WHEN YOUR JOY IS FULL GOD GIVES YOU WHAT IT TAKES, EVERYTHING THAT CAUSES CONTINUOUS REJOICING
WHATEVER CAUSES YOUR HEART TO BE DOWNCAST WILL BLOCK YOUR ACCESS TO REVELATION
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WILL HELP YOU TO MAINTAIN YOUR JOY IS HAVING A RIGHT PERSPECTIVE.
STOP SPECIALIZING YOUR ISSUES. IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY CONQUERED BY SOMEBODY ELSE BEFORE
LET THIS YEAR 2024 BE DIFFERENT. MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS NOT A YEAR OF MULTIPLE MISCARRIAGES.
LET IT BE A YEAR OF MULTIPLE DELIVERIES.
MANY PEOPLE BEGIN THE YEAR ON FIRE AND AFTER THREE MONTHS, THEY LOSE IT. THAT IS WHY THEY LACK TESTIMONIES.
YOU CAN HAVE 20 PREGNANCIES, IF YOU DON’T SUSTAIN IT TO THE END YOU WON’T HAVE ONE DELIVERY.
WITHOUT JOY, YOU WILL END UP CRIPPLING YOUR FAITH.
EVEN WHEN THINGS LOOK CONTRARY, MAKE SURE YOUR JOY IS NOT AFFECTED.
IT IS A WRONG CONSIDERATION TO BE LOOKING AT DOLLAR WHEN GOD HAS SAID THIS YEAR IS A YEAR OF FORTUNE
OUR HOPE MUST BE SETTLED ABSOLUTELY ON THE WORD OF GOD TO KEEP IT SUSTAINED IN THE ADVENTURE OF LIFE
THE ABILITY OF GOD IS NOT IN QUESTION, THE EXPECTATION OF MAN IS ALWAYS IN QUESTION
EXPECTATION MUST BE SUSTAINED UNTIL MANIFESTATION – HOPE TO THE END!
THE OUTCOME OF A MAN’S LIFE IS DETERMINED BY THE CONVICTIONS OF A MAN’S HEART
WHAT BECOMES OF A MAN’S LIFE IS DETERMINED BY WHAT IS IN THAT MAN’S HEART.
OUR FAITH DETERMINES OUR ULTIMATE FATE.
NO MATTER HOW HOPELESS A MAN’S SITUATION IS, AS LONG AS ACCESS TO THE WORD CONTINUES, THAT MAN’S LIFE IS ORDAINED FOR A CHANGE.
OUR MIND IS WHERE THE GREATEST BATTLES OF OUR LIFE TAKE PLACE.
– Pastor David Oyedepo Jnr on UNDERSTANDING THE DEMANDS OF BUILDING YOUR FAITH 4 at Midweek Communion Service || LFC Canaanland || 14th February 2024
Lord Jesus we have come tonight full of gratitude for your faithfulness, your goodness, your loving kindness. You have done all things well. Tonight our eyes are fixed on you, we asked that you speak directly to each one of us. Church Gist. Let your Word transform each one of our lives, we give you all the praise and glory because we know you have done it already.
Our teaching series for our midweek services which we began looking at last week is captioned UNDERSTANDING THE DEMANDS OF BUILDING YOUR FAITH. The Word of God makes it abundantly clear that faith is ordained to grow. At salvation, there is given to everyone what the Bible refers to as a measure of faith. Church Gist. Romans 12:3-4. The measure of faith given to you at salvation is ordained to grow. 2 Thessalonians 1:3. Faith is ordained to grow. The faith that you accessed at salvation is not supposed to remain at the same level. It is designed for growth.
The third thing that is important to know is that the growth of faith has no limit. Romans 12:3-4. There is no limit to the growth of faith. That means that everyone is responsible for the state of their faith. The height to which a man’s faith grows is determined by that man. Each one of us has the opportunity for our faith to grow exceedingly. To grow without limit. We have pictures of this painted to us in scriptures. Church Gist. Ephesians 4:12-14. This is the Word of God showing us the standard that God has given to us. Hebrews 12:2. That shows you that when it comes to the subject of faith, there is no limit. John 14:12. Jesus is the standard and the standard says you can exceed what I have set. So there is no limit.
