I SPEAK AS A PROPHET AND FROM SCRIPTURES: A TIME IS COMING THAT THERE WILL BE NO COUNTRY TO RUN TO; EVERY COUNTRY WILL BE IN NEED. THE EARTH WILL BURN LIKE AN OVEN.
PROPHETIC SCRIPTURES CANNOT BE SCUTTLED BY ANY POLICY OF ANY GOVERNMENT – LINE UP WITH THE WAYS OF GOD!
GOD SAID TO ME: DON’T FOLLOW THE VOGUE, FOLLOW MY GUIDE
DON’T FOLLOW WHAT SEEMS RIGHT, FOLLOW MY DIRECTIVE
IF YOU WILL LET ME ALONE LEAD YOU, YOU CONTINUE TO SOAR LIKE THE EAGLES
I KNEW GOING AFTER THINGS THAT ARE NOT YOURS BY ANY MEANS CAN CUT SHORT YOUR LIFESPAN WHEN I WAS 20.
ALL THOSE SCAMS, YAHOO YAHOO AND THE LIKE ARE CUTTING DOWN ON THEIR LIFESPAN.
SOME WILL END UP IN PRISON, THEY WILL COME OUT AND NOT KNOW WHERE TO GO AND COMMIT SUICIDE SUBSEQUENTLY FOR PURSUIT OF CHEAP MONEY
THE BIBLE IS NOT A BOOK OF PROMISES BUT A BOOK OF RESPONSIBILITIES
YOU CAN’T GO AFTER THINGS AND NOT MISS GOD AND YOU CAN’T GO AFTER GOD AND MISS/LACK THINGS
LIFE HAS NO SPARE; MISSING ONE’S STEPS IN LIFE MAKES LIVING A BURDEN. JEALOUSLY GUARD THE ONLY LIFE YOU HAVE.
GOING AFTER GOD ALWAYS PAYS; GOING AFTER THINGS ALWAYS PAINS
IF YOU DON’T VALUE QUIETNESS, YOU WILL MISS GOD’S STILL SMALL VOICE.
GOD SAID TO ME “SEEK A QUIET PLACE, I WANT TO TALK TO YOU” BEFORE I RECEIVED THE LIBERATION MANDATE.
ALL THESE PLUGGING THINGS IN YOUR EARS AND BEING ON THE PHONE ALL DAY, YOU BLOCK YOUR EARS FROM HEARING ANYTHING FROM GOD
GOD’S LEADING IS THE TOPMOST SECRET FOR WINNING WITHOUT SWEAT AND SHINING WITHOUT STRESS
EVERY STEP WE TAKE IN LIFE IS EITHER FOR OUR LIFTING OR FOR OUR DOWNFALL
A MERRY HEART MAKES A CHEERFUL COUNTENANCE. DON’T TELL ME YOU ARE HAPPY IF YOUR COUNTENANCE IS NOT CHEERFUL. IF YOU ARE, IT WILL SHOW.
WHEN YOU ARE IN DOUBT OF ANY STEP, STAY WHERE YOU ARE. DON’T PUT WORDS IN GOD’S MOUTH, HE IS NOT DUMB!
WHEN GOD IS SILENT HE IS TELLING YOU TO STAY WHERE YOU ARE
A LIFESTYLE OF JOY AND REJOICING IS A COVENANT REQUIREMENT FOR ACCESSING THE VOICE OF GOD
I’M CELEBRATING MATTHEW 6:33 TODAY, IT WAS THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF OSWALD J. SMITH IN HIS BOOK, “THE MAN GOD USES” THAT I ENCOUNTERED THAT LIGHT FROM HEAVEN
VALUE THE MINISTRY OF TEACHING PRIESTS – WHO TEACH THE TRUTH – THROUGH THEIR MATERIALS SO YOU DON’T STAY IN AFFLICTION
IF YOU ASK ME ‘HOW TO’ THAT MOVED US FROM ONE LEVEL TO ANOTHER, GOD LED THE WAY THERE
– Bishop David Oyedepo on UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD LEADS 4 at MidWeek Communion Service || LFC Canaanland || 13th September 2023
We are on in our series UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD LEADS. The anchor scripture is Isaiah 59:8. The Bible is the creator’s manual that shows the redeemed how to make the most of their adventure in life. You find in this book how to make heaven if you are interested. You find in this book how to be saved. You find in this book how to be healed, you find there how to succeed, you find there how to enjoy your family life, you find there how to raise children not to be a burden but a blessing. Church Gist. You find there how to prosper. You also find there how to be led. This Bible is a ‘how to’ book. It is not a ‘do for me’ book, it is a ‘how to’ book. What do you want? I want healing, this is how to be healed. I love the celebration of Psalm 23. How to be led. It is a ‘how to’ manual that shows us the way to make the most of our adventure on earth and make it through to heaven after a colourful, fulfilling and empowering adventure on earth. It is not a book of promises but a book of responsibilities.
