Transcript: Strong and Doing Exploits Part 1

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The experience is a meeting organized by the Disciples Christian Network, where men encounter God, His presence and His power in an atmosphere of worship and the word. Join Apostle Emmanuel as he leads us into an experience with God. Today, I'm gonna be teaching on what I've titled strong and doing exploits. Strong and doing exploits. If you are familiar with scriptures, you know that that is from Daniel 11 verse 32. It says those who do wickedly against the covenant, it shall corrupt with flattery. But the people that do know their God, they shall be strong and they shall do exploits. The people that do know their God, they shall be strong and they shall do what now? Exploits. Exploits.

Glory to God. We are in a season in which God has spoken to us about becoming a thousand times more. That word cannot remain only a powerful expression that we repeat during prayer. A thousand times more, a thousand times more. No. A thousand times more describes immeasurable increase. It means that something that exists in one measure can come into multiple measures. It means that something that is presently small is beginning to multiply. It means that the number of people affected by your life is increasing exponentially. It means that your financial capacity is increasing.

It means that the business in your hand is expanding. It means that the ministry is multiplying. It means that people are moving from unemployment into multiple employments. It means that you are moving from possessing a skill to becoming an enterprise with the skill that you possess. From having an idea to establishing an institution. From being gifted to becoming useful publicly. Amen. From just admiring other peoples and what... And their results to predict the results that other people must study. That's what it means.

And let me say this, the burden of this teaching is to awaken something within you. To show you that it's gonna be a series. This is part one. Is to show you that you are not created to just exist. We're not redeemed to avoid hell. And that's all. You are not filled with the holy spirit just so that you can have correct answers to theological questions. We're not given the gift of the spirit just so that people could occasionally admire your potential. And even all kinds of gifts. You weren't preserved through the things that should have destroyed you.

Just so that you could spend the rest of your life explaining what you survived to people. The life that God has placed on your inside, the life that God has placed within you is expected to become visible. In what that life produces. And Jesus give us one of the clearest pictures of this expectation when he describes the father as the vine dresser. Himself as the vine and believers as the branches. This means that the Christian life exists within an arrangement that has fruitfulness as the intended outcome. The father tends the vineyard. The son supplies life. And the branch receives that life so that the fruit can appear. So in John chapter 15 verse five, the Bible says, I am the vine.

You are the branches. He who abides in me. And I, in him, bears much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing. Can you see this? The branch abides. In its abiding, it receives life and then it bears fruit. The life it receives comes from Christ. But the fruit appears upon the branch. The fruit is not on the vine.

The fruit is on the branch. Are you with me? Yes sir. The branch cannot boast as though it produced life by itself. Neither can the branch claim to be abiding whilst remaining barren in his life. Abiding is the means by which the God life becomes productive through our own lives. So he says, he who abide in me and I in him bears much fruit. You see, inside a tree, there are processes that the ordinary human eye cannot see. For instance, water is being absorbed, nutrients are traveling, the sap is moving, cells are dividing, roots are stretching into the soil, Contending for more earth and more nutrients and more water. Life is operating internally before the fruit appears externally.

Is that not so? But the purpose of everything that is happening internally is that something will eventually become visible externally. The invincible life of the tree is revealed through the visible fruit of the tree. How we know that something is indeed happening inside the tree? When I was doing A levels many years ago, we were taught translocation. Transporting plants, the movement of water and nutrients inside of plant. And those who have studied this will understand this. The aim of all of this is that nutrients, water, all of these things are circulated all around the plant and that are eventually the branches begin to bear fruit. You start seeing fruits hanging off the tree. Is that much so?

That is exactly how fruit operate within the believer as well. The grace of God within the believer is invincible. But grace is expected to produce visible label. There is something visible that the invisible attributes of God within the believer, if it is truly working within the believer, there is something visible we are meant to see. In the same way that the invisible life within the plant produces visible fruits. Are you with me? Yes, sir. Wisdom, for instance, is invincible, but wisdom is expected to build something visible. The bible says, wisdom is known by our children. Is that not so?

Yes, sir. Yes. Faith, for instance, within the believer is invincible. But faith is expected to move a person into a corresponding action that produces visible results. The anointing is invisible. But if the anointing is working within a believer, if the anointing is upon the believer, invincible as it is, it is expected to heal. It is expected to deliver. It is expected to teach. It expected to create. It expected to administer.

It expected to lead, to establish something. Do you understand what I'm saying? So, fruit is invincible life becoming visible evidence. Fruit is the proof that what has been operating within you has become strong enough to produce something outside you. So your results are not separate from the life that God has placed inside of you. They are among the ways that that life becomes visible. That's why John chapter 15 verse eight, the Bible says, by this my father is glorified. Now this is the same Jesus speaking from verse five saying, I am the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in me and high in him bears much fruit.

Right? And then in verse eight, it then says, by this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit. Oh my God. Look at this. Look at this. Jesus does not say, my father is glorified because the branches are connected to the vine. Do you understand what I've said? It doesn't say my father is glorified as long as you remain connected to me. That means just being a Christian is not why the father is glorified. Go back to verse five.

I want you to understand this. I am the vine. You are the branches. Can you see that? Yes, sir. The branch is meant to be connected to the vine. It is this connection to the vine that makes you believers. I hope you know. So he's saying that as long as you remain rooted in Christ, are you with me? There is the possibility of bearing much fruit.

He then bring the conversation to how the father is glorified. Go to verse eight. It tells you, by this, my father is glorified. And it does not say by the fact that you are connected to me. He says it is that your connection to me is now bearing much fruit. It is in the fruitfulness of your life that my father receives glory. Do you understand what I'm saying? It means the internal workings of life within the believer must produce evidences outside. That is what makes the father glorified. I need you to get this thing I'm saying oh.

