WE BRING YOU GREETINGS FROM ETHIOPIA AND KENYA WHERE WE HAD AN INCREDIBLE TIME IN GOD’S PRESENCE
THE ROAD YOU FOLLOW DETERMINES THE PLACE YOU END
AS FAR AS THE JOURNEY OF LIFE IS CONCERNED, IF YOU DON’T HAVE A CHOICE, YOU DON’T HAVE A CHANCE
EVERY POSITION ON EARTH IS CHANGEABLE BY DECISION
AS A YOUNG BOY, I MADE A DECISION THAT I WON’T BE NEEDING ANY OF MY FATHER’S PROPERTIES BECAUSE I WILL HAVE TOO MUCH OF MY OWN
NOTHING CAN BE AGAINST THE MAN WHO IS NOT AGAINST HIMSELF
HOW WILMA RUDOLPH WENT FROM BEING A CRIPPLE TO BEING AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST IN SPRINT RACE
PRAYING FOR THE SICK TO GET HEALED IS MY RESPONSIBILITY BUT THE RESULT OF THE PRAYER IS IN GOD’S HANDS
IT’S BETTER TO DIE IN MOTION THAN TO DIE IN STAGNATION
IF I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THE GLORY FOR THE PERSON WHO IS HEALED, I WON’T TAKE THE BLAME FOR THE PERSON WHO IS NOT HEALED
ANY FAITH THAT PUTS EVERY RESPONSIBILITY ON GOD IS AN IRRESPONSIBLE FAITH
DON’T LET YOUR SURROUNDING DETERMINE YOUR DECISION, LET YOUR CONVICTION DETERMINE YOUR DECISION
YOUR DECISION DETERMINES YOUR ACTION AND YOUR ACTION DETERMINES THE REACTION OF LIFE
STOP ACCUSING THE devil OF EVERYTHING, LEARN TO START TAKING IMPORTANT DECISIONS FOR YOUR LIFE
YOUR POSITION IN LIFE IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS YOUR DECISION
IN THE MIDST OF EVERY SITUATION, UNDERSTAND THAT THERE’S A WAY OUT
- Dr. Pastor Paul Enenche on “ABOVE ONLY BY DECISION (EXISTING AT THE TOP BY CHOICE) || May 2024 Impartation Service || Dunamis International Gospel Centre || Glory Dome, Abuja.
Hallelujah! Greetings all the way from Ethiopia and all the way from Kenya. We had very incredible time in the presence of the Lord in those places. At the end of the service, we should be able to show some clips of the events there. Church Gist. The earth truly is being filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord like the waters cover the sea.
- somebody say Amen!
This morning, I will speak quickly on the subject, “ABOVE ONLY BY DECISION (EXISTING AT THE TOP BY CHOICE)”. Church Gist. Our objective this morning is first of all to understand the power of choice. Second, to understand what gives strength to choice.
Deuteronomy 30:19. Beloved brothers and sisters, by way of introduction, life’s outcome is a product of choice. Life, if it’ll be qualitative, must be lived by choice. Choice is a major determinant of destiny. Decision is pathway to destiny. Church Gist. That is why the road you follow determines the place you end. The road you follow in life, which is majorly a product of choice, determines the place you end.
Note this, things may fall by chance, it just fell by chance but nothing rises by chance. Things may fall by chance but they rise by choice. Church Gist. It is not possible that on its own, a phone that was on the floor went to the table, except if there’s some witchcraft manipulation or something going on and even then. Things may fall by chance, they may drop by chance but if they will rise, they rise by choice. In fact, they rise by the force of choice. Thirdly, where there’s no choice, there may be no chance. As far as the journey of life is concerned, if you don’t have a choice, you don’t have a chance. Church Gist. And when I’m talking about choice, I’m talking about the choice of staying where you are in life or moving from there. The choice of allowing the forces of your father’s house to limit your destiny or to cross boundary. Church Gist. I’m going to give three examples in Scripture of men that changed their life by choice.
- Jacob.
