– Pastor David Oyedepo Jnr at CHoP
- There are many men of words in the kingdom, but God rewards works in the kingdom
Lift up your voice and thank Him, He is worthy of all the adoration and honour. Thank Him and thank Him. We bless you Jesus you are worthy. These are your doings and they are marvelous in our eyes, we cannot but give you all the praise. Thank Him for all the answers He has given to you this morning.
Thank Him for you have prayed into answers not just storage.
Now let us ask the Lord to speak to us this morning, we have gathered to hear him. Speak to us this morning Lord. Blessed be your holy name, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
Father in the name of Jesus, we thank you for your faithfulness, we thank you for the privilege you have given us to stand in your presence again. For the answers to our prayers we say thank you. For the mighty testimonies we say thank you. Now our eyes are on you, we ask that You speak to us again. Let your word transform each of our lives. We give you all the praise, we give you all the glory in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
Our line of exhortation for this week has been: OBEDIENCE IS LOUDER THAN VOICE.
In Matthew 21:28-30, the Bible tells the parable of a certain man who had two sons; and he came to the first, and said “Son, go work today in my vineyard”, he answered and said “I will not”, but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second and said the same thing and he answered and said, “I go, sir” and went not. The Bible asked a very pungent question “Which one of these two did the will of his father. The first or the second?”
It is important we recognize that our verbal affirmation holds very little to God, what matters is our commitment to implementation of any divine instruction. Vocalizing your agreement does not commit God’s response, it is actualizing your commitment by taking practical steps that speaks volume to God. There are many men of words in the kingdom, but God rewards works in the kingdom. It is not what you say that matters but what you do with what God says. (Deuteronomy 28:1-2) What you say is only as valuable as what you do. That is why we live in a kingdom where our actions speak louder than our words. There are many that are experts in verbal affirmations, they speak and speak and speak of their commitment. They speak of what they will do but God does not measure intention, he measures action. In James 1:25 the Bible tells us that God doesn’t bless intention, God blesses action. The Bible tells us that God is a God of knowledge by whom actions are weighed. Until there is an action, it lacks weight.
God measures our actions, that is why we must ensure that we are taking steps not just those that are speaking words. Actualizing the intention not just vocalizing it.
- I see the grace for taking steps coming upon us in the name of Jesus.
It is important that we take note of this: no one knows what is in obedience until he has obeyed. The value of your obedience can only be experienced not explained. The Bible says in the book of Genesis 12:1-4 concerning Abraham, how God asked Abraham to go from his father’s house and in verse 4, Abraham departed. It looked like a very simple statement but when we begin to look through various chapters of the Bible and you see it that the volume of what that blessing meant can only be experienced not explained. No one knows what is in obedience until he has obeyed. By Chapter 13:1, the Bible says that Abraham was very rich in silver and gold and in cattle and all of these things, blessings on every side. The Lord’s blessing can only be experienced, you can not explain it. So, no one knows what is in obedience until he has obeyed.
In Genesis 22:1-5, The Lord told Abraham to take his only son to a place where He would show him and offer his son as a burnt sacrifice and Abraham arose and began to go on journey. Three days later, he saw the place afar off. It was just a commandment he didn’t know what the outcome will be. By verse 16 to 18, the Lord began to speak. Look at what God said there and look at the practical expression of what we see in the world. You look at the blessing of Abraham and see how explosive it is. The Jewish nation which is the natural lineage of Abraham, look at the blessing they are to the world today. Everywhere today you see a touch of that nation because in there shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. You see them possessing the gates of their enemies, surrounded by their enemies but cannot be destroyed because of the blessing spoken over Abraham. No one knows what is in obedience until he has obeyed. You never know how high you can go, you really don’t know how far you can go until you have obeyed God. It is obedience to God that exposes you to the reality of the blessings of God.
I like us to understand therefore that when it comes to the reality of the blessings of obedience, only the obedient can explain it because it is by experience.
- I see today someone receiving grace to maintain a life of obedience.
The Bible shows us in Joshua 6:1-20 how that simple obedience to the instructions of God brought down the mighty walls of Jericho. We are told that the wall of Jericho was so thick that six chariots could run upon It. Houses were built on the wall, The house of Rahab was built on the wall of Jericho. The wall of Jericho was the foundation of Rahab’s house. It was not a normal fence, we are talking about a wall that is thick enough to make the foundation of a house on top of it. Yet, God gave a simple instruction “Go round this wall for six days in silence, one time each day. On the seventh day go round the wall seven times and on the seventh time give a shout. When you shout the wall will come down”. Simple instruction that does not have any logical connection to the destruction of a wall but that is the commandment.
Sometimes the commandment of God does not make sense, but it commands proofs. The Bible said they did that and the walls of Jericho came down flat. The ground swallowed the wall because they obeyed a simple instruction. Someone is saying Pastor this is my desire, what is the connection between my desire and what God is saying I should do. There is no connection required except that it is an instruction. If God says this is what to do, do it.
Take note of this: no key looks like a door, but it is the key that opens the door. You can’t say the door is square so the key must be square too. The key doesn’t need to look like the door to open the door. In the same way, the instruction does not need to look like your desire, the instruction is the key to your desire. Obedience to God is the key.
- I see grace coming on every one of us today to live a life of explicit obedience.
Every act of obedience opens a new chapter to our lives. God’s servant has said before that the destiny of a man is like chapters of a book. (Isaiah 29:11-12) vision which talks about the plans of God for a man’s life is seen as the pages of a book and the opening of each chapter is at the mercy of obedience. In other words, a person’s life is unlimited. It is actually our obedience that determines what becomes of it. There is no glass ceiling to how far you can go, it is your obedience that puts a ceiling to how far you can go. So new chapters are opened on the platform of obedience. Abraham obeyed God in Genesis Chapter 12, and then a chapter opened to his life. He obeyed God again in Genesis Chapter 17 and another chapter opened to his life. He obeyed God in Genesis 22 and another chapter opened to his life. Every act of obedience opened a new chapter in the life of Abraham. In chapter 12 he entered into wealth, in chapter 17 he entered into the realm of having his own seed come to him and in chapter 22 there was a generational blessing that came upon him that is speaking till forever.
The truth is this: there are various chapters in your life and destiny and God is saying that the opening of each chapter is at the mercy of your obedience, Every chapter that opens is a chapter of glory. ( 2 Corinthians 3:18) Every chapter is a new dimension of glory.
• From this season I see a new chapter of glory opening in your life in Jesus name.
Lord I receive grace not just to be vocalizing intentions but to take steps in obedience, receive grace for obedience. Lift up your voice and pray from the depth of your heart. I receive grace to remain committed in obedience. I take that grace this morning.
Thank Him now if you believe that you have received that grace.
• From this day, that grace will begin to speak in your life.
We have our tracts and fliers, stretch your hands towards them, and ask the Lord to breath upon this materials that they go forth as sharp sickles of harvest. As they go out, the souls and the harvest come in. Spirit of God quicken the words and cause them to bring a harvest.
Speak to the day
Make your declaration unto the day. Whatever you declare, God is set to deliver. He said decree a thing and it shall be established. Begin to offer your declarations in confidence this morning. Speak now authoritatively. Father thank you. In Jesus mighty name we have prayed.
-This day is declared blessed. It is opened as a day of encounter for you. For you it shall be a productive day. A day of favour and open doors. In the name of the Lord Jesus so shall it be.
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CHoP is an acronym of Covenant Hour of Prayer
