Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Challenges in Growth

In order to grow, one of the laws is to avoid strife at all cost. The major key in getting things done or in fulfilling a goal is found in sowing. This is because there is nothing that is in existence that didn’t come out of a seed, nothing at all. Everything that lives today came out of a seed. You cannot have a physical manifestation of any answered prayer without first sowing the seed to bring about that form on the earth. The kingdom of God is as if a man (not God), will cast the seed into the ground and then God will cause it to grow (Mark 4:26). But the man knows that the first thing he has to do is cast the seed into the ground.

The worst you can do for yourself in the New Year is to surround yourself with hidden enemies to your personal progress. Try to separate yourself from them. You are not going to get anywhere if you hang around such people. It has nothing to do with sentiment, you must detach yourself from competitive people, who feel that they are in competition with you for anything. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herd men and thy herd men for we be brethren (Gen 13:8). In order to maintain the blood covenant, they had to go their separate ways. It is required that you are separated from some people in order to maintain God’s flow in your life. Abraham didn’t say they should separate because they were enemies, rather he said that if the family bond was to remain the competitive spirit had to go. When Lot and his family were in trouble he went to help him, so it is not that Abraham did not like him but he made it clear that he could not stay in an environment where there was strife.

It was after the separation from Lot that God told Abraham to lift up his eyes (Gen 13:14). Many people are not seeing because they are among people that have strife towards them. These people can be easily identified their body language and disposition towards you, tells you that they are not really happy with your progress. Eventually, your vision and the relationship you have with them will be destroyed. On the other hand these two areas can be maintained if you separate the two from each other. In other words you do not want competitive people around you or in your environment instead you need people that will support you.

This means that their heart attitude towards you is right. You do not know people after the flesh you know them after the spirit. When you are connected with the right people you will see the difference. You must get yourself out of any situation of strife you must surround yourself with people that are supportive and that you are in agreement with. With these people there is always positive energy.

Many people have so many expectations. Expectations that should come from God are coming from men and this is the cause of problem. Thinking people can help you but it is only God that can truly help and he can only help you with people that are rightly connected to you. There is nothing wrong with the desire for an increase the problem is the way and manner in which you go about it. Instead of asking and receiving from God rather you want to go about it by grabbing it from somebody else that has it. The law of peace with all men tells us that God will not take anything away from another person in order to give it to you.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Fulfilling a Goal within your Vision

You need to know and decide on the amount of progress that you want to make in a year. This progress must have an element of breakthrough inside it. An element of breakthrough means, that at a particular point you break into a new realm of life. It is not going to be the fulfillment of the vision, but it is going to be the accomplishment of a goal within that vision. The vision is for an appointed time, but you must know when the goal will be fulfilled. The vision will not come to pass in that year but the goal must come to pass.

God instructed Abraham to start from his current location. This means that you must start from where you are and not from where others are or where they think you should be. Avoid hallucination and face the reality of your current position. From where thou art, then lift up your head and then look as far as you can see, not how any other person can see, but as far as you can see in 2009 as an individual. You have to rejoice with everybody on every achieved goal and don’t feel inferior. But do not, out of a competitive spirit do what you know you cannot see inside, it destroys creativity. So, your vision depends on what can you see.

There is something about the way God created the world that makes the circumstances of life give to you what you have decided in your heart to happen in your life. Follow what you can see deep down in your heart and not someone else’s programme. This is reason you cannot be a financially successful person if you spend money the way other people do. Follow your own financial programme and financial goal. This is how the wisest people behave financially. If you do not have any savings you can not have a financial future. Your financial future is not how much you have spent but how much you have saved. Do not compare yourself with anybody.

The vision is for an appointed time and so there will be increase and during that period there is development and growth. One important thing you need to understand is that if everyone fulfils the demand of faith in the invisible realm, things will begin to happen and there will be more answers to prayers. This is because once that demand is made it sends out a signal, and then people start picking up the thought. Once there is a cry for more, the creative forces go to work and somebody is then raised up with the thought to meet the need.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Actualising Goals and Growth

Goal setting involves setting specific goals for a particular year. When others advice you on what to do, you must maintain the goal that you have set for yourself.

This means that the programme you have earmarked must be followed and must not be affected by occurrences in your environment. This desire now becomes the tree of life and creates substance inside you.

A lot of people have knowledge but have not created a platform for the realisation of their goals this is what many Christians lack. You have to create something that can be used as a stepping stone that makes the next level possible for you to attain.

Unfortunately people do not create a platform because they are waiting for the fulfillment of the big vision they have in their heart. Once you follow the goals that have been set you will discover that within a certain period (could be three years) you have been able to accomplish a lot not that you emerged out of obscurity but through following set goals you arrived at that point.

Understanding is the fundamental requirement for the practical realisation of any vision i.e. the practical out working, what you believe is possible this year by your faith. You can dream big, but what do you believe inside your heart that is actually possible.

If you want to find out whether somebody really has practical insight into what they are doing, look for those little things related to what they believe God wants to do. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (James 2:26).

This verse refers to the practical things that you are doing which will demonstrate whether there is substance or not. This means if there is substance inside you for something, there will be a practical demonstration of that particular thing.
There are more challenges involved in growth and increase, than when there is stagnancy. There are more wars as you grow and increase as an individual.

The joy that you derive from progress is the joy of expanding your mind. The joy of learning new skills, increasing your capacity for handling challenges, personal growth and an increased sense of responsibility. It is not about enjoyment or the luxury involved, but rather creating opportunities for people. It is better not to give a blessing unless the individual is ready.

This is because if the person is not ready for the blessing it will be wasted. If you waste an opportunity you will discover how long it is to recreate an opportunity that God has given to you. These are lessons we need to learn as individuals in order to grow as Christians.

There are many people who step out of the intended path of God for their life they are now on a collision course. As a result they invade the lives of others and say things that take them out of the established course of God for their lives.

Do not listen to what others have to say rather follow what is inside your heart. Goal setting means you go from just having a good idea about your life, to achieving goals that people around you can measure - quantifiable goals. People watch increase and see growth the greatest thing is that they see consistency in your growth. An impression of increase that is consistent is one of the most attractive forces people that are observing you... Pastor Poju Oyemade

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The Power in the simplicity of the Gospel

The term ‘preaching’ has two biblical definitions. One means the establishment of Christian doctrine. This type of preaching does not require experiential knowledge. All that is required here is proof that you are scripturally correct. This does not mean that you possess any experience of the things that you are professing. You do not need to have tested those beliefs in real life situations.

There is, however, another form of preaching which denotes witnessing. This has to do with the declaration of the truth that you have known, embraced and tested. It pertains to truth that has produced tangible results in your life. The type of results referred to here was mentioned in 1 John 1:1-3, ‘That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

The proof – producing testimony of the gospel always has an evident simplicity attached to it. This is because everything that consists of the experiential knowledge of Christ is simple and practical. In actual fact, the catch lies in its simplicity. As a result of this, several people miss the gravity attached to these simple principles. The bible supported this fact when it advised in 2Co 11:3, ‘But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ’. Therefore, it must be noted that great truths are usually simple in their application. However, there must be a willingness to learn on our part. There must also be some measure of integrity in your heart if you are going to appreciate the great power to be found in those principles. In addition you must also be willing to set aside the existing reserve of worldly wisdom in order to clearly enter into these spiritual truths.

Jesus prescribed the pattern for the prayer of faith in Matt 7:7, ‘Ask, and it shall be given you seek, and ye shall find knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh, receiveth and he that seeketh, findeth and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’. He also stated the conditions that must be fulfilled for such proofs to be seen in our lives (Matt 7:1-6). Disregard for these conditions is the fundamental reason why many Christians fail to see a manifestation of their prayers.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Do not cast your pearls

There is no neutral ground in your walk with God. If you are not actively involved in intercession, you will definitely be involved in accusation. Once accusations start building up in your spirit towards other members of the Body of Christ, it will totally destroy your spiritual life. It will snuff out every chance of survival in the spirit realm. According to The Scriptures, ‘We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death….. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.’ (1Jn 3:14 16). The phrase ‘laying down your life’ in this verse means that we have chosen to make intercession for the sins of our brethren. The love of God in our hearts covers up a multitude of our brethren’s sins.

