Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

GIVE EVERYTHING TO THE WORD (2)

By Joseph Akinola
 
 
Why You Need The Word Of God?
You need the Word of God because the Word of God is God John 1v1. Having God means that one automatically carries the Presence and the Personality of God.

What Happens When You Have The Word Of God In You
When you have the Word of God, you are now in possession of God and God is living right inside you and with you. You then begin to carry the presence of God about and enjoy the following Benefits:

a.    You become Unchallengeable by any circumstances.
b.    You become Immoveable by the wicked force.
c.    Your Thinking Pattern Changes and what comes out of you (the Production Quality of your heart) becomes Outstanding and Excellent. (Bible says, ‘Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh’).
d.    You create a new world for your world by virtue of what you carry. John 1:3; Hebrews 11:3 (the Word created the world).
e.    You become Clean and Purified John 15:3.
f.    You Words Become An Established And Done Deal John 15:5-7.
g.    You live a Comfortable Live Joshua 1:4a,
h.    You become an Authority Joshua 1:4b
i.    You become Bold and Courageous Joshua 1:5, 6, & 9.
j.    Prosperity Is Sure for you Joshua 1:8
k.    You no longer live nor see things in the Natural again, you begin to operate and dwell in the Supernatural. John 3:5-6.

How To Give Everything To The Word
1.    Accept God as your personal Lord and Saviour: John 3:3. If you cannot give your life to God, then every other thing that belongs to you cannot be given to Him. If you cannot give your life to God, then you will not be able to give Him any other thing such as your time, money/seed, heart, etc. When you give your life to God, you have just succeeded in keeping your life with Him Colossians 3:3. Then you can now say, ‘My life is in Your hand’. Giving your life to Him is likened to opening a New Bank Account and every other thing you will give to Him will be likened to Deposits.



2.    Dedicate the Totality of your life to Him. {Whatever you give in dedication to God, He Insures, Multiplies and returns guaranteed condition back in to you.} Dedication means laying down everything that pertains to you to Him. That is, when you have given Him your life, you don’t need to withdraw it again from Him through unrighteousness, sin or backsliding. Remember, God is a jealous God. Exodus 20:3-5.


3.    Submit totally to His Will and Instructions. His Will is His MIND, His Instruction is His WORDS Jeremiah 29:11.


4.    Meditate daily of the Word of God. Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:11.



5.    Have a Solid Word-life. Your Word-life determines your Prayer-life. Your Word-life also Controls and Regulates your impact and influence on your world. Your Word-life will Create any kind of world you want for you John 1:3; Hebrews 11:3; John 15:1-15.





6.    Believe: 2nd Chronicles 20:20b. Your believe in anything will determine the kind of world you will be living in James 1:6-8.





7.    Action: James 2:26. Your Faith without the Application of all you have Known and Acquired is of Futile Effort.

Note that the Word of God is a powerful weapon to deal with any situation around you. You can use that same Word to Build, Destroy, Pull Down and Tear Down anything.

GIVE EVERYTHING TO THE WORD


By Joseph Akinola

GIVE EVERYTHING TO THE WORD
John 1:1-5; John 15.

The Word of God is Promise of God, the Word of God is what God can do; what He will do and also what He is doing. The Word of God is God. The Word of God has in it the Creating Ability to cause / boost your creative prowess John 14:1-3. Anything you give to the Word, you have given to God. Giving everything to the Word means, ‘to submit totally everything about you to God Almighty’.


Why Give To The Word

1. The Word of God is Settled in Heaven Psalm 119:89. Anything you give / commit to the Word becomes a settled matter, because the Word is settled in a settled place (heaven).

2. The Word of God is Established Job 22:28. Until you embrace the Word of God, it (the Word) will not be Established in your life (it is the Word of God you embrace that is be established (proved) in your life, and that same Word will now establish you (set you up, authenticate and confirm you).

Bible says in Job 22v28 that, ‘you shall decree a thing and it shall be established’. The Word of God in your life/heart is the Word of God in your mouth. The Word of God in your mouth is what will be Established/Confirmed. So what are you saying about your life? Psalm 87:5.

3. The Word of God is Yea and Amen. 2nd Corinthians 1:20. Anything the Word of God says is what happens. The Word of God is the Truth and when you embrace the Truth, everything about your life becomes True. Anything the word says is what you will experience.

What To Give To The Word

1. Your Life: John 3:3, John 3:7; 1st Peter 1:23. Another word for this is (the salvation of your soul). The first requirement God demands of you is your life. He gave it to you and He wants you to submit it willingly to Him so that He can direct the affairs of your life. When you willingly hand your life over to God, He will handle your life appropriately. Giving your life to God means, surrendering totally, everything about your life to him. Using the principle of sowing and reaping, without giving, there can never be receiving. The same way, when you don’t give your life, you won’t really get it / have it useful to you nor will you be able to maximize the glory God had ordained of you at your creation.

2. Focus/Attention: Hebrews 12:2, Luke 11:34-36. Where is your focus? To What / Whom have you given or are you giving your attention to? Where you put your focus and attention will greatly determine what kind of focus (influence) you will be to your world and the attention you will command in your world. What are you giving your attention to? Is it the economy, relative, what people are saying or the terrible situation you are passing through? Bible says, no man can receive anything except it is given to him. Before you will be given anything by anyone, your focus/attention is highly needed/required by that person; this shows your thirst and your yearning; and this will also determine how much (in quality and quantity) what would be delivered into your hands. Bible says, that a double minded individual/fellow cannot receive anything from God, so be focus. James 1:6-8.

3. Your Heart: Proverbs 4:20-23. You need to give God your heart. Your heart is seat of decision and the throne of power for your life and destiny. God wants your heart and the devil too wants your heart. When you don’t give it to God, the devil automatically takes charge of it with several evil/wicked thoughts. Giving God your heart demands that you fear the Lord and study His word, meditate daily and ceaselessly on the word. By doing this, (meditating on the Word regularly), you will have the Word you have read and meditated upon gives birth into lots of multi-million Dollar ideas that will engage your heart and lead you into your destiny. That same Word of God you hid/kept in your heart will keep you away from all manners of unrighteousness and sin / wicked things Psalm 119v11. Bible says, ‘guard your heart with all diligence’ my question is, can you really guard your heart yourself – without any stronger person’s influence? No, you need the Word of God (God Personified) to guard your heart and also guide/direct your ways into destiny.

When you give God your heart, He will cause you to live a meaning life. This would be determined by the portion of your heart you give (apportion/allocate) to Him. Further Reading: Proverbs 3:1; 3:3; 4:4; 7:1-3.

4. Your Will: Don’t go to God with an idol in your heart. Your Will should be a reflection of what the Word of God is saying. Any Will outside what the Word is saying is a mere wish and it cannot come to pass/fruition. There is a proverb/adage that says ‘wherever and whenever there is a will, there is a way’ - but what I have discovered is that, until your will is aligned with the Word of God, there can never be a way in it. Any Will outside the Word of God is likened to a fellow coming to God with what he wants God to do for him and not what God can do or has in stock for him.

5. Your Thought. Joshua 1:8. Your thought is a product of your intake (what you feed you mind on), it is the by-product of MEDITATION. When your thought is not given to God through your meditation, you can never receive what the mind of God is for your life. Each time you meditate on God’s Word (both the Logos – written word and Rhema – received word), God deposits in you the content of His mind in your mind. Your meditation exercise is your craving for Him and His stuff. Romans 12:2.

Your life can never be better than your thought life Proverbs. 23:7a says, “as a man Thinketh, so is he”. What are you thinking? The fact is, you cannot really think right without the presence and material of God in you. Don’t forget that your life will always move in the direction of your most dominant thought.

6. Your Plans And Proposals: Proverbs 3:5-6. Present your Plans, Projects and Proposals to God and He will plan your Plans to work out excellently. Submit your Projects to God and He will Project it and you (the project carrier) to your world. Commit your Proposals into God’s hand and He will Announce you to your world and your entire world will Subscribe and Propose to (aim at) your product.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

THE HOLY SPIRIT Pt. 7

By Joseph Akinola

Sustaining the Holy Spirit/ Spiritual Gifts

The word Sustenance is synonymous to Maintenance. Maintenance is the act of upholding, preservation in order to make something to continue to exist; to make something to continue to exist.