There is no limit to the opportunity of growth given to you and me when it comes to the subject of faith. This is why it becomes important for us to begin to examine what it takes to build our faith. Every man’s fate (the outcome of his life) is determined by that man’s faith (the conviction of his heart). The outcome of a man’s life is determined by the convictions of a man’s heart. That is why what becomes of a man’s life is determined by what is in that man’s heart. Proverbs 4:23. Church Gist. The outcome of life is an outflow of the heart. Our faith determines our ultimate fate. This is why building our faith becomes a primary responsibility of every believer. The question that we have been trying to answer is what does it take to build our faith. What are some of the demands of building our faith? We are going to be looking at two of those demands tonight and I believe God that by the light each one of us will be granted a change of level in our faith.
1. One must keep hope alive.
If you want to see your faith grow, then you must keep hope alive. If you want to change the level of your faith then you must keep hope alive. From scriptures, every believer is born unto a lively hope. 1 Peter 1:3. We have a responsibility to sustain or keep that hope alive until the end. Hebrews 6:11. We are born unto a lively hope but we have a responsibility. That is why He said you should show diligence. Diligence means hard work. So for your hope to be sustained, there is a work you must do and that hope is to be sustained until the end. Church Gist. We have a responsibility to sustain hope until the end. This is why we must gird up the loins of our hearts from the things that seek to deflate our hope. 1 Peter 1:13. Proverbs 4:23. We have a responsibility to fortify our minds against the things that seek to deflate our hope. It is important to note that the greatest place of contention against our hope is the mind. That is where the greatest battle against our hope takes place. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. The place or contention, the location of the battle is in the mind. The only instrument that can fortify our minds is actually the Word of God. Church Gist. Romans 12:2. The things in the world will affect you if you are not re-calibrated by the Word. It takes the Word of God to fortify you and me from the hope-deflating occurrences on the earth. This is why the Word of God becomes central to the hope of the redeemed. Romans 15:4. To keep hope alive, we need the comfort of scriptures. It is the Word of God that sustains the viability of our hope. That means when access to the Word of God stops, the hope of man dies. No matter how hopeless a man’s situation is, as long as access to the Word continues, that man’s life is ordained for a change.
Job 14:7-9. As long as the word is there, there is always a tomorrow to see. This is so important so when it comes to the subject of our hope, our hope must be settled absolutely on the Word of God. That is what keeps it sustained in the adventure of life. If you look through Scripture you will discover from the example of Abraham, Abraham was in a hope deflating situation but he heard a word from God. Church Gist. Romans 4:16-19. You see, when you talk about the subject of Scriptural hope, it is the position of considering what God has said against what man can see. What man can see will be different from what God has said but there it is: God does not call things that be because they are, he calls things that be not as though they were. God doesn’t look at you now and describe your situation, God looks at you and prophesies your future. So if you’re looking at your situation, you’re looking at the wrong consideration. There are so many people who are making wrong considerations. God has said this year is a year of fortune and you’re looking at Dollar. That’s a wrong consideration. What is the right consideration? The Word of God that says, this is my year of Fortune; I will flourish in Hard times. When they say there is a casting down, I will say there is a lifting up. When they say there is nothing, I will say I have all things.
When we talk about hope, let’s not be theoretical. Hope is expectation and the Bible says as far as you can see is what you will have. Genesis 13:14-15. The ability of God is not in question, the expectation of man is always in question. The real question is in human expectation – what can you see? He told Jeremiah – Jeremiah 1:11-12. Church Gist. So hope is about making Scriptural considerations. That is why you cannot have Bible hope without being fixed on the Word of God. You must become fixed on God’s Word. Abraham was fixed on what God has said. In fact he was so fixed on what God has said that God had to change his name so that every time they call his name, they are describing his future, “Father of many nations.” Genesis 17:5. So hope must be fueled by the Word. Romans 12:2.
Let me say this, it’s very important: expectation must be sustained until manifestation. That’s why the Bible talks about, hoping to the end. It must be sustained until the point of manifestation. For example we are in this season where we are all out in the pursuit of the lost but here’s what the Bible says – 1 Corinthians 9:10 – in other words, when I am engaging in the harvest process, I am to do so with expectation and I am to expect all the way to the end. Church Gist. That means that I am not just wasting my time serving God – no. As I am serving God, there is an expectation of an outcome. Whatever God has said concerning the season, is to be my expectation until it is turned to a manifestation.
