AS THE YEAR IS FOLDING UP, THE devil KEEPS TELLING PEOPLE DEPRESSING STATEMENTS. KNOW THAT YOU ARE JUST ABOUT HITTING IT, HE WANTS YOU DERAILED!
IN ALL THINGS, GIVE THANKS; IT’S THE WILL OF GOD AND HAVING DONE THE WILL OF GOD, YOU WILL OBTAIN THE PROMISE.
WE GAVE GOD THANKS AFTER A FAILED CRUSADE IN AN EASTERN CITY AND THE NEXT CRUSADE THERE WAS AN INVASION OF MULTITUDES.
IF YOU DO NOT PRAISE YOUR WAY OUT OF THE PRISON, YOU MAY STAY THERE FOR LIFE.
TO SEE PROPHETIC WORDS COME TO PASS, WE MUST RECEIVE, BELIEVE AND PUT THEM TO WORK.
PROPHETIC WORDS WILL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF THE DAY WITH COMPLAINS AND MURMURING.
PRAISE IS GOD’S WATERING SYSTEM THAT WILL CAUSE THE PROPHETIC SEED TO GERMINATE, GROW AND BRING FORTH FRUIT.
THE BIBLE IS AHEAD OF EVERY CIVILIZATION….YOU CANNOT USE (YOUR) GENERATION TO HARASS GOD.
YOU CANNOT REWRITE THE BIBLE..IT IS A RISK! (MESSAGE TO THE YOUTH).
NO CIVILIZATION WILL OVERTAKE PROPHETIC SCRIPTURE FOREVER.
THE LORD SAID TO ME IN 1977 WHILE READING ‘THE PURSUIT OF GOD’ BY A. W. TOZER THAT “THE HARDER YOU FOLLOW ME, THE HIGHER YOU FLY”.
GOD SAID ON THE 17TH OF SEPTEMBER, 1998, THAT THE FAITH TABERNACLE WOULD BE DEDICATED ON THE 18TH OF SEPTEMBER, 1999, AND HE MADE IT HAPPEN.
NO CIVILIZATION OF PEOPLE CAN EVER MAKE THE WORD OF GOD OF NO EFFECT.
YOU WILL REMAIN A SPIRITUAL LIABILITY IF YOU DON’T TAKE COVENANT RESPONSIBILITY.
EVERY INSTRUCTION OF SCRIPTURE IS A SPIRITUAL WEAPON.
EVERY PROPHETIC SCRIPTURE WILL OUTLAST THE EVENTS OF LIFE.
I HAVE NEVER PRAYED FOR WHAT TO EAT, FROM THE TIME I STEPPED INTO MINISTRY TILL TOMORROW.
IT IS YOUR PERSONAL PRAISE THAT WILL SECURE YOUR PERSONAL BLESSING.
ONE CANNOT BE GRATEFUL AND NOT BE JOYFUL.
LEARN TO BE GRATEFUL, YOU WILL REMAIN JOYFUL. THERE IS NO WAY AN UNGRATEFUL MAN CAN BECOME JOYFUL
WHEN YOU GIVE GOD THANKS FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE, YOU REMIND HIM OF WHAT REMAINS.
TO BE UNTHANKFUL IS TO BE STRANDED, TO BE UNGRATEFUL IS TO BE GROUNDED.
EVERY LIVING SOUL OWES GOD PRAISE.
– Bishop David Oyedepo on “UNDERSTANDING HOW PRAISE FACILITATES FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECIES” at November Week of Spiritual Emphasis Day 1 || 1st November 2023 || Youth Chapel, Canaanland ||
As we set out today on the last Spiritual Week of Emphasis for the year, expect a visitation that will lead to fulfillment of God’s agenda for your life. You know, the devil is very old in the game. As the year is folding up, he keeps telling people, “See the Year, what have you made out of it?” You’re just about hitting it, he wants you derailed. Thanksgiving and praise is a must to take delivery of any prophetic word in your life. Church Gist. In all things, give thanks, it’s the will of God and having done the Will of God, you’ll obtain the promise. Until you have done the Will of God you can’t obtain the promise. Joseph praised his way out of the prison – ever cheerful, the most hilarious prisoner you’ve ever met! “Hey, why are you so sad today? What’s going on here? Come on rejoice!” You can’t be sad and be asking somebody ‘why are you sad?’ He praised his way out of slavery. He said “O mehn, the case is over!” …got to the Prison, you can’t tell he is a prisoner. Then suddenly, into raw fulfillment of prophecy as he landed in the Palace.
