I HAD NO INTENTION TO GO INTO FULL TIME MINISTRY BUT TO REMAIN A PROMOTER OF THE GOSPEL AS GOD WILL ENABLE ME BUT I DROPPED THAT PLAN WHEN GOD CALLED ME
A GOOD PLAN MAY NOT BE A GOD PLAN. GOD WILL ONLY BACK UP HIS PLAN NOT YOURS OR MINE
ALL VISIONS MUST BE PROVED BEFORE RUNNING WITH IT OR YOU MAY BE RUNNING WITH VANITY
WE ARE PERMITTED TO HAVE WAYS BUT WE COMMIT IT TO HIM SO HE CAN DIRECT OUR PATHS
WITHOUT ACCESS TO DIVINE DIRECTION LIFE REMAINS AN ADVENTURE IN FRUSTRATION
YOU DON’T NEED ANY VISION IN THIS WORLD TO TRIUMPH JUST FOLLOW WHAT THE WORD SAYS
WHAT WE DO NOT KNOW, WE DO NOT KNOW AND WHAT WE WON’T LEARN, WE CANNOT KNOW AND WHAT WE DON’T KNOW, WE WILL PAY FOR IT.
THERE IS NO TRULY BORN AGAIN CHILD WHO WILL THINK SUICIDE
ANYBODY TRULY SAVED WILL HAVE THE JOY OF SALVATION.
THE REASON WHY YOU HAVE AN INCREASE IN SUICIDAL RATE TODAY IS THAT PEOPLE JUST GO ANYWHERE THEY SEE WITHOUT BEING LED AND THEY KEEP MEETING OBSTACLES EVERYWHERE THEY TURN
THERE IS NO GREAT MAN ANYWHERE, IT IS THE BACKING OF THE GREAT GOD THAT MAKES AN ORDINARY MAN OR WOMAN LOOK GREAT.
WHEN YOU CHECK THE BACK OF ANY TRULY GREAT MAN OR WOMAN, YOU FIND THE ALMIGHTY BEHIND THE SCENES
– Bishop David Oyedepo on UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD LEADS 1 at September Week of Spiritual Emphasis Service Day 1 || Youth Chapel Canaanland || 6th September, 2023
Our making is in following. Matthew 4:19. Our making in the race of life is in following him; and who is “him”? The Word – Jesus the Word of God made manifest. You don’t need any vision in this world to triumph just follow what the Word says. Deuteronomy 28:1. There is no comparing of the guidance of this book to any vision anybody may have. Church Gist. No matter how colourful the vision, outside following the Word you cannot be made. No matter how clear your path may appear to be in your career, your profession, without following this book you are going nowhere. He is still guiding and leading by his word today. Behind every statement of this book is the voice of God – they call it “Rhema”. He thunders from this book to lead us in the way to go if you are willing to.
– Jesus, equip me to access your leading and engrace me to follow accordingly.
The prophetic focus for the month of September is, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” When God is leading me, only goodness and mercy are permitted to follow me not shame, reproach, lack, want, evil report. Church Gist. When God is leading me, my enemies are rendered helpless. Psalm 23:4-5. When God leads, he goes with the led and if God be with us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31. God’s presence naturally allays all fears. You can’t have a lion guiding you and you’re scared by the barking of a dog.
UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD LEADS. Isaiah 59:8. So it is important to understand how God leads. It’s God’s bail out platform from a life of frustration, stagnation, failure, despair, depression. That’s why the needs to understand how God leads cannot be overemphasized. Proverbs 14:12. Church Gist. Going outside his leading can be most frustrating and destructive. But what we do not know, we do not know and what we won’t learn, we cannot know and what we don’t know, we will pay for it. Isaiah 5:13. There are things freely given to us but if we don’t know, we keep struggling to make them happen. 1 Corinthians 2:12. God Word still teaches Believers today how to be led by the Spirit in order to make the most of our lives. Isaiah 48:17.
October 1st, 1983 I was in God’s presence and I came to this Scripture and the voice of the Lord sounded, “I’m committed to leading you if you are committed to following me” – very wonderful day in his presence. I didn’t coin those words, it spoke loud behind this Scripture: Isaiah 48:17. Church Gist. You can’t go his way and not prosper because you enjoy his backing. It’s God’s backing that makes frontliners not skill, strength, capacity – the way we emphasize today; let God lead you, you enjoy his backing and that gets you on the frontline.
Why do we need Divine Direction?