James 1:22-25. A doer of the Word will be blessed. There will be no argument about being blessed, his profiting will appear to all. 1 Timothy 4:13, 15. You give yourself wholly to the dictates of this manual and your profiting will appear to all. No gimmicks! What a manual! Deuteronomy 28:1. Church Gist. This manual carries the secret that can set anyone above all nations of the earth. All these blessings will come to you and overtake you. We have the catalogue of those blessings that cover all that any man will ever think in his life. All that I will ever think in my life is in there.
Psalm 29:3. We find the mystery of the Word unveiled there. Isaiah 55:1,11. The Almighty thunders from this book in your direction and my direction as we get positioned in the Spirit. This is the manual that will help me make the most of my life so I am going through it not as if it is a storybook, not as the history of the eastern part of the world, it is my manual for living. He thunders from it. Church Gist. I knew no weapon formed against me shall prosper. Isaiah 54:17. I knew that every tongue that rises against me in judgement, I will condemn not God will condemn, I am to condemn for God to confirm. When did you get this? 1973. So I don’t wait for God to condemn, I condemn for God to confirm. Lord rise up to it, give them the fight of their life.
Every discovery is for your advancement. That is what the manual represents. Most of us have some pieces of equipment including your telephone, Many don’t have access to one-third of what that piece of equipment can do because they won’t read the manual. We have a sound system that is working right now, if you put a novice there nothing will work. He will just be pressing everything and he won’t hear anything because he won’t read the manual. The manual that keeps things working is this book. I heard him say to me, The harder you follow me, the higher you fly. What year was that? 1977. Through the book of A.W. Tozer – The Pursuit of God. What Word hit you? Psalm 63:8. Church Gist. I knew going after things that are not yours by any means can cut short your lifespan when I was 20. Jeremiah 17:11. How did you store this? It entered my spirit. All those scams, yahoo yahoo and other stuff are cutting down on their lifespan. Some will end up in prison, they come out and don’t know where to go and commit suicide subsequently for pursuit of cheap money. Joshua 1:8. This book, not these books. It is not Chemistry, it is not Geography or Physics, this book. THIS book of the law, the book of instructions shall not depart from your mouth.
When you hear, “this book of the law” you will think it is talking about Old Testament. No, it applies. It’s the book of instructions. Church Gist. I mean the Bible is made up of 75 per cent of instructions and 25 per cent of principles from 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – 4 components, 3 out of which equals instructions – so it’s a manual. The Bible is a manual for living.
Mark 10:17-21. You can’t go after things and not miss God and you can’t go after God and miss/lack things. Matthew 6:24. You cannot serve God and things, you have to choose one and despise the other. But if you seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things shall be added to you. Church Gist. Matthew 6:33; Psalm 34:10. You can’t go after things and not miss God but you can’t go after God and miss things. If you fail an exam you can rewrite it but if you miss life, you can’t rewrite. Hebrews 9:27. Life has no spare – it gets me serious about my small adventure. If you don’t have spare tyre, you will drive softly, gently. You don’t go on the main road otherwise, you will lose your tyre and you will stand there. You can’t leave the car, you can’t drive flat tyre and if your battery is gone, there’s nobody to call. You sleep there overnight. Church Gist. If armed robber comes, he will help you change the tyre and carry the car away – frustration! Life has no spare; you better jealously guard the only one you have. Missing one’s steps in life makes living a burden.
Going after God always pays; going after things always pains. You know pain? You won’t suffer pain. 1 Timothy 6:10-11; Psalms 34:10. UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD LEADS. I heard the following lines in God’s presence sometimes back, “Don’t follow the vogue, follow my guide.” “The Lord shall guide thee continually…” Isaiah 58:11, so it’s not a once and for all thing, it’s for life. Church Gist. No one will ever outgrow being guided by God. No sheep will ever outgrow the need for a shepherd – it can’t make it. Isaiah 58:11. “Don’t follow what seems right, follow my directive.” Proverbs 4:12. “If you will let me alone lead you, you continue to soar like the eagles.” Deuteronomy 32:9-12. Eagles don’t sweat, they catch in on the wind direction, spread their wings (and soar), conserve a lot of energy. The Holy Ghost is that wind – mighty rushing wind. Acts 2:2. We are redeemed as eagles so, we line up with the direction of the wind while other birds are sweating, we are just soaring. The storm comes, it helps you up – My God, this great storm, interesting. Can’t you see? Others are panting – “I didn’t know the storm will be like this.” The master eagle – Jesus, came, “I can of mine own self do nothing; as I hear, so I follow.” Church Gist. John 5:30. He said, my leadings are the high ways of life – How? Isaiah 55:8. His higher ways brought us here as a Church – there is no natural calculation or persuasion that can bring a people to this kind of forest but by the high ways of God. “This is the place” – so we came here soaring, where we should be sweating because it doesn’t add up, line up to common sense but it does to heaven sense and the heavens do rule on the Earth. Can I hear your Amen? Church Gist. That’s how far his leadings are at the high ways of life. If you will let him lead you, you won’t sweat again.
