IF YOU DON’T CAST DOWN IMAGINATIONS, IMAGINATIONS WILL CAST YOU DOWN – BISHOP DAVID OYEDEPO.
THE EXTENT TO WHICH YOUR DESTINY WILL COVER IS DETERMINED BY THE COVERING SPIRITUALITY THAT YOU HAVE.
UNTIL YOU CHANGE YOUR COMPANY, YOU DON’T AFFECT YOUR IDENTITY.
THE MOST CRITICAL TARGET OF ENEMY CONFRONTATION IS THE MIND.
THE MIND OF THE BELIEVER HAS THE CAPACITY TO MAKE A PERSON EITHER TO BE A VICTIM OF THE HARD TIMES OR TO BE A VICTOR IN THE HARD TIMES.
BATTLES MAY BE FOUGHT WITH WEAPONS BUT THEY ARE WON FROM THE MIND.
YOU CAN’T WIN IN THE MIND AND LOSE IN LIFE AND YOU CANNOT LOSE IN THE MIND AND WIN IN LIFE.
IF GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE AND YOU ARE ON YOUR SIDE. THERE IS NO devil THAT CAN BE ON THE OTHER SIDE AND SUCCEED.
IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER SPIRIT YOU MUST LIVE ANOTHER LIFE.
THE WORST FORM OF LIMITATION IS SELF-LIMITATION.
DON’T WAIT FOR THE FUTURE TO HAPPEN, HAPPEN TO THE FUTURE.
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU ARE NOW, YOU CAN PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE BEFORE IT ARRIVES.
IT TAKES YOUR MIND FOR YOU TO ARRIVE AT YOUR FUTURE.
-Dr. Pastor Paul Enenche on “THE MIND: THE BATTLEFIELD OF THE REDEEMED” || SHILOH 2023 HOUR OF VISITATION, SECOND WORD SESSION || REDEEMED TO FLOURISH IN HARD TIMES || Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota.
Hallelujah! I want to give the Lord the praise and thank my father for the privilege of standing here this morning. I do not take this privilege for granted at all and I appreciate God for the privilege of being raised. It is fully confirmed that spiritual covering determines destiny coverage. Church Gist. The extent to which your destiny will cover is determined by the covering spirituality that you have. It is also confirmed that company affects identity. You can identify a person by the company they keep and I’m amazed and surprised and excited in God at the impact of this Company on our lives. God’s Servant, Pastor David preached yesterday and shared many things with you about the impact on his life. It’s just inevitable.
Until you change your company, you don’t affect your identity. The things that we have seen all around the World are connectable and traceable to the companies that God has helped us. We have seen, been to countries and seen presidents of nations and a whole cabinet come in for meetings, submitting to the authority of Jesus. Church Gist. We have Mayors of Cities come in for services bowing for prayer. Mayor in Leeds, Mayor in Houston Texas and so on and so forth. We have nations of the World coming in for conferences and meetings. Last meeting, we had about fifty-something countries represented and some of them came here with us for this Conference and we see the spiritual lineage and the spiritual tree reproducing and multiplying all over the World.
-I prophesy to you today, in your own life, you shall see multiplications and replications. Church Gist. If you are saying Amen, you say a louder ‘Amen’.
Very quickly, we are speaking on THE MIND: THE BATTLEFIELD OF THE REDEEMED.
The mind as the battlefield of the Redeemed. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Very, very briefly we shall be having as our focus. First, to understand the place of the mind in life’s battles. Second, we shall be looking at examples of people who lost because of the mind. Church Gist. Third! So we shall understand the place of the mind in life’s battles, we shall see examples of people who lost because of the mind. Thirdly, we shall see examples of people who won and ruled because of the mind and then fourthly, we shall look at the impact of the mind on life generally and finally, we shall see what to do with the mind.
Now, as we approach this season of gross darkness, an economic holocaust on the face of the Earth. One of the places that require very serious attention is the mind of the believer, the mind of the believer! Church Gist. The mind of the believer has the capacity to make a person either to be a victim of the hard times or to be a victor in the hard times.
