Exploit to do the extraordinary

And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.  1 Chronicles 28: 9 KJV

Text: 1 Chronicles 28: 9 - 11

Those who know their God, who are familiar with their God, those who understand their God shall do great things and they shall be strong. The reason why David was able to kill Goliath was because he knew the God he served. Goliath was big and a giant but David knew that he was an uncircumcised Philistine and David saw a small and important weakness which he leveraged on. There is no problem in life that has no agreement with God.

You need to know who you are and what you are in Christ Jesus. This certainty will move you forward in life and move you to success. Anybody coming against the covenant of God will be faced with problem.

You need to understand that anybody that did an exploit was an ordinary man. A man of flesh and blood. The bible speaking about Elijah said he was a man of like passion. Saying he was a man like you and I, a simple man but yet the man prayed that rain must not fall and it didn't rain and when he prayed that it should rain, it did. Ordinary men who know their God shall do extraordinary things.

I was listening to Myles Munroe this morning and he said ‘it takes discipline to excel in life’. He said people that have done great things is because they have been disciplined in one area in their life. They focus on one thing and become great in it.

There are things that we need if we as ordinary men must do the extraordinary

1. Vision, a clear vision
2. Focus on your vision Jesus said to Martha one thing you lack and that thing Mary your sister has done
3. Place a value on yourself. You have to become valuable at what we want to become in life. We must live based on the value that God has placed on our life. If you have value people will run after you. 

Everybody keeps saying the country is hard, no the country is not hard; we are the ones who are not thinking. In the midst of the hardness some people are making so much money because they are focused. Myles Munroe said he decided to focus on his ability to talk and this created a value that made a way for him.

Initially people may not see your value, remain focused because bit by bit you will be noticed. When you become noticed your focus will be rewarded. We must see value quickly.

How do you do exploits?

1. Know your God and serve Him 1 Chronicles 28:9
2. You must be courageous Joshua 1:6
3. Have power and moral understanding
4. Trust God with all your heart. Proverbs 3:5 (you have to believe that if you fall God will catch you, if you jump God will catch you. 
5. Keep yourself in total consecration and obedience Joshua 3:5 Deuteronomy 28:1
6. Have faith in God and take steps of faith. If you have faith you will say onto this mountain move and it will. Take a step of faith and let’s see what God will do in your life. When you move God will move. 

You cannot lie on the bed of Delilah and expect to rise up with power the next day just like Samson. Read the word for yourself and apply it to your life. Do not depend solely on the words that come out of the pulpit. We need to take Christ and Christianity much more seriously. We need to take our life and eternity more seriously.

Love thy neighbor as yourself - Neighborliness Pt. 2

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. Luke 10: 27, 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1 Cor 13:1-2

Who then is your neighbor?

The cleaners who you see on the road, the homeless man at the street corner, the help who works in your house, the poor man who can’t afford a meal, the beggar on the street, the child hawking on the road, the mother who can’t pay bus fare and needs your help carrying her child on your lap in the bus because she has another one on her lap and a baby on her back. These people and a lot more are your neighbors. As a child, man, woman born of love we must express neighborliness towards all and not just as it pleases us.

Neighborliness is not geographic, it is expressive. It is to a person that you express neighborliness to. Without the ability to love and show love to people you have not seen, who cannot pay you back, people who hurt you, then you have nothing.

The riches and wealth we acquire is a waste of time without love. The bible tells us that without loving our neighbor we have not the chance of going to heaven. The toll gate ticket into heaven all boils down to one thing – LOVE. The love for God who first loved us and sent His son to die so that man all over the world may live in eternity. The second is the love for the man that God took his time to create -YOUR NEIGHBOR.

