THERE WILL BE NO DAY EVER AGAIN IN MY LIFE WHEN I SAY I AM BELIEVING GOD FOR ONE HUNDRED MILLION.
IF YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISHES, IT WILL NEVER FINISH.
MY WIFE WAS DYING FOR A YEAR AND NOBODY COULD SEE IT ON MY FACE. NO PRETENCE!
I HAVE A SHOCK ABSORBER TO EVERY CHALLENGE, THEY CALL IT PRAISE.
MURMURING AND COMPLAINING ARE MORE DESTRUCTIVE THAN A TERMINAL DISEASE.
WHEN GOD STEPS INTO A MAN’S LIFE THE UNSHAKABLE SHAKES.
IF YOU THINK GOD HAS NOT DONE YOU WELL, GO AND TRY THE devil.
IF THE SHEPHERD HAS NOT DONE YOU WELL, GO AND TRY THE THIEF.
ONE OF THE GREAT MYSTERIES OF THIS COMMISSION IS A LIFESTYLE OF UNTIRING PRAISE.
YOU NEED TO SEE US SINGING AND DANCING WHEN WE WERE LESS THAN 30 PEOPLE, WE WERE CELEBRATING GOD LIKE MAD PEOPLE.
WE WERE DANCING AND SWEATING WITH DUST COVERING US AND WE WERE ENJOYING IT.
YOU EITHER DANCE YOUR WAY FORWARD OR YOU ‘UNDANCE’ YOUR WAY DOWNWARD.
UNTIL ONE IS BORN AGAIN, EVERY SECRET OF THE KINGDOM APPEARS LIKE A JOKE TO HIM.
– Bishop David Oyedepo on UNDERSTANDING THE WONDERS OF THANKSGIVING 3 at End of Year Thanksgiving Service || Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland|| First Sunday Service ||
Thank you Jesus.
What I believe is one of the greatest takeaways from this altar this year is the mystery of Thanksgiving. “Father thank you” and the car picked up. “Father thank you” and the fuel kept flowing. They may look ordinary to you but it is not because he has a need but because he knows what to do. Church Gist. I never lined up once during scarce commodity for fuel in my life, never! You know what to do, you have committed Him to do what He should do. Light is sweet and it is beautiful for the eyes to behold the sun. May the light encountered in this great year never be wasted in your life.
We were in Kano in 1999 and the wire of the microphone pulled out of the amplifier and it was still working. Heavy presence of God. The boy at the studio was shivering. It pulled out because I was moving around the way I normally do and the speaker was working. Church Gist. No connection. This will be a year of great surprises in your life. We were travelling and the fuel came down and the driver said: “Sir, we have gotten into reserve”. I said don’t look at it. Stop looking at it, keep driving. We got to where we were going. Stop looking at it, my friend. We got to where we were going. You can’t know what to do and be stranded.
We were in an all-night meeting and they said fuel was about to finish in the generator and I said “Don’t turn it off” and it won’t stop. We are celebrating God here. Church Gist. Fuel is not what gives us light. You just know what to do, you commit Him to do what He says He will do. By doing it, you commit Him to do what He says He will do.
– In the name of Jesus Christ, this will be a smooth sail year for you.
– All of your struggles will end like a dream of the night.
No one could have kept you and me till now but our loving ever faithful, ever truthful, ever loving Father.
Lord, enlighten our understanding this morning on the mystery of thanksgiving in Jesus’ name.
UNDERSTANDING THE WONDERS OF THANKSGIVING.
We have come to realize in the course of this heaviest thanksgiving session in this Commission that it just followed us from November all through December. Church Gist. Something is about to break forth. Something great is about to burst forth in this Church. Something great is about to burst forth in your life if you put your heart into it.