If you don’t praise your way out of the prison, you may stay there for life. Paul and Silas, they sang the praises aloud to the mockery of the mockers and Heaven came down.
– Heaven will come down for someone here!
Understanding How Praise Facilitates Fulfillment Of Prophecies is our teaching theme for the Midweek services beginning today and all through the Spiritual Week of Emphasis because understanding is key to accomplishing anything outstanding. You want to see prophecies fulfilled raw? Find out one of the factors that enhances fulfillment of prophecy. Church Gist. This Commission by grace is a symbol of the raw fulfillment of prophecy in the midst of God’s people. There is nothing God has spoken here that didn’t have expression from His Word. Through prophetic words, we’ve had quite an amazing adventure.
– Beginning from this season, no prophetic word will fail in your life any more.
Prophetic Scriptures are defined as the more sure Word of prophecy. 2 Peter 1:19-20. So the more sure Word of prophecy are prophetic Scriptures. They are raw prophetic words from the mouth of God himself. Isaiah 34:16. God’s prophetic agenda for His Church and his people are as contained in Scriptures. Isaiah 29:11-12. It’s closed to the eyes of the natural man; until you’re born again you can’t see what God is saying in his Word – an unborn child can’t see. The vision of all, God’s agenda for His Church, His people, they’re all lined up in Scriptures. Acts 20:32. Church Gist. Our inheritance is stocked up in Scriptures. God’s plan and purpose for us is stocked up in Scriptures. But to see prophetic words come to pass, we must receive, believe and put them to work. They don’t come to pass on their own, you must receive, believe and put them to work. John 1:12. Prophecies will never see the light of day without faith. Luke 1:45. But we must continue to water the seed of the prophetic word in our good hearts with praise so as to bring forth fruits. You have received the seed, believed the seed and you’re acting on the demands of that seed, it’s important to water the seed and praise is God’s watering system that will cause the prophetic seed to germinate, grow and bring forth fruit. Church Gist. Proverbs 12:14. So what you’re doing requires that you water it. By the fruit of your mouth you water the seed you have down into your good heart.
Hebrews 13:15. What is the fruit of the lips? Prophetic words will never see the light of the day with complains and murmuring up and down. Continually, we have seen amazing prophetic words come to pass in this place. What did we do? We just knew how to keep God’s hand on his Church because only the hand of God can fulfill the plan of God. Church Gist. God’s plan is beyond any human capacity to fulfill. 1 Kings 8:15. So without God’s hand prophecy will never get fulfilled and without praise you can’t secure God’s hand. No one can secure God’s hand without praise. Exodus 15:11. God’s wondrous doings are provoked through praise.
– Somebody’s story is changing!
People don’t know why they are where they are and so they keep doing the same thing all over. (They) come out of (Church) service (and start saying), “I don’t know, this is November. Church Gist. What has happened to me now? Where is Covenant Highway? I can’t see any Highway? I can’t even see Byway, see me now!’ Satan says, “say more, say more.”
Now we were out in one of those Eastern cities years ago for a crusade. It was a failed crusade. Why? We hired equipment and while this service was about to take place, the Company said they are not giving us again. We came from Kaduna. There was no time to make any alternative arrangement. I said, but that’s why we came, so let’s go there. We got there, we saw a few people. Church Gist. I asked them to join their hands so they won’t leave. They joined their hands and I prayed and preached to them through prayer. So we got to the Hotel and I told my team, “If anybody complains, that’s the last crusade we will ever have. Let’s give God thanks that he brought us safely and we saw 16 or thereabout people on that crusade ground. Isn’t God wonderful? If anybody complains here, that’s the last crusade we will hold.” I said, “but, when we are next in town, there will be no place to seat.” The time we hit that town Sir, people were seated at 12 noon to secure a space for 6pm meeting. Invasion! You don’t know how to get at God, you miss him. Anything you complain about gets complicated. Anything you murmur about gets messed up! Church Gist. You better lose yourself and engage in rigourous heart rooted praise. You’re about taking delivery of your balance of blessings for the year. Don’t let no devil scuttle your attention.
