‘A SENSE OF URGENCY’ HAS ALWAYS CHARACTERISED MY LIFE – I KNOW I NEED IT, I DASH FOR IT
THE CHALLENGE OF OUR GENERATION IS A LACKLUSTRE ATTITUDE THAT HAS PREVENTED MANY FROM AMOUNTING TO ANYTHING IN THE HANDS OF GOD
HIGH FLIERS IN SCRIPTURE ARE GIVEN TO URGENCY OF ACTION, ALACRITY OF MOTION – EXAMPLE IS ABRAHAM
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD, YOU MUST POSSESS A SENSE OF URGENCY
AS A PASTOR WITHOUT A SENSE OF URGENCY, YOUR LIFE AND DESTINY MAY NOT BRING MUCH PROFIT TO THE KINGDOM
IF IT IS THE BUSINESS OF THE KING OF KINGS, HASTE IS REQUIRED
YOU NEED THE SENSE OF URGENCY TO COLLAPSE THE ENEMY
- Dr. Pastor Paul Enenche on “EXISTENCE AT THE TOP – THE POWER OF SWIFT ACTION AND MOTION” || Destiny Recovery Convention 2024 || EXISTENCE AT THE TOP || Day 3 Evening Session || 30th May 2024 || The Glory Dome ||
Tonight we are going to be looking at a very very critical aspect of Existence at the Top – the power of swift action and motion. Church Gist. Actually, it will be more for us (form of objective)
- Understanding the power of swift action and motion.
- Understanding the necessity of swift action and motion.
- Understanding the secrets of swift action and motion.
In Deuteronomy 28:49; Job 9:26. A major character of the eagle’s height and existence at the top is swiftness of motion, alacrity of action, urgency of character. The eagle moves swiftly, urgently, hastily, causing it to fly at a 127km/hr – for the golden eagle and we have seen through Scripture that high fliers in Scripture are given to urgency of action, alacrity of motion and we are going to look at some examples. When duty calls, they move urgently, they act urgently.
- Abraham: Genesis 12:1-4. God finished speaking in verse 3 and in verse 4 there was no other verse between the instruction and the urgency of action. Genesis 22:1-5 – we have not even heard if there was a discussion between him and Sarah because I am not sure that was a discussion matter. I mean because you cannot tell Sarah that the child you have been waiting for all your life until you got the child at the age of 90, “God said I should kill the child.” Sarah (will) say, “I will kill you first before you kill the child. We will kill each other first.” So Abram departed – urgency. He was asked to offer Isaac – Abram departed. The challenge of our generation is laxity of action, lacklustre attitude, the lackadaisical attitude that has prevented many from amounting to anything in the hands of God.
- The children of Israel: when it was time for them to get out of the land of captivity in Exodus 12:10-11, the night the children of Israel were going to leave the land of Egypt, they were to move with urgency, they were to move hastily, they were to move with alacrity.
- Saul’s encounter with the Prophet Samuel: 1 Samuel 9:11-12. If you’re looking for an encounter with God, you must possess a sense of urgency. A sense of urgency is needed for the encounter of destiny. Make haste now. It is not something you do casually. Are you trusting God for an encounter, there is something to be in a hurry about, there is something to haste about. Make haste now.
That is what has characterized my life for many many years – I know I need it, I dash for it.
- David: David’s whole life was characterised with urgency, swiftness of action and motion. 1 Samuel 21:8. If it is the business of the King of Kings, haste is required. Church Gist. Can I say this to you? You do not transact and make profit for the Kingdom without the sense of urgency.
If you’re a pastor hear me: without a sense of urgency, your life and destiny may not bring much profit to the Kingdom. There is an urgency, a sense of urgency that is required in order to profit the Kingdom.
What about when he was going to collapse Goliath? 1 Samuel 17:45-48. You must be on the run to collapse the enemy. You need the sense of urgency to collapse the enemy. Church Gist. Are you trusting God for victory in the land where you are, in your destiny, in your ministry, in your assignment? You need a sense of urgency to collapse the enemy. David ran and hasted. 1 Samuel 17:48.
- I prophesy today, the grace to run, the grace for urgency, for agility and alacrity, I declare the release upon you now!
