WHEN I BECAME GENERAL OVERSEER, THE devil TOLD ME TO DIE YOUNG BUT I HAD A PROMISE OF GOD I USED IN DEFENCE.
THERE ARE SEVERAL PROMISES IN SCRIPTURE BUT IF YOU DON’T KNOW THEM, YOU CANNOT REMIND GOD
DO NOT JUST TO STUDY THE BIBLE, MEMORIZE IT TO COUNTER satan’s ATTACKS.
I CRIED TO GOD IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE AND HE HEARD ME
ARE YOU IN TROUBLE OR CRISIS RIGHT NOW? GOD IS STILL THE SAME – REMIND HIM TO DELIVER YOU
IF YOU FIND YOURSELF STAGNATED, REMIND GOD YOU ARE THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL
IT IS GOD WHO DETERMINES PROMOTION BECAUSE PROMOTION COMES FROM HIM
I BELIEVED GOD’S WORD, LAID HANDS ON MYSELF WHEN I WAS SICK AND RECEIVED MY HEALING
EVEN IF YOU HAVE BEEN LAWFULLY HELD CAPTIVE BY satan, GOD’S WORD PROVIDES DELIVERANCE FOR YOU – REMIND HIM!
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT THE DOCTOR MAY SAY, COMMAND YOUR WOMB THAT IT NEVER BE BARREN
IF YOU ARE SICK, THERE’S SOMEONE WHO MADE YOU AND HE HAS YOUR SPARE PART; CRY TO HIM TODAY
ALL THOSE WHO CRIED TO GOD GOT HIS ATTENTION JUST LIKE BARTIMAEUS
GOD WANTS YOU TO CALL ON HIM NOT TO MURMUR OR WHISPER
THE REASON YOU MUST ALWAYS REMIND GOD OF HIS PROMISES
THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CRYING TO GOD AND YOU ARE JUST ONE OF THEM
- Pastor E. A. Adeboye on “FOR WHOM THE HEAVENS OPEN (Part 52)” || RCCG Online Sunday Service || 28th July, 2024 ||
We are now moving on to part 52 in our series of, “The person for whom the Heavens opens.” We’ve been using Joshua as our case study but then a couple of Sundays ago, we came across the story of Caleb whose destiny is connected to that of Joshua. Church Gist. We’ve read the text from Joshua 14:6-14 but today we are going to just read from verse 9-14. This place is loaded but the section we want to look at here is verse 9. Caleb was telling Joshua, “you heard, you were there when Moses aware on that day saying…”
We want to learn a very big lesson from Caleb here and that lesson is: remind God of his promises. Isaiah 43:26. Are you saying it is possible for God to forget what he had promised? No o! Are you saying that God may be too busy to remember you? Church Gist. No o! It is true that at any given moment, there are millions of people crying to God for one thing or the other, you’re just one of them. I’ve always said that if there are 3 people in an emergency ward, involved in a critical accident and all of them are very big people, highly educated important people and one sees the doctor coming, (there’s only one doctor) and that one said, “ah! The doctor should know why I am here – this is an emergency ward. He will come and attend to me.” Another one says, “well, there are 3 of us, may be I should call on him and ask him to come but I mustn’t lose my dignity.” He says, “(in a low tone) Doctor I am here, you will please come over here and help me.” Church Gist. The third fellow says, “today is not the day of grammar. I mean, I’m in trouble” and he shouts, “Doctor, come here I need help.” …because the doctor is going to attend to one first.
I pray that today, you will learn to cry unto God because what he said is “call on me” he didn’t say, “murmur.” He didn’t say, whisper; he said, call. God himself is the one who said, “put me in remembrance.” Because you must remember that what you are calling a long time to God is not a long time. Church Gist. A thousand years is like a day before him and you have been suffering for only two, three years. That’s only few seconds before him. Check the Scriptures, all those who cried to him got his attention. Bartimaeus cried, that’s the day he got attention. The widow of one of the sons of the prophet in 2 Kings 4:1-7, for a long time she’s been smiling, “how are you sister?” – “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” But when the creditor said, “you don’t pay by tomorrow, your children are gone.” She wasn’t a lady that day, she cried. The day she cried was the day the problem got solved. Church Gist. I hope somebody will cry to God today. Remind God. Remind him of what he promised.