To be grateful is to be joyful, to be joyful is to be praiseful. James 5:13. To be praiseful is to secure divine presence which is the covenant platform for fearful acts of God. Psalm 22:3. Exodus 15:11. God’s fearful wonders answer to the genuine praises of God. Fearful acts of God are provoked by praiseful believers. No praiseful believer ever gets stranded. You can’t be truly praiseful unless you are truly grateful. Understanding the wonders of thanksgiving is understanding the wonders of praise because it is thanksgiving that begets praise. Church Gist. Thanksgiving graduates into praise. Be thankful and bless His Holy name. It is a mix. You are thankful, you will be praiseful, you are praiseful, you will secure His presence and if you secure His presence you are a wonder to the world. Not thank you Jesus once in a month but thank you Jesus as a lifestyle. You meet every situation with thanksgiving.
Psalm 34:1. It is not enough to have light, you must be committed to walking in the light. The light you won’t walk in holds no value to you. 🎵 I bless you Lord you are worthy and forever you are Lord. Church Gist. I bless you Lord, you are faithful and forever you are Lord. I bless you Lord, you are merciful and forever you are Lord. 🎵 I will sing Hallelujah. Hallelujah, you are God.
When that becomes your addiction, you become a living wonder because you carry His presence that stirs His fearful acts. His presence usually stirs His fearful acts. You can get down a praiseful believer. Until you can get down God, you can’t get down a praiseful believer. He wears His presence. Psalm 99:1. The Lord reigneth let the earth tremble. They began to sing His praise and the foundation for the prison was shaken. When God steps in, the unshakeable shakes. When God steps into a man’s life the unshakable shakes. If you know what damage you have caused yourself by murmuring and complaining you will fear God. Church Gist. It is more destructive than a terminal disease. 1 Corinthians 10:10. They were destroyed. You have people who say all kinds of things: “You know by my capacity and expertise I should not be at this point.” Okay! Get yourself to another point. In 1986 I could believe God for #500, but I can’t believe God for one hundred million now. You better know what to do, my friend. There will be no day again in my life when I say I am believing God for one hundred million yet I don’t beg, I don’t borrow, I don’t steal. If you know what to do with your five loaves and two fishes, it will never finish.
– Throughout the hard seasons of this world, you never feel it. Your family will not feel it.
Just know what to do and do it. How much wonders are loaded in praise? Now, let’s do some biblical calculations this morning. When Israel came out of Egypt God was in their midst. God was in their sanctuary. The sea saw them and it fled. Troubles tremble at His presence. Jordan was driven back, the mountains skipped like rams. Psalm 114:1-7. Troubles tremble at the presence of God. Exodus 16:4,8. He rained bread from heaven and fed them twice a day. Bread in the morning and flesh in the evening and that continued till they entered the borders of Canaan. Church Gist. 40 years! There has never been any depression that lasted 40 years. So expect to feed fat as you retain His presence and see murmuring and complaining as poisonous. Murmuring and complaining are poisonous. It is not advice, it is poison. Don’t toy with it. Don’t toy with acid, you will not survive. Don’t take a shot of acid because you are an expert in Chemistry.
So, it is not thanksgiving once in Church, it is when it becomes a lifestyle. I told you a story of my friend, Mike Murdock, we were coming in from the old Church here and he said he heard me say “Thank you Jesus” and “Praise the Lord” 72 times and yet we were discussing. Somebody say addiction. A man addicted to drugs you can’t discuss him away from it. While you are discussing it, the thing is inside him. He is just waiting for you to finish so he can go and continue. It is an addiction, so all these bright in the morning and down in the evening, that is not life. Church Gist. Everybody is asking you what is wrong because something is wrong, your face looks wrong. Your words are wrong. From this time on, nobody will ask you again what is wrong.
Somebody asked me some time ago, Brother David do you ever have any problems? I said maybe it came and I didn’t know. I have a shock absorber, they call it praise. A lifestyle of gratitude at all times. Church Gist. You find mountains move for you on their own accord. My wife was dying for a year and nobody could see it on my face. No pretence! People who came to say hello to me can’t ask me because I am busy asking them what is wrong with them. You can’t ask me. Something has turned in your life.