The Cost and Price of maintaining a possession is always far greater than the Cost of Obtaining it. Maintenance is a life-long exercise/activity as long as that thing still exists.


Sustaining the Holy Spirit in your life as a believer is very crucial. Why? Because, when you don’t sustain it with the required ingredients (food), He begins to leave you – you begin to lose Him in your life. There is nothing as miserable as someone who had enjoyed the presence of the Holy Spirit in the past and now living his/her life without the presence of the Holy Spirit. The truth is, life will be unbearable to him/her.


It is very important to know that when you cannot maintain anything you have acquired, you are not really due, ripe and mature for it. Because if you are due for it, you will rise up to the Task and Price associated with it in every way it demands.


Below are listed and explained, some of the things you could do / exercises you could engage in order to sustain the Holy Spirit in your life and this would make you to always Keep Fit spiritually.


1. Righteousness: You need to live a holy life; a sinless life, to operate a righteous – bound lifestyle. Bible says in Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” If you really want to be exalted (dignified, high-ranked) in life as a person, in all you do and you want to keep growing spiritually, the need for righteousness and abstinence from sin is a must. 1st Peter 1:16 says, “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy”; like begets like. You are a Vessel and the Holy Spirit is the Dweller of the Vessel – He knows the condition of the place to which He can dwell (live in), so He gives you the prescription of how His abode should be. 2 Timothy 2:21 says, “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.” 


If the Holy Spirit would really dwell inside of you, you need to be holy/clean/spiritually healthy and sanctified – to deliberately set yourself apart for Him (if you are expecting a guest, you prepare your house for his visit, so that he would find your place comfortable in order for him to stay longer). Before you will operate the verse of the Scripture that says, ‘Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world’, you must make yourself Clean and Clear of all filthiness; you must ensure that where the Greater One will dwell is clean and garnished so that when He comes, He will stay permanently and then, would start to reproduce fruits upon fruits in your life because He doesn’t stay where there is filthiness. 


Note that when the temple is not holy, the Holy God will not come and dwell/reside in it. Also note that when you live a righteous life, you automatically make yourself readily accessible to and for the Master’s use and also for His abode and when you become the Master’s abode, you begin to exhibit the acts of the Master and with this, you soon become a master in and to your world both in the natural and supernatural.

Righteousness, as defined by some Bible scholars, is said to be ‘your right standing with God’. Where and how are you standing with God? This is a very critical question no one can answer for you but for yourself. It is important to know that how you stand with God determines how close or far He is / He will be to you and this will literally determine what happens to you and how much of Him you will know, have/possess because when He is with you, He will tell you things, including things to come (John 16:13).


Always note that Who lives with you or Who you live with greatly influences and determine your influence in life both physically and spiritually.

When he lives with you, He will influence your life into full/maximum success.

2. LOVE: 1Corinthians 13. Love is from God. God is love and anyone who will truly love must have God. Anyone who has God must have love and anyone who loves must surely experience God. Love is very vital. Without love, you cannot give and when you give, it must be without any string attached. It is not the person you give that rewards you but God. Love is the greatest of the Law of God 1st Corinthians 13:13. Without love, you cannot really see God. Ephesians 3:17-19.


3. FELLOWSHIP: Hebrews 10:25. Don’t forsake the assembly of God’s brethren. When you embrace fellowship, you will enjoy Synergy. Coming together enables you do things with ease, also, you exert less energy on things you do. Note that no man is an Island. You need others. God never created you to be alone, neither does He created you for yourself. Even God, the Creator of heaven and earth embraces the principle of coming together (Genesis 1:26 {come, let us create……..}). How enormous the result is when people (believers) come together. In Isaiah 1v18, God painted a picture of synergy through coming together both ‘to learn from others’, ‘reason together’ and ‘to do together’.


4. FASTING: Joel 2:12. Fasting breaks/disconnects you from the natural and makes you spirit-man attuned to the frequency where you can hear God audibly and clearer. Mark 9:29; Ist Corinthians 7:5.


5. PRAISE: Psalm 100:4. This is the key / access into the Supernatural. Praise also brings down the presence of Divinity/Holy Spirit. Psalm 34:1


6. PRAYER: 1Timothy 2:1; Acts 10:4


7. BOLDNESS: Proverbs 28:1. A righteous man is as bold as a lion. Acts 4:13; Acts 4:31; Ephesians 3:12.


8. SANCTIFICATION: 1Thessalonians 4:3-4. The world of spirits can never be comfortable to those who plunge themselves in the filth of the flesh; nor will the righteous and holy God ever admit such into his favour and presence, unless they be first washed and sanctified, and justified in the name of our Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God, 1st Corinthians 6:11. 2nd Thessalonians 2:13; 1st Peter 1:2


9. THE WORD OF GOD: Acts 6:7. The Word of God Increases your Capacity Physically and Spiritually. Your spiritual health is geared / powered by the Word of God. The Word feeds your spirit-man, feeds your soul and also boosts your faith causes you to walk and live in the Spirit always.



Food For Thought

"Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

THE HOLY SPIRIT - Part. 6


By Joseph Akinola

Fruit of The Spirit - 2
Galatians 5:22, John 15:1-17

1. GOODNESS: Romans 15:1. This is Benevolence, Giving. This fruit of the Spirit enables a believer to always show the readiness to do good to all as he/she has the opportunity. Matthew 12:33 says, “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.” If the tree in you is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is good, then, everything about you must also be good.  
Further Reading: Ephesians 5:9, 2nd Thessalonians 1:11, Romans 15:14.


2. FAITH: This is Reliability. Romans 12:3b. Romans 10:17. Growing greatly in faith demands you consider and watch what you hear. Faith-Building thrives on the wings of studying and listening to the Word of God. The more of God’s Word you hear, the more measure of faith that is released to you. Note that you credit your Faith-Account each time you add to / increase your Word – intake. Your faith in God makes you Buoyant and Bold to stand before and face any challenge that comes your way. Your Faith-Status makes you Unshakable and Immovable in any circumstances of life; it also makes you see every case/issue/situation as possible with GOD Matthew 17:20
Further Reading: Mark 16:16, 1st Timothy 4:12


3. MEEKNESS: This is Mildness, an Even Balance of all Tempers and Passions; this is the entire opposite of anger. Total Submission, not pride or arrogance. Matthew 5:5. This is the ability to govern one self’s passions and resentments, so as not to be easily provoked, and, when he is so (provoked), to be soon pacified. Meekness was the spirit of the Saviour Himself Matthew 11:29. Meekness presupposes humility in a believer’s life and makes him/her find expression in Moderation. 
Further Reading: Proverbs 15:1; Proverbs 16:14; Proverbs 25:15; Ecclesiastes 10:4, 2nd Corinthians 10:1, Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:12; 1Timothy 6:11; Titus 3:2.


4. Temperance: Another word is Self-Control, Continence, Self-Government, Moderation. Moderation in eating, drinking, sleeping, sex, talking, etc. Tip: Check your fasting life – If you cannot control your food appetite, you will not be able to control other appetites. As a believer filled with the Holy Spirit, you should be able to control yourself, your anger, etc. 
Further Readings: Acts 24:25; 1st Corinthians 9:25; Titus 1:8, Titus 2:2


Against such, there is no law: Those, whose lives are adorned by the above virtues, cannot be condemned by any law, for the whole purpose & design of the moral law of God is fulfilled in those who have the Spirit of God, producing in their hearts and lives the Preceding Fruits.


John 15:5When you Stay / Remain CONNECTED to the Holy Spirit, you will bear all the above fruits in QUALITY.