This does not mean that you cannot discern. It simply means that you have chosen to respond in a spiritual way to the sins that you have discerned. However, while you are careful not to criticise or condemn your brethren, you must also take care to… ‘Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you’ (Matt 7:6). This verse of Scripture refers to your relationship with men. In essence, it says if you have a critical and judgmental person in your environment, you ought to take yourself away from such an influence.

The term ‘influence’ was used in the latter statement because critics seek to control the subconscious decision-making process of their victims. Unfortunately, when conflicts arise, many of these victims keep on attending reconciliation meetings where they continue to cast their precious pearls before these critical people this is usually done in a bid to win approval. The reason why people esteem such approval ratings is because they have not made God their absolute source. For example, if a lady (who has a critical boyfriend) sees God as her Source of total supply, she will find it easier to take herself out from under such an influence.

Medically, there are two things that have been discovered which cause ailments in the human body, namely, wrong diet and stress. It has been discovered that stress is mostly caused by people who extract life out of you through the channel of the relationships you have with them. You have to cut yourself off from such relationships. When faced with a similar situation, Jesus was quick to strongly reprimand those who were trying to exert such an influence on Him (i.e. the Pharisees). He did not lose sight of the fact that all He needed was to receive ministration from heaven, and not from His environment. While on earth, He kept focusing on His heavenly Father as His Source. Consequently, He was able to fulfil His purpose on earth. Likewise, if you will not compromise your reliance on and obedience to God for the approval of men, you will fulfil your destiny.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Pre-requisites to Answered Prayers

The pre-requisites to getting your prayers answered can be found in Matt 7:1-6. It says, ‘Judge not that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brothers eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brothers eye. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

A prerequisite is defined as, ‘something that is necessary for another thing to be done or cause to happen’. What this means is that if you are not seeing the manifestation of your requests to God, you should check to see if you have fulfilled the conditions for it. You should go back to the checklist and make sure you’ve fulfilled these pre-requisites.


Several believers use discernment as a guise for their critical and judgmental attitude. However, there is a difference between discernment and criticism. It is true that we all have the latent gift of discernment.

This means that all believers potentially have the ability to recognise the misdeeds of those around them. The Bible supports this in 1 Jn 5:16 ‘If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death.’ This verse of Scripture verifies the fact that believers have the ability to recognise their neighbour’s misdeeds.

This gift of discernment helps keep us on the right track because it helps us distinguish between good and evil. However, when we discern other people’s mistakes, we are not to judge or criticise them. Rather, we are to intercede on their behalf. We are to ask that life be imparted unto them in that area of their lives (1 Jn 5:16). We should take up the responsibility of intercession, rather than criticism. The reason for this is because there are two major forces involved in the battle for the soul.

The first is the force of love (through intercession) and the other is the force of accusation (through judgment and criticism). If you permit the accuser of the brethren (Satan) to gain a foothold in your life, it will play out in the spiritual realm. You will partake of its fruits when you offer your prayers to God.

However, if you allow intercession to go up from your heart (i.e. if you pray for people and release them), you open up your life to the flow of God’s blessings. You will cause God to open the floodgates of mercy and favour to you.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

A Supply of the Spirit

When we offer prayers to God, what He does in answer to them is to grant us a supply of His Spirit. Then, as we participate and co-operate with His Spirit, we will have a manifestation of the things He has granted us. As we work hand in hand with His Spirit, room is created for the manifestation of our requests.

Matt 7:7 says, ‘Ask, and it shall be given you seek, and ye shall find knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh, receiveth and he that seeketh, findeth and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ Also Luke 11:11- 13 says, ‘If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?’

The principle of the release of a measure of God’s Spirit (as His direct answer our prayers) is an underlying principle described in several passages of Scripture. In some passages, it is described as the Law of liberty.

In others, it has been described as the Law of the Spirit of Life and the Law of Faith. When you understand this principle, you gain access for the manifestation of things, as described in the Bible. This basic fundamental principle needs to be imbibed if you desire to see manifestations. This principle is exact, it must be put into operation. It is not enough for the principle to be heard. It needs to be practiced.

When you consider Luke’s account in Luke 11:11 - 13 ‘If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?’ It says that the Father gives the gift of the Holy Spirit in response to our requests. This means that when you offer up prayers to God, He imparts a measure of His Spirit in answer to those prayers.

If you do not understand this, you will keep on looking for those answers to spring up immediately in your environment. Consequently, you will be left wondering why God has not yet answered your prayers. This is because the answers have been despatched in ways that you were not looking out for. There is a spiritual law that tells us that when we offer up prayers to God about any matter, He responds by sending a supply of His Spirit.

This is in order to accomplish His will which is geared towards leading you to an expectant good end… 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 (Jer 29:11).

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Jesus: The Authority in His Name

The genuine desires of a believer’s heart are Spirit-inspired… the spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly (Prov 20:2) and the authority of Jesus’ name is perfectly capable of producing the thoughts and desires that the Holy Spirit inspires… For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Phil 2:13)… For surely there is an end and thine expectation shall not be cut off (Prov 23:18)
When we truly understand that Jesus occupies the greatest position in the universe, we will stop acting in fear. We will stop underestimating the abilities and capabilities in His name. The reason people are not receiving the manifestation of their requests is because they underestimate God’s abilities and as a result are making requests that fall short of their true desires.

When an individual decides to hold fast to his ideals (i.e. the real desires of his heart), there are bound to be naysayers in his environment who will try to discourage him. They will advise him to be realistic. These individuals hide under the guise of offering reality checks, however, what they are essentially communicating is that you should settle for less than your ideals. On the other hand, God demands that you stay true to those ideals. He expects you to hold fast to them in prayer even when you might not necessarily find explicit models of those ideals in your environment. He expects you to respect the originality of your desire, to appreciate that everyone’s spirit-inspired desires are as peculiar to him as his fingerprints. Even when there are similarities in the type of desires, each man’s desire will possess a bent that is unique to him. This is due to the manifold wisdom of God. God expects every child of His to respect, appreciate, honour and stay true to the desires that He inspires in them.

When you do not respect and honour your individuality in Christ, you will begin to compare yourself to what already exists. Ultimately, you will stop believing that the desires in your heart can be realised and not bring those dreams to God in prayer. Consequently, this robs you of the quality of manifestation that can be achieved when we maximise the authority of the name of Jesus. Just like the crippled man at the gate called ‘Beautiful’ (Acts 3:2-5) you will begin to settle for the mundane things of this world at the expense of the seed of the kingdom sown deep in your heart. You will start communicating requests to God that contradict your true essence, things that are a shadow of the substance placed within you. On the other hand by staying true to your heart and the inspiration that God gives, you will not activate the first law of failure and miss out on the unlimited potential of the authority found in the name of Jesus.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

True Desires 2

A true desire is the starting point of every successful faith walk. The reason why many people fail to receive the manifestation to their answered prayers is mainly because they request for things that are less than the genuine desires of their hearts. In a bid to play safe, they actually hamper the operations of faith in their lives.

In the same way, the crippled man asked for silver and gold instead of healing because he had given up hope of ever walking. Jesus said in Jn 16: 23-24,26 ‘And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
However, in spite of this scriptural instruction, most of the requests made by believers are not made in the name of Jesus.

The concept of making requests in Jesus’ name means appropriating the quality of things that the authority of His name can provide. The requests that people make are far beneath the quality that the authority of Jesus’ name can provide. They are not made in the context of His name because they are beneath the operations of that name. For example, if an individual has the opportunity of receiving an offer from the president of his country to make any request in the president’s name and such a person requests for five thousand naira (N5,000), it will be evident that the individual lacks an understanding of the great resources that lie at the president’s disposal.

In fact, if the request comes from an individual who is supposed to know better, such a request could be deemed as insulting to the person and office of the president.This is because the kind of requests expected from such a person would have been things that only a president can access and make available to him. Any request that can be fulfilled by any other person will not be maximising the name and authority of that office.

