DEDICATION TO GOD MAY BE VERY DEMANDING BUT HIGHLY REWARDING
A DEDICATED PERSON FEELS WHAT GOD FEELS AND IS MOVED BY THE THINGS THAT MOVE GOD
DEDICATED PEOPLE ARE SO RUGGED, THEY TAKE A STAND EVEN IF THEY STAND ALONE
DEDICATED PEOPLE WHO ARE JEALOUS FOR GOD, THEY KINGDOM BATTLES AND KINGDOM MATTERS PERSONAL
DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE GLORY DOME, I COLLAPSED TWO FAMILY SAVINGS ACCOUNTS TO HANDLE SOME COSTS
I WILL NEVER CALL AN AMOUNT FOR OFFERING OR SEED THAT I CAN’T BE AT THE FRONT OF
SOMEONE WHO ASKED ME WHAT PEOPLE WHO CARRY THE BIBLE AMOUNT TO MANY YEARS AGO IS TODAY A BENEFICIARY OF MY BENEVOLENCE
CARRIAGE OF BIBLE HAS MADE US TO TALK TO PRESIDENTS OF NATIONS, GIVING DIRECTIONS
JEALOUSY FOR GOD IS CONNECTED TO ZEALOUSNESS FOR GOD
DEDICATION TO GOD CONNOTES THE INVESTMENT OF LIFE’S RESOURCES ON GOD
IF PEOPLE HAVE NOT SAID YOU’RE WASTING YOUR LIFE ON GOD, YOU HAVEN’T STARTED YET
CHURCH GOERS ARE PLENTY BUT DEDICATED PEOPLE ARE FEW
DEDICATED PEOPLE HAVE RIGID DEVOTION TO GOD
IT TAKES MANNERS TO MATTER
THERE’S NOBODY WHO CAN HAVE A DEVOTIONAL LIFE THAT IS NOT DISCIPLINED
AVOID SPIRITUALITY OF EASE AND CONVENIENCE. EMBRACE HARDNESS OF SPIRITUALITY
I DON’T ADVISE ANYBODY TO GO ON A 3-DAY OR LONGER FAST WITHOUT WATER
WHEN FASTING FOR A LONG PERIOD AND YOUR BODY SYSTEM SEEMS TO BE REACTING ABNORMALLY, IT’S ADVISABLE TO END THE FAST
GET TO A POINT IN YOUR DEDICATION WHERE YOU MAKE A SWORN COMMITMENT TO GO ON FASTING JOURNEY
– Dr. Pastor Paul Enenche on “PRACTICAL DEDICATION TO GOD (3)” || January Impartation Service || Glory Dome, Abuja.
Very very quickly, I welcome everyone to this 14th day of Above Only fast and to this Impartation Service. Church Gist. Your life will never remain the same in Jesus’ precious name.
“PRACTICAL DEDICATION TO GOD (3)”. We started the journey last Sunday, this is the 3rd part of that message. Matthew 6:33. Church Gist. Today we shall be understanding the same objectives; the practicality of devotion to God. What it entails to be practically devoted to God.
Before we go forward, there are two things I want to say very quickly. That is:
1. Dedication to God is a practical reality not a mystical irreality. Church Gist. It’s something that can be practically verified. It’s not mystical or an irreality.
2. Dedication to God may be very demanding but highly rewarding.
From last Sunday, we began to see the pointers to dedication. We mentioned that dedication to God meant:
1. Standing on the side of God.
2. Placing God first in all things
3. Commitment to God against all odds
4. Following hard after God.
5. Living for God, which is living for Christ.
6. Going all the way with God.
We did all of that last Sunday. Whichever service you were not in, please listen to the message of the other service. Church Gist. If you were in the first service, listen to the second, if you were in the second, listen to the first or you can also listen to all of them together because the points were different.
We are going to look at three more in this service which will lead us to point 7 and the final three in the second service.