Further Readings: John 15:1-8

Highlight
Staying Connected Leads To Total Consecration And An Ever-Fresh Blossoming in the Spirit 

THE HOLY SPIRIT - Part. 5

By Joseph Akinola

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Galatians 5:22, John 15:1-17

The Fruits of the Spirit are as follows: Love, Joy, Peace, Long-Suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, and Temperance. In this lesson, we shall be looking at the Fruits one after the other and the category each falls.

Fruit is defined as the yielding, product of a plant grown. The Fruit of the Spirit is the product of the Holy Spirit; where the Holy Spirit is the Tree / Vine and the believer is likened to the branch which, if he remains connected to the Holy Spirit will bear Fruits and without Him (the Holy Spirit) he (the believer), can literally do nothing John 15:5.

The nine (9) Fruits of the Spirit are categorized into 3:

Love, Joy and Peace -- Character as an Inward State

Long-Suffering, Gentleness and Goodness -- Character in Expression Toward Man

Faith, Meekness and Temperance -- Character in Expression Toward God

Tip: All these fruits present a moral Portrait of Christ.

1. LOVE: This is an act of denoting an inner inclination to persons or things. Lack of love in a believer’s life gets a believer disconnected from the Holy Spirit 1st Corinthians 13:1. The Holy Spirit helps the believer to possess a large heart. When the Holy Spirit enlarges your heart, you increase in quality, your love for others. Note that you can not really love without the Holy Spirit.
Further Readings: 1st John 4:7,8,12, 16; John 13:35

2. JOY: This is defined as mirth, internal gladness. Nehemiah 8:10 When you posses the joy of the Lord as the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, you become strong from within (spiritually). This joy Rejuvenates, Revitalizes and Refreshes you.  
Further Readings: Isaiah 51:11; Isaiah 61:3a; 1st Thessalonians 1:6; Romans 14:17; Romans 15:13; 2nd Corinthians 6:10; 1Peter 1:8

3. PEACE: This is a form of calmness, quiet and order which takes place in a justified soul; instead of doubts, fear, and anxiety. Peace is described as the first sensible fruit of the pardon of sin Romans 5:1. Peace is a sign of Reconciliation with God Romans 5:1. Peace means, calmness of the heart Philippians 4:7. Further Readings: Romans 15:33; Romans 16:20; 2nd Thessalonians 3:16

4. LONG-SUFFERING: This is the patience to defer anger, and a contentedness to bear injuries of life without murmuring; submitting cheerfully to every dispensation of God’s providence, and thus deriving benefits from every occurrence such as in affliction, trial and when injured by others 1Corinthians 13:4a. Note that Long-Suffering goes hand in hand with Love because Love Suffers Long. This word is sometimes translated Patience.
Further Readings: Romans 2:4; Romans 9:22; 2Peter 3:9, Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 1:11; Colossians 3:12.

5. GENTLENESS: This is a very rare grace, often wanting/lacking in many who have a considerable share of Christian excellence. A good educated and polished manners, when brought under the influence of the grace of God, will bring out this grace with great effect. Another word for Gentleness is Kindness 2Corinthians 6:6; Courtesy; Being Polite.
Further Readings: 2nd Samuel 22:36, Psalm 18:35, Luke 6:35.
Bible Verse:  
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.John 15:5
Highlight
A life lived without the Holy Spirit is a life lived in Darkness!

THE HOLY SPIRIT - Part 4

By Joseph Akinola

SPIRITUAL GIFTS - 2

The Holy Spirit is our Connector to the Spiritual world. He is meant to enable you influence lives and affect your world positively.


There are 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit – 1Corinthians 12:1-12. The gift of the Spirit is for the Release of Power in order for you to be a blessing to your world. These gifts are for the blessing of mankind.


These gifts are categorized into 3.

Category 1: Reveal Something; Category 2: Do Something; Category 3: Say Something

Category One (1) gifts are called the Revelation Gifts. These gifts Reveal Things. (Daniel 1:17)

a. The Word of Wisdom – This gift gives the Revelation about the future. Joseph is an example. It deals with God’s mindset. Deals more with the future. Knowing by revelation the mind, plan of God concerning a person and situation.


b. The Word of Knowledge – This gift gives that revelation that concerns things in the present or past. It can reveal to you fraudulent people around you. Knowing facts about the future or the present.


c. Discerning of Spirits – Knowing by revelation whether the spirit in revelation is divine and demonic. Note – Discernment of spirit is not fault - finding nor mind-reading.

Category Two (2) gifts are called the Power Gifts Luke 10:19a.

These gifts are the gifts that do things, they perform things. That is where the raw energy of God flows from the source. It is divine electricity.


d. Gift of Faith – This is the Supernatural working power of the Holy Spirit when there is a particular situation, a particular scripture comes alive in you Isaiah 49:24-25. The Gift of Faith is not the saving faith. This is not the general faith for Christians. A good example is Daniel. This gift makes you passive – you don’t really do anything, do you? You don’t prepare for war, you prepare for the day of war. How prepared are you when you are faced with challenge.


e. Working of Miracles – Operating this gift, you will actually do something. Example – walking on water. Holy Spirit helps us to carry out acts contrary to the natural laws. Example – Divided Rea Sea – Carry out acts beyond human capacity. Example: multiplication, water to wine. The Holy Ghost will give you an instruction to take a particular step.

f. Gift of Healing – This is where the Holy Spirit enables us to administer healing. This gift helps you as a carrier of the Holy Spirit to destroy the works of the devil in the human body. You don’t administer the gift of healing to / for yourself, it actually works on others.


Tip: Anytime you are in need of anything, look for a Worship song that talks about that thing to God. There is a song that ministers it. Sing of God’s swiftness. Note that: Music is the key / entrance to the spirit world either negative or positive.

Tip: To enjoy a stronger relationship with the Holy Spirit, listen to music. Learn to always sing to Him / God.


Category Three (3)Gift of Utterance – These are the gifts that Say It.


g. Prophecy – This gift is meant for edification and comfort. Prophecy communicates a message from God to People. With this gift, you simply hear from God and say what you hear. This is supernatural utterance in a known tongue.

 

h. Diverse Kinds of Tongues.

i. Interpretation of Tongues.


Final Word: Communicate with the Holy Spirit; where there is no communication, there cannot be Manifestation. When you don’t communicate to Him, He will not Communicate Instructions to you.

THE HOLY SPIRIT - Part 3

By Joseph Akinola

SPIRITUAL GIFTS
1st Corinthians 12:1-11

These gifts are for the Conviction Of Unbelievers And Propagation Of The Gospel for Christians, Believers and Ministers. Matthew 10:8 says, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” These gifts are freely given of God and spiritual gifts are bestowed for the advantage and the salvation of others.


Spiritual gifts are the Endowment of the Holy Spirit. This is a great PROOF of the Holy Spirit in the life of any believer. These gifts come for God and are to be used for Him. The Gifts, though several are of the same Spirit (Holy Spirit) and are in themselves of various kinds.


There are diversities of Gifts such as:

1. Word of Wisdom: Wisdom is Intelligence, then practical in action in accord with it. This is the Speech Full Of Wisdom under the impulse of the Holy Spirit of God. This is what is called Revelation by the Spirit.

2. Word of Knowledge: This gift says the Knowledge Of Mysteries Wrapped Up In Prophecies. This is a Skill given by the Holy Spirit to believers and also, the Readiness to Give Advice and Counsel in Perplexed Cases. This gift is Insight (Illumination).

3. Faith: The faith of miracles or faith in the Divine Power and Promise, whereby they (Christians, believers, ministers) are Enabled to Trust God in Any Emergency, and profess the truths of Christ whatsoever was the difficulty or danger. This faith is not the ‘Saving Faith’ but the ‘Wonder-Working Faith’ 1Corinthians 13:2; Matthew 17:20; Matthew 21:21.

4. Gift of Healing: Healing the sick, either by ‘Laying on of Hands’, or ‘Anointing with Oil’, or With the Bare Word. All these are the Acts of Healing Acts 4:20; James 5:14; Luke 7:21.