In the same vein, when we offer up our prayers in the name of Jesus, God expects us to make requests that stem from the inspired longings of our hearts. He gets disappointed when we short-change ourselves and make mundane requests particularly when those requests stem out of the fear of getting disappointed.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

TRUE DESIRES

And a certain man lame from his mothers womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. (Act 3:2-5). In reply to the man’s request, Peter and Paul stated that they had no money but they indicated that they possessed a substance of greater worth. With this substance they imparted healing to the man.


It is very crucial to note that the crippled man’s request was beneath his true desire. What he really desired was healing (Acts 3:7-9). However, life’s experiences had taught him to downplay his true desire in order to avoid constant disappointment. With these experiences, he had become bent into a state of ‘pragmatism and practical expectation this state is really a guise that forces one to let go of one’s heart-felt expectation.

In Mark 11: 13-14 20-24, Jesus said, ‘For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass he shall have whatsoever he saith. He then went on to explain the foundational principle for the actualisation of that Scripture… therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.’ Jesus stated that when the faith of God is used on the true desires of our heart (without wavering), we will have those things that we desire. This principle contradicts the mould that the crippled man in Acts 3 had been forced into a mould where individuals are forced to short-change their earnest heart desires under the guise of practicality. This mould dictates that individuals should ask for the things that they can obtain safely, things that do not necessarily require spiritual exercise to get.

In essence, the world’s view of practicality requires that we settle for the mundane and easily accessible things in life. However, Jesus said that the law of faith works with genuine heart desires. Jesus showed that the starting point of seeing manifestation in our lives is that believers ought to ask for things that they truly desire. The depth of these desires is only known to the individuals concerned. It has nothing to do with the sub-standard or accepted norm in their environment. These original desires are often found deep in the souls of these people and is the anchor to their souls. (Hebrews 6:19).-- Pastor Poju Oyemade

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Receiving and Manifestation

Mark 11:13-14, 20 says, ‘And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. . . And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.’ When most believers observe that the circumstances in their lives and environment do not match up with their deep seated desires, they mistakenly conclude that the reason for this is unwillingness on God’s part to give these things to them. They believe that God is reluctant to answer their prayers. However, a deeper study of life and the Scriptures reveal that the problem has to do with receiving the manifestation of God’s answers to prayers.

Jesus made it clear in Luke 12:32 that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom. In the light of answered prayers He stated in Mark 11:24, ‘What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them’ and in Matt 7:78 … ask, and it shall be given you seek, and ye shall find knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

In Jn 16:23-24, Jesus said ‘And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. As believers, we know that …God is not a man that he should lie neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Num 23:19). Therefore the reason why we do not see the manifestation of answers to our prayers is not because God does not want us to have them. ( Jn 16: 23-24: And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full (NKJV). Rather, it is because we do not understand the laws of manifestation or how to activate them.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Manifold Wisdom of God

The act of trying to duplicate another man’s results in your life is always a futile project. It never produces the right results of peace, fulfilment, joy, or intimate communion with God. Rather, it brings about pseudo-interactions with God. This is because it is not possible to have revelations from God out of the quest to fulfil borrowed desires.

The acquisition of knowledge from books and other sources leads to illumination and not revelation from God. Revelation always comes as God responds to the genuine desires of our heart. It always comes when we face challenges in our quest to realise our divinely-inspired aspirations.

Attempts to act solely on illumination often leads to misdirected zeal and eventually to frustration. However, reliance on revelation breaks out in practical strategies on the immediate steps to take in order to fulfil the hearts’ desires. Revelation to Naaman meant washing in the Jordan seven times. To the widow at Zarephath, it meant giving out her last meal to a prophet.

Revelation from God always carries the creative characteristic of God. God’s many-sided creative views are always reflected in the revelations received from Him. This is reflected in the startling differences between the instructions given to both Moses and Joshua when they both faced the same set of circumstances at different times. Exo 14:1516 says, ‘And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea to Joshua these were the instructions, ‘Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above and they shall stand upon an heap. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho (Josh 3:12-16).

Thus, when they were faced with the same situation, Moses and Joshua received different revelations. Moses was instructed to stretch out his rod over the Red Sea and it parted. Joshua, on the other hand, was instructed to tell the elders of each tribe to carry the Ark of the Covenant ahead of other Israelites into the River Jordan. In God’s manifold wisdom and two unrelated events, God achieved the same result of creating a pathway in the midst of water using two different methods. This reflects the beauty of God’s creativity. The depth of God’s wisdom is so boundless that there is always a personal touch in His revelation to every man. You must therefore be patient and meditate on the knowledge that you possess until revelation is imparted.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

As a man thinketh

‘For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. (Prov 23:7). Everyman is the summation of his thoughts i.e. if his thoughts are evil, he speaks forth such thoughts. It doesn’t just end there though the circumstances of his life conform to such uttered thoughts (i.e. the words that he has been saying). In the same vein, if his thoughts are good and righteous, his life will be filled with desirable occurrences. The key to cultivating good thoughts is to declare the immutable Word of God whenever unwanted thoughts of fear, anger and jealousy creep in. Just as the only way to fight darkness is with light, the only way to overcome evil is with good. Affirm the good about yourself and the evil will eventually vanish.

Heb 4:15 says that Christ is easily touched by the feelings of our infirmities however, this is not an excuse for inconsistent confessions. The Bible says you should hold fast the confession of your lips when you are going through trying times. The Scriptures also say in Heb 4:16, ‘Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. If pressure is laid on you during this process, go into the place of prayer. Let the Holy Spirit work with the words that you have spoken, obtain a fresh supply of strength. If you start feeling depressed about negative words spoken to you, hold on to your confessions (speak them out of your mouth at that particular point in time) until the feeling lifts. Get into prayer right after that releasing anyone you have anything against. Pray until you get a release in your spirit and that level of attack will never disturb you again for the rest of your life. It is gone for good. Once you get that grace, you have advanced beyond that level. This is how we grow and develop moving closer to our fixed goal as we successfully pass through life’s different stages.

Find out what you desire in your heart and never separate your words from it. Do not let anything ever separate you from the love of Christ (Rom 8:35). Do not let trials and temptations ever affect the words that you are speaking. Understand that everybody is going through the same thing therefore, go through your own process joyfully. Death only comes to make the life of Christ manifest in your flesh. When men say there is a casting down, faith filled believers say there is a lifting up (Job 22:29).

The same event which causes the natural man to fail, contributes to the elevation of the righteous… if handled right. There are things that people say and do which awaken your Personal Recognition System to those things you might have been hitherto unaware of. You might have even felt bad when they first mentioned them. However, these types of words usually trigger unexpected treasure in you. If you stir up those things, you will discover that it was the Lord nudging you in that direction. This is because without such external pressures, you will probably stay put in your comfort zone. Therefore, be grateful to God when you enter such seasons. Do not get angry. Discover the new things God is trying to do in your life. Release those things and you will see the manifestation of God’s presence in your life.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

An Opportune Time

HAPPY NEW MONTH TO YOU ALL, ENJOY THE MESSAGE AND ACT ON IT GOD WILL BLESS HIS WORD IN OUR HEART IN JESUS NAME AMEN.

The term ‘opportune time’ can be defined as the appropriate time for a non-recurring event in your life. Hab. 2:3 says, ‘For the vision within your heart is yet for an appointed’ time (an opportune time). This means that the vision is for a time when opportunity will be created for it to be made manifest and it hastens to its fulfilment. It will neither deceive nor disappoint you. Though it tarries, wait earnestly on it. This scripture emphasises the need for every individual to wait and refrain from acting until the opportunity for the fulfilment of their vision is presented to them. This means that there is a time in your life where you should not look for the lime light. During this period, you should simply embrace the cloak of invisibility while preparing for the manifestation of the things that no human eye or ear has ever seen or heard. At such times, visibility could be a curse especially to young dreams and visions. This is because such dreams do not yet possess enough spiritual stamina to withstand exposure to diverse influences. It is a key principle in life that if you do not learn how to be invisible, you should not desire visibility.

