TODAY, WE SEE THE ANSWER TO THE PRAYER FOR MERCY FOR NIGERIA
IF GOD HAD NOT SHOWN US MERCY, BY NOW, WE WILL BE ON THE BRINK OF A CIVIL WAR
WE ARE NOT FULLY OUT OF THE WOOD YET SO, PRAY FOR MERCY FOR NIGERIA
THAT SPIRIT OF STINGINESS THAT HAS BEEN HINDERING YOUR PROSPERITY, MAY IT DEPART FROM YOU!
THE REASON SOME OF US ARE WHERE WE ARE IN OUR FINANCES IS BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT LEARNT TO SCATTER.
GOD EXPECTS YOU TO ‘SCATTER’ AND YOU WILL INCREASE
THE FIRST THING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GOD IS THAT HIS WAYS ARE NOT OUR WAYS NEITHER HIS THOUGHTS OUR THOUGHTS
OUR UNDERSTANDING OF GOD AT THE VERY BEST IS GOING TO BE LIMITED BUT, WHEN YOU KNOW HIM, YOU WILL BE STRONG AND CAN DO EXPLOITS
IN A MANNER YOU ARE NOT EXPECTING, MY GOD WILL SURPRISE YOU!
I WAS UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF MY FATHER IN THE LORD AND THAT IS WHY, WHEN I COMMAND DEMONS THEY OBEY
IF YOU WANT TO HAVE DOMINION, THEN YOU MUST BE UNDER AUTHORITY
YOU MUST BE UNDER AUTHORITY BECAUSE YOUR ENEMY DOES NOT FEAR YOU BUT THE ONE BACKING YOU
THE PROBLEM WITH MANY CHRISTIANS IS WE ARE TOO INDEPENDENT. GOD EXPECTS YOU TO BE UNDER AUTHORITY
IF YOU WANT TO BE VICTORIOUS ALL THE TIME, YOU MUST 100 PER CENT SURRENDER TO GOD SO THAT YOU WILL RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE
IF YOU ARE FIGHTING YOUR BATTLES ALONE, YOU ARE BOUND TO LOSE
HOW MUCH LOVE OF GOD YOU ARE GOING TO ENJOY DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH LOVE YOU ARE WILLING TO SHOW HIM
– Pastor E. A. Adeboye on “UNDERSTANDING THE GOD OF WONDERS” at RCCG June 2023 Holy Ghost Service || 2nd June, 2023
By the grace of God, next month our theme will be, “THE ALL SUFFICIENT GOD.” We want to consider the wonders of his sufficiency. Church Gist. It is also the week when all disciples will be having their Convention.
—-_———–
You know towards the end of last year, I called a solemn assembly and I asked us to cry to God for mercy for Nigeria. How many of you remember? Thank God nobody asked me “why?” because I would not have told you. Church Gist. Today, we see the answer to that prayer. If God had not shown us mercy by now, we will be on the brink of a civil war. But God answers prayers. We are still able to move about freely in peace. We are not fully out of the wood yet that is why you are going to pray this prayer and you’re going to pray it standing. Church Gist. You’re going to cry to the Almighty God with all your strength and say, “Father, have mercy on me, my family, Nigeria, the whole world and have mercy on the Church.”
————————
My own text will be Proverbs 9:10. My children have defined understanding eloquently but I want to define understanding the way the market woman can understand. Church Gist. There is a link between knowledge, understanding and wisdom but to understand someone is to know as much as possible, how he thinks, how he acts and how he reacts to certain situations.
If you understand someone, then you will behave in such a manner that that someone will be able to do for you whatever you want. Church Gist. If you understand somebody you can get whatever you want from him or her.
I’ve told a story before, something that happened in 1963 – that was 20 years before I became born again so you will understand the kind of person I was then. A girlfriend of mine came to visit from out of town, I won’t tell you the state she came from, and I had prepared very hard to receive her. Church Gist. I had prepared very good pounded yam, combination Okro soup, bush meat, etc. When she arrived, we sat at the dining table and I opened the dishes. She looked at everything and said, “you only prepared pounded yam?” I said, yes. She said, don’t you have garri? I said, garri? She said yes. I said I have garri. She said, do you have tinko (dried beef)? I said yes I have. Church Gist. So I went, got garri, got a bowl of ice water and a big chunk of tinko and she was enjoying herself soaking garri. I ate my pounded yam alone. But by the end of the meal she was so satisfied. I got what I wanted. After that anytime she visited, I didn’t bother preparing pounded yam. I got garri, tinko because now I understood her.
– Tonight somebody will begin to understand God! So that from now on whatever you want from him, you will get.
Isaiah 40:28. It is not easy to say you want to understand God. Our understanding of God at the very best is going to be limited. However, the Word of God encourages us to want to understand him. Church Gist. Proverbs 25:2. We are encouraged to do a research into this God so we can know him more because when you know him, you will be strong and can do exploits. Daniel 11:32. We need to know straight away that his ways are not our ways neither his thoughts our thoughts. Isaiah 55:7-9. If you think because he came from your back yesterday that it will be your back that he will come next time, you will make a mistake. Church Gist. This is because, Elijah was a hairy man, people respected him as a prophet. When they saw Elisha that he was bald headed, they never thought this man can have any power. That’s the first thing you need to know about God.