- Zaccheus: Luke 19:4-6. Do you want the master to mark your life? You need a sense of urgency.
- Samuel: when Samuel heard the call of God, he didn’t walk, he ran. 1 Samuel 3:4-5. Don’t forget where we started from, that high fliers in this Kingdom, anybody existing whether in spiritual authority, material prosperity, whatever, they have a sense of urgency. Church Gist. When God was calling Samuel, he ran. When David was going to meet Goliath, he ran. When Elisha received the mantle from Elijah, he ran.
- Elisha: 1 Kings 19:19-20. He left his yoke of oxen, he left everything, he ran.
We live in a generation of people who are casual about everything. They stroll in every situation. Situation that demands urgency, they are strolling. They are strolling with hand in the pocket. Situation that demands alacrity, they are strolling. A laid back generation. They take everything easy and life is never easy for those who take everything easy (just slack). You came into the Church, isn’t it? In some of our crusade grounds, come and give your life to Christ and people will be running. Be the first to come – they run forward. Today you can actually see people going for altar call with hand in their pockets chewing gum. A lag’s generation. Pastor who doesn’t see the need to come to Church on time. Praise and Worship has gone very far. In fact, it has ended. Church Gist. Everything is almost done before he comes. All the things are meant for the children. He is the boss. A laid back young generation. A young man (is) still sleeping in his father’s house by 9am. He doesn’t do nothing. He doesn’t know anything about the house. He can’t wash cars, he doesn’t know anything. Daughters that don’t know the road to the kitchen – can’t cook no food. Laid back! That is why some children inherit their father’s business only to run it down in a hurry. Because the urgency that made their father who they were, they lack that urgency. The discipline, they lack it.
- There is someone here tonight. The Lord is saying to you: rise up, wake up, wake up with a higher level of alacrity, a higher level of urgency, a higher level of tenacity!
Listen to 3 things I want to say before we go ahead.
i. You can only fly to the top. You don’t stroll to the top in life. You don’t stroll up, you fly up. Church Gist. There is nobody who strolled and went up. You fly to the top in life. Even the aircraft does not stroll, it flies.
ii. There is no destiny without urgency. If you are to have a destiny that is substantial, you must possess the sense of urgency.
iii. Those who make speedy moves create drastic waves. You make speedy moves, you are set to create drastic waves. Church Gist. Show me someone making waves in any realm, I will show you someone making moves that are speedy.
iv. To slack in action is to lag behind in life. Those who slack in action, they lag behind in life. I will give you 3 examples of such.
a. The story of Zarah and Pharez, the children of Tamar, the twin that came from Judah. Genesis 38:27-30. Doctor, professor, what kind of child is coming out with a hand like this (demonstrating)? It’s a challenge. He took back his hand. They have already tied the hand; they said this is the first one – he took back his hand. Pharez means breakthrough. Church Gist. When the lineage of Judah is called all the way to Jesus, Zarah is missing in the line. It is Pharez whose name is found. The lineage goes through Pharez because the one who was meant to come out first, slacked. He got lost in history, he got lost in genealogy.
When you draw back, you lose (your) place. There are many who have lost their places in life and destiny because they were too slacked. What God expected of them, they are not there. What they are not meant to be doing with their lives, they are not doing it. So God is saying, you know what? I am not going to waste my time waiting for you; I am going to locate somebody else that is going to move with more speed. Church Gist. When you are slowing down, know that somebody is warming up. When you are marking time, understand that someone else is marching on. Nobody will be compelled to wait for you because you are waiting. The fact that one vehicle parked by the roadside, does it force you to park? The car was in front of you, all of a sudden, it parked and you see other cars coming and going. So you kept moving. You don’t just park by association.
There are so many people blaming those who came from behind them. “I have been here all these years. I started first, I am older than him. Why is it like this and that?” And God is saying, when I wanted to move with you, you drew back your hand. Kathryn Kuhlman went one day and asked the Lord, ‘Lord, why is my work so hard?’ And the Lord said, it was a man’s mantle you are carrying. Church Gist. The work is the work (the assignment) of a man.’ That is, a man that should have the energy to work like 18 hours out of 24 hours. He said, it’s a man’s work you are doing but the man disobeyed me. So I looked for somebody else and gave the person the mantle and you are the one.