God is interested in the little act of love that we express to our neighbor. We daily have opportunities to express love with our fellow man. It is the little things we count as unimportant that counts the most. The bible tells us who our neighbor is in Luke 10: 27-37. At the end Christ asked a question;  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? Luke 10: 36 KJV

The pious man (born again, tongue speaking Christian or worshiper) passed by, the Man of God (Priest, Pastors, workers in the vineyard, e.t.c) passed by. These ones did not do anything for the neighbor who was in need. But the Samaritan (ungodly, not born again, occult person) passed and helped out the guy in need. Do you just pass by and go your way, or do you stop and express love to those in need of it? Are you the pious man/woman, the man/woman of God or are you the Samaritan?

In reply the Lawyer said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. Luke 10: 37 This is what He is saying to us too today; to go and love our neighbor and express love towards those we feel do not deserve our love.

Love thy neighbor as yourself - Neighborliness

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. Luke 10: 27, 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1 Cor 13:1-2

If I try to give or give but I do not have love towards my fellow man then I have given in vain because God would not acknowledge it. Love endures all things and unlike everything else, love never fails. It is an extremely important attitude to have, develop and cultivate. Love is not something that happens and comes out of nowhere, it is an emotion and attitude that we decide to have, develop and cultivate. Love helps us to love people irrespective of who they are, their standard of living, the way they react towards us and their social status.

The bible passage tells us that without love we are nothing. It says without love, no matter who we are or what our standard of living is, if we do not care about people and do not love them then everything we do is nothing. Without love everything that we do is for nothing! This means all the effort we put in does not count in the scheme of things.

Without love we never really profit, no matter what we have. If our giving is based on self-aggrandizement, it would not profit us in anyway is the whole scheme of things. If what we do does not have genuine love then we do not have the benefit of profit. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Galatians 6: 7.

A lot of us act the part all the time, we do not express genuine love towards the people around us. Without love we cannot gain eternal life. Luke 10: 27-37.  First of all, when we love God we would love or fellow man. It is very important that we show love to everyone comes in contact with us. This according to the word of God is the second of the ultimate commandment given to man. Love your neighbor as you love yourself!

Some of us will not enjoy the beauty of life because we see ourselves as too high up there to love the people beneath us. The greatest joy that we experience in life is found in the love we express towards our neighbors.

NEW BEGINING

And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldeans, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. Genesis 11: 31-32

Terah died at the edge of breakthrough, God can replace anyone of us. We must always be prepared because many things are combined to limit success and progress. Never for once think the world is fair, and you must be ready for a war. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephisians 6:12 KJV. 

As parents we are to make our children know about the evil around them, because not everyone think the way we think. Some people are naturally evil and some are naturally good. So you must be prepare to experience the good and the bad side of life, if you can anticipate life, you must eliminate life. It is important that we stop looking back, because doing so won't let you move forward .

1. Don't allow temporary situation to become permanent situation.
2. We need to be alive and hopeful, and never give up (Saying  a living dog is better than a dead lion)
3. You need to start afresh and you must know this God, because God never count you out.
4. You need to hear a word from God, because it's one thing to know God and another thing to hear Him it is important to hear God from God.
5. You need to behave God and run with the word Matt 21 vs 21-22, Gen 11 vs 27-37.

How do we hear from God

• Still clear voice
• Audible voice 
• Inward witness
• Through dreams and vision
• Quiet time
• God speak figuratively
• Through the pastor
• Through a donkey: it can be through someone who is not born again. 

Regularly in God’s Presence Pt 2

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.Genesis 5:22-24

After Adam had sinned and the fellowship with God had broken, God looked around for another man who would dwell in His presence and fellowship with Him. God found Enoch and the Word of God makes us understand that Enoch didn’t live long like those who had lived before him but because he walked with God and dwelt in the presence of God, he was not found (did not die). To dwell simply means this is the regular thing we usually do. When God took the children of Israel out of Egypt and they asked for bread, God said that they take only that which is sufficient for each day. God did so that they may rely on him each day and return to him each day.