Why is the mind so important?
1. The mind is the battlefield of the Redeemed. 2 Corinthians 10:3.
2. Battles may be fought with weapons but they are won from the mind. Church Gist. Battles may be fought with weapons but they are won with strategy which is a thing of the mind.
3. Life is lived inside out not outside in.
It is lived from the inside out. The meaning is, you cannot win in the mind and lose in life. Church Gist. And you cannot lose in the mind and win in life. It’s not possible. You can’t win in the mind and lose in life and you cannot lose in the mind and win in life.
4. The state of the mind affects the state of life.
That is why a madman is practically useless to society, why? Because the mind is gone. Church Gist. The state of the mind affects the state of life, that’s why He said: ‘Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life’. Proverbs 4: 23.
5. The most critical target of enemy confrontation is the mind.
Enemy confrontation! Confrontation with unscriptural imaginations. Church Gist. Confrontations with ideas that exalt themselves above the Word. Confrontations from rebellious thoughts.
-But I announce today, in the name that is above every name, someone here, you will win the victory over the mind!
While speaking with our father yesterday he said: If you don’t cast down imaginations, imaginations will cast you down. Church Gist. If you don’t bring your thoughts into captivity… We just heard an elaborate preaching just now, your thought will bring you into captivity.
-But I decree, you will not enter into that captivity in the name of Jesus Christ.
Very quickly, let us look at examples of people in Scriptures that lost because of the mind.
1. And the first example I want to give is the Children of Israel.
The Children of Israel! Very pathetic story! They were in Egypt for 430 years. They stayed in Egypt until Egypt entered into them. And in case you don’t understand what I mean, it’s like taking a bottle of coke, empty bottle and you fill it with river water and you put that Coke that is filled with river water inside the River. Church Gist. So the Bottle is in the River and the River is in the Bottle. That was what happened to the Children of Israel. They were not only in Egypt, Egypt was in them. The greatest challenge of Moses was not bringing them out of Egypt, it is bringing Egypt out of them. Are you hearing what I’m saying here today?
The people had come out of Egypt, they have stepped out of Egypt but Egypt has not come out of them. In Numbers 11:4-6, you saw them lusting after Egypt. Look at what they were longing for – The Leek, the Onion, garlic; that will set your mouth on fire (Laughing). These were what the people were lusting for, like slaves that fell in love with their chains and would not want to be free. Somebody was taking them to their destiny, they were longing for their history. Church Gist. Somebody was taking them to their destiny, they were longing for their captivity. It’s like the Circus Elephant in India that they tie a rope on the leg so that the Elephant will remain within a cycle and then the Elephant remains in that cycle. If he wants to get out of that cycle, the rope will pull it back and then it remains in a cycle. And it remains like that for a long time until they remove the rope from the leg of the Elephant but the Elephant does not leave the cycle anymore.
As far as it was concerned it was not permitted to leave. Even though the chain on the leg has been removed, the chain on the mind has not been removed. They kept it there until the chain transferred from the leg to the mind. That was what happened to Israel, after 430 years in Egypt, their bondage transferred to their mind. Church Gist. And Moses brought them out of Egypt but couldn’t bring Egypt out of them and God said to Moses: ‘You know what’? ‘These people who refused to be delivered and this bondage cannot come out of them, none of them will enter the Promised Land, I will just make them roam about in this Wilderness until the last of them perish; only their sons will enter the Promised Land’ – Apart from Caleb and Joshua who have another spirit. See! If you have another spirit, you must live another life. Are you hearing what I am saying here? He said: These are the ones that will go into the Promised Land and it was Caleb and Joshua alone that went into the Promised Land.
-I announce to somebody here today, every chain in your mind that is limiting your destiny. Today, that chain is broken! If you are saying Amen, shout the loudest Amen. Church Gist. Every chain in your mind that says you cannot cross where you have been, that says you should suffer hard times with the people, I announce that chain is broken!