- Nobody will take my place!
- Nobody will take your place in the name of Jesus!
The issue of Pharez and Zarah teaches us a lot of lessons. He brought hand, he went back. The other one brought head. Headwork is superior to handwork. Strategy is superior to energy. Those who use their head, get ahead. Wisdom is key to stardom. Church Gist. In all that you do, engage mentality in your activity and you will see productivity. It’s a message for another day. But I said that when people are slacked, they lag behind.
b. The example of Jacob and Esau. Genesis 27:18-20…we know that he (Jacob) was lying but the reason why God validated that blessing was because they had done (a) transaction before and Esau had sold his birthright. Church Gist. You need this quickness, this alacrity to deal with hostility (I will come to that later). So quickly! Genesis 27:30-31.
There are people who do the right thing but they do it too late. It is not enough to do the right thing, it is important to do the right thing at the right time. It is important to do the right thing on time. It is important to do the right thing swiftly. It is important to do the right thing urgently. When we went to Kenya, a young lady met Dr. Mrs. Becky Enenche. She’s unmarried but has a child out of wedlock situation. Church Gist. But she met Dr. Mrs. Enenche and she began to talk to her by inspiration and she broke down and started crying. Because she said, what you are telling me now is like what you told me in the dream. Because she had a dream while we were in Kenya the night before the morning before she came and met Dr. Mrs. Enenche wearing the same cloth and this is what she was telling her in the dream. You know what? On this marital issue, you missed it 14 years ago and she confirmed it in the daytime. That exactly that 14 years ago, the right man was around but whether she said no or whether she dilly-dallied or did everything possible and it failed. And she said to her, after that 14 years, every other relationship you have been going into has been the wrong ones. You have been missing it. But now, God will show you mercy.
How somebody can miss something and be in the wilderness for years? Can miss it at the right time and be in the wilderness for years? Church Gist. And she wasn’t planning to marry again until age 45. “No, I won’t marry again until I’m 45.” She said “No, 45? Who does that? 45? You are going towards menopause.”
- Listen to me beloveth brothers and sisters, I know there are people who at one point or the other, you missed certain timing. In this Convention, Jehovah shall give you another chance!
- If you’re saying Amen, shout the loudest Amen!
- Like the Lord said to that lady, God will show you mercy again!
- I say it in the same voice, God will show you mercy again!
That was Esau, he did the right thing, just that the right thing was happening too late.
C: Amasa and Abishai. 2 Samuel 20:4-7. “Oh! I want to make you the Chief of Defence Staff or the Chief of Army Staff. Amasa is my first choice for this position, but since Amasa has wasted time, he has lost place”. When you waste your time, you lose your place. He lost place and because he has wasted so much time, he has now lost place. Church Gist. “Abishai, take his position”. In that season, Amasa died also. He was killed by Joab within that season. As he lost his place, careless death. As he lost his place he also lost his life shortly. There are many people who faded away from life when their assignment ended. As he lost his place, shortly, he also lost his life. I will never forget when I saw it. Church Gist. “He tarried longer” It’s better to do the right thing earlier and if you’re too early, they can say “Wait, you came too early” than to do it later because you can’t be told wait again.
- You will not lose your place.
You know, there are various forms of afflictions. There are those, if you offend them, they will hunt you till death. Bitterness is in their blood, in their lineage. There are people like that. They need to be delivered to be free from it. Church Gist. There are people, they lie like water. Immoral things and other people. There are also people, laziness like sloth. You know the sloth? Slothfulness came from the root word of an animal, sloth. The sloth sleeps like 23 hours out of 24. It stays in one place until grass is growing in his body, algae. Sleeping upside down. Sloth, algae is growing on his body for inactivity. Do you understand what I’m talking about? Out of 24 hours, it sleeps like 19-23 hours out of it. There are people, ‘e dey body’. Church Gist. No matter the fire with which you are preaching (they are dozing), by the time they force themselves to continue writing while you’re talking, when you see their note, it’s Chinese writing, it’s Japanese writing. Writing that moves from one line to another. You need the Spirit to decide the writing. Even they cannot read the writing. Church Gist. (He said he hopes I’m not talking to them) If I’m talking to you, then I’m in the Spirit. I come voluntarily. Do you understand what I’m saying?