5. Working of Miracles: This is the efficacy (usefulness) of powers, such as Raising the Dead, Restoring The Blind To Sight, Speech To The Dumb, Hearing To The Deaf Galatians 3:5; Hebrews 2:4.

6. Prophecy: This is the Ability To Foretell Future Events. This is the Ability To Speak Forth. This is not always a Prediction, but a speaking forth of God’s message under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

7. Discernment of the Spirit: This is the Power To Distinguish Between True And False Prophets, or to discern the real and internal qualification of a person for an office. This Power enables you to discover the inward workings of the mind by the Holy Ghost Acts 5:3. Romans 14:1; Hebrews 5:14. This is a most needed gift to tell whether the gifts (so-called gifts today) are really of the Holy Spirit and supernatural.

8. Diverse Kinds of Tongues: This is the Ability To Speak Languages By Inspiration. There are varieties in this gift but the gift was essentially an Ecstatic Utterance of Highly Wrought Emotion That Edified the Speaker. 1 Corinthians 14:4; 14:2; 14:28; 14:13.

9. Interpretation of Tongues: This is the ability to render in other languages.

THE HOLY SPIRIT Part 2

By Joseph Akinola

(Who He is and What He Does)
John 14:15-18

“15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”


Importance: Jesus the Son of God could not Manifest without Power (Power of the Holy Spirit) (Luke 4:14). If Jesus Christ could not perform without the Holy Spirit, neither can you perform nor accomplish anything without Him.


What He Does

1. He is God’s Power: At your reception/acceptance of Him (Holy Ghost) into your life, you receive into you an implantation of the Supernatural that makes you operate / function in God’s Capacity.

2. He Is The Revealer Of All Things: He brings you out of your hiding place and reveals you to your world. He makes you known to your world and causes your light to shine in the darkness of this world. He announces your eminence in Christ based of your knowledge in God and of Him. He breaks the walls of Limitations surrounding you, Mitigates (justifies) you and dignifies you in such a manner that you wouldn’t have attained in life or in your profession. A very good example: The Disciples Acts 2:2-6a; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10. He shows you things to come. He reveals to you things to come and also the secrets things you don’t know if you wait on Him.

3. Brings Boldness: He gives you Courage for Delivery, so that you can deliver your potential in life. Life will never give you what you deserve but what you Negotiate and to negotiate, you need the Power of the Holy Ghost to Combat any and every powerless power that wants to stand on your way.

4. Gives You The Clout: This is your Influence power, one of the best way/medium to influence your world at large is to possess the Holy Spirit and fully maximize Him in your life. (Lot of believers today has the Holy Spirit but has never experienced His manifestation once. Why? Because they never put Him to work).

5. He Is The Comforter: Brings Comfort into your life; this is an Incomparable comfort.

6. Teacher: Teaches you all things, John 14:26. The things He teaches you are the things you rely on Him/believe him on for. He shows you the way to go, when to go, how to go and what to do per time.

7. The Helper: He Helps you in all things if you invite Him into your situation.

8. Quickens Your Mortal Body: Romans 8:11 The Spirit of God causes your mortal body to become Supernaturally Alive if you engage Him.

9. He Is the Spirit Of Truth: He guides you into all truth. It is when you possess the Holy Spirit in you that God through Him (Holy Spirit) will effectively communicate with you the future, which is the TRUTH.

10. Reminder: Reminds you of all things and all that you have learned. He brings them to your remembrance John 14:26.

11. Intercessor: He intercedes for you and I (saint). Romans 8:26:27.

12. Oil Of Joy: He infuses joy into you system Proverbs 17:22. With joy, most of the sicknesses in your body are healed.

13. Enduement of Power: He endues you with Power (The Ability To Do). This literally means you cannot do virtually anything without Him.

THE HOLY SPIRIT


By Joseph Akinola

THE HOLY SPIRIT {An Overview}
ACTS 1:8

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”



The Holy Spirit is the third Person in the Trinity.

He is the Personality behind every Exploits and Manifestations in the Pentecostal movement today Romans 1:20.


This is an Inexhaustible Jesus promised you and I when He was ascending into heaven Acts 1:4 & 8.

The Holy Spirit is a Person. He is a personality in the order of the Godhead.

He is in charge of the affairs of the Kingdom of God on earth today.

He Empowers people/believers/saints for Supernatural feats.

The Holy Spirit is the most Valuable asset to Christian living.

He is the Central Figure in any breakthrough in life

He is the ever-abiding Power of God available to saints today John 16:13.

He is the spirit of Truth John 16:13


“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”


He is the Personality that Guide, Directs, Shows, Leads, Conducts, Points, Manages, and Pilots you into all the ‘Truth’ about your life.

The Future (God’s Plan and Purpose for you) is the ‘Truth’; Everything that Makes Up the journey to your destiny is the ‘Truth’ from God, all that You Must and Should Do in order to enter it are all ‘Truth’ by God, which you cannot Access without Possessing / Having Him (Holy Spirit) in you (your life). I mean the Truth from God (what God had written concerning your life and destiny) cannot be In View, Known, Realized/Achieved and Fulfilled without His Leadings, Instructions/Companionship.

You cannot NAVIGATE through the sea of life without the Help/Assistance and the Presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.


What You Should Know About The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit, (at reception-when you received Him) is like a seed, which Grows and Brings Forth Fruits of POWER, Acts 1:8. This power enables you to do all that you need to do (Philippians 4:13). The Power you receive will make you become an Evidence of the Word of God you utter in your mouth and the Word you live by to your world.

KINGDOM COMMITMENT (Pt. 5)



By Joseph Akinola

THE CHALLENGE OF SERVICE 
(1Acts 6:11; Romans 8:35)

This Lesson would be the concluding part of this series. From all we have learnt from the beginning of this series, a summary of it is: Service is a way of sharing your Resources, Time, Personality and Life with others or a group of people in the Love of Christ.

Service is the proof of your love to God and the challenges of service are likened to a test/an examination which will always lead you to your place of rest. {If you are not thrown here and there in service (through errand), you cannot really enjoy the throne you will possess after your service}.

I want you to know that for every position, there is always an opposition (1 Corinthians 16:9 “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries”). Because your service in God and to God will always lead you to a successful end/destination, lots of oppositions; such as the people around you, friend and foes, name it, will not want you to get to your destination in service, even the devil will want to distract, deprive and discourage you from becoming who you should be at the end of your service.

All the things you experience along your way in service are all called Challenges.

Challenge comes your way, not to separate you from the love of God but in order to make you closer to God and also, to make you become a matured Christian.

Amongst the things you would experience as challenges in service are stated below and how you respond to it will greatly determine How Much you would GROW as a Christian and How Far you would GO with God.

1. Persecution – Acts 6:11

2. Tribulation – trouble of all kinds Romans 8:35

3. Distress – Romans 8:35

4. Famine – Romans 8:35

5. Nakedness – Romans 8:35

6. Peril – Danger of life, health, etc.
Here, you are exposed to lots of risks that can hamper and harm your destiny both Physically, Emotionally, Psychologically And Spiritually.

7. Sword – This literally means Death. The day you sign-up for Service, you are signing into a life or death mission.

Don’t forget that challenges are really not meant to break nor destroy you. Challenges are meant To Make and Refine you. It is how you respond to the challenges of Service that determines what becomes of you.

To scale through all the above stated Challenges Of Service, you need MATURITY.

Spiritual Maturity begins with one having the Fruits of the Spirit such as Love, Joy, Peace, Long-Suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness and Temperance – all stated in Galatians 5:22-23.

These fruits of the Spirit make every Spirit-filled Believer become a personality with a Magnanimous Heart, which enables the individual to be Very Generous at all he does, makes him to be Kind regardless the harsh whether/situation and Forgiving despite the offenses.
 
In our Subsequent Series, we shall be looking at the Lesson titled, The Holy Spirit and His Gifts.

KINGDOM COMMITMENT (Pt. 4)

By Joseph Akinola

THE REWARD OF SERVICE
(1 Timothy 5:8b; Matthew 6:33)
And according to the Law of Sowing and Reaping which states that, ‘For every giving that you make, there is a receiving’. Also, ‘For every service you render, there is also a commensurate Reward’.