First point in this service, Dedication to God means:
7. Jealous for God.
In Number 25:7, we saw a man by the name Phinehas. When Israel was mourning because the people of God were committing both adultery and idolatry together and there was a plague in the midst of the Camp. Church Gist. I believe it was a man of the tribe of Dan or so that brought a Midianite woman, while people were weeping before God, he carried this woman straight into the tent. Let’s read it, Numbers 25:7-13.
– somebody say Amen.
What does it mean to be jealous for God? It means:
7a. Feeling what God feels and being moved by what moves God. Church Gist. A dedicated person feels what God feels and is moved by the things that move God, like what Phinehas did just now.
7b. Refusal to be a victim of generational indifference to God. We live in a generation today where people are completely indifferent to God. Church Gist. When you talk about sports, the latest movies or the latest cars, they come alive, when you talk about God, they fall asleep. Somebody slept from night to morning and is sleeping in Church on Sunday morning but he will not sleep before a 3-hour movie. I haven’t seen anybody sleeping and dozing in front of soccer. Generational indifference. Church Gist. I’m yet to see what will make me blink in a Church service. Refusal to be the victim of generational indifference to God.
7c. Taking a stand for God even if it means standing alone. We live in a world where everybody wants to do what everybody is doing. A world of human approval addiction. A world of human opinion dependence. Church Gist.There are many who are human-approval addicted, no matter how correct the action is, if people don’t approve it, they won’t do it. We live in a world of human opinion dependence, no matter how correct it is for them to do the right thing, they must consult human opinions. Dedicated people are so rugged, they take a stand even if they stand alone. When Phinehas took that javelin, he was alone. When David confronted Goliath, he did it alone. Church Gist. Am I communicating at all? Their jealousy for God, it doesn’t matter what anybody around feels or says. That is why we have a shortage of really dedicated people on the earth today. Taking a stand for God even if it means standing alone.
We have a few people who will stand up and say, “look, you can talk about God or Church but not where we are, not here. Not in front of people like us”.
7d. Taking Kingdom battles and matters personal. Dedicated people who are jealous for God, they take Kingdom battles and Kingdom matters personal. Church Gist. It is not a general matter, it’s a personal matter. Until people may ask, “why are you taking this thing personal?” David took it personal, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine?” 1 Samuel 17:21-26. “Why is everybody watching like nothing is happening?” Church Gist. He took the battle personal. There are occasions where we have taken battles personal on the behalf of the Kingdom.
I told you many years ago on the campus when cultism was trying to come up in our campus where we were. I told you the story before. Church Gist. Where cultic people came out about 3am or so and shooting gun in the air and broke all security lights on the campus. Everywhere was dark, they were singing, hallelujah, (God forbid) that Satan conquered their world, not our world. Hallelujah, (God forbid) that Satan is in trouble not Jesus. They were singing songs upside down. Church Gist. Everybody clung to their beds, fear, dread, terror. Some of us were in our rooms. Now, between me, you and God, I didn’t know when the door opened and I was already out of the door. That is I am alive and somebody is singing that “satan conquered the world and Jesus you’re in trouble” here today? Unknown to me, one or two other brethren from other places also found themselves (there). (Speaks in tongues). As people began to hear tonguing, others began to tongue. Church Gist. That was how we began to go in the direction of those who said that their devil conquered the world, let’s see who conquered the world. As we tongued, they receded into the bush. We took charge from that time till morning, till daybreak. Church Gist. Charged everywhere on fire in tongues as they receded into the bush. Are you hearing what I’m saying here today? Then, went from hostel to hostel in front of the blocks, “if you were among those who said last night that Satan conquered the world and you’re not ashamed and afraid to identify with your satan, come out now, let’s talk”. We need a ruggedity. Church Gist. There’s too much timidity today and I’ll talk about that later. We need a ruggedity, people are rugged for different things but we need the ruggedity for the Kingdom.
– I prophesy today, a new wave, a new grace, a new mantle of unusual dedication is coming upon somebody!