These are things that must be dealt with. You need your energy intact to have your destiny intact. I better stand up while preaching is on than to sit and sleep. Church Gist. I better stand up. I better stand on my feet. “You know what guys? The way I’m dozing, let me move towards somewhere where I can stand” There are things you must battle in life so that the battles don’t bury your life. Church Gist. Amasa lost his place because he tarried longer than the appointed time. Amasa lost his place, he tarried longer than the time appointed, he lost his place.
- You will not lose your place!
Very, very quickly because of time. What is the necessity of swift, urgent action and motion? Church Gist. I’m going to be using the Word, urgency.
1: Urgency is needed to make sense on time. That is, urgency is needed to reach targets on time. There are things – to reach targets on time. There are targets that must be reached and not just reached, but they must be reached on time. Church Gist. Urgency is needed. Job 9:26. The prey is the target but the eagle is in a hurry to locate that target, not just to get the target but to get it on time. (Urgency) is needed.
Things are only beautiful when they happen at the right time. Ecclesiastes 3:11. What is the use joining soldier at the age of 60? In fact, they can’t even admit you. Church Gist. You want to play professional football for Cameron National team, how old are you? 49. They say you are interested too late. Interest at the wrong time. Urgency is needed to make sense on time, to reach targets on time.
2: Urgency is needed to maximize life’s opportunities. As opportunities come, you maximize them with urgency. Ephesians 5:14-16. Church Gist. Redeeming the times means buy up the opportunities because the days are evil. We just saw Amasa now who lost because he was slow.
Can I tell you something? Slow people, sluggish people, they lose a lot of opportunities. Is it confirmed? We travelled somewhere and when we were coming back, it was private flight and then, I think we had some delays, I don’t know whether it was immigration or something. Church Gist. There were some slight delays. When we arrived in the aircraft, the pilot told us “We are meant to move now, but the slot, the flight slot, the time slot they gave us has elapsed. We have to wait for them to allocate us another slot because there are many flights” It was immigration, then one of the passengers that was being checked in through another route delayed. Church Gist. One of the people coming with us, one of the technical staff on the camera and so on. He said “The time slot has elapsed and we have to wait for them to give us another time” Do you understand what I’m talking about? That is what happens in real life.
There was somebody in Kathryn Kuhlman’s ministry, singer, keyboardist, his name was Jimmy. She said “Jimmy is always coming late, always. Jimmy will come to the tail end when the aircraft is almost about to be closed. Jimmy, I just pray for you so you don’t miss the rapture because that flight is not a flight to miss”. Church Gist. Do you understand what I’m saying? Some people, as I’m talking to you right now, there are things you know you should have done at the right time and you failed to do the right thing. Maybe you were meant to take a course, you didn’t.
One of our men in those days, an accountant. Qualified, trained everywhere but there was a particular program or software or something that he needed to have done but he didn’t do. Church Gist. When he went for a big interview, they asked him, “Are you familiar with this kind of software?” He said “No, I am not” He knew everything, that was what caused him the job. Urgency is needed to maximize life’s opportunities. So, the sluggish always lose a lot of opportunities.
3: Urgency is needed to minimize regrets from lost opportunities. A lot of regret comes from opportunities that are lost. Church Gist. Hebrews 12:16,17. There are so many people with a lot of regrets because of opportunities lost.
- Urgency (this is for me the most important) is needed to fulfil life’s assignment within time allotment: there is a time allocated to the assignment of life. Church Gist. We don’t have eternity to fulfil destiny. Urgency is needed to fulfil life’s assignment within time allotment. 2 Timothy 4:6-8 – “I have finished my assignment, I can now die” – that was what Paul was saying.
Pastors who work within the setting of the Commission, the growth of the Commission is your growth, the progress of the Commission is your progress, the global impact of it is your impact based on the level to which you are committed to what happens. Your prayer life in the closet for the Canada crusade – you’re not going – it’s part of your impact. Do you know the meaning of that for you? Church Gist. Any time you hit any land, hit it running. Such that if you have two years there, three years, four years, heaven will record your mark on that ground. What you did there will enter your record. There is a record for me, there is a record for you. There are people working under ministries that will have more regard in eternity than certain so called G.Os because, with God, action is weighed. He doesn’t reward titles, he rewards commitments.