You have to learn to wait. You need to imbibe the virtue of patience. The birth of destiny requires that you possess enough strength of character to keep on processing your vision even while your peers appear to be moving ahead. It requires the appreciation of your unique destiny and its related timing. Jesus demonstrated this in His early years He did not seek premature attention before His time for manifestation arrived. When John the Baptist was enjoying a huge following, He was silent. Even when John was reluctant to baptise Him, Jesus still encouraged him not to sabotage God’s process. He was one person who understood and embraced His process. He spent 30 years in oblivion developing all His latent qualities in anticipation of the period of visibility. This period was crucial in His development because if anything was left undone in this preparatory stage, He would not attain the fullness of His purpose in those areas.

This spiritual concept is so specific that even people with evil intentions cannot manifest their desires until the opportune time is presented. This indicates that timing is everything when it comes to the manifestation of the hearts’ desires. The Scriptures say “to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven (Eccl 3:1).

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Building practical strategies from God’s Word

There is a marked difference between individuals that mentally assent to God’s promise and individuals who possess the faith of God for their challenges. Mental assent is characterised by the inability to obtain practical solutions for the challenges of everyday life. However, individuals that possess the faith of God (concerning His promise to them) always have their inner eyes opened to see practical strategies for obtaining these promises. God directly communicates these strategies from the Scriptures to them. He breathes life on the written Word and the Word becomes flesh in their situations. It is of utmost importance that believers consistently receive and live by God’s daily directives. Failure to do so results in unproductivity. When such unproductivity becomes the norm, it could result in such individuals becoming desperate and believing strange doctrines and delving into cultic practices.

The willingness to believe in or to pursue strange gods usually stems from deferred hopes…,’ Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Prov 13:12 KJV). In order to maintain faith in the integrity of God’s Word, it is therefore important that all believers learn how to produce results with practical strategies from the Word. The first of these strategies is the knowledge that no claim can be laid to any promise that has not been given to the believer by God. This totally eradicates the presence of envy and covetousness in believers. It leaves no room for individuals attempting to use God’s Word for manifestations that they have seen in other people’s lives. Each faith project must be authentic. It must be in line with God’s plan for each individual. This is because the faith of God always backs His assignments. It is not designed to be utilised for personal ambition and lusts rather faith is a tool to be used to fulfil heaven’s agenda on earth. God’s commitment to produce a certain degree of manifestation becomes the basis of genuine faith.

Unbelief can therefore be described as lack of faith in God’s specific promise to you. This type of unbelief can also be described as un-persuadableness. There are two types of unbelief sheer ignorance and un-persuadeableness. Sheer ignorance is the result of a lack of the knowledge of God’s will for you. Un-persuadableness however, does not stem out of ignorance of God’s Word but out of an unwillingness to have faith in a specific Word or promise of God. Belief in a specific commitment of God was exhibited by Abraham, ‘Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be (Romans 4:18 KJV). Consequently, God was able to perform what He promised because Abraham cooperated with Him through the exercise of his faith.

In the same vein, believers ought to wait on God for His promises. Once those promises are given they have the responsibility to exercise their faith, even if it is against all apparent odds and evidence. With such an exercise is the victory that our faith that is certain.

From Hope to Faith

We should never allow the material world overshadow our spiritual faculties. Jesus, though easily touched by the feelings of our infirmities (Heb 4:15), admonished us to hold on to our spiritual realities through our confession, ‘For by thy words thou shall be justified, and by thy words thou shall be condemned.’ (Matt 12:37). We should hold on to these confessions regardless of the circumstances we are faced with. This is because they stem from the infallible truth of God’s Word.

Prayer is not a substitute for the law of confession. The two principles are separate and distinct although they are complimentary. The confessions you make before praying are the spiritual substance you carry with you into prayers. Just like Abraham and other founding fathers realised, these words take you from the realm of hope into the realm of faith. When they had no faith these giants of faith maintained their word of hope. They maintained their rejoicing and confessions of hope until it became a confession of faith.

For each of them, this process started out as a confession of hope. Even when they were calling those things that be not as they were, it was still literarily a confession of hope in the spirit. Their patience and consistency kept them at it until revelation dawned and their hope was substantiated. Spiritually, you cannot convert your hope to faith by simply changing the words you speak. It is not simply a play of words. These words must be infused with power. They must be substantiated before they can effect any change in your environment. This substance is imparted to them when revelation dawns in your soul concerning the subject matter.

The key to receiving this revelation is steadfastness i.e. consistency even when everything around you appears to be in chaos. It means concentrating on the promise until your concentration leads to perception. It does not mean slothfulness, but keenly following them who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Heb 6:12). When you enter the veil and begin to focus on the particular issue, light begins to flood your mind. If you maintain this focus, every detail of that dream will be imparted to you. The entrance of this strategic information will infuse your words with energy. Then, when you speak these power packed words, the circumstances in your environment will align themselves until your dream is actualized.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Substance vs. Shadow 2

When Jesus talked about insufficient labourers for the plenteous harvest in Matt 9: 37-38, He was referring to people involved with the substance of their dreams and not its shadow. Jesus was talking about people who were involved in the same creative process that He was. He was not referring to people expending physical energy in the pursuit of acquiring material possessions, but to those involved in bringing His kingdom to bear on the earth. They know that genuine results can only be gotten through the express will of the eternal God. So, rather than join the multitude in futile pursuits, they sit still until they have accessed the knowledge of His will. They do not take any step on the outside until they have entered into the rest of God on any matter.

It has been said that the combined wealth of the world’s seven richest men is enough to wipe out poverty from 2.5 billion lives. It is very clear that these seven men cannot possibly be involved in more physical labour than the 2.5 billion people combined. However, there are certain principles that they put to work which has fetched them such enormous results. Consequently, these kind of results gives its custodians the capacity to cause tremendous impact in their environment. Wealthy people know that true wealth can only be gotten when you become attuned to the thought of God for each dispensation. They all take out time to make contact with the thoughts that they believe the ‘Infinite Intelligence’ has put inside them. It is only after making contact with these thoughts that they step out to execute.

The effect of this productive insight is that millions (and possibly billions) of lives are positively impacted. These individuals are themselves transformed in the process. Material possessions, which represent the shadow of their pursuits, are effortlessly bestowed on such people. On the whole, they live fulfilling and enriched lives because they know the secret of productivity (i.e. align your activities with the will of the ‘Infinite Intelligence’ for your generation).


Colossians 2:8-9, 1719 says, ‘Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. . . Which are a shadow of things to come And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. This same passage in Colossians 2 verse 17 categorically states that the substance is Christ. The evidence that you are involved with the substance of your vision is the productivity and increase that evolves as a result, thus showing the evident increase of God in your life.

However if you are operating in the shadow reality, you will be just like the individuals that kept going through the motion of activities (Heb 10:1) erroneously believing that this would bring about the materialisation of the good things they wanted. What this indicates is that, it is possible for a person to be continuously involved in religious activities without corresponding results in their lives. This religious mindset was what Jesus addressed when He rebuked Martha for being involved in many activities whilst neglecting the only needful thing. On the other hand he commended Mary for doing the needful i.e. sitting still at the feet of the Master waiting for His instructions. I will stand upon my watch, and set myself upon the tower, and watch to see what He will say unto me (Hab 2:1).

From the Desk of Pastor Poju

Programming your Subconscious

Subconscious programming is not necessarily always negative. An individual’s life could also be positively programmed. One truth that holds true in either case is that the subconscious always governs an individual’s life. This is the reason why some highly successful individuals may find it difficult to articulate the major factor that contributed to their success.

Due to the vital role that the subconscious programme plays in believers’ lives, God is particular about the state of that part of a person’s being. He is totally unsupportive of processes that do not pay sufficient attention to the state of an individual’s subconscious programme. This is because such processes only breed hypocrisy and hypocrisy can never take an individual into the inner court. This inner court (the Holy of Holies), typifies the place of intimate fellowship with God. It also represents the place where God’s glory is made manifest. Only people who have yielded to the character-building processes of God partake of the pleasure of His presence. This was what Paul talked about in Hebrews 13:10,’We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.’ The ‘altar’ in this verse refers to the presence of God while the ‘tabernacle’ refers to the flesh or fleshly desires. Thus, this verse can be translated to mean that spirit-tending believers have a level of access to God’s presence that fleshly believers do not.