That's what makes the father glorified. The internal workings of the god life within the believer must produce something substantial on the outwards. Something substantial outwardly. There must be evidences. There must be fruits that is seen. The father does not receive glory from barrenness. It is this glory when the quality of the fruit reveals the quality of the life that is flowing through the vine. That is when the father is glorified. When we see your fruit and we can trace your fruit to the kind of life flowing through the vine. Do you know that in agriculture, there is a way that scientists modify the kind of life flowing through the vine to amplify the kind of fruit.

Is that not so? Yes, sir. In fact, there are all kinds of systems that have been created. There are grafting systems. There are biologically modified plants even that they all cut their structure and cells and all of these things. And then you notice that the plants and the fruits that come out of these modified trees become larger than usual, bigger than usual to show the evidence of the kind of life that is flowing through it. Do you understand what I'm saying? It means, it means the result in the life of a believer shows the quality of the life inside of you. The only way that men can tell, the only way that men can tell that the God life functions on your inside is through the quality of fruit that your life bears. Because the ordinary eye cannot see it.

Yes, sir. In the same way, the ordinary eye cannot see what is happening in the plant. But we know something is happening. When we start seeing the plant shoot now, is that not so? Yes, sir. Yes. Please stay with me. Yes, sir. Please stay with me. When people see an unusually productive tree, a very fruitful tree, they don't only admire the branch.

They begin to ask about the soil. They begin to ask about the root. Yes sir. The seed, the person tending the tree. It means the abundance of fruit direct attention to the source of the fruit. In the same way, when your life begins to produce unnatural wisdom, unnatural excellence, unnatural prosperity, unnatural giving, unusual influence, unusual leadership, unusual accomplishments, extraordinary accomplishments, God sized results. Your results can become a testimony to the God who has been working within you. It can become a trace, a source. It can point people. To the fact that there is something extraordinary about the life at work in this believer.

Are you with me? Please hear what I'm saying very well. So whatever my hands touch, I expect that there must be unusual results that demonstrate the quality of life I have received. That if truly the life of God is on my inside, it must impact what I touch. This is what scripture says. This is not motivational speaking. This is not a man of God trying to motivate you. This is not encouragement. Oh, no. This is scripture.

This is scripture. We are staying within the border of scripture to understand something about results. Something about what now? Results. Remember John 17 verse three. The Bible says, this is eternal life. This is eternal life that they may know me, the only true God. Now the question is, this knowing God, this experiential knowledge of God, does it end there? No sir. When a man knows God and has eternal life on his inside.

I don't understand how I can carry the life of God and expect mediocre results or even be comfortable in mediocrity. Do you understand that your results are a testament of the kind of life that functions on your inside? Do you know? Yes, sir. Do you know that there is a demand upon your life based on the quality of life at work on your inside? That if you claim to be a believer, there is an expectation on your life. Yes, sir. For being a believer is not just a fancy name. It's not a religious acclamation just to say that we are of a religion. Oh, no.

Our claim is that there's a life at work in us. Our claim is that we know God. Our claim. If this is our claim, if this is our claim, if it is our claim, then look at look at the way that Jesus explains it. Jesus says, I am the vine. You are the branches, oh God. He explained it like plants, like trees growing. That is the analogy Jesus gives. That I am the vine. That the life flows from me.

It comes from me. It flows into you. You being the branches. And if the life is flowing into you and if it is reaching you, there are things that are called fruits, evidences of the life that is flowing. Evidences of the life that is flowing. Oh my God. I can't fail as a believer. It's impossible. The life within me cannot allow me to fail. Nothing I touch can fail.

Nothing I do can fail. Nothing I say can fail. My words cannot fall to the ground as a believer. Listen. Listen. I carry this consciousness everywhere I go. Listen to me. I don't start anything and think what if it fails? What if it doesn't sell? What if people don't come?

What if I don't buy? What if... No. No. No. No. That's not my thought pattern. My thought pattern is how can this thing sell? How can I make increase? How can I expand?

How can I grow? How can I multiply? Sometimes, I stay up all night putting effort inside what I'm doing because there's a life at work in me. The world cannot see mediocrity. I can't say that this thing came from me. Oh, God. Hear me? It means you can't give me work to do and look at the quality of work I gave you and tell me this is not good. This is nonsense. Uh-uh.

No. Do you know the life it came from? Do you know where it flowed from? Listen. I believe so much that many believers are not conscious of this. I believe so strongly that many believers are not conscious of this. My goodness. If you are a student, come out of this. Nobody will beg you to read. You will realize there's a demand on my life.

Oh, God. This name we are calling, this Christian thing is not a fluke. There's an actual demand on my life. I can't... I should not get less than a first class. Do you know that? A fruit on a tree or let me say, a tree that is bearing fruit. That tree does not eat its own fruit. Are you aware? Sir.

That the tree does not eat its own fruit. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That the fruit services everybody except the tree. Who produced the fruit? So a student can say, what is a first class? I don't know what. Let's start at school. You have not seen yourself very well because the fruit does not have to service the tree. The reason we contend for results is not because the result does anything to us.

It's not because the result adds anything to us. It's not because the God makes us feel valuable or relevant. Oh my God. Do you understand what I'm saying? Some of us, God has helped us beyond the fleshy, calmer desire for prosperity, but I will prosper. Oh, God. I'm prosperous already. I can't be a poor pastor. It's not because wealth and prosperity gives credibility to my message. That's not why.

It's not because if you are poor, you can't preach Christ. That's not why. Do you understand what I'm saying? It is because if you preach Christ, if you claim Christ, then you are simply saying he's the vine. You are the branch. There is a life that flows from him and that enters into you. The moment you become a recipient of that life, there's a demand upon your life. There's fruit that must be demanded. And this this is how my father gets glory. This is how my father gets glory.

No, no, you carry a Christian title. No, no, your name is Matthew. No, no, your name is Sarah. That... But there's something coming out of your life. That people can make reference to. To say, ah ah, how come? And you are not ashamed to say. It is God. It is the grace of God.

