WOMEN OF GREATER WORKS

1. John 14:12, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. (KJV).
2. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father.” (NKJV).
3. “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (NIV).
4. “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he himself will be able to do the things I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.” (AMP).

This single verse of scripture is rendered here in different translations of the Bible; to help (assist) the understanding of the reader of this article, as to the intent and purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ concerning the disciples He was about leaving here on planet earth at this hour and those who would join as disciples. Here, the Lord Jesus Christ is giving a promise to every believer both present and future. I believe that this is a promise every believer should take seriously and meditate upon.

I am also of the firm opinion that the reality of this promise must be evident in our individual lives as true believers. We find a promise of great monumental dimensions that if truly explored by us (as women who believe the word of God); cannot leave us the same. In this farewell speech, the Lord Jesus Christ was giving a solemn promise to His disciples, present and future that as believers, they have been endowed with the capacity to walk as He walked and to do the works of exploits He did.

The icing on the cake is that He even promised that these ones would do greater works than He did. This promise will probably sound incredible to the ears of many modern day believers. After all, what greater works can exceed the raising of a man (Lazarus) from the dead, after he had been dead for four days?

What can be greater than having the ability to raise the dead, walk on water, take authority over the elements, multiply food such that five loaves and two fishes can be used to feed 5, 000 men not counting the women and children? Yet, Jesus did promise these greater works and the scripture cannot be broken.

In the book of John 14:12, Jesus made three profound affirmations that I believe we need to carefully examine so as to come to an understanding of who a woman of greater works is.

1. Jesus said, “He who believes in me…” (NKJV). The first thing I want you to take note of from this statement is that, Jesus is referring exclusively to “The believer in Him.” Therefore, the question before us is “Who is a believer?” In answering this question, let us allow the scripture to interpret itself.

Acts 5:14, “And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.” Here, we note that not only were people becoming Christians but they were becoming believers.

1Timothy 4:12, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” In this verse of scripture, Brother Paul was admonishing his spiritual son, Timothy to set an example for other believers, in his speech, manner of living, faith, love walk, sanctification and purity (Personal holiness). If Timothy was required to set a good example through manifesting the attributes of Christ, it follows therefore that a true believer in Christ does not only seek to believe in Him (Christ), but to be like Him.

A believer therefore, in my own understanding of the above quoted scripture, is someone who is so united with Christ that Christ lives His life through him (Galatians 2:20). A believer is anyone who after becoming born again is actively striving to become Christ like, putting on the totality of the Lord Jesus Christ and making no provision for fulfilling the lust of the flesh. 1 John 2:6, “He who says he abides in Him, ought himself also so to walk, just as He (Jesus) walked.” The question I want you (the reader) to consider is this, “From this biblical definition of a believer, am I one”?

2. Jesus said “The works that I do shall he do also…” here, Jesus was talking about “His works.” To understand the full impact of these words we must be able to identify the works of Christ. So according to scripture, what exactly were the works of Christ?

The Works of Christ Consisted of:

1. Preaching the gospel;
2. Teaching the word of God;
3. Healing the sick (all manner of sicknesses and diseases);
4. Casting out demons by the power of His word;
5. Raising the dead;
6. Cleansing lepers and doing innumerable acts of deliverance from the works of satan;
7. Controlling the elements;
8. Multiplying food, turning water into wine, etc.

(See Matthew 4:23-24, 8:16, 9:35, 14:14-21, Acts 10:38, John 2:1-11).

The Lord Jesus walked in the realm of supernatural signs and wonders. Jesus promised that as believers, we have been packaged with the ability to operate in this realm. We are licensed here on planet earth to operate in this supernatural realm of life. We have been endowed with the capacity to manifest these dimensions of exploits.

3. “And greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father.” Now, some people have argued that it is not possible to any other greater works than that which Jesus did. After all, what works can be greater than raising a man dead (for a total of four days) from the dead? What works can be greater than walking on water, etc.? Those in this school of thought have said that Jesus in this verse of scripture was not referring to works that were greater in value or significance than His but works that would be greater in terms of scope and number. In other words, His disciples (believers) walking and working in the power of the Holy Spirit would carry the gospel of God’s kingdom throughout the world, whereas, Jesus’ own ministry was limited to Jerusalem and Judea.

I would not entirely disagree with this but I also believe that the reference to greater works could mean that in the event of the believers being faced with a situation or circumstances that required the manifestation of this greater works, then the power of Christ in them would be sufficient to bring it to pass. Indeed, no man can receive greater power than Christ, for He received the Spirit without measure (John 3:34, Isaiah 11:2, 61:1-2).

Therefore, the greater works spoken of by Christ cannot be said to be greater things than Christ Himself could have done if we had opportunity or occasion to do them. Rather, the revelation here is that each believer can operate in the power of Christ in the execution of greater works if and when any occasion for it arises. From this scriptural analysis or understanding of John 14:12, it is clear that Jesus expects all believers to operate in the dimension of ministry that He operated in and even beyond any time occasion demands. It is also clear that this promise in John 14:12 is not gender biased. It was given irrespective of gender. (See Acts 1:8, Galatians 3:28).

Understand that as believers, we remain in active service for the Lord till He returns back or we exit planet earth through physical death, after we have served our generation and fulfilled God’s  purposes for our lives (Acts 13:36). I want you to understand that as believers, you and I have been packaged to do the works of Christ and the greater works, therefore, we are without excuse, if we do not arise as women of greater works. Understand also woman of destiny that in Christ Jesus, you are not powerless but powerful. You are not limited but unlimited. You are not ordinary, you are extraordinary. The dynamics of your life changes once you are in Christ Jesus and Christ is in you. In examining the works of Christ, we see a mirror of our God ordained destiny in Christ Jesus. We are women of exploits, uncommon exploits, after the order of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the book of Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:16-18, the Lord Jesus Christ entrusted to us as His disciples the Great Commission. Commanding us to go to the whole world to preach the gospel with signs and wonders following us.

In fulfilling the command of this great commission, the believer needs the empowerment from above, the power of the Holy Spirit. This commission cannot be carried out by the relying on the flesh, it can only be carried out in the power of the Spirit of the living God. The focus and goal of the Great Commission is to depopulate hell and populate heaven (Colossians 1:13). In fulfilling this Great Commission, Jesus said His disciples (believers) would operate in the supernatural realm of signs and wonders (Mark 16:15-18).

Who Then Are These Women Of Greater Works?

1. They are women in the likeness of Christ (1 John 2:6);
2. Winning women;
3. Gifted women;
4. Relevant women;
5. Pace-setters;
6. Trailblazers;
7. Role models;
8. History makers;
9. History changers;
10. Women of great impact;
11. Women of great exploits;
12. Women operating in genuine signs and wonders;
13. Women arising for such a time as this;
14. Women who are God’s battle axe and weapons of war;
15. Women of authority and dominion;
16. Women operating in the anointing of the sons of Issachar;
17. Women of the word;
18. Women of the spirit;
19. Women of great faith;
20. Women of prayer;
21. They are the Sons of God, marching against the gates of hell. Demolishing strong holds, setting the captives free (Manifesting their Son-ship);
22. They are kingdom warriors, destiny enforcers and kingdom advancers;
23. They are the end-time women of God;
24. They are Kingdom women.

Romans 8:19, “For the earnest expectation of the Creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (KJV).

“For (even the whole) creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known (waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their Son-ship).”

Women of destiny, understand that the anointing and power to manifest as a Son of God (A woman of greater works, more than conqueror, an overcomer in Christ Jesus) has already been deposited in you. However for you to manifest you must first and foremost discover yourself. You are already licensed to do the works of Christ and greater works.

However, it is your responsibility to emerge from all limitations that the flesh, the devil and the world will want to throw at you and enter into your greatness. The book of Daniel 11: 32^b says it is only the people that know their God who shall be strong and do exploits. Women of greater works are women who know their God, they absolutely refuse to be weak and exploited.

So how do you manifest as this woman of greater works? I am glad you asked this question:

1. Understand God’s call and summons upon your life. You were created by God’s purpose for the purposes of God on planet earth. God’s method is man. (See Psalms 115:16, 8:4-6, 49:20).
2. Understand that as woman, you are part of the executors of God’s will on planet earth at this hour (You are on divine assignment). Joel 2:28-29, Acts 2:17-18.
3. Understand that God needs you, you are not an accident if creation (Genesis 1:26-27, Psalms 8:4-6).
4. Understand God’s investment in you as a woman, He has invested the totality of Himself in you. (Philippians 4:13, Colossians 2:9-10, 1:27^b, 1 John 4:4).
5. Understand God’s equipping and empowerment of you as a woman through His word, the blood of Jesus, The name of Jesus, The Holy Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, Ministry gifts, talents, etc. (Luke 19:11-27, Matthew 25:14-30, Romans 12:6).
6. Understand your purpose and key into it, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
7. John 14:12, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Ask The Almighty God for the manifestation of the works of Christ and His greater works in your life and ministry. Are you a believer? Then you are qualified to be a practitioner of greater works. Ask for the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit, (revealed in the book of 1 Corinthians 12) in your life and ministry.
8. Ask for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues (Luke 11:13, Acts 2:4).

I pray for you that you will receive a possibility mentality and you will arise and take your rightful place in destiny. It is written in the book of Acts 10:38, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.” Acts 1:8, “But you (the disciple of Christ; the believer) shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Understand that the same Holy Ghost and power that God anointed Jesus with while on planet earth, that catapulted Him into the realms of exploits, that transformed Him from a mere man into a deliverer, is the same Holy Ghost and Power that the disciples were anointed with in the book of Acts chapter 2. This anointing transformed them into men and women of exploits (Acts 3:1-16, 4:13, 33). In the book of Acts 1:14, we are told that women were among those in the upper room with the disciples and they were among those who received the Holy Ghost and Power.

I want you to understand that according to the book of Acts 1:8, you already have the power, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and have received the Holy Spirit. Don’t allow this power to lie dormant in you, use it. Also according to the book of Matthew 28:20, Colossians 1:27, Romans 8:31 and Psalms 46:7, 11. God is with you, in you and for you, who then can be against you? Know that to whom much is given, much is expected of you (Luke 12:48). You are a woman of destiny, you must arise in this hour and season as a Woman of greater works in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Shalom!

Busola Olotu

 

 

 

 

PORTRAIT OF THE WINNING WOMAN

2 Corinthians 2:14 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” (NASB).

“Now thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph (as trophies of Christ’s victory) and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere.” (AMP).

1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” (KJV).

“For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world: and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.” (AMP).

 

1. To win means to be successful: Joshua 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.”
2. To win means to be victorious: 1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” (see also John 1:11-13, 1 Corinthians 15:57).
3. To win means to achieve mastery at: 1 Corinthians 9:25 “Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things (i.e has self control) now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”
4. To win means to overcome: 1 John 5:5 “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the son of God?” (See also Revelations 12:11, 3:21).
5. To win means to prevail over: Jeremiah 1 v 19 “And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.” (see also Isaiah 54:15, Jeremiah 15:20-21).
6. To win means to triumph 2 Corinthians 2:14 “Now thanks be unto God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ.”
7. To win means to take the prize: 1 Corinthians 9:24 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one recieveth the prize, so run that ye may obtain.” (See Philippians 3:14).

Therefore from the foregoing, According to the book of 1 John 5:5, she is a believer in Christ. The winning woman according to Joshua 1:8 is a woman of the word. According to the book of 1 John 5:4, she is a woman of faith. According to 1 Corinthians 9:25, she is a self controlled woman. According to the book of Jeremiah 1:19, 15:20-21, the winning woman is invincible, undefeatable and unconquerable because The Almighty God Himself has declared her a divine champion. The winning woman according to the book of 1 Corinthians 9:24 and Philippians 3:14 is the first among equals, she always wins the race because she is a focused woman, she is focused on the goal ahead of her. According to the book of 2 Corinthians 2:14 the winning woman is a winner always.

Therefore on the basis of the foregoing my own definition of a winning woman is this – “A winning woman is the woman who is in touch with the reality of her unquestionable triumph, (victory) in Christ Jesus, and walks in this revelation.” (1 John 5:4, 1 Corinthians 15:57). I want to announce to everyone reading this article that you are a winning woman. By creation and redemption you have been packaged and declared a winner by no less a personality than the Almighty God who created and redeemed you. The war over your life and destiny has been won on your behalf and you are now strategically positioned to win all your battles.

However, the truth that you have been created and born a winner will not avail you if you do not understand that this victory must become personal in your individual life. This victory must be personally appropriated by you. The paradox of the Christian life is that though we as Christians have already been declared victorious in Christ Jesus there is still a battle raging over our lives by the enemy of our soul. Life is a warfare not a fanfare, a battle ground and not a play ground. This is why we must acquire a good and accurate knowledge of spiritual dynamics (See Deuteronomy 2:24).

Yes we are winners but we are still on a day to day basis very much involved in a raging spiritual battle which we have been equipped to win every time. The word of God declares in the book of Romans 8:37 that we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. As a winning woman you are not only a conqueror but more than a conqueror. Live by this truth and walk in this truth. You are a winner, overcomer and more than conqueror in Christ Jesus. Do not sell your birthright for a bowl of porridge like Esau did.

SPIRITUAL TRUTHS 

1. New birth does not exempt you from the battles of life, it only guarantees your victory. Heaven our eternal place of rest is for overcomers (Revelations 3:21). We have an adversary who is personally committed to our destruction both physical and spiritual (1 Peter 5:8).
2. According to the book of John 10:10 he (our adversary) is on a three fold mission: to steal, kill and destroy. But we must resist him steadfast in our faith in God (James 4:7).
3. We must fight the good fight of faith in God’s strength (1 Timothy 6:12, Ephesians 6:10). Knowing that where we are seated spiritually; satan is not allowed to prevail. This is our victory tablet (Ephesians 2: 6, Revelations 12:7-12).
4. In this battle we must be properly clad by putting on the right outfits (Ephesians 6:10-12). These verses of scripture talks about the Christian armour. My dear sisters we do not need an armour in a peaceful environment, you only need one in a war zone.
5. The battle over your life and destiny can come in a variety of ways; e.g. your health, marriage, career, family, academics, spiritual growth, finances, etc.
6. You must always recognize, as a winning woman that your victory over all challenges was already determined and declared 2000 years ago. In effect you are already victorious in Christ Jesus. You are fighting your battles from a stand point of victory.
7. Also recognize that nobody can fight this battle for you. It is a matter of person responsibility. As for this race you must run it (Hebrews 12:1-2). As for this fight you must fight it (1 Timothy 6:12).You fight your battles for yourself but not by yourself (1 John 4:4). Jesus Christ the anointed and His anointing resides in you. You are the winning woman.

Shalom!

Busola Olotu

THE VIRTUOUS WOMAN

“Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” The book of Proverbs 31:10 asks us this most important question. Why? Because “The Virtuous Woman” is a rare commodity. She is uncommon and scarcely found but the most important thing is that she exists. This is the important consideration. She may be one among thousands, but she can be found. Not only can she be found, she must be emulated because The Almighty God Himself has raised her up as His standard of the “model woman”  This is the reason why we must draw strength, inspiration and important lessons from her life.

Her story is found in the book of Proverbs 31:10-31. Please note very well that the physical appearance of this model woman is never mentioned. Her attractiveness comes entirely from her character, which manifest itself in her relationships: first with God, her family and her sphere of influence. The secret of her life is revealed to us in the book of Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting: but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (NIV)

The virtuous woman is first and foremost, primarily a woman who fears the Lord. Fearing the Lord is the foundation of exploits in life and ministry. What does it mean to fear the Lord? Please note that the fear of the Lord we are talking about is not an unpleasant emotion caused by a dread of evil or danger. It is a reverential worship of the person of God. It is a complete devotion to The Almighty God and His own will and purpose for your life. It is your spiritual and practical relationship with your creator that permeates every area and relationship of your life. It is your understanding that in Him (God) you live and move and have your being. Without Him you can do nothing and apart from Him you are nothing. (Acts 17:28, John 15)

It is allowing Him to live His life through you. This is what the Proverbs 31 woman understood and practiced. This is the secret of her strength and uniqueness, that makes her outstanding, a jewel of inestimable value. She is described as the virtuous woman, capable woman, worthy woman and noble woman in different translations of the Bible. Even though she is a woman of many parts, wearing many faces and filling many roles, when the summary of what makes her value “Far above rubies” is given, it is her spiritual life only that is mentioned in the book of Proverbs 31:30. She is first and foremost a woman of deep intimacy with The Almighty God. This is her stepping stone to greatness. This is what qualified her for the life of influence and impact she lived. In other words she found God, pursued God and allowed God to shape her life and destiny and we are still reading about her glorious, undeniable testimony today. To be virtuous means to be blameless, principled, moral, pure, praiseworthy, exemplary, honest to the core, God fearing and God serving. A virtuous woman like the Proverbs 31 woman is an excellent woman in thoughts, deeds and actions. She is a wife after God’s own design (See Proverbs 31:11-12, 23) she is a mother par excellence (See Proverbs 31:27-29).

She is a lover of people and rich in good works (Proverbs 31:20)

This Proverbs 31 woman (i.e. the virtuous woman), is a woman of great impact in the lives of all she touches. She is a blessing to all her life connects with. Their lives are richer and more glorious because she is a part of their lives. In the life of her husband she is a pillar not a caterpillar. She is an asset not a liability. She is a burden bearer not a burden. She is a true help meet (Help to meet a need. Suitable and customized for him). The Bible says his heart confidently trusts in her that she will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. (Proverbs 31:11-12). What a testimony!

In her home she is the chief operating officer of her household. She is a woman of ceaseless labours. (Proverbs 31:13-19, 21-22, 24, 27). She is an ingenious, resourceful, diligent, dutiful and considerate woman. She is not idle, lazy, indolent, passive or slothful. She is a watchful woman, a woman of persistent intercession. She is a manufacturer, importer, manager, realtor (someone who deals in real estate (i.e. land), farmer, seamstress, merchant etc. She anticipates change and prepares for it well in advance. She is a woman of great insight and foresight. She is so industrious and uses the weapon of industry to fight poverty. She is hardworking. Even though she has servants she still leads in diligence and hard work in her home. It is written concerning her “She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants” (Proverbs 31:15 NIV)

In her sphere of influence outside her home, she is still full of good works. Known for her compassion, generosity, gracious speech and encouragement. She is not withdrawn from the flow of life around her, she reaches out to those in need. She is involved, a problem solver, a solution provider. She willingly associates with those who are less fortunate, even though she is high on the social radar. She is not proud or arrogant but an embodiment of meekness, humility, mercy and generosity. Her mouth is full of wisdom and kindness. Her words never destroy or tear down but edify and build up. (Proverbs 31:20, 26)

In personal appearance, she is neat and well groomed. She is full of strength and dignity which are her clothing. (Proverbs 31:22b, 25). She realizes that as a kingdom citizen she must project the image of an ambassador for Christ.

In ministry she is a preacher of the word, an incurable intercessor, she is into the ministry of helps and constantly immerses herself in the word of God. The Virtuous woman honours Jesus with the totality of her life. The undeniable benefit of a life sold out to God can be seen clearly in her life. Her family is elevated in status because of her life of service to the Lord. “Her husband is respected (Known) at the city gates where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.” (Proverbs 31:23)

“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also and he praises her. Many daughters have done virtuously but you excel them all.” (Proverbs 31:28-29)

The testimony of this Proverbs 31 woman given by her husband and children is that, in her spiritual and practical devotion to her God, her family and others, she has excelled other women of great impact such as Miriam (Exodus 15:20-21), Deborah (Judges 4:4-10), Ruth (Ruth 1:16), Hannah (1 Samuel 1:20, 2:19).

What a testimony! To them and to God the Proverbs 31 woman is an epitome a woman of God.

IN CONCLUSION

WANTED! IN THIS DAY AND HOUR

A VIRTUOUS WOMAN, A JEWEL OF INESTIMABLE VALUE, A WOMAN OF UNDENIABLE IMPACT, A WOMAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART!

Sister are you that woman? Examine your life in the light of all you have read thus far and come to a conclusion. If you fall short of God’s standard, there is still time for you to repent and change to conform to His pattern of “The Virtuous Woman.” The Almighty God will grant you the needed help as you make the decision today backed by determination, dedication and discipline needed to become “The Virtuous Woman”

Shalom!

Busola Olotu

 

WOMEN FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS (DEBORAH AS A CASE STUDY)

Judges 5:6-8 (KJV), “In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I DEBORAH AROSE, THAT I AROSE A MOTHER IN ISRAEL. They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?” (Underlining and capital letters, mine).

Deborah was the 4^th and only female Judge in the book of Judges. Deborah was a woman who arose for such a time as this in her generation. Please, note very well that God’s method has always been man. In every generation, the Almighty God is always looking for a man (woman) that He can use to fulfil His own purposes. A man (woman) to carry out His own program, His own agenda, His own plan of action.

It is written in the book of Hosea 12:13, “And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt and by a prophet was (Israel) preserved.”(AMP). From the above quoted scripture, it is crystal clear that there is no deliverance or preservation for God’s people without a prophet. Who then is a prophet? Simply, a man or woman sold out to God. A man or woman of deep intimacy with The Almighty God; whom God can find usable for the deliverance and preservation of His people (Everyone created are “His people” for the word of God declares in the book of 2Peter 3:9 and 1Timothy 2:4 that it is God’s will and purpose for all to be saved, come to repentance and knowledge of the truth). The Almighty God found such a woman in Deborah.

Let us examine very briefly the prevailing situation or condition in Deborah’s days that caused her to arise as a woman for such a time as this:

1. First and foremost, we are told that “The highways were unoccupied and travelers walked through by ways.” In the book of Isaiah 35:8, it is written, “And a highway will be there, it will be called the way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that way. The unclean will not journey on it. Wicked fools will not go about on it.” (NIV).

In the days of Deborah, Israel as a nation had abandoned the highways of holiness, the whole land was in a backslidden state. Even the priests and Levites were not left out.