Are you sick? Remind him of Exodus 15:26 – “God you’re the one who said…” Remind him. Thank God for medical doctors; they’re wonderful people but they’re like mechanics dealing with a car. The mechanic cannot be like the manufacturer of the car and sooner or later in some cases, the doctor will tell you, “there’s nothing more we can do.” Church Gist. They’re mechanics. There’s someone who made you and he has your spare part in heaven. Please cry to him today, tell him, “I’m tired of suffering, I’m tired of pain, I’m tired of ache.” Church Gist. You promised! Remind him; he’s the one who said so. He said, put me in remembrance. Say, “I’m reminding you today. You promised to be my doctor. Where are you?”
Remind him that he said in Mark 16:17-18, “if you believe me…” “I believe you Lord, I am not a doubter. I believe every word you have spoken.” Church Gist. Some of you have heard the story before: my first visit to Zambia, I ate the food because it said, “wherever you go, whatever they give you, you should eat.” But the food I ate didn’t agree with my stomach. I blessed the food before I ate it o but the stomach just refused and I started going to the toilet. Can’t remember whether 23rd or 24th time I was going in one night and I remembered, God said, I shall lay hands on the sick and the sick shall recover. He didn’t say who the sick will be, I am the sick now. So I laid my own hands on my own head and I said, “in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Adeboye be healed!” That was the last time I went to the toilet. Remind him!
Do you find yourself in any form of bondage? Have you suddenly discovered that you’ve done something wrong? Yes I made a mistake and because of this mistake, I have opened the door to the devil. Remind him that he is the one who promised in Isaiah 49:24-26. “I got myself into trouble, I am now a lawful captive in the hand of satan. Satan is using my loophole, my mistake to torment me. Lord I remind you o. Church Gist. You said even the lawful captive shall be set free – you promised.” Remind him Psalm 91:14-15. Lord you know I love you, I admit I made a mistake, I’m sorry. But you know I love you, you know all things. If I don’t love you and I’m pretending, you will know. But you know all things, you know I love you. Deliver me! Remind him! Is there anyone barren in your family? Remind him. Remind him of Exodus 23:26. Remind him of John 15:1-5; Isaiah 45:11. So my beloved daughter, even if the doctor has said that you can never have a child, lay your hand on your womb right now and command that womb. Church Gist. Tell the womb, “my God promised; you are not to be barren.” It doesn’t matter what the doctor may say, command that womb. “Womb, hear the Word of God, it is written, thou shall not be barren.”
Do you find yourself stagnated? You’re doing your very best and there’s nothing to show for it. Everybody seems to be making progress except you. Remind God. Tell the Almighty God Deuteronomy 28:13. “You’re the one who said I shall be head and not tail. They’re promoting my juniors above me o. You said if I follow you wholeheartedly, I observe and do all that you command, which by your grace I am doing, you said I will be head not tail; above not beneath.” Remind him! Remind him, “it’s not my boss who decides promotion. Psalm 75:5-7. You are God, you’re the promoter, I’m your child. You must determine my promotion.”
Many of you will remember the story of one fellow that his seniors ganged up against him because he was a true child of God, he wasn’t compromising and so they decided to sack him. They already prepared something, they’ve already given him a letter of sack. Then they took the list to the owner of the Company, ” Sir, we are restructuring because of the economic situation in the Country and this is what we have done.” The Chairman took the list and looked all the way through. When he came to that of the child of God, (I remember very well the child of God brought the letter of sack to the Holy Ghost Service when God said he is going to upturn whatever they have written) he said, “this fellow why are you sacking him?” Oh because we don’t have enough room in the level where he is and the owner of the something said, “but what about here? Move him up.” It’s God who determines promotion; remind him today. Tell the Almighty God, “I’m tired of stagnation; move me higher.” Promotion comes from God.
1 Peter 5:6. Remind him; “it’s in your word, you said it. I have humbled myself under you, lift me up.” Are you in trouble right now? Are you in a crisis? Remind God. Remind God that it is written in Psalm 50:14-15. God said, thank him. Which I am sure you’re doing. Church Gist. Pay your vows, which I’m sure you’re doing. Then tell him, “Lord I’m grateful to you for all you’ve done, I’m not owing any vow. The vows I made I have fulfilled. You promised that if I call on you in the time of trouble you will answer me. I am in trouble now, you must answer.” Remind him. Remind him that it is written in Isaiah 43:1-2, tell him, “you’re the one who said even when I am passing through the fire, I won’t be burnt. I am passing through fire now; it’s the day of trouble. You must come to my aid.