The word, ‘Reward’ in English terminology is ‘Something Given In Return’ (I mean, desirable; given in return for what somebody has done), it is a kind of benefit received / obtained as a result of an action taken or a job done.

Coming back to the Kingdom terminology – For every Service you see the need and render in the House of God, God also sees the need for Decorating your life. Your service in the Vineyard brings the attention of heaven into your affair, makes the heaven intrude into your life affair/issues, because you have first committed yourself to the things of God and your Commitment has now committed God to do and go beyond your demands in prayer for you.

Note That, the day you register to volunteer in service in the vineyard, heaven opens an account for you where the reward of your service is deposited and also, you get/receive a Direct line to which you can communicate with the Almighty.

Amongst The Reward of Service are:

1. Eternal Life 1Timothy 6:19b

Your service per time in the vineyard is likened to an/the amount or deposit you make to secure for yourself a Life Insurance. You can never get for yourself a True Life, and Enviable End and a Colourful Future without service, mostly in the vineyard.

{Try go and trace history from ages, even in the secular, the people and personalities we still hear their names today to be great men and women are all a product of service. They gave themselves wholly and voluntarily; some after much persuasion; for Service and today, both the ones dead and alive, their names still live on even in the minds of the generations they left behind.}

Advice: Do you want to live on even after you are dead, or after you are no more in your Environment, Community, Organization/Company, Ministry/Church; then find something to do to SERVE Others and those you Served Well, Inspired and Treated Positively will find/Have Something To Remember You For.

2. A Blessed Livelihood /Life Exodus 23:25

{Here, God was talking to you & I that due to our service, He will bless our bread; this literally mean that, He will make you realize bountiful results regardless what you earn, that is, He would operate the Law of Multiplication on your Bread (earnings).}

Your service qualifies you for bread. Your service to God invokes / brings Multiplication to every result and earnings you make; He also preserves your life thus making you to live a sickness-free life.

Friend, do you want to shed weight? (I mean the weight of sickness, poverty, lack, confusion, emotional and psychological), then, please, find a way to serve. Because, a lot of things happen during service such as sickness that should take away your money and your life; anxiety that should take away your joy and happiness etc, are all being taken care of during service.

3. Service Brings Deliverance. Psalm 91:14a

You cannot be delivered from some oppressions of the Devil/wicked until you find a way to deliver your own potentials in the house of God. How? God takes care of the Cleaning and Management of your life when you Take Care and Manage His house with your Potentials.

4. Divine Lifting. Psalm 91:14b. Until you find a reason to serve in the vineyard of God, He will never find/see any reason to lift you beyond your Present status in every area of your life. High place is the heritage of the sons of God, but the son of God who will possess those high places/positions will first prove to God that ‘God, I qualify oooo’ before God delivers the high place into his hands. How? By/through your Ceaseless, Diligent, and Committed Service. Why? It is how well you serve that will determine how great you will be promoted and how well you will lead. Your service to God is a proof of your believe in His word that says, God is a rewarder of those that serve Him. Hebrews 11:6. Your diligence (persistent effort) at seeking God through your service makes Him to also be diligent/persistent at blessing and lifting you from your present status to a higher one.

5. God’s Honour and Public Recognition Psalm 91:15. Your service is a form of calling/bringing the attention of heaven/God to yourself. You want God to Notice you, recognize and honour (award) you, then lay your hand on something in His vineyard and He will certainly do so to you.

6. Your Service Earns You The Presence Of God All The Time. Psalm 91:15

His presence in your life will give you an ‘All Time Protection’ service where no trouble or affliction will be permitted to visit you.

7. Total Redemption. Psalm 91:16.

KINGDOM COMMITMENT (Pt. 3b)

By Joseph Akinola

QUALITIES OF KINGDOM ATTENDANTS (Continued)
Acts 6:3

1. Be Respectful: 1Timothy 6:1.

Respect is a must virtue if you want to succeed as a believer or an attendant in the vineyard. Each and every individual must first respect himself then also respect the other person; through this, the respect you give out will return to you and we shall all have a mutual agreement based on the Subject or Project we are taking on. Note that when there is no respect of each other, there can never be any agreement, and when there’s no agreement, the job will never be done accurately.

2. Be Teachable and willing to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:2.

To be teachable means to possess the ability to learn anything at anytime from anyone for any reason. Until you are teachable, you will not be qualified to serve. Because servants are learners – they are individuals willing and ready to learn all needed to be learnt in order to carry out any available assignment.

To be willing to teach others – This translates that, what you have learnt wasn’t for you to work on and work with alone, but it is also meant for you to teach others. Let others equally get a grip of that same knowledge that you have acquired to carry out that task. Note that operating the principles of teaching others give you (the teacher/trainer) more opportunities to learn new things and more privileges to step up (move on to a higher level in hierarchy). But lots of people neglect this principle. The reason why most people neglect this principle is that, they have no ability to see into their future, they are myopic; short-sighted and cannot see beyond their present state.

You don’t want to teach others because you have a feeling that he/she would be like you but the truth is, until your trainee/student be like you, you cannot be a better person, you cannot possess the qualities to qualify for your own next level. Until you have trained someone, you cannot be promoted. Teaching others is a sign of maturity, it shows that the seed of greatness is in you and until you can let go of a thing/knowledge/status/position, that thing is greater than you.

3. Be Faith-Filled. Acts 6:5 & 8

He/she must be full of faith. Faith is a way of life but it (faith) is traceable to the state (condition) of the mind. Your faith will be built on the quantity of the Word of God you have within you. Faith will always respond to the things/material your feed on. I mean the Word of God you consume in any form.

Your Faith can enable you to move the most unexpected mountain both spiritual, financial, material, etc. (Bible verse). You are called into the Ministry of Help as an Attendant in order to assist in carrying the hand of the ministry just as Aaron did and you need faith to follow Actively and Effectively in order not to make the kind of mistake Aaron made in making idol for the people.

How To Develop Your Faith?

a. Through the Word of God – (Acts 19:20). Read it always and make sure you understand it. Study the Word of God daily, by doing this, you are developing your inner spiritual prowess (ability), programming your mind to function in the realm of the Supernatural and this enables you function at the peak level spiritually; causing you to command the unusual to become usual and the natural to respond to the supernatural.

Until you saturate your mind with the Word of God, you can never grow in faith, and until the Word of God grows in you, you can never grow anything around you that refuse to grow.

b. Messages / Tapes (Resource materials) Romans 10:17. You are what you hear/listen to. You life goes in the direction of what you listen to. What you listen to programs your mind and it has a way of working either positively or negatively on your belief system which eventually becomes your faith.

c. Among the Lord’s Brethren. Hebrews 10:25. This indicates that you must not neglect the company of saints.

KINGDOM COMMITMENT (Pt. 3)


By Joseph Akinola

QUALITIES OF KINGDOM ATTENDANTS
Acts 6:3

A Kingdom attendant is an individual who has decided to give him or herself in helping, assisting and serving in the Vineyard.

An Attendant is always a Willing Candidate because the nature of his job demands lots of Willingness, Selflessness and Service to Others.

A Kingdom Attendant’s quality is likened to his/her Property, Characteristics, Features and Attributes.

In today’s lesson, we shall be looking carefully at the qualities (features or characteristics) an Attendant must possess in order to be able to serve effectively in the Vineyard. A Kingdom Attendant must:

1. Have Good and Honest Report – Acts 6:3

This is talking about the Testimony of an individual. What can/do people say about you beginning for your home to the church of God Almighty? Your testimony matters a lot as an Ambassador of your church; as this is your Track Record.

2. Be Spirit-Filled – Acts 6:3

An Attendant without the fullness of the Spirit will automatically be empty of the Spirit. The Spirit (Holy Spirit) is the Fuel (unction) you need to run your service, the Comforter (personality to pacify you when you are in distress), Director (someone to guide and direct you when you are short in idea, initiative and strength).