-Lift your hands and say: In the name of Jesus, every chain on my mind limiting my destiny, is broken now!
Now, only Caleb and Joshua and the children that were born in the Wilderness who were not born in Egypt, who didn’t have Egypt in them. Church Gist. Those were the people that entered the Promised Land. Numbers 14:26-23, you can reference that later.
-You will enter your Promised Land.
2. Our second example is Gideon. Judges 6:14-15. You see Gideon, a mighty man of valour. This was a man that carried the heavy potential of delivering a whole nation but look at what is tying him down. Judges 6:15-16. A man that carried the might to deliver a nation was limited in his mind by the spirit of fear, by the spirit of poverty, by inferiority complex until he had an encounter that delivered that mentality. And he was able to step in. Judges 6:16.
-Beloved, if God is on your side and you are on your side, there is no devil that can be on the other side and succeed. Are you hearing what I’m saying here today?
The worst form of limitation is self-limitation.
-That is what I stand here with authority to announce to somebody: Everything that is limiting your mind and limiting your destiny, by the time this Word is over. Church Gist. That limitation shall be broken!
Now look at examples of people who succeeded. Who won and ruled with the mind.
1. Joseph.
Joseph’s story is to me very, very exciting. And there are three things I’d like you to know about Joseph.
First of all, Joseph was in the Prison and he kept on interpreting dreams for people because he believed in his own dream. And he believed in the interpretation of the dream. Church Gist. If he didn’t believe his own dream and he didn’t believe its interpretation, there was no way he would interpret other people’s dreams. He was saying: ‘Even though I am in prison now, the Palace is my place. I believe that my own dream will come to pass, so tell me your own dream and I will give you the interpretation.
-I don’t know where you are today, but I announce to you, the Palace that is your place, you shall get there.
Secondly, Joseph was in the Prison, but he did not keep only prison clothes in the Prison, he kept palace clothes. Such that when Pharaoh sent for him, he didn’t wear prison cloth to Pharaoh. Genesis 41:14. He said to the cloth, ‘You know what? This is the day I have been keeping you for. I knew I would leave here, I knew I would go to the Palace and I knew I would need palace clothes’.
-Is God speaking to anybody here?
And he wore the Palace cloth, the Prison didn’t limit his mind, he wore the Palace cloth and stepped majestically out of the Palace and stood before Pharaoh. Genesis 41:17. Don’t wait for the future to happen, happen to the future. Heeey!! I say don’t wait for the future to happen. What do you do? Happen to the future, prepare for the future before it arrives. It doesn’t matter where you are now, you can prepare for the future before it arrives, you believe that shout the loudest Amen!
And this is the third one that is most interesting. When Pharaoh called him and he has appeared in palace clothes and he stood before Pharaoh. They only asked him one question: ‘I had dreamt a dream, can you interpret it for me’? Genesis 41:16. Yes! He interpreted the dream, right? If Joseph stopped at the interpretation, Pharaoh would have said: ‘Thank you, please give him fifty naira there and return him back to the Prison’. By his gift, he gave interpretation but by his mind he gave solution. The gift brought him out before Pharaoh but the gift could not keep him out of prison. He said to Pharaoh, this is the interpretation: ‘7 years of plenty will come and after that 7 years of famine’. Genesis 41:15-20. And the plenty will not be recognized because of the famine; that was where his job description stopped. But he now went an extra mile. Genesis 41:26. And he said: ‘You know what? Pharaoh, I want you to appoint a man, a wise man’, he was describing himself. Heeeey! (Laughing). He was describing himself. ‘Appoint a man, a wise man, you know? The kind of person that can achieve all these things and Pharaoh said: ‘Why are you prescribing another person to me, you are the Person’. Genesis 41:38.
-Somebody give the Lord a shout of victory.
