AND YOU DOUBT HIM BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW HIM.
DOUBT IS THE CONFIRMATION OF INADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF WHO GOD IS.
THE WORD OF GOD IS THE SEED FOR FAITH.
FAITH DOES NOT STAND ON SENTIMENTS; FAITH STANDS ON INSIGHT.
YOU DON’T KNOW HOW AUDACIOUS YOU CAN BECOME, UNTIL YOU SEE WHAT YOU HAVEN’T SEEN BEFORE OUT OF SCRIPTURE.
ANY AREA WHERE YOU HAVE A CHALLENGE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD YOUR FAITH.
-Pastor Paul Enenche on ‘THE FLOURISHING OF FAITH’
Preservation and Power Communion Service, Dunamis International Gospel Centre.
Father, we give You the praise and the honour because You are God. Blessed be Your name. In You we move and have our being; be glorified Lord. Breathe upon this service tonight, let not one person leave here the same. Be glorified Lord, in Jesus precious name.
Every time you see the climate of joy like this, it means there’s victory in the air. It’s possible that there’s a victory that you have won and you are not even aware yet; that God has given you a victory and you are not even aware yet. There’s a testimony that is brooding, that is cooking and you are not aware yet. There’s a change of story and you are not aware yet.
- I prophesy to you; before this week is over, you shall be aware of what God has done. It shall be clear to you what God has done!
I welcome you tonight to the auspicious presence of the Lord, in this rain full night.
- May your blessings pour like this rain is pouring!
1 Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Thessalonians 1:3
Tonight, we are looking at the subject;
‘THE FLOURISHING OF FAITH’
Our objective tonight is to understand what it takes, what to do to cause faith to both grow and flourish.
By way of introduction, it is important to note that faith is a living force with the capacity to grow and flourish (2 Thessalonians 1:3). It is also important to note that we live in a world that is escalating in evil and wickedness. Church Gist. A world where evil and wickedness is growing and flourishing at an alarming rate. There’s therefore the need for faith to grow and flourish at a surpassing rate, so that we can neutralize the effect of evil.
Evil is growing, wickedness is growing at a very alarming rate; faith must grow, faith must flourish at an exceeding rate. We live in a world today where things are happening that can shake your heart; faith must grow to neutralize the growth of evil. Question is:
What are the factors that contribute to the growth, the flourishing of faith?
We have many of them, but I may look at three of them tonight:
1). The revelation of the Word of God. The Bible makes it clear that the Word of God is the seed of faith (Luke 8:11, Mark 4:14). The Word of God is the seed for faith; it is not possible for faith to germinate without Word. Also, the Word of God is the food and fuel for faith (Romans 10:8, Romans 10:17, 1 Thessalonians 1:8).
The sounding of the Word is the explosion of faith. So, faith is non-existence without Word. Let me say this please; faith does not stand on sentiments; faith stands on insight. You don’t know how audacious you can become, until you see what you haven’t seen before out of scripture. Church Gist. You don’t know how rugged you can become, until you see from the Word what you haven’t seen before. You don’t know what you can dare, until you see light you haven’t seen before. You come to the point where in certain realms, fear dies when you see what you haven’t seen before, because the birth of faith is the death of fear.
Faith comes alive when light comes alive. Faith is not blind-believe in the possibility of things because there are those who believe blindly and they call it faith. Someone may say; “if you put something in that glass of water, I can drink it, nothing will happen to me. I just know, nothing can happen to me. In our place, things don’t happen to me like that.” That is blind-believe, impossibility. Church Gist. I heard of a king some time ago, who had occult power and he knew he could know when things are happening, they gave him kolanut and he knew that it was charmed but he believed that he could eat it and it will not do him anything, so he ate it and died. That is, blind-believe in the possibility of things, on the basis of anything. But Bible faith that is working faith, is not blind-believe in possibility; it is strong believe in the authenticity of God and His Word.
So, there’s something that is making you talk carelessly; “the God whom we serve is able to deliver us and He will and if He doesn’t do, we will not bow.” They are not just talking anyhow; they are talking based on what they knew.