2 Kings 5:1-14. Somebody here today, in a manner you are not expecting, my God will surprise you!
For example: the way we think as human beings is that if you want to increase in wealth, you must keep on accumulating. But that’s not what he said. Church Gist. Proverbs 11:24. The little you have, scatter it. We don’t think that way, what we have, we want to hold. But if you ask the Elders they will tell you that even the devil knew that trick that if anybody has made a charm for wealth, the witch doctor will tell him, ‘when the money begins to come, begin to scatter it.’ If you swallow a charm to make money, they expect that at least once a week, you must throw a party. The devil copied that from God. Matthew 13:3-9. Church Gist. God wants you to scatter. Some of the scattering might not produce fruit but a few would land on good soil and the harvest from the good soil will take care of whatever fell on wrong soil. Hosea 8:7. The harvest is always much bigger than the seed sown.
The reason some of us are still where we are – financially speaking – is because we have not learnt to scatter. Church Gist. So you’re understanding God now. He expects you to scatter and you will increase. 1 Kings 17:8-16.
– That spirit of stinginess, miserliness, that have been hindering your prosperity, may it depart from you tonight!
He said if you want to have dominion, then you must be under authority. Church Gist. Our own ways of thinking is that if you want to have authority then you want to be above everybody. Luke 7:2-10.
When I joined the Redeemed Christian Church of God, with all humility, I was the most educated. I was a lecturer in the University. My father in the Lord, God bless his memory forever, he didn’t go to school but he knew the Bible off head. The Almighty God told me, with all your PhD you are to be under the authority of this man. Church Gist. I thank God today that I surrendered, that I agreed to be under his authority. It is because I was under the authority of that great man that today, when I command demons they obey. I am using that authority which I gained by being under authority to command that every demon that followed you here tonight will not go back with you!
Why must you learn to be under authority to exercise dominion?
– Your enemy does not fear you but they will fear the one backing you. Acts 19:11-17. Church Gist. The demon was saying, ‘the reason if Paul sent an handkerchief here I will run is not because of Paul but because of the one under whose authority he is operating.’ The problem with many of us Christians is we are too independent. If you want to really understand God, God expects you to be under authority.
God says, if you want to be victorious all the time, the thing you must do is that you must surrender. How can I surrender and still be considered a winner? No, it depends on who you surrender to. He is not asking you to surrender to your enemy; he is asking you to surrender to him. James 4:7. Church Gist. Submit your marriage to God and he will deal with that strange woman. Submit your business to God and he will deal with the devourers. Submit your future to the Lord and anyone that tries to mess around with your future, will have to fight the God who is behind you. Psalm 68:1. The problem is that most of us are fighting our battles alone and if you are fighting your battles alone, you are bound to lose. Church Gist. You can’t fight the devil alone, the devil has been around for thousands of years before you were born. He has defeated some great men in the past. You don’t believe me? Ask somebody like Samson, study the life of Moses very well.
There was a lecture I preached several years ago called the Joker Card. Ask the people in the tape ministry may be they will find it for you. The moment the devil discovered your weakness, he can wait till the last moment before he will bring it out and defeat you. Church Gist. But if you 100 per cent submit to God, you will resist the devil and the devil will flee for you. There had been several situations in the past when we have prayed, fasted, quoted the Bible, done everything, until one day God will simply minister to us and say, why don’t you submit this problem to me? You submit the problem to him, you go to bed one night, by the time you wake up the following day the problem is over.
– I pray for someone here tonight, whatever problems you brought here, as you lay the problems at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, by tomorrow the problems will be gone!
My son was talking on a deeper note and said something about if you are on the love side of God, then you have won. The question is, ‘how can I be on the love side of God? I have discovered that secret but how do I access it knowing who God is?’ Romans 8:17. Church Gist. How much love of God you are going to enjoy depends on how much love you are willing to show him. When he says, draw near to me and I will draw near to you, it says, you take the first step towards me and I will take a step towards you. Like I shared with some of my children in Israel, you take a step, how big your step is, is determined by how long your legs are. So the step you take towards God is going to be pretty small. Then he takes a step towards you and how long are his legs? Extremely long. So his own step will be a mighty one. Take a little step towards him and see him in action. Take a little step of faith and see God move. Church Gist. When we talk about faith (which we discussed during the Holy Communion Service) we find that many of us who claim to be men and women of faith, we might not even know what faith is. I think I should remind you of one or two cases of people who have taken a small step towards God and God has taken a giant step towards them.