Listen to this, I don’t care what gift you have, that gift may cause you to see some results but it may not take you into your destiny, necessarily! It takes your mind for you to arrive at your future.
-And I pray for someone here today, the correct mentality is going to usher you into your correct destiny.
-You believe that, shout the loudest Amen.
Look at your neighbour and say: Use your mind and you will fulfill your destiny.
I will give one or two more examples and then we will begin to round up.
2. Second example is the example of David.
All the Israelites saw Goliath as too big to fight. David saw him as too big to miss. This Man is too big an adversity to confront. David said this Man is too big an opportunity to miss and he went at him. And while David was talking to Goliath, he said: ‘Come to me and I will take your head from you. I will cut off your head’. Church Gist. He had no knife in his hand, he was eyeing the knife of the Man. That is, by the time I finish you, I will carry your own knife and use it to cut off your head. 1 Samuel 17:46. Beloved brothers and sisters, what you don’t see coming will never come. If you want to cease it, you must see it. David saw it ahead of time even though he was in adversity. His mind made him to gain victory.
-I don’t know who is seated here today and there is a Goliath in front of your life. Church Gist. I declare that Goliath shall collapse. Say the loudest Amen.
3. And finally, third example – Isaac.
In the Land of famine. Genesis 26:1-3. Genesis 26:12-14. Everybody was thinking of what to eat, Isaac was thinking of what to harvest. Mind! Mentality determines reality. Everybody was thinking of what to eat, they were looking for what to eat, he was gathering what to sow. Church Gist. The rest of it is history. Listen! If you have a different mind, you must live a different life. It doesn’t matter the holocaust, it doesn’t matter the situation in the Land. If your mind is different, your life is different.
-In your return back from Shiloh to where you have come from, the people who know you will see a different you. Church Gist. Can you say Amen like a believer?
One young man sat in Church and he said I was preaching in one midweek service and he told himself while listening to the Message, he said: ‘How do I move from millions to billions’? And he sat and he listened until light flashed into his mind, he got a thought that he should decrease his expenses and increase his investments and then begin to spend, give himself three years and spend only from his investments. In a short while, he has entered the ten-figure range. Church Gist. Beloved, you are not where you are because the devil is too powerful, if you come to your senses, you come to your changes. And I will talk about that later. That was what happened to the Prodigal Son, in the Prison! A change of sense is a change of season.
Now, that was his case. In the year of 2007, we were at the Abuja Stadium, July 2007 – Massive crusade, filled the Place and then we were there again in August. We were there, that’s 13 years ago. We were there again in August and September. Church Gist. Twice, the Rain fell on us and then at that time, the Government of that time said they won’t give the Place or the Authority said they won’t give the Place to use again for Church. And there and then I announced to the people. I said: ‘We are going to build the equivalent of our own Stadium and in this case, the rain will not fall on us, because we will have a roof and we will build what is bigger than that Stadium. That was what the mind said, that was what thought said and in a short while, it became a reality.
-Somebody here, what God would speak to you and what will cross your mind from here will soon become your reality.
Very, very quickly in the next few minutes, what is the impact of the mind on life? The impact of the mind. I’ve said many of them already:
1. The state of the mind defines the state of life.
Proverbs 23:7. Mentality defines reality.
2. The renewal of the mind equals the upgrade of life.
Romans 12:1-2. Be transformed! The renewal of mind equals the upgrade of life. Church Gist. The renewal of the mind equals the transformation of life, equals the upgrade of life.
3. A change of mind provokes a change of life’s season.
Your season changes when your senses change. A change of mind provokes a change of life’s season.
(Recap of the points above)
The Prodigal Son came to himself and he began to think – That changed his season. A change of mind provokes a change of life’s season. Luke 15:17-18.
4. Very important! God hears and responds to thoughts like He hears and responds to prayer. Why do I say so? Ephesians 3:20. So, He is hearing your asking, He is also hearing your thinking. He is hearing your asking, He is hearing your thinking. Church Gist. He can answer your asking, He can answer your thinking. That is why the Bible said: ‘While they are yet speaking’ – Before they open their mouth, I will hear and before they call. Isaiah 65:24. They have not spoken yet, I saw their mind, I saw their heart, I read it from their heart and I answered them.