That's the beauty of the grace of God. But believers have attached mediocrity to the grace of God. So much so, it is not the excuse to become lazy. When they tell you, can you get this thing done? You say, by God's grace, let's see what happens. As to mean, if I can't now produce, I will... At least I told you it's God's grace. So it would mean that... No. If the grace of God is really working on your inside, we should see fruits.

Paul says, it is the grace of God, not high. But he said that he labor abundantly more than he all. The grace is evident in my labor. It is evident in my results. So if I claim to be a pastor, the question is, where are my fruits? Man of God, where are your fruits? Before you become comfortable in mediocrity, ask yourself, which vine are you connected to? Which vine are you connected to? Before you start accepting some nonsense, you hear a man of God telling you, it's not about result. It's about what then?

It's about what then? Amen. First John two fourteen. I renew my strength. I will not be tired. As I wait on you you feel me I renew my strength I will not First John. I've written to you fathers because you have known him who is from the beginning. I've written to you young men. I want us to read that next line together. Please follow my thought.

Follow my thought. Follow my thought very carefully. And I want you to stay with me as I build. Because we started this conversation with Jesus saying that I'm the vine and you are the branches. If you abide in me, because there's an anatomical mechanism here that I want you to see. If you abide in me as I abide in you, you'd bear much fruits. It then goes on to tell you that it is by this that my father is glorified. Not in the fact that you are still connected to me, but in the fact that your connection has started producing fruits. Now in first John chapter two verse 14, remember it was John who wrote John. So the same John who wrote the gospel is writing this epistle.

It then says, I have written to you and it's very specific in his choice of words. He says, fathers, because you have no name who is from the beginning. It ends as I have written to you young men. It means if a young man or woman in this place, then this next line is for you. It says, because you are strong. Know this choice of words. It didn't say because you will be strong. It's not even saying young men should be strong. John is not admonishing them to be strong. John is announcing a fact.

He says, you are strong. And he immediately tells us the anatomy of that strength. He says, because the word of God abides in you. It means the reason you are strong is because the word of God abides in you. It means when Jesus said, abide in me. I abide in you. Oh God. There is something that him abiding in you as the word. Remember, he's still the word made flesh. There is something that he abides in you produces on your inside, and that thing is very important.

It's very important. What he produces is strength. It says, when I abide in you, you are strong. Because you are strong and the word of God abides in you. Do you see this? This is scripture. It's interesting when you study scripture and your eyes open. The things that you begin to see. I pray somebody's eyes open. So it tells you the anatomy.

It says the word of God abides in you. The evidence and the proof of that is that you have strength. The evidence of the strength you have is that you have overcome the wicked one. It means you are not strong for being strong sick. The strength that you now have must have an evidence. The evidence is that there is a wicked one you overcome. Are you with me? Yes, sir. So strength in scripture is never really just a feeling. Strength in scripture has a source and the source is the abiding word of God.

When the word of God abides in a believer, when it dwells in a believer, it has a proof and the proof is what it overcomes. Nobody in the Bible is called strong who did nothing with it. Every man who is strong in scripture did something with it. When God told Joshua, for instance, be strong and courageous. The strength wasn't a feeling. The strength produced something. There was an overcoming. And remember, be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous was preceded with. In verse eight, this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth.

You will meditate in it day and night. Verse nine then says, be strong and courageous. John then says, I've written to you young men because you are strong. And why are you strong? Because this book of the law, this word of God abides in you. The same thing that produce strength in the whole testament is still what is producing strength now. It has not changed. And the strength, the courage is for something. When you study the book of Joshua, you see what the strength is for. It's for exploits.

You only need to study Joshua. Joshua shows you what the strength is for. It's for conquering lands. It's for possessing your possession. It's for taking over cities. It's for breaking into territories. It's for multiplying exploits. It's for extraordinary accomplishments. Multiply results. Are you still with me, brothers and sisters?

See, there's a difference between hearing the word and having the word abide in you. You can hear something and forget it. You can hear something and admire it. You can hear something and even repeat it. But when the word of God abides in you, it becomes a part of the internal government of your life. It begins to determine what you believe, how you interpret circumstances, what you fear, what you refuse, what you pursue, what you are willing to attempt. That's why John immediately hearts and you have overcome the wicked one. The abiding word produces strength, and strength produces victory. Strength produces exploits. Are you still with me?

Then in Daniel 11 verse 32, the b part of it then says, the people that do know their God. And you say the same thing again. They shall be strong. The the NKJV says, they shall carry out great exploits. My God. They shall carry out great exploits. John says, the word of God abides in you and you are strong. Daniel says, the people who know their God shall be strong. The word of God abiding in a person is one of the principal ways that the knowledge of God becomes established within that person. You cannot know God independently of what he has revealed about himself in his word.

As his word abides in you, his nature, his power, his faithfulness, his wisdom, his promises. Become living convictions within you. Look at the progression there. They know their God. They know their God. Then they become strong. Then they do exploit. That knowledge produces strength. And then strength produces exploits. You see it again.

When they... What they know about God becomes an inward capacity that enables them to do what people who do not know him cannot imagine attempting. It means there is something a man knows about God that produces strength in a man. And the strength is for exploits. It means that, listen to me. You hear me? There is an internal working of the knowledge of God within a believer. An internal working of the knowledge of God within a believer that enforces fruits. We've been talking about fruits. Is that not so?

There is something that exploits fruit results. There is something that the knowledge of God does when the branch is connected to the vine. The branch must begin to know the vine. And how the knowledge happen is through his word. And as the branch abides in the word. In the same way that nutrients begin to flow and begins to do something to the branch. What it does to you is that it produces strength on your inside. Strength. The purpose and the assignment of strength is for exploits. It means a man that lacks strength cannot do exploits.

It's why the Bible says, if you fall, if you fail, in the day of adversity, it doesn't say your faith is small. It says your strength is small. Stay with me. Daring power is in strength. Is in strength. What makes a man dare to do what he could not believe himself can do is in strength. Is in strength. Boldness and confidence to step out and to conquer mountains. To say, give me this mountain we are well able is in strength. Seeing light visions and believing that this thing I can do it is in strength.

