying what He says to do. It is interesting to note that obedience is neither a gift or a calling, obedience is a choice. Church Gist. Deuteronomy 30:19. We have the God given power of choice within us. One day, you and I chose Jesus and He came in. Where was the devil when we made that choice? Our escape is the most costly assault to the devil, where was he when we did? You chose to and I chose to and our choice subdued the devil. Our choice to obey will subdue every devil hanging around. Just walk in obedience.
Daniel 12:3. You led someone to Christ, an old woman that is old enough to be your mother. She got sick and you went to the hospital to check on her. You carried all the money you have in your house to go and pay. When they look at you, they know that this man doesn’t have the money to come and pay, let’s keep this woman here. He doesn’t look like somebody that can pay. Somebody overlooking from the other side asked “Is that your mother?” No! She is my convert. She has become my responsibility. Oh my God, let me pay the balance. “Would you worship with us?” Church Gist. He hasn’t finished his job. “Yes, I am coming with my family.” The following day, he called. A car and a house. Without any savings, without anything. A star just rose from darkness by divine favour from heaven. He didn’t only lead that woman to Christ, he was following her up to be established in righteousness. Just one day, everything turned. There is that one day for you during this season. There is something that you will do one day that will cause everything to turn around. Something you will engage in one day to turn everything around. May that one day not be missing. May you be sensitive enough to catch that one day.
How white the field is to harvest. We came in today from the harvest field and I said look, we are going to stop at the gate and minister to those at the Beautiful Gate who are crippled. There are some people who are sitting at the Beautiful Gate and living an ugly life. We stood there and ministered to them. 40 people gave their life to Christ at Canaanland gate. Church Gist. What is your problem? Somebody is sitting down there permanently and just writing everything as if that is a substitute for obedience. Even preaching is not a substitute for obedience. You can preach to dryness. If you won’t obey God, nothing will happen. God does not bless preaching, He blesses obedience. Something unusual is happening in your life this time in the name of Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2. All these blessings through your obedience will come to you and overtake you. All these blessings, you won’t be going to them. The obedient don’t go after blessings, blessings go after the obedient to overtake them. The obedient don’t go after blessings, blessings follow after the obedient with a mission to overtake them. Church Gist. “I won’t let you go, I’m here to surround you and hedge you in. You will be blessed in your going out, blessed in your coming in, everything about you is blessed. You woke up your hand is blessed.” The obedient don’t cry for blessings; blessings pursue after the obedient. Deuteronomy 28:1-14. James 1:22-25. People hate work and nothing works around somebody not working. It is work that defines worth. Nothing works without somebody at work. If you won’t work, you start losing worth before you know it, you have become a man of no worth. It’s time to be awake.
Remember we serve a Covenant keeping God not a father Christmas God. Matthew 20:3-7; that man kept his talent, he was damned. Those who worked with it, they were lifted. Go and work. Church Gist. God is saying, I’m not a father Christmas God, I am a covenant keeping God. Church Gist. My covenant will I not break no matter how hungry you may be – go and work. Psalm 89:34.
- This season will not leave you the way it met you; something must just turn in your life in the name of Jesus and that, by your permission. It’s your choice that makes it happen.
One of the greatest treasures of the Kingdom that came my way was the opening of my understanding to the security of the covenant (let me call it so). When God said to me, “My Son David, my prosperity plan is not a promise” and that applies to every other plan he has. Church Gist. So it does not answer to prayers, it’s not a promise that somebody steps into fasting, he said to me, my prosperity plan is a covenant, until your part is played, I’m not committed – March 22nd 1982. It is our part that is missing – why in most cases things are not working, our part is missing. “One thing thou lackest…” Mark 10:21. Something is missing.
We need a covenant mentality to make the most of our adventure in the kingdom. Look, God has made his promise based on this condition. When I align with these conditions it has upgraded that promise to a covenant, it becomes binding on God to perform. I said, “how reliable is your covenant?” He said, except my covenant be not with the day and with the night… Jeremiah 33:21; Revelation 5:10. Church Gist. So it applies to all the Redeemed. My covenant with the redeemed is as binding as my covenant with the day and of the night. Jeremiah 33:20-21. So he said to me, anytime you look up in the sky then you see the sun, then you know that my covenant is in force – same day o. Lift up your eyes in the night you see the moon, it shows that my covenant is in force. Only what can change that can change my covenant with you. Church Gist. So when you align with the covenant, you have invoked God’s integrity to respond. He will; and it holds while the earth remains. It’s in force all through our adventure on the Earth. While the earth remains, this remains in force.
- Somebody’s story is changing.
Matthew 24:35. The part of it that is missing all the time is that until our part is played for the delivery of any provision of redemption, God is not committed. Psalm 89:34. For instance, we have our 7 redemptive package as listed in Revelation 5:12. You can’t sit down and be looking for power. Isaiah 55:1. There must be a thirst and a panting for empowerment before you can be empowered. Church Gist. You must be seeking for empowerment for the right cause – to serve his purpose better. Isaiah 41:17-18; John 7:38. So there is a panting and a longing to access empowerment. You can’t sit down and say, “eeeeeehhhh empowerment” – no. Isaiah 58:6; Isaiah 10:27 – I have ordained fasting for your empowerment so we engage in it.