Jacob went up by choice. Genesis 25:30-34. Esau was born first, Jacob was born second but Jacob became first by choice. Listen to this, every position on earth is changeable by decision. Anywhere you found yourself on earth, it can be changed. Church Gist. The most permanent deposit is the position of birth – ‘this one is first born, this one is second born’ – that is a fixed deposit but Jacob changed it. If second born can become first born by decision, there’s nothing decision cannot make you to become. And how valid is that agreement? It was so valid that when Isaac was blessing his children, probably, he was not aware of the transaction, so he called his first born to receive the first born blessing. Church Gist. ‘Esau produce food and bring, let me bless you’, even though Jacob lied that he was Esau and the blessing landed, the blessing held. Because in eternity, it was recorded that birth position has changed. So, while people were thinking Jacob lied, God is saying the position is correct. If it is first born blessing you want to drop, Esau can’t carry it anymore. God was not approving a lie, God was validating a transaction, a transaction of choice, a transaction of decision. Church Gist. I don’t know about you but I made my choices long ago. You see, when some people see people and they’re wondering, ‘why is this person here and that person is there?’ It’s a matter of choice.
I made a choice growing up. My father was a man of means. Had brand new buses and lorries and all that. As a growing up child, it was my decision that if it was time to divide property at all, I won’t need a pin because I’ll have too much of my own. Church Gist. From young boyhood age. Are you hearing what I’m saying here today? I won’t need one pin. I made up my mind that wherever people are in front, that is where I’ll be. What choice are you making? Church Gist. When you leave your life to chance, you have no chance. Listen to this, every position in life is changeable by choice.
- I see somebody’s position changing today!
- if you’re saying Amen, shout the loudmost Amen.
- lift your hands and say, “in the name of Jesus, my position is changing today!”
I have said this before, let me say it again, nothing can be against the man who is not against himself. If you’re not against yourself, nothing can be against you, not the devil, not a witch, not a wizard especially if God is on your side. Church Gist. The position of Jacob’s birthday could not be against him since he made a decision. He has been eyeing the firstborn position and he has been calculating until he realized that his brother loves food. Because he saw Abraham was blessed and saw how Isaac his own father was blessed and he saw how the blessing was going, he wanted to be in that line. And if he didn’t do anything, it’ll be the ‘God of Abraham, Isaac and Esau’, so he did something, he did a transaction. Church Gist. In that transaction, it was clear the sense of value of the two. Esau valued the moment, Jacob valued the future. Esau was ready to sell the future to benefit in the moment. Jacob was ready to starve in the moment to guarantee a future.
- somebody say Amen!
What is your choice, what is your decision about life in general? What is your choice, what is your decision in your martial journey? And I will say something when we go further.
- The lepers at the Gate of Samaria.
In 2 Kings 7, there was famine in Samaria and everything was going haywire and some lepers sat. 2 Kings 7:3-9. Church Gist. These people sat on the same spot, no food, nothing and then they came to a conclusion. “If we sit here, we die. If we enter into the Camp of the Syrians, they may catch us and they will kill us”. But in my own understanding, it is better to die in progress than to die in stagnation. It’s better to die in motion than to die in stagnation, that was the choice they made. Church Gist. Nothing changes by doing nothing but something changes by doing something, that is the power of choice.
Listen, if you make a choice and for example, you enter the wrong road, truth is, in the missing of road once or twice because you’re desperate to change your situation, you may know more roads. Church Gist. Thomas Edison said, “I did not fail 10,000 times”, when he tried to make the light bulb and for 10,000 times, he could not succeed, he said, “I discovered 10,000 times in which it does not work”.
- somebody say a loud Amen!
Your decision determines your action and your action determines the reaction of life. Church Gist. Life reacts to you according to action. When they moved, everything moved.
- Today, every one who is a victim of no decision, I declare that spell is broken!
- From today, receive the grace to make the brutal decision!