3. Be Zealous – Luke 2:49

This has nothing to do with Eye-Service.

Warning: Be Zealous and Don’t Do Eye-Service and if you are accused of doing it, don’t be discouraged.

4. Be Humble (Humility): 1Timothy 6:7.

Humility is a very great virtue every believer/kingdom attendant in the house of God must possess. Things/work of God does not demand you claiming level or status. God sees every individual equally, that is why He says in Acts 10:34, that ‘He is no respecter of persons’. But I can tell you that if you come to Him without your status and title, He will surely decorate you beyond your imaginations with several titles and you will be the Title (topic) of discussion to your world at large and you will now begin to qualify for the entitlements of the people based on the respect you had first shown Philippians 2:7. Jesus was a very good example of this – gave himself no reputation just for you and I. Jesus of Great Reputation was a good example of that and till today, He still reaps His own Entitlement from the world at large.) Hallelujah!

5. Be Wise: Acts 6:3,10; Proverbs 9:10

6. Wisdom is highly of God. There is no man without any connection with God (divinity) that has ever possess that virtue called Wisdom abundantly – Wisdom is a product of your fear of God; you walk into wisdom gradually as you show your fear for God and do ALL that He commanded (Proverbs 9:10). Wisdom is the receipts (proceeds) you get each time you do what God demands of you (fear him totally). When you possess this wisdom, you have already received the unction to accomplish great and difficult things with ease.

7. Be Liberal. 1Timothy 6:18.

Being Liberal means, being Broad-minded, Generous and being able to share. A liberal individual will be able to tolerate any form of nonsense based on his broad-heartedness and this will also allow him to be able to share anything with anyone at any given time. Advantage of being Liberal – Liberality launches you into the level of Unlimited Flow in resources and also makes you not to be stranded at any given time Proverbs 11:25. When you are liberal with things, you will open yourself up to unlimited opportunities and more will always be added to you periodically.

8. Be Pure (Purity): 1Timothy 6:11.

Purity begins with the state of a man’s mind. Ordinarily, no master will like or prefer a servant/staff that is not always clean and fresh, when you are clean and fresh, you will always be presentable and used repeatedly. The same applies to the issue of God. An unclean servant/vessel is an irritated entity to and before his master. Purity attracts the presence of God. You become a Must-Use and Most-Used vessel in the hand of the God and also a Formidable Force to your world at large 2Timothy 2:21. When you are pure/set yourself apart for God to make use of, you rip the benefit the most. Why? You will hardly complain about most things others complain about because you are a carrier of the Presence of God and in the presence of God, there is fullness of joy. Why the joy? The joy comes as a result of ‘everything falls in its rightful place’ for you. When you separate yourself, God will honour you and project you to your world for its (your world’s) due honour too.
Success is sure for you if only you will do EVERYTHING possible about ANYTHING you can do Something about now.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

KINGDOM COMMITMENT (Pt. 2)


By Joseph AKINOLA
IMPORTANCE OF KINGDOM SERVICE 
Haggai 1:1-11

Service means ‘To provide/give something that the other party needs’. Service is very important in the Vineyard if the body of Christ (You & I) will grow and excel exceedingly at whatever we do.

Service means ‘To be useful and available at anytime and with anything you have with no reluctance’. God made you to be who you are today; He gave you that gift, time, money, name it; and until you give it back to Him through your Service to Him, you can never experience peace with all with all He had given to you.

The next things God demands from you after you had given your life to Him are all that you’ve got, and until you give them to Him you cannot enjoy life to its fullest Exodus 23:25 “And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.”

Bible says in Matthew 22:14 that “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

We, believers have all been called, but a few of us are privileged to be Chosen to Serve the Called.

Note that God will keep calling but have you wondered how all the Called will be served? THE CALLED WILL BE SERVED BY YOU AND I.

I am glad to let you know that it is a great privilege to serve. Service gets you anywhere, it opens you up to lots of Opportunities and Lessons in life. While serving, things happen; I mean all the things around you work for you without your consent Matthew 6:33. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” 
Until you Seek your God / Creator through your Service, nothing can be Added to you/Created for you.

You are not called to be served, but called to Encourage and Persuade others to Serve 2nd Timothy 2:2.

That gift of God upon your life was not invested in there just for you. As you know that no product will ever be created for itself (to serve itself), but others. God blessed you so that you can bless others Genesis 12:2.

1st Timothy 4:14 says, “Neglect not the Gift that is in thee, which was given thee….”

You have been endowed with the Gift of God and you must not neglect it in order not to be called a wicked man and not lose it (your life, your time, your gift, talent, skill and money). Remember in the Parable of the Talent, the wicked man was cast into outer darkness Matthew 25v26-30. 

“26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 

27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 

28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 

29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

But that will not be your portion in Jesus’ name. Using your gifts and ability multiplies your gifts and you personally.

Each time you neglect the assignment that is needed to be done in the vineyard, God gets angry and He gets you cursed because He knows that, you will not do that at your place of work, but this will not be your lot in Jesus’ name. Amen!

In Haggai 1:1-11, our Anchor Scripture; the Bible tells us that God was angry and He was pouring out His heart to His people (they are not unbelievers). You can be a better Person, Banker, Trader, Professional or Career Personnel; if only you can give yourself (everything about you) completely to Him.

Until you serve in the Kingdom/Vineyard, all that you Starve in life will not come to you/locate you.

Note today that you (your gift, talent, skill, expertise, knowledge, intellect, money, time and belongings) are needed in the body of Christ and until you give it, you cannot really have it Luke 16:11 (“Who will commit true riches onto your hands?”).

Your seemingly endless/interminable service makes you become an Established Personality both on earth and in heaven.

KINGDOM COMMITMENT Pt 1


By Joseph AKINOLA
KINGDOM COMMITMENT
Acts 6:3; Psalm 91:4-6

Kingdom Commitment is the assignment you take on as your own Personal Responsibility in the Vineyard (House of God). In our previous lesson, we learnt that, ‘It is how much you are committed to your assignment that will determine how much that will be committed into your hand/care’; which literally means that, your commitment level at whatever thing you do will determine your SUCCESS level. Bringing this principle into the body of Christ; Commitment means ‘you taking an assignment in the Vineyard as an obligation/your responsibility’.

Kingdom Commitment helps you walk through the hurdles of life with ease. Why? Because as you are attending to the needs in the house of God (not only financially, but also, Physically – {your manpower is highly needed}; that is, your presence, skill and time), God is also attending to the need pertaining to your life Matthew 6:33.

Isaiah 65:14
Kingdom Commitment is likened to you, not seeing and getting worried about what you are going/passing through, but you are so much concerned and consumed about what must not be wrong in the house of God and the REWARD is: Your unsaid prayers will always automatically attract answers.

Hear This - God will never be committed to anything you do at its OPTIMAL until you are committed to His things. Matthew 6:33 – He will never seek you to bless you with all that you need until you first SEEK Him through doing His things.

A Call To Service
  • Bring the whole of Yourself, your Heart and all your Ideas into the things of God and God will bring/carry the whole of Himself, Power, Infinite Wisdom and His Presence into everything you do.
  • Your destiny cannot be totally fulfilled until you have fulfilled your part in God’s kingdom.
  • Until you show your Creator your love through your Worship and Commitment to His thing, He will never show you the blessing-side of Himself. Proverbs 23:26 says, “My son, give me thine heart” which means, ‘my son, LOVE me’. You cannot LOVE without GIVING as you cannot Give Him your Heart without giving Him your HAND, first. So, giving Him your hand will be a proof of your love TO Him.

FINALLY
Until you see the need for your Presence, Time and Skill in the House of God, God will never see any reason to answer to your need and be with you in times of trouble. Matthew 6:33.

Prosperity @ a Glance (Pt. 6)

By Joseph AKINOLA
DILIGENCEProverbs 22:29; Hebrews 11:6

Prosperity is a product of what you do, the assignment you take on, the duty you undertake/embark on and how consistent you are in it. The need for stretching the word DILIGENCE when dealing on the issue of PROSPERITY is a MUST. The subject cannot be covered or exhausted without emphasizing more on Diligence (always on it).