Riches- We can only be empowered for wealth through the covenant of seed time and harvest, no short cut.
Wisdom – if any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God. James 1:5. We demand for wisdom on the altar of prayer but beyond that, Proverbs 1:5. It is commitment to a lifestyle of learning that increases one’s wisdom level. Church Gist. Thirdly, Proverbs 13:20 so when you’re involved in soul winning, you’re walking with Jesus, you’re in partnership with Jesus and he is the wisdom and the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:24. So, the more established your partnership with him, the wiser you become by the day. There are things to do to take delivery of whatever God has promised.
Strength: Psalm 84:7. You want strength? Get addicted to fellowship. It’s the center for renewal of strength. Don’t be looking for your Bible on Sunday or looking for your whatever and then you just sit down in Church, “yeah yeah, that’s okay.” Church Gist. Abi you’re marking God? Proverbs 24:10 – so build strength through the Word, by being in fellowship. If wishes were horses, all the beggars will ride.
Where our obedience stops is where God’s blessings stops flowing. When Saul’s obedience stopped, he lost his throne. You find the blessings all the way from Deuteronomy 28:1-14 and then you find Deuteronomy 28:15-66, the blessing has stopped. Church Gist. If you have been doing right all your life and then you start doing the wrong, God will forget the right you have done and take us on the wrong in which he found us. Ezekiel 18:24. We need to maintain a covenant mentality in our walk with God as to commit him to confirm his words in our lives. We must have to maintain that.
But the obedience that works must be:
- Good conscience based obedience: no games, no gimmicks. 1 Timothy 1:19.
- Hope driven obedience: Ecclesiastes 9:4. Well, “I hope anything can still change,” then you’re not ready for a change. 1 Peter 1:3. Ecclesiastes 9:4. The case of a child of God can never become hopeless. Church Gist. As long as you’re joined to the living God, there is hope. So your case and my case can never become hopeless.
- So every case termed impossible in your life opens up today! John 11:32-43. So what level of sickness can anybody tell you is incurable? That man had become a disease not that he had disease, he had become a disease himself. You’re to close your nose, close everywhere so he will not infect you. He was cancerous, he was a cancer in personality, everything had gone down, Jesus regathered him. Church Gist. Sir, it doesn’t matter where you are today, no matter what any expert says, Jesus has the right to turn your case around. There is no irreversible case with God and no irreversible case with faith. Whatever God can do, faith can make happen. But it’s now obedience of faith, it’s not cosmetic faith, obedience of faith – knowing what to do to commit God. You’re using the remaining strength – “Lord Jesus, let everyone on the go this week return with harvest. Church Gist. Convict the hearts of men, draw them to yourself, save them Jesus” with your remaining strength. The one you use to talk to your doctor, you talk it to Jesus, you use it to talk to Jesus.
Somebody had cancer of the mouth, he went out with the cancerous mouth “Jesus loves you (in a low tone). He showed up in the night and (said) “open your mouth” and ripped off the lump – the end of the plague of cancer of the mouth. Church Gist. He returned from the US because they couldn’t help anymore but Jesus came in and said, I’m in charge. My name is the Great Physician.
- Every terminal case now, I command it terminated now!
…By simple and raw obedience of faith. As we close tonight, obedience of faith has proved to be the custodian of every great and glorious destiny in Scriptures. We have the likes of Noah, a farmer given an engineering feat to accomplish. He moved into action, God came down – helped him out. Church Gist. The Ark was constructed. There was no leakage. The Ark stood on water after several years, how he treated the woods, God knows.
He called Abraham. He departed at the age of 75. Obedience of faith. He said to Isaac, “you shall not go down to Egypt.” Isaac said, ‘yes sir.’ He turned him to the envy of his world. He called Moses, he became the greatest of all prophets ever known in history. You find obedience as the track of every great destiny in Scriptures. Church Gist. Peter, come on now with your boat, push to the water not how much are you going to pay me? Raw obedience, simple obedience. And as from henceforth, you shall be catching men – I change your status. Raw obedience! Acts 26:19. So you find obedience at the root of every great exploit, at the root of the life of every man and woman of great exploits. Obedience! No shortcut.
- It’s your turn!
2 Peter 1:19. The prophecy you don’t take heed to will never come to pass in your life. Take heed to the prophetic word if you want to see it come to pass – take heed. Now the question now is…we don’t pursue prophecies to see them fulfilled. We pursue after God, the only One that can bring His Word to pass if you must see prophecies come to pass. We pursue after God like Abraham did. Whatever God said was okay. Church Gist. Every word He spoke to Abraham came to pass. We don’t pursue prophecies to see them come to pass, we pursue after God to see prophecies come to pass.