You know where the problem is? There are many people who lose their expectation on the basis of their situation. Take note: situation does not necessarily look like expectation but expectation will change situation. This is why our hope must be kept alive to the end. Hear this: hope is not living by assumption, it’s not living by guesswork, it’s not living by wishes. Hope is living with certainty. You’re doing something that you’re too sure of the outcome. Church Gist. It is an unbreakable code. Now listen: 2+2 last year was what? 2+2 ten years ago was what? 2+2 next year will be what? 2+2 hundred years from now will be what? 2+2 till Jesus comes will be what? You can’t break it. It is certain that if you add 2 to 2 it will equal 4. When you add expectation to any man’s heart, it is equal to manifestation as long as he stays to the end. It is a certainty; it cannot change.
This is why what the devil seeks to do is to steal your expectations, is to rob man of expectation. When a woman is pregnant, they say she is expecting. The only way for that thing inside of her not to become a baby is to rob her of it while it is in her, is that true? So they call it a miscarriage. She was robbed of what she was carrying. It was inside her before. Some of them, you find three months gone and they say they miscarried. It is not that she didn’t carry before, she was carrying but after a while, she miscarried what she was carrying. It didn’t end with her carrying a baby, not because she didn’t have a baby. Church Gist. She lost the baby inside her and as a result of that, she couldn’t carry it in her hand. You must understand that for you and I, what the womb is to a mother is what expectation is to a believer. Expectation is the womb of testimony. If you have expectations in your heart, it will turn into manifestation in your hand as long as you stay the full term. You know it is a challenge when a baby doesn’t stay the full term. There are a lot of struggles to keep the baby. If you are going to see your testimony in your hand, you must be ready to stay the full term. That is hope all the way to the end. Anybody that knows anything about pregnancy knows that it is not convenient. Men carry heavy loads, it is true but you drop it when you are tired. When you are carrying a heavy bag, you drop it when you are tired. When a woman is pregnant, it is a load you can’t drop. You sleep with the load, everywhere you go, it is a permanent undroppable load until the day of manifestation. You can’t drop it.
That is the way expectation must be, you must hold it to the end. Some individuals have it and they drop it and they wonder why there is no testimony. Do you know why? There are spiritual miscarriages. They begin the year on fire, “This year I will serve God because I know that the Word for the year will come to pass.” After three months, they drop it. Another operation comes again, they come on fire for God again and after a while, they drop it. You can have 20 pregnancies, if you don’t sustain it to the end you won’t have one delivery. What matters is, am I hoping to the end? What will keep your hope to the end is the Word of God fueling your hope. Let this year 2024 be different. Make sure that this is not a year of multiple miscarriages. Let it be a year of multiple deliveries. You can agree with me that when it comes to pregnancy, it is not by force that you have only one. You can have twins, you can have triplets or even quadruplets. Whatever you are expecting as long as you keep it to the end, you deliver it to the end. This is why it is important for us to hold on to our expectations and sustain them with the Word of God to the end. Church Gist. That no matter what is happening in the world, you keep it alive. Please hear this, a pregnancy is heaviest at the end. It is most uncomfortable at the end. If you see a pregnant woman when she is getting to nine months, sleeping position is a task. She wants to be surrounded by a lot of pillows, why? Because at that point there is a lot of inconvenience. That is the closest point to manifestation. When it looks like everything is inconvenient around you, the delivery date is almost here. Don’t drop it at that point. Hold on to your expectations and press on to the end. This year, no miscarriages. No one will miscarry their testimony anymore.