“Glorious in holiness, fearful in praises.” For forty years their legs were not swollen and their garments were not old on them because they couldn’t buy anything anywhere. Who was changing their clothes? You won’t wear rags. Your generation will not wear rags. He was changing their clothes. Deuteronomy 8:3-4. Church Gist. He was renewing their health. 40 years, no medical attention. There was not one feeble person among them. Psalm 105:37. He brought them forth with silver and gold. They were slaves, his presence just brought them into fortune. May thanksgiving become an addiction of your life.
If God has not done you well, go and try the devil. You know there are two. Try the Lord. If the Shepherd has not done you well, go and try the thief. No matter how bad God may appear to be, the devil is ‘badder’ and even ‘baddest’. Crazy devil, we know how to deal with him and render him helpless. Just bring God’s presence. Do you know how to deal with darkness? Just bring light. When light comes darkness disappears. Praise is one fundamental way to bring God’s presence to bear on your life. Church Gist. You cannot be praiseful’ except you are genuinely grateful. Many people are singing complaining songs. 🎵oh Lord, you are very faithful. 🎵 Look at my life oh God. 🎵 You know in the village, women sing to fight. They fight with songs, proverbial songs. You sing to that one and she sings back to you.
🎵 Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One; give thanks, because He is given Jesus Christ, His Son. Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One; give thanks, because He is given
Jesus Christ, His Son. Church Gist. And now let the weak say ‘I am strong’, let the poor say ‘I am rich’, because of what the Lord has done for us; and now let the weak say ‘I am strong’, let the poor say ‘I am rich’, because of what the Lord has done for us.
Give thanks…🎵
We understand that the Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of mysteries. Mark 4:11. Mysteries are not mistakes, mysteries are simply hidden kingdom secrets. Deuteronomy 29:29. The Kingdom of God is full of mysteries, hidden secrets that make things work. They appear always too simple to be true but when put to work you know how powerful they are. Church Gist. New birth is our capital access to the mysteries of the Kingdom. Mark 4:11. 1 Corinthians 2:14. Until one is born again, every secret of the Kingdom appears like a joke to him. They don’t make any meaning and you can’t blame him, a dead man can’t understand anything. Can you teach a dead man what to do? Church Gist. So until one is born again every secret of the Kingdom is a laughable story. When you are born again you are born into a world of wonders. John 3:8. So when you are born again, you are born into a Kingdom of wonders so you can appreciate the mysteries of the Kingdom that stir the wonders. One of those great mysteries in this Commission is a lifestyle of untiring praise. Unreserved praise, Bible provoked praise. Bible provoked praise. Wonders never cease here.
Let’s go through a few of those wonders of scriptures:
Romans 8:31. When God came down to Egypt, both Pharaoh and all the gods of Egypt could not hold them back. When God came down Pharaoh and all the gods of Egypt gave up. As you step into the year 2024, all the Pharaohs of your life, all the gods of Egypt that are holding your life bound in any way and form will give up. Church Gist. I was speaking here on a Midweek Service and this young man from Ghana who ran away from the idol in his father’s house heard the Word. The idol in Ghana vanished by the Word of the Lord. All the gods that are making life unbearable for anyone here will bow out at His presence.
When my time comes, it is a long way from now. Don’t let anyone think one devil killed me. If the devil could kill me, he could have killed me a long time ago. Never! You and the devil are not in the same class. In the precious name of Jesus, as you bear the light of His presence, your liberty will be glorious, your liberty will be total. Death will fear you. Your presence will scare death. Destruction and death said we have heard the fame thereof, we don’t come near. Putting the Word to work. We have heard with our ears. We can’t move near. Church Gist. We put them inside the furnace, but it didn’t burn them. We put them with the lion, they can’t eat them. Leave them alone. That will be the testimony of the wicked concerning you. Anyone who dares an evil thought not even an evil act against you, as you wear His presence they come under an eternal curse. It is your turn at last.
John 8:29. He carried God’s presence perpetually. Luke 4:34. He was a terror to the Kingdom of darkness by reason of being the light. He was wearing the light of heaven. Devils couldn’t stand his presence because of divine presence. So all these struggling with “I am sleeping and somebody is chasing me.” Church Gist. You won’t know it again. Can darkness chase after light? Acts 10:38. Only good things will be happening to you beginning from now. As you follow the mystery of Thanksgiving, only good things will be happening to you.