That a step seems right does not make it right. Proverbs 16:25. That’s why all visions must be proved before running with it or you may be running with vanity. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21. Church Gist. All things that come as vision may not be right. Why? Because God will only back up his plans for us and not our plans.
I ran into this Scripture by grace – 1977 – Jeremiah 29:11 (RSV). The Lord said to me from that Scripture: “Your future is in my plan not in your plan.” I mean, I was dancing – God has a plan, my job is to discover the plan and follow the plan. There’s no way my plan will outweigh God’s plan. God’s plan must be higher than my plans. I had no intention to go into full time ministry. Church Gist. My thought and dreams was to remain a promoter of the Gospel as God will enable me. So because he taught me this earlier, I had no problem when he said, “I am sending you to undertake this task” – thank you Sir for the privilege. If I didn’t know that earlier I will say, “God, you know I have a heart for you and you know. My plan is to be part of removing the poverty stigma from your body as you bless me.” It’s okay, it’s a good plan but it is not a God plan. God will only back up his plan not yours and not mine.
1. No one knows tomorrow than the one who creates it. He knows the end from the beginning. God is ahead of times and seasons. From the day of the fall of man, he had a redemption package set. Genesis 3:15. He already had a plan. Nothing ever takes God by surprise. He declares the end from the beginning. Isaiah 46:10. Without access to divine direction life remains an adventure in frustration. Church Gist. We must therefore continue to commit our ways unto the Lord so he can direct our paths in order to fulfill our glorious destiny in Christ. Proverbs 3:5-6. We take it to him, “This is my thought; am I okay?” We are permitted to have ways but we commit it to him so he can direct our paths. Psalm 37:5. We should always remember that God will ONLY back up his plan in our lives and not our plans. What makes anyone following God’s plan look great is because, “faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24. You will just be fronting for Him, He is the one at work because you are following His plan.
We must understand it is God’s backing that makes front liners in the race of life. I have said it before that there is no great man anywhere, it is the backing of the Great God that makes an ordinary man or woman look great. When you check the back of any truly great man or woman, you find the Almighty behind the scenes. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, it is God that showeth mercy. Church Gist. Romans 9:16. God led Abraham to the realm of recreational greatness step by step. He called him forth in Chapter 12, He became an emperor in Chapter 14. He was blessed to the end of his time. Genesis 24:1-7. Genesis 22:18. We are part of that seed in heaven’s agenda because if anyone be in Christ, he is Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
Having this background, knowing the importance of being led. The reason why you have an increase in suicidal rate today is that people just go everywhere they see and they keep meeting bricks and stones everywhere they turn. What is life worth because they will not allow Him to lead them? Church Gist. They just inform Him of where they are going, they don’t ask Him if it is His plan or not. “Lord, I am on my way to Ghana.” Well done! If you don’t commit your ways to Him, He can’t be committed to leading you.
How then do we access divine direction?
1. Be born again
If you remove that one from what you are saying nothing will happen. No one can be led by the Shepherd except he becomes one of His sheep. A shepherd does not lead every sheep he sees on the road, he leads his own sheep. He calls them by name. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. No one can be led by the Spirit of God except He becomes a child of God. Romans 8:14. Except a man is born again, he cannot see what the Kingdom offers and among what the Kingdom offers is divine guidance. Be born again. Don’t fake it, experience it. New birth is not a philosophy, it is not an ideology, it is an experience. Church Gist. 2 Corinthians 5:17. Acts 3:19. Times of refreshing is a literal validation of the presence of God. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Jesus is coming soon. How do I know whether I am born again or not? Look out for the fruit of the Spirit. It is only one fruit if you check Galatians 5:22. Fruit like an orange ball and what you have there is the back, the sponge, the various things inside the orange is one fruit. Love, joy, peace, isn’t that refreshing? Church Gist. That is the refreshing we are talking about. Anybody truly saved will have the joy of salvation. There is no truly born again child who will think suicide because you have to be depressed to go in that line. You don’t see joy, you don’t see peace, you don’t see love, check it. It is not an ideology, it is an experience. Times of refreshing are the validations of salvation. Because saying you are born again has become a social emblem now. ‘I am born again’ We are all born again, abi what else? John 10:4-5. They will not follow a stranger. Not that they won’t hear, they will hear but they won’t follow. The voice of the stranger will be estranged from the truth. They will flee from him.
2. Crave for access to the voice of God behind the Word.
Isaiah 34:16. The mouth of God is behind every statement of scriptures. Psalm 28:3-4. Isaiah 55:1,11. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters of His Word. He thunders from scriptures. Church Gist. Access to the voice of God behind the Word is one great way we are led on the way to go and the path to take. Psalm 119:105. God’s word is the lead guide of life. It is the G.P.S. of life. It is showing us which way to go about all areas of life.