– if you’re the one, shout the loudest Amen!
7e. Risking it all for God. Taking spiritual risks for the cause of the Kingdom. Risking it all. You take steps that look risky like the way Phinehas and David did. Church Gist. In your dedication to God, it looks very risky but you took the step all the same.
– I see someone stepping into that realm.
Jealousy for God is connected to zealousness for God. Jealousy and zealousness have the same root. Church Gist. In your jealousy for God, you’re aflamed with zeal. That is dedication.
8. The Investment of life’s resources.
Dedication to God connotes the investment of life’s resources on God. 1 Chronicles 29:3-5. Church Gist. This was the extent to which David released massively into the dedication of the Temple. Acts 20:20.
What is dedication in the light of the investment of life’s resources on God?
8a. Literally wasting one’s life on God.
🎵🎶 There’s profit in being wasted Lord on you🎶🎵
Somebody said to me many years ago, “you carry Bible. What do Bible who carry Bible amount to?” This would be like 38 years ago. Carriage of Bible has made us to talk to Presidents of nations, giving direction. Church Gist. That same person became a beneficiary of money from me to assist put up his life. That same person’s family is benefitting from me today currently. If people have not said you’re wasting your life on God, you haven’t started yet. Church Gist. If they haven’t said you’re wasting your time, “Church, Church, Church”, your dedication is still questionable.
How many of you realize that Mary wasted her life, her youth and her virginity? Mary’s wedding was destroyed, marriage ruined. Church Gist. Every young lady wants to, “this is my wedding day. This is my wedding gown. This is my wedding arrangement”, all scattered. What? “You shall give birth to a child without a man”. “How? I was always looking forward to the first night. I’m a virgin”. “Yes. Your virginity will be lost through the child’s birth”. *What are you talking about? Is that how you want me to live?” “Yes. You won’t have any wedding. You won’t have any regular ceremony. The Son of God has decided to damage that aspect of your life. Upon on top of that, you’ll become a reproach because people will be mocking ‘see that girl, they said she got pregnant. They say who give am belle (got her pregnant), she say Angel. Wonders will never end. The father should better ask her well’. Church Gist. When you read the Bible, you go between and just put yourself, how’s the circumstance like? That was what Mary (went through), she wasted her life, her youth and her spinsterhood. Church Gist. But see where the ‘waste’ took her and the whole world?
Beloved brothers and sisters, we need to come to that point. Judas Iscariot said, “why is this waste of ointment?” What Mary (Magdalene) did for the Master, Judas called it a waste. Church Gist
He said, “you call it waste?” Somebody is pouring her life for me and you’re calling it a waste? This that she has done, wherever the Gospel is preached, it shall be spoken about”. This is dedication.
8b. Practically holding nothing back from God.
🎵🎶Lord, I’m in your hands, holding nothing back. Work on me oh Lord both in and out. Conform me oh Lord unto your plan, till I become all you have in mind for me🎶🎵
Acts 20:20.
8c. Decision to spare no cost where God and His Kingdom is concerned.
Genesis 22:1-3. Church Gist. When the construction of the Glory Dome came, one of the words God gave me was, “Spare no cost” and I realized that whatever amount of money was needed was to be put into it. When it was time for me to collapse two major accounts that had plenty zeroes that we’ve been saving for a long time, two of them, personal family account, collapsed to zero. Church Gist. One of them, the bank had to ask us to wait until the month end, begging us. I’m sure so that their month’s record can be good before the money is withdrawn. Church Gist. We obliged them. Spare no cost once it comes to God.
8d. The release of life as a seed for the benefit of eternity and humanity.
That is, your life is released as a seed, you sow yourself. You’re not just giving, you sowed yourself as a seed. Church Gist. It is the release of life as a seed. John 12:24. Life as a seed.