By the grace of God, I don’t need any flier to go to any part of the East. Just to say, “I’m coming tomorrow, that’s enough.” This tomorrow, not next tomorrow. Church Gist. We got to a country, only 5 days notice, stadium jammed. Just know how to get at God.
Anything you murmur about gets messed up. Anything you celebrate God about “puff” You know where that our anthem came from “Let no one on earth give glory to himself, all the glory must be to the Lord 🎵🎶? It was our faith crusade in Kaduna…city wide crusade. Church Gist. Maximum attendance 63, one week long. All the glory must be to the Lord 🎶🎵🎶🎵 crusade finished on Sunday night. We gathered together to celebrate God on Monday morning – the entire team…for He is worthy of our praise, that no man on earth should give glory to himself 🎶🎵 then revelation came from Joel 2 “an army is rising from this Church, the kind the world has never seen.” Are we not seeing it today?
Although the fig tree may not blossom, there might not be fruit in the vine, the labour of the olive may fail, you better keep your joy so that you don’t end up in the pit. Keep your joy and rejoicing in the Lord if you want to get to your high places. There is no how much clothes a child may have, he can’t have as many rags as an old man. Church Gist. This is raw interpretation of Scripture, not that, what are they talking about? I have seen it. I have seen the way out of the pit is to lift up your hands in praise. They can’t put the rope on your neck, it’s on your hand. So if your hand is not up, there’s nowhere to throw the lifeline. You will just be there. Lift up your hands, “I can’t lift my hand, how can I be in the pit and be lifting my hand?” Okay, well-done, stay there. You better lift your hand so that they can know where to throw the lifeline. God has a lifeline in His hand and He can only put it on your hand not on your neck so that your neck will not uproot.
WHAT ARE PROPHECIES?
1. Prophecies are not predictions, they are God’s sworn verdicts. “This is what I can do and will do if you care to believe.” This is what I can do (I am the God of all flesh there is nothing too hard for me) and I will do it if you care to believe. Biblical prophecies are not predictions. They are things that God has vowed to do and will do if we care to believe Him. Isaiah 14:24. He swore. Church Gist. They are sworn verdicts, they are not guess works. 18th September, 1999, the Tabernacle shall be dedicated, was is it done or not?…and He was speaking 17th September, 1998. No contractor will take it but God will take it. God will take anything that no contractor will take. The roof is still there, the building is intact, no crack. We even planted flowers to show how ready we are.
God is taking over in your life! Don’t try to see prophecy fulfilled, just do what He says. You can’t make it happen, only God can.
2. God speaks according to His unlimited resources not our insufficiency. “How will this happen?” Stop that. Church Gist. Psalm 24:1, Psalm 50:12, Psalm 50:10. Haggai 2:8-9. “You can’t beat me, I have eternal resources to back up any of my plans.” God will take you to wherever He says He will take you if you will allow Him to.
God is never in short supply of whatever is required to get things done. He just speaks and it comes to pass.
Every prophetic word received and believed engraces us for steadfastness in our pursuit of God. I mean “you receive, you believe it, you just keep pursuing God and He keeps doing what He wants to do.” He is up to anything He says He will do. He engraces us to be steadfast in our stewardship. Church Gist. You keep serving Him because you just know what He says He will do, He will do it. Stay on duty.
Can I just digress here a bit and look at the following points?
Please note that the Bible is ahead of every civilization. No civilization of people can ever make the Word of God of no effect. 2 Corinthians 13:8. “One generation shall serve you to another and declare their mighty works.” So there is no old generation here. Church Gist. It’s just one generation to another. One drawing strength from the other to remain relevant in their generation, the other one drawing strength from the same original source. Psalm 145:4. So I am talking to the youths “you can’t rewrite the Bible.” You cannot rewrite the Bible. Jeremiah 6:16. If you won’t praise God, you can’t see prophecies fulfilled. There is no software for that. If you won’t believe, God will not perform it. No software for that.