2. Village life ceased in Israel. Village life depicts the simplest, most uncomplicated life that one can live. There is no artificiality in village life because every man remains in his truest form, not trying to impress or camouflage. Every man remains pure and transparent. Every man is his brothers’ keeper in village life. When village life ceases, pride takes over, competition takes over, arrogance takes over, envy, jealousy and strife take over. Insincerity takes over and disorderliness and godlessness become the rule of the day. Lies, compromises, etc. When village life ceases, sincerity and godliness take a back seat. Hypocrisy, lies and deception become the order of the day. Sin becomes prevalent and artificiality is celebrated and adopted as the way of life.
3. They chose new gods. The people of Israel in Deborah’s day chose new objects of worship. They pledged their allegiance to new gods, which is idolatry. They took on new pursuits, new inventions, new messages. They abandoned the living God. The days were days of gross darkness for Israel. Days of ungodliness and pervasion. Days of ignorance and arrogance. The whole land was in such a backslidden state that the book of Judges 21:25 records “In those days there was no king in Israel: Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”
4. Finally, we are told that “there was war in the gates, yet there was no shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel.” Understand that anytime a people shift their focus from God, trouble will always dominate their gates, for sin removes every weapon of war. Sin always leaves a man (woman) in a pitiable, defenseless, defeatable and defeated state. The land of Israel in the days of Deborah was in a state of apostasy (Godlessness, Christlessness) until one woman arose to challenge and change the status quo. Righteousness is what exalts a nation, sin is a reproach to any people. It was during a time such as this, when no-one was willing to take a stand for God that this great daughter of destiny, Deborah arose a saviour of her generation. A deliverer and preserver of destinies; a shining star. “I Deborah arose a mother in Israel” (Judges 5:7b).

Deborah arose a woman for such a time as this in her generation. She arose to do what occasion demanded in those times. She arose to meet the need of the hour.  She arose a “Mother in Israel”, i.e., a mother to exhort, comfort, encourage, teach, counsel, intercede and impart faith. When no man was willing to face the challenges of the hour in those days. When everyone had agreed to settle for the status quo, Deborah arose a daughter of destiny, a woman of great impact. A woman making history, a woman changing history, a pacesetter, a trailblazer, a non-conformist to the evil inclinations of her generation. What was the spirit in this woman, Deborah that caused her to arise as a woman for such a time as this?

Deborah, in the book of Judges 4:4 is first and foremost described as “a prophetess”, i.e., a woman of deep intimacy with God. A woman who hears from God and delivers messages on His behalf. What spirit was operating in Deborah that caused her to be such a blessing to her generation and generations unborn? The spirit in Deborah was the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit:

1. The spirit of self-denial – Mark 8:34.
2. The spirit of meekness and humility –Judges 4:4, 8-9, 5:7.
3. The spirit of love – 1John 4:7, Judges 4:8-9, 5:31(b).
4. Love for God – John 14:31, Deuteronomy 10:12, 11:1.
5. Love for God’s work – John 9:4, 14:21, Judges 5:7.
6. Love for God’s word – Judges 4:4, Joshua 1:8.
7. Love for God’s people – John 15:12, Acts 10:38, 1John 4:11, John 3:16, Ephesians 5:2, Judges 5:7.
8. A heart of compassion – Judges 5:7(b).
9. The spirit of courage and boldness- Judges 4:9.
10. The spirit of prayer – Judges 4:4.
11. Deborah was a woman of burdens. She had a deep burden for her lost nation – Israel – Judges 5:6-9.

• Deborah had the mind of Christ characterized by the attributes of:

8. Humility – Philippians 2:5-8.
9. Dependence on God – John 5:19, 30.
10. Obedience, i.e., a determination to do only the Father’s will – John 5:19, 30, Matthew 26:39; 42.
11. Thoughtfulness for others – Acts 10:38.
12. A willingness to sacrifice and suffer, and even die for the good of others– 2Corinthians 8:9, Romans 5:6-8, 1Peter 2:24.

Deborah’s life demonstrates the possibilities of any woman today who will allow the Spirit of God to fill and form her life; helping her to develop to her full capacity. Enabling her to make the difference in her generation, in shaping the world around her for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gross darkness has filled the earth once again. In this nation of Nigeria today, the highways of holiness have been abandoned and even saints on their way to eternity are now walking along by ways. Village life has ceased, artificiality has taken over. We have chosen new gods. The simplicity of the message of Christ (the message of the cross, the only message that has the ability to deliver man completely and totally) has been seriously compromised and in some instances, outrightly eroded.

Our focus has shifted from God, and trouble has dominated our gates. Sin and compromise has removed every weapon of war and left us in a pitiable, defeatable and defeated states. The devil is alive and well on planet earth going around as a hungry lion, seeking whom to devour. At this very hour, the Almighty God is looking for women who will arise for such a time as this. The eyes of the Almighty God are roaming to and fro the whole earth (2Chronicles 16:9), looking for women He can use for such a time as we are in now. God is looking for women who will arise and challenge the forces of darkness; to deliver and preserve His heritage. Women who like Deborah, will arise in the Spirit of Christ and make the difference:

1. Women who will speak out against ungodliness in the land.
2. Women who will take their God given authority and use it to speak forth the word of God with power – Genesis 1:2-3, Mark 11:22.
3. Women of great courage and boldness who will speak forth the truth without fear or favour.
4. Women who refuse to fit into the mould of the world, the flesh and the devil.
5. Women with a sense of purpose and destiny who will go about the King’s business with haste.
6. Women who understand the concept of life as a divine assignment.
7. Women who have a living, vital relationship with The Almighty God.
8. Women who have the ability to discern the mind and purpose of God for this hour and are willing to declare it to others without fear or favour.
9. Women of focus, women of prayer skilled in the art of spiritual warfare.
10. Women of the Word and of the Spirit.
11. Women for such a time as this like Deborah of old.
12. Women who will arise and thresh – Micah 4:13.
13. Women who will arise and shine – Isaiah 60:1.

ARISE! O WOMAN OF DESTINY, as you arise, Divine empowerment will follow. When you arise, Divine backing will be your portion. When you arise, The Almighty Himself will be your strength and your shield and your exceeding great reward. He will clothe you with Divine enablement that guarantees success. But first and foremost, you need to ARISE like Deborah did.

Understand that nobody can make this decision for you. Only you can make this decision by yourself. I want you to know that the Almighty God is waiting on you. He is reposing great confidence in you at this hour. I say ARISE to take your place in destiny, in the name of Jesus. Amen!

My prayers for you and I, O woman of destiny are these:

1. “May the Almighty God find us usable for the extension of His kingdom here on earth, in the Name of Jesus.
2. May we be willing and obedient to arise as “Women for such a time as this in the Name of Jesus.
3. May we key our lives into God’s intentions and purposes for this hour, in the Name of Jesus.
4. May we carry out only God’s programs, agenda, curriculum and plan of action, keying into God’s own divine timing in the Name of Jesus. Amen!

 

Shalom!

Busola Olotu.

THE DIVINE VIRTUE

(Please read and meditate on 2 Peter 1:3-10)

THE: means the original, not just anything

DIVINE: proceeding from God

VIRTUE: moral goodness, excellence and integrity. A state of being good, kind, benevolent, generous and God-like.

God wants us to excel in our Christian walk and life because He has not left us in a disadvantaged position. As a matter of fact 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness and has called us to glory and virtue not shame and reproach. God wants us to exercise our faith in Christ to develop the divine virtue.

The divine Virtue is simply the life of Christ in us, manifesting through us. When this divine virtue is fully manifested in us, we become the possessor of the life and nature of Christ. The divine virtue flows out of us when we become Christ-like in our character. When we demonstrate the life of Christ in our everyday life. When our life becomes a transmitting agent of the Holy Spirit. In other words in our earthly walk we demonstrate Christ e.g. the disciples in Antioch – Acts 11:26b. We transmit the life of Christ through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit e.g. the disciples in Acts 4 (Note particularly verse 13). Our character must become completely aligned to the character of Christ for the divine virtue to flow through us. The divine virtue is simply the Christian life or lifestyle culminating in maturity.

1 John 2:6 “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.”

1 John 3:2-3 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.”

The divine virtue does not manifest and cannot manifest in our lives overnight; but we must actively cultivate it by desiring it, seeking it, walking in it and working towards it. Ephesians 4:1 “I therefore a prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.”

Philippians 2:12b “Work out your own salvation with fear and with trembling.”

Our salvation is the beginning of a walk and a work. We come to Jesus just as we are with all our dross and He starts the work of refining us and building us up into His full stature, into maturity, into a culmination of the divine virtue – Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Ephesians 4:11-14 (See particularly verse 13). Perfection and maturity is God’s ultimate desire for all His children. The Almighty God does not get any glory from us remaining babes in Christ. There is instant salvation (i.e. being born again, accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior see John 3:3, Romans 10:9-10) and ultimate salvation (i.e. enduring to the end, Matthew 10:22b “but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”). You endure, through a systemic, consistent cultivation of the divine virtue. In between this instant salvation and ultimate salvation, there is a work and a walk. We come to God at salvation with all our vices i.e. sexual immorality, impurity, lust, hatred, discord, jealousy, anger, selfish ambition, self-righteousness, covetousness, hypocrisy, murder, envy, pride, arrogance,  idolatry, witchcraft, drunkenness, cheating, adultery, greed, lying, stealing etc. (i.e. the works of the flesh) and God starts with us at instant salvation, to build in us His virtues (Christ-like virtues) i.e. love, joy, peace, long-suffering, meekness, patience, kindness, holiness, goodness, self-control etc. (i.e. the fruit of the Spirit).

Please note that as Almighty as God is, He cannot force His virtues upon us, we must cooperate with Him and allow Him to do His work in us and through us. Once we become born again the Holy Spirit indwells us and makes it possible for us to produce the attributes and character of Christ. The book of Titus 2:11-14 reveals to us that God has a three-fold call on the life of every man, woman and child i.e. a call to salvation, a call to sanctification and a call to service. For the purpose of this message we will be dealing with the first two.

Following our call to salvation is our call to sanctification i.e. living separate and apart for God. Living a holy life in a very unholy world. Sanctification is the separation of man from sin and purifying of man from his adamic nature. A sanctified life is one that is dead to self, the world and the devil i.e. a life totally sold out to God (Galatians 2:20). This process of sanctification although primarily by grace (1Corinthians 1:30, 1Thessalonians 4:3, Jude 1, 1Corinthians 6:11), requires discipline on our part.

Your responsibilities in the sanctification process:

• Cleanse yourself – 2 Corinthians 7:1
• Put your body under subjection – 1 Corinthians 9:27
• Renew your mind in the word of God – Romans 12:2
• Build yourself in your most holy faith by praying in the Holy Ghost – Jude 20

John 17:17 tells us that we are sanctified through God’s word; so we need to build the word of God into our spirit man and walk in obedience. (See also 2Corinthians 3:18 and 1Corinthians 15:45-50).

A believer is also sanctified through the word of God, the Holy Spirit, the blood of Jesus and faith. John 17:17, Romans 15:16, Hebrews 13:12, Acts 26:18b

Living a life of virtue

According to Ephesians 4:22-23 and Colossians 3:8-14 God expects believers to put off the old self or old man i.e. the old nature, old ways of behavior e.g. lies, laziness, slothfulness, passivity, prayerlessness, anger, falsehood, corrupt talk, malice etc. a lifestyle that grieves the Holy Spirit in us, and put on the new man created to be like God.

• Ephesians 4:1 – we are to walk worthy of the vocation where we are called.
• Colossians 1:10 – we are to walk worthy of the Lord.
• Ephesians 5:8, 4:7 – we are to walk as children of the light. Matthew 5:13-16 says we are salt and we are light
• Philippians 2:12 – we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling
• Matthew 3:8, 7:20 – we are to bear fruits that prove we are truly saved and on our way to heaven.

Let us compare this spiritual process to the fruit of the Spirit Brother Paul itemized in Galatians 5:22-23. We have nine fruit: – Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (See also Ephesians 4:1-3)

When we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfil the lust of the flesh, and the divine virtue will be able to flow through us unhindered. Fruits results from planted seeds. When seeds grow, they bear fruits. It is as you plant the seed of God’s words in your heart that the visible behavior begins to manifest. According to 2 Peter 1:8-10 if we can patiently endure this process of character formation resulting in the manifestation of divine virtue:

1. We shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of Christ
2. We will not stumble
3. Entrance will be supplied to us abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (We will live the heavenly lifestyle right here on planet earth).

If however you lack this divine virtue according to the word of God, you are short sighted and blind and have forgotten that you have been cleansed from your old sins.

You cannot give what you don’t have. We are the ones who will teach our children how to live this life of virtue. Through instruction and example: instruction becomes impotent when not backed up by example e.g. if husbands and wives live a life of divine virtue their homes will be a haven of peace, a real paradise on earth. Their children will be happy, peaceful and well behaved. Even if just one of the spouses lives this life of divine virtue ultimately, the other spouse will be positively affected (1 Peter 3:1)

If we live a life of virtue in our neighborhood, community, offices, churches etc. souls will be effortlessly won to Christ because the sweet aroma of Christ will flow from our lives drawing men and women to the feet of the cross.

Practically in our everyday living we must live a life of virtue as genuinely born-again children of God. The word of God tells us how to live in every area and facet of our lives e.g.:

• Our thoughts – Philippians 4:8
• Our speech – Colossians 4:6
• Our love walk – 1 John 4:7
• Our obedience – 1 Peter 1:14
• We are to constantly examine ourselves and our life style in the light of the word of God – 2 Corinthians 13:5
• We are to live honorably among unbelieving neighbors – 1 Peter 2:12
• We are to live peaceably with all men as far as it depends on us. The word of God says we should render to no man evil for evil, but we are to conquer evil by doing good – Romans 12:9-21
• We are to love others and show compassion – Galatians 6:10, 1 Peter 3:8-9, Hebrews 13:1

The attitudes that should be evident in the life of a genuinely born-again Christian are love, sincerity, kindness, compassion, zealousness, joy, faithfulness, generosity, hospitality, humility and peace.

A Christian should use his/her tongue to bless not to curse or for evil speaking – Ephesians 4:25, 29, 5:4, 19-20, Colossians 3:9-10, James 1:19, Matthew 12:35-37, 1Peter 3:10

A Christian must dress decently and moderately, you are not to expose any part of your body– Philippians 4:5, 1Peter 3:3-4,  2Corinthians 6:14-16, 1Corinthians 14:40

I believe it is time that we as Christians should live up to our responsibility in Christ. I am personally tired of Christians blaming the devil (a defeated foe) for everything. Let us begin to consider the hedges that we are breaking that is allowing the serpent entrance into our lives (Ecclesiastes 10:8). There is no place for a lazy man, not even in Christendom. Arise and let your light shine by cultivating and manifesting the divine virtue in your everyday life (Isaiah 60:1-3).

Shalom!

Busola Olotu

 

 

DISCIPLESHIP

While every disciple is a believer not every believer is a disciple. In other words you can be a believer and not a disciple i.e follower of Christ. A disciple is someone who has made up his or her mind to follow Jesus and pattern their lives after His. In our world today this is not easy,because it means choosing to do things the way Jesus would have done them. It means making the word of God i.e The Bible, THE “user’s manual of life”. When you truly make a commitment to be Christ’s disciple you will do things differently because you will always have “Christ’s perspective”. It was said of the early apostles “these men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.”(Acts 17v6b). The early apostles,(just 12 of them) earned a reputation of being world shakers and world changers. They turned their world upside down. In other words, they did not conform to the pattern of their known world at that time, rather they set the pace. We should not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, rather we should be proud to be known as Disciples and bold and courageous to take a stand for Christ, no matter whose ox is gored.A lot of false, deceitful and covetous teachings have infiltrated the simplicity of the true gospel of Christ. It is time to return back to the true and unadulterated gospel. There is no time, there is only opportunity. Make good use of every opportunity opened up to you to know and serve HIM better.
Luke9v23 “And He said to all, if any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself (disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself) and take up his cross daily and follow me (cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and if need be, in dying also).” AMP
1John2v6 “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked.”
(Busola Olotu)

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A WOMAN’S PLACE 4

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A WOMAN’S PLACE 2

A WOMAN’S PLACE

A WOMAN’S PLACE 5 (Know your neighbor)

A Woman who will find her place in God’s grand scheme of things must know her neighbor. Each one of us was born alone, we will die alone but we are not meant to live alone in this world. We are living in a world populated by other human beings like ourselves. We need to love and care for others around us. We need to understand that our fellow human being irrespective of tribe or tongue or status is a person of honor and dignity created in the image and likeness of The Almighty God Himself. We need to understand that our neighbor is one of those Jesus came to seek and to save. Therefore a woman who desires to find her place must love and treasure her neighbor with agape love(the unconditional love of God). This is the love that loves not because the object of this love is worthy of it, but because this love is a commandment from the creator Himself. The creation therefore must obey the creator because obedience to the creator is the only pathway to greatness for the creation. Knowing how much God Himself loves her neighbor the woman who wants to please God must love unconditionally. It is written in the book of Mark 12:30-31 “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy mind and with all thy strength. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” In the parable of the Good Samaritan(Luke 10:30-37), The Lord, Jesus Christ made it clear that our neighbor is whoever we come in contact with irrespective of race, tribe, color or religious persuasion. Our neighbor is whoever we can positively impact with our life. Our neighbor is whoever we can help or assist in anyway to make life better and more comfortable for. Our neighbors are extensions of ourselves as we have the same creator. A woman who will find her place will not see her neighbor anymore, she will only see God in him or her. Love is not a feeling,it is obedience. You love the unlovable because you have been commanded to love by Him who created you. He will not demand from you that which He has not graced you to do. You have within you the ability to love as God loves, you only need to draw on that ability. A woman who will find her place cannot be selfish, self centered and self absorbed, she must be God centered therefore Christ centered. In the book of John 13:34-35 Jesus said our Christ like love will show others that we truly are His(belonging to Christ). A woman’s place is in Christ Jesus, she must be rooted and grounded in Christ. This is what will shield her from the many storms of life. This is what will keep her focused and persevering. This is what will help her metamorphoses into the life of faith, which is a life of exploits.A woman cannot occupy her place in Christ effectively and productively except she knows herself, her source and her neighbor. It is her correct knowledge of these that will bring wholeness into her life and secure her eternity. The word of God is His manual for our life. The word is what reveals ourselves to us, it reveals our creator to us and our neighbor to us also. The word of God teaches us how to find our place as women and occupy it. The word of God equips and empowers us to occupy the place we have been destined by The Almighty God as women to occupy. When we as women do not make the word of God our primary concern we cheat ourselves, our creator and our neighbor. The word of God teaches, equips and empowers us to reach inwards, upwards and outwards. I want you as a woman to update your life today, your past is gone, the present is here now and your future is before you. No matter what your past has been like, you can change it today. No matter what you have been through you are still here. Today is crucial to your glorious future. Make the choice today to get into the word of God and make it work for you. The word of God is light, it is life, it is spirit and truth. It delivers maximally to you all that is yours by Divine right. Without accurate knowledge of the word of God, you stand the risk of suffering through ignorance. The word of God teaches, equips and empowers you to live as opposed to merely existing. Choose to live the life you were born to live today. A glorious life, an enviable life, a productive and prosperous life. GET INTO THE WORD TODAY AND MAKE TIME FOR THE WORD EVERY DAY.
The Lord give you perfect understanding in Jesus’Name Amen.

SHALOM (Busola Olotu)

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A WOMAN’S PLACE 4

KNOW YOUR SOURCE
(YOUR CREATOR)

Jeremiah 9 v 23-24 “Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.”
you as a woman must understand and know your source. May I ask “Do you understand and know your source?” “Do you understand and know the Almighty God as your creator and source?” if you do “Do you understand and know this ‘God’ whose name is The Almighty?” Since the fall of man in the garden, men everywhere have created their own concept of God. (See Romans 1 v 18-25, Acts 17 v 16-23), you as a woman who desires to find her place in the scheme of things must not be like them. Knowing God as your creator, your source moves you from obscurity to relevance. Understanding Him moves you from instability to stability. For the woman who will find her place, everything must start with God and end with God. For the avoidance of any doubt I am talking of the Almighty God as revealed on the pages of the Holy Bible from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelations. A woman who will find and occupy her place in the scheme of things must know: –
1. God as her creator and she His creation — Genesis 1 v 1, 26-27, 2 v 18, 21-22.
2. God as her Redeemer and she the redeemed of the Lord her God — Revelations 5 v 9, Isaiah 49 v 24-26,51 v 11, 60 v 16, 3 v 13-14, Galatians 3 v 13-14,1 Peter 1 v 18-19, 2 Corinthians 5 v 19 (AMP)
3. God as her Shepherd and she as His sheep — Psalm 23, John 10 v 11-14,29
4. God as her Potter and she as a piece of clay in His hands, (She is a vessel in the making.) — Jeremiah 18 v 6, Isaiah 64 v 8.
5. God as the vine and she as a branch in the vine, if she is plucked off; she can no longer receive any nourishment and she will wither and die — John 15 v 1-7.
6. God in Christ Jesus as her bridegroom and she as His Bride. She must obey Him in all things and be fully submitted to Him in all things — Matthew 25 v 1-13, John 3 v 29, Isaiah 62 v 5, Revelations 19 v 6 -10
7. God as her heavenly Father, who loves her very much and cares about her passionately — (The Lord Jesus came to reveal The Almighty God to us as our heavenly Father.) See the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Also the Lord Jesus taught us to pray “Our Father who is in heaven…”
(Matthew 6 v 9, Luke 11 v 2.)
A woman who will find her place in the scheme of things must understand and know all these different dimensions of her relationship with her source.
SHALOM — (Busola Olotu)

TO BE CONTINUED…

Scriptures for meditation
All the scriptural references in this article call for a deep reflection and meditation.

 

A WOMAN’S PLACE 3

So how do you as a woman discover your place in the scheme of things and by discovering your place enter into your glorious destiny and divine purpose?

There are three things as women that we must dedicate ourselves to knowing.
1. Knowing ourselves
2. Knowing our source i.e. our creator. (After all we just didn’t drop from heaven.)
3. Knowing our neighbour. (After all we are not alone on planet earth.)