3. Be clothed with meekness.
Psalm 25:9. Be clothed with meekness. Moses was said to be very meek of all men on the face of the earth. God only speaks direct and leads the way to go for the meek. Moses had unlimited access to thus saith the Lord. God kept guiding him every step of the way. Deuteronomy 34:10. Meekness qualifies us for access to be guided on the way to go at all times. Matthew 11:27-29. Church Gist. John 5:30. Meekness enhances access to divine guidance. The one who will not hear instruction, rebuke and corrections will not hear from God because essentially God speaks to teach doctrines, principles of life and h
He comes through to correct, to reproof and to instruct. So anyone not prepared for correction is not a candidate for divine direction.
Now let me tell you some things that will baffle your mind. Having prayed and done some screening for pastors that will be sent to those 75 nations, we sent for them to come and their families. The first night as I stood up, He said ‘These are not the people I am going to use’. I was the one who sent for them because I thought I had prayed and gotten it right. After the meeting, I said God told me that you will go back tomorrow. That was the end of the induction. Church Gist. You can’t be corrected and not be directed. They came from abroad oh, they came from across Africa because we were going to send all the proven hands that we have to go there. He said I am not using them. Some came with babies because their wives just delivered not long before then. Plus the babies, plus the fathers and mothers, they went back because God said we are not going that way. It takes a lot of meekness not to pretend. If I said, “Okay, let’s just do the training now.” Training for what? Because we won’t use them. What are you wasting your mouth doing the training for? They went back.
Our making is in following. Matthew 4:19. Our making in the race of life is in following him; and who is “him”? The Word – Jesus the Word of God made manifest. You don’t need any vision in this world to triumph just follow what the Word says. Deuteronomy 28:1. There is no comparing of the guidance of this book to any vision anybody may have. Church Gist. No matter how colourful the vision, outside following the Word you cannot be made. No matter how clear your path may appear to be in your career, your profession, without following this book you are going nowhere. He is still guiding and leading by his word today. Behind every statement of this book is the voice of God – they call it “Rhema”. He thunders from this book to lead us in the way to go if you are willing to.
– Jesus, equip me to access your leading and engrace me to follow accordingly.
The prophetic focus for the month of September is, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” When God is leading me, only goodness and mercy are permitted to follow me not shame, reproach, lack, want, evil report. Church Gist. When God is leading me, my enemies are rendered helpless. Psalm 23:4-5. When God leads, he goes with the led and if God be with us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31. God’s presence naturally allays all fears. You can’t have a lion guiding you and you’re scared by the barking of a dog.
UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD LEADS. Isaiah 59:8. So it is important to understand how God leads. It’s God’s bail out platform from a life of frustration, stagnation, failure, despair, depression. That’s why the needs to understand how God leads cannot be overemphasized. Proverbs 14:12. Church Gist. Going outside his leading can be most frustrating and destructive. But what we do not know, we do not know and what we won’t learn, we cannot know and what we don’t know, we will pay for it. Isaiah 5:13. There are things freely given to us but if we don’t know, we keep struggling to make them happen. 1 Corinthians 2:12. God Word still teaches Believers today how to be led by the Spirit in order to make the most of our lives. Isaiah 48:17.
October 1st, 1983 I was in God’s presence and I came to this Scripture and the voice of the Lord sounded, “I’m committed to leading you if you are committed to following me” – very wonderful day in his presence. I didn’t coin those words, it spoke loud behind this Scripture: Isaiah 48:17. Church Gist. You can’t go his way and not prosper because you enjoy his backing. It’s God’s backing that makes frontliners not skill, strength, capacity – the way we emphasize today; let God lead you, you enjoy his backing and that gets you on the frontline.
Why do we need Divine Direction?
That a step seems right does not make it right. Proverbs 16:25. That’s why all visions must be proved before running with it or you may be running with vanity. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21. Church Gist. All things that come as vision may not be right. Why? Because God will only back up his plans for us and not our plans.