Have you heard of Wilma Rudolph before? Wilma Rudolph was the young black American girl that was born with lobar pneumonia, scarlet fever and polio. The polio twisted her legs and she walked like that. Family of about 11 children, they ran to the dining table, she was the last to reach the table. Church Gist. Once in a year, her mother took her to a doctor about 40 kilometres away from the village where they lived and the doctor tried his best for her. Gave her metal braces, you know that kind of brace that is up to the waist like this and then they walk like that? On the way from the doctor, one day, this girl told the mother, “one day, I’m going to leave this tiny village to the world and they will hear of me”. Church Gist. Lobar pneumonia, scarlet fever and polio. So, it was time to go to secondary school and with metal brace like this, I’m telling you her story because she’s a Christian, she grew up in faith, with metal brace like that, she said she wants to join basketball. Basketball? But you know what she did? One of the days before she went back to the next clinic, she began to force her leg, the leg that was turned like this (inward), she began to force it to go outward like that. Church Gist. She did that for one year. When she came, the doctor saw that the muscles had began to develop, her leg was becoming normal. Doctor said, “what have you been doing?!” She said, “I’m sorry Sir. I didn’t plan to do anything wrong”. He said, “no, no. Whatever you’re doing, keep on doing it! It is working!” Long story made short, they put her in basketball, the basketball coach saw that she had another skill that was more than basketball, that was the skill to run faster than the others, so, she became a runner. Church Gist. She became a runner until 1961 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia I believe, she won a gold medal as the fastest runner. She returned back home and began to work on herself for about 12-14 hours everyday running track for four more years and went to the Olympics, I believe, in Athens Greece, 1964 and became the first woman in history to win three gold medals in one Olympics. First woman in history. What did she win? She was the fastest in 100 metres, 200 metres and the anchor woman in 4×4 100 metres relay race. She was the fastest. Church Gist. She won three in history for the first time by the power of choice. If you say you can, you’re right and if you say you can’t, you’re right.
One day, somebody saw a vision where the devil was crying. He said, “devil, who beat you?” He said, “it’s all these people. Anything I didn’t do, they say I did it. Everything is devil devil, the bad name is too much”. Church Gist. People who are lazy and can’t go to work, they say, devil. People who have decided to (not) make a decision, they say ‘devil’. My classmate in secondary school, when we graduated, I heard that that year his GCE or WAEC result was the worst in their history so far. Church Gist. Even when we had a get together recently, I was told that was the same. My classmate failed, one of them, failed so badly he had to repeat from (class) 5, not ss2 like they say it now. We had left from 5 and we have gone forward. You know the way seniority is in those days, in secondary schools. That is, these are your juniors, he went back to the class that he was once, “you, come here!”. Church Gist. He went back to the class and remained in the same secondary school. It was better he had gone somewhere else but it was so oppressive. Then he made a vow, he will never fail another time in life. That guy, that year, GCE came, he smashed it. Got a very high mark, went straight to JAMB for medicine. Under six years, he was out. Less than four years again, he became a consultant physician. Less than a few years, he became a professor of internal medicine. He has been a professor now for almost 15 or 20 years. Church Gist. By the power of decision. Your position is not as important as your decision. Your situation is not as important as your decision. Am I communicating?
- I prophesy to somebody here today, whatever position you have found yourself, I see it changing by the power of decision!
- You believe that, shout the loudest Amen!
- lift your hands and say, “in the name of Jesus, whether the devil likes it or not, I am changing my position, my situation by the force of choice!
Now, that choice applies everywhere. You came out from a very terrible family of witchcraft, occultic ancestral forces, you can make the choice to say, ‘light has never been defeated by darkness. Church Gist. If I am a child of light, I have given my life to Jesus, darkness cannot defeat me. Whatever it takes, I shall be delivered!’ Whatever it takes, whatever righteous mode and approach it takes, I must be free, I must become who God wants me to be. I must reach where I must reach. I must arrive where God wants me to arrive. My destiny cannot be tied down by a devil! 1 Corinthians 10:13. So, in the midst of every situation, understand that there’s a way out. I may not have seen the way but that does not mean the way does not exist. Church Gist. And the decision is, “I must keep searching until I find the way. I must keep looking into Scripture until I find the way. I must do everything I can do until I find a way”.
