*If it will come to pass, it will be the product of our obedience.
*It is not too late to have a Turnaround.
*Don’t tell me, “it is September and ohhh I am not sure that Turnaround can be a reality.”
*The ‘Ember’ months are the months of remembrance.
Our Father, this morning we have come to give glory and to give praise unto Your holy name. For the testimonies that we have heard no man can do these things, only You can do them and for it, we give You all of the glory. Our Father, we thank You for the answers to our prayers, every time we call, You hear and when You hear, You answer us. We thank You Father for answering us again today. Blessed be Your holy name and now this morning our eyes are upon you. We ask that You speak to us and that Your Word will transform our lives. Thank You Father for doing it, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
We discover from God’s Word that obedience is the only way to prove the validity of any Biblical truth. That is the only way. You don’t prove the truth by knowing the truth. You don’t prove the truth by understanding the truth. You don’t prove the truth by noting down the truth, you prove the truth only by obeying the truth. Whatever is discovered from God’s Word and not engaged in man’s life produces nothing. The productivity of every Word and every encounter is the outcome of the conscious engagement of it.
Matthew 7:24-27
The difference between the wise and the foolish is not knowledge; the difference between the wise and the foolish is obedience. What that means is that what separates us in the journey of life is our obedience to the discovered truth – James 1:25-27
Until we engage with the Word, we are not permitted to profit from the Word.
1 Samuel 2:3
If there is no action, there is no weight. As far as God is concerned, what He honours and responds to, are the actions we take. That is why it becomes for you and I to ensure that we position ourselves with obedience in order to maximise every truth that we discover. It is important to note that God will only confirm His Word when we engage with it.
John 2:5 – Whatsoever He saith to you, do it.
Jesus told the servants, take the water pots and fill them with water. Take of the water and take to the Governor of the feast – John 2:7
The Bible says they did so – John 2:9-10
The question you ask yourself is when did the water turn to wine.
Was it when Jesus said?
Was it when the water was poured into the pots?
Was it when the water was taken from the pot to the Governor?
What we can tell is this, Jesus spoke, the men obeyed and God performed. You see it is at the completion of man’s obedience that we secure God’s performance. When your obedience is complete, God’s manifestation is sure. That is why obedience is the catalyst to provoking the desires that we have of the Lord
Luke 5:1-8
Peter gave his boat to Jesus to use and Jesus said, “now launch out to the deep and cast down your nets for a draught.”
Peter said, “Lord we have toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, I will let down the net.”
Look at what the Bible says, “when they had this DONE” – until when they did it, God did nothing.
That is why it is Doers of the Word that make the most of their walk with God. Those who are committed to obedience are the ones that are permitted to secure the desires of their hearts. God spoke to us through His servant at the beginning of this year that this is our Year of Turnaround.
Amos 3:7 – God has called it our Year of Turnaround and like he (Bishop David Oyedepo) said to us yesterday, “the good news is this, it is not too late to have a Turnaround.”
Please hear this, turnaround does not take time, it takes obedience. If it will come to pass, it will be the product of our obedience.
-I pray for each one of us that the grace to obey God even in this season of the year, may that grace be made available to you.
God never runs out of time. It is man that stops obeying. Don’t tell me it is September and ohhh I am not sure that Turnaround can be a reality. We have been told over and again that the ‘Ember’ months are the months of remembrance. In other words, whatever you have been trusting God for, just commit yourself to obeying and God said, “I will surely remember you.”
They said concerning Sarah that the time had passed. “It had ceased to be with her according to the manner of women.” It seemed as if the calendar had gone past her, the opportunity had closed but the Bible makes us to understand that God visited Sarah – Genesis 21:1
-For somebody as you obey Him, God will visit you with your own turnaround package.
-The God of this Commission will visit you.
The exhortation for this week is:
OBEDIENCE: GATEWAY TO CHANGE OF LEVELS
We are going to look this morning at a case study in following the step of Abraham.
Hebrews 6:12
If we can look at the examples of others and emulate their examples, we are sure to secure the same outcome.
Why? God is no respecter of persons – Acts 10:34
If you do what Abraham did, you will see what Abraham saw. Let’s look at the example of Abraham. We discover from the example of Abraham that he was a man of prompt and delightsome obedience.
Genesis 12:1-4
The response of Abraham was prompt, it was without complains, it was delightsome.