Dwelling in God’s presence is always coming back to God, because He enjoys hearing our voice, he enjoys hearing our prayers, he enjoys having fellowship with us. Hence the reason why God took Enoch as a replacement for Adam to have a man that fellowships with him. Those who dwell in the presence of God are God pleaser, not men pleaser. Afterward God began to look out for that man who dwelt in His presence and found Noah. God used Noah because He was there with God always. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.Psalm 16:11 KJV. When Noah passed on, God looked for another man and found Abraham. Gen 12:1-3

Abraham began to walk with God, he began to be a God lover and he transferred this love to his family, His servants and children got to know his God. For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.Gen 18:19 KJV. God testified that he knows Abraham and that he would teach his children. So God opened up to his friend Abraham about his plans concerning Sodom and Gomorrah. As a friend of God dwelling in God’s presence He would share his secrets with us. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. Gen 18:22 KJV. Notice that when God began to talk to Abraham His friend, the angels turned away. Abraham communicated with God as a friend, and God related with him as a friend; listening to what he had to say. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. Amos 3:3, 7 KJV. 

Abraham left as a defeated friend and because he was a friend of God, the friendship compelled God to spare Lot who is the family of Lot. He couldn’t afford to offend his good friend who dwelt regularly in his presence. Abraham didn’t ask God to spare Lot, but God did it because of friendship.

God is calling us today to the glory of his presence. Moses was another man who dwelt in the presence of God. God called Moses Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.  Ex 3:10,12. The principles of God does not change. God loved the people of Israel and He wanted to commune with them. The bible makes us understand that God spoke with Moses face to face and mouth to mouth because he dwells in God’s presence. God was always talking to the children of Israel through Moses. In Psalm 103:7, we read how Moses was shown the ways of God and the children of Israel saw only His acts. Since Moses dwelt always in His presence he knew the ways of God.

Every time God gets upset, and He rarely does, when someone who dwells in his presence intervene He pays attention. Therefore when it was time for Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead, He could only do it because He was always in the presence of God. In John 15:15 Jesus called the disciples his friend because they dwelt with him regularly.

God is always seeking for himself that person who would dwell in his presence. That person who would practice relationship with God and not religion. This way the works of the enemy will not be able to stand where we are. What God wants is that man who ignores his phone and all forms of distraction while we are in His presence.

Regularly in God’s Presence Pt 1

 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: Mark 3: 13-16 KJV

These was the last event that preceded the appointment of the 12 disciples. Jesus declared is clear intention for us as children of God  and for us as His called. Jesus called and they came unto him. Why did Jesus call them? He called them that they should serve him. The primary reason why Jesus called us is that He want us to be with him “That they should be with Him”. That He might send them forth to preach, to heal the sick and cast out devils.

Our first priority for been called to be disciples, workers, pastors, children of God is primarily that we may be with God in fellowship. What brings out God's glory anywhere is the level of our relationship with Him. This is why marriage as ordained by God (between a man and a woman) is for a means to have fellowship between the man and the woman. This is why we are seen as the bride of Christ, to have a fellowship and companionship with our partner who is Christ Jesus.  When God created man He did so that man may have fellowship with him. And God created a woman to fellowship with man, to talk and reason together with the man; for man to have a partner that walks the same path with him. This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise. Isaiah 43:21 KJV. God wants you and I to come into his presence on a regular basis to praise him, fellowship with him, and meditate on his word. But the truth is we fail to understand this purpose from God.

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?Yea…: Heb. Yea, because, etc. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.Genesis 3:1-3 Why would the devil chose to speak to Eve? Eve was not the one who received the instruction. The man was the one who was given the commandment. But the role of the woman is to fellowship with her man, she talks and expects that man listens. Adam (man) however who God created for fellowship finds it hard to understand the reason for fellowship. This is to talk and communicate with God and the people we have a relationship with.