- but the good news is, I am here anointed by the fire of the Holy Ghost to let somebody know today, you will see that way out!
- Say Amen like a believer!
- stand on your feet and walk to seven people, tell them, “you’ll see the way out!”
- give the Lord a big clap and a loud shout of praise!
- Blind Bartimaeus
Mark 10:46-52. Hallelujah.
- somebody say a loud Amen
- somebody say, if it is going to be, it is up to me.
It’s not up to another person oh. If it is going to be, it is up to me. Church Gist. Whatever is going to be in your life. Any faith that puts every responsibility on God is an irresponsible faith. If it is going to be.. How many of you know that in the Bible days and even today, beggars beg in group? Eh? They sit together, “garri, garri, sugar, I’m begging” (laughs). In secondary school, some funny people used to go from hostel to hostel especially during lights out, “garri, garri, cube, I’m begging”. Church Gist. And in group and they sat down there, the Bible said, when He heard that it was Jesus passing, every beggar around him may have heard the same thing but he was the only person that did something about what he heard. He made a choice and one good thing is, everytime you make the right choice, the right choice makes the right you. It will make you who you are meant to be. And he stood, they wanted to silence him but he cried the more. Can I say something to you? Don’t let your surrounding determine your decision, let your conviction determine your decision. Church Gist. If you mind the people around you, you may not make the choice you need to make. Lightbulb moment. There are people who are where they are today because ‘what will people say and what will they feel if I say that this is what I want’. Church Gist. Blind Bartimeus supposing he said, ‘have mercy on me, pray for me, let me see’ and you don’t see. And so what? What do I lose?
I have the compassion to pray for the sick and the afflicted. If I pray for them and they’re not healed. Someone said, “why do you pray supposing somebody is not healed?” Well, if somebody is not healed, Heaven bears me witness that I have tried, I have done what I’m meant to do. Church Gist. Responsibility is mine, result is His. Result is not in my hand, it’s in His hand, responsibility is in my hand. And if I’m not going to take the glory for the person who is healed, I won’t take the blame for the person who is not healed. Are you hearing me? Because I’m not trying to prove any point, I’m trying to see how much I can help in my life’s assignment. Hallelujah. So, if you mind people, if you mind your surrounding, you’ll never make the right decision. There are times you need to step out to stand out. You need to step out of the bunch, you need to step out of the pack, you need to think to think differently and decide differently. You need to step out to stand out.
- somebody shout the loudest Amen!
- say, “I am stepping out in order to stand out! I will not be held down by the indecision of others!”
I’ve been in situations before when I delayed certain decisions because of some people’s indecision, the outcome of it is massive regret. Am I communicating? Everybody you see in this world, you met them in this world. When you meet God, nobody is going to assist you to give your account to Him. Everybody will give the account of their life to God. So, I didn’t make this kind of decision or that decision because of this person, God will not hear that.
- but it’s a new day for somebody!
Somebody is afraid of human opinion, somebody is afraid of controversy. Like, assuming I say, “thou son of David, have mercy on me” and people are saying, “what do you mean?” Archbishop Benson Idahosa of blessed memory, he said, “it is better to be controversial than to be inconsequential”.
- is there somebody here who is going to make a decision today, lift your hands and say, “I will make the right decision today and experience a change of story today”.
What is the power of choice?
- Choice forbids leaving life to chance. It forbids living at the mercy of life’s circumstances. When you have made a choice, your life is no longer at the mercy of chance. Church Gist. See the man in John 5:7, he left his life to chance. Impotent man by the Pool of Siloam. Jesus said, “will you be made whole?” Instead of saying yes, I want to be made whole, he said, “I have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool”. John 5:7. Church Gist. This man has not made a decision as to what he wanted out of life. “Will you be made whole? Do you want to be made whole?” Answer is yes or no. He started an explanation.