I ran into this Scripture by grace – 1977 – Jeremiah 29:11 (RSV). The Lord said to me from that Scripture: “Your future is in my plan not in your plan.” I mean, I was dancing – God has a plan, my job is to discover the plan and follow the plan. There’s no way my plan will outweigh God’s plan. God’s plan must be higher than my plans. I had no intention to go into full time ministry. Church Gist. My thought and dreams was to remain a promoter of the Gospel as God will enable me. So because he taught me this earlier, I had no problem when he said, “I am sending you to undertake this task” – thank you Sir for the privilege. If I didn’t know that earlier I will say, “God, you know I have a heart for you and you know. My plan is to be part of removing the poverty stigma from your body as you bless me.” It’s okay, it’s a good plan but it is not a God plan. God will only back up his plan not yours and not mine.
1. No one knows tomorrow than the one who creates it. He knows the end from the beginning. God is ahead of times and seasons. From the day of the fall of man, he had a redemption package set. Genesis 3:15. He already had a plan. Nothing ever takes God by surprise. He declares the end from the beginning. Isaiah 46:10. Without access to divine direction life remains an adventure in frustration. Church Gist. We must therefore continue to commit our ways unto the Lord so he can direct our paths in order to fulfill our glorious destiny in Christ. Proverbs 3:5-6. We take it to him, “This is my thought; am I okay?” We are permitted to have ways but we commit it to him so he can direct our paths. Psalm 37:5. We should always remember that God will ONLY back up his plan in our lives and not our plans. What makes anyone following God’s plan look great is because, “faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24. You will just be fronting for Him, He is the one at work because you are following His plan.
2. Supernatural favour usually accompanies one that is led.
Psalm 23:1-6. Favour! Isaiah 48:21. Supernatural favour usually attends to people that are led by the Spirit. No one will run out of favour again. Luke 22:35. That is the realm you are going into. It may be like through the desert, just hold on. Church Gist. He knows how to make a way where there seems to be no way. He can cause streams to flow in the desert. You may seem to be passing through the desert but He is going to turn it into a watered garden as you keep following in the name of Jesus.
I believe tonight that God has stirred your holy minds to the essence of divine direction. Church Gist. That will make your life much more meaningful and impactful. No one shall miss their steps.
Prayer: Lord clothe me with meekness that will keep me open to your direction, your corrections, your reproofs and your instructions.
Pray that prayer from the depth of your heart. If you cannot be corrected, you cannot be directed. His corrections are 75 per cent of His leadings. Church Gist. Everybody has His own ways but He comes to say No! You are wrong, that is not the way to go. He does that By His Word.
If you won’t hear what is written, you will never hear what is spoken. It begins with what is written. To hear what is spoken, you must first hear what is written. If you are not ready to hear what is written you are not a candidate to hear what is spoken. Why are people not hearing from the Lord today? They won’t hear what is written. How can they hear what is spoken? The journey begins here. I started hearing what is written years before I began to hear what is spoken. I heard what is spoken for the first time in 1976, I have been hearing what is written since 1970 and it was guiding my steps. Church Gist. It was not me you heard, you heard yourself. People hear themselves and they don’t know. He told me directly, I didn’t read any book. No one will miss his step here. When you are filled with what is written, what is spoken comes with ease. Because the voice of God is here, that voice begins to sound in your natural ears subsequently. You are going places.
Jesus thank you again tonight for the Word of life. Jesus, I pray that you connect everyone to this truth so as to make the most of their adventure in the name of Jesus.
– No one will take a step into horror.
– You remain on course with divine plan.
– You never lack his backing on your journey.
– You will never live a life of regret. Church Gist.
– As God begins to correct you in the course of this month, may you receive the grace to be corrected.
– May you follow His corrections, may you now take up His instructions.
One mystery of the Kingdom we need to be aware of is that Satan who could dare to speak to Jesus will speak to anybody else. I have heard him a number of times without knowing first that it was him speaking to me, Jesus came through for me and rescued me. Church Gist. We would not be here today if I were not open to His corrections by thinking that He spoke to me when it was the stranger speaking. Pray for grace to recognize the voice of the stranger so as to not mislead your path in life. I must not suffer regrets in my journey.
– Somebody is just next level to a breakthrough in your life, may no devil mislead you.
We were about to hit an explosive church growth era in Raji Oba when the enemy came to me and said it was time to go out. The pressure was so much. Initially, I was feeling refreshed about it and after a while, I saw my spirit slowing down. 31st of December, God came through for me. The voice of the shepherd came and was so different, cool and calm. Church Gist. In January 1994 there was an explosion. Eruption! In 1995, the eruption continued. In 1996, the eruption continued. That thing came when we were 3000, it kept erupting till 1999 when we counted 50,000. Just one more step to God’s breakthrough agenda. May you not shut down your business when you are one step more to your breakthrough. One more step! Somebody is breaking forth.
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