2). The knowledge of God.
I came across a scripture today that exploded my faith. I’ve been reading the Bible for years, but I haven’t seen that light the way I saw that one today. Faith thrives in the knowledge of God (Hebrews 11:6). The more of God you know, the more of His character of faithfulness and reliability you will discover. Because, when you get close to know people, you will discover things about them.
Taking hold of God’s faithfulness, that is what is called faith; when you lay hold on the faithfulness of God, when you make a demand on the faithfulness of God, when you stand your ground on the faithfulness of God – that is what is called faith. Church Gist. It is one of the definitions of faith. When you say, ‘God is too faithful to make me die before my time’ and in going close to God, you get to know Him, know His character of faithfulness and of reliability.
Doubt is the confirmation of inadequate knowledge of who God is. I am a mortal human being, but if I say I’m going to give you N100,000 and you say to me, “Please, don’t deceive me.” It’s as if, you’ve stabbed me, because I don’t dwell in the realm of saying what is not meant as a man. One of the greatest pains you can give God is to doubt Him and you doubt Him because you don’t know Him. When you meet a stranger on the road and he say, “I want to give you one million.” You may say; “well, I don’t need your one million because it may be fraud.” Church Gist. But if I told my wife today or my children; “later today, I’m going to give you something. I have something to give you.” They will say, “thank you Sir, I’m so grateful.” They won’t even say, “what is it?” It is a done deal because they have known their father or her husband with experience from time, that he won’t say it and not do it. That is how the knowledge of God is, when He said, “I will do it for you;” You go to sleep (2 Thessalonians 1:11, 2 Timothy 1:12).
To know God is to be persuaded that what He says, He will do; He will do. To know God is to persuaded beyond dissuasion; “I may be afraid if I don’t know Him, but I know Him and I have believed and because I know Him, I am persuaded.” If you are not yet persuaded, it is because you don’t know Him yet. If there are things that you are still doubting concerning God and your relationship, it is because you don’t know Him yet. Listen to this; the prayer to know more of God does not only increase your anointing; it grows your faith (Philippians 3:10). When you say, “God, help me to know You more.” You are saying to God, “God, kill my doubts. God, kill my fears. Lord, kill my unbelief, let me know You.”
- I prophesy to someone here today, a new dimension of the knowledge of the Lord is coming upon your life!
“…I know whom I have believed and I’m persuaded…” I am persuaded that human being that has breath in his nose, that can take my own, does not exist. I am persuaded that, as I serve the Lord with all my life, the number of my days shall be fulfilled. I am persuaded that; no devil is devilish enough and no demon is demonic enough to subtract one day out of my life’s assignment. Church Gist. I am persuaded, I know whom I’ve believed. I am persuaded that; I don’t need to look up to a mortal human being for survival. If I greeted you, it’s not because of your money; it is because, I am good and kind and normal. I am persuaded (Psalm 34:5), I am looking unto God rigidly and ruggedly, I am persuaded.
Somebody brought an offering for me, half a million and he said, “this is offering for you” and I said, “So, what is the offering about?” When she tried to explain what the offering was, I realized that the offering belongs to God directly, not me; I redirected it. Why? Because I am connected to a source that supplies mine, I don’t need to tamper with what is not mine. I am persuaded that our God whom we serve, is supplying the needs of this ministry. I am not under any pressure financially. I can’t remember whether in the last six months or one year, I’ve ever asked them; “So how much was the offering count today after service?” Church Gist. I’m not aware what was counted today. What did they count last Sunday? I’m not aware. Because He said, when I send you without purse or scrip, do you lack anything? Except He is not the one who sent you. There are things that you know that there’s a dimension you know of God and His Word, that makes you persuaded.
- I prophesy to somebody here, a deeper dimension of the knowledge of God is happening for you right now!
- May God reveal to you the Him that you are yet to know!