The process that leads to this re-programming is not one that people are willing to undergo. This is because once an individual partakes of the baptism of the Holy Ghost (or once he decides to rely on the Holy Spirit’s leading) he will definitely be led into wilderness phases. This fact held true even in the life of Jesus when He was led into the wilderness after the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

In order to play a game of fairness, (and we serve a just God), we are required to ‘be eager …to present ourselves to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analysing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skilfully teaching] the Word of Truth’ (2 Tim 2:15). To this end, we need to submit to the leading of God’s Spirit because that is what qualifies us as sons in God’s kingdom. Only sons can partake of the inheritance of the kingdom… That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all (Gal 4:1).

Thursday, July 24, 2008

The Path of Life

Psalm 81: 1-5 says,’ Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. This He ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when He went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not. The type of journey that Joseph embarked upon in this passage can be likened to those of the early sailors and explorers in their bid to discover and explore new territories. These men all stepped out without knowing the specific details of their destination. They probably kept on looking out for emerging facts as their journey progressed. In the same vein, the Scriptures admonishes us to be both watchful and prayerful (Mark 13:33). This means that we are to stay alert for emerging details as we progress in our walk with God even as we constantly consult Him for continuous direction on how to live victorious lives.

As mentioned earlier, the early explorers were continually on the alert. This trait of alertness was visible in the lives of patriarchs like Abraham, Jacob and Joseph who were all on the look out for the territory that God had prepared for them. They were on the look-out for a city which had foundations whose Builder and Maker is God (Heb 11:10). When they stepped out in faith, God gave them a statute this was supposed to guide them as they sojourned in these foreign lands. This ordinance was meant to keep them on track as they faced challenges. Through these situations they had no known human support structure per se. However, these situations that they faced prompted them to rely solely on God’s leading. With total reliance on Him they stepped into adoption…’those who are led by the Spirit of God are called the sons of God (Romans 8:14) thus preventing them from receiving the spirit of bondage unto fear (verse 15). It also preserved them from inordinate attachment to men which is noted to be the greatest undoing of individuals with great destinies.

Once individuals have not conquered the fear of death, failure and the unknown, they are bound to get off the track of destiny. This happens because the threat of the fear of death is usually an impediment on the path of life. This threat of death was what David made reference to in Psalm 23:4 as ‘the valley of the shadow of death’. The only factor that will enable an individual to successfully walk through this valley (to the table set thereafter) is absolute reliance on God. It is important to note that God does not take individuals through this path to reveal faults in them. He takes them through this particular path to prove the work that He has done in them. He will not take us through tests that we lack the abilities to handle.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

The Path to Dominion

Genesis 1:28 says, ‘And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man] and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.’ (Amplified) This was the very first instruction that God gave to man, to be fruitful and then that he should multiply. The first part of the mandate was for increase and multiplication.

With this God illustrated the sequential pattern of growth. First, the gradual or arithmetic growth i.e. where one measure is increased to two then three etc. The next stage is multiplication this is the growth phase where you begin to take quantum leaps in life endeavours (i.e. geometric or exponential growth) this type of growth fills your life, family and environment until its impact is felt all over the earth i.e. you can be said to be replenishing the earth.

The transforming effect of your activities fills your environment. Here you begin to use the vast resources of the earth (which you have hitherto accessed in the preceding stages of growth) in the service of God and man.
All these stages are a build up to the stage of dominion where we really come into the fullness of the stature of Christ.

At this stage, we enter into the fullness of the government of Christ as stated in Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

The process, as outlined by God, starts from increase through multiplication to dominion because it is impossible to have dominion with a minority mentality. This is because there is a certain level of capacity that an individual or organisation must have before they can attain dominion in their environment. Without the attainment of this level of capacity, all the activities within such an organisation or in such an individual’s life will be largely theoretical. There will be no practical results achieved.

This principle could be seen at work in Noah’s life (Gen 6:14-16). He had to build an ark of appropriate dimensions and capacity before a remnant of all creatures in the earth could be saved. Joseph also had to devise a plan on how to increase capacity ahead of the famine. This capacity enabled him to be used by God in saving the world from being wiped out.

As seen by both patriarchs (who built capacity before either the flood or famine began and ended up having dominion in their different dispensation), there is the need for us to ensure that we stay committed to our personal growth. This is because it will be too late to build our ark after the rains have begun.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Pray think

Jesus taught, to watch as we pray lest we fall into temptation to open our eyes and ponder the path of our feet. To intelligently assess the situations before us and use the thoughts we have gathered in prayer. Sometimes, as we look at the issues and re-examine the situations we are faced with, disturbing thoughts arise indicating problem areas that must be covered with prayer. These things must not be taken for granted. Without thinking over the situations you are praying about you might not get the full results of your prayers.

Hastiness in action destroys the results of your prayers. There is more in the future of a fool than he that is hasty in judgement. Hastiness in making decisions has aborted many a season prepared by God for individuals. God hides light in pain. The scriptures says every affliction will work out an eternal weight in glory in our lives if we focus not on the things that are seen but focus on the things that are not seen. There is definitely more to life than meets the eye. We need to learn to see with our mind what others miss with their eyes.

John Rockefeller says, ’governments don’t create a living for the people, opportunities that they see do.’ Joseph, the ‘father’ of Jesus was going to put away Mary when he learnt of her pregnancy, but the Bible records as he thought on these things he saw that it was of God. His moral disposition was offended but he allowed his thoughts to run deep whilst praying before he acted. Imagine it: a man’s fiancée goes on a three-month holiday to her cousin’s place (Elizabeth was pregnant with John and Mary went to see her) and comes back pregnant. The first instinct would be to kick her out.

This might be an extreme case, but seasonally we are faced with situations that have an outward appearance which differs from its internal content and we must not be hasty in action. (For in pain there is light and not all that glitters is gold). Jesus taught that many through overeating, the use of alcohol and getting distracted by the elemental things of life cannot develop the concentration needed to have really deep thought about situations around them, so they miss the opportunities in them and end up trapped.

We need more people who understand that what prayer does is to first increase the intelligence of the one praying. It raises the levels of their thinking such that the stronger the mind gets the more successful the life would be.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Revelation Knowledge

The first time Jesus spoke about the issue of revelation knowledge was when He asked the disciples who they thought He was. When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? They said, some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elijah and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt 16:13-17). In this passage, Jesus lent credence to the fact that there is a certain type of knowledge that can only be imparted spiritually. This type of impartation occurs when an individual presses in, beyond the level of knowledge obtainable from his immediate environment. Such an individual goes beyond the level of what men have told him about the things of God. This is usually in a bid to find answers to the hidden questions in his heart. Such a quest springs up when that person has put certain kingdom principles to work in his life and still meets with a brick wall. The brick wall prompts a search for a deeper understanding of the Truth.

When questions of this nature are asked in all sincerity, the people that receive revelation from the Lord are the ones who press deeper. These are people who have sown seeds (cash and other forms) and legitimately expect a harvest. However, if results are seemingly not forthcoming, they do not take offence, or get discouraged but they earnestly press into God for wisdom acknowledging that God’s Word never fails. These individuals look within for shortcomings of wisdom, knowledge or skill that needs to be worked on. Consequently, this heart attitude moves God to impart knowledge to the individual’s mind via his spirit. As seen in Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.(NKJV) God begins to reward their diligent search with wisdom.


As the Holy Spirit begins to answer those questions, another dimension of the gospel of Jesus Christ is revealed to them. This is the dimension called faith the realm where hope begins to be substantiated. At this stage, the things that you hitherto did not know now constitute the essence of your life. They form the platform through which you will begin to make progress in your life they become the defining issues of your life.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Substance vs. Shadow

As co-labourers with God, our responsibility is to be jointly involved with God in the process of creation. However, it should be noted that the kind of labour God is involved in is spiritual in nature.