Some people, they look at us and look at me and say, “what are you doing?” In the morning, there’s two Sunday services, in the evening, there’s commanding the day midnight prayer, the next day, there’s probably staff meeting and so on and other things are going on, books are being written and so forth and then you’re back again for healing and deliverance service and then another program and Friday we have the vigil from night till morning and then it’s just on and on. “What’s happening?” That is life sown as a seed. Church Gist. Am I communicating? Time, energy, resources. Till date, I am unable to take an offering if I don’t have an offering in my own hand. From day one of this Church, I’ve never said, “we are about to do a construction in Church or do this and that, how many of you can give this and that?” I’ve never been able to do that without myself being in the forefront. If I say, “how many people can give a million” in those days, then I’m in front of that one million. I will never call an amount I can’t be at the front of. Am I communicating? Church Gist. So, we are not just talking verbally. Life sown and released as a seed. Papa Oyedepo calls it deadly dedication, deadly commitment.
8e. Emptying one’s life’s content as a drink offering before the Lord.
You empty your life and the content of it as an offering. That’s what Paul the Apostle meant in 2 Timothy 4:6-8.
In the Old Testament one day, David was longing that he wanted to drink water from the well of Bethlehem. Church Gist. How many of you remember that? Now, there was a Philistine’s garrison, a military battalion detachment that was in-between where David was and the well and there were these three mighty men that said, “Master, you want to drink the water? You’ll have it”. So, they fought their way, put their life in danger, wasted some enemy forces only to go and fetch water. Church Gist. 2 Samuel 23:15-16. They fought to go and get the water and fought to return back the water. When they brought it to David, David looked at it and said, “you mean I should drink this water? The thirst has died” and David took it and poured it out to the Lord. 2 Samuel 23:17. He poured it as a drink offering. That’s what it means, deadly dedication. Life poured out as an offering. Church Gist. You pour out your life, time, resources, energy and ability. Deadly dedication. Church goers are plenty but dedicated people are few. Church members are plenty but committed people are few.
Beloved, God is giving us a call this year. That is why we’re receiving such intensity of Word at the year’s beginning because He is set to do something.
9. Rigid devotion to God.
Acts 17:1-2. He (Paul the Apostle) had a manner that was definable.
Now, what does it mean?
9a. Existing as a person of definable routines and schedules with God.
You have a routine and schedule with God that can be defined. Church Gist. I heard of John Wesley, that he woke up everyday by 4 a.m., he would pray like between 4 and 5 a.m. and then ride on horseback between 5 and 6 preaching in circuits and then work from that 6 till 10 in the night and this schedule was for 60 years. Church Gist. The biographer said that his routine was as rigid as the sun. Like you know when the sun will rise and when the sun will set, that was how he was. Paul had a manner that was defined. Acts 17:2. It takes manners to matter. What is your manner? What can be predicted about you in your relationship with God? Church Gist. There are those, people will tell you, “if it is service days, forget it, you’ll never catch him anywhere other than Church”. Rigid devotion to God.
9b. Being known with a definite manner, pattern or habit with God. Not just that you have it but people know you with it. That was the case of Daniel. Daniel 6:4-5. Church Gist. They knew it, if you want to fault Daniel, say something about his God or his Church”. Being known with a definite manner, pattern or habit with God. People know your prayer schedule, they know your prayer pattern.
When I was in Medical school, I woke up about 3 hours before class to pray between 1 to 3 hours everyday before the 8 a.m. class. Church Gist. When it was 12 noon that was break, I had another schedule before 1 o’clock that is the next class. It was just like that. It was non-negotiable. Fasting and prayer was once every week, no food crosses the mouth. Church Gist. When I got into a relationship, it became twice a week. That was an established schedule.
9c. Making yourself to do what is required in order to see what is desired with God.
Genesis 19:27. Summary, it is walking in discipline to enforce devotion with God. Church Gist. There’s nobody who can have a devotional life that is not disciplined. Nobody. When you’re meant to pray, to study the Bible like you’re to study the Bible, to evangelize and do all the things, there’s nobody who can do it without discipline. You discipline yourself.