3). The testimonies of the acts of God, they cause faith to flourish. The testimonies of His acts, they boost faith and fuel faith. Why? Faith will always come by hearing; hearing the Word of God and hearing the right Word. As simple as it is for a man to tell his wife, “I love you.” That simple act will boost the woman’s faith. One man bought his wife a car in those days, Santana (How many of you remember that car?) and Pastor came to their house and the man said, the woman said to the pastor; “this man doesn’t love me.” Church Gist. The man said, “what? This woman, I don’t love you, yet I bought you Santana?” And the woman said, “I don’t need Santana, I need you; when was the last time you told me you love me?” The man said, “what? I love you and Santana, which one is higher?” I’m sure that most women will say, I love you is better, take your Santana because what we hear affects our hearts and that is how it is in the realm of faith (Lamentation 3:51).
It was A. A Allen who once said, we know what God will do because we know what He has done before. It explodes faith. Archbishop Benson Idahosa stood at the ground of Oral Roberts University and he looked at that high tower, 60 floors from the ground, then from another lever, 50 floors from another level. We used to have a picture here, the Faith Center and he looked and said, “so this is what a man can do in the name of God? It shall be done!” Almost 110 floors from the ground, all the way up and he came back home and the exploits of faith in diverse dimensions, erupted. Church Gist. Bishop Oyedepo went to the same ground, that was the first flame that flamed his passion for the Covenant University and doing mega things for God.
When I heard the testimony of the two men, generals ahead, I said, “me too, I’ll go to that ground. I went there, stood and I looked at the tower; you see, observation facilitates imagination. What you are trying to imagine as a possibility, observing it or hearing it shortens the journey of imagination. This is a possibility, it’s already a reality somewhere. Church Gist. I drove the grounds of Canaanland with God’s servant, Bishop David Oyedepo, I saw when the Faith Tabernacle was on the scratch at the ground, saw the building built, saw it roofed. We had services inside it in one of those days and the rain fell and the roof was not complete yet and we enjoyed the rain there. I saw all of that, far before where we could be thought of, even before the ground was purchased and it became a walk-over because I saw it before.
You know when Goliath stood, it looks like many of the other Israelites had nothing in the form of testimony to fall back on. They can’t remember anything, but there was a young man by the name, David, who remembered what God did before for him (1 Samuel 17:34-36). What God has done before, is the foundation for what God will do again. What God has done for one, it’s the prophesy of what God will do for another; “He has done it for me before, He will do it for me again.”
That was how David used his testimonies to charge his faith and to charge the faith of Saul. He charged everybody’s faith who listened to him.
Mary the mother of Jesus had the same experience; the faith to believe in the possibility of supernatural conception; without meeting a man, that faith was imparted upon her by the angel, Gabriel when she heard the testimony of Elizabeth (Luke 1:34-38). One of the aims of the testimony is to return glory back to God. But the major aim of the testimony is to feed the faith of the people. Church Gist. Please, understand members of church and church people, testimonies are not just a gap filler in the service; it is not what we do while we wait for late comers. Actually, late comers should pity themselves for not listening to the testimonies, because something that could have changed their lives was said when a testimony was shared and they didn’t hear. I’ve had to tell some people whose problems I knew and I know, I said, “were you in church the other day? Did you hear that testimony? He said, “oh no, I wasn’t there when that testimony was shared.”
Response: Pick up the message, pick up the service of that day and listen to the testimony.
Every single aspect of service is critical and the testimony segment is not an exception.
Anything that makes a man to despise testimonies is injustice to their faith. I’m sure you know there are all manner of people who come to church, my father in the Lord told me, that at the beginning of their ministry many years ago, there was somebody in their church who is meant to be a minister, who will be rebuking people who testify at the end of the service; “You are testifying too much.” Is that not a devil? That is practical physical witchcraft. Church Gist. “You are testifying too much, are you the only one God is doing something for?” Of course, such a person, you can’t find their address forever. You may have such members who are very bitter; “every day testimony, sister testimony, brother testimony.” No, if God hasn’t done it for you, don’t be angry, just calm down. As a matter of fact, I’ve mentioned it before, we are going to have books of testimonies documentation and as I’m saying it now, it should be a reminder, where there will be a documentation of hundred testimonies on fruit of the womb; twins, triplets. Testimonies of marital breakthroughs, so that whenever you are trusting God for fruit of the womb, you locate the book side by side with scriptures. As you charge your faith with the scripture, you charge it with testimonies. Say, “devil, you are a bastard. If you cannot stop this woman; no fallopian tube, uterine fibroid, husband low sperm count and now, they have three children; to hell with you devil.” Testimonies of financial explosion, documented. You are struggling with business failure; you pick up one of those. Testimonies of supernatural preservation, escape from kidnapper’s camp, escape from the den of killers; you use it to charge your heart as to the fact that no everybody is wastable. You are about to embark on a dangerous journey, you carry it as a companion. As I’m talking, I think I’m appetizing you. One of those will be out under the next one month.
