ELEVATION IS CAUSED BY ZEAL

ELEVATION IS CAUSED BY ZEAL

life and ministy

sharing with Pastor Dapo Adeniyi

The book of Daniel tells the story of 4 zealous Hebrew boys.

They were boys at the beginning but older men in later chapters of the book.

The king of Babylon took several of them into his palace for special training but it was the zeal displayed by this 4 that stood them out.

Zealous people do not seek attention or limelight but their zeal always speaks out loud.

The scores of other Hebrew children in the same situation also had a name as Hebrews and worshippers of the living God.

The problem was that, the others were nominal or marginal Christians.

They ruffled no feathers, as such they hoped that theirs would not be ruffled.

They would soon discover how being a fence-sitter can put someone in the line of danger.

A dream soon came to the king which put all their heads in mortal danger.

Zealous Christians are agents of change but lukewarm Christians accept things as they are.

Daniel and his friends risked their comfort and security in the king’s house by following what their hearts told them.

They did not have to refuse the king’s food.

It was not unlawful, the food only grieved their spirits.

The king’s portion was expensive food and very nourishing.

The purse that they asked for was by contrast a bread of affliction.

Their action eventually increased their favour with God and with men.
Christians today try to work their ways into the hearts of those having power instead of being zealous for God.

What it takes to please men is what it costs to be their slaves.

No one who is a slave somewhere else can be a useful vessel in God’s hands.

No servant serves 2 masters.

The elevation of zealous Christians come from God.

Usually, it is the same tribulation that challenge their faith that provides the lader for them to rise.

One of many attributes of zealous people is that they are not afraid of hard work.

Now let’s examine some 4 additional attributes of zealous Christians:

Zeal is present when someone begins to do for God things that they don’t have to do.

God Himself probably would understand if they do not do those things.

By doing such things, gateways are opened for great increase.

Secondly, zealous people do not do just the minimum required, rather they exceed in the business and in the interest of God.

Thirdly, a zealous person is not troubled by the prospect of loss in the pathway of achieving their goal for God.

By risking loss, they often end up gaining all.

The same Hebrew boys did not mind going into the flame of roaring fire rather than bow to Babylon’s idol.

Zealous people are never alone.

They always find someone else to agree with them.

Even Jehu found Jonadab the son fo Rechab in 2 Kings 10.

 

 

OVERCOMING FEAR

OVERCOMING FEAR

LIFE AND MINISTRY

SHARING WITH PASTOR DAPO ADENIYI

Fear is an enemy that we must seek to defeat by all means.

It saps our energy.

It leads us to make poor choices or no choices at all.

Fear and its cousins (hatred, anxiety, doubt, depression) are works of the flesh.

We swim in them simply because we refuse to walk closely with God.

Fear and its companions are viral infections in the air.

Only a committed Christian life can help us to overcome them.

They are like ravening birds flying overhead everywhere and trying to perch on top of our heads.

When they are unable to perch, they urinate in order to mess up a decent Christian life.

Such urination takes the form of thoughts, especially harmful thoughts.

Those who are not saved stand little or no chance of overcoming fear.

More than the ordinary experience of having fear, there is the real danger of having “the spirit of fear”.

That one is a stronghold.

That stronghold also comes to play where God is not given a chance.

Those who have the spirit of fear often have manic fear.

They plunge into fear even when there is no reason to fear.

 Prov. 28:1 says “The sinner fleeth when no one is pursuing, but the righteous is bold as a lion”.

The spirit of fear is afraid of the least of things even though they are also defiant and hateful of mighty things like the anointing of God.

They do not fear God but you cannot imagine the flimsy things they fear such as butterflies, moonlight, rainbow etc.

It is the genuine experience of salvation that brings freedom from sin and death.

 Rom. 8:2 says “For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free  from the law of sin and of death.”

Fear and hatred are twins.

They are 2 items on the list of what causes death.

We can have freedom from hatred because of the love that God gives out from us (Rom. 5:5).

We can walk in love and love with the love of God.

God can and will give us the grace to love those who are impossible to love.

People are impossible to love because they don’t love themselves.

Fear and hatred are products of a sinful life.

Those who walk closely with God are not troubled unduly by hatred and fear,

Fear is overcome by faith and faith comes when God’s word enters .

Unfortunately a Christian can choose to live in fear simply by choosing not to be zealous for God.

The lack of zeal for God brings so many problems to a Christian.

A Christian without zeal is like someone trying to serve two masters.

God has promised in His word to push them out eventually from His house.

Christians without zeal will join a battle they know nothing about.

Like the men who followed Absalom and Adonijah, sons of Hagith.

The lack of zeal takes a man who previously was in God right back to Egypt.

See Prov. 14:12/16:25

 

 

The power of God’s spoken word

The power of God’s spoken word

life and ministry

sharing with Pastor Dapo Adeniyi

Ezk. 37:1-10

I think, one of the fascinating passages in the Bible showing the immense power of God’s word when spoken, is Ezekiel chapter 37.

Can these bones live?

No doubt, they can live under the decree of God’s word.

God teaches the prophet how to bring His word to bear on a terrible situation.

Undoubtedly the passage also teaches us that nothing is impossible with God.

He can reverse any situation, however hopeless.

There is help available, beyond the imagination of men.

God can heal many or a few

He can touch anyone who cries to Him for a filling.

The word of God is like a long spear or a sword.

God is teaching His servant Ezekiel how to use it.

Many good people have complained that they decreed the word of God over their lives but saw little or no changes.

There are lessons here on how God’s word works.

For example, the word of God must gain deep root in the heart of the one who will be decreeing it.

It has to dwell in you richly before you will say it and it will come to pass.

See Rom 10:9-10

The valley full of dry bones can also stand for a terrible situation which is common to a lot of people.

The situation of everyone in a particular church assembly can be that bad.

It can also be a family line.

It can be a city.

The case of Jericho in the time of Elisha comes to mind, (2Kings 2).

Now, let’s learn some quick lessons about the valley of dry bones.

The first is that the people whose bones fill the entire landscape were all slain.

That means the situation was created by certain people.

Secondly, problems this serious can develop on their own.

A good example is a famine.

Terrible problems can also arise due to our own mistakes.

For example, the bones could have died and dried up because the people were involved in a mass suicide.

It could also be due to a curse or a judgment from God.

Finally, how will the bones live?

God’s hand may need to be on the one giving the decree before the word of God that he or she is putting to work can stand.

You will recall that Elisha waited until God’s hand came on him before he gave the word to 3 kings in 2 Kings 3.

Secondly, the one giving the world may need to receive precise words which he or she will then releases over the situation at hand.

Another clue on what makes the bones live is that, the decree is given more than once.

Some of us faint in prayer because we don’t realize that the situation may require several blows in prayer.

Lastly, what are the chances of the bones becoming an army of God if they do live?

God will not invest in a project that brings no profit to His programme on the earth.

SPECIAL INVITATION TO THE JOSEPH COMPANY DECEMBER CONCERT

 

                                              THE JOSEPH COMPANY CONCERT

                                              DATE: SUNDAY ,DECEMBER 9 2012

                                                                    VENUE: HE CARES GOSPEL CHURCH GROUNDS

                                                                          13, MODUPE ST,BALOGIN B/STOP,IKEJA,LAGOS

TIME: 3PM