One cannot turn his back on God and expect to see prophecy fulfilled. Now watch Exodus 19:4-5…that’s my agenda for you but this is what you must do to make it happen. Exodus 19:6. So we keep His covenant to see His Word come to pass. Church Gist. We don’t keep it, forget it. We have been redeemed as priests and kings – we won’t see a throne without keeping His covenant. Get down to do what He says to do and then you have committed Him to confirm His Word.
Now watch 1 Samuel 2:30. Not every prophecy will come to pass in every life. Only those who keep the covenant demands of such prophetic word will have it come to pass. We have a glorious package for the year. ‘Fortune 2024’ prophetic agenda is settled in Heaven but it is only our covenant positioning that can take delivery. Settled! How do I connect with ‘Fortune 2024’ prophetic package? Psalm 102:13-15. Church Gist. By you favouring the agenda of my Kingdom, you have secured my favour on your life and it’s going to be in fearful dimensions. Get ready for it. So you don’t sit down and begin to recite Fortune 2024. No! Know what to do. If you check the Prophetic Signal for the year, you will find every statement giving you what to do. You have not read it? You better check it. There’s what to do, not that you are waiting. There’s what to do to see it happen.
- In the precious name of Jesus, it’s your turn at last!
As I close with this humour. God laid out 7 prophetic pillars for this Commission (April 10th, 1982). None of those items was on a prayer point. No! We just simply kept obeying what God says to do and He kept bringing them to pass one after another at His own time “for He makes all things beautiful in His time.” Just be consistent sir. There is a man by name Solomon. A word came at his birth, “he shall be a child of peace.” Church Gist. Now God chose him to be the King. He was a child of destiny. But hear what the Word said (in) 1 Chronicles 28:5-7…he has to remain consistent for this to be fulfilled. 1 Chronicles 28:8. You find consistency is required. It’s not one off. Consistency!
Now watch, I was going from house to house (in) 1973 in that village and I’m still going from street to street today. That’s quite some time. 1973 minus 2024, how many 70s is that? (Laughs) Amen! I mean, 1973, I was going about consciously, deliberately, no call into ministry – a choice to serve God and this is 2024. How many years is that? 51 years. Is that correct? Okay. You watch it. Church Gist. All these retirements at 5 years and 3 years are not safe. If you will be constant…he (Solomon) was in there burning for Jesus for 20 years. If you will be constant, he ghosted and God turned His back and became His enemy.
- Grace for consistency in your pursuit of God, receive it now!
We never prayed for “O God, open the door of nations.” No! He said, He will open, keep doing what He says when it’s time, He will open it. “O God, you know you said, you will build at the base of the Ministry 50,000 Capacity Sanctuary – do we have capacity to sit in there? No! Keep doing what He says to do. You know the greatest of humour? Church Gist. They were on the drawing board (the architects) when I walked into the room and I said “hey, how much have you gotten in this concept?” They said about 30. I said, wait a minute. There’s a record somewhere. So it wasn’t a record we were pursuing. We were not pursuing a record. People just say “God, you said you will take me on high.” He will if you do what He says. Can I hear your Amen? But you can’t be telling God you said, you will take me on high. He’s saying check what I said you must do to take you on high.
- Somebody’s story is changing!
Lift up your right hand everybody and give God thanks for light. You already know what it is. Don’t blame the devil, he’s not behind your choice. Your choice is your choice. You made it. It’s your choice you make that determines your lot in life. Everybody makes his choice. Stop looking for the devil to blame. You chose Jesus, He was watching. Church Gist. Your choice is stronger than the strongest devil in hell. Lord, I choose to serve you, I choose to obey you, I choose to obey your Word. I choose to go after you all my life. Make the choice. It’s the choice you need, it’s the choice I need.
—PRAYERS—
There are certain things that you do that God swears on you. One day He said to me after responding to a particular instruction He gave me “my son David, even if you don’t want to be rich, it’s too late” – 1987 (the month of May). Church Gist. Too late! I was before Him one time, He said, “my son David, I am just pleased with you.” Pleased? What have I done?
- You will hear the voice of God!
- It will turn everything around in your life!
He said, we entreat His favour, we don’t wait for it. We provoke it.
- You will get it right this time in the name of Jesus!
- Every step you take towards pleasing God this season will deliver!
- Every delivery will turn your story! So shall it be!
—ALTAR CALL—
Watch, He made Himself of no reputation. Nobody made Him. He took upon Himself the form of a servant. Nobody put it on Him. He became obedient unto death – He became not they made Him to become. Wherefore God has also highly exalted Him. Let’s stop playing religion. Your choice is stronger than the strongest devil in hell. Church Gist. You know what Jesus said? For their sake, I sanctify myself. (Not) come and sanctify me – for their sake, I sanctify myself. John 17:19. Most of the time, we just shy away from our responsibility. “O God, come and sanctify me.” ‘Whosoever has this hope in him purifieth himself.’ I mustn’t miss it. No, I refuse to miss it. 2 Timothy 2:19-21. It is taking covenant responsibility that adds colour to a believer’s life.
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