Now, let me give you three critical benefits of testimonies, so that it can give you an idea. Somebody heard your testimony and heard how your neck was healed and heard how the cervical situation was healed. He said, he listened to the recording of how many times your neck was making sound every day, over two hundred times and the person said to me; “I now believe in God and believe in church. I want to make you my personal pastor.” He said he has found a bigger native doctor. He was very funny. Well, I don’t know whether he used to patronize that side, but that was what he said. The other day he called and said, I’m on the road to so and so place for so and so. I said, “it’s alright. You are preserved. Speak like this and speak like that.” What is the impact of testimonies?
1). Testimonies bring instruction. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, that is, you look at the picture and you can see many things that were not said from the picture in the same manner.
One testimony can be worth a thousand messages. What you are trying to preach and trying to explain, the testimony explained it; you are trying to tell us how big God is, the almightiness of God, nothing can stop God, just one testimony explained it (Psalm 119:24). Every miracle has a message, every sign has a voice (Exodus 4:8). So, while you are studying the Bible and hearing the voice of God, you are watching the miracles and hearing from God; He’s saying something to you. I watched A.A Allen, T. L Osborn, watched all manner of people; the other day, that young man that was literally paralyzed and then he was healed on the spot until he began to run on this altar. Somebody told and said, what was that? I said, that was A. A Allen’s operation, typical, classical. One day I watched and saw testimonies of deaf people hearing in one particular video clip at one time and then, I went for a revival meeting. The first thing I said is, “everybody who is deaf here, come out.” My faith was so charged and not one return back deaf that day. This will be like twenty years ago.
Testimonies bring instruction, they show things that you couldn’t have read. When people are standing here and telling you; a car that was lost for five years, was not only returned but a brand new one was brought to replace that one. That is, it doesn’t matter the lion that undertook your meat, it can be taken out of his mouth. Church Gist. Nothing is too lost to be found in God. When you hear a testimony, “Lord, what are you telling me from this testimony? What are you saying from this one?” That nothing is too lost that cannot be found, that it doesn’t matter where it had gone, God knows where it is and God can relocate it and redirect it into your hands.
2). Testimonies destroy doubt and unbelief and irrigate faith and confidence in God. God did that and it is done. Do you remember what Saul said to David; “this man is a man of war from his youth and you are a small boy, you can’t face him.” When David finished rehearsing, the Lord that delivered me from the lion and the bear…, Saul said, “this boy has fought this kind of things before (1 Samuel 17:37). Church Gist. Saul said, “alright, go. The Lord be with you.” The man that was doubting now said, “I believe you can face this man.” Not only was the doubt killed in the heart of David, if there was anyone; there was a doubt killed in the heart of Saul.
Look at Mary, the moment the angel finished testifying (Luke 1:38), Mary said, “behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” The Mary who said at first, “how shall this be?” Is the same Mary who is saying now, behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”
- Today, every doubt in your heart shall die!
- By the speaking of the Word you are hearing, every fear, uncertainty, anxiety dies now!
3). Testimonies carry prophetic power (Revelation 19:10). How many of us come to the cross over night, 2021-2022 with great expectations? Because you know declarations are going to be made and from years past, we know that declarations that are made come to pass, so you come with expectations. That is the power of the prophetic; it builds anticipation and expectation unto manifestation. Church Gist. So, testimonies build anticipation and expectation, leading to manifestation. When you are hearing it, it is weighing on the same level like a prophecy is coming your way, that builds expectation, builds anticipation, leading into explosive manifestation. That is, somebody’s testimony is another person’s prophecy. The person is testifying but he’s actually prophesying and he’s saying, this is what God did for me and this is what God can do for you.”