It is more creative than the exertion of physical effort - the type that man is well acquainted with. It is this type of spiritual labour Jesus referred to in Matt 9:37,38 when He said, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest.’

This expectation of God (that we become actively involved with Him in the creative process) is in line with the fact that He created us in His image and after His likeness.

This means that every human being possesses God’s creative nature. Although everyone has this innate ability, only a few men explore its potential. Conversely, a vast majority are involved in physical labour which wearies the soul (Eccl. 10:15) and achieves nothing of any lasting value.

This is the issue Jesus was addressing when He said, ‘Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed’ (Jn 6:27).

The physical labour exerted by most people is usually in a bid to acquire the shadow of their dreams. The people who participate in this type of labour erroneously believe that this apparent manifestation will satisfy the deep longings of their hearts despite what Heb 10 verse 1 states, ‘shadows cannot make the comers thereunto perfect’ (paraphrased).

In a more general sense, shadows cannot satisfy the hearts desires. It is, therefore, important for every believer to recognise the difference between the shadow and the substance of their vision. This difference could easily be overlooked especially since it cannot be discerned by the carnal mind.

Thus, many people who pursue the shadow of their vision erroneously believe that they are involved with its substance. The difference between the two concepts was stated in Hebrews 10:1, ‘For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of those things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.’ The distinct characteristic of the shadow reality was revealed in this verse i.e. that the shadow reality of anything lacks the power to create positive change, either in the life of the person concerned or in his environment.

The power to bring good things to pass simply cannot be done by the shadow reality, regardless of how often activities are carried out to that end. It simply lacks the innate ability to make the comers perfect and produce genuine impact and results.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

What faith is and how to get it

‘Faith is the substance of the things that you hope for and the evidence of things that you do not see. And we understand that through faith, the world was framed by the Word of God.’ (Heb 11:1 -3) Faith is priceless, it cannot be compared to silver or gold all forms of life actually came out of it. When this substance is in you, it reveals necessary information to you. This means that when faith enters your heart, something dawns in your consciousness that guarantees your desires. This substance was what Paul saw in the crippled man at Lystra (Acts 14:8-10). Prior to this time, it was absent in him, so he remained in that state. However, when he heard Paul preach, the substance was imparted to him. The Bible says in Acts 14:8-10 that Paul sensed the man had received the substance to be made whole. Then he told him, ‘Stand upright on thy feet’ (verse 10) and faith infused the crippled legs. Therefore, in the pursuit of the manifestation of your expectations, the emphasis should be on faith and how to obtain it.

Romans 10:17 explains the method of obtaining this substance. It says . . . faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The term ‘Word’ in this verse refers to the rhema of God i.e. the specific will of God concerning a given situation. So then, faith comes by knowing and carrying out the specific will of God concerning different issues. This makes it important for us to be sensitive and obedient to such instructions. The knowledge of this truth made Mary advice the servants at Cana to do whatever Jesus instructed them. In the same vein, we should also ensure we do whatever the Spirit of God instructs us to do.


However, it must be noted that faith cannot be born without a hope or desire. We must remember that faith is the substance of things hoped for there can be no substance without a seed. This means that you need to have a specific desire faith then comes to substantiate it. This desire must be consistent with your inner yearnings and not borrowed from people that have influenced you. It might be necessary for you to pray until you have effectively weeded out such influences. Adopted desires render the faith process futile you cannot penetrate the spirit realm with them. Discover those things that are deep within take time to purify your thoughts through prayers. Be true to yourself and let the light begin to shine.

The Bible speaks about Moses’ desire to lead the Israelites out of captivity. It was not something that arose out of jealousy or peer pressure. It was a desire within his spirit. Likewise, those desires within your heart are what you should start out with. It will be suicidal for you to attempt to cut your dream to fit the evident resources in your environment. Do not look at the probabilities because faith principles are always at work even when it does not seem so. Keep confessing the Word keep offering up the sacrifices of praise. Hold fast to the tenets of your faith, shortly, the seed will bring back your desired harvest.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

You are Either Right or Successful

Philippians 4: 6-9 says, ‘Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you’.

In life, you can either choose to take a position of rightness or be successful. Success here refers to the fulfilment of the desires lodged within your heart. This means that in life, you can either choose to hold a defensive position where you claim to be on the right track or you can really be fulfilling those desires of your heart.

One of the most important things in your Christian walk is the adjustment you make in your life when faced with obstacles in your faith walk, it is very important that you do some appraisals of the beliefs that you have hitherto held. The reason for this is because you are either frantically trying to prove that you are right or you are actually successful. You can never be in both camps simultaneously. If you are going about trying to prove to people that your viewpoint is the right one, you are probably not producing the desired results in your life. Results usually speak for themselves they cannot be hidden and therefore cannot be argued with.

The side of the pitch that you find yourself is largely due to the attitudes and mentality that you have cultivated. You need to evaluate both on a consistent basis. On the basis of this appraisal you may discover that you may need to unlearn those attitudes, beliefs and behaviour that are unproductive. You need to constantly judge your attitude and beliefs by the things that you constantly see in your life over a period of time.

The belief system and mentality act as a filter for the way you absorb knowledge, especially the messages and conversations that you hear. The modus operandi of these filters might not be accurate but it is how you see things. You might even have faulty methods of evaluating yourself using religious means which are not necessarily productive e.g. how well you perform in organised church activities, the perception others have of your piety etc.

This appraisal mechanism wrongly tells you that it is okay to serve God and lead unproductive lives. This system goes further to convince you that wealth and productivity is synonymous with ungodliness conversely it affects the way you view them ensuring you piously turn away from this path.

In situations like this, it is not the unknown that stands in the way of your progress. Rather, it is those things that you know, which you need to unlearn. Thus, if your environment constantly communicates undesirable results to you, put on the garb of humility and re-programme your mind. Make the necessary adjustments and results will inevitably manifest in your life.

From the Desk of Pastor Poju

Monday, May 26, 2008

From Hope to Faith

We should never allow the material world overshadow our spiritual faculties. Jesus, though easily touched by the feelings of our infirmities (Heb 4:15), admonished us to hold on to our spiritual realities through our confession, ‘For by thy words thou shall be justified, and by thy words thou shall be condemned.’ (Matt 12:37). We should hold on to these confessions regardless of the circumstances we are faced with. This is because they stem from the infallible truth of God’s Word.

Prayer is not a substitute for the law of confession. The two principles are separate and distinct although they are complimentary. The confessions you make before praying are the spiritual substance you carry with you into prayers. Just like Abraham and other founding fathers realised, these words take you from the realm of hope into the realm of faith. When they had no faith these giants of faith maintained their word of hope. They maintained their rejoicing and confessions of hope until it became a confession of faith.

For each of them, this process started out as a confession of hope. Even when they were calling those things that be not as they were, it was still literarily a confession of hope in the spirit. Their patience and consistency kept them at it until revelation dawned and their hope was substantiated. Spiritually, you cannot convert your hope to faith by simply changing the words you speak. It is not simply a play of words. These words must be infused with power. They must be substantiated before they can effect any change in your environment. This substance is imparted to them when revelation dawns in your soul concerning the subject matter.

The key to receiving this revelation is steadfastness i.e. consistency even when everything around you appears to be in chaos. It means concentrating on the promise until your concentration leads to perception. It does not mean slothfulness, but keenly following them who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Heb 6:12). When you enter the veil and begin to focus on the particular issue, light begins to flood your mind. If you maintain this focus, every detail of that dream will be imparted to you. The entrance of this strategic information will infuse your words with energy. Then, when you speak these power packed words, the circumstances in your environment will align themselves until your dream is actualized.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Sacrifice of Faith

In order to enter into the fullness of destiny, we must obey kingdom laws that have been given to us. This principle is true regardless of the parties involved because God is a respecter of His Word…not people.

When God said that He was going to destroy the Israelites in the wilderness, Moses interceded on their behalf by saying, “Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth?


Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.” (Exo 32:12) Moses reminded God of His commitment in verse 13, “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.

The Scriptures record that the Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do to Israel.God is committed to bringing people that obey Him into the destiny He has prepared for them. However, if He knocks on the door of your heart and you refuse to answer, He will move on to other willing hearts.

You must understand that God’s reputation is at stake if you do not heed, enlargement and deliverance will come from somewhere else. If you cannot be baptised with His baptism and go through the constraint for a while, someone else will pay the price. This individual will enter into the sufferings of Christ.

He will wake up at the appropriate time, make the necessary confessions, offer up sacrifices of praise and rejoice in the face of unfavourable circumstances.On the other hand, you may decide to make these needed sacrifices you will begin to experience answered prayers. Like Moses communed with God and God hearkened to him, you will also find your faith confessions materialising.

Things can happen in your environment that contradicts the oath of God over you but God is protecting those principles to work because we cannot break the government of God. It is not the will of God. So many people say it is the will of God for bad things to happen. What manifests is not necessarily the will of God.

Even though it looks as if the government of heaven and earth is backing these events it is because it is protecting the spiritual law that you have set into motion. Regardless of His emotional and personal views, heaven and earth’s constitutions cannot be disregarded because God is just. In this same vein, if all you do is make negative confessions, they will manifest regardless of God’s emotional and personal views.

Remember God has said,‘Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you. (Num 14:28)


If you have used wrong words to set spiritual laws into motion, you must realise that you cannot change things overnight. You have to start working to reverse negative trends in your life. When you kneel in prayer, it is not God’s intention that comes to pass but what the person has been enacting with his words that will occur. He is committed to performing the consistent confessions you have been making.

When you pray, it is the measure of words that you have spoken in the midst of all the trials that adds substance to your hope. Therefore, find out your ultimate destination, then commit yourself to that fixed goal with your words.

When you are steadfast in the practice of this principle, God is committed to ensuring your desire is manifested.God’s disposition towards His children is for us to receive exceeding, abundantly, far above what we could ever ask or think.

Remember it is what He hears that God is committed to doing. It is the measure of words that you have spoken in the midst of the situations consistency in the difficult places of your life.

As you are patient and steadfast God is always faithful. (Heb 6:15) Whenever, we obey this law and sow the words of our desired future, the earth undoubtedly responds, by presenting us with the exact harvest due to us.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

The Processing of Faith

For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (Heb 4:2) We must mix God’s Word with faith for the profiting to become evident in our lives. According to this verse of scripture, every believer has been endowed with faith and the Word of God. However, what makes the difference between productive and unproductive believers is the process of mixing (or not) the Word with faith. To lead fruitful lives Christians need to understand and use this principle.

The Scriptures were designed by God to produce specific and exact results.In this quest for productivity, the first thing you have to understand is that the inner eye of your heart needs to be opened. This understanding was what prompted Paul to pray for the Ephesians that God will impart the spirit of wisdom and revelation to them, ‘Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.’ (Eph 1:15-18).

Paul went on to ask that the eyes of their understanding might be enlightened i.e. the opening of the eyes of the heart to know the hope of God’s calling and that the individual experiences the resurrection power in his circumstances.According to Joshua 1:8, ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shat 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, the key to observing and knowing what to do (per time) is meditation on the Word. It translates belief into faith.

It opens up the Scriptures to you until you begin to see the workings of God in your environment. This ability to recognise opportunities is very crucial, because God always brings genuine opportunities to our doorsteps the question on the other hand is every individual’s ability to recognise and seize them. This Personal Recognition System is developed through the process of meditation and is the key to your ability to see when these opportunities emerge.
It is very important that the eyes of your understanding stay enlightened because God always presents great opportunities in seed form.

The Scriptures say that the seed of great things are insignificant when compared with everything else in the environment The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof (Matt 13:31-32).

From the Desk of Pastor Poju

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Consistency in your Confessions

Heb 6:15 says that Abraham obtained the promise after he had patiently endured. God instructed him to change his name (his confessed identity) when he was ninety years old (Gen 17:1-5) and for the next 10 years, Abraham consistently practiced faith. In the difficult places of his life, he realised that man is either imprisoned or liberated with the words of his mouth. Once you say you can not do a thing, doubt rises up like a giant and binds you. Those who confess that they will get out of a situation do not necessarily say so because they can see it. They are saying it because they believe it. Jesus said in John 20:29, Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. Those mentioned here are those who are constant in their confessions even in the face of opposing circumstances. Such people call those things that be not as though they were. They offer up the sacrifice of faith.

Never talk failure no matter what you are going through. Always say the right thing. Start retraining yourself, no matter what you are going through, never talk defeat. Never insinuate with your words that your situation is hopeless. Your words could either act as a bridge in the spirit to God’s resources or they could act as a breach in the spirit, cutting off your supply. If you talk about your trials and difficulties, your faith withers. However, if you talk about how big God is, your faith will grow in leaps and bounds. You can never rise beyond the confession of your lips. This knowledge is reflected in the words of successful men. They know that a person’s life reflects the level of the words spoken by that individual. Words are spiritual tools and they absolutely dominate our external realities. God is committed to what you speak. We have to learn to use words that will actually work for us.

Even if a man in a position of authority speaks negative words to you, do not believe it. Do not labour under the influences of those words because they will cause you to fail. Don’t carry that image inside you and do not try to change the person’s mind about you. Just work on obtaining results and people will naturally adjust their opinions about you.

The faith confession principle is a very simple one. It should, however, be noted that this principle should not be used selfishly. You should also intercede for others. Affirm whatever you desire for yourself on behalf of others. This will help all parties involved. It is in line with the Golden Rule, we reap what we sow. If we send out thoughts of fear, worry, jealousy, anger and hate, we will reap the same results. Likewise, sending out thoughts of love and goodwill will ensure they return to us like bread that was cast upon the waters. It was formerly thought that a man was rebuilt every seven years. Now scientists have discovered that we build ourselves over entirely every eleven months. So, really we are only eleven months old. We, therefore, really have no one to blame if we build the same defects back into our lives year after year after year.

The bible says that when you are going through trying times, to hold fast the confession of your lips because He is easily touched by the feelings of your infirmities. However, the fact that Christ is touched is no excuse for inconsistent confessions. Hold fast to them. Then, it also says come up to the throne of grace that you may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb 4:16) If pressure is laid on you during this process, go into the place of prayer, let the Holy Spirit work with the words that you have said and you will obtain a fresh supply of strength to continue the journey.

From the desk of Pastor Poju

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

The Righteousness of Faith

Christians go through a painful learning process in order to learn absolute reliance on God. When God humbled them and fed them with manna, which they knew not, neither did their fathers know that He might make you know that Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord does man live (Deut 8:3).

When an individual does not draw that conclusion, he prolongs the duration of that process within his life. This process is meant to be educative but its whole essence could be wasted if you refuse to learn the lessons embedded in it. Without successfully passing through this stage, a lifestyle of labour and striving sets in.

This was the mindset that Paul was trying to address in the Galatian church (Gal 3:1-8). The Christians in this church had been trying to match up to the standard. They had the desire to do God’s will but lacked the knowledge on how to perform. They found their faith to be dead due to their lack of knowledge (James 2:26).

When they met with this brick wall, they discovered that there was a right way of doing things which produces what they believed God for. This right method is communicated by God when an individual trusts in Him for the manifestation of their desires. In Gal 3:6, Abraham believed God and that belief was turned into a life of rightness.

As Abraham started living in that righteousness, he got the results promised. This spiritual principle is accessible to anyone who fulfils its demand of belief. If a person exercises genuine faith in God for financial prosperity, God communicates the righteousness of the expressed faith to such an individual i.e. He communicates the right way of going about it to the person. When the individual lives out that righteousness, results are produced.The Christian life is lived by the Spirit of God in us.

As Christians, we can only do the dictates of the Father by relying on the Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit longs to produce God’s excellent life in us. For instance, it is a good thing for an individual to envision and make some desirable confessions about his family life. However, he needs to rely on the Spirit’s guidance for wisdom on how to achieve the results he wants.