Isaiah 54:1-3. You will sing your way to a breaking forth. It is a master key to a world of breakthroughs without end. You need to see us singing when we were 10, 20, 24 or 30 people. You will think we are mad people. You see us celebrating God under a grass built batcher. We built that sanctuary with 23,000. We were dancing and sweating, the dust covered us and we were enjoying it. You either dance your way forward or you ‘undance’ your way downward. Dance your way forward it is the wisdom of God my friend.
We had our first musical equipment in 1986. What were we using to praise God before that? Singing, stamping our feet, dancing and jumping and carrying palm fronds. Did you pray for it? Never! We never pray for such things. Just keep thanking God your tanks will never run empty. He said count your blessings not count your troubles. Do not count your losses. Count your blessings. It is time to review your approach to improve on your results. There is no force under heaven stronger than thanksgiving and praise. It brings God’s presence to bear on your life which is the answer to all of your challenges in life. That is why the devil wants you to complain and murmur. Why? Your car had a flat tyre. It is your leg, does your leg have a flat tyre? Which one will you choose, your leg or your car? Church Gist. May your leg never have a flat tyre. In everything give thanks. There might be some troubles just in front of you that is why the tyre went flat to escape. You say God what is this? Ah! You would have died. “I won’t die. I am an expert driver.” Good luck. Somebody’s story is changing.
1 Thessalonians 5:18. Hebrews 10:36. In everything. Favourable or “unfavourable”, in everything, give thanks. If it had not been God, it would have been worse than what you saw. Church Gist. So, the year must end without any iota of complaint in your soul, lest you complicate your case again. You must end this year with no iota of complaint or murmuring in your soul. No one.
I told you this story once. I once lost a whole box that was packed for a two-week journey and I said, “You know why that box was lost? God knows I have more clothes in the house” Amen. Church Gist. Can you go to the Police and say you lost a box? Does it have a plate number? No. Behind me forever.
– Something is going to break forth in your life this day in season and out of season.
Psalm 149:1-4.
– Every ugly aspect of anyone’s life, as you subscribe to this heavyweight thanksgiving and praise, He will beautify you.
– He will wipe off every ugly area of your life as if they never existed.
Psalm 149:5. Joy and singing. If you are not grateful, you can’t be joyful. If you are not joyful, you can’t be praiseful. Let’s stop pretending. Psalm 149:6-7.
– As you praise Him this morning, judgment will answer in the camp of your enemies.
– Anything holding you or any member of your family bound will come under judgment today.
Psalm 149:8. Principalities and power will come under torture as you praise Him. Psalm 149:9. Church Gist. This is the right of all the saints of God, to engage the mystery of praise to deal with their enemies.
– Today, vengeance will answer in your favour!
As we round up. Psalm 92:1-2. So, it’s not something we do only in prayer. It comes out of you at all times. Church Gist. ‘God is good. Oh! What a great God we serve. He is ever faithful. Ever dependable’. Speaking of His goodness every time. Psalm 92:10-15.
– It’s your turn!
What else are you looking for that is not covered in the mystery of praise? What else am I looking for that is not covered? Fresh oil. Do you know the meaning of fresh oil? Psalm 89:20-23. Psalm 34:1. ‘I have found a man praising me. Leave his enemies to me, I will deal with them’. When you get to Heaven, you will see how many God slew because of you. Church Gist. Isaiah 43:4. God deals with the enemies without taking permission from us. These are the wonders packaged in praise and they all stem out of gratitude, heart felt gratitude. You are not grateful, you can’t be joyful. You are not joyful, your singing will be a noise in the ears of God. Amos 5:23. It is noisy when you are contentious and you claim to be praising God. You are making noise. Church Gist. He knows your heart. He knows my heart. Are you truly grateful? ‘I have been in this one room now for how long’ That’s how long you have been there because you won’t do something that will take you out of the place.