Have you ever seen anything God did on this altar that you desire in your life? Is there anything you have heard that God did for anybody here that you desire in your life? If you have ever seen, that is your prophecy.
- I declare, it is released!
- If there’s anything you have seen God or watched God do for anybody at all on this altar, through this commission, by this mantle that you desire in your life; I declare, it is done!
God is not a respecter of persons, He’s just a respecter of principle. If He has done it for one, He will do it for another. I have so much more to say, but this is evening service and I have to stop here right now. We’ll do the part two of this next week Wednesday. My counsel to you;
1). Build your faith in God with the Word, through the Word of God, the knowledge of the Word of God and the testimonies of His acts. Before you sleep tonight, ask God to give you, even if it is one verse. Let me say this to you; any area where you have a challenge is an opportunity to build your faith. For example, they sat on your promotion in the office, begin to look for scriptures that guarantee your position; “Promotion cometh not from the east or from the west, but from the Lord who pull down one and set up another. Church Gist.You shall be the head and not the tail.” Let the devil assist you to succeed in faith. Everything he wants to use against you, use it to take off. You are getting easily tired; “the joy of the Lord is my strength, let me locate scriptures that guarantee me strength.” My sleep is interrupted with nightmares, I’ll sit up and locate reasons why? “I must not have even one nightmare; He giveth His beloved sleep.”
Every confrontation is an opportunity to build your faith. Every enemy challenge is a ladder to rise. Didn’t David rise from Goliath? That is, you don’t know where to study in the Bible, ask yourself, “which area is the devil trying to trouble me? Maybe, another person’s challenge; I need light to deal with this for this people.” If you do what I’m saying, you may come to a point where you have three studies areas to study at the same time and you don’t know which one to face. Church Gist. There are times in my revelation diary, I’ll be writing and I haven’t finished this light, yet something urgent comes up for me to attend to, so l leave some pages vacant to return back to you and then push this forward and then, return back. One of those returns happen for me today and then, very, very heavy light. Anybody can do anything for you but nobody can eat for you; it is a personal responsibility to accept. People can pray for you; nobody can feed for you. In area where you need to handle issues, locate CDs, listen while you are awake and jot; when you are through, plug some in your ears and sleep. Let it be playing. If the volume is too much to make you sleep, reduce it. The psalmist said, I sleep but my heart awaketh. The spirit of man does not sleep, let somethings pass in in your subconscious realm and let them reply in your subconscious dimensions. After 33 years, Paul said that I may know Him. Lord, show me the part of You I don’t know yet. Show me Your dimension that I am not acquired with.” It will ruggedize you, you will just shift levels.
I told you one day, we were still in Area One, one night I had an encounter in which the Lord showed me an angel. That angel was taller than the Area One building, much taller and heavy. That is, the size of his chest is like when you combine ten men together. His hands were high arms. He had a little knife. If he does like this, a thousand people can die at once. He’s almost quick tempered, he lacks patience. I’m just saying it because of the way I saw him. That is, offend him small and you are gone and the Lord said to me; “that was the angel that was in the ministry, He mentioned an ancient Apostle that was very brutal. He said, that angel was relevant in his ministry. Church Gist. Then He said other things that I may not say now. When God encounters you, showing you all that is the dimension of revealing who He is. It is like, “see the kind of servant I have; these are people that run errands for me and you are serving the me, who they run for. “Lord, help me to know You, like I haven’t known before” and off course, place a high premium on testimonies. One day, I wrote down the number of times that I have escaped near-death situations, including face-to-face with gun people. When I looked at it, “thank You Lord. All these times are not accidental. The devil that couldn’t succeed here cannot succeed forever.” Papa Oyedepo said, sometime he was in the room, death came for him, everywhere was turning as if life was going out of him, he was in Ilorin then. He just preached on victory over death and then, the death came and said, who are you to preach such a message?” This was like in the early eighties. House was turning, everything was turning; life was going and then, he heard the voice of the Spirit; “what are you doing here?” He said, “me myself, I don’t know.” He stood up from the bed, carry his car key, entered the car and said, “devil, I’m travelling to Kaduna now, if you are devil enough, let’s go.” He’s about to kill you in the room and then, you are going on the road; men dey ooo.