It's called strength of heart. Is is what the Bible says, be strong in the Lord. And the fullness of his might. It's called strength of heart. There's a strength a man has that makes him know that I can do this. You give a man an impossible task, and he look at it very well. He says, I can do it. What do you mean you can do it? And sometimes he laughs in the holy ghost. Says, sir, it's small.

Sometimes when he's speaking, I can do it. He does not even understand what he's saying. Sometimes, man, even know the next thing about what he's saying he can do. But there is just this confidence within his heart to look at whatever project and say it is small. I can do it. It's called strength of heart. I'm not seeing people that go through things in life that it looks as though they should give up right now. You don't know that. Sometimes when you tell yourself, what's the worst that could happen? You have not seen the worst.

You think the lowest point a man can reach is zero. That's when you were in primary school. And they tell you, five minus eight. And you shout, impossible. Is your primary school brain that is thinking that the lowest a man can reach is zero. When you advance, you will know that there are realms below zero. Ask Job, he will tell you. What you think, what's the worst that can happen? Then the worst now happens. And after the worst happen, the worst now happens.

And I've seen men bring true forth realities. And they come out at the other end of it producing exploits. It is called strength. The name is strength. It's why the Bible says, if you fail in the day of adversity, that thing, that experience is called adversity. And guess what? Just before abundance is adversity. It's why the Bible says, we have walked through waters and through fires. You cause men to press over our heads, but you have brought us to a wealthy place. Before they bring him into a wealthy place, there is fire and there is water.

Guess how men walk through fire, Strength. Guess how men walk through water? Strength. Guess how men survive when people press over your head? Strength. Strength. Do you know what will make you experience disappointment multiple times? And you will still be going again and again and again and again. As though it's not, you're saying, go back. Go back.

And you are paying the following day and there again. What do you want? Some... It's called strength. Listen. Listen. It will make you keep on knocking on doors. Even when you're getting a no. No. No.

Something in you says, I can't take no for an answer. We will ban this door until it opens. It's called strength. Have you not seen people? They start something. In less than three months, is it... It's not working. They stop. Another one again. It's not working.

They stop. What is lacking? Strength. Such men cannot do exploits. I renew my strength. I will not be tired. As I wait on you. As I wait on you. You feel. Another dimension of strength is in the ability to labor.

You see, reaching destiny requires labor. There is work to be done. And when a man cannot invest, they require labor. That is destiny requires. To experience manifestation, what is lacking is strength. Sometimes it's not as though the cause is hard. You just require strength. Strength to stay longer to study. It's not as though the pathway is difficult. It's just strength.

It's not as though ministry is hard. It's just strength. Strength will fall down and rise and continue running and fall down and arise. It's just strength. One of the things that Abraham had is strength of heart. It's why he can wait on a promise for twenty five years and not be weary. The Bible says hope deferred maketh the heart weak. Is a heart that does not have strength. A heart that has strength. Will wait like Abraham.

One years, two years, three years. And all they will keep on saying is God has said. God has told me. God has told me. This God, are you are you This guy, this is year one, year two. I said God has told me. It is strength of heart. To walk, To work. Strength will be diligent. To stay true to your excellence.

Because excellence requires diligence. You have you have done the project. You spend three hours doing it. You look at and say, Kai, it's not good enough. And you do another three hours again. It's strength because you are looking for excellence. It's strength. Come on just say, oh, let's manage it like that. What is lacking is strength. When you think about the amount of time it would take to put into work, to get things done, to get results, and you feel defeated in your heart.

You feel as though, hey, ah, all of this, what you are lacking is strength. There's a mandate that I am carrying. There's a future ahead of me. With a destiny that I'm carrying. So you must fill me up. Listen, life has no pity for weak men or weak women. Naive men or naive women. When it's time to negotiate and and make your demand from life is when you are wimping, is when is when you are behaving like a chicken. Life does not reward timidity. Life is harsh.

To the timid. Daniel did not leave us ignorant. Daniel is very careful to tell us those who know their God. Those who know their God. Those who know, who know their God. At least this should make you realize that knowing God is not a scam. Hey, you see, my life is evidence that knowing God is not a scam. I was telling a few people some of my experiences while I was in university and the things I had to go through as a student. And some of them, you could see the pity that they had for me in their eyes. Saying, apostle, how did you go through that?

It's called strength. The name is strength. Strength. Someone said, I'm being outcasted. They are treating me as though because I'm different or because I'm a believer. They look at me one kind as though this and that. Why does this matter to you? If you have strength or heart, it would not matter. You are afraid to disappoint people. You want to please everybody.

You want to make everybody happy. You are afraid to say no. You're afraid to let some people know the version of you that is transforming. That you are becoming a prayerful person. You are becoming a a serious person with God. And you now preach. You now the evangelism. You are ashamed that if some people know, they will start mocking you. They will start laughing at you. They will look at you and say, when did all that start?

And so when you go amongst them, you change who you are. You don't mention prayer. If they are being cynical about men of God, you join them. But as you know, this is against my conviction. What is lacking in your heart is strength. And the Bible says, those who know their God. I thank in my heart that I should do an altar call at the end of this meeting. I will do one. Because if you admire the exploits that I'm talking about, where it starts from is those who know their God. So if this fails, the operating system that generates exploit is is not there.

It's not there. It means this combination for you, the best it can do is just make you say is to give you a problem to think about. It can't be your experience. Those who know their God. Are you with me? Amen. Strength is not given to be stored. Strength is given to be spent. They will carry out great exploits, results. And even to me, brothers and sisters, I don't wanna spend too much time on those who know their God.

That's a teaching on its own. If I stay there, I have a teaching on its own. Those who know their God. Those who know their God. There is something a man knows about God. That is that becomes the source of his strength. What do you know about God that gives you confidence? What do you know about God that gives you confidence? What what do you know about God that makes you fail and know that that failure is not who you are? What do you know about God?