We must understand that God created us to have fellowship with him. When we do these on a regular basis our life would have the significance we seek.  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.1 John 1:3 KJV. We have no idea how much God longs for us to come into his presence. If we would only cultivate the habit to fellowship with Jesus, we would see the glory of God. The thing about Jesus is that He was/is an image of God’s presence. The typical daily schedule of Christ was to wake up in the early hours of the day to fellowship with God. He did same in the evening Luke 6:8-12. He wakes up early and sleeps late just so that He would be in the presence of God.

    1. Adam was the first man. God came down to fellowship with him daily. God would come down in His glory, but it is impossible for the glory of God to come down if there is no one to reflect that glory
    2. Is the presence of God your priority? The glory of God has to be brought down unlike the gift of healing. We must therefore find time to dwell in God’s presence at all times. This way anytime we seek God, He will honour us and minister.
    3. Be a regular in the presence of God and not a sometimes visitor. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1 KJV

The power of our thought

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. Mark 11:23 (KJV)

You need to be significant here in life, or else no one will know your name, or remember you. Sometimes you think and you are not aware, what make one significant is the quality of one's thought. We are a collection of our thoughts, you have to control your mind by your thought. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 1 king 3 vs 5, what you think is what your prayer is centered on.

The widow went to Prophet Elisha, she complained about the things going wrong in her life. Her thoughts was focused on what she didn't have, therefore, when she was asked what she had in the house, her response was to that she had nothing save a little oil. The prophet however could see something else.  And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. 2 Kings 4:2 KJV

How does depression start? It comes about as a result of our thoughts. the mind starts to paint pictures that something is wrong with our life, our career, our family, and our relationships. This thoughts keeps painting these pictures in our mind and takes us to a place where we are not supposed to be.

Why do people fail?  People fail because they think of failure, because their thoughts give them millions of reasons why whatever they are about to do or embark on won't work. Once we allow this thought to have sway in our mind it begins to hold ground. At this point anytime we have a thought of growth, the negative thoughts of failing speaks against the growth. Destiny is limited by our thought; destiny and purpose of man can be destroyed by the things we think about limitations and self defeat is first built up by our thoughts. I am not a failure if only I can change the quality of  my thought, you can control your thinking and the things you have thought.

There three categories of people

1. people who don't think at all and ask what happen
2. people who think and make things happen
3. people who think little and wait for things to happen

Ways on how to think

• Thinking with the  good of the next person in mind
• Thinking ahead of situations and circumstances
• You have to think for our people and the good of the land
• You have to influence their thinking of people around us

A lot of us have made mistakes because we don't think. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1: 8. The summation of our thoughts determines how successful we would becomes. Our thoughts are powerful, therefore we re to guard it with our whole heart!

Receiving Strength

And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.1 King 19:7&8 KJV

The bible said that the angel of the Lord visited Elijah for the second time and he received strength. Strength helps to bring forth and produce. Without physical strength you can do nothing likewise spiritual. We need strength to be born, He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. 1 Samuel 2:9. 

Strength is needed to achieve success,  to survive, to give birth, to endure to the end and to have eternal life. Today, we are thanking God and receiving strength for the journey ahead. In this seventh year while thanking God we are asking him for favor, strength, wisdom to do his will  while changing  and fulfilling destinies, transforming nations  and making the world a better place.

How do we receive strength

1. You must be born again cause unless a man is born again , he'll face crisis, be frustrated and his effort would be futile. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3 KJV
2. You must be filled with the holy spirit to say without the Holy spirit you cannot receive strength.  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. Acts 1:8
3. You must be bold for you to receive strength so as to face adversity and challenges. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed:.............................. shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it. Joshua 8 vs 1-2 KJV
4. The Lord must must be with you. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. Daniel 11 vs 32 KJV
5. You must live a holy life there must be no fornication, adultery, no drinking of alcohol
6. You must believe in him (God) and you must use His name, and be ready to use His name.
7. Be ready to do his will
8. Be ready to thank him in all situations because it is his will for you. ........believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 2 chronicle 20 vs 20