Prosperity is void without Diligence at all levels (profession, spiritual, etc.) Proverbs 10:4; 12:24; 13:4; 21:5; Hebrews 11:6.
Diligence is the foundation for success at any endeavour/enterprise.

Note: Your prosperity is hinged/anchored to what you do, how you do it, why you do it when you do it, how discipline you are at doing it, what your commitment level is, how much time and resources you dedicate to it, how truthful you are in it even in the face of the storm (integrity) and your service.

Diligence means ‘to be persistent at what you do’. What do you do? A Big question and How are you doing it?

Being diligent requires the need for Dedication, Discipline, Commitment, Integrity and Service.

DILIGENCE means to be:
a. DEDICATED1st Timothy 4:15. To be dedicated means ‘to give yourself wholly/totally to whatever you do’.

b. DISCIPLINE Romans 12:2. Discipline makes a man. It is through discipline you can achieve your vision. Remove Discipline from Destiny and what you get is Destitute. Vision disciplines its carrier; it restricts you from doing some negative things that will tamper with your future. Discipline is likened to Self-Control; it enables you set Regulations at all levels, for your life.

c. COMMITMENT2nd Timothy 2:2, 1st Thessalonians 4:11. Your commitment is likened to your Responsibility. It is how much you are committed to a thing/your assignment that will determine how much that will be committed into your hands. That project in your hand that is still small now and your commitment level is very low to it and you are trying to cover up with so many excuses that are not genuine; hear this; God cannot make it big until you commit yourself to it Luke 19:17. Bible says in Ecclesiastes 9:10 that, “Whatsoever thy hand FINDETH to do, do it with thy might…”

d. Faithfulness/ Being Truthful (Integrity) -- Matthew 5:37. Where is your Integrity? Why should you compromise it? Must you please people to succeed and this is now making you to lie and not straight forward? You are a son/daughter of God – God is a Person of Integrity, you are a product of God – you should also be a person of integrity. You will only go/achieve as much as your integrity in whatsoever you do. The major value/characteristic your boss, customers, clients, colleagues and your suppliers need from you is Integrity; which means, you saying ‘Yes’, and it is found to be ‘Yes’. Work on this value and your life and everything attached to it will transform (take a new look).

e. SERVICE - Genesis 39:11; Revelation 7:15. Where is your Service? If you don’t want to serve, then you cannot excel/succeed. Don’t you know that Servant doesn’t starve what he/she serves? And all servants end up becoming Consultants? How? Because they have served so many people; gone to so many places answering errands; and all these, over time makes them know where almost everything is? And when they start their own thing they don’t get stranded? Service is the only Virtue and Attribute that gets you to the Summit in whatever area you desire GREATNESS.

  • It is the diligent hand the Almighty God will bless.
  • It is WHAT you have in your hands that God will MULTIPLY.
  • Your Diligence will determine Who calls you for job, Where you stand, the Quality of the job you receive and How Much you Prosper.
  • Take DILIGENCE away from the process of Prosperity and what you will be left with is ABJECT POVERTY – Poverty of the Mind, Poverty of Idea; Poverty of the hand, Poverty of the pocket and Spiritual Poverty.

Prosperity @ a Glance (Pt. 5)

By Joseph AKINOLA
The Presence of GodPsalm 16:11

The presence of God envelopes the personality of God, it carries the entire (the Creative, Productive and the Destructive) power of God. The Creative, to Create for you, whatever you wish to bring into existence; the Productive power to Generate for you, the idea and initiative for maximum and unimaginable results; and the Destructive power to destroy/put to where he belongs, any devil that wants to show his ugly face in whatever progress you are making.

OUR CASE STUDY – Joseph -- Genesis 39:1-End.

Joseph was a teenager slave boy who really enjoyed the presence of God during his lifetime here on earth despite all the roughness of the road to his destiny. The presence of God he carried, caused him to prosper in all that he laid his hands on to do and everywhere he finds himself. My Bible tells me in verse 3; 21; & 23 that the Lord was with him. The Lord being with him made him to achieve outstanding result and attain the peak position his career.

HOW TO ATTRACT THE PRESENCE OF GOD
  • Purity – 2 Timothy 2:19-21.
  • Righteousness – Proverbs 14:34.
  • Holiness – Hebrews 12:14.
  • The Word of God – Joshua 1:8; Luke 5:17

ACTIVATING THE PRESENCE OF GOD 
(Making the PRESENCE of God you carry to Work for you)

  • Dedication -- 1st Timothy 4:15.
  • Discipline – Romans 12:2.
  • Commitment – 2nd Timothy 2:2; 1st Thessalonians 4:11.
  • Service – Genesis 39:11; Revelation 7:15.
Challenges and Lessons from our Case Subject – Joseph
  • Temptations - Genesis 39:7-12
  • Lied Against - Genesis 39:14:18
  • Naked/striped of his garment (he experienced shame and disgrace).
  • Imprisoned – He was caged physically, but he never allowed his mind, gift, talent and potent abilities to be caged Genesis 39:20.
  • He was a responsible and reliable son, steward and slave, prisoner, reputable leader, and also a servant/minister of the Most High. Genesis 37:12-18; 39:3-6, 8-9, 22-23.
  • He was humble and obedient.

Prosperity @ a Glance (Pt. 4)

By Joseph AKINOLA
The Power of God Acts 1:8

To really succeed in life, it is only through the power of God one can achieve it. The power of God is the strength, the working force of God Almighty. It is this power that enables a natural man with the capacity to do the unusual (supernatural) in a usual (natural) world; causing him to make a difference among his colleagues and in his business.

The power of God comes after you have received the Holy Spirit and it doesn’t just come for you or for any selfish use but comes first for WITNESSING –Acts 1:8, for doing the things of God first and from doing the things of God (service), you gain/get/receive insights and also develop the ability (power) and strength to work out things for yourself with ease Matthew 6:33.

What Is The Power For?

1. Power is for profiting Deuteronomy 8:18.
The power of God will not work for you though you possess it until you have come to embrace SERVICE-the work of God. It is in your Service to Him that you develop your strength and it is through service you tap into the mind of Christ for ideas that will single you out of your peers.

2. It makes you become a force.
When the power of God comes you become a formidable, unconquerable and unchallengeable force to the world of whatsoever you do. Psalm 105:15.

3. Power causes perfection in all you do. 2 Samuel 22:33.
Everything that seems crooked and unstable in your life, business and destiny becomes stable, also everything you lay your hands upon prospers Deuteronomy 29:9.

4. Power brings you to the place of influence Matthew 4:19 “Follow me and I will make you”.

Until you arrive at the place/position of power (influence), no one will like to follow you. Influence comes based on the power vested on someone and also on the Impact he makes continually on others.

Note: Before power comes, there is always BROKENNESS. Why? So that you will know how to handle the people around positively.

5. Power launches you into your Exploits; spiritually, financially, etc. Mark 3:15, Luke 10:19.

6. Power from God causes Outstanding Performance; your performance determines your result and your result dictates your worth and wealth Acts 1:8, Luke 10:19

7. Power delivers into your hand Authority Luke 4:36.
And you begin to decree whatever you want to see and the one that you don’t like around you Job 22:28.

8. Power is for witnessing Acts 1:8, Matthew 6:33.
Until you be a witness of Christ to your world, God will never allow you to experience His riches in the Kingdom.

Prosperity @ a Glance (Pt3)

By Joseph AKINOLA
MEDITATION (On The Word Of God) Joshua 1:8

To prosper means to be successful in all spheres (ramifications) of life. It means to flourish and thrive in anything one does. The same is what God wants for you and I as a believer.

Meditation is critical to Prosperity. In order to achieve great and lasting success, meditation is one of the KEYS. Meditation causes your flourishing, seasonal fruitfulness, unending and unlimited prosperity, why? Because great things are not found on the surface but in the deep and until you dig deep through the tool of meditation, you will never reach the Treasure-Base.