I will tell you something that is very touching. I met a man that I knew many years ago, we grew up together and I was very concerned about his stranded life. Church Gist. So, I called him, I said, “I’ll like to assist you, is there any business you want to do or anything, I can give you an assistance to do”. You know it’s only a heartless person, when you see your age mate or contemporary that you knew from years back, you see them suffering and you do nothing. So, I said, “I’d like to assist you. What kind of business would you like to do?”. He said, “hmm. Let me think about it”. “And how much will you need?” “Hmm. Let me think about it”. Church Gist. I don’t think he returned until about six months. When he came, he said he has thought about something but he wasn’t too sure. So, I gave him money all the same. You’ll not believe this, about six months later, he returned the money intact, he hadn’t been able to know what to do yet. Church Gist. I mean, in that angle, he was very sincere, he didn’t touch the money, he didn’t squander it, he returned it. Said he hasn’t been able to know what to do yet. I could not recover from that. It was then I realized that the devil is not to blame. If you don’t know what to do, even God cannot help you. Church Gist. I mean, it doesn’t matter who wants to assist you, you’re not assistable because you cannot push a car that is decided to stand in the same spot. That guy’s life couldn’t be changed. He couldn’t be shifted from that position, he couldn’t at all. If you don’t have a choice, you don’t have a decision, your life is left to chance. Beloved, don’t wait for opportunity to meet you unprepared, prepare before opportunity arrives. Church Gist. Don’t decide at the sight of opportunity, decide before opportunity arrives so that when the opportunity arrives… Are you asking me what I want to do? Say, “Pastor, I want to drop one billion” or two or whatever amount you want to drop. You want to ask me what I want to do? I’m in Pakistan for crusade since, India since, Colombia, Mexico, Mexico is the largest city in the world. Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Australia, Hong Kong, China. Church Gist. We have more assignments than we have the time to do it.
- someone say a loud Amen!
- I decree today, the spell of indecision is broken from somebody’s life!
Choice forbids leaving life to chance. You live ready, you’re on the go.
- Choice brings man into agreement with God. When you have made especially the right choice, it brings you into agreement with God. Amos 3:3. Matthew 18:19. Church Gist. That is, God said, “you’re the head and not the tail, above only and never beneath”, you said, “yes, that is where I want to be. No devil can keep me in the pit. No devil can ground my life and destiny”. Then God said, “I said, you agree with me, let’s go”. You’re brought into alignment with your Maker. And if you and God have agreed, where’s the witch that can stop you and God.
When was Jalingo Crusade? 2021. We were coming out of COVID lockdown. It was still very heavy. Open air crusade was not allowed. At a point, they said, they was a resurgence of COVID whatever and people should return back, no open air meeting again and we have already publicized the crusade. Church Gist. Also, it was a religious holiday in that part of the world. And then the terrorism attack was at another level. Three major challenges. When it was 48 hours to the time, my wife asked me, “are we still going for the crusade?” Number one, the insurgency. Number two, the new directive that open air crusade may not hold again because of this resurgence. Number three, religious holiday in that part of the world. It may look confrontational. When people are doing their religion and you’re here with crusade and we never planned that. Church Gist. The date wasn’t out when crusade date was fixed. Am I communicating? I’m sure you understand what I’m saying. So, my wife asked, “are we still going?” I said I’m not sure. I’m going to pray. And that point, I was ready to cancel it to avoid any challenge because I knew people would understand. If I say, you know what? This is the reason why we may not come for this crusade, it’ll be understood. So, I went to pray, when I went to pray, what I heard, this is the summary, “I am waiting for you there! I have gone ahead of you waiting for you there”. Church Gist. Then He said, “I am the owner of the earth, I can hold my event in any part of the world at any time and wherever”. That fired my spirit. I’m saying that because I just said, if you and God are in agreement, where’s the devil that will say you should not step there, where’s the devil that said you cannot move. And that was one of the crusades, it became a reference crusade until Kaduna Crusade came. Church Gist. It is still a reference. Do you understand what I’m saying?
- I announce to you today, always come into agreement with God, if you’re in alignment with God, there’s no devil that can stop you and your faith, your decision brings you into alignment with God.
- lift your hands and say, “Father, I agree with you!”