KNOW YOURSELF

It is dangerous to allow others to define you. It is dangerous not to know who you are. For instance you cannot even love yourself, if you don’t know yourself. Some don’t love themselves, they want to change themselves, they want to be like everyone else but themselves. Please note I am not against change but you must know and understand what you are permitted to change and what you cannot change. If you do not know yourself how do you love who you do not know? The Psalmist recognized and appreciated the truth that he was made by the ultimate creator and rejoiced in this by celebrating the one who formed and fashioned him. He used two words to describe how he was made i.e. fearfully and wonderfully. The Psalmist was saying in effect that anyone beholding him would marvel at the awesomeness of God’s investment in His (God’s) creature. He was saying in effect that he was a creature showing forth the greatness of Elohim his creator. Manifesting the beauty of He whose image and likeness he bore. The Message Bible Translation of Psalm 139 v 14 reads “Body and soul, I am marvelously made, I worship in adoration – what a creation!” You need to know yourself, this is critical to your fulfilling purpose. You need to know and understand that you were made by no less a personality than the Almighty God Himself. (See Genesis 1 v 26-27). Somebody reading this might consider this as elementary knowledge but I am persuaded that it might be elementary knowledge (This of course is debatable) but it has not yet become revelational knowledge to a lot of people, Christians inclusive. Also it might appear very elementary but it is actually fundamental to your understanding of purpose and destiny. If you as a woman comes to a genuine and clear understanding of who made you then you will definitely understand and take your place in the scheme of things. You cannot know the answer to ‘who’ and not add it to the question ‘why’? Once you as woman appreciates the fact that you didn’t make or create yourself then the realization must come to you that since you didn’t ‘make’ or ‘create’ then the sovereign right to determine your place and your purpose in the scheme of things belongs to the one who made and created you. So your life is lent to you as a gift you don’t own it. If you don’t own it, it follows therefore that your life must be lived in accordance to the dictates of He who gave your life to you in the first place.
Simple really! But so many people, women inclusive miss it. Since God made you and lent you the breath of life woman, even though you are a creature of choice, your choices at every point in time must reflect the desires of Him to whom you belong.

Acts 13 v 36 (AMP) “For David after he had served God’s will and purpose and counsel in his own generation fell asleep in death…” Woman to find your place in the scheme of things you must understand and know yourself, that you were made to serve the will, purpose and counsel of the Almighty God who created and made you. You will never find your place if you are independent of God or rebellious towards Him. To find your place you must first come to an acute awareness that God is God, not you. According to Psalm 46 v 10a, you need to be still and know that He is God not you. The original sin of idolatry is putting your self in the place of God. Yes God created you a ‘god’ in relation to the world, elements, satan and his demons etc. but in relation to the Almighty God He is God and you are a ‘god’ still subject to His sovereign will and purpose because the thing created cannot be bigger, stronger or greater than the one who created it. A woman who will find her place must be acutely aware of the depths of her spiritual need, spiritual destitution and bankruptcy without the Almighty God. She must deny self, renounce self and therefore train herself to disregard self.
SHALOM – (Busola Olotu)
TO BE CONTINED…

Scriptures for meditation
Genesis 1 v 1, Jeremiah 1 v 5, Psalm 46 v 10a, Psalm 40 v 7-8, Acts 13 v 36, Psalm 139 v 14, Acts 17 v 23-31.

A WOMAN’S PLACE 2

We also have the voice of the church, some denominations ban women from preaching the
Gospel believing God has not endowed a woman with any of the five fold ministry gifts. They opinion that according to scripture a woman cannot occupy a position of authority in the Church and they find scriptures to back the position they have taken. These denominations conveniently forget Galatians 3 v 28 which says “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female:for ye are all one in Christ Jesus”. We are all one in Christ Jesus and according to the book of Joel 2 v 28-29 in these last days The Almighty God is pouring His Spirit out upon both men and women. In the book of Genesis 1 v 27-28 both male and female were created in the image and likeness of God and both were given the dominion mandate, i.e authority and ruler ship of Planet Earth. The Almighty God never intended for a woman to be a second class citizen this is why it is written in the book of Genesis 5 v 2 that in the day God created man, i.e male and female, He called their name “Adam”,(one name for both of them). Thus signifying that in His sight, they were one and the same. Please note that woman was taken out of man’s ribs signifying an equal relationship, a partnership, so that side by side together both
Will be empowered to accomplish and fulfill their Divine destiny to the glory of God and shame of the devil. It is only in the marriage institution that a woman(i.e wife) willingly in obedience to God’s Divine instruction submits herself unto her own husband as unto the Lord. When it comes to gifts and calling, scripturally, The Almighty God calls both men and women and uses them to do exploits in His Name and for the extension of His kingdom here on earth. He called Deborah in the book of Judges, she was the only female Judge among the male Judges. He called Miriam along side Moses and Aaron. He called the prophetess Huldah who revealed God’s secret message to National leaders. In the New Testament we are told of the four(4) daughters of Evangelist Philip who were all prophetesses. In they upper room in the book of Acts chapters 1and 2 both men and women received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and undoubtedly must have received some of the gifts of the Spirit. Woman of destiny, you have the Bible, go through it and see how The Almighty God used women like you for His own purpose. Be informed and don’t be deformed, do not allow any of these voices to limit your potentials in Christ and subvert or out rightly abort your divine destiny in Christ Jesus. The Almighty God’s first call and summons over the life of a woman was a all to dominion, a call to authority, a call to ruler ship alongside the man(i.e her husband). This dominion mandate was in respect of the governance of planet earth and the three spheres of existence, the air, the sea and the earth. Woman of destiny, understand that until you truly discover yourself, your destiny, your glorious destiny, your colorful destiny is at a risk. The Almighty God is a God of purpose and He created everything (including you) for a specific purpose. You as a woman were created by Him on purpose and by purpose. The devaluing of a woman prevents her from living in the fullness of God’s purpose for her. The pertinent question therefore is “how do you as a woman discover your place in life and by discovering your place enter into purpose and your divine destiny? Understand woman that you don’t determine your purpose, you are only called to discover your purpose. Your manufacturer, The Almighty God alone determines your purpose.(see Jeremiah 1v5). SHALOM (Busola Olotu)
(To be continued)

A WOMAN’S PLACE

Women around the world today are facing a very serious dilemma. A dilemma of identity. Many women, Christian women inclusive are struggling to discover who they are and where they stand in the scheme of things. They are seeking to understand their roles in the community, Nation, family, body of Christ and the world in general. In some Nations of the world in this day and age women are still being side tracked and side lined. They are considered as second class citizens with no rights or privileges. Men around the world still have their own opinions about the place of a woman and generally do not understand the role and functions of a woman, therefore they are unable to offer the needed support. God in the book of Genesis 2 v 18 created woman as a helpmeet (I.e a help to meet a need) for a man, but sadly in some cases the man, due to ignorance, arrogance, ego or deception turns out to be a tool in the hands of the devil being used to abuse, pull down and ultimately truncate the glorious destiny of the woman in his life. I dare say the world is in confusion about the place and worth of a woman. This is why it becomes imperative that a woman must not be in confusion about exactly who The Almighty God has created her to be. The confusion about the role and functions of a woman manifests itself powerfully in a variety of ways and voices. We have the voice of the feminists, according to them a woman’s place is defined by her role in a meaningful vocation. Her career becomes her ‘god’. They hammer on the rights of a woman and even if domestic conflicts arise as a result of career demands, a woman is free to walk out of her marriage and home to pursue her dreams. This voice paints the marriage institution as a captivity that has the ability to hold in bondage a woman who otherwise could become a high flying executive and a top player in the chosen career path. Secondly we have the voice of culture and tradition. This voice seeks to define the woman in terms of her traditional and cultural role as wife, mother and home maker. This voice tells the woman that her desire must be to her husband and if she seeks to make anything of her life outside the home, then she becomes a threat to the authority figure of her husband. Of course the voice of tradition and culture varies around the globe of the earth from Country to Country, there is however a common denominator, this voice tends to devalue the worth of woman and rob her of her dignity. In some places it is so bad that women are regarded as mere instruments of pleasure for the sensual gratification of men and sometimes domestic servants or slaves.

(to be continued).

SHALOM. (Busola Olotu)

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TURNING STUMBLING BLOCKS INTO STEPPING STONES

Along life’s pathways we are more than likely to meet obstacles, disappointments, setbacks. Life is a series of appointments, some pleasant and some unpleasant. In order to become a divine champion, an overcomer indeed we need to learn how to turn pressure into power. When the devil is on our case, when everything appears to be going wrong, when we are in the midst of a battle for survival, when it appears as if all is lost, know that it’s not over till it’s over.

A stumbling block represents an obstruction, a hindrance, a blockage between you and your desired goal. I want to teach us in this article how to turn our stumbling blocks into stepping stones. By God’s grace we will be considering the story of the life of a man who did just that. His name was Nehemiah and he was a human being like us. He was able to maximize potential and fulfill destiny by adopting certain principles and we can learn valuable lessons by examining his life.

Nehemiah’s story begins in the book of Nehemiah chapter 1. Nehemiah was a common man in a unique position. He was a Jewish exile living in Persia and he was a cup-bearer to the Persian King, Artaxerxes. Nehemiah understood purpose for he saw a problem and instead of complaining and wallowing in self-pity and grief he took action. He knew that God wanted him to motivate the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem’s broken walls. He left a responsible position in the Persian government as the King’s cup-bearer, to do what he knew that God wanted him to do. When Nehemiah arrived in Judah he was greeted with opposition. Opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem had been going on for 90 years by those who settled in the area when the Jews were taken captive. In every generation there are those who hate God’s people and try to block God’s purpose. Whenever you try to achieve anything expect that;

1. Some will oppose you
2. Some will hope that you fail
3. When you expect opposition you will be prepared rather than surprised. I John 3v13 “Marvel not my brethren if the world hate you” of course knowing that God is with you, in you and for you is always the best incentive for moving ahead, in the face of opposition.

Nehemiah 2v10 reveals two enemies Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite who were opposers to progress. Nehemiah 2v19-20 reveal three enemies – Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite and Geshem the Arabian. Nehemiah 4v1-3 – Sanballat, Tobiah and the army of Samaria. Nehemiah 4v7-9 Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites. Nehemiah 6v1 – Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem and the rest of their enemies.

Sanballat means the enemy is secret. The enemy is always secret and he uses different wiles i.e. methodia. Ephesians 6v11 “Put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”.

EXAMINATION OF METHODIA USED AGAINST NEHEMIAH

• Mockery and ridicule – Nehemiah 2v19, can cut deeply causing discouragement and despair.
• Anger, wrath and indignation – Nehemiah 4v1-3. The devil always roams around like a hungry lion.
• Conspiracy and war – Nehemiah 4v7-9. Satan is always at war with us we cannot afford to rest on our oars.
• Continual threatening’s- Nehemiah 4v10-23. Satan is always trying to weary the saints.
• Craftiness – Nehemiah 6v1-4 Rumors, false reports, personal attacks, hurt and unjustified criticism.
• By accusation – Nehemiah 6v5-9. Satan always shows up as the accuser of the brethren (Zechariah 3v1)
• By treachery Nehemiah 6v10-14 – satan always shows up as the deceiver. All his wiles or methodia is to deceive, discourage and cause despair, but those who trust in their God shall be strong and do exploits. (Daniel 11v32b)

KEYS TO TURNING STUMBLING BLOCKS TO STEPPING STONES

• Be focused: – refuse to be diverted, don’t shift ground Ephesians 6v13. When you find yourself in a tight situation and it appears as if there is no way out you’ve got to “Continue the Work”
• Be prayerful: – Nehemiah 4v9. Eight times in the book of Nehemiah we read that Nehemiah prayed spontaneously. He prayed at all times, even when talking to others. Nehemiah knew God as Jehovah Shammah the ever present God, who hears and answers prayers. For us to be able to withstand and succeed at overcoming temptations and troubles and opposition we must know how to pray James 5v19. We must learn to pray not only in our understanding but also in the Spirit. Acts 12v5 (Peter in prison), Jude 20, James 5v16b (effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much), I Corinthians 14v2 (he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh unto God). Prayer was the key to Nehemiah’s success and it will be the key to our own success. Prayer is the key that unlocks the door of our blessings and gives us a way of escape. See Psalm 5v3 (prayer in the morning), Psalm 55v17 (evening, morning and noon) will I pray aloud and He shall hear my voice and Luke 6v12 – All night prayer of Jesus.
• Have and exhibit initiative: –  See Nehemiah 4v9 (NIV). To initiate means to begin something, to commence, to make a first move, resourcefulness etc. After prayer some form of action is needed, because anytime we pray God will always show us the way of escape i.e. the escape route out of any problem. This of course comes back to the basic principle of faith. Believe God and act on His promises. Faith in God always produces action. Posting a guard in the spiritual sense is fighting the good fight of faith by remaining watchful. Matthew 13v25 “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way”. Be vigilant, so that the enemy does not break down your walls of faith. In the natural some people need to take some initiative e.g. looking for a job or restoring a broken relationship. Also you can post a guard with your mouth by reminding yourself of the promise of God concerning the particular situation you are facing, e.g. saying ‘no weapon formed or fashioned against me shall prosper’.
• Be inspired: – Get inspired in the word. Realize that the greater one lives in you I John 4v4. “That you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you” Philippians 4v13. Tell yourself that there can be no testimony without a test, no victory without a fight. We are enjoined to fight the good fight of faith. Christ has already given us the victory but we are to fight to possess our possession. Galatians 3v13-14 – Christ has redeemed us from poverty, sickness and death. Nehemiah was committed inspite of all the opposition surrounding him. He encouraged himself in the Lord. He inspired the Jews around him by talking about the power of God and reminding them of the awesomeness of God. When you find yourself in a tough situation think about how big your God is and talk about it. Nothing is bigger than God for the word of God says He is higher than the highest Psalm 5v8.

 Nehemiah reminded those around him of: –

1. The purpose for which God had called them
2. That they had power to accomplish that purpose. You also need to understand that God has called you as an individual to do something definite. He has not just called you to mark time. As long as the Almighty is your defence, your strength and shield and exceeding great reward the devil is like a chained dog. He threatens you with everything He says He’s going to do but just keep on moving. He can’t get to you as long as you are walking with God. Instead of getting into fear inspire yourself. Your task is not complete until your life is over ‘Occupy till I come’ Luke 19v13. While we are doing this we need to note very carefully God’s promise in Romans 8v38-39 which says nothing can separate us from the love God. When the enemy comes in like a flood don’t look at the problem, look at the opportunities that present themselves, because the Spirit of God will always lift a stand against the enemy. (See Isaiah 59v19)

Psalm 34v19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous…….”

II Corinthians 4v17 “For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”.

v18 “While we look not at the things which are seen but look at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal”. Our troubles should not diminish our faith or disillusion us. We should realize there is a purpose in our suffering. But the things which are not seen are eternal (we see them with the eye of faith).

Adversity builds spiritual muscles. How you respond to adversity builds you up. If you are going to fulfill divine destiny, you must learn how to push through adversities and move on. Isaiah 41v10. Out of our darkest hours comes our greatest opportunities. Don’t be a whiner be a warrior. Shake it off and step it up.

Make a decision today to bury anything that has pulled you down, held you back, kept you in despair, limited you, deceived you or made you vulnerable. Today threw it into an imaginary coffin give it a decent burial and don’t go digging it up again. Declare it over!

Shalom.

Busola Olotu

 

 

 

 

Encouragement

I Samuel 30v1-6

“And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God”.

There are times in life’s journey when we need to encourage ourselves in the Lord. Some of us can identify with David’s predicament at Ziglag. It appeared as if all was lost. But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Job said in the book of Job 5v8-27 “I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number: Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields: To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the forward is carried headlong. They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night. But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth. Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin. Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth. Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season. Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good”.

In Exodus 14v13 the Israelites were faced with the Red sea in front of them and Pharaoh’s army behind them. But the advice from Moses was ‘fear not’.

Apparent reasons for discouragement: –

• The hardness of the way. Numbers 21v4. The children of Israel grew impatient because of the difficulty of the way they were travelling.
• Difficulty of the task – Nehemiah 4v10. The strength of the labourers gave way because of the difficulty of the task.
• Prosperity of the wicked – Psalm 73v2-3
• Delay in fulfillment of desires – Proverbs 13v12

What do we do when we are tempted to feel discouraged? See I Samuel 30v1-6. David exhibited faith and trust in the Lord when it seemed as if all was lost and his faith in God secured him the victory at last. According to Job 5v8-27 – Man is born to trouble and man will always face challenges throughout life. Some of the problems we face undoubtedly are caused by our own in alertness and foolishness. Nevertheless, we have God’s wonderful promise that we should ‘fear not’. When the children of Israel were faced with the red sea situation the message from God was fear not. Jesus told the paralytic ‘fear not’ in the book of Matthew 9v2, Matthew 14v27 – Jesus told the disciples ‘fear not’. Matthew 17v7 on the Mount of transfiguration Jesus told the disciples ‘fear not’. In I Kings 17v13, Elijah encouraged the widow of Zarephath not to fear. (Divine supplies in famine) In II Kings 6v16 the prophet Elisha encouraged his servant not to be afraid. (Protection in peril). In the book of Isaiah 41v10 God encourages us not to fear because He will strengthen us. In Isaiah 43v1-3, we are assured of Divine companionship in trial. Matthew 10v30-31 assures us that even the very hairs on our heads are numbered and God knows all things. I know of a truth through personal experiences that it is difficult not to fall into fear when certain things are happening around us but the Bible says “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear………” I John 4v18, therefore don’t let fear stop you. Whenever you feel fear, ‘do it afraid’ (Joyce Meyer). Who is love, the Bible says ‘God is love’. It means we have to replace the spirit of fear with the Spirit of Faith in God and His word. We need to actively stand against the spirit of fear because this is what leads to discouragement or vice versa.

1. The devil always wants us to give up.

When we make the word of God a daily part of our lives: –

• Our thoughts will be transformed
• Our hearts will be changed
• Our whole lives will be turned anew.

Shalom.

Busola Olotu.

GOD’S REQUIREMENT

GOD’S REQUIREMENT
Deuteronomy 10v12-13
“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God,
to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and
with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes,
which I command thee this day for thy good?”
Are you a Child of God or a Minister in God’s vineyard? Are you seeking to know the Lord better? Are you hungering and thirsting after righteousness? Are you feeling frustrated and burned out or are you in need of a revival in your life? Are you today asking “what does God expect of me?” God’s requirements have not changed and will never change because God Himself is constant, He doesn’t change like shifting shadows James 1v17(b). Micah 6v8 declares “He has showed you, O man what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God.”(Amp)
Moses speaking and admonishing the children of Israel answered this question about God’s requirement or His expectation. In the above quoted verses of scripture Moses gives a summary that is simple in form and easy to remember.
Although Moses was speaking to the children of Israel (Physical Israel i.e. the church in the wilderness) his answer given through the Spirit of God is still very relevant to us today (Spiritual Israel i.e. the church of the New Covenant). God is still saying the same thing to us for II Peter 1v19-21 tells us;
a) That this Word i.e. the Bible is a more sure word of prophecy than even an audible voice from heaven.
b) It is of no private interpretation
c) It did not come by the will of man but Holy men spoke these words of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
So we do ourselves a great favour when we carefully consider and pay close attention to God’s words, for according to II Timothy 3v16-17:
1) Scripture is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.
2) It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.
3) Its God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.
In these two verses of scripture, Moses itemized God’s requirements for all. It is written in the book of Genesis 17v1(b) “I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect”. God’s standard was and still is perfection.
GOD’S REQUIREMENTS
1) Fear God (have reverence for him)
2) Walk in all His ways
3) Serve Him with all your heart and soul
4) Observe His commands i.e. obey Him

1) Fear God: – Respect God, honour God, revere, regard, venerate. Fearing God implies an awesome esteem of His person, after all, He is the Sovereign God. The creator of all things.
Revere, adore, be in awe of, defer to, honour, look up to, think highly of Him and worship Him, The Almighty God.
Ecclesiastes 12v13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and Keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man”. The book of Ecclesiastes is an analysis of life’s experiences and a critical essay of the meaning of life. At the end of that book, King Solomon, reputed to be the wisest man in his time, came to just one conclusion Fear God. Isaiah 8v13 “Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread. [lest you offend Him by your fear and dread of man and your distrust of Him]” (KJV & Amp)
I Peter 1v17(b) “Live your life in reverent fear of Him during your time as foreigners here on earth” (NLT) because God is going to judge your work and my work impartially.

Benefits of fearing God
1) Psalm 25v12 “Who then is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him the way chosen for him” NIV (Divine instruction)
2) Psalm 31v19 How great is your goodness which you have stored up for those who fear you…..”. (goodness is what gives to you, that which naturally you do not deserve)
3) Luke 1v50 “His mercy extends to those who fear Him from generation to generation” (NIV), Mercy is what keeps away from you that which you deserve
4) Acts 10v35 “God accepts men from every Nation who fear Him and do what is right” (NIV) (Divine acceptance) See also Amplified version.