Genesis 17:10, 23-24
He was 99 years old but yet in the same day that God spoke, he obeyed. Church Gist. Delayed obedience is the same as disobedience. He obeyed instantly.
Genesis 22:1-5
In Genesis chapter 22, God gave perhaps the most difficult instruction of Abraham’s life. He said, “take your son, the one that you love and go to a mountain that I will show you; sacrifice him there.”
The Bible says, Abraham arose early in the morning, for 3 days he was looking out for the mountain that God would show him.
When he found the mountain, the Bible says, Abraham said to his servants, “stay here with the ass, let me and my son go to the mountain and we will worship God”: it was not an expression of depression, it was an expression of delight.
“Lord, if that is what you want, then I am ready to give you my all.”
You look at the life of Abraham: first, he obeyed God at the point of discomfort. You are 75 years old, “leave where you are and go to where I will show you”: he didn’t mind his comfort, he went at the expense of his comfort to obey God.
By chapter 17, we see Abraham there and he obeyed God at the expense of his life. Do you know what it means for a man at the age of 99 to be circumcised? At the age of 99 and when you look at it, God said, “this is a covenant between Me and you.” He didn’t necessarily say to him that this circumcision must also be with you but Abraham started with himself – Genesis 17:10
Obeying God even at the expense of his life and what else, we saw in chapter 22, what was more important than the life of Abraham was his son. He gave beyond what was important to him. His life was important yes, but weightier than his life was his son and God said, “give Me that son.”
Abraham was proving to God that there was nothing that God would demand that Abraham would not obey.
God said to him as a result of that, He said, “by this I know that you fear Me because you have not kept back your son from me and as a result of that, in blessing I will bless you” – Genesis 22:17
Abraham became so blessed that he had an army of 318 men that could take up the army of a nation – Genesis 14:14-20
God decorated him.
-For somebody here, God will decorate you.
Beyond that, Abraham became the father of generational blessings.
Isaiah 51:1-3
Abraham became the father of generational blessings to a point that in Galatians chapter 3 verse 13 to 14, Abraham has become the father of generational blessings by the pattern of obedience.
It means if it worked for Abraham, it can work for you also.
-Your own lineage will be known as a blessed lineage.
What God is saying is simple, prove me now with your obedience if I will not change your story.
Malachi 3:10 –“…prove me now.” Obedience is the way we prove Him.
He has told us what you and I require, that we must serve Him with all of our hearts. We must love Him with all of our hearts. God said the answer to seeing all that is desired is to give Me what I require and that is simply obedience. Watch Him decorate you with His glory.
-I see each one of us being decorated with the Turnaround packages God has ordained for this year.
-Before you arrive at Shiloh, you are already an epitome of Turnarounds.
Prayers: Lord, I receive grace to obey You at all times.
He said when your obedience is complete, He will avenge all disobedience.
I take that grace today. I receive of You grace to obey You. Thank You mighty God, blessed be Your holy name, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
-As you obey Him, He will decorate you, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
-Your life shall be a living testimony in Jesus precious name.
Another day is here, another opportunity for obedience, another opportunity for engagement.
SPEAK TO THE DAY
Make your declaration concerning the day. Speak to the day right now and make your declaration concerning the day. Make sure you are decreeing, make sure you are declaring for whatever you declare, God is sure to deliver. Speak to the day right now.
Make your declarations and do it in faith. Thank You Father and thank You Lord. Blessed be Your holy name, in Jesus precious name we have declared.
-This day is declared blessed.
-It is a new working week, everything will work for you this week.
-The hand of God shall rest upon you all through the course of this week.
-Whatever you put your hands to do this week, it shall prosper.
-God’s favour will follow you all through this week.
-God’s wisdom shall be expressed upon you all through this week. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
-For you, it will be a week of divine speed.
-It will be a week of divine surprises in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
-The benefits of each day all through this week will be delivered into your hands. In the name of Jesus Christ. So shall it be, in Jesus precious name.
It is done, in Jesus precious name.
Let’s be reminded that the International Youth Convention kicks off tomorrow. All youth, let’s continue to get ready, prepare ourselves in earnest. It shall be an encounter of a lifetime, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
All those who are coming and going, there shall be safety, there shall be no mishap in the name of Jesus Christ, so shall it be.
#PastorDavidOyedepoJr
#CHoP13Sept2021
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