– Something has turned in your life this day.
We are here to recount the goodness of the Lord from January to 31st of December. For if (there is) any grateful soul in this Church, lift up your right hand and let your heart breathe out gratitude to God for His mercies, for His faithfulness, for His wonders in and around your life. Church Gist. Would you thank Him for the battles He won on your behalf and my behalf without our knowledge? Thank Him for His hand upon your family. Thank Him for His goodness around your life. Would you thank Him for your salvation? That Heaven is sure after a most glorious, triumphant life on Earth, Heaven is still secured. Can you give God thanks for it?
– The foundation of your prison is shaking right now because you are coming out free.
– The bands on your hands are being loosed.
– You are coming out free by giving Him thanks intensely.
In Jesus precious name we have prayed!
I’d like you to do something here this morning. Now you’re not praying. You are now speaking to Him. You are speaking to my Father. I want you to know how grateful I am. If you are, tell Him, speak to Him. Church Gist. Speak of His loving kindness in the morning, His faithfulness every night. Speak to Him, not pray to Him, speak to Him. Let Him know how you feel about His good hand in your life. Speak to Him. Don’t close your eyes. Open your eyes. You don’t have to close your eyes to speak to someone. Church Gist. Open your eyes and speak to Him. Speak to Him from the depth of your heart. ‘I just thank you, Lord’
— Singing —
‘Thank you, Jesus. No one could have treated me better than you are doing. My heart reaches out to Heaven. What a favour you showered on me. You brought me into the faith and have kept me there. Not by my power, not by my might, but by your Spirit. Church Gist. I thank you, Jesus. You kept me on my feet in spite of the attacks of hell over the years in my life. I thank you, Jesus. You sustained my breath. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us. You are the One. Your being there has made me what I am, brought me to where I am. I celebrate you, my God’.
That thing that looks like a concern, thank Him for it. It would have been worse if He was not there. Thank Him for it, it would have been worse if God were not there. Thank Him for it. Church Gist. ‘I Just want to thank you, that in spite of this, you kept me in the faith. In spite of this, you have kept me going. I thank you, Jesus’.
– Something is just turning now in your life.
‘I thank you Jesus that even in spite of this, you have kept me pursuing after you. Church Gist. I thank you and I mean it, Jesus’.
– In Jesus precious name.
Now as I close, we have an army of highly devoted servants of God in this Church. Anything people here do, they do it with all their hearts. Church Gist. Why are we not getting the returns to match? Why? Because asking questions will always provide an answer. Only those who ask questions are entitled to answers. Why are we not getting as much returns with a number of us as should be? Joel 1:12.
1977, some few years back. The Lord showed me Deuteronomy 28:47,48. So, returns cancelled, harvest lost and ‘the Lord will lay on your neck a rod of iron’. What? ‘But I’m serving God’ No, you are not serving Him with joyfulness and gladness of heart. Church Gist. So, when you are sleeping, ‘Oh Lord, I praise you’ (singing). You are doing ushering, ‘Thank you, thank you Lord’ (Singing). You do anything…you are going on outreach, you are carrying a smile that attracts sinners to Jesus. You are following up converts, you are doing it with all zeal and zest. You are ever excited. No returns without joy. Labour would be wasted without joy. I’ve walked with this Jesus for some time. I know how He works. Church Gist. I pastored the first Church in my life at 19 without a call into ministry. I’ve been there for a while. It never works. Anybody you see serving God mournfully will keep serving Him sufferingly. It never works. Anybody you see serving God strugglingly will be serving Him sufferingly.
I said to someone this time, I said, ‘When doing good is your lifestyle, you don’t keep record’. It will just be coming out of you. It is just like breathing. You don’t keep record. One of our senior academics in Landmark said he remembered when I was sending him upkeeps. Church Gist. I was sending ‘so so’ person to him. I can’t remember. When doing good becomes a lifestyle, you don’t keep records. It’s oozing forth out of you. When Thanksgiving becomes a lifestyle, your life flourishes in hard times without a knowledge of how things are working.