He said to me, “My leadings are the high ways to a world of breakthroughs.” Isaiah 48:21. The world is fast becoming a hallowing wilderness. A time is coming and I can tell you this as a prophet and from Scriptures, “there will be no country to run to; every country will be in need. Church Gist. The Earth will burn like an oven.” You say, how? Well, just watch. Prophetic Scriptures cannot be scuttled by any policy of any government – first world or second world or 8th world. You better line up with the ways of God that puts you on top of the issues of life.
This end time unbeatable army will be men and women, boys and girls who are walking in their ways as unveiled by God and walking in their paths – they are not cross carpeting, each one is walking in his own path. Church Gist. Joel 2:7-8, 11. They are visionaries, they are walking in line with God’s agenda for their lives, they are walking in the light of Scriptures to secure their future.
Then He said, “My leading is the topmost secret for winning without sweat and shining without stress.” Isaiah 60:1-3. Psalm 119:105. Isaiah 60:8,15, 22. Your days of struggles are over. The Word still teaches believers today how to be led and leads us as our hearts are open. Isaiah 48:17-18. Church Gist. Every step we take in life is either for our lifting or for our downfall. You don’t stay in the same spot without taking steps. You are either moving forward or you are moving backwards. If it is taking steps, it is either moving backwards or moving forward. You will never take backwards steps again in your life by letting God lead you.
David would always enquire of the Lord in going to battles and always return victorious but one time he never asked the Lord, he just heard the Philistines were up there and he rushed out. He lost his military acumen, everybody left and their city was left unguarded. The enemies came behind and burnt the entire city and took their wives and children captive. David was greatly distressed. When you are not led, you are greatly distressed. The people thought of stoning him. 1 Samuel 30:1-5. David now encouraged himself in the Lord. Church Gist. What he should have done first he is now doing. He was tired, he was weary but they still had to go. He was greatly distressed, you won’t enter distress in your life. The step you will take and enter into distress, you won’t take it by asking the Lord which way to go.
How do I access divine guidance? What does it take to access divine guidance according to scriptures?
1. A quiet environment
His voice usually comes through as a still small voice, It requires more often than not a quiet environment. Proverbs 18:1. He separates himself to pick what God is saying. 1 Kings 19:11-12. We saw the situation of Elijah. A still small voice that communicated the next step Elijah was to take. The Church has become a very rowdy place. Everyone who enjoys access to the voice of His direction values a quiet environment. Church Gist. I remember He said to me “seek a quiet place, I want to talk to you”. Most of my striking encounters with God came in quiet environments. I was alone October 1st 1983 and worshipping God, then I sat down to read. I was on the field, then He appeared to me by His Word from Isaiah 48:17 saying “I am committed to leading you if you are committed to following me”. Church Gist. I said Lord, I thank you. I think I am going now. Get committed to following me and I will be committed to leading you. It is not telling me where you are going. It is asking me, Lord, this is what I think. Lord, am I okay? Am I in line? Am I on course? Psalm 3:6.
I had what I called a Mount of Transfiguration, it was a Mount of voices, God was just speaking to me in getting me set for this assignment because I went for it. Lord, what instructions do I need to make the most of this calling? And He took me through line by line as I worshipped and prayed, I heard the voice from heaven. It was very heavy Choral Music that I had never heard in my life. It was in a separated environment. Enjoy it! All these plugging things in your ears, you block your ears from hearing anything from God. 25 hours on the phone. Church Gist. “Hello I am talking to someone in Benin, someone is talking to me from Maiduguri”. All day long! They sleep with the phone so that even God can’t talk to them in the night. “Hello, are you sleeping? Wake up my friend, what are you sleeping for?” At the time when God is about to visit you, the other side sends their agents to dislodge you. Calling you to talk about something useless to you. If you don’t value quietness, you will miss His still small voice. Elijah was at the point of committing suicide and God opened new chapters to his ministry by that drama that we saw, the wind, the fire, the earthquake and then the still small voice.