Heaven and earth shall pass away but not His Word. His Word lives and abides forever. Matthew 24:35, 1 Peter 1:23. You can’t use (your) generation to harass God. He sees the end from the beginning. He knows everything. So without taking covenant responsibility, you will remain a spiritual liability. They say don’t complain, you say “no, my case is beyond that, Papa doesn’t know what I am going through.” I wasn’t part of the authors who wrote the Bible. I’m only telling you what God said in His Word. Church Gist. “Holy men spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” God is the one behind every statement of Scripture. Somebody’s story is changing!
Know that every instruction of Scriptures is a spiritual weapon. Above all taking the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Every instruction of Scripture when engaged with is a spiritual weapon to silence the enemy. So take God’s Word as a weapon. Church Gist. It’s a weapon. When you engage with it, you are holding the weapon to deal with the opposition (and) silence your enemies. Ephesians 6:16.
In the name of Jesus no one here will be cut short anymore!
It’s a risk to attempt to rewrite the Scripture through interpretation to your own benefit (you are interpreting it to your own benefit.) Your own perspective is irrelevant. Church Gist. That’s how to wrest Scriptures, to turn it and return it to suit your purpose. Revelation 22:17-19. It’s (the Bible) a sacred book. Take it or leave it, you can’t change it. Take it or leave it, I can’t change it. It’s a brand new day for you!
Every prophetic scripture will outlast the events of life. No civilization will overtake it forever. It lives and abides forever. Don’t discard it, don’t trash it. Church Gist. It doesn’t force itself on people, you subscribe to it on your own if you choose to.
SEVEN INSTANCES THAT POINTS TO THE VALIDITY OF PROPHETIC SCRIPTURES.
1. Matthew 6:33. I saw all I will ever need from that prophetic scripture. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things that others are dying to get shall be added to you.” I heard those words from the Lord directly (they call it rhema) from that scripture. Church Gist. So there is no reason ‘dying after anything.’ I know what to die after for other things to be added to me. Sir, it hasn’t failed. There are many people in this Church that are swimming in that frequency today. It can’t fail.
2. Psalm 63:8. The Lord said to me “the harder you follow me, the higher you fly” (1977) from A. W. Tozer’s book – ‘the Pursuit of God.’ The harder you follow me, the higher you fly. ‘Okay sir, let’s go’. Don’t wait, follow every of my hard instructions, I am taking you somewhere. That is how we got here. Church Gist. This place…was a hard instruction. Coming to Lagos was a hard one by reason of His grace that we were enjoying where we were coming from. You know what it means to get up to 2000-3000 people and then you are coming back to start at 179 after 3 days of seminar. What a lifting! They call it hard instructions. It’s a hard saying. Only those who take hard ‘says’ fly high…and then after we said okay, thank you Jesus for all that you are doing “now my son, come over to the forest, let’s start again.” My soul followeth hard – I saw it in 1977 and I knew the harder I follow, the higher I will fly. Prophetic scriptures are strong. So when I’m talking about (prophetic scriptures), I’m not talking about go and read Isaiah, go and read Psalm where it’s cursing people. I’m talking about God speaking to your life from His Word.
Glory to God. It’s your turn to sing!
All these things, you don’t push them. Just praise Him then He brings to hand to fulfill. Church Gist. Praise Him down to your situation and He brings His hand down to fulfill this (His Word).
1979 – “you are seated far above” and I have said that with unusual passion over the years. I saw it for the first time ‘far above.’ I saw every devil as lizards, I see ‘me’ as a human being. A lizard can’t threaten a human being. A lizard can’t chase you out of your house. Then you run to Church, they say what happened? You say a lizard just chased me. They will chase you back to that house. A lizard can’t chase a man. Church Gist. No! Far above, prophetic word! It has happened but I didn’t know but He showed me and I received and believed it, I began to operate like that and He is confirming it.