- Choice directs action. When you make a choice, the choice begins to direct your actions. In Luke 15:17, the Prodigal Son had suffered so much, then he came to his senses. Luke 15:17. This is the choice, verse 18 and in verse 20, he arose. Church Gist. It’s like the choice of child who enters the university and said I must graduate with First Class. That choice begins to direct action, it begins to keep away friends that are interested in partying. He begins to read late hours and just put himself under pressure. Church Gist. He made a choice, “I must graduate with First Class”.
It’s like the choice of a young girl or a young man who says “I must marry as a virgin”, I’ll talk about that in the second service. Church Gist. That choice begins to direct her action. When you have friends that are interested in some things, you’ll say, “this is not my type of friends” because your choice is directing your actions. Decision determines action and action determines outcome. So, your outcome begins with a decision, so your choice begins to act on you. I’ve never been able to go and look for an old message to brush up and preach. Church Gist. One of the Pastors who have been following this ministry for 21 years or more was watching the Ethiopian program, the Ministers’ Conference and even the Kenyan, he said, he heard things he never heard before, it set him on fire afresh. He said, when I said, “the Rolls Royce does not fly but the aircraft is using Rolls Royce engine but the aircraft engines is of a higher capacity than the terrestrial Rolls Royce and that your capacity affects your possibility”. Church Gist. He said, that shook him. Now, many of you are hearing that for the first time because you didn’t follow the program. He heard that, it shook him. He said, ‘wow!’. I’m not sure I’ve ever made such a statement before. That is a decision, a decision, that, “look, I’m not going to serve old food”
- somebody say a loud Amen
- lift up your right hand, say, “Father, I receive the grace to make the right decision and to embark upon the right action. I received the grace to do so now in the name of Jesus!”
Did you learn anything today? That is download from Ethiopia and Kenya. You learnt something this morning?
Finally, what is it that strengthens choice?
- The revelation of the Word.
You saw it in the Word that you’re meant to be above, you’re meant to be in front, you’re meant to be healed, you’re not meant to be under any satanic oppression, you’re meant to be free of bondage. Church Gist. You saw it in the Word and it strengthened your choice. Galatians 2:2. - Revelation of the spirit.
Maybe God show you something that this is where you’re meant to be and the devil is trying to keep you here. Church Gist. Galatians 2:2 is relevant here as well. God showed me things that made it impossible for me to agree to remain where I am. - Inspiration from the experience of others.
The Angel used Elizabeth’s testimony to convince Mary to believe that she could be pregnant without meeting a man. Luke 1:36-37. You looked at your brother, you saw when he came and you saw how God lifted him. Church Gist. You heard the story of the young man who sowed the seed of 50,000 naira and now he’s in billions of his own and you say, “oh no, God can change my life”. That is why you must hang around the right people to draw the right inspiration. Church Gist. Don’t let frustrated people surround you and keep on venting their frustration.
One woman’s best friend was a divorcee. Well, I don’t want to use that word in a sense that will make anybody feel bad because there are some people whose divorce was not the fault of theirs. Church Gist. Alright? But in this case, this woman said, “my husband is treating me badly and terribly, I want to go back to my father’s house”. The friend said, “I can assist you, do you have transport money?” The woman came to tell me. This is about 25 years ago. I said, “so, that’s the kind of person you’re hanging around determines the quality of counsel you receive. Don’t shift nowhere except you want to be like her”. Church Gist. They are married till today and they’re in this Church till today. I saw her and the husband the other day in my office. If she had followed that person that surrounded her, please draw correct inspiration.
One of the young men that followed us for the crusades, when he saw how we were received and so all the… everything. At the foot of the aircraft in Kenya, somebody said, “I’m from the State House, I was sent from there to come and receive you”. Church Gist. Then they moved us, dispatch riders and all of that, I’m sure some of you saw the pictures. I’m sure they will show it. The young man said to me, “🎵 I will waste my life again and again🎵” He said, “this kind of waste of life, I like it. I want to waste it again, I like this wastage.
- praise the Lord!
Don’t let negative experiences demotivate you, let positive experiences motivate you!
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