2). Pray in the things you hear per time; “Father, let this message produce results in my life. Open my eyes to see what I haven’t seen in the Word before. Father, show me the dimensions of You that I don’t know before and even if it is possible for God to remind you of testimonies you heard in times past that you forgot, because the Holy Ghost will bring up all things into your remembrance and show you.
One young man came to me the other day, he said he heard my testimony of how I went to medical school, all the things I did in medical school; how I preached the Gospel, how I did everything. He was still in primary school when he made up his mind that he will become a doctor and behave like this pastor; from teenage church to youth church, to prayer band. When he did primary school examination in Federal something school, he got all A’s. He went to Junior Secondary School, all A’s. He went to Senior Secondary School, cleared A’s. He wrote Jamb, 345 over 500. Church Gist. When you got 290, you already got medicine. He got 345. He went to school like fire, began to preach everyone. He now has a fellowship of almost 500 people, his CGPA is already in distinction realm. The same University I went, he went to the same University. By one testimony, he said he heard me when he was still in Primary School, that he heard my testimony of what I did when I was in school. When he sent me his text message, I said, come let me see you in a hurry. I don’t waste time seeing such people. That is the power of testimony; it just does something to you, gives you a determination and a force.
- Something is changing in your life tonight!
PRAYER:
- Father, open my eyes to see wonders from Your Word in the name of Jesus. Father, show me light and insight that will build and feed my faith in this season, oh Lord in the name of Jesus.
- Father, I am before you tonight, help me to know You. Father, that I may know You and the power of Your resurrection and the fellowship of Your suffering. Father, show me Yourself, draw me to Yourself; build me up with the knowledge of You that will explode my faith, destroy my fear and my doubts and my unbelief, oh Lord in the name of Jesus.
- Father, You have done it before on this altar. You have done it before in my life, do it again in my life in this season. Father, show Yourself mighty in my life, show Yourself strong in my life; show the world that You are real in my life in the name of Jesus.
Zephaniah 3:17
- Father, we ask that You will show Yourself mighty. Father, show that You are in the midst of Dunamis, You are in the midst of Your people. Father, we ask that You will show Yourself mighty to the world through Dunamis in this season, oh Lord in the name of Jesus.
- We are Benin tomorrow, Edo State, Healing and Deliverance Crusade; Father, show Yourself mighty in Edo State. Show Yourself mighty at the Healing and Deliverance Crusade in Benin City tomorrow, oh Lord, in the name of Jesus.
FIREFUL DECLARATIONS:
- I prophesy tonight, overnight, my God and your God will reveal Himself to you in ways you have never known before!
- This communion shall be to you the communion of light, insight and a new level of faith in the name of Jesus.
- May your faith shift level. May fear die in your heart, may doubt die in your heart, unbelief dies in your heart and a new day is upon you!
- Everyone who came in here, sick in the body, by the power of the blood and the body of Jesus, that sickness expires tonight!
- Everyone pursued with the spirit of death, death will not reign in your life anymore; life is reigning in your life and life is reigning throughout this Commission by the blood of Jesus and by the blood of the Calvary!
- In the name of Jesus, every grave that is dung for you, those who dung it shall be buried inside, that grave is closed!
- Every coffin meant for you or your loved ones or anybody connected, related or associated with this Commission, that coffin is set on fire!
- Every spirit wife, spirit husband, spirit challenge, they expire after the communion tonight!
- Every near success syndrome, failure at the edge of breakthrough expires after tonight!
- Every spirit of poverty expires after tonight!
- Your expectations are delivered into your hands!
- Before this time tomorrow, you will have a testimony to share in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost!
(Altar Call)
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Very insightful