I remember very well that day, you know the story: I had gone to visit our Church in Ilorin. I was about to leave on Monday when they called me and said, “Sir, there’s a woman here about to deliver. Church Gist. She said to us she has said before that the day of delivery that’s when she is going to die.” Then why has she come to the maternity center? We don’t know o, we think she has changed her mind, she doesn’t want to die anymore. So they asked me to come and pray for her before I left. So I went to the maternity center and said, “is it true you want to die?” She didn’t answer. Okay, you’re here now, you are not going to die in the mighty name of Jesus. So I prayed and I left. Went from Ilorin to Ilesha, from Ilesha to Ibadan then finally arrived back in Lagos. 3 days later, the people came and they said, “Sir, the fellow you prayed for 3 days ago, as soon as you left gave birth to a baby. Church Gist. But we discovered there’s another baby still inside and we have prayed all manners of prayers and the second baby hasn’t come.” I said, is that so? That’s why you came all the way from Ilorin? They said yes. My heart was trembling but I was pretending – you have to be General Overseer nau, you have to be courageous. “Is that why you came? Who told you that the God in Lagos is not the same one in Ilorin?” Church Gist. I gave them a bottle of Coke – come on go back home! Before you get back home, the baby would have arrived. “Yes Sir!” They turned back and they left.
As soon as they left, I ran to my prayer room, fell on my face. “Oh God, today is the day of trouble. You asked …” Laughs. Are you passing through fire? Cry to him today; he will see you through. I remember very clearly God saying to me, “ah! You mean you didn’t believe what you said?” I I I I believed. He said, if you believe then go and eat. I said ahhh, no, I’m fasting. Church Gist. He insisted that I should go and eat and I ate. Up till today I keep saying, “I don’t know whether the food passed through my mouth or my nose.” But by the time they got home, the woman had not just delivered the second, she had delivered the third. There were triplets in her. I cried to him in the day of trouble, he heard me. The same God is your God. Are you passing through fire? Remind him. Isaiah 43:2.
That brings us to one very crucial thing: how can I remind him of what I don’t know? There are several promises in the Scriptures; if you don’t know these promises, how can you remind God? 2 Timothy 2:15. Church Gist. You’re not just to study the Bible, – Deuteronomy 11:18, memorize; lay up the Word of God in your heart. Memorise the Scriptures.
One of my children asked me, “Daddy how come you know so many passages in the Bible? You’ve mentioned a particular passage, while we are trying to open it, you’re already quoting…” Just one at a time; if you memorise just one passage a week, that’s why in our Sunday School we have memory verse. You will discover that within a year you already know at least 52 passages by heart. Church Gist. Do that for 10 years you will know 520 passages by heart. Keep on memorising, I’m still doing so. Then, Psalm 1:1-3. What does this passage mean? What is God trying to say? Keep on meditating on it day and night. Luke 6:45. It is that which you have stored up in your heart that will become available when trouble comes. I told you when I became General Overseer and I was travelling, visiting our small Churches and everybody was coming out to greet me, everything was sounding so wonderful and I was finally going to visit my hometown. All of a sudden I heard the devil say to me clearly, “the elders have a proverb: to die young and be buried with a horse is better than to die old and have no chicken to mark your demise. Die now that it is very glorious for you.” Church Gist. A Word of God came out of my heart, out of my belly, “I shall not die; I will live to proclaim the works of the Lord.” If you don’t memorise this thing, what will rise up to face the devil?
Remember Psalm 119:89. Remind him because he is a faithful one who had promised. 2 Corinthians 1:19-20. That’s why you must surrender your life to Jesus Christ. If you have him, all the promises of God for you will be yea and Amen. When you receive Jesus Christ suddenly you begin to understand that the Bible is not just a book; it is a collection of the promises of God and these promises are there for you if you are one of his own. Church Gist. So I am appealing to you today, if you have not given your life to Jesus Christ, do so. I’m appealing to those of you who have given your life to Jesus Christ, keep on memorising the Word of God. His promises are yea and amen. The more you memorise, the more victorious you will be in the battles of life.
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