Get ready. Every prophetic scripture is for your take. Church Gist. Every (prophetic scripture) received, believed and keep acting on it…and then keep nurturing the prophetic seed that you have sown with praise, God will stretch forth His hand to make it happen.
The good news today is this, you can’t praise God at a loss. Church Gist. Praising God brings God’s hand to bear on your affairs and when God stretches forth His hand, every opposition will bow out.
Please know that praise is of no effect except from a merry heart. “Is any merry, let him sing.” James 5:13
Joy is a function of gratitude. One cannot be grateful and not be joyful. People are largely ingrates. “What has God done?” and he is the one talking. God has not done anything and he is talking, he will still eat tonight. God has not done anything. They say why? “Look at my shoes. These are the same shoes I wore last year.” Go and polish it. Learn to be grateful, you will remain joyful. There is no way an ungrateful man can become joyful. Every thank you comes along with a smile. Church Gist. Every genuine thank you. You remain joyful if you will remain grateful. Psalm 103:2. Be grateful for the benefit of strength, for the benefit of breath, for the benefit of food, the benefit of appetite. Be grateful my friend, it is the way to go. Philippians 4:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:16. Don’t hoard it, celebrate God for the breath of life in your nostrils, celebrate Him for His faithfulness over your life, the free health you enjoy, the free strength He gives you.
Like we say here, when you give God thanks for what He has done, you remind Him of what remains. As you give God thanks for what He has done, you remind Him of what remains. Church Gist. To be unthankful is to be stranded, to be ungrateful is to be grounded. You will not be grounded in your life.
Praise without gratitude is mere noise in the ears of God. “Is any merry? Let him sing” or let him keep his mouth shut. When an unmerry heart is praising, he is disturbing God, he is making noise, he is a nuisance. James 5:13. Amos 5:23. There are times that the songs we sing are noise in the ear of God. You know you can be fighting with songs like old women do in the village. Church Gist. This one will finish singing at you and you pick your own up. “Anybody who says I will not do well.” “Who says you will not do well except yourself?” “I heard when you said I will not do well.” “That is how you always hear what is not said.” They keep singing at themselves. Most of you grew up in town so you won’t know what I am talking about. There are festivals where people will be singing against each family. One will sing this way, another one will sing this way, they meet and there is war.
The big question is are you grateful to be alive? Is that your making? Did you fight any battles while you were asleep? You were helpless. We slept and woke up because He sustains us. Church Gist. Psalm 3:5. Psalm 121:1-5. Psalm 150:6. We owe God thanks. Every living soul owes God praise.
Wonders and fulfilment of prophecies are triggered by praise warfare. 2 Chronicles 20:14-17, they knew not what to do in verse 12 so they went into prayer and fasting and a prophetic word came in verses 14-17 and it was triggered to fulfilment in 20-24. As they began to sing and to praise God came down and set ambushment against their enemies and they were all smitten and none of them escaped. Three kings came against one little place to annihilate and exterminate them. Church Gist. But they sang God’s hand in and God’s hand did what only God can do. I don’t know what any of us may be going through but you can sing your way to victory, you can praise your way to triumph and you are doing that this time. So don’t wait for this 10 minutes of praise we do in Church. Engage in praise warfare on your own by first acknowledging the good hand of God in your life. Let your gratitude culminate into praise. Dance with gratitude and watch Him bring His Word to pass in your life.
You have never heard one complain on this altar since inception. Not one, not in any meeting. I have been in every council meeting. Not in one! Church Gist. Because we have nothing to complain about, God cannot spare His hand from bringing His Word to pass. It is your turn. You are not going to miss it in Jesus’ name.
Are you truly grateful? Are you surely grateful? Are you genuinely grateful? Those who look to the sun don’t see the shadows. Keep your eyes on the sun, you won’t see any more shadows as you keep your eyes on Him. As you lift your eyes to heaven, He sends help down for you. Help has come down for you this month. Church Gist. For everything you might have complained about before, ask Him to forgive you. Forgive me, Jesus, no one can manage my life better than you. I didn’t know that I was complicating my life. I said something in anger, I am sorry. The Bible says anger lies in the bottom of fools, so it is better to discover your folly before somebody else discovers it. Settle down, be calm, God is at work.