Meditation is like shaking together the content in a container. When you shake a container that has substance in it, what you get is a Smooth Mixture. You cannot achieve your best nor get to the peak in your endeavour until you engage in Meditation. Meditation brings together all that you’ve learnt, heard, known, seen and taught to form a Blend for Creativity.

What Happens When You Meditate
  1. Psalm 1:2-3. Meditation launches/initiates your productivity through unrestricted prosperity.
  2. Luke 21:14-15. You become a man of Wisdom which cannot be held in a corner by any adversary.
  3. 1Timothy 4:15. It causes your Profiting. (The reason why some businesses and lives are not growing is because they’ve engaged the ministry of meditation. It is an act that must be embraced and engaged in order to dig out the hidden riches that is within).
  4. Psalm 119:99. Meditation brings Understanding and makes you Outstanding in all your endeavours.
When Do You Meditate

a. After Reading the Word of God (Psalm 1:2; Psalm 119:15). It connects you to the supernatural depth of knowledge, guides you and also become your model/pattern for living.

b. After Praying. It enables you hear from God, the answer to what you discussed with Him.

c. Before Praising (Psalm 104:34). When you can meditate, you will know what to praise Him for and how; and when you present to Him qualitative praise, you get in return His Presence which carries power and that power becomes your power to achieve success in every good thing you lay your hands on.

d. Before any activity in the morning, after every other activity at night, at midnight (Psalm 139:17; Psalm63:6; Psalm 119:148).

e. Meditate on Testimonies (yours and others) {Psalm 77:11-12}.

f. Always (Psalm 119:97; Joshua 1:8)

TIP
  • Show me a man who meditates (both on the Word of God and on other Life Lessons) and I will show you a man that cannot be held down by ANY circumstance of life.

Prosperity @ a Glance (Pt2)

by Joseph AKINOLA
THE WORD OF GOD - Joshua 1:8

Prosperity is the will of God for believers but it has its price. It is the will of God for you as a believer to prosper but taking considerations the will of the believer himself, it is not his will but his wish. Will goes with discipline, diligence and dedication, while wish deals with aspiration without any commitment. Anybody can aspire and desire but to really achieve the aspired and desired, there is need to be goal oriented and commitment-bound.

To prosper means to be successful in all spheres (ramifications) of life. It means to flourish and thrive in anything one does. The same is what God wants for you and I as a believer.

Among the keys the opens/unlocks the door of Prosperity is the Word of God. The Word of God is powerful that it can produce for you anything you can ever desire in the Kingdom provided you are ready to pay its price.

Joshua 1:8 instructs that, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night…”

The instruction, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth” literally means that the book of the law (your own Bible) must be your Daily Reading. Reading it daily makes it unfolds itself to you and also makes you enjoy all the benefits attached such as:

Daily Divine Health
Daily Business Ideas
Daily Marriage Instructions/Tonics
Daily Divine Wealth Creation Ideas
Daily Divine Financial Tips, Name it.


All the benefits you get comes as a result of how often you operate/open/access the Book.

The Word of God is meant to PROSPER you.

The Word of God is the voice of God. God’s Word is the first level of hearing His voice. If you can hear Him through His written voice, you will soon graduate into hearing His audible voice. If you cannot hear His voice in His Word, you can’t hear His voice in your ears and in your heart, thus, you will continually lack directions.

When the Book is closed, destiny is closed. Open the Book and you open up your destiny into the Supernatural realm where you become a producer of proofs to the Natural world/realm.

Every bit of the Word of God you consume/feed on trains you, builds both your immune and mental system, nourishes your spirit-man, soul and brain (in thinking – creativity wise), your heart (in meditation) and your body (health wise).

The quality of the Word of God you carry or possess (in your possession) determines how much you can possess (achieve/acquire) in life as a believer.

It is through the Word everything you are and that you see around came into being and how much you want to prosper both financially, materially, mentally, martially, professionally, career-wise, etc will be traceable to and achieved by how much of the Word you open yourself up to and make yourself available to. In this part of the world, we do claim that there isn’t time for studying the Word, but we give time to/for our hobby, business, games and exercises in order to be healthy meanwhile, sound and lasting health abounds in the word Proverbs 4:20-22.

What To Do With The Word Of God

1. Labor in the Word 1Timothy 5:17
Laboring in the Word has do with ‘working hard’, ‘putting all your effort’, ‘keeping at it’ – the word of God – making sure that every part of it is Learnt, Practiced and Taught to others.

How To Labor In The Word 2Timothy 2:15

The Word of God you never labor in can never produce anything for you.
  • By Studying The Word -> Studying the word of God gives you deep insight into the deep things which God has in stock for you. It deepens your root in the knowledge of the Word of God and this causes you to be certified /approved against shame, mediocrity and all manner of unpalatable circumstances.

  • By Meditating On The Word -> Meditating on the Word of God gives you a firm hold/grip on what it says and the power in the portion you meditate on carries. 2 Tim. 2:15 says, “A workman that needeth not to be ashamed” – Meditation makes to stand out of your peers & colleagues. It gives you a class of your own, this is the key that makes you not to be ashamed and displaced during the trials of life. A man that will never be ashamed is a man, who meditates always, because Meditators are winners, they are creative beings. They tap into the Supernatural realm for resources to fix the Natural.

  • By Rightly Dividing The Word Of God -> Rightly dividing the word means teaching the depth of truth you have learnt to other believers and being a witness to your world (Matt. 28:19, Matt. 6:33).

Because the Bible says in Proverbs 14:23, “In all labour there is profit…”, each time you labour in the Word of God, you get for yourself a reward for it. Among the things/benefits you get is life and profit in all areas of your life (Prov.13:11; John 6:27; Prov. 14:23).

What The Word Does

1. It Prospers, provided you obey/follow the rules – Joshua 1:8

2. Gives Life – Proverbs 4:20-21

3. It gives Health to both your body, finance, marriage, family, career, name it – Proverbs 4:22

4. It Heals you – In which area/aspect of your life do you need healing; harkening unto the Word of God heals you of all infirmities. The reason why you still fall sick is because you’ve not been saturated enough with the word of God.

5. It Delivers and Liberates from all oppressions of the Devil/wicked – Psalm 107:20

6. It Quickens you/your spirit-man – Hebrews 4:12

7. It is Powerful - Hebrews 4:12. The Word of God has power and can make you to be full of power both spiritually and naturally.

8. It is Sharp – Hebrews 4:12. It can access any part of the earth and the supernatural and also gives you access to anywhere.

9. It Destroys - Hebrews 4:12. It can destroy your enemy and also destroy germs (evil army/material) in your body.

10. It Discerns - Hebrews 4:12. It gives/bestows on you the ability to discern the state of things/situations around you.

11. It Illuminates – Psalm 119:105. It gives light to every dark areas of your life and also gives you Direction.

12. It Protects – Proverbs 30:5. The Word of God shields whoever believes in it.

13. It Blesses – Luke 11:8; Psalm 119:11. When you keep the Word in your heart, it blesses your lifestyle and immune your system against sin.

14. It gives you Victory – Acts 19:20. Nurture the Word of God and it will Grow and Prevail over every unpalatable circumstances in your life.

15. It builds you up against any attack of the enemy & also gives you all the inheritance you deserve as a Believer. Acts 20:32.

16. You become Faith-Filled through the Word of God. Romans 10:17.

17. It becomes your Helmet for Protection and your Sword both for fighting and defense. Ephesians 6:17.

18. It Sanctifies you – Acts 20:32. The Word of God sets you apart and makes you holy and fit for the Master’s use.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

  • Until you live by every Word of God both the former and the latter, you can never be satisfied.
  • The Word of God cannot bless or heal you and deliver you from all your destructions by your ignorance until you have harkened / listened to it and obeyed it carefully and fearfully to the latter.
  • The Word of God can combat every mountain of ignorance over your life when you give attention to it – Proverbs 4:20