2) Walk in all His ways: – means walking with God, walking with God signifies Divine fellowship and friendship (E.g. Enoch – Genesis 5v22, 24. Noah – Genesis 6v9). You cannot walk with God unless you are in agreement with Him. See Amos 3v3. Deuteronomy 5v33 “You shall walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land which you shall possess” (Amp). God has always desired the friendship and fellowship of man that is why He created man in the first place. See Genesis 3v8.
Benefits of walking in all his ways
Deuteronomy 5v33
1) You will live
2) It will be well with you
3) Your days will be prolonged
4) John 8v12- “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (KJV). (When you walk in the light you cannot stumble)
5) John 10v27 “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me” (KJV). (Divine knowledge of God)
6) Walking with God secures life and wellbeing. (See Job 22v21-28).
3) Love God: – How do we love Him? We love Him with all our heart and soul and might. (See Deuteronomy 6v5). Jesus said loving God with all of ourselves is the first and greatest commandment (See Matthew 22v37-39, Mark 12v30-31) (No commandment is greater than these). Why do we love Him? I John 4v19 answers the question why we love Him. It says “We love Him because He first loved us”. When do we love Him? All the time.
4) Serve Him with all your heart and soul: Joshua 24v14(a) “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth……. “
Where is your heart?
a) God knows our heart. (See Acts 1v24)
b) God searches our heart. (See I Chronicles 28v9)
c) God tries our heart. (See Proverbs 17v3b). According to the book of Isaiah 1v19 It is only if you are willing of heart and obedient that you will eat the good of the land. God sometimes deliberately leads us into a wilderness experience to humble and to prove us, (See Deuteronomy 8v2). When you are going through a wilderness experience what is in your heart? Is your heart still perfect towards God? (When the shaking comes only the unshakeable will remain, See Hebrew 12v27). When God is slow in answering your prayers in your heart still perfect towards Him?
d) God proves us to know what is in our heart.
Service to the Lord is not always convenient. Many times it involves shelving our own plans and choosing God’s plans for our lives. The way we live and the choices we make will show others the strength of our commitment to serving God.
Compare II Chronicles 25v1-2 (Amaziah) with II Kings 20v3 (Hezekiah)
Amaziah did what was right on the outside but inside he often resented what he had to do. The word of God says that he (Amaziah) did not serve God with a perfect heart even though he did that which was right in the sight of God. We must always search out our own hearts and root out any resistance to obeying God. Grudging compliance is not true service from the heart. Proverbs 4v23 says “Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life”
5) Obedience: – Observe His commands. Deuteronomy 26v16 “This day the Lord your God has commanded you to do these statues and ordinances; therefore you shall keep and do them with all your (mind and) heart and with all your being” (AMP). According to I Samuel 15v22, obedience is better than sacrifice. Obedience is the key to the manifestation of the power of God. Someone said “The world has yet to see what God can do In and Through and For one individual who is completely yielded to the Lord”. The true test of our love for Christ is our obedience. Complete and total obedience is required of those who want to walk with God. John 2v5b “……Whatsoever He says to you, do it”.
According to the book John 10v27,5. The sheep follows the shepherd and do not hear the voice of the stranger. According to;
i) Exodus 19v5: – We are to obey fully
ii) Deuteronomy 11v13: – We are to obey faithfully
iii) Deuteronomy 26v16, 32v46: – We are to obey God whole heartedly
iv) Isaiah 1v19: – We must obey willingly.
Obedience to God is the imperative and necessary duty of life. In the book of Acts 5v29 Apostle Paul said we must obey God rather than man. According to the book of Matthew 7v20-23 by the fruits of obedience that we bear we shall be known.
Note also that according to Matthew 7v21: – Obedience is what will secure our entrance into God’s Kingdom. According to Luke 8v21: – Our obedience is actually what makes us heirs with Christ.
And according to John 14v23: – Obedience is what secures for us the blessing of Divine fellowship.
Blessings of walking in obedience
1) Exodus 19v5: – You will be God’s treasured possession
2) Deuteronomy 5v29: – It will go well with you and your children forever.
3) I Kings 3v14: – It gives long life
4) Deuteronomy 7v12-15, 28:1: – Blessings on all you have
5) Deuteronomy 11v13-14, Job 36v11, Isaiah 1v19: – You will live in blessings and prosperity.
6) James 1v25: You will be blessed in all you do.
Prayers
Use the Pauline prayers in the books of Ephesians 1v17-19 and Colossians 1v9-10 to pray and decree upon your lives.

GOAL SETTING IN LIFE AND IN MINISTRY

Goal – aim, ambition, destination, objective, purpose, intention.

Setting – Putting in place, installation.

Goal setting starts with an understanding of destiny. You are called to discover your destiny. You must understand that your destiny is different from that of another person. We as believers in Christ are all called to a glorious destiny in Christ as children of the most high God, but while my own glorious destiny is in ministry yours might be in the legal profession. The fulfillment of destiny varies from person to person. To fulfill your destiny, you must first of all discover it, after you have discovered it, you must then work hard at fulfilling it by putting certain things in place. Ignorance of destiny actually makes life a waste, if you lack knowledge of your destiny you cannot have the right vision nor can you pursue the correct goals.

I want you to know that you cannot have goal setting in isolation, it is closely tied to destiny, purpose and vision. Proverbs 25 v 2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but it is the honour of kings to search the matter out”

What is destiny? destiny is simply God’s plan for your life, see Jeremiah 1v4-5. It is your responsibility to step into God’s plan for your life and fulfill it. destiny is God’s pre-planned, pre-determined, pre-ordained counsel for your life. I said goal setting is tied to destiny, purpose and vision. What therefore is purpose? Purpose is the original intent in the mind of the creator that motivated Him to create a particular item. Purpose is the reason why God created you. You are fulfilling purpose when you know, understand and enter into what you were born to accomplish. Your fulfillment of purpose is what completes your destiny. You must strive to be all that God has created you to be. You have a uniqueness that differentiates you from the billions in the world and you must pursue this uniqueness deliberately and consistently. Fulfilling purpose therefore must be the primary goal or everyone who wants to fulfill their destiny.

Closely tied to the subject destiny and purpose is the issue of vison. Purpose is what supplies a vision for the future and gives life significance and meaning. Proverbs 29v18(a) “Where there is no vision the people perish” (KJV) “Where there is no revelation the people cast off restraint” (NIV). Purpose is what gives direction and apart from purpose direction is lacking and nothing important happens. Vision therefore is a direct result of purpose. When you discover your purpose with it comes a vision for your life. What is vision? Vision is the ability to see the end from the beginning. Vision is the ability to see the fulfillment of your purpose in the mind by faith. When you are able to see your purpose, your vision comes to life. “Vision is foresight with insight based on hindsight”. Vision therefore is what sets goals because after seeing the end God takes you back to the beginning and then asks you to work your way to desired end.

You must translate vision which is derived from purpose into a plan of action i.e. goal setting. Purpose when it is translated into a vision causes things to happen and people to act. In other words, purpose is what creates vision and vision is what produces goals, i.e. the development of a plan to achieve the vision. A plan is what allows for an orderly journey.

You were born to be distinct, you were born to be known for something, you were born with a unique vision, God has wired you for something spectacular, you were born to meet a need, you were born with a deposit in you that this generation needs, you were born to shine. What are goals? – Goals are simply the steps you take towards a desired end. Jesus’ destiny was to be savior of the world, His purpose was to come and pay the debt that mankind owed by dying on the cross. He properly articulated the reason for which he was born (see John 18v37) “For this reason I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth”. Luke 19v10 “For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” Acts 10v28 “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” and I John 3v8(b) “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”. Throughout His life on earth, Jesus’ goals were consistent with and in furtherance of His purpose and vision. Jesus’ purposes defined his goal setting, i.e. it informed his decisions, created his priorities, predicted his choices, dictated his companions. Also Apostle Paul was a nuisance until he discovered purpose and with purpose came a vision. See Acts 9v15 “Go thy way for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and Kings and the children of Israel.

Acts 26v19 “Where upon king Agrippa I was not disobedient to the heavenly vison” Also see Philippians 3v8. Once Paul had discovered his purpose in life, he worked towards it, it became his life’s goals. In pursuance of purpose he set clearly defined goals. His priorities changed, his choices changed, his companions changed, his decisions changed. Look at Paul’s goals before and after his conversion. After his conversion he began to advance the cause of Christianity, he set goals e.g. he went on three missionary journeys. He was focused, determined and dedicated to his life’s purpose and his vision.

You can see that goals are fundamental to the fulfilling of vision. Goals are important because: –

• They create priorities
• They determine your decision
• They determine your choices
• They dictate your companions

Now it’s your turn to set goals

• Proverbs 16v3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed” (NIV). Commit to the Lord – you cannot commit to the Lord until you know the Lord.

3. Get connected and committed to your creator this is what makes for your sure foundation Psalm 11v3.
4. For your life to be fruitful, purposeful and focused you cannot do away with the God factor – “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17v28). For you to be fruitful, fulfilled and full blown you need God and you need to have a solid relationship with THE ALMIGHTY.

• Locate the reason for your existence before you were formed God knew you and set you aside for a specific purpose, a specific thing. When you locate the reason for your existence you will answer the question who am I, what I here for, where am I going. How can I locate the reason for my existence? – Go directly to God your manufacturer – Habakkuk 2v1-3, Proverbs 18v16 “A man’s gift makes room for him” (NKJV). You were designed to be known for something i.e. a gift “A man’s gift brings him before great men” (NKJV). Whenever you exercise your gift the world will make room for you e.g. Michealangelo, Beethoven, Alexander Graham, Bell, Thomas Edison. II Timothy 1v6 – stir up the gift in you by developing, refining, enhancing and using it.

Proverbs 17v8 “A gift is a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it, wither so ever it turneth, it prospereth”. There is a treasure in you.

• After you have located the reason for your existence commit to it. Without commitment your life and destiny may suffer a nervous breakdown. For lack of commitment many destinies have crashed. May you never crash.
• Invest in your life as a person. This should affect every area of your life.

1. Spiritual, physical, mental etc.

Develop skills, do your best to enhance your worth.

Develop yourself in the area of the calling. Develop yourself in your chosen field of endeavour career. Until you develop your mind, someone said your world will not mind you. Go to school, acquire the relevant knowledge, broaden your knowledge base, create and embrace opportunities to better yourself.

• Understand your uniqueness work on your character, develop it – I John 2v6 “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked” Acts 11v26 – The disciples displayed the character of Christ.

1. Association – Proverbs 13v20 “He that walketh with wise shall be wise but the companion of fools shall be destroyed”. Relationships are vital to the fulfillment of your vision and goal setting. Your association defines your destination. Any relationship you encourage never leaves you the same; they either add to you or take something away from you. Any relationship not adding the required value to your life must give way.
2. Carriage and comportment

Carriage – The way in which you hold and move your head and body. Your carriage is your characteristic way of bearing your body. Your comportment is your posture, stance, or movement. Comportment means to behave in a manner conformable to what is proper and expected. You are Christ’s Ambassador. So don’t talk only but walk the walk and live the life.

I Peter 2v9, I Corinthians 15v41. You are chosen, royal, holy and peculiar. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the stars for one star differeth from another star.

• Make wise choices: – To make a choice is to make a decision from a numbers of alternatives. We make a choice on a daily basis; the choices we make affect us negatively or positively. Choices are directly related to the matter of destiny, vision and goal setting, and choices either enhance your goals or hinder it. Wrong choices can bring about ruin while right choices lead to excellence. Note that God always respects our choices.
• You can choose to be lazy
• You can choose to be mediocre
• You can choose to be average
• You can choose to be excellent (Daniel 1v8)

You need to understand the power of choice to adequately prepare for your future and preserve it. If your tomorrow must be great the foundation of that greatness must be laid today. You are where you are today as a result of your choices of yesterday therefore you must not underestimate the power of now.

Personal Plan Program

To fulfill the plans of your life, it is necessary to discipline yourself and submit to wise counsel and put to practice wise planning. You must put pen to paper and answer the following questions: –

• What is my purpose in life?
• What do need to accomplish?
• What steps do I need to take to accomplish it?
• What relevant information do I need to enhance me and how do I access such information?
• Who do I need to associate with?
• What academic skills or otherwise i.e. (ministerial skills) do I need?
• How much will it cost me?

Sample yearly goal

• Reading through the Bible and at least 7 spiritual books
• Enroll in the university. Study for a Degree, Masters or Phd
• Go to Bible school to broaden your theological insight.
• Lose weight, eat right and get a physical check up
• Spend more time with your family etc.

 

 

THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

Busola Olotu's Blog

Apostle Paul said in the book of Rms 1v16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation…” What gospel are we preaching today, is it the gospel of Christ or another gospel? A gospel that paints God as a Father Christmas who is just there to bless and bless His children and continue to dish out more blessings irrespective of the way His children conduct their lives and order their steps is not the gospel of Christ that was handed down to us. Matt 6v33 “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” See also Rms 13v14, 14v17, 1 Cor 4v20, Isa 1v19-20, Job 36v11-12. A gospel that totally absolves man of any responsibility and accountability towards God and the new life he has received in Christ Jesus…

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PROVS 14V34 “RIGHTEOUS EXALTS A NATION BUT SIN IS A REPROACH TO ANY PEOPLE”

Busola Olotu's Blog

We cannot continue confessing the promises of God over Nigeria our nation without first addressing the issue of sin. In addressing the issue of sin we members of the church of God in Nigeria must first and foremost address the issue of sin in our individual lives. The word of God declares in the book of 2Cor13v5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves……” Set an examination for yourself based on God’s word and your responsibility to it and score yourself and then you will know whether or not you are actually following the master. After we have addressed sin in our own individual lives then we now turn to addressing it in the body of Christ in general. After this we now qualify to address sin in the Nation and God will help us because we have first ordered our ways before Him. 2Chron27v6…

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WHERE ARE THE SAMUELS?

Busola Olotu's Blog

1Sam16V4″So Samuel did what the Lord said and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said “Do you come peaceably?”

In the above verse of scripture, The Lord sent Prophet Samuel on an errand to Bethlehem and when he got there the elders of the town trembled at his coming. The Spirit of The Lord took me to this verse of Scripture and asked me a question “Where are the Samuels?” The Lord asked me this question as I was seeking His face concerning the state of our Nation, Nigeria. I, like so many others have been burdened and interceding for Nigeria. I have been perplexed as to why things are taking a turn for the worst inspite of so much prayers being offered on behalf of the Nation. Samuel in the Bible is a model of Godly spiritual leadership. Samuel is a…

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THE MAKING OF A WOMAN

You are a woman made:

1) FOR GOD
2) FOR MAN (Your husband)
3) FOR THE WORLD (Your sphere of influence)

Gen 1 v 26 – 27 “Let us make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth over the earth”

Vs 27 “So God created man in His image, in the image of God created He him male and female created He them.”

Gen 2 v 7 “And the Lord God formed man our of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul”

Gen 5 v 2 “male and female created He them and blessed them and called their name Adam (i.e. man) in the day they were created”

In the making of a woman the whole God head was involved, in Gen 1 v 26 God the Father said “let us make man……” In Genesis 2 v 7 God the Son formed or made man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life and God the Holy Spirit brought man into being. Wo (mans) creation was not accomplished by a divine fiat alone but was also the subject of a Divine council (Gen 1 v 26 – 28). As had been decreed by the Divine council, God the Father spoke man into existence and made the inner man, God the Son made the form of man from the dust and God the Holy Spirit became the life giving Spirit, wo(mans) body was formed but his life was created, so in essence wo(man) was both formed and created. In the book of Job 33 v 4 it is written “The Spirit of God hath made me and the breath of THE ALMIGHTY hath given me life, also in Psalm 104 v 30 it is written “Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created …..”.

To make means to construct, to produce, to create, to assemble, to manufacture, to fabricate, to form. In Gen 1 v 26 it is written “And God said let us make man………”.
The Hebrew word translated make in this verse of scripture is the word Asah meaning to make out of already existing material. In the making of a woman God first formed man out of the dust of the ground, this dust was the already existing material from which man was made. However after God formed man from the dust, man lay lifeless and God had to go a step further to create man, the Hebrew word translated create is the word Bara which means to form out of nothing.

To create means to bring into being, to bring something into existence, to give life too, to give birth too. In Gen 2 v 7 God created man by breathing into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.

The first man, the progenitor of the human race was made from dust but was created by God’s Spirit, so man was made out of something i.e. dust and out of nothing i.e. spirit because spirit does not exist in the material realm.

This first man was both made and created a wo (man),as both male and female gender were represented in him until God brought the female out from within man (see Gen 5 v 1-2, Gen 2 v 21).

This first man (wo)man was created in the image and likeness of God, he was so like God that the glory of God did not startle him. He used to walk with God and talk with God.
This first man, wo(man) was made and created a man of dominion, and authority i.e. the sovereign ruler over planet earth (see Gen 1 v 26, 28, Psalm 8 v 4-6, Psalm 115 v 16), this dominion mandate was given to both male and female gender. God intended for (wo)man to be in charge of planet earth to take authority over all. Woman understand you are made by God for a purpose, to exercise dominion and authority here on planet earth. In other words you were made to be a ruler, you were made to be in charge and to take charge (see Gen 1 v 26, 28). In Ps 115 v 16 it is written “heaven, even the heavens are the Lords but the earth hath He given to the children of men”. In Ps 8 v 4-6 it is written “What is man that thou art mindful of him? And the son man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than Elohim i.e. (God) and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands, thou hast put all things under his feet” (KJV and Amp).
According to the above verses of scripture, woman, you were made to determine the affairs on planet earth, you were made to determine what happens here on planet earth.
Also the first man (wo)man was made and created for the purposes of fruitfulness and multiplication here on plant earth. In the book of Genesis 1 v 28 it is written “And God blessed them and God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply…..”
This Divine mandate of fruitfulness and multiplication in the female gender of (wo)man was not limited to the natural process of giving birth but also refers to spiritual fruitfulness, just as God specifically and delicately made women’s wombs to give birth to babies in the natural, so also has He given them spiritual wombs to give birth supernaturally, God has deposited in women a great capacity to respond to the things of God.
Woman you have been made and created with the capacity to birth great revivals through travailing prayers (see Isa 66 v 8b).
You have been made and created with capacity to stand in the gap for your home, family, community; nation and body of Christ through this travailing (see Jere 9 v 17 – 20).
Woman God has set you over kingdoms and nations to root out, pull down, destroy and throw down everything that is not of God and to build and plant God’s righteousness and establish God’s will on planet earth.
You are God’s battle axe and weapon of war. (See Jere 1 v 10, 51 v 20-24, Joel 2 v 28-29, Romans 8 v 26, Acts 2 v 17-18).
In the book of Gen 2 v 18 it is written “And the Lord God said it is not good that the man should be alone I will make (Asah) him an help meet for him” vs 21 reads “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept and He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh”. God reached out and took from within the man the principal raw material He would use to make woman, according to Gen 3 v 22-23 it is written “And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man made He a woman and brought her unto the man and Adam said,” this is now the bone of my bones and the flesh of my flesh she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man”.
Woman was taken out of man. When God created Adam He had already put woman into him, this is why God named both male and female gender Adam in the day they were created. (Gen 5 v 2), so the woman was made for the man (l Cor 11 v 8-9).
The using of the rib as the primary raw material for constructing woman was a deliberate act on the part of God. Woman was taken from the side of man to be equal to him as a co-ruler on planet earth, woman was taken from under the arm of man to be protected by him and near his heart to be loved by him.
Also as the ribs in the body protect the vital organs so also woman was made to be a covering of protection over the man, a true help meet i.e. help to meet a need.
Woman, understand that you were made for man (your husband) understand your purpose in the life of your man and fulfill it to the letter, you are a woman on divine assignment in the life of the man.
Woman you were created out of necessity God saw that His work was not yet complete because the (wo)man He made and created was incomplete without you (woman) by his side. Even though woman was already represented in man, she needed to be taken out of man to form a separate yet indistinguishable part of man, separate yet to be in complete harmony with each other such that the two shall be one. (see Gen 2 v 22-24, I Cor 11 v 8-9)

When God made the woman and brought her unto the man (Adam) in the book of Gen 2 v 22 he exclaimed “this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man”.

Finally, woman understand that you are not only a woman made for God, made for man (your husband), you are also a woman made for the world. God created a beautiful world i.e. planet earth and put you in charge (see Gen 1 v 26-28).

This original Dominion mandate was lost in Adam but regained in Christ Jesus (See Rms 5 v 12-21); Genesis 1 v 26 reads “Let them have complete authority over …..” (Amp).

You as a woman are expected by God to use the vast resources provided by Him in the service of God and man. As a woman you are a co-labourer with man in the exercising of the dominion and authority invested in you by the Almighty God.

Woman, God has a ministry for you in His church i.e. the body of Christ and a mission for you in the world. You are a woman made, created, saved, sanctified and empowered for His service.

God’s summons to reach a dying world for Him is upon your life. You are a woman called and sent on a divine errand (See Titus 2 v 11-14, 2 Cor 5 v 18, Matt 25 v 14-15, Lk 19 v 12-13).

God predestined you unto good works for His own purposes from the foundations of the world (See Eph 2 v 10 the Amp Bible).

Woman you are expected by God to be a woman surrendered to the divine will. Understand that you did not make yourself, nor did you create yourself, your life does not belong to you. Your life is merely a gift given to you by the one who made you for His own purposes therefore your life must be lived according to the dictates of He who made you in the first place, you are not permitted to live your life according to the dictates of your flesh.

Understand that God made you for HIMSELF:-
1) For a reason and a season
2) As part of His (God’s) own intricate plan
3) As a designers original not a copy
4) Uniquely packaged and designed
5) Just the way He wanted to make you
6) You look like you look for a reason a Divine reason
7) You talk like you talk for a reason a Divine reason

Woman everything about you was fashioned by the Ultimate Creator and you can’t improve on what God created. You are God’s idea and God can never have a bad idea! Accept yourself, accept God, become surrendered to Him, and allow Him to do that which only He can do in your life so that ultimately as a woman of destiny headed for a definite destination you will arrive safely at that destination.

Remember it all starts and ends with God. You are a woman made for Him.