– Something is breaking forth in your life.
– The good news about you is that this coming year will be a year with a difference!
– Everything will be going at Heaven’s frequency!
So, serve God with joyfulness and gladness of heart. I’d like you to read that one to yourself today because you are busy serving God, you should have returns to match. I’ve never begged God for my returns. Church Gist. I’ve never begged God once. But I’ve never given a thing to God, whether in cash, in time, or energy without excitement. I’ve never been forced to do a thing in the Kingdom. Never!
– Your labour will not be in vain anymore.
So, stop complaining about everything. ‘See the road. See the…’ What can you do about it? Thank God, you go your way.
– Can I hear your Amen?
‘See police, see the way they are dressing people’. Are you the one who employed them? What’s your problem? Don’t carry somebody’s problem on your head.
– God will decorate your life.
– Your labour will not be in vain.
Let all Cell ministers go to the Cell with utmost excitement. ‘Oh! It’s a great thing for us to be together today. Praise the Lord’ Your smile brings them next time. Church Gist. Not that, ‘How are you? How is town?’ Even the way you look shows the answer you are expecting. ‘How town na?’ (How is town?) ‘So, so, so’ ‘Well, na so, so, for everybody’ (That’s how it is for everybody). But in our Church, we don’t say that. Amen. Because we are not real you know. Is Faith Tabernacle real? You know what built it? Thanksgiving. ‘Father, thank you’ Is the Ark project real? ‘Father, thank you’. Church Gist. Now, I go there once in a while in the evenings but I do nothing but ‘Thank you’. I don’t say ‘God come’ He has come. Don’t send Him away. He has come. I do nothing but ‘Father, thank you’.
– Your life is going to flourish supernaturally.
– This coming year will be a year of years in your life.
Ain’t you glad to have that secret? Serving God with joyfulness makes it ever fruitful, makes serving God ever rewardable, makes it ever profitable.
– You won’t lose your profit anymore!
Lift up your right hand one more time and say thank you, Jesus.
Now, here is the conclusion. Lack of thanksgiving can lead an individual into captivity, reversal of blessings. You don’t need it. ‘You won’t give glory to my name, I will curse your blessings’.
– You won’t suffer that.
Malachi 2:2,3. You won’t suffer that. ‘Give thanks to me before I cause darkness’ You won’t suffer darkness. So, it carries a cost. Not that it leaves you where you are. To be thankless is to subscribe to captivity and reversal of blessings.
– You won’t suffer any of the two in the name of Jesus.
Give the Lord a big hand of praise. Amen! Glory to God.
— Altar Call —
Hallelujah! I am the Lord that confirms the Word of my servant and performs the counsel of my messengers.
DECLARATIONS:
– Every one member of this Church family, that still has his breath in his nostrils today, you will see the last Sunday of this coming year.
– All that believes in this Prophet and the Ministry God has given him, as the Lord lives, no one shall be buried in your family.
– Everyone who cares to believe and walk in the Covenant of life, by the thanksgiving service of 2024, your seed today will be minimum 10 times by the supernatural blessings of God upon your life.
– There is no concern today that will not be turned to laughter then.
– The good news is that there is no death on your face.
– There is no hunger in your home.
– There is no begging of your children.
– There is no wearing rags all through the year.
– No setbacks for you in the name of Jesus.
Now, listen. Tonight, we’re coming to another valley of dry bones where the prophetic word will come and turn the giant in you loose. Church Gist. So, ensure to be spiritually on key as you come and watch how God will cause the giant in you to come alive.
– Your spiritual life will be rejuvenated.
– Your adventure in Christ in the year 2024 will be the most glorious ever in the name of Jesus Christ.
So, take your good rest during the day to stay alive all through the night and Jesus is there to meet with you. Time again, 10 pm Nigerian time and we’re all in His presence for an encounter of a lifetime in Jesus name.
Lift up those two hands.
– May the Thanksgiving of today remain your lifestyle all through 2024 and beyond.
– Your days of struggles are finally over.
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