-There is somebody here, I believe that God is about to hear even the communications of your mind.
That is why you must guard your heart with all diligence so that God will not be heading rubbish from the heart.
5. The mind affects access to God’s voice.
While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit of God said. Acts 10:19. It affects access to the voice of God. Church Gist. Matthew 1:20. So, there is a way God visits you based on what is going on in your mind. There is a way God speaks to you based on what your mind is on per time.
6. The mind determines the acts and possibilities of God.
Ephesians 3:20. The acts and possibilities of God. Philemon 1:14. He said: ‘Without your mind will I do nothing’. Without your mind! Church Gist. So, God needs the cooperation of your mind to do mega things in your life. Did you hear what I just said? God used the cooperation, He needs the cooperation of your mind to do mega things in your life.
7. The mind determines the stability of life.
A stable mind is a stable life. It doesn’t matter the storm, it doesn’t matter what is going on around the World, if your mind is stable your life is stable. Church Gist. Job 23:13. His mind (Job’s mind) is concrete and solid. What kind of holocaust can turn him? What kind of pestilence can turn him?
-I announce to you today, when men say they are cast down in this season, you shall be saying there is a lifting up. Church Gist. Shout the loudest Amen!
What do you do with the mind?
In conclusion, within the next four minutes, what do you do to enhance the mind for triumph in hard times? What do you do?
1. Avoid sin.
Bishop spoke extensively on that to us already, because iniquity corrupts mentality. Iniquity destroys destiny. Church Gist. We are called to glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1:3. And sin makes us fall short of glory. Romans 3:23. Avoid sin, avoid sin!
2. Avoid both the wrong association and the wrong communication.
The wrong association! He that walketh with the wise shall be wise. Proverbs 13:20. The wrong association and the wrong communication. Ten Spies destroyed the destiny of millions by what they said to them. Numbers 13:31-34. Church Gist. Avoid the wrong association and the wrong communication. If anybody is not talking your talk, give them space. Are you hearing what I am saying here? If anybody is not talking revelation, not talking revolution, not talking faith, give them space. Are they your friend? No! Are they your enemy? No! Who are they? You know them! Give the Lord the shout of praise.
3. Renew your mind continually with the Word.
Study! Listen to the Word, renew your mind. Romans 12:1-2. Renew your mind continually with the Word, what? What you hear feeds your faith. Church Gist. Romans 10:17. And also what you hear determines what you fear. Deuteronomy 13:11. What you hear affects what you fear. So instead of hearing things that make you afraid, hear the Word! What you hear determines what you fear.
4. Think the Word.
This is different from renewing your mind and listening. Now, think the Word, think productively, think possibility because He answers according to what we ask or think. And I don’t want you to forget this Scripture: Proverbs 21:5. Church Gist. There are people if you open their minds, what fills it is prosperity. What fills it is plenty, what fills it is abundance, what fills it is possibility. Because what fills your mind determines what flows to your mind. Think the Word, think productively, think positively! Think the opposite of your situation.
5. And finally, engage the power of the spirit. The Spirit of the Lord is the Spirit of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:6-7. Church Gist. Engage the power of the Spirit. ‘For God has not given us the spirit of fear’! So you are not afraid of the devil or of the holocaust. ‘…But of power and of love and of a sound mind’.
-Is there somebody who received something here? Is there somebody who is about to face this season with audacity, stand on your feet with a shout of praise! Church Gist. A louder shout of praise! Heeey! Place your right hand on your head and say after me:
Say: Father! I receive a sound mind, I receive the grace to function with the correct mentality. Church Gist. I shall not be a victim of enemy adversity. Thank You, Lord! In Jesus’ name!
-And I prophesy, I declare, it is done!
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