The future of a believer is hinged on obedience to such Spirit-inspired promptings. It is not based on any organisational code of conduct, but on the Holy Spirit’s dealings. These dealings are very personal they are based on the faith that the person has exercised in God that no one else knows about.


God’s work in you does not start until you lay hold on His will for you. The starting point is that every Christian in a vital walk with God embraces God’s will for their life. God started His work in Abraham when He declared His will unto him (Gen 17:4). When this work was initiated, Abraham started making decisions as the Holy Spirit revealed.

At that stage in his relationship with God, the Holy Spirit started regulating his decisions and actions. It was a father/son relationship because even when Abraham missed God’s will at some points, God lovingly corrected him. He then created opportunities for him to get things right all these took place without condemnation because God is always primarily interested in the relationship.

His only desire is that we approach Him by faith in order to obtain wisdom from Him, wisdom on how to inherit the promise (Gal 4: 1-2).

From the Desk of Pastor Poju

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The Seed of Abraham

Genuine faith always moves God to open His treasury of wisdom to us. It is, however, worth mentioning that this learning process is not one size fits all. It is customised for every believer according to what is necessary for them. This is because what is necessary for one person might just not be right for the other. This thought should eliminate criticism as no one has any right to judge another man’s servant (Romans 14:4). The same thought is also against stifling doctrines and codes of conduct: adherence to codes does not necessarily mark out Abraham’s seed. The only distinguishing feature in all heirs of the promise is productivity in their endeavours whatever they do blossoms. Jesus emphasised this in John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit so shall ye be my disciples.

Even in desolate places, Abraham’s seed springs forth as a tender plant. Wherever he is situated, he reveals the arm of the Lord to the nations. Through discretion and wisdom, he becomes extolled (Is 52:13). As Abraham’s seed, every believer must personally take up the responsibility of walking in and fulfilling the covenant. It is a personal decision that every heir must make if he is to differ from the servant (Gal 4:1). Isaac and Jacob each made this decision at some points in their lives. And there was a famine in the land besides the first famine that was in the day of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech….. And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt dwell in the land which I shall tell you of… Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a hundred fold and the Lord blessed him. The man waxed great and went forward, grew until he became very great. And it came to pass . . . that Jacob said unto Laban, send me away that I may go unto my own place, and to my country. . . And Laban said unto him, I pray you, if I have found favour in your eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake (Gen 26:1-212, 30:2527).

As seen in the foregoing scriptures, every one that is the seed of Abraham should experience this quality of life. This level of manifestation should be seen in their daily lives. Just like Isaac and Jacob, our bosses and associates should be able to testify of the distinct productivity they have seen in us. When we take up personal responsibility as heirs of the promise, we become blessings to all and sundry. It is at this stage that life offers us a blank cheque every little thing we touch becomes a multitude (Gen 30:28, 30). This level of manifestation God only bestows on sons. Though we are all heirs, “. . . the promise was not to seeds as of many but t the seed as of one” (Gal 3:16). Even in Abraham’s biological lineage, the fullness of the promise was usually transferred to one man in every generation i.e. Abraham #8594 Isaac #8594 Jacob #8594 Joseph. This was in spite of the fact that there were several potential heirs in each generation.

However, this type of productivity is not automatically obtained. It is only bestowed on heirs who are hungry for wisdom. Jacob, Isaac and Joseph were all men of understanding, who were ‘mind-full’ of their business. When we begin to walk in the fullness of this covenant, God communicates the spirit of excellence to us i.e. He causes us to develop a high degree of expertise in our work. This is because a successful enterprise can only be built when all resources (spiritual, intellectual and physical) are combined. No marriage or business is successful simply because the tool of prayer was used neither will anyone have a fulfilling career on the sole basis of intellectual soundness. Rather, an enriching life is only achieved when you accurately blend all these resources while towing the line of God’s plan.

From the Desk of Pastor Poju

Monday, March 17, 2008

On people and books (part 2).

Books are very powerful tools in the development of thoughts. For you to be able to develop a right plan of action towards the attainment of your goals you must seek the assistance of other people in form of advice, experience and knowledge.

The easiest way to get this done is by reading books. Books contain practically every event and knowledge that has shaped humanity. They contain the seeds for the events which are to come Concepts are developed and nourished through reading.

The power behind the printed page is this, when you read you have fellowship with the best part of that person, you are not hindered by the personality of the person, you have access to the most valuable and important thoughts of the person.

God is able to communicate with us without the personality of the person colouring the thoughts. The Corinthian Church confirmed this that the best part of Paul was his writings, when they said his letters were weighty and powerful but his bodily presence (personality) was weak and his speech contemptible.

His writings made a better impression than his person. Frank Gaebelein, a former editor of Christianity today, wrote: "Among the eternal resources available to the Church the printed page stands first." Isolation has only been right for people who have withdrawn temporarily from others for the development of thought by prayer and reading.

You have got to understand the balance between books and people in evolving a right plan of action. All successful people are studious but also sociable. Too many people are studious but don't socialize so they don't find the proper balance in their actions by the knowledge they have acquired. Thought development towards a right plan of action must be interactive.

Jesus interacted heavily with people yet strictly maintained the process of development by being studious. He visited with friends, attended feasts and weddings. This was one of the problems the Pharisees had with Jesus, he was more of a socialite than a hermit.” Never let the devil push you out of this developmental process, that which helps your thoughts to grow (books) and that which is relational.

Whatever God intends for your life He would bring it primarily through the hands and the minds of men. He told John the apostle on the island of Pathmos "what thou seest write and send...." God commanded John to document his thoughts in the form of a book.

Today we can open the book of Revelation and have access to the knowledge John gained in his personal encounter with God. Without books, the knowledge and experiences of others which could be beneficial to us, would be wasted. The scriptures record that Daniel understood by books the purpose of God for the nation of Israel in his time.

He developed his thoughts by reading and then asked God to express, through events the thoughts he had acquired reading. No one else saw what he saw, for they did not understand that the plans of God for the future are contained in books available to them today.

Bill Gates testifies to the fact that had a man An Wang a Chinese immigrant who built Wang laboratories recognized the importance of compatible software applications there might not be a Microsoft today. He said he might have been an attorney or mathematician somewhere. Microsoft, his plan of action for the future, was born while reading the January 1975 edition of Popular Electronics magazine. He saw on the cover a photograph of a very small computer not much larger than a toaster oven and from that point on a stream of practical ideas flooded his mind.

From the Desk of Pastor Poju

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Prepare for High Performance Tasks!

There are times in your life when there will be tasks that require high performance. At such times, you need to perform at optimum level. And because of the demand placed on you at such a time, it is possible for you to get stressed because of the perception that you do not have access to the mobilization of sufficient resources to meet the demand.

However, as Christians, we ought not to find ourselves stressed because the Word makes it clear that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (who supplies the resources for me to do all things) Phil 4:13. Therefore, we shouldn’t harbour any perception of not having sufficient resources at our disposal. We will however not see these resources, being physically manifested, when we are in our comfort zone. As Jesus told Paul, God’s strength is made known when our infirmities are unveiled. It is when we are at our wit’s end that God’s covenant is most significantly manifested.

Therefore, if we do not welcome challenging situations, we are never going to truly experience God’s grace.One challenge most people face is the ability to mentally lay hold of the resources made available to us in Christ even when it seems that there is a dearth of such resources in our immediate environment. One classic example is when demands are placed on Christian employees by their employers in their workplaces.

Deadlines are given to all employees and results are expected. Because of the lack of knowledge, most employees (Christians and non – Christians alike) get jittery and blame their frustrations on their bosses when actually Christians in such organisations should rise up at such strategic points in their lives and bring the essence of the Christian walk to bear on their work.The essence of this walk is that when demands are made on us, we should lock into the supernatural in a practical way and unveil the immense treasure which God has kept in us from the foundation of this world.

The unveiling of this treasure is what is known as God’s glory. We should therefore take pleasure when such demands are placed on us because when perceived and handled properly, they usher in seasons of great growth and of learning the secrets and laws of life.

Pastor Poju