Prophetic scriptures are ordained for fulfilment. Isaiah 14:24. They are sworn verdicts. God never lies. By the time God who never lies swears that is double assurance, that is triple assurance, that is multiple assurance. No prophetic scripture in the Bible can be made of no effect by any devil in hell. Church Gist. The devil is totally out of the equation here. If you believe what God says, it comes to pass in the presence of your enemies. Your cup will be running over. You follow what He says and your cup will be running over. So the enemy is not your problem, it is where you stand with God that matters.
I said God who pays me? He said, “Son, you are in my employment.” How? Luke 10:1. He said the labourers are few, I am looking for more labourers. Just stay on duty, I am responsible. I have never prayed for what to eat, from the time I stepped into ministry till tomorrow. Riding on that prophetic wing. Stay on Duty! So I am on duty. Church Gist. “I am responsible!” He is responsible, I even said to Him one day “Don’t you even wait for someone to pray before you answer?” He said “No! I know my people. Before they call me I will answer.” When you key into the prophetic word and keep doing what He says to do, you have committed His integrity. God never lies.
“God show me the secret of Kingdom Prosperity?” He said “My son, my prosperity doesn’t answer to prayer, so don’t break your head. It has no respect for fasting, so don’t kill yourself. My prosperity plan is a covenant. Until your part is played, I am not committed.” “What is my part?” “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest shall not cease.” He just put those scriptures together for me in response to my enquiry and it has taken this long without fail. God’s word is settled in heaven forever. So settle with it, do what He says to do. Many are praising their way out of the valley this month. The favour you have lost out of shall be restored back to you. “She danced and pleased the King well and the King said ask me anything up to half of my kingdom”. Church Gist. It is time to dance and please the king of Kings well, then favour will descend. You are long overdue for the downpour of favour, you are the one blocking it with your complaining. You have a flat tire “I pay my tithe, Papa said tithe rebukes the devourer. So how did the devourer get here”. Go and ask the devourer how he got there. In everything give thanks. Between flat tire and flat life, which one do you choose? You can just lie down in the car and not get up anymore. That is flat life. Won’t you thank God that it is the tire that went flat not you? Always find how to avoid scoring God. I thank you Jesus that this happened during the day and not at night. It happened in a town, not in the forest. Always find something to thank God for instead of looking for what to complain about. If you are bitter with God, what can you do? Can you arrest Him? Take Him to court? What can you do? You better settle with God.
– May complaining and murmuring with your spouse come to an end.
– May complaining and murmuring when nobody is around come to an end.
Because you are a man of God, you are inside there complaining. Papa doesn’t know what we are going through, you know he doesn’t go out so he doesn’t understand. Church Gist. This thing we are going through there is no way to keep quiet. God knows we are human beings. When He says rejoice in the Lord, He means it.
– May everything robbing you of that joy be destroyed today.
– From this time on, nobody will ask you what is wrong anymore.
– You won’t speak wrong, you won’t take wrong steps anymore.
– So shall it be.
It is your personal praise that will secure your personal blessing. That man returned with a loud voice of praise. Nine others went away but he returned, he experienced a change of story. Do you want to see prophecies fulfilled? Church Gist. Engage in a personal praise warfare this month. Have a schedule of celebrating God consciously, deliberately and intentionally in your life. Just repositioning yourself to see His wondrous works in your life.
One young man here danced around the sales he was doing. He was looking for a job and couldn’t get a job but he was a salesman, he goes around the market. He danced around his goods in the night. Church Gist. The following day he met a man and he said: “Would you like to work in this company?” That was how He got the job. From a salesman to an official of the company. Praise opened the door.
– Every closed door against anyone’s life, Praise will open that door.
Can any door be shut against God? No! He inhabits the praise of His people. When God comes upon your life, every closed door opens on its own accord. Praise God on as a cloth. Put on your garment of praise. They see God, not you. Church Gist. Doors open to you that will never open to any man because God is the one you are wearing. When you wear a garment of praise, you are wearing God. There is no mountain before you that will not clear off this month.
– This month shall be a strange month in your life in Jesus name.
– It is a brand new day for you in Jesus name.
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