That makes you undefeated in things that should defeat you. What do you know about God that makes you hear all kind of news? Unlike Job, you will go down worshiping. When you are meant to be crying and unstable. What do you know about God? I've I've seen believers. I've seen believers who crash down because things didn't go their way. They had beautiful plans they had written. And then it didn't go as they had planned. And they crashed and they crumble.

Say, ah, where is God? God, I was... I I served you. I dislike that. What do you know about God? Do you know about God? What What do do you you know know about about God? God? What is it? What what do you know as revealed in his word?

As captured in his word. That has stayed within your heart. That has supplied and produced strength within your spirit. Strength within your spirit. What do you know? It is that thing that we know that make us give like we give. That's what the bible said about Abraham. It means if a man does not know God, there will be no strength to give. There will be heart failure and faith failure whenever giving is concerned. Whenever giving is concerned.

And that same failure will now be the posture that the man takes. Whenever anything that has to do with his life succeeding, advancing. Anything that that's doing in making progress. I've seen people that it was a defeat in their family. Maybe a mother died. It's the reason why the entire faith collapsed. Now he goes around saying, I'm I'm not a believer. I'm not a Christian. I don't believe in all this God nonsense. All because of an experience that they had.

And if the knowledge of God that a believer has is not solid in this manner, adversary will come. The Bible says, if you fail, it is because your strength is small. There is what is called the day of adversity. The Bible never promises a smooth self rule. The Bible never says, in this journey of producing results, those end by Christianity and your life becomes rosy. No. There are days of adversity that a man must walk through. A man must face Edon and come out stronger than he went in. The three Hebrew men said, the three Hebrew men said, will not bow. Because we know that our God is able.

We can we can camp around that alone. That there is something we know about our God. And that thing we know is that he is able. The ability of God is not in question. We know our God is able. Mighty to deliver, mighty to save. It makes me stand and tell a wicked king I will not bow. It means the exploit of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is not... The power in that exploit is not forced in the exploit. What I'm saying is you read their story and then you see three men that were thrown into fire and they were delivered because the fire could not burn them.

Now you capitalize on the exploit. That is exploit by the way. Now you capitalize on the exploit as though the exploit does happened. There is something that produced it. You can see the anatomy of the exploit. They said, we will not bow for we know our God is able. It means there is a knowledge of God that produces strength. That strength makes you make decisions that you would otherwise not have made. I won't give up. I can't, I don't know.

Give up is not in my visionary. I don't know how to. I don't know the meaning. I don't know how men give up. I've started something. Muti, I've started this thing. Did you not count the cost? Oh, sir. I counted the cost. What now happened?

It's just too stressful. I didn't know it will be like this. Strength. Strength. Strength. And that source is those who know their God. First John tells you that this knowledge of God is not mystical. There's a way it comes. He says, I have written to you young men because you are strong. And the word of God abides in you.

That knowledge of God comes because the word of God abides in you. I can't be poor. I cannot be poor. I'm not saying this because there is millions of naira sitting down in my account. I make that statement whether there is money in my account or there is no money in my account. But there is something I know about God. That thing I know is constant. My account is the variable. That thing I know is constant. It's what informs how I carry myself.

It's what informs how I present myself to people. It's informs how I talk. And my career is before to Jesus. In And you say three things that he knew. Three things that he knew. I want us to say these three things. Are you ready for me? Yes. One, two, three, go. Knowing that the father had given all things into his hands.

The father had given all things into his hands. What's the next thing he knew? And that he had come from God. What's next in the new? You would expect that what you would see after this this verse would be he walked mighty miracles. He commanded angels. I mean, how can a man know all these beautiful things? It says, knowing that father had given all things into his hands. If... I mean, go and be controlling.

Go and be demonstrating. Go and be moving. But they had come from God. Nobody nobody should dare me have come from God. Everybody bow. Wash my feet. Bow to me. That should be the expectation. But it is men who have not known that behave like that. What did this knowledge produce in Jesus?

Next verse, watch this. One, two, three, go. Next verse. The Bible tells you three things he knew And what he did with it was to bounce out. What I want you to see is this. If I cannot stoop, it is because I've not known God. If I become offended easily because of how people treat me, it's because I've not known God. Why would they talk to me like that? Why would they treat me like that? How would they...

Don't they know what I have? Don't you know who I am? You don't know God. You know too much of who you are. You don't know God. If you know God, you will wash. You will know all these things and one stoop. Because sometimes when we teach things like this, I will tell people how things are yours. The world is yours. Wherever the soul of your feet step upon is yours.

When you walk into a company, the company is yours. They believe and I expect the CEO to be bowing down to him. No. After knowing all of that, you will now stoop. Because it does not take anything from you. It does not remove anything from you. My washing of feet doesn't change the fact that all things have been given to me. My, do you understand what I'm saying? It doesn't change the fact that all things are mine. The strength it produces, it secures your heart.

It guards your emotions. The knowledge of God. The knowledge of God. Tell our neighbor the knowledge of God. Are you still with me on this? Yeah. And then it says, they will be strong and the strength will ascertain that they produce results. Listen to me. Results matter. What did I say?

Results matter. Results matter. Results are not just trophies for the believer. I want you to understand something about exploits. Please listen to me with everything you have. Listen to me now. Because if you're not careful, you will encounter people in their attempt to be spiritual. We start downsizing the very things that makes men know that we are believers. Go and check all of scripture, and you would see the the emphatic emphasis on results. On results.

Mark 16 and verse 17. What does the bible say? And these signs and what? Signs. Will what? Woe. David say on these names, those who believe obey. That if you believe, there are signs that will follow you. If you believe, what are the signs? In my name, they will cast out demons.