2. One must keep the joy of the Lord alive.
First, you must keep hope alive by the Word of God. Second, you must keep the joy of the Lord alive. Isaiah 12:3. It is through joy that we access revelation and it takes revelation to build faith. Without joy, you will end up crippling your faith. That is why you should watch it, don’t let anything keep you down. Keep your excitement at all costs. Keep your joy at all costs. Don’t let anything get you down, maintain your state of joy and rejoicing. This is so important in our adventure if you are going to keep your faith alive. If you are going to keep your faith intact, then you must keep your joy in place. Psalm 2:4. Church Gist. Heaven is a place where the culture is laughter. It is a place where the culture is joy. We must sustain our joy at all costs. This is so important. We have to come to that point where we don’t let anything get us down. Let your joy be intact. Let your joy be unshakeable. James 1:2. Even when things look contrary, make sure your joy is not affected. Keep your joy alive. Philippians 4:4. Keep your joy alive, don’t let anything get you down. Whatever causes your heart to be downcast will block your access to revelation. Church Gist. Psalm 16:11. When it comes to gaining access to the path of life, to having access to revelation, you need to maintain your joy. Say with me, “I will rejoice.”
Now it’s important to note that when you look at the subject of joy, joy first is a product of your will; you make a choice for it. I used to think that when you see people who are excited and happy it’s because things excitable are happening around them – no. I discovered that things excitable around them are happening because they are excited. Church Gist. People think that when you see somebody excited it’s because, “oh, so many excitable things are happening” – no! Excitable things are happening because they are excited. When your joy is full God gives you what it takes, He gives you everything that causes continuous rejoicing. But when you lose out on your joy, you lose out on your testimony. Joel 1:11-12. Keep your joy alive.
I’ll like you to understand that one of the things that will help you to maintain your joy is having a right perspective. If you can see well, you will discover that your joy is maintained. Most of the time things that make people feel down is because they can’t see far. If you can see well, your joy will be maintained. Please hear this and hear it very well: no matter what you’re confronting it has been successfully conquered by somebody before. Church Gist. Stop specializing your challenges. Some people are so intoxicated with the things they are going through: I can’t forget, I’ve shared this before. Somebody came to meet me sometime ago and said, Pastor … He explained his problem to me, after explaining it, he was in my office, he sat down and leaned back on the chair and said, “have you ever heard something like that before?” The challenge is so unique, he was so impressed with the problem. He said, Pastor, tell me the truth: have you ever heard something like that before? I told him and said, last week, I heard it; this week I heard it; it’s a very common problem. Stop specializing your issues. It has been successfully conquered by somebody else before. Church Gist. When you have the right perspective, things don’t take your heart. So don’t let your heart be carried away. You say, “oh, the whole world is on my head.” The whole world is not on your head. In fact there’s nothing on your head.
I can’t forget, somebody told me he said, “he went somewhere and he was explaining to somebody his challenges in business. After explaining it and explained it, the man looked at him and smiled. He said, you know this man? (Points) He said yes. He said this challenge you’re having if he has it, it will be a day of testimony. That is, that is his best day. This one you’re talking about is not a problem; if this problem you have is the one he has, that will be his best day.” He said eeehhhhnnnn? Church Gist. He said you don’t have problem; you’re just thinking the world is on your head, there’s nothing on your head only your hair – if you have. Nothing is on your head at all. So stop going all around looking morons, “what’s happening?” “There’s challenge, there’s challenge. Pray for me.” Then you start distributing prayer point every time. “Brethren you know this is Kingdom Care time, pray o” Your issue is too small. 1 Corinthians 10:10. What somebody is carrying and crying, somebody else is carrying and smiling and you know what? He is smiling his way to victory. So let us maintain our joy at all cost.
God’s Servant said in writing his biography he has a part of it that is written, “my share of challenges.” You say, “you see Papa, I want to be like Papa. He doesn’t have any … No challenge anywhere.” Okay o (laughs). He said his book has a chapter; your own is one statement, one challenge. If you’re going to be victorious, you must learn to maintain your joy. Church Gist. I saw a picture of him one time, where he was laughing and carrying his Bible and walking and they wrote under that picture, “the conqueror’s trademark.” It has been engraved in my mind, what is the trademark? The laughter. The conqueror is always laughing, excited, rejoicing. That means the moment you stop laughing, you have started losing; but when you keep laughing, you keep winning.
– You will no longer lose any battle in the name of Jesus Christ!
So if you’re going to maintain your joy, watch your perspective. You must see things from the right perspective. Church Gist. If you’re going to maintain your joy, it’s a subject of your will, you must make a decision. When you do those 2 things and your joy is kept alive, your faith is boosted for delivery.
– Good news: this year, your faith will deliver supernaturally!
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