2. Another way we access divine guidance is through the ministry of teaching priests. Isaiah 30:20-21. Oh, the ministry of teaching priests has blessed me beyond measure. I’m celebrating Matthew 6:33 today, it was through the ministry of Oswald J. Smith in his book, “The Man God Uses” that’s where I had that encounter. You won’t find that statement there o, no, but my ears heard a voice behind me saying, “David, that’s the way to go.” Church Gist. The voice sounded from that verse of Scriptures, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things that others are dying to get shall be added to you. It was through the ministry of a teaching priest I encountered that light from heaven. What a jackpot of life! When we say, “read read read,” read means, an encounter might be waiting for you in that material – get down to it! There’s no self made man in any field in the world. It’s the input of this and that and that and that, that makes a man.
I was in the book, “Following God Plan For Your Life,” and the Lord said to me, Why asking me for another land when you have not used the one I gave you? Talking about the old Church. Sir, I wasn’t asking for any land; yes, I had asked him before but at that point I wasn’t. Church Gist. I was just reading to understand better how God leads and the voice sounded – so clear! “Pull down those bungalows – because you value them a lot; there’s an ancient structure – 4 floors, (My God, God is an architect!) Terminate it, an office tower at the end here.” I came back, it was in Ghana. I said, God just spoke to me. Through what? Through the ministry of my teaching priest.
You better settle down because all these guess work won’t go far. God is a God of protocols. You come to his gate with thanksgiving if you want the gate to open. You have your ticket of thanksgiving, you show it, the door will open. You enter into his courts with praise, not with grumbling and ride into his presence blessing him, worshipping him. Psalm 100:4. Value the ministry of teaching priests through their materials. Church Gist. Teaching priests who teach the truth; not people who want to make some name and try to attack the truth or pose to be smarter than the Word. 2 Chronicles 15:3. So everybody has teaching priests sent across his way. Value the ministry of your teaching priest so you don’t stay in affliction. There is adversity, there is affliction. Isaiah 30:20-21.
3. Through a lifestyle of joy and rejoicing. It’s a Covenant requirement for accessing the voice of God. Church Gist. Psalm 89:15. A sound passes through a joyful channel; only a joyful heart can connect with it. Psalm 16:11. All these downcastness, frozen faces – no access.
Our last daughter was years back, accosted by the spirit of death and I sat on my chair after the staff devotion and I rolled on my chair with genuine smile, conqueror smile. You know something, before you enter into a battle you have been certified the winner, it’s not a time to say, ‘what will happen?’ Church Gist. You know what will happen. ‘Jesus there must be a way out’ with a broad smile from inside outside. Don’t say, ‘I am happy; only you don’t know.’ We should know. A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance. Your countenance is not cheerful? Don’t tell me you’re happy. You’re not. If you are, it will show. ‘Jesus, there must be a way out’ – under 10 minutes Sir, the package landed from Heaven for our rescue and Jesus did it!
Access is open through a lifestyle of joy and rejoicing.
– May everything murmuring and complaining in anyone’s life clear the way today!
Two biblical proofs of being led by the Spirit:
1. Supernatural insight: Isaiah 48:17. We have seen that amazingly in this ministry. He always tells which way to go. We’ve never been stranded once – he always shows which way to go. “I’m responsible to open your insight to the way to get things done.” Church Gist. Psalm 32:8. If you ask me ‘how to’ that moved us from one level to another, he taught the way there, he led the way there. Supernatural insight! When God leads, he provides the insight on how to go about it. There’s a black out? Watch it.
2. Liberty of the Spirit: your spirit man is free from any iota of doubt, from any pressure within you that nobody else can see – free. Church Gist. When God said, “this is the place,” I already saw it because he said it. There was no factor that moved me from thinking otherwise. Liberty of the Spirit.
I remember the sage, T. L. Osborn, he’s gone to heaven, he said to me, “David how will people get here?” I said they are already here. Construction was still on o. He said, praise God! They are already here because God said it. Liberty of the Spirit! You’re not guessing, “Okay, what if it doesn’t work? A bird at hand is worth more than 10,000.” Let there be no bird at hand. Church Gist. If God said it and you heard it, the liberty of your spirit is established. When you’re in doubt, stay where you are; don’t run your life into trouble. When you’re in doubt of any step, stay where you are! Don’t put words in his mouth. He told me that sometime (ago), “Don’t put words in my mouth; I’m not dumb. If you hear me, see me quiet I am saying – stay where you are my friend.” None of us qualifies to lead ourselves so allow him to lead you.
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