It means casting out demons is not an exclusive reserve for apostles, for prophets, for pastors, for teachers. It is in the commonwealth of Zion for all who believe. In my name, they will cast out devils. It means a believer should be comfortable and convenient and bold enough to walk up to a demon possessed man and say, how in the name of Jesus? And the Bible, that is how you will know that we are believers. So how can we begin to say those things don't matter? Isaiah 60 verse one. The Bible says, arise, shine, for your light has come. And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. The glory of the Lord is what?

Upon you. Next verse. Darkness shall cover the earth, deep darkness to people, but the Lord will arise over you, and his glory will be seen. Read that last line again. Question, what will men see that they will come down? We know it is the glory. But what will they see that they will now call glory? Is it that a cloud will come on your head? And and you will now see pillar of fire by night, shadow of fire by day. And as you are walking, a cloud is just walking with you.

And and there are golden crowns on your head that people can see. Like that prophet of God who a picture is taken of him, real picture whilst he was ministering of a golden crown upon him. That's beautiful. Powerful manifestations. Glory to God. Real picture. Taken by the media whilst he was ministering. Golden crown appeared on his head. None doctored, nothing like that. So is that what men will see?

Is that the glory of the Lord shall be seen upon you? Is that the glory of Lord that is seen upon you? Okay. Just so that we don't now start arguing over what people will see. It now tells you. In the next verse, it says the Gentiles shall come to your light. Read the context oh. Kings to the brightness of your rising. Oh, God. Give me a new living translation.

One, two, three, go. Verse three now. Next verse. What what... Look at this one. One, three, go. This is all the evidence of the glory of God will be seen upon you. What are people saying? Kings, nations, your sons, your daughters, a crowd of people. Nations.

So how can you see a crowd in a church and say they are not preaching the word of God? When in fact the Bible says that that is the evidence that the glory of God is there. Do you understand what I'm saying? You look at a business. If a businessman is seeing this scripture, what are you seeing? Nations are patronizing this business. Oh, God. I'm not working with just blacks. I'm not working with just Nigerians. The scope of my influence is nations will come.

Kings will come. They would see the brightness of my radiance. So every time we say that the glory, what is the point of life? If if what is happening, look at the next verse. The next verse says, your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy. For merchants, these are businessmen from around the world, they will come to you. And the Bible calls this the glory that men will see. They will bring you the wealth of many lands. It means prosperity is in the glory. Do you understand what I'm saying?

If the glory of God is upon a man's life, he should prosper. This is not to say that if a man is not prospering, God's glory is more in his life. Are we happy? So whichever side of the divide that you are in, I am for you. I was reading through the first timers comment because we read them to improve. Read them to improve and know what we can do better. Know what we keep on doing. Know what people love. So we ask them for their opinions. And and I saw a very interesting comment from someone.

The person the person said, this is a first timer by the way. Who is coming for the first time? Last week Sunday. And the the individual says, I don't like the emphasis on materiality. This church needs to be more spiritual. And I'm, I was, I was quite, I was quite interested in that comment because and I was wondering, what exactly was material? You've not even seen me being material. You've not seen me being material. Because the immaterial God made material men. And put them in a material world.

And told them that the material world is theirs. And that God lays possession on material things. Enough to say the gold is mine and the silver is mine. And we are now material when we say the gold is ours. When my God is the one who first said it is his. So if I'm being material, is God also material? We need to ask. Please read that verse together everybody. Let them yell. Let them them yell.

You shouldn't hear who is saying it oh. Otherwise, a lot of host becomes canner. Because if I'm supposed to say it now that the silver is mine, the gold is mine. I'm no longer spiritual. The cattle on a thousand hills. Cattle on a thousand hills. When the Bible was not, see, silver is is gold is his cattle on a thousand eagles, blah, blah, blah. Bible is now describing how wealthy Abraham was in Genesis 13 verse two. The Bible now says he was rich in silver that belongs to the Lord of hosts. He was rich in gold that belongs to the Lord of hosts.

He was rich in livestock that belong to the Lord of hosts. Don't be spiritual more than God oh. God is spirit. You can't be more spirit than God. You can't be more spirit than God. I can't be talking about what will benefit your life. You have not eaten today. You are telling me I'm I'm too spirit. Should we not talk about how money will enter that pocket? I told you have, you have not seen me material.

Oh God. To the larger portion of what we are talking about. The Bible calls them exploits. Bible calls them results. And it matters. It matters we grow as a church. It matters. I'm not one of those who believe numbers don't matter. Numbers is not everything. See, I know that numbers is not everything.

There is nobody who wants a large church, who prays for one, who thinks numbers is everything. Glory to God. You should not entertain the mentality of any kind of smallness in your quest to defend responsibility. Those of us with the numbers, who told you are not discipling? Because you will now say, it's discipleship that matters. Who told you we are not discipling? A church has 10,000 members. And 80% of the members are serving in church. So you say they are not discipling. Come on now.

Don't be don't be small minded and be defending it with religious language. Christian language defends smallness. Go and look at the God whom you serve and look at how the Bible describes the kind of angels that surround him in his throne room. That's the God you serve. Yes, sir. He's a big God. He's a big God. Big, big, big, big, big is my God. I like that song. So I cannot worship and serve a big God and be small in life.

My life should be a reflection of the life that flows on my inside. The Bible says, ye are Gods. And all of you are children of the most high God. It means the reason why we are Gods is because we are children of God. So we cannot call ourselves sons of God and our life will be any different. Than our father. Jesus says, I am my father. I want. And, you know, in trying to defend all of these things, there are people who have issues with men of God being audacious about prosperity. Then they say, even Jesus was not prosperous.

Come on now. That is the height of it. Someone that as a baby was given gold, mare and frankincense that he did not even need As a baby? Someone that has a work he was doing. One of the best woodworkers of his time. Not studying the UI. You say it's it's it's more. Warn yourself. Glory to God. Bible a says that he had financial ministers.

That what they were doing was ministering of their substance to him. Financial partners in ministry. At every time that was needed in ministry, they never lacked resources. Money came from everywhere. Mouth of the fish, money was coming. Provision came from Johann, the wife of Chusa, Erod Steward, Zana, and many others who provided for him from their substance. Glory to God. Amen. Then we misunderstand scripture like the son of man has nowhere to lay his head to mean that Jesus was very... Come on now.