(Busola Olotu)

THE FOCUSED WOMAN

I Cor 9v26 “Therefore I do not run uncertainly (without definite aim). I do not box like one beating the air and striving without an adversary.” (Amp)
“Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly, I do not fight like a man beating the air.” (NIV)
Here and there never makes anything happen. It is staying focused that fulfills destiny
(1 king 20:40).
To focus means to concentrate, look ahead, to give your undivided attention to someone or something. Focus is the key to success and this is why one of the main strategies of the devil in seeking to divert destinies is the spirit of distraction. For any woman seeking to fulfill destiny and maximize her potentials, focus is vital and critical. A woman must understand the place of focus in her life because women have a lot of legitimate things vying for their attention. In order to live a fulfilling, destiny oriented life, (a life that ultimately glorifies God) we need to get this issue of focus right.
1. The first thing you need to understand about focus is that it is an issue of personal responsibility. You are a woman on a mission, the discovery of your mission is what is called vision and abiding in it (your vision) is what is called focus. You must accept and take personal responsibility for your focus as no one can stay focused for you or on your behalf. It is something you must do by yourself and for yourself by God’s Grace making use of His enabling power which He has so richly deposited in you.
2. The number two thing you need to understand about focus is that it is not isolated. For you to be a focused woman there must be something or someone you are focused on. That you give your priority to above all else, you must have an object of focus.
3. To become a focused woman you must start with yourself start with an understanding of who you are and why you are here on planet earth.
(a) Who are you? You are a created being. You were designed and created by someone
(Gen1:26-27).
(b) Why are you here? You are here to fulfill the purpose of He who created you in the first place. (1 Jn 3:8b) “For this purpose (reason) the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (KJV).
Rev 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord to receive glory and honour and power, for thou hath created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (KJV)
Ps 100:3. “Know ye that the Lord He is God, it is He that hath made us and not we ourselves we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.” (KJV) Since God made you, you did not make yourself, He is therefore the only one who is qualified to determine your purpose. Therefore you cannot determine your purpose you are only called to discover it.
4. Prov 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man’s heart but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (NIV) – Therefore your purpose is permanent. A focused woman therefore is a woman who pursues purpose and fulfills it. Purpose is what gives your life focus or what makes your life focused. If you don’t understand why you are here and what you are supposed to be doing while here, you will involve yourself in every irrelevant thing and at the end your life will lack fulfillment. May that never be your portion in Jesus’ name. As a woman of destiny headed for a definite destination your first object of focus must be your creator and the reason why He created you. “ But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” (Matt 6:33) Amp. We live in a world where many legitimate things are vying for our attention but for you to succeed in life you need to focus on God your creator by giving Him first place in your life. When you give God first place in your life you cannot be displaced. The reasons why you need to give God first place in your life as a focused woman are: –
A. God is your ultimate source so your goal should be to follow Him whole heartedly.
B. God is your helper, without Him there is nothing you can do.
C. God is the determiner of your purpose in life so without Him the purpose of your life can never be realized.
As a focused woman therefore your starting point and ending point is God. See the story of Mary and Martha in Lk 10:38-42. Acts 17v28 “In him we live and move and have our being.”
Apostle Paul was a nuisance till He discovered God and through his discovery of God He encountered (discovered) purpose. See also the stories of Rahab, Ruth, Esther etc.
Isa 50:7 “For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded, therefore have I set my face like a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed”. The discovery of your purpose in life is what makes your life focused. You are here on planet earth for a reason and a season. Jer 1:5 “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
When purpose is unknown abuse is inevitable (Myles Munroe). You were made for a mission, discover it and stay with it. Jn 17:4 “I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do” (Msg). Your life is a Divine assignment. A woman of focus understands that she is on a Divine assignment here on planet earth. There is something specific God sent you here to do for Him and until you discover it your life even though outwardly enviable will remain inwardly unfulfilled. But when you discover the reason for your being here at this time your life becomes a bestseller.

A focused woman therefore is a woman who is zeroed on God, serving the purposes of God for her life. According to Matt 6:22 Her eye is single. A focused woman is always forward looking Phil 3:13-14. She forgets her past so that she can embrace her future by making the most of her today.
A focused woman refuses all entreaties to distraction. A focused woman avoids distraction like a plague and fights distraction as hard as she fights the devil. Distractions are usually noisy, the aim is to catch your attention thereby making you to look at them, when you do so you will drown under them. Compare Peter in the book of Matt 14v28-31 to Ruth (Ruth 1-4), Rahab (Josh 2, 6) and Anna the Prophetess (Lk 2:36-38).
Heb 12v1-2 “Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (who have borne testimony to the Truth), let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed cause of the race that is set before us. Looking away (from all that will distract) to Jesus, Who is the leader and the Source of our faith (giving the first incentive for our belief) and is also its Finisher (bringing it to maturity and perfection). He for the joy (of obtaining the prize) that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Amp).

FOCUS BREAKERS
Focus is giving your undivided attention to something. What the devil does is try to break your focus by bringing distractions your way. So you need to recognize the obstacles the devil brings your way as distractions to your fulfilling destiny.
1. Self condemnation – believing that you are too bad for redemption. Plaguing you with past failures. Capitalizing on your past. Refuse to walk in self condemnation because God does not condemn you. (Isa 1v18, Joel 2v25, 1Jn 1v9)
2. Feelings of insecurity and instability, according to James 1:8 results in double mindedness. God is your security and knowledge of his provision for your future will stabilize your life. (2 Corin 5:7, 2 Peter 1:3-4)
3. Inferiority complex, low self esteem. Having feelings inferior to others whom we feel have money, prestige, power, pedigree etc. Not realizing that God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and that you are precious in the sight of God. (Isa 43v4, I Corin 1v27)
4. Offences: – Constitute the bait of satan and manifests as an expression of inward anger towards God and man. (Heb 12:15, Matt18:34-35)
5. Fear: – Fear has torment. Fear of the unknown, present, future. Fear is faith in the devil’s lies and deceit. ( 2 Tim1v7)
6. Wrong association – A woman of focus is very careful about relationships. Never associate with or be friends with someone who lacks focus or you yourself will soon lose focus. Separate yourself from anyone who focuses neither on God nor on God’s purpose i.e. Divine assignment. (1 Corin 15:33, Prov 13:20).

Rewards of focus
1. Divine speed because your life is full of light (Divine illumination). (Matt 6:22)
2. Stress free accomplishment – because you are where God has placed you, you will enjoy divine backing. (1 Thess 5:24)
3. Success: – if you are where God has placed you and you are focused, God himself will grant you good success. (Josh 1:8, 2 Corin 3:18)
4. Peace and Joy: -(Ps 119v165, Jn 16v33, Ps 16v11)
5. Restoration: – (Joel 2:25-27, Jere 30v17).

(Busola Olotu)

THE CHRISTIAN WIFE, HER EXPECTATIONS FROM HER HUSBAND AND HER OWN BASIC RESPONSIBILITY

CHRISTIAN – A believer in CHRIST JESUS, one who has accepted Jesus as Lord and savior and is living the life and not a lie.
HER HUSBAND: – The one she is married to.

HER EXPECTATIONS

1. Gen 2v23-24 – leaving and cleaving
The Christian wife expects her husband to obey this Biblical injunction. Her expectation in this regard is that she and her husband will be so closely knitted together in body, soul and Spirit that all others will become outsiders to the marriage union.

2. Eph 5v25-28 – Sacrificial loving and giving.
In this regard she:-
a. Expects her husband to love her sacrificially as Christ loved the Church.
b. Expects her husband to love her as he loves himself. The word of God says that no man hates his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it even as Christ nourishes and cherishes the Church (see Eph 5v29). When you love your wife, you love yourself.

3. Roms 12v16 – Condescension (mind not high things)
She expects her husband to give her some credit and to be of the same mind with her. Husband please don’t think you know it all, they are valuable contributions your wives can give to issues too.

4. Phil 2v3 – Consideration
She expects her husband to be considerate towards her. Husband don’t be selfish and self centered, enter into the world of your wife, honor and esteem her. The word of God says “Think of others (including your wife) as better than yourself.”
The message Bible translation of Phil 2v3 says “put yourself aside…………. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” Husband lend a helping hand always to your wife.

5. Eph 4v2 – forbearance
She expects her husband to be humble, gentle and patient towards her, making allowances for her faults because of his love for her.
6. Col 4v6 – Good and soothing communication.
She expects her husband to communicate with her graciously and sensibly not angrily, nor bitterly nor condescendingly. Husband please try to bring out the best in your wife in conversation, don’t put your wife down or bully her, don’t cut her out through your harsh words.

7. Eph 4v3 – consensus in family financing.
She expects her husband to be subject to the leadership of the Holy Spirit even in the area of family finances. She expects that her husband will give the Holy Spirit His pride of place in the family so that the peace of God will reign supreme in the home.
She expects both of them to plan their finances together and that the issue of finances will not cause any rancor.

8. Rom 12v9 – Transparency and honesty.
She expects that in her relationship with her husband, there will be no lies, no hiding, no hypocrisy, and no pretence.
Husband Please don’t betray the trust of your wife, be truthful and open to her, trust her, don’t just pretend to love her, really love her and show her that you do.

9. Gal 6v2 – Bearing her burdens.
She expects that her husband will help her to bear some of the burdens of home – making. She expects her husband to share her troubles and challenges with her by helping her practically in any way he can to ease them and praying with her and for her, (Standing in the gap). “Share each others troubles and burdens and so obey our Lord’s command if any one thinks he is too great to stoop to this, he is fooling himself, he is really a nobody.” (Gal 6v2 NLT Bible) Husband be your wife’s hero, her knight in shinning armor, be there for her.

10. Prov 22v6, Eph 6v4, Gen 18v19 – Harmony in child training.
She expects that her husband will partner with her in the bringing up of their children in the way of the Lord. God gave a good testimony about Abraham. Husband don’t be too busy to be of any value to your family and don’t be too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good. Children are the Lords heritage, they are given to you on trust please don’t betray the Lords trust in you. Give your family quality time and don’t leave the up bringing of your children to your wife alone. “Teach a child to choose the right path and when he is older he will remain upon it.”

11. Col 3v16 – Praying and sharing scriptures together morning and evening.
She expects that she and her husband will have times of fellowship and refreshing together. She expects that Gods words will enrich their lives and make them wise. She expects that she and her husband will make out time to spend together in teaching and admonishing each other in Psalms, hymns and the word of God.
In one word The Christian wife expects from her husband TOGETHERNESS. She expects him to give attention to her welfare, love and assist her, respect her feelings, celebrate her, take time out to be with her, listen to her views being understanding of her and tolerant with her.

TEN EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF BOTH MEN AND WOMEN.

1. Admiration
2. Affection – Expression of love
3. Domestic support
4. Family commitment
5. Financial Support
6. Honesty and openness
7. Physical attractiveness
8. Conversation
9. Recreation companionship.
10. Sexual fulfillment.

The way to be fulfilled in marriage is to meet the needs that are most important to each other.

HER BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES

1. To fulfill the role of a help meet Gen 2:8.
2. Reverence, love and honor for her husband
a. Titus 2:5 – Managing her home, living quietly.
b. Loving her husband and children. Titus 2v4
c. Spending time in her own home. Titus 2v5
d. Being kind and obedient to her own husband. 1 Pet 3v1-6.
3. Submission – Eph 5:22-23.
a. Submitting to her husband’s leadership in the same way she submits to Christ.
b. She must willingly obey her husband in every thing, just as the church obeys Christ. Eph 5v24
4. Hospitality – 2 kings 4:9-10.
5. Personal grooming – Provs 31:22
6. Hard work – Prov 31v10-27 These responsibilities mean that a wife has to be a loving companion, a helper, a friend, an encourager, a confident, a supporter, a pillar, a home-maker, a mother. One who cooperates willingly with her husband in fulfilling God’s purpose for her life and the life of their family. All these translate into all kinds of tasks – meals to prepare and serve, beds to make, floors to sweep, clothes to wash and iron, shoe laces to tie, running noses to wipe and a hundred others duties. A wife who focuses on self will definitely not find joy, one who focuses on God will realize that her role as a wife is a Divine assignment and she will yield herself to God as his instrument in building up her family Prov 14:1.
One who focuses on self will be full of complaints, murmuring and self pity.

(Busola Olotu)

THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

Apostle Paul said in the book of Rms 1v16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation…” What gospel are we preaching today, is it the gospel of Christ or another gospel? A gospel that paints God as a Father Christmas who is just there to bless and bless His children and continue to dish out more blessings irrespective of the way His children conduct their lives and order their steps is not the gospel of Christ that was handed down to us. Matt 6v33 “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” See also Rms 13v14, 14v17, 1 Cor 4v20, Isa 1v19-20, Job 36v11-12. A gospel that totally absolves man of any responsibility and accountability towards God and the new life he has received in Christ Jesus is not the gospel that was handed down to us. A gospel that preaches a new level of grace that allows a man to sin against God and His word without any repercussions is not the gospel that was handed down to us. See Rms 6V1-23, Gal 5v19-21, 6v7-8. A gospel that leaves God out of the equation and elevates man to a position of a tin god who is sufficient in himself to make things happen by himself and for himself is not the gospel which was handed down to us, it is another gospel. We can only do all things through Christ in us that strengthens us. Christ in us is our only hope of glory and without Him we are nothing and can do nothing,(Phil 4v13, Col1v27, Jn 15v4-5). A gospel that elevates miracles, signs and wonders over and above the word of God is another gospel. Acts 19v20 “So the word of God grew mightily and prevailed.” Throughout the book of Acts we see The Lord performing miracles, signs and wonders through the early Apostles but the miracles, signs and wonders always came as a confirmation of the word of God that was preached and taught. In the book of Luke 5v17, Jesus was teaching and the power of God was present to heal. In sending out His disciples in the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the instructions of Jesus were, preach the gospel, teach, heal and perform miracles. The above stated gospels that are being presented today are not the gospel of righteousness, self control and the judgement to come which Apostle Paul preached before Governor Felix in the book of Acts24v25. The gospels itemised above are the gospels of men. The gospels of careless living,immorality, deception, lies, occultism, greed and covetousness.
All of us that this message concerns need to examine ourselves and the gospel we are disseminating. Apostle Paul said in the book of 2 Cor 5v10 “For we must ALL appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done whether good or bad.” See also the warning of our Lord Jesus in the book of Matt 7v21-23. May The Lord grant us perfect understanding in Jesus’ Mighty Name Amen.

 

YOU ARE VALUABLE, YOU ARE SOMEBODY

A. Gen. 1:27 – God’s creation of you.
1. God created you.
2. He created you in his own image i.e. likeness of a person or thing, exact representation or copy of a thing.
3. Gen 1:31 God’s verdict after He created you was that “it was very good” God looked at you and said “this is good”

B. God’s pursuit of you- Gen 3:9. To pursue means to chase after or to run after something or someone. In the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day God came to walk with Adam and Eve and to fellowship with them. I.e. Divine presence.

C. God has promised us His divine presence in the pilgrimage of life- Gen 28:15, Isa 46:3-4.

This Divine presence affords rest – Ex. 33:14.
1. Gives courage in life’s battles – Deut 20:1
2. Gives comfort in the trials of life – Isa. 43:2
3. Is assured to the smallest assembly of believers. Matt 18:20.
4. Is assured unto the end – Matt.28:20.

Why in spite of the fact that we are valuable to God and we are somebody in the sight of God do we feel valueless and insignificant?
Gen. 3:8-9
a. Sin – causes us to feel shameful and valueless.
b. Low self Esteem – inflicted upon us by ourselves or other people.
c. Adam and Eve felt shame; also shame causes us to feel inferior. We have true shame and false shame. You feel true shame when you feel guilty for your sin and false shame when you feel guilty or dirty or valueless because another person has sinned against you.
What was the root of the shame? The fall of man (Rom 5v12). When Adam and Eve fell they tried to hide from God – Gen 3:10-11, Ps. 139:7-12. There is no where that we can hide from the presence of THE ALMIGHTY GOD.

D. Looking inwards – What is causing you to feel valueless?
(a) Sin
(b) Shame
(c) Lack of self worth
(d) Criticisms of others etc.
Gen 3:7 tells us that Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness with a few flimsy fig leaves. According to Isa. 59:2 our sins and iniquities separate us from God.
Jesus has already taken away our sins, shame, guilt, inferiority complex. Isa 53:4-6, Rom. 6:22-23.
Where do we stand with God now? Eph 2:4-7, Heb. 4:14-16.
You are so valuable in God’s sight that Jesus shed His precious blood for you just to cover your sin, shame, nakedness, unworthiness etc. Don’t let anyone, any situation, any circumstance, any challenge, any opinion cause you to feel inferior or valueless. Ps. 34:5.

Shalom

Busola Olotu

PROVS 14V34 “RIGHTEOUS EXALTS A NATION BUT SIN IS A REPROACH TO ANY PEOPLE”

We cannot continue confessing the promises of God over Nigeria our nation without first addressing the issue of sin. In addressing the issue of sin we members of the church of God in Nigeria must first and foremost address the issue of sin in our individual lives. The word of God declares in the book of 2Cor13v5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves……” Set an examination for yourself based on God’s word and your responsibility to it and score yourself and then you will know whether or not you are actually following the master. After we have addressed sin in our own individual lives then we now turn to addressing it in the body of Christ in general. After this we now qualify to address sin in the Nation and God will help us because we have first ordered our ways before Him. 2Chron27v6 “So Jotham’s strength was rooted in his steady and determined life of obedience to God.” (Msg Bible translation). Our strength to address the unsavoury state of affairs in our Nation lies in our steady and determined life of obedience to the God we say we are serving. Every promise in the Bible is conditional. The condition must first be met before the promise can be invoked. We the body of Christ in Nigeria must become possessors of the nature of Christ in spirit, soul and body. Rms6v1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that Grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”. 1Jn5v18 “We know that whosoever is born of God does not sin, but he who is born of God keeps himself(from sin) and the wicked one does not touch him.” Material, financial prosperity is not a sign of a sin free life because even those in the world who do not know or serve God have it. It is also certainly not a sign of God’s approval of a child of God’s life or works. The Church of Laodicea in the book of Rev3v14-22 were certainly not lacking in material and financial prosperity but Christ did not approve of them. I believe in material and financial prosperity, I also believe it is the will of God to prosper His children beyond that which they can think or imagine but there is a good success Joshua1V8 and a bad success. The word of God qualifies the kind of prosperity that is acceptable to God, this is the whole essence of the parable of the rich fool in the book of Lk12v13v21. He was successful in the eyes of the world but in the eyes of God his success was a bad one, ditto the Laodicean church. I do not claim to have all the answers but this one thing I know God is Holy and for those of us who claim to belong to Him, we must be holy and make holiness a way of life. We as Christians cannot continue compromising our faith and living below the standard of God. Gal6v7-8 “Do not be deceived God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man sows, that will he also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” The Church of God in Nigeria should be the solution not constitute part of the problem. Let the Church return back to her first love. Let the church return to God in true repentance and let every child of God in his or her sphere of influence live by the word. The disciples of Christ were called christians in Antioch because their lives modeled that of Christ. Let our individual lives model that of Christ then let’s see if our Country will not change and become a prosperous and healthy Nation. This prescription might appear too simple but the gospel of Christ has always been a simple one it is men who have complicated it. 2Corin11v3 “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” May The Almighty God grant us perfect understanding in Jesus’ Name Amen.(Busola Olotu)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

 

 

We in Nigeria are praying and waiting on God to do something about the situation in our Country but actually God is waiting on the Church in Nigeria to rise up and take her place in destiny for such a time as this.

(Busola Olotu)

WHERE ARE THE SAMUELS?

1Sam16V4″So Samuel did what the Lord said and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said “Do you come peaceably?”

In the above verse of scripture, The Lord sent Prophet Samuel on an errand to Bethlehem and when he got there the elders of the town trembled at his coming. The Spirit of The Lord took me to this verse of Scripture and asked me a question “Where are the Samuels?” The Lord asked me this question as I was seeking His face concerning the state of our Nation, Nigeria. I, like so many others have been burdened and interceding for Nigeria. I have been perplexed as to why things are taking a turn for the worst inspite of so much prayers being offered on behalf of the Nation. Samuel in the Bible is a model of Godly spiritual leadership. Samuel is a model of the courage and boldness spiritual leaders need to possess to lead effectively and to be a voice that will bring the word of God to bear on contemporary issues. A voice of Godly direction in times of distress and tribulations in the life of a Nation. A voice to exhort, rebuke, confront, instruct, correct and establish God’s Righteousness. 1 Sam7v3-6,11″Then Samuel spoke to all Israel saying “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths’ from among you and prepare your hearts for the Lord and serve Him only and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” So the children of Israel put away the Baals and Ashtoreths and served the Lord only. And Samuel said “Gather all Israel at Mizpah and I will pray to the Lord for you.” So they gathered at Mizpah, drew water and poured it out before The Lord. And they fasted that day and said there “we have sinned against the Lord…………………………..”Verse11″So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.”
In the above Scripture during the time of National crises in Israel, Samuel arose as a true spiritual leader, He led the people to effective National repentance, brought them back to God and established God’s Righteousness. The crises ended, the enemies were flushed out and peace and prosperity returned to the Nation. Today our Nation is in dire need of the Samuels who will lead the Nation to effective National repentance, bring us back to God, establish God’s righteousness in the land so that the enemies of our Nation can be destroyed and uprooted and peace and prosperity return to Nigeria.
1Sam3v19-20
“So Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground………………….”. Samuel in the Bible was a spiritual leader who had a word from God about present situations and none of his words fell to the ground because they were God’s words. Nigeria at this time is in dire need of the Samuels that will hear clearly the voice of God, key into God’s heartbeat regarding the present state of the Nation and declare God’s words that will not fall to the ground. Samuels who will fearlessly declare God’s truth, taking a stand for God not minding the earthly consequences. Biblical Samuels, spiritual leaders who are accountable to God and responsible to the people. 1Sam13V13-14″And Samuel said to Saul “you have done foolishly. you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom will not continue…………..”
1Sam15V16-19″Then Samuel said to Saul “Be quiet! and I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night. And he said to him “speak on”. So Samuel said “when you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? and did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? Now the Lord sent you on a mission and said “Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalakites and fight against them until they are consumed. Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil and do evil in the sight of the Lord………….” 1Sam15V23″………Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”
Samuel in the Bible was close enough to the king ship to help, direct, encourage and pray for Saul but he was also separate enough to confront Saul when he sinned and unequivocally declare the mind of God to him. He did not shrink from playing his role as instructed by God, nor was he intimidated by Saul’s position as King. He squarely confronted Saul’s disobedience and fearlessly declared God’s judgement of Saul. Samuel wept and interceeded for Israel and the King but he still took the action required. Our Nation is in dire need of the present day Samuels who will fearlessly confront ungodly, unrighteous and corrupt political leaders who are not abiding by their oath of office, declaring God’s judgement over them. Political leaders in Government in Nigeria who like King Saul are no longer obedient to God nor responsive to the people they claim to be leading. Political leaders in our Nation who like King Saul have stopped effectively leading but are merely serving their own personal interests. Where are the present day Samuels who will rise up and pronounce God’s judgement on hard hearted and self serving office holders in our Nation? In my opening Scripture, when Samuel entered Bethlehem, the Elders of the land came trembling to meet him. Nigeria is in dire need of present day Samuels who when they go to the seat of power in Nigeria the leaders in Government will tremble at their coming.
WHERE ARE THE SAMUELS? May God grant us perfect understanding.