I will tell you the story of a woman: she was barren. She heard that God has been using us, we have special anointing in the area of the barren becoming fruitful. She heard that we were going to hold a program at Alagbado. So she came there. She thought the program was going to be in the evening whereas I went there in the afternoon because I was visiting the Churches in Lagos. Church Gist. By the time she arrived, she said, what about the Crusade they said will take place here? They told her the man of God has come and gone. She fell on the ground and began to roll and cry. The people asked her, why are you crying? She said, I told God I am not going to ask the man of God to pray for me, I just want to see him from a distance but now he has gone before I could arrive so I know God doesn’t want me to have children. Somebody told her, we heard the announcement that tomorrow is going to be Agege or somewhere. She said, you’re sure? They told her yes. ‘You know the address?’ Somebody gave her the address. Church Gist. She was in the Church very early in the morning. Then it was time for the program and all pastors were dressed alike. I used to dress like our pastors then and so she didn’t know who is who. She asked somebody, who is the General Overseer among them? Somebody told her, he is the one who will preach. So it was time to preach and I mounted the pulpit. She touched the fellow next to her, ‘is that the man?’ The fellow said yes. She said, ‘ehen, now I know I am going to have my baby.’ 9 months later, the baby has come!
Now, that’s faith! She took a small step of faith and God took a giant step towards her.
– In the name that is above every other name, I decree that because you came tonight, the Almighty God will move towards you!
1. With God, delay is not denial. Why? Well, he works according to a timetable. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Many at times we think he is late. One thing we need to understand about God is that God says, (Psalm 90:4) as far as God is concerned, a thousand years in his own sight is at times like just one day or a watch in the night just like one hour. Church Gist. When a thousand years is one hour, then how long is one minute? So many at times when you are expecting a miracle from God and he seems to be delaying, understand that what you are calling a long delay is a very short period of time with him. The beauty of it however is this: Psalms 46:1. Church Gist. So for those of you who feel you are suffering a delay, in the name that is above every other name, your help will come tonight!
The Lord said there is a genius in the house tonight. One of the greatest discoveries in science is going to come through you.
I’ll tell you a story very quickly: when I became General Overseer in 1981, there were quite a few people in the Church who thought that my appointment was rigged. They thought that because the old man wasn’t learned that I used my position as a lecturer in mathematics to manoeuvre. But then God began to do something – every month we will have a seminar and on the first day of the seminar every month, a woman will deliver in our maternity center and it will be a boy. Church Gist. First, second, third month … After sometime it became clear to even my enemies that this cannot be mathematically calculated, that this is the hand of God.
The reason God asked me to tell you that story is that there is somebody here tonight, a miracle is coming your way that even your enemies cannot deny.
When we are trying to understand God, we need to know that God is sovereign – He does as he pleases. Psalms 115:3. So he reserves the right to change a prophecy to a decree. A prophecy is when God says, ‘I am going to do the following’ and he didn’t put a time limit like in Genesis 12:1-3. That was a prophecy and so years passed and nothing happened. Church Gist. Genesis 15:1-5 – years passed, we got to Genesis 17:16-17. In fact it got to a stage Abraham said, God, let’s stop this joke. But then came Genesis 18:1-14; this time it wasn’t a prophecy, it was a decree because the time for it to come to pass was limited.
There are many of us who have been collecting prophecies but in the name that is above every other name, tonight God will turn your prophecies to a decree!
One of my children asked you to pray a prayer: when he said, ‘many of you have been seeing signs that tonight you will receive a wonder.’ So shall it be in Jesus’ name.
From the moment God speaks, it is already done. Anytime he made a promise, it is a settled matter. Psalm 33:8-9. But many at times he didn’t put a time limit. Church Gist. I am glad to tell some people that my daddy has put a time limit that this particular month of June 2023 will be a month of miracles for some people.
Though God is the Almighty and you will wonder, someone like him, what else can he need? You need to know something very very significant about God and that is, he loves celebrations. Exodus 23:14-16. Some of you may not really understand the secret you are getting now. Church Gist. That is why in the Redeemed Christian Church of God there are 3 big events – in March, Special Holy Ghost Service; in August, Annual Convention; in December, the Congress. God loves celebrations. John 2:1-11. The first miracle ever that Jesus performed was at a wedding. Church Gist. That alone is good news for somebody because Jesus is going to be at your wedding this year.
But do you know what? His greatest celebration takes place in Heaven every time a sinner gets born again. Luke 15:10. Some people think that what that passage is saying is that when a sinner gets born again, the Angels begin to dance. Church Gist. No, he didn’t say there is joy among angels; he said there is joy in the presence of angels. Angels are watching the one who is celebrating. Every time a soul is saved, Jesus Christ dances. He gets up from his seat and dances. Why? Because he is the Redeemer. He knew the price he paid for the salvation of souls and each time he saw that his labour had not been in vain, he dances. Do you know every time somebody genuinely gives his life to Jesus Christ they make God happy, they bring celebration to the Heavens? Church Gist. Because of somebody here tonight there is going to be celebration in Heaven. That is why I always ask you to clap when souls are coming to be saved because by so doing, you are joining the Lord in celebration.
Salvation Call:
#PastorEAAdeboye
#UnderstandingTheGodOfWonders
#June2023HGS
#2June2023
#DoublePortion
#RCCG
#ChurchGist