Back to my thought pattern. This is just deviation. The idea is that results matter. In the life of the believer. What did I say? Do not despise result. Don't entertain any thought that makes you despise result. Results can become the evidence of the wisdom of God. The evidence of the goodness of God. The evidence of the power of God in the life of the believer.

When Joseph entered Egypt, the presence of God upon his life, it was not invincible. It became administrative competence. That is result. It became problem solving ability. That is result. It became economic wisdom. That is result. It became the preservation of nations during famine. That is result. What does the Bible say about that Joseph?

God was with him. When Daniel entered Babylon, the spirit upon him became learning, became understanding, became interpretation, became excellence, became governmental influence. When Bezalil was filled with the spirit of God, the spirit in filling became craftsmanship. It became designs. It became precision. The ability to build what God had shown Moses. Scripture does not separate the spirit of God from visible accomplishments. When the spirit of God came upon people, they were resolved that followed. When the spirit of God came upon Samson, it was obvious instantly. Fruitfulness is part of the design of the God life.

When God relive his life, he expects that the life should produce according to his nature. When God created vegetation, he placed seed within the fruit so that the fruit would not terminate upon itself. For the tree produced fruit, The fruit carried seed, and the seed then carried the possibility of another tree. So fruitfulness in scripture is not only production. It is production with the power to reproduce. That is why your result must eventually become greater than past month survival. So when we're talking about results, we're not talking about resolve with respect to your own comfort and your own survival. It is good to get a job, but the job must become more than a way to pay your bills. It must become a place where competence is developed. Credibility is established.

Where you you you form quality relationships. Gather resources and then open possibilities to yourself and to the kingdom and to people as well. It is good to to start a business. But the business must become more than another source of personal income or spending money. Just to make ends meet. No. It must become a structure that solve problem. Something that creates employments. Something that generates wealth and and expands the possibilities available to other people. It is good to receive a contract, but the contract must become an opportunity to demonstrate that believers can deliver excellence, manage resources, honor agreements, produce work that is worth recommending.

It is good for ministry to grow, but ministerial growth must become larger than a crowd gathered around one gifted person. No. It must produce disciples. It must produce workers, leaders, pastors, missionaries, financiers. Men and women who carry the same life, the same spirit, the same faith, the same fire, the same truth, the same discipline, the same vision into territories that the pastor himself cannot personally enter. Why? Because genuine fruit always has seed within it. What did I say? That means genuine increase has the ability to generate further increase. If you are fruitful within the fruit is the seed for the next fruit.

What did I say? Within the fruit is the seed. Colossians one verse 10, the Bible says, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Am I boring you? That you may walk worthy of the Lord. Look at this. Fully pleasing him. Look at that. Bible is explaining to you how you walk worthy of the Lord, that you fully please God. Now how do you do that?

Being fruitful. Paul places fruitfulness and increasing in knowledge together. That the knowledge of God should increase, but that good works should also multiply. That deeper revelation of God should produce greater expression of his life within you. That the more accurately a man knows God, the more fully your life should represent his wisdom. The more fully your life should represent his order, his excellence, his generosity. You must reject the version of spirituality that allows a person to keep increasing in religion whilst remaining stagnant in responsibility, responsibility, in productivity, in usefulness. There is something incomplete about knowledge that does not become wisdom. Wisdom that doesn't become action. Action that does not mature into results.

God did not give you light just so that you could explain light. He gave you light so you could walk, so you could build, so you could lead, so you could show others the path. So you see fruit in scripture is not restricted to character. Because when people speak about fruits, we sometimes tend to reduce our understanding of fruit to character. Although character is essential. But the Bible uses the language of fruit much more broadly than just character. Bible speaks about the fruit of a person's hands. The Bible speaks about the fruit of labor. The fruit of the lips. The fruit of righteousness.

The fruit of the womb. The fruit of the ground. The fruit that results from wisdom. So fruit is whatever a living thing produces according to its own nature. Proverbs 31 and verse 31. The Bible says, give her the fruit of her hands. And let her own works. Praise her in the gates. The woman had fruit in her hands. Are you with me?

Her works could speak for her. Her works could speak for her. Her works gave her praise in the gates. The the the gate is the place of commerce. The gate is the place of business, the place of influence, the place where people trade. And the bible when when you get to the marketplace, there is something your work can do to praise you. The verse doesn't tell us that our intentions, praise God. Or that are being spiritual praised her. It doesn't say that our our dreams praised her. It said our works praised her.

There was something tangible that could be traced to her hands. What was it? The Bible says she considered a field and buys it. From a profit, she plants a vineyard. She made merchandise. She supplied a household. She she extended her hand to the poor. This is giving. She produced clothing. She traded.

She managed people. She managed resources. She managed time. So when the bible said the virtuous woman who can find, you'll remember that her virtue was not expressed only through her moral purity. Because now when we speak about the virtuous woman, what we are talking about is a woman who is morally pure. So you'd see a virtuous woman in Gali and in Iro and in Buba, holding bible like this and doing like this. Virtuous woman. She was rich. She was prosperous. She was a businesswoman.

She was a family woman. Yes, sir. She could do business. You go and read that bible very well. Are you with me? Yeah. Our virtue became economic intelligence. Our virtue became became industriousness. She was an industrious woman. Our virtue became generosity.

She was a giver. It became foresight. It became accomplishments. Results. Your life must have fruit that can be traced to your hands. There should be something that exists because you obeyed God. There should be something that improved because you accepted responsibility. There should be people who become stronger because you enter their lives. That is exploits. There should be problems that people thought was big.

But they immediately become smaller because you entered their lives. There should be wealth that was created. There should be work that was completed. Systems that were strengthened. People that are that were trained. Ministries that were built and established. Territories that were reached. All because you didn't bury your life in excuses. You didn't bury your life in explanations. Are you with me brothers and sisters?