READ, THINK, PRAY AND ACT

Neh4v9″We countered with prayer to our God and set a round-the-clock guard against them.”
Another translation of this same verse says”we prayed and we posted a guard”. The NKJV reads “Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.”
In this verse of scripture we see Nehemiah’s response to the conspiracy of his enemies to stop him from completing his Divine assignment. The point I want us to note here is that Nehemiah did not stop at praying alone. He made prayer his first priority but he also carried out his own responsibility by securing the wall against enemy attack. I want to use this verse of Scripture as a reference point concerning the situation in Nigeria today. Much prayer has gone over this Nation and much prayer is still being offered daily. The question is “why does it appear as if things are taking a turn for the worse? Is God no longer answering our prayers in Nigeria?” The God I have come to know and serve is a Father and He does answer prayers. A Father always answers the cry of his children but no father can do for his children what he has already empowered them to do for themselves. Even we as earthly parents will not do for our children what we have empowered them to do for themselves. For empowerment always comes with responsibility. The church of God is the voice of the Nation. We are the mouthpiece of God. We are the ones who should bear the responsibility of revealing the mind of God concerning burning issues in our Nation. We must act as the conscience of the people, we cannot afford to remain silent in the face of sin, hypocrisy, deception, corruption, bloodshed, kidnapping,terrorism and the various evils bedeviling our Nation now. I know some people have arisen e.g the Abuja Patriots and other women organization specifically concerning the Chibok girls, but I am talking in a much wider context of the state of the Nation now. Psalm 115V16″The heaven, even the heavens are the Lord’s but the earth He has given to the Children of men”. God’s method on planet earth has always been man but God must first of all locate usable men. Don’t misunderstand me , God can use anything, He used a donkey once(Balaam’s donkey) but any good student of the Bible will agree with me that this is not God’s usual method of dealing with situation and
circumstances. In
Populating this entire universe he started with one man, Adam. In raising the Nation of Israel he called out one man, Abraham etc. In Nigeria today God will still use men(i.e men and women) but as much as He desires to, we must make ourselves available. Gods eyes are roaming to and fro over Nigeria looking for those who will tune to His heartbeat concerning Nigeria at such a time as this. God has already empowered them, He is now summoning them, asking them to arise for His purposes at this time. He is asking them to arise with courage and boldness for such a time as this. God will not necessarily use those whom the world is celebrating, He can use the things despised by the world to confound the wise. The Lord has asked me to sound the clarion call. Where are the Moses’?, the deliverers. Where are the Samuels?, the true prophets whose words will not fall to the ground because they are declaring God’s words. Where are the Davids? the ones God will use to slay the God defiers and God deniers in our Nation. Where are the Azariahs and the eighty Priests who will confront and withstand abomination in the Nation as those priests withstood King Uzziah? Where are the Ezekials who will prophesy against evil men, ancient and scornful men in the land? Where are the Esthers? the if I perish, I perish company. Where are the Deborah’s the mothers in Israel who will arise for such a time as this? Where are the John the baptists, the lone voices crying against unrighteousness, hypocrisy, deception, corruption in the Nation particularly in Government? Where are the seven thousand in Israel reserved by The Lord for such a time as this who have not bowed their knees to baal? Where are they? The time to arise is now! The time to speak forth is now! The time to stand against unrighteousness is now! The time to reprove the hidden works of the present darkness is now! The time to prophesy against the ancient and scornful men is now! The time to withstand ungodly and untruthful leaders who perpetrate and perpetuate abomination in the land is now! The time to slay every goliath defying and defiling the children of the living God in our land is now! The time to speak the truth in righteousness is now! The time is now, not tomorrow, not next year, it is now! Nehemiah said we prayed and we posted a guard.” We have prayed and we will continue to make prayer a priority but we must arise now and do what God has already empowered us to do. The church of God in Nigeria must arise, you and I as the body of Christ in this Nation must arise and take our place in destiny for such a time as this. God will not come down, He will use you and I. May God grant us perfect understanding in Jesus’ Name Amen.

(Busola Olotu)

THIS PRESENT WOMAN (Part II)

Last time I talked of “This Present Woman” as a woman of purpose (understanding purpose and fulfilling it) and vision (divine revelation). You will discover that this present woman is a woman of purpose and vision because she is a woman who knows God, a woman who has found her place in God by becoming His child.

This is the distinguishing mark. Because she knows she is a child of the Most High God she is woman of great confidence in her God, you can never find her leaning on her own understanding (Proverbs 3v5-6). Her trust is in the Lord forever (Isa 26v4). Because her trust is in the Lord forever she remains unshakeable even when facing great challenges (Ps 125v1)

She is a woman who enjoys perfect peace because her mind is stayed on the Lord (Isa 26v3).

She is a blessed woman because she trusts in the Lord and her hope is in Him (Jere 17v7). This present woman knows that she is not an accident or a mistake, or a misfit. She understands the fact that she is God’s own masterpiece made in His image and likeness. Because of this understanding she is a fearless woman (I Jn 4v18).

She has an understanding of the fact that the Lord is her light and salvation (Ps 27v1-3). Even though she fears no man she has a reverential fear of God (Prov 31v30).

This present woman is a woman of great courage and boldness; she understands and takes to heart the word of the Lord in the book of Prov 28v1 “The wicked flee when no man pursueth; but the righteous are bold as a lion”. She also puts to practice the admonition of the Psalmist in Psalm 27v14 “Wait on the Lord and be of good courage….”

Another quality we see in this present woman is that she is a wise woman (Proverbs 4v7). She is full of God’s wisdom, the sevenfold Spirit of God as expounded in Isa 11v1 is her portion. She has the Holy Spirit i.e. the Spirit of the Lord dwelling in her. She operates in the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. This present woman is also a woman of great faith she possesses the God-kind of faith and presses forcefully to enter into God’s kingdom because she wants to please God. She is indeed a God chaser. (Matt 11v12 and Heb 11v6)

This present woman is an over comer, she knows that she can only be an over comer in Christ Jesus. She knows Jesus Christ won the war for her over 2000 years ago so she wins all her battles. She is also an over comer in Christ because her victory is her faith in Christ. She has made Jesus her Lord and Saviour, she has not only accepted Jesus as saviour but He is also the Sovereign Lord of her life (IJn 5v4, Jn 1v12-13, Jn 15v1-2, Rev 3v21).

This present woman is a fruitful woman, she realizes that spiritual, physical and material fruitfulness are commanded concerning her in the word of God. (Col 1v10). In Jn 15v16 it is written “Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you that ye should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain…..”

This present woman is a woman who is using her God given talents for the extension of God’s kingdom here on earth. She does not neglect the gift that has been so richly bestowed upon her by the Holy Spirit (ITim 4v14). She studies to show herself approved unto God (II Tim 2v15), so she is a work man that is not ashamed. She rightly divides the word of God i.e. she knows what God’s word says and means. Also she is a fighter, she fights the good fight of faith and does not entangle herself with the affairs of this life because she wants to please Him who called her and chose her (I Tim 6v12, II Tim 2v4)

This present woman is woman of great love; she loves her neighbours and enemies because this is what her God whom she loves has demanded of her. (Mk 12v30-31, Matt 5v44-46, I Cor 13v1-8).

Ultimately this present woman is a complete and fulfilled woman because she has accomplished and attained God’s Divine purpose for her life and arrived at a definite and defined destination. Do you qualify to be THIS PRESENT WOMAN?

Shalom!

 

THIS PRESENT WOMAN (Part I)

Who is this present woman?

She is the woman of this day and age, the woman of this present moment, the woman of this hour. One distinguishing feature of this present woman is the fact that she has understanding of the times we are in now. The Bible talks of the children of Issachar in the book of I Chronicles 12v32 and describes them as “Men that had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do……”

May I ask you woman of destiny, do you have an understanding of the time we are in now? Do you know what God expects of you at such a time as this?

We are in the last days, the days include the days between Christ’s first and second coming. The term “last days” is another way of saying “from now on”

According to Joel 20v28, in the last days God will pour out His Spirit upon ALL FLESH, both men and women. This was clearly demonstrated in the book of Acts 2v1-4 where the 120 men and women in the upper room received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, that is, the power from high to enable them to do the works of Christ and the greater works.

This present moment includes the last days so this present woman, the woman of this day and age is the woman who will flow in the unction and anointing of these last days.

Who then is this present woman; permit me to introduce her to you.

The first thing we notice about her is that she is a woman of purpose, understanding purpose and fulfilling it. “The greatest tragedy on earth is not death but life without a purpose, life without a reason for living. It is in fact dangerous to be alive and not know why you have been given the gift of life” (Myles Munroe).

This present woman is one who understands that purpose is the key to life and without purpose life actually is meaningless. Woman of destiny know that you are here for a reason.

This present woman knows that fulfilling purpose must be her primary goal in life. “Purpose is the original intent in the mind of the Creator, which motivated Him to create a particular thing”. (Myles Munroe).

The purpose of a thing is what it is designed to do or be. You do not determine your purpose in life; you are called to discover it.

The book of Eccl. 3v1 says “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven”. Woman of destiny headed for a definite destination, the fact that you are alive today is evidence that there is a deposit in you that this generation needs.

If you fail to discover personal purpose and pursue it relentlessly you do not qualify to be known as this present woman”. I want you to know that fulfilling purpose does not just happen by accident; you are responsible for the intentional fulfillment of your purpose so that the world may benefit from your contribution.

The next thing we notice about “this present woman” is that she is a woman of great vision. In the book of proverbs 29v18a we read “Where there is no vision, the people perish….”.

Purpose creates vision, the discovery of your purpose in life is what will create in you a valid vision, when you catch a vision, the pursuit of this vision is what produces goals, goals will translate into a plan for achieving the vision and a plan is what permits you to go on. When you plan for something it becomes orderly. Vision is simply the ability to see the end from the beginning. It is only purpose that is translated into vision that causes extraordinary things to happen and people to act. The NIV Bible translation of Proverbs 29v18(a) states “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint”. To qualify as “this present woman” you must be a woman of great revelation because vision also means a Divine revelation from God. Woman of destiny headed for a definite destination do you qualify to be addressed as “This Present Woman?”

Shalom.

THE SAME GOD

 

Ephesians 3 v 20 “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us”

Who is Him in this verse of scripture? He is the Almighty God, the creator of all things visible and invisible, Elohim the one who spoke in the beginning and it was so, who commanded and it stood fast. (Genesis 3 v 1-3, Ps 33 v 9). He is able to bring something out of nothing. The same God that created all things out of nothing is able to bring something beautiful out of the nothing of your life.

He is El-Shaddai, God The Almighty. In His Almightiness He turned a barren woman of 90 years named Sarah into a joyful mother of a son named Isaac meaning laughter. He turned a man of 100 years of age named Abraham into the proud father of the son God had promised him 25 years earlier (Genesis 15 v 4-5, 17 v 1, 15 and 21 v 1-3). Has God said it? He will surely do it, has God promised? He will surely bring it to pass (Numbers 23 v 19).

The same God is able to bring laughter into your life today by causing all your barren land to become a fruitful vine in Jesus’ name. He is able to make the barren woman to be a joyful mother of children. He is the same God and He will come through for you in this season of your life.

He is the same God that met Jacob in the book of Genesis 32 v 22-32 at a place called Peniel and changed his name from Jacob (supplanter) to Israel (He will rule as God). He is able to change every negative name you were ever called and give you a glorious name that will catapult you into your enviable destiny.

He is the same God who in the book of Genesis 41 elevated Joseph a slave and prisoner in Egypt to the position of Prime Minister. This elevation and transformation took place within a 24 hour period. This Joseph woke up a slave and prisoner and went to bed a Prime Minister second only to Pharaoh in the whole of Egypt. This was a Divine elevation and transformation which only God could achieve in the life of Joseph. The same God is able to turn your life around by giving you, your own 24 hour miracle of Divine elevation and transformation which will cause you to become a wonder to all those who know you.

In the book of Exodus 8 v 22-23 the same God caused a separation between the Egyptians and the children of Israel in the land of Goshen. The land of Goshen where the Israelites lived was spared from the plagues that afflicted the Egyptians. The same God is able to deliver you from every evil. In the book of Psalm 91 v 7, His promise is that a thousand will fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but it shall not come near you. “I prophesy upon you that in Jesus’ name every evil behind you will never catch up with you and you will never catch up with the evil in front of you in Jesus’ name. The same God has caused a separation between you and everything called evil ”.

The same God divided the red sea in the book of Exodus 14 and the children of Israel walked on dry ground. Pharaoh’s army was behind, the red sea was in front and in the natural it appeared that there was no deliverance for the children of Israel but the same God stepped into the situation and did what no-one else could do. He made a way where there appeared to be no way. The same God will make a way for you, in this season of your life, where in the natural there appears to be no deliverance, no way of escape, the same God will make a way of escape for you as He did for the Israelites.

In the book of Exodus 15, 16 and 17 the same God changed bitter water to sweet, He rained down manna (food) from heaven, He brought water out of the rock. The same God is able to meet you at the point of your need. The same God that preserved and provided for the Israelites in the wilderness is the same God we are calling upon. He is able to replicate and duplicate every miracle He performed in the life of physical Israel, because we are spiritual Israel. The same God is able and willing.

The same God is the God of David. He showed up in the book of I Samuel 17 when Goliath the Philistine was challenging the children of Israel causing them to be fearful and weary of heart. The same God is the God who poured upon David the Divine enablement to challenge the challenger and prevail. The same God is able to silence forever every giant challenging your divine destiny. I prophesy upon your life and destiny that every Goliath challenging your destiny shall fall after the order of Goliath in the Bible in Jesus’ Mighty name amen.

The same God appeared as the fourth man in the fiery furnace in the book of Daniel Chapter 3 when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown in. He turned the heat into an air conditioner. The same God shut the mouth of lions in the book of Daniel 6 and the lions were unable to harm Daniel. To prove to us that the lions could feed on humans when Daniel’s enemies were thrown into the den of lions in the book of Dan 6 v 24 even before they hit the ground they were devoured.

The same God is able to save you out of every unpleasant situation and deliver you from every dangerous situation when you trust in Him alone.

What more can I say about HIM?

The same God left His throne in heaven, took up a body and came down to planet earth in the person of the Lord Jesus. According to the book of Phil 2 v 6-7 “Though He was God, He did not demand and cling to His rights as God. He made Himself nothing, He took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form and in human form, He obediently humbled Himself even further by dying a criminals death on a cross” (NLT translation).

Jn 1 v 14 “So the word became human and lived here on earth among us” (Msg translation)

The same God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil (I Jn 3 v 8). He was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power to go about doing good and to heal all those oppressed by the devil (Acts 10 v 38). The same God healed the sick, made the lame to walk, opened blind eyes, turned water into wine, and raised the dead. He set free the woman bound by the spirit of infirmity for 18 years, He healed the lame man at the pool of Bethsaida who had been lame for 38 years. The same God is able to deliver to the utmost even today for according to the book of Hebrews 13v8 “He is the same yesterday, today and forevermore”. What He did yesterday He is still able to do today. Everything plaguing your divine destiny preventing it from manifesting will be supernaturally removed by the same God. Every knee of the wasters, suckers, blockers and emptiers of your destiny shall bow at the superior name of Jesus. He is the same God, the same yesterday, today and forevermore (Heb 3v8). There is no variableness or shadows of turning in Him. He does not change like shifting shadows (James 1v17)

You can call on the same God today and He will hear and answer. The same God according to the book of Eph 3 v 20 “Is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”

a)      He is able to do all things

The divine ability to do all things resides in God. The book of Luke 1v37 tells us that there is no impossibility with Him. He can create a path to your desired miracle, He can make perfect every imperfection in your life. He can bring an end to every wilderness experience in your life. He can heal your sick body, He can put all your enemies to an open shame. He can do for you what no man can do.

b)      He is willing to do good things for His children

The willingness to do good things for His children resides in the same God who is also our heavenly father (Matt 6v9, 7v11, Jere 29v11, Matt 8v1-3)

c)      Exceeding i.e. distance, abundantly i.e. quantity, above i.e. height. The same God is a God of increase, enlargement, promotion, and multiplication.

d)      According to the power that works in us we can only receive from this same God in accordance to the power that works in us. We have the responsibility of stirring up the right power (Matt 28v18, Lk 10v19, Ps 62v11, Jn 17v2).

The disciples stirred up the right power. Paul prayed in the book of Ephesians 1v19 “I pray that you begin to understand the incredible greatness of His power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead”

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that is resident in you, i.e.the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1v8, 10v38, Jn 14v12). Stir up the right power it is the same God at work in you, waiting to be manifested through you. God is waiting on you to discover yourself.

Busola Olotu

Job 38 v 12-13

Job 38 v 12-13, ‘Have you commanded the morning since your days began and cause the dawn to know it’s place, so that (light) may get hold of the corners of the earth and shake the wickedness (of night) out of it?’, Ps 8 vs. 4-6, ‘What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of (earthborn) man that you care for him? Yet you have made him but a little lower than God, and You have crowned him with glory and honour. You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet. Jn 14 vs. 12. “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father”. (Amp)

You can take charge of the spiritual terrain and bombard the forces of darkness. You can take the battle to the gates of the enemy. You can come against every works of darkness, every habitation of cruelty. You can disarm every mystery of iniquity. You can put to the flight the armies of the aliens. You can become a terror, a constant terror to the devil and his cohorts. You can stay spiritually awake and alert and win your battles. The enemy will learn to respect your territory; he will not be able to overrun you or your territory. I am sure you are asking yourself ‘can I really do all these things? Am I this strong?’ Of course You are, if you are born-again, blood washed and born of God. (Jn 3 vs 3, 6)

According to the book of Col 1 vs 27(b) and 1Jn 4 v 4   Jesus Christ the anointed one and His anointing is in you. This is precisely why the word of God refers to you as more than a conqueror (Rom 3 v 39). You are the stronger man and all other strong men must bow to the greater one in you. Lk 11 v 21-22, Matt 12 v 29. Don’t have a grasshopper mentality like the 10 Hebrew spies in Numbers 13 v 33. Wake up the sleeping giant in you, arise and conquer, possess your possessions in Jesus’ name.

Pst. Busola Olotu

SELF DISCOVERY

 SOMETHINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FAITH

 Heb 11 v 6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is rewarder of them that diligently seek Him”

Know that faith does not stagger at the promises of God, it maintains its confession in the face of overwhelming opposition. Do not deny the facts but you must fight the facts with the truth of Gods word. Know that you must not let the facts wane or dissipate your faith.  In your life refuse to consider the natural circumstances or evidence that seems to war against your faith; refuse to be moved by what you hear, see or feel.

Know that faith always has a good report and God’s word is the evidence your success, health, victory, progress and prosperity. The word of God is the only true evidence you must consider,  for it is absolutely infallible and immutable. Know that faith in God and in His word is your evidence that what God says are yours  are truly yours, what God says you are, you are and what God says you can do, you can do, you can stake your life on it. Therefore do not stagger at the word of God through unbelief, embrace the word of God as Abraham did according to the book of Romans 4 v 19-21 “Abraham was not weak in faith, he did not consider the natural circumstances of his body that was already one hundred years old, nor did he consider the fact of the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not stagger at the promise of God through unbelief but his faith remained strong and even though he had not yet received the promise, he was giving glory to God for the performance of it for he was fully persuaded that what God had promised He would perform”.

Are you persuaded that the negative situation and circumstances around you must bow to the word of God? Refuse to allow the situation around you to determine who you become or what you say or do. Let your confidence in the word of God be total and unwavering, do not stagger in unbelief knowing that the word of God is guaranteed to produce the desired results, it has never failed, it will never fail, it can never fail.

Pst. Busola Olotu

THE SPIRIT OF DEBORAH

 

JUDGES 5V6-8

“In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied and the travelers walked through by-ways. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until I Deborah arose,  I arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods, and there was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?”

Judges 4v4 “And Deborah, a prophetess the wife of Lapidoth, she Judged Israel at that time”

Deborah was a woman of destiny who led a life of influence and impact. Deborah was introduced to us in the book of Judges as first a prophetess, then a wife and a judge. To be a prophet or prophetess signifies that you are a person in close relationship with God, set apart by Him to regularly hear from Him and disseminate His message to the people. Deborah was described also as a wife but she didn’t deny or resist her position in the culture as a woman and a wife but she never allowed herself to be hindered by her gender.

In the book of Judges 5v6-8 we are given a graphic description by Deborah herself of the condition of the Land of Israel, the decadence, ungodliness and evil that pervaded the land such that village life i.e. the simplest uncomplicated form of life had ceased.

In order to appreciate the Spirit that was resident in this woman Deborah, which caused her to rise as a mother in Israel in the days of gross darkness we need to first examine the prevailing situation in the land in the days she arose.

First and foremost we are told that “the highways were unoccupied and travelers walked through byways.”

In the book of Isaiah 35v8 it is written “And a highway shall be there, and a way of holiness, the unclean shall not pass over it but it shall be for those: The way faring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” (KJV)

“And a highway will be there, it will be called the ways of holiness. The unclean will not Journey on it, it will be for those who walk in the way, and wicked fools will not go about on it.” (NIV).

In the days of Deborah Israel as a nation had abandoned the highways of Holiness, the whole land was in a backslidden state, every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21v25). In the days of Deborah as it is in our own day and age now, every man was seeking their own good; even the priests and Levites were not left out.

The next thing we are told about those days was that “village life ceased in Israel”. Village life depicts the simplest, uncomplicated life. There is no artificiality in village life, every man remains in the truest form of his nature, not trying to impress anyone or camouflage.

When village life ceases pride comes in, sincerity takes the back seat, hypocrisy becomes the bane, sin becomes prevalent, and artificiality is celebrated. The next thing we are told is that they chose new gods. The people of Israel chose new objects of worship. They pledged their allegiance to new gods which is Idolatry. Anything that takes the place of God in our lives becomes an Idol.