By the time you are on your way out, a structure is left on ground, souls en masse, this mark here, that mark there and you are stepping off without regrets. Church Gist. Urgency is needed so that destiny can be fulfilled. You fulfil life’s assignment within time allotment.
- You know, I read something some time ago and it was very very touching. Somebody say after me, “In the name of Jesus, I will fulfill my life’s assignment within my time’s allotment.” Church Gist. Joshua 13:1 – that was a major tragedy in the life of Joshua. If you read before, they will be telling you stories of how they conquered this land, that land, until we reach chapter 13. Too much task…kind of situation where somebody has more months at the end of the salary instead of more salary at the end of the month. That is, the money finished by 15th and there are 15 more days. That’s what God is telling Joshua; your life has been spent but your work is not done. Church Gist. Don’t allow people (to) clap for you. It’s only God who knows your scope of work. It’s only God who understands our syllabus of assignments. Don’t let anybody quickly clap for you. He said, ‘You are old, you are out of life (almost gone) but there is still so much work.’ So urgency is needed so that the time of your life can be used for the work of your life.
- Urgency is needed for maximum impact in life’s efforts. Philippians 3:10-14. Maximum impact in your life’s effort. Listen, when you are time conscious, you carry out actions that carry weight. When you are time conscious, you don’t scatter effort. Church Gist. When you are time conscious, you do things that matter. That is, when you have a sense of urgency…now, if I am to follow invitations, I may not be in this Church on many Sundays for years. But the question is, everywhere they invite me, is it where I’m to direct my energy? I just told you just now that I went somewhere and the Heaven was so closed. And I went out of respect because it is an elderly ministry and the Heaven was so closed and I said, Lord, what is happening? He said, who sent you here? Who sent you?
When you are time conscious, you do things that carry weight. You impact your world. You see, it’s like throwing the bullet with the hand versus putting it in a rifle. Urgency! Church Gist. High velocity rifle pushes out the bullet with speed and it causes devastation. It’s needed for maximum impact.
- Urgency is needed for the recovery of lost time, lost years. In case you have lost time and lost years, you need urgency to recover what is lost. 1 Samuel 30:8. Church Gist. You must be in a hurry – you need a sense of urgency to recover what the devil took from you. 1 Samuel 30:19-20.
- I prophesy to someone here today, whatever the devil has stolen from your life, as you move with a new degree of urgency, you shall recover all.
God’s Servant Papa Oyedepo said it’s never too late to be right. There is nobody who recovers anything functioning at ease, you don’t. Church Gist. When the Hulk comes to carry the chick, the hen does not just be there and just be watching, actually tries to fly into the air and then the chick is dropped by the Hulk because of a hen under pressure with urgency and alacrity.
This is good news for somebody. I’ve lost time, I’ve lost years, I’ve lost opportunities. Church Gist. God said from tonight, move with the sense of alacrity and urgency and there is recovery coming for somebody. If you are that one, shout the loudest Amen.
7: Urgency is needed to escape enemy traps and agendas. There is a way you move so fast, you become too restless to be resisted. You escape enemy traps and agendas. Church Gist. Jeremiah 46:6. So, when you are swift, there is the tendency, possibility of escaping. Genesis 19:22. The Angel is saying “Until you move. Make haste. Escape” Exodus 12:11. Israel came out of captivity in haste. You can not be trapped when you are in haste. Most lions pursuing pallas and antelopes and just return back in frustration because they escape faster than them. Church Gist It just ran faster than them. Ran faster than them. Casual people end as casualties. You need a degree of restlessness to forbid your…you become too restless to be arrested by the forces of hell. Urgency is needed to escape enemy traps and snares.
8: Urgency is needed for progress even in tough and hard terrains. This land is hard, this terrain is tough. There is a level of speed you’ll confront the land with that will escape its hardness. Church Gist. 1 Chronicles 12:8. That is, on top of mountain, they are running. They have speed even on mountainous terrains.
Somebody, say Amen!
Are you ready to run? On your marks, get set, move!
—Prayers—
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