The cause of fruitfulness does not mean every believer will produce the same kind of fruit. A mango tree does not prove its fruitfulness by producing oranges. Fruitfulness is the full expression of the particular life and assignment that God placed within you. So one person may build a school and they are being fruitful. And the school is producing exploits. Students are learning. They are growing. They are transforming as they come. Another person may have a tech company, and it's being fruitful. Another person might be an exceptional teacher, and they are being fruitful.

Another person might build a ministry and they are being fruitful. Another person can manage a home with such wisdom and dexterity that children emerge from that home prepared to influence nations. Another person might become a craftsman whose work become the standard within his industry. Another become another person might become a financier. Whose resources? Whose money? Whose wealth becomes the reason why missionaries are sent, while churches are established, whilst righteous institutions are established. So fruitfulness is not sameness. The question is not whether the result looks alike or look like somebody else's results. The question is whether what God placed in you is finding all the expression it can find through you.

That's the question. So the measure of fruitfulness is not how much of your life is looking like somebody else's life. A mango doesn't become fruitful by being an orange. A mango becomes fruitful by producing its own fruit. Your fruitfulness is measured to the degree to which your assignment is expressed. Do you understand what I'm saying? Yes, sir. Glory to God. John 15 verse 16. You did not choose me.

But I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. And that your fruit should remain. Now you should go and do what now, brothers and sisters? That was the mandate to bear fruit. And the Bible says that your fruit should remain. This means the purpose of God for your life is not that you just produce something impressive for a time being. It's not that you become a one time wonder. The purpose of God for your life. It's not that you shine and then you have money for a season and then you become prosperous for a time and then you blow for a time and then you go right down back again. It says that your fruit should remain.

It means God desires that fruit remains. He desires that work. Work. Work continues. God desires work with continuity. God desires institutions with succession. Disciples who can disciple others? Wealth that can be transferred with wisdom. Businesses that can survive beyond the excitement of the beginning. Convictions that can be preserved beyond the life span of one person.

A person becomes truly great when their contributions continue to speak even after they are dead. That's how you know a great man. Abraham died but generations continue to call themselves his children. That's how you know a great man. David died but later kings were measured in return to David. Paul died but churches, doctrines, even spiritual sons, continue to carry his labor into regions he never personally visited. And it is because of the ministry of Paul that will now have two third of the epistles. Their bodies left the earth, but their fruit remained. You see, that your fruit should remain. So the desire for fruitfulness must therefore therefore grow beyond the desire to become comfortable.

You must begin to think about what your life will establish that another generation can inherit. Your desire for fruitfulness cannot terminate on your own comfort and on your own survival. You must think about what your children will see when they study your life. You must think about what younger believers will conclude is possible or is not possible after watching you. You must you must think about whether your life will become evidence that a person can know God deeply and still build at a high level and still generate substantial wealth and still lead with excellence and still influence systems and still create opportunities and still accomplish unusual things. Those who know their God. They shall be strong, and they shall do exploits. Exploits begin when what you know about God becomes stronger than what your environment is saying. Society tells you there's no way there, but your knowledge of God says nothing can restrain God. You are too small for this.

But your knowledge of God reminds you that God can call one person alone. And that through that one person, you can save a nation. He tell you that that industry is already occupied. But your knowledge of God tells you that wisdom can make you room. The gift of a man can make you room. Favor can make you room. Ah, there are no jobs anymore anywhere. But the knowledge of God can provoke you to develop value. To seek opportunities, to create work, To keep moving until the door opens. You see, your ministry cannot expand beyond this territory because there is something upon this territory.

But the word of God says the word of God can grow mightily and prevail. Jonathan stood with one armor bearer. Only one armor bearer. Before an entire Philistine garrison. He didn't have an army. He didn't have the advantage of numbers. But there was a conviction that he had about God. In first Samuel chapter 14 verse six, the Bible says, for nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few. Nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few. That tells you the internal logic that governed the result that Jonathan had that day.

It wasn't just a courageous man. No. No. No. He was acting from what he knew about God. His knowledge altered the significance of his smallness. Two people weren't sufficient if victory depended upon two people alone. But two people can become sufficient if nothing restrained God. That was what they did. That's what they knew about God.

Every exploit has this inward sentings behind it. This inward revelation revelation about about God. God. There There is is something something about God that a person knows that becomes... That he becomes persuaded of, that become the source of his strength, that becomes what produces exploit in his life. David approached Goliath because he knew the God who delivered him from the lion, from the bear, could as well deliver him from Goliath. Are you with me? Don't produce great exploits by shouting loudly about greatness. You produce exploits when the knowledge of God becomes the operating conviction within you. And that conviction moves you into disciplined, intelligent, and courageous actions.

That produce exploits. If I were to define an exploit, I would say that an exploit is an unusual or an extraordinary accomplishment advancement, or result that is produced through the strength that comes from knowing God. It is an unusual or an extraordinary accomplishment, conquest, advancement, result that is produced through the strength that comes from knowing God. David defeated Goliath. Exploits. Joseph designed a national response to famine. Exploits. Nehemiah rebuilt the Wall Of Jerusalem in fifty two days. Exploit. That is speed.

Esther used her royal access to prevent the death of a nation. Exploit. Daniel served with such excellence that even changing government and administrations and empires could not stop him from service. He continued to serve and they continue to require his wisdom, exploits. Paul planted churches across territories, across continents, and established a body of doctrine that continues to shape believers across nations till today, exploits. Are you still with me? Yes, sir. Exploits. Exploits. And God is patroning you for exploit in this Sing it like this.

Second Samuel seven verse nine. We'll stop here. I want us to pray together. One, two, three, go. Can you provide it to yourself in one minute? Delay it now. Come on, pray in tongues wherever you are. Pray in tongues loud and When you show up, the battle is over. In Jesus name we have prayed Are you blessed? Thank you for listening to this message.

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