The people of Israel in Deborah’s time chose new pursuits, inventions. They focused on new things; they abandoned the living God who had so miraculously delivered them from the bondage of Egypt.

Finally we are told that there was war in the gates; yet there was no shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel. The war had shifted from the gates of the enemy to the gates of the land. Anytime the people’s focus shifted from God, He allowed their enemies to overpower them. Anytime a  people shift their focus from God trouble will always dominate their gates. Sin removes every weapon of war and leaves man in a pitiable, defeated state. The land of Israel in the time of Deborah was in a state of apostasy.

Righteousness is what exalts a nation; sin is a reproach to any people. It was during a time such as this when there was no one willing to take a stand for God that this great daughter of destiny Deborah arose a shinning star.

In the book of Judges 5v6-8 after describing the pitiable condition of the land of Israel, she tells us her response to this great need for a deliverer, she said “I Deborah AROSE a mother in Israel.”

Deborah arose to the challenge, Deborah arose to meet the need of the hour, Deborah arose a mother in Israel i.e. A mother to exhort, a mother to comfort, a mother to encourage, a mother to teach and counsel, a mother to intercede, a mother to impact faith. When no man was willing to face the challenge of the hour in those days, when every one had agreed to settle for the status quo, Deborah arose a daughter of destiny; she arose a vessel of honor, sanctified and fit for the master’s use. This is why God is raising her up in this day and age as His standard, His example as a true daughter of destiny, a woman of influence in the likeness of Christ.

What Spirit was operating in Deborah that caused her to be such a blessing to her generation and generations unborn? What caused her to arise a daughter of destiny to fulfill God’s call upon her life? What caused her to arise for such a time as this?

I want you to know that the Spirit.  of Deborah was the Spirit of Christ. Jesus said in the book of Mk 8v34 “Whosoever will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”.

First and foremost the Spirit of Deborah like the Spirit of Christ was that of self denial. Deborah did not regard herself or her life, she was part of the “if I perish, I perish company.” She arose and denied herself, she arose a mother in Israel, she arose and followed Barrack into battle, she arose and Judged Israel for 40yrs, she arose and fulfilled Gods purpose for her life.

She took up her individual cross and followed the leading of God; she worked the works of God while it was yet day.

It is not by accident that the scripture referred to Deborah as first and foremost a prophetess i.e. a woman surrendered to God, who had a personal altar with God. A woman who knew how to shut out the world and share her life with God behind closed doors, a woman who learnt to hear God’s voice and follow it, a woman lead by the Spirit of God.

Just like the Lord Jesus Christ, Deborah walked in the Spirit of meekness and humility.

Meekness means submissiveness and long suffering. For anyone to be able to Judge Israel for 40yrs and it was recorded that during this time the land had rest, that person must be submissive to God  and long suffering towards the people. We also see the operation of this Spirit in Deborah in her willingness to follow Barrack into battle. (Judges 4v8-9, Judges 5v30).

The Spirit of Deborah, like the Spirit of Christ was the Spirit of humility to such an extent that even though she was a Judge and a warrior she was still referred to as the wife of Lappidoth. In spite of her intimidating credentials she was still humble enough to submit herself under the leadership and authority of her husband. The Spirit of God who wrote the scripture referred to Deborah as The Wife of Lappidoth, this means she was to Mr. Lappidoth a wife after Gods own design. (A humble and submissive help meet).

This Spirit of humility is also evident in her not seeking for recognition because even though she followed Barrack into battle she knew that another woman Jael would get the glory for the subduing of the enemy.

There was no spirit of pride or self aggradization in this woman Deborah; she was a humble servant of the Lord. (Judges 4v4, 5v9).

Deborah like the Lord Jesus walked in the Spirit of love. Like Christ she had a love for God (Jn14v31, Deut 10v12, 11v1) Love for Gods work (Jn9v4, 14v21) love for God’s people (Jn15v12, Acts 10v38, 1Jn 4v11, 1Jn 3v16, Eph 5v2).

Deborah like Jesus had a heart of compassion. This Spirit of compassion for the sorry state of the people and the land was what caused her to arise a mother in Israel (Judges 5v6-9).

Christ was compassionate towards the people he came in contact with (Matt 9v36, 14v14, Luke 7v13).

The Spirit of Deborah was a Spirit of courage and boldness, just like Christ was a man of great courage and boldness. (Acts4v13, 2Tim 1v7, Judges 4v9).

The Spirit of Deborah was the Spirit of prayer, like Christ Deborah was a woman of prayer, a woman of great intimacy with God, fully submitted to the will of God for her life. (Lk 22v41-51, 9v28, Jn 5v30, Judges 4v4).

Deborah like Jesus was a woman of burdens, Jesus had a burden for the lost (Lk 19v10, 41-44), and Deborah had a burden for her nation (Judges 5v6-9).

Deborah had the mind of Christ, the mind of Christ was characterized by five attributes and these attributes were evident in the life of Deborah: –

1. Humility (Phil 2v6-8)
2. Dependence upon God (Jn 5v19, 30). Jesus sought only the will of the Father.
3. Obedience i.e. a determination to do only the Fathers will (Jn 5v30)
4. Thoughtfulness of others (Matt 26v39, 42, Acts 10v38)
5. A willingness to sacrifice and suffer and even to die for the good of others (2 Corin 8v9, Rms 5v6-8, 1 Pet 2v24).

My dear sisters in Christ know for a certainty that in this hour God is raising up for himself a Deborah generation, a godly company of women operating in the Spirit of Deborah which is the Spirit of Christ, i.e. the Holy Spirit Himself.

Will you not be part of this army of women of influence in the likeness of Christ?

Will not be part of this army of relevant, gifted and winning women?

The ball is in your court, Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart urging you, calling you to be part of this great move on planet earth at this hour, may you heed his call.

 

Pst. Busola Olotu.

BEWARE OF THE SERPENT

Genesis 3 v 1-7 “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. He said to the woman “has God indeed said you shall not eat of every tree of garden?” (Verse 1) NKJV

The first question we need to ask is “who is this serpent that appeared to Eve in the garden?” The answer is found in the book of Rev 12 v 9 it reads “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast out to the earth and his angels with him”. So much information has been revealed to us in this verse of scripture: –

1)      It was satan, the devil himself, the ultimate deceiver who appeared to Eve in the form of a serpent to deceive her and abort her glorious destiny.

2)      This same devil, i.e. the serpent is still very much alive and active on planet earth today. He was cast out to the earth.

3)      He is still very active in his business of deception. He has not changed his tactics.

4)      He is not alone; he has hordes of demonic angels at his bidding.

We need to be watchful, alert and discerning so that we do not fall into the serpents deception like Eve. The word of God declares that the devil roams around like a roaring lion looking for whom to devour, we are to resist him steadfast in the faith. (I Peter 5 v 8-9)

The serpent in Gen 3 v 1 is described as “cunning” another word used in place of cunning in the KJV of the Bible is the word ‘crafty’. The devil did not come out to contradict God’s instruction to Adam and Eve he simply encouraged Eve to question it. He suggested to Eve that God was withholding good from her.

To be crafty means among other things to be scheming tricky and deceitful. The devil does not have any power over a true born-again child of God but he can scheme, trick or deceive you out of your inheritance in Christ Jesus. He can strategically and insidiously rob you of God’s best for your life and destiny like he did to Adam and Eve. This is why you must beware of the serpent and his tricks. He is a man of many disguises, he loves to hide himself. The word of God declares that it is not uncommon for him to show up disguised as an angel of light. (II Cor 11 v 14)

Genesis 3 v 2-5 And the woman said to the serpent “We may eat the fruit of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God has said you shall not eat it, nor touch it, lest you die”. Then the serpent said to the woman “You will not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (NKJV).

There are certain vital lessons for us as believers to learn from the above verses of scripture.

1)      The first thing we notice from Eve’s answer to the devils question is that there was obviously a lack of effective communication between her and her husband Adam. Adam was the one who received the commandment from God and he had the responsibility of communicating it to Eve who at the time was not yet brought forth out of Adam as a separate entity. The lesson you need to learn from this is that the serpent (devil) will always take full advantage of any lack of effective communication between you and your spouse to use it to his advantage to further his own deception in your life.

2)      The next lesson to learn is that the devil sold a lie to Eve and she believed the lie against the truth of God’s words and acted on it. The lie sold by the serpent (devil) to Eve was a very insidious one because Eve was already a god created in the image and likeness of The Almighty God. God used to walk in the garden and fellowship with them i.e. Adam and her. His brilliance, purity and majesty did not startle them, because they were robed in the same purity. In other words the serpent was deceiving Eve by offering her something she already had with a promise that she would become someone she already was. Beware of the serpent! Watch out for craftiness in any shape or form. Watch out for those who propose anything that is a clear contradiction of God’s word. Don’t be deceived by them, as deception always leads to a fall. A fall from grace to disgrace, honour to dishonor, glory to reproach and shame.

Ps 49 v 20 “ A man who is in honour, yet does not understand, is like a beast that perish” (NKJV).

Eve was in honour but did not understand, so she fell for the deception the enemy and she perished. Her glorious destiny was aborted.

If we are prone to adding to God’s word or taking away from it we become prime candidates for the deception of the serpent (devil).

In the book of Matt 4 v 4-11 and Luke 4 v 1-13 the Bible records the temptation of Jesus. Jesus’ Christs own battle with the deception of the serpent (devil). In contrast to Eve, Jesus took a firm stand for the word of God, Jesus is the patterned Son, we are to take after Him. Whenever the serpent (devil) shows up with his lies we have the responsibility of fleeing to the word of God for refuge and succor.

3)      The next lesson to learn is this, that the very first recorded lie of the serpent (devil) was “You will not surely die………” This is still the same lie he is peddling today. Romans 6 v 23 says “For the wages of sin is death ….” The devil says “You can lie, cheat, fornicate, steal, commit adultery, sow discord among brethren, walk in unbelief and doubt etc. and yet you will still live, you will still make heaven, you will still be a child of God. Once saved always saved, Grace is at work, so you can live like the devil and still make heaven”. This is a big lie from the pit of hell. It is still the serpent (devil) at work. Rms 6 v 6 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

Rms 6 v 12 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lust. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under grace” (NKJV).

Beware of the serpent (devil)! he comes to steal, kill and destroy, he is the thief spoken of by Jesus in the book of John 10 v 10.

Genesis 3 v 6-7

“So when the woman saw the tree was good for food, that is was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked: and the sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings”.

There are lessons to learn from these verses too.

1)      When verse 6 says “So when the woman saw the tree was good for food……..” The question to be asked is “Was Eve just seeing the tree?” The tree had been in the garden with her all along. She had been seeing it but her perception of the tree changed after a suggestion from the serpent (devil). It became good, pleasant and desirable. What was an offense to God now became something attractive after a suggestion from the serpent (devil).

I Jn 2 v 15-17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever”. As it was in the beginning with the serpent (devil) so it is today. He is still tempting God’s children causing sin to take on an attractive mien. The sin of yesterday is still the sin of today. Eve fell for the lust of the flesh, she saw that the tree was good for food, the lust of the eyes, she saw that it was pleasant to the eyes, and the pride of life she saw that it was a tree desirable to make one wise. She saw these three things after a suggestion from the serpent and the resultant effect was that she disobeyed God’s commandment. She took of its fruit and ate and also gave to her husband who was with her.

Beware of the any suggestion from the serpent (devil)! it will cause you to fall into the sin of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. You will become carnal and worldly; the deep will no longer call unto the deep. Your love for God will wax cold and your faith will become compromised. Your divine destiny will be short changed or out rightly aborted.

How many young people and married adults have fallen for the suggestion of the serpent (devil) where sex is concerned that “It can’t be so wrong, if it feels so right”. The devil knows that the very day you start eating from the tree of adultery and fornication, you start to die. It looks good but it is actually a vicious poison designed to kill slowly and rob you of your glorious destiny(I Cor 3 v 16-17, 6 v 9-10, v 18-20). Beware of the serpent (devil)!

2)      The woman gave of the fruit of the tree to Adam her husband who was with her and he ate of it also. What a tragedy! Adam was created the spiritual leader of the world and his family but he failed woefully in his responsibility. He failed to take a stand for God and the whole world is still suffering today from his unwillingness to take responsibility. Many spiritual leaders today have fallen into the trap of Adams mistakes. Adam was a mismanager of God’s vast resources put into his care, he failed in what mattered most and refused to accept responsibility for his failure. He failed to lead himself and his family, he failed to lead by example. He had no vision so he cast off restrain. (Provs 29 v 18) KJV and NIV translations.

This is a great lesson for us, we must take personal responsibility for our lives. I.e. choices, actions and inactions. It is dangerous to abdicate personal responsibility for our own lives and start to shift the blame on others. I have realized that this sin of Adam and Eve is still playing out in a lot of lives. Many people shy away from taking personal responsibility but rather they blame their predicament on anything or anyone but themselves and their choices or lack of it. Beware of the serpent (devil)! Learn to take personal responsibility for your life. It is your life not another person’s.

Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent but none of them blamed themselves for their sin of blatant disobedience to the commandment of God.

3)      Sin will always open the eyes that hitherto were unopened. Sin will always cause nakedness i.e. shame and reproach. Sin will always cause a man to start to live a life of hypocrisy, a double life, a life of covering up.

Adam and Eve became self centered, no more God centered. Their eyes that hitherto had been shut to evil because they were dwelling in the light of God’s Glory became open to evil. The Glory of God that clothed them disappeared at the appearance of sin in their lives and they became vulnerable to shame and reproach. They became naked, defenceless, a sitting duck for the serpent (devil). May God’s Glory never depart from our lives in Jesus’ name amen.

The serpent (devil) robbed them of every visage of God’s Glory and goodness in their lives, they became separated from God, they lost Eden, and they were driven out from the place of Gods protection, provision, preservation and rest. What a sad story! But it all started with a suggestion from the serpent (devil). Beware of the serpent! Take heed to your own soul, believe God, believe His word and live His word. Beware of the serpent! Give him no place, no room, submit yourself to God, resist the devil (serpent) and he will flee from you. (James 4 v 7)

Pst. Busola Olotu.

2 Peter 1 v 3

“According as His Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (KJV)

“For His Divine power has bestowed upon us all things that (are requisite and suited) to life and godliness through the (full, personal, knowledge of Him who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue)” Amp.

God The Almighty Himself has given us ALL things that are requisite and suited to LIFE and godliness. In other words we are already equipped to live the abundant life. But to gain access to all these wonderful things already released to us we must have the full, personal knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

We have excused our laziness, procrastination, indolence, indiscipline, unbelief, fear, ineptitude, etc. under the canopy of “It is the will of God”. I say to you this day it is not Gods will for anyone to live defeated, unfruitful, unproductive and sick lives. No way! Jesus who was God Himself came to reveal God’s will to us. His will is clearly revealed in His word and His will is for us to be victorious not defeated, supernatural not natural, extraordinary not ordinary, fruitful not barren. His will is for us to live the heavenly lifestyle right here on planet earth. His will is for us to exercise our dominion mandate right here on planet earth. His will is for us to put the devil and his cohorts under our feet, right here on planet earth. Jesus said in the book of John 10 v 10 “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full till it overflows)” (Amp version)

Jesus came to give us life, abundant life, the full life (nothing missing, nothing broken). The overflowing, more than enough life. A life devoid of scarcity.

I John 3 v 8b “…..The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen and dissolve) the works the devil (has done)”. Amp version

Jesus was manifested for your victory, why are you still living a defeated Christian life? Jesus paid the price for your liberation why are you still in captivity to the devil and his cohorts? Jesus set you free, you are free indeed. John 8 v 36 (Amp) “So if the Son liberates you (makes you free men), then you are really and unquestionably FREE”.

Rise up in victory the war has been won, you can win all your battles.

(Pst. Busola Olotu)

EVENTS

EVENTS.

PROVERBS 4 v 18

‘’But the path of the just is as a shining light, that shinneth more and more unto the perfect day’’

God is not interested in your stagnation, He is a God of progress and He wants to move you to your next level in life. God is saying to you today ‘’my daughter you have circled this mountain long enough, move forward’’. I’m sure you are asking how do I move forward with this mountain of problems and challenges surrounding me? Thank God we serve a God who is an expert at removing mountains. He said to Zerubbabel in the book of Zechariah4vs6 that every great mountain will be removed by the spirit of the Lord. I prophesy as a servant of the living God to as many as are reading this article that in Jesus name every great mountain erected by the enemy against your life and destiny, your peace and progress are removed now in Jesus’ Name. Every mountain of sickness, infirmity, barrenness, limitation, failure, impossibility, stagnation, retrogression, oppression, suppression, collective captivity, poverty and lack, calamity, tribulation, evil family inheritance etc. Every great mountain becomes a plain now in Jesus’ name Amen.

You can also speak to the mountains in your life and command them to go on the authority of Mk 11 v 23-24.

TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GOD

1. According to Gen 24 v 3, He is the God of heaven and earth.
2. According to Gen 17 v 1, 35 v 11, He is The Almighty.
3. According to Deut 7 v 9, He is faithful and keeps His covenant.
4. According to Psalm 68 v 19-20, 65 v 5, He is the God of our salvation and daily loads us with blessings.
5. According to Exodus 8 v 11, He is greater than all other gods.
6. According to Exodus 34 v 6-7, Numbers 14 v 18, He is long suffering, great in mercy and forgiving iniquity.
7. According to Deut 4 v 24, Heb 12 v 29. He is a consuming fire.
8. According to Psalm 55 v 22, He is our sustainer, (cast your burden on Him and He shall sustain you).
9. According to Psalm 99 v 9, Leviticus 19 v 2, He is Holy.
10. According to Psalm 145 v 9, He is good to all and His tender mercies are over all His works. Love Him, Reverence Him and surrender to Him.

BE INSPIRED TODAY

I pray for you today that The Lord Jesus whose name is Alpha i.e The beginning. Will arise today on your behalf and walk back through every second of the life you have lived thus far. As He is walking back, where you need Salvation, He will save you, where you need deliverance, He will deliver you. Where you need healing, He will heal you. Where you need reformation, He will reform you. Where you need transformation, He will transform you. Where you need restoration, He will restore you and where you need divine recovery, He will empower and help you to pursue, overtake and recover all in Jesus’ Mighty Name. Can I hear somebody shout a loud AMEN.

(Busola Olotu)

WOMAN WHO ART THOU?

Jn1v19-23(KJV)– WOMAN WHO ART THOU?………………………………..You are a spirit being, you have a soul and live in a house called your body(1thess5v23). You are a twofold possession of The Almighty God, by creation and by redemption(Gen1v26, Gal3v13-14,Rms3v23-26). You are made in the image and likeness of God(Gen1v26-27). You are a person of authority, dominion and power(Gen1v28,Ps8V4-6). You are a child of God, born of the Spirit of God,filled with the Spirit of God and led by the Spirit of God(Jn1V12-13, Jn3V3-7,Rms8v14-16, Jn7V37-39). You are an heir of salvation, you are purchased by blood and blood washed(1Jn1v7,Rms8v17 Heb9V11-14). You are God’s beloved, God’s favourite.(Jn3V16,1Jn3V1). You are chosen, royal,holy. Peculiar. You are special to God, unique and uncommon(1Pet2v9). Your spirit is the candle of The Lord, God, your Father is guiding you into all His truth through your spirit(Provs20v27). You are anointed, Jesus Christ, The anointed one and His anointing lives in you (Col1v27, 1Jn4v4, Phil4v13, Jn14V12). If you are genuinely born again and living the life this is who you are. Like John the Baptist in the book of Jn1V19-23 you must have a clear understanding of who you are in Christ and be able to properly articulate it. You must be able to give an answer to every mystery of iniquity that wants to rear its ugly head against you and challenge your destiny. (Busola Olotu)

WHEN MERCY SHOWS UP

Lamentations3v22a “Through The Lords mercies we are not consumed………………………….”When Mercy shows up, rules are changed for your sake. When Mercy shows up, things you are not qualified for will locate you. When Mercy shows up in your life and destiny Angels will become your Divine messengers and speed becomes your testimony. When Mercy shows up what you could not do will be done by THE ALMIGHTY for you. When Mercy shows up human might becomes replaced
by Divine Might. When Mercy shows up God causes your enemies to become your friends and those who hate you start to love you and defer to you. When Mercy shows up the barrel of meal will not finish, nor the jar of oil run dry. When mercy shows up the fire of affliction will refuse to burn. When mercy shows up those who laughed at you will laugh with you. When mercy shows up all other things will go down. My prayer for you today is that MERCY will show up for your sake in Jesus’ Mighty Name Amen.(Busola Olotu)

PRAYER FOR THE MONTH OF MAY

In this New Month you will not eat the bread of adversity nor drink the water of affliction nor sieve with the sieve of futility. The staff of punishment will not pass through your land in Jesus’ Name. The bread of increase shall be your portion, The Almighty God will come through for you. You will sing the song of victory and in your land only the sound of joy and rejoicing shall resound in Jesus’ Mighty Name Amen. This is my fervent prayer for you in this 5th month of the year 2014. A happy, blessed, fruitful and fulfilled New month to you all.

Pastor Mrs. Busola Olotu

MY HEART BLEEDS FOR THESE ABDUCTED GIRLS

My heart bleeds for these abducted girls. As a mother and grandmother myself I can imagine the pain of these Chibok parents and the community in general. We at Dodim are very concerned and have been fervently praying for the safe return of these young girls and I believe that in The Mighty Name of Jesus there shall be a Mighty Divine Intervention. I’m also pleased at the arising of the women to protest against this unsavoury situation, this is a very welcome development and I pray the momentum will be intensified. Please let us all continue in intercession for the safe return of these girls.