9d. Towing the path of hardness instead of the way of ease in your journey with God.
I didn’t say hardship, it’s not hardship. There’s a difference between hardship and hardness. Church Gist. Hardship is referring to suffering, hardness is referring to toughening. 2 Timothy 2:3. Soldiers are hardened by a lot of intensity of things. That is, you harden yourself, rigorous hardening.
We have a lot of people today with the spirituality of ease and convenience. They follow the path of least resistance, if it is not convenient and easy, they’re not there. Spirituality of ease and convenience. Amos 6:1.
In the year of 1979, when I did my first 3-days dry fasting, no water. I drank water but I vomited it on the second day, so, empty of water till the third day. In those days, we broke the fast by 12 midnight. Church Gist. I told you the story before, one of the young men that was fasting with us that time, day 1, around 3 or so, “bro, how far with the fast?” “Ah, sorry. I forgot, I’ve eaten”. “Please, don’t eat again, ensure that you continue”. Tomorrow, around 3 o’clock, “bro, how far with the fast?” “Ah! Sorry, I forgot, I ate again”. He forgot and ate for 3 days and it was a camp meeting, everybody was camping, it was a secondary school location. Church Gist. He ate for 3 days. That guy’s life never went well at all. Alcoholism, womanizing, children from different places.
– I pray that somebody here will embrace hardness of spirituality!
9e. Existing in the realm of sworn commitment to God. As if you’re under an oath – sworn commitment. Church Gist. Something like, “it’s impossible for food to cross my mouth until the Word has entered my spirit”. Sworn.
Psalm 15:1-4. Church Gist. There are a generation of people who swear, what they vowed to do is hurting them but they won’t change their mind because it is a vow to God.
My wife and I have never told the story of our long fastings and I don’t know when we’ll tell it. Church Gist. One day, they called me that my nephew who was working in the bank, he didn’t appear at work that day till evening, only for them to go to his house, break open the door and he was down there, gone. They rushed him to the National Hospital, he was in such a deep coma that even if you cut him with a knife, he wasn’t aware. Church Gist. I rushed straight to where he was, called his name, no response and I became very brutal in the spirit. “In the name of Jesus, answer me now!” He opened his eyes. I called his name, he said, “Sir?” I was in day 8, no food. That day 8 was not the last day. I didn’t say, break in the evening. No food. That was the kind of day the devil brought such a temptation. On Water, yes. Of course, nobody should be advised to do even more than 3 days or even anything like that without water. Water liberally. When he came back, I said, “say after me…” He repeated all the things (confessions and declarations) and by the time he finished everything I wanted, he slumped back into coma but I was okay because the Word has consciously entered him. Church Gist. Long story made short, he’s alive today, well, on his feet, doing fine with his life. Married with 3 children, was single at that time. Are you following what I’m saying here today?
That is, you made up your mind that, “I’m taking so and so journey. I am on a journey of so and so number of days and nothing will shift it”. Church Gist. But I’ve told you before that there was a time when I wanted to fast for some days and it was as if I had ulcer that was going to perforate. I just had to terminate the fast. So, let me balance it in case you find yourself in such a situation or it looks like your chest will not allow you to go. Just branch there and say, “Lord, you know what? When I’m fully healed..” (laughs) so that nobody will go and die for nothing. Church Gist. Your chest is paining you, you’re vomiting, yet, you say, “ah. I must complete the days”. No. This is both spiritual advice and medical advice.
– Praise the Lord.
Existing in the realm of sworn commitment to God. Job was a man like that. Job 23:12. Job 27:3-6. Job 31:1. Church Gist. It’s coming to the point where you have literally sworn in certain dimensions. “Look, if it comes to God, the money that enters my hand will never go anywhere until God has been honoured, until God takes His part. I must greet God in the morning first before I greet man. Church Gist. God cannot have a need and I have it and it’s not met”. This is the realm.
– I believe it’s a new day.
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