IT IS TIME TO ARISE

Another bomb blast reported last night coming 2 1/2 weeks after the April 14 one. It is time to arise as believers and exercise our spiritual authority. This is not a time for us to keep our mouths shut, it is a time for us to start to speak, declare and decree the word of God over this unsavoury situation. The wicked will not go unpunished, all the ancient and scornful men in Nig shall perish after the order of Pelatiah in the book of Ezekiel 11v13, we prophesy against them in the name of Jesus. Concerning last nights bomb blast and the previous one speak, declare and decree Isa 40V1″Comfort, ye, comfort my people! Says our God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem (Nig, victims and families of these victims of these bomb blasts……………….” Concerning our daughters at Chibok declare as often as you can Ps126v1-3″When The Lord brought back the captivity of Zion (Our daughters at Chibok), we were like those who dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the Nations, The Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad” indeed concerning these girls The ALMIGHTY GOD will do great things for us. Concerning the troublers of Nigeria,their agents and sponsors prophesy Job24v24 Thus says The Lord “They are exalted for a little while and then are gone and brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others are and are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain” Isa41v11-13″Behold all those incensed against Nig shall be ashamed and disgraced; they (no matter how many they are) shall be as nothing, and those who strive with Nigeria shall perish. You(Nigerians) will seek them and not find them– those who contended with you, those who war against you, shall be nothing, a non existent thing. For I the Lord ,will uphold Nigeria and say to her citizens Fear not, for I will help you” Concerning Nigeria declare Isa 51v3 “For the Lord will comfort Zion (Nigeria). He will comfort all her waste places, He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of The Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.”(Busola Olotu)

NEW DAY

It is written ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ Beloved of The Lord, I want you to know that every new day is the day The Lord has made and He has given the new day to you for the purpose of rejoicing and gladness. God does not want you to waste this new day in regret and sadness for every new day comes with its own endless possibilities. There is so much hope a new day brings and God wants you to see the opportunities of a new day and not the limitations. Every new day is important because as long as there is the breath of life in you that new day can actually bring your much awaited change. However you have a part to play in this, you must see each new day as an opportunity for investing in good. In other words you are not permitted to waste it but use it for good. Why? Because Today is always important as it represents ‘The Present’. Yesterday has become the past, you cannot recall it, you cannot live it again except in your mind. Tomorrow is in the future, it represents the yet un lived portion of your life. What you have is today, don’t waste it, when tomorrow comes, today will be gone FOREVER. Do you know why you must not waste today? If you don’t like your past and you are desirous of a greater and more glorious tomorrow, today is the day to start investing in that glorious tomorrow. How? Simply by making sure that you don’t waste today. How can you waste today? By allowing passivity and negativity to rule you and keep you doing those things you ought not to do and leaving undone those things you ought to do. When tomorrow comes what will be left is what you have left behind today. You must make sure it is something that will enhance your glorious tomorrow and positively impact your world in Jesus’ Name amen.(Busola Olotu)

There is a thin line between self confidence and pride coupled with arrogance. We need to be careful to resist the spirit of pride and arrogance while maintaining our confidence in the Lord. The word of God makes it clear that God resists the proud but gives Grace to the humble,(James4v6). A child of God must walk in humility while exhibiting a confident spirit. The spirit of pride is actually the spirit of the devil because it was pride that made the devil to fall from his exalted Position,(Isaiah14v12-15). He was not satisfied with his exalted position, he wanted to be like God. This was a blatant display of pride and arrogance to say the least. According to the book of Ezekiel 28v15 Angel Lucifer (who after his fall became satan i.e the devil) was perfect in all his ways till iniquity was found in him and this iniquity was the sin of pride. May The Lord give you perfect understanding in Jesus Name amen.(Busola Olotu)

If you don’t un…

“If you don’t understand the pattern, you will fight the process. When you fight the process you cannot pay the price. If you don’t pay the price, you cannot win the prize”. My prayer for you today is that your life will conform to the heavenly pattern in Jesus Mighty Name Amen. Your life will not conform to the pattern of the flesh, the world and the devil in the Mighty Name of Jesus Amen. (Busola Olotu)

Love is obedience, love is a discipline, love is a choice. Love is obedience because we are commanded to love even our enemies and that takes obedience. Love is a discipline because we are commanded to walk in love all the time and that takes discipline. Love is a choice because when we are not treated right we have to choose whether to walk in love or not. Therefore love is not a feeling, it is a series of decisions. Above all love is a sacrifice. Jesus came to show us the love walk. The word of God declares in the book of John4v7 “Beloved, let us love one another,for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God for God is love.” Also John4v16b says “he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” Jesus said when we love only those who love us and do good to only those who do good to us we are not imitating our heavenly Father. He loved us so much that while we were yet sinners, completely alienated from Him, he came to die for us. He paid the debt that we owed that we could not pay. Christianity is not a religion, it is a way of life. We must walk in love whether we feel love or not. We must consistently sow acts of love into the lives of those who deserve it the least. This takes the Grace of God but that Grace is already available and sufficient for us.

( Pastor Busola Olotu)

DEALING WITH TEMPTATION

Dealing with Temptation

James 1 v 14

James 1 v 14 teaches us about dealing with temptation. When was the last time you were tempted? I ask this question because temptation comes to all of us. The devil is always trying to put stumbling blocks i.e. satanic embargoes on our way of progress. Remember the Bible i.e. the word of God refers to him as the adversary and also the accuser of the brethren. He hates all of us with a passion and it is his utmost desire for all of mankind to end up where he has found himself, out of fellowship with God, in complete rebellion against God’s plan and purposes and on his way to eternal damnation may that never be our portion in Jesus’ name amen.

It is therefore important that you know and understand that temptation i.e. the desire to have or to do something that you know you should avoid never comes from God. Temptation always stems from ungodly desires within us fuelled by our unbroken adamic nature (The flesh man, the carnal side of our nature) such ungodly desires when left unchecked lead to sinful actions. When you are tempted be watchful and careful, never let the devil and his cohorts sell you the idea that it is God testing you. Always recognize temptation for what it is, an orchestrated grand plan from the pit of hell to make you fall and compromise your glorious destiny. Jesus said “watch and pray that you may not fall into temptation, for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”.(Matt26v41)

Many of us pray but we are not watchful. The watching must come before the praying. Watchfulness, alertness, and vigilance must become our way of life. We are soldiers for Christ, have you ever seen a distracted soldier, an in alert soldier? As Christians there is a life style expected of us, we cannot afford to be entangled with the affairs of this life, the stakes are too high.

Be watchful: –

a)       Slumbering always precedes sleeping

b)       Lukewarmness always precedes a rebellion, a backsliding

c)       Covetousness always precedes stealing

d)       Lust always precedes sexual sins

e)       Carelessness and over confidence always precedes a fall

Pastor Busola Olotu

JEREMIAH 29 v 11

Jeremiah 29 v 11 (Amp)

“For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome”.

Jer 29 v 11 (Good News)

“I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for”

Jer 29 v 11 (Message Bible)

“ I know what I am doing, I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, not to abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for”

Jer 29 v 11 (NKJV)

“For I know the thoughts I think towards you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”.

Jer 29 v 11 (KJV)

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end”.

According to Jeremiah 29 v 11 God has a plan for each and everyone of us. The Almighty God the creator of all things is always thinking about you and I and making plans for our well being. We need to cooperate with God every single day of our lives in order for His plans to manifest and be accomplished and fulfilled in our lives. God has a plan for each and everyone of us. This plan is a good plan, an uncommon plan, an excellent plan, and a great plan. We need to seek out God’s plan i.e. pattern for our individual lives and follow it with zeal and passion. Everyday we ought to be moving forward, developing our potentials learning new things i.e. how to love Him more, know Him more, cooperate with Him more, surrender to Him more, obey Him more, and yield to His plans and purposes for our live more. God does have a great plan for our individual lives but we have to participate in that plan for it to come true. You cannot be an onlooker. God is not likely to do anything in our lives without our cooperation.

Pastor Busola Olotu

2TIM2V3.

To make it in life and arrive triumphantly at your destination you must be prepared to face diverse challenges. Expect the rains, the storms and the winds. Opposition will surely come. Sometimes you or your project I.e your career, business, ministry may pass through fire, yet you have to hold on. The truth is that if you have not learnt to endure hardship, you cannot become the type of soldier the Lord can use for exploits. In the face of daunting challenges we must press on to the other side, the side of victory. In this season of deep contemplation of the victory our Lord and Saviour wrought for us by His death and resurrection, may we come to a deeper understanding of the settled truth that in all the battles of life we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and gave His life for us. A blessed, fruitful and fulfilling Easter to you all in Jesus’ Name.

Pastor Busola Olotu

DAILY CONFESSION FOR EVERY MEMBER OF DAUGHTERS OF DEBORAH INT’L MINISTRY

I CONFESS, DECLARE AND DECREE THAT I AM A DAUGHTER OF DESTINY LIKE DEBORAH OF OLD. I AM MEANT FOR THE TOP AND I SHALL REACH THE TOP, BECAUSE I AM ABOVE AND NOT BENEATH, I AM CREATED FOR IMPACT AND I SHALL POSITIVELY IMPACT EVERY LIFE THAT GOD BRINGS MY WAY. I AM CONFIGURED I.E. SHAPED FOR EXCELLENCE. THE SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE IS MY PORTION. I REJECT EVERY SPIRIT OF MEDIOCRITY, I REJECT EVERY SPIRIT OF AVERAGE DELIVERY, I EMBRACE THE SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE. I AM PACKAGED TO BE DISTINGUISHED. I AM A DISTINGUISHED PERSONALITY. WHEREVER I GO DIVINE FAVOUR WILL ANNOUNCE ME, ADVERTISE ME, DISTINGUISH ME AND ADVANCE ME. I AM CALLED TO BE GREAT, THE SEED OF GREATNESS IN ME SHALL BE WATERED AND FIND EXPRESSION. I AM ORDAINED TO BE CELEBRATED; I SHALL BE CELEBRATED AND NOT RELEGATED. I AM CREATED TO SHINE. I SHALL ARISE AND SHINE IN JESUS NAME. AMEN
Pst. Mrs. Busola Olotu

MOTHERS IN THE GAP PRAYER FORUM

PRAY FOR THE SECURITY OF OUR CHILDREN

Security is any measure taken to protect a person. To be secured means to be safe and free from all forms of worry. To have the Living God as a refuge

In life, various measures are taken to be secured in homes, society or nations. It is however important to note that we cannot enjoy security without God. We cannot protect ourselves let alone our children. We can however present them to God for keeps.

The security of children has been an issue of great concern to mothers. Through conception, birth, childhood, teenage, adulthood, and married life through to old age we need the abiding security and protection of our God over these children. God has been faithful through all ages and have assured us of his ever abiding presence. No matter how much we love or care for our children we cannot follow them everywhere what is most important for us is to commit them and entrust them confidently to the Omnipresent God who is our security!

Remember this:
– 2 Cor 1 v 18 – God is faithful and thank Him for His faithfulness
– Heb 11 v 6 – He that cometh to God must believe that he is rewarder of them that diligently seek Him
– Mk 11 v 24 – Whatever things ye ask when ye pray, believe that it is granted and you will get it. Do not consider anything as insignificant or too much to commit to God in prayer.
– James 5 v 16 – Get rid of all unforgiveness for the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man avails much.
– 1 Thess 5 v 17 Be unceasing in prayer and give thanks for this is God’s will concerning you.
– Eph 6 v 18 – Pray at all times in all occasions in the spirit with all manner of prayer, keep watch, keep interceding unbehalf of God’s consecrated people.
Pray
1) God’s presence over our children secures them in life and destiny. His presence in their lives makes a lot of difference Exo. 33 v 15. God’s presence with the Israelites gave them rest and brought about peace Exo 33 v 14. In the life of Joseph in Gen 39 v 2, success, Gen 39 v 3 prosperity, Gen 39 v 4 favour, promotion in Gen 39 v 22, pray this scriptures to the lives of our children for security of their destiny.
2) The Living God in Ps 46 is our refuge and strength, God as a refuge; we must dwell in His secret place – His presence. Ps 91 He that dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Prayer
Pray that our children will consciously make the Most High their habitation and refuge.
Pray that they have confidence in Him, His word and his promises.

3) Pray the spirit of obedience to God to the lives of our children. My children shall do the status and keep God’s judgement and do them and they shall dwell in the land in safety….. Lev 25 v 18-19, Deut 33 v 27-28
Our children shall be happy and their enemies shall be found liars in Jesus’ name.
4) Pray to secure their thrones in God, as royal priesthoods, children who live as kings in their homes and anointed ones. 1 Peter 2 v 9. Pray that the seats of our children will not be occupied by others.
I Kings 14 v 6 Solomon sits on the royal throne, our children will seat in their thrones in their homes. Isa 34 v 16 (b) none shall want for her mate. God will secure them in their homes; exalted placements at work, businesses, schools or positions of authorities. No Adonijah will be enthroned where our children at right to be.

5) Lord surrounds my children with faithful friends, friends who will help them and see that they fulfill destiny. I Sam 18 v 1-4, I Sam 19 v 1-6 Jonathan love for David enabled him to defeat Saul and his attempts to kill him. Good and wise friends help to secure a good destiny. My children will company with the right people. Faithful people will come their way and secure their exalted destinies in Jesus’ name. Prov 11 v 4 wise counsel is required to dwell in safety.

6) Lord, separate my children from ungodly friends, II Sam 19 v 25-30. Ziba was an ungodly servant to Mephiboseth and lost all his assets and securities because of him

7) Pray that God will expose and destroy every ungodly and accursed things and relationships in their lives. Because of Achan, Israel lost its security at war with their enemy Ai. Josh 7 v 1-13. Ask God for mercy over anything of such unbehalf of our children to secure victory for them always.

8) Pray that God’s word in Ps 91 be fulfilled in their life. God grant them security from night terrors, arrows that fly by day, pestilence that walks in darkness, destruction at noon day etc.

9) Pray against sudden death – Ps 91 v 1b, my children enjoy God’s presence Ps 34 v 7.

10) My children will walk in prosperity Ps 34 v 10, Ps 23 v 1-2. They will not suffer any good things

11) My children will walk in the consciousness of 2 Tim 1 v 7 they shall not be fearful but shall walk in love and be secured in it. Ps 46 Even in the face of challenges, God’s secured presence will keep them in all weathers.

12) Pray against all forms of sexual abuse and all encroaching evil. Our children’s bodies belong to God and shall not be abused by evil. I Cor 3 v 16-17.

13) Cancel all forms of marks that is not of good. Marks of failure, insecurity, poverty, evil manipulations. Terminate the purpose of any evil mark upon any child. Cain was marked because God’s vengeance was on him Gen 4 v 15.

Our children now have the mark of Christ Gal 6 v 17, Eph 1 v 13. They are secured because they have the seal of the spirit of promise.

14) My children put confidence and leans on the Lord and are safe Prov 29 v 25

PROPHESY
1) My children abide under the security of the name of Jesus Prov 18 v 10. They are safe.
2) Hosea 2 v 18 God will make a covenant for our children…. Will make them lie down safely.
3) Job 11 v 18-19 They shall be secure and be confident because there is hope. None shall make them afraid and many shall give for their favour.

15) Pray for their security in eternity Jude 24. God is well able to keep them from falling. All our children will live and enjoy eternal life in Christ Jesus.

CONFESSION
GOD IS THE SECURITY OF MY CHILDREN. THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES THEY LIVE IN HIS PRESENCE. MY CHILDREN OBEY THE WORDS OF LORD AND LIVE IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF HIS PRESENCE. THEY DWELL IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH AND ARE MARKED FOR GREATNESS. THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SECURES THEM. THEY ARE PROTECTED AND KEPT FROM EVIL MANIPULATIONS. BECAUSE GOD ENCOMPASSES THEM, NO TERROR CAN COME CLOSE TO THEM. MY CHILDREN ATTRACT GODLY ASSOCIATIONS/FELLOWSHIPS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN JESUS NAME. MY CHILDREN WALK IN LOVE AND CANNOT BE TORMENTED BY FEAR. THEY SHALL ALWAYS LIE DOWN SAFELY AND STAND SECURED IN THE LOVE OF GOD EVEN THROUGH ETERNITY IN JESUS NAME. AMEN.

 

MOTHERS IN THE GAP PRAYER FORUM

PRAY FOR THE SECURITY OF OUR CHILDREN

Security is any measure taken to protect a person. To be secured means to be safe and free from all forms of worry. To have the Living God as a refuge

In life, various measures are taken to be secured in homes, society or nations. It is however important to note that we cannot enjoy security without God. We cannot protect ourselves let alone our children. We can however present them to God for keeps.

The security of children has been an issue of great concern to mothers. Through conception, birth, childhood, teenage, adulthood, and married life through to old age we need the abiding security and protection of our God over these children. God has been faithful through all ages and have assured us of his ever abiding presence. No matter how much we love or care for our children we cannot follow them everywhere what is most important for us is to commit them and entrust them confidently to the Omnipresent God who is our security!

Remember this:
– 2 Cor 1 v 18 – God is faithful and thank Him for His faithfulness
– Heb 11 v 6 – He that cometh to God must believe that he is rewarder of them that diligently seek Him
– Mk 11 v 24 – Whatever things ye ask when ye pray, believe that it is granted and you will get it. Do not consider anything as insignificant or too much to commit to God in prayer.
– James 5 v 16 – Get rid of all unforgiveness for the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man avails much.
– 1 Thess 5 v 17 Be unceasing in prayer and give thanks for this is God’s will concerning you.
– Eph 6 v 18 – Pray at all times in all occasions in the spirit with all manner of prayer, keep watch, keep interceding unbehalf of God’s consecrated people.

Pray
1) God’s presence over our children secures them in life and destiny. His presence in their lives makes a lot of difference Exo. 33 v 15. God’s presence with the Israelites gave them rest and brought about peace Exo 33 v 14. In the life of Joseph in Gen 39 v 2, success, Gen 39 v 3 prosperity, Gen 39 v 4 favour, promotion in Gen 39 v 22, pray this scriptures to the lives of our children for security of their destiny.
2) The Living God in Ps 46 is our refuge and strength, God as a refuge; we must dwell in His secret place – His presence. Ps 91 He that dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Prayer
Pray that our children will consciously make the Most High their habitation and refuge.
Pray that they have confidence in Him, His word and his promises.

3) Pray the spirit of obedience to God to the lives of our children. My children shall do the status and keep God’s judgement and do them and they shall dwell in the land in safety….. Lev 25 v 18-19, Deut 33 v 27-28
Our children shall be happy and their enemies shall be found liars in Jesus’ name.
4) Pray to secure their thrones in God, as royal priesthoods, children who live as kings in their homes and anointed ones. 1 Peter 2 v 9. Pray that the seats of our children will not be occupied by others.
I Kings 14 v 6 Solomon sits on the royal throne, our children will seat in their thrones in their homes. Isa 34 v 16 (b) none shall want for her mate. God will secure them in their homes; exalted placements at work, businesses, schools or positions of authorities. No Adonijah will be enthroned where our children at right to be.

5) Lord surrounds my children with faithful friends, friends who will help them and see that they fulfill destiny. I Sam 18 v 1-4, I Sam 19 v 1-6 Jonathan love for David enabled him to defeat Saul and his attempts to kill him. Good and wise friends help to secure a good destiny. My children will company with the right people. Faithful people will come their way and secure their exalted destinies in Jesus’ name. Prov 11 v 4 wise counsel is required to dwell in safety.

6) Lord, separate my children from ungodly friends, II Sam 19 v 25-30. Ziba was an ungodly servant to Mephiboseth and lost all his assets and securities because of him

7) Pray that God will expose and destroy every ungodly and accursed things and relationships in their lives. Because of Achan, Israel lost its security at war with their enemy Ai. Josh 7 v 1-13. Ask God for mercy over anything of such unbehalf of our children to secure victory for them always.

8) Pray that God’s word in Ps 91 be fulfilled in their life. God grant them security from night terrors, arrows that fly by day, pestilence that walks in darkness, destruction at noon day etc.

9) Pray against sudden death – Ps 91 v 1b, my children enjoy God’s presence Ps 34 v 7.

10) My children will walk in prosperity Ps 34 v 10, Ps 23 v 1-2. They will not suffer any good things

11) My children will walk in the consciousness of 2 Tim 1 v 7 they shall not be fearful but shall walk in love and be secured in it. Ps 46 Even in the face of challenges, God’s secured presence will keep them in all weathers.

12) Pray against all forms of sexual abuse and all encroaching evil. Our children’s bodies belong to God and shall not be abused by evil. I Cor 3 v 16-17.

13) Cancel all forms of marks that is not of good. Marks of failure, insecurity, poverty, evil manipulations. Terminate the purpose of any evil mark upon any child. Cain was marked because God’s vengeance was on him Gen 4 v 15.

Our children now have the mark of Christ Gal 6 v 17, Eph 1 v 13. They are secured because they have the seal of the spirit of promise.

14) My children put confidence and leans on the Lord and are safe Prov 29 v 25

PROPHESY
1) My children abide under the security of the name of Jesus Prov 18 v 10. They are safe.
2) Hosea 2 v 18 God will make a covenant for our children…. Will make them lie down safely.
3) Job 11 v 18-19 They shall be secure and be confident because there is hope. None shall make them afraid and many shall give for their favour.

15) Pray for their security in eternity Jude 24. God is well able to keep them from falling. All our children will live and enjoy eternal life in Christ Jesus.

CONFESSION
GOD IS THE SECURITY OF MY CHILDREN. THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES THEY LIVE IN HIS PRESENCE. MY CHILDREN OBEY THE WORDS OF LORD AND LIVE IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF HIS PRESENCE. THEY DWELL IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH AND ARE MARKED FOR GREATNESS. THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SECURES THEM. THEY ARE PROTECTED AND KEPT FROM EVIL MANIPULATIONS. BECAUSE GOD ENCOMPASSES THEM, NO TERROR CAN COME CLOSE TO THEM. MY CHILDREN ATTRACT GODLY ASSOCIATIONS/FELLOWSHIPS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN JESUS NAME. MY CHILDREN WALK IN LOVE AND CANNOT BE TORMENTED BY FEAR. THEY SHALL ALWAYS LIE DOWN SAFELY AND STAND SECURED IN THE LOVE OF GOD EVEN THROUGH ETERNITY IN JESUS NAME. AMEN.

 

“Bitterness and…

“Bitterness and unforgiveness are luxuries we cannot afford to have”

THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH

THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH.