Transcript: Sustaining The Fire Part 3
Prepared from the audio, so small errors are possible.
God's word is alive and powerful. It is sharper than any double edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and our joints and marrow until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts. Join apostle Emmanuel as he takes us on a journey into the word of God. It is time to encounter God, be transformed by his word, and empowered by his spirit. It occurred to me that I should define what an encounter is Before doing a brief recap and establishing or should I say expanding a little bit on what she has just said. An encounter very simply defined is any experience that makes God real to you. Any experience that makes God real to you. That's an encounter. Any experience.
So an an an encounter therefore isn't just... This then gives you multiple possibilities as to what an encounter is. Because it's any experience that make God real to you. Experiences with the word of God. Experiences with the spirit of God. Do you know that even testimonies can be encounters? Do you realize that God can become real to you because he provided for you? Ask Abraham. How direct came to be was because a lamb was provided. And he realized that his son did not have to be the sacrifice.
And that God can provide when man needs it the most. That is how the name Jairi. He had an encounter with God because of an experience that he had. So God's fatherly nature provided for him when he needed it the most. That experience solidified the reality of God to him. That is an encounter. So a miracle can be an encounter. Yes sir. A testimony of favor, a testimony of breakthrough. How God broke through for you can be an encounter.
Because it's an experience that makes God real to you. A barren woman who conceives and gives birth to four children all at once. After years of tears. A woman who meets with a prophet and the prophet is saw and prophet Caesar sobbing one morning. Sobbing and then the prophet thinks he's drunk. Why are you drunk? And the woman says, I've been barren all my life. He says, go. You now have a child. And the woman rejoices.
And true to what the prophet says, a child comes. And that is not the only child that comes. Many, several children came after years of barrenness. That's an experience with God. Because that day, that lady knew that God answers prayer. An encounter can solidify the reality of the prayer answering God to a man. That ah. Do you know that if God spoke to you and God tells you that I've gone ahead of you for instance, either through a prophet, through the word, by the spirit, you hear the word of God tell you, I've gone ahead of you. That's already an encounter. You then get to wherever it is you're going and find mountain of problem there.
And just as you are thinking, how will I do this? How will I do that? Somebody just comes up, moves some tables, solves the problem for you. That also is an encounter. You're not getting what I'm saying. It just solidified that experience that ah ah, so when God tells this thing I just heard as a whisper in my spirit, it's real. So that that experience you have had just made God real to you. Hence, an encounter. Are you getting what I'm saying here? Yes, sir.
And why is it important? I said this kind of things, these encounters when they happen. Encounters by the word, this can happen many times in one day. Depending on how many time you spend time in with the word of God. When they happen, always light a fire within your spirit. Ignite a fire within your spirit. And I told you that if you do not trap it, that fire will die off very soon. And the first way you do that is to ignite memory. Ensure that you trap the experience. You come to a place like like this for instance, and the power and the presence of God is always at work.
You always find God working in your lives in different ways. It doesn't have to be spectacular. It only has to be supernatural. And if you live your life looking for spectacular experiences, you would miss out on the supernatural because you would find that the ways of God many a times are not always spectacular, But they are always supernatural. A lady might be wanting a confirmation from God that God did you truly call me into ministry? And then all she's working to hear is probably see a vision from heaven. Or see God speak to her in a dream of the night. And that will be more visual. They believe the more visual it is, the more convincing it is. Whereas you can read scriptures, and you'd see in the bible how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy ghost and power who went about healing all.
And the fact that you just saw this, just this, just seeing that in scripture alone becomes a confirmation in your spirit. That is not spectacular, but it is supernatural. You see, it... When I discovered purpose, I was reading rediscovering the kingdom by Miles Monroe. Nothing spectacular happened. I was just reading the book, and I just... This is my life. This is what I'm called to do. Because it just resonated within me. I just felt this...
You know, just just know. You just know, basically. There was no There was nothing. It just resonated deep within me that this is my life. There are no vibrations. There were nothing. And I knew up until today and up until I die that this is what I have been called to do, to spend my life doing. Raising an army of kingdom minded believers came from a book written by a man long dead. But his life still continues to leave an imprint. Because he walked every aspect of his life.
He was the man who said that I would ensure that whenever I go to be with the lord, I don't go full. I will ensure that I will die empty. Such men, when they die, they have not truly died. Because they make more impact even in their death than when they are alive. Yes. That when they were alive. Men like Apojoselma will continue to recount how that he built his message and his ministry on Miles Moran's books. That man's men like Kenneth Hagin. If you are a believer and you have not started eating Kenneth Hagin book, you have not even begun. That's the beginning.
That's the beginning. You need to go to the bookshop and go and collect all the Kenneth Hagin books that are there. You ensure that your foundation is secured, yet these men are dead. Before I get distracted again, I'm just talking about purpose. Listen. Listen. Don't have to be spectacular. It only has to be supernatural. And to be supernatural means it is orchestrated by the spirit. That's all?
That's all. A word I'm speaking to you now can resonate so deep in your heart because it was orchestrated by the spirit. That is supernatural. Let me give you an example. We have a meeting to go for and we are trusting God for provision. Somebody sends us money whilst we are praying, and the person says, I just felt in my spirit to sow a seed. And the person sends us money that it that covers everything that we we would do in that meeting. Has God not provided? Trusting God for transportation. Because we don't even have money to transport ourselves there.
And we are believing God that God will transport us. As we are believing God, somebody called and says, ah, apostle. It just came to my spirit that I'm not using my car at the moment. Do you have any need for it? Say, ah, we are going on a ministerial journey. We don't have transportation. Oh, that's awesome. Let me follow you. Is that not... Has God not provided?
Okay. Is that spectacular? What if as we are praying? All about just find ourselves on the coastal ground, few? Which one do you like? So that we will see how canal you are now. That's why I said it does not always have to be spectacular. It only has to be supernatural. It only has to have an imprint of the spirit upon it. It only has to.
I can prophesy that jobs are coming. Somebody leaves this place and finds himself and finds that he never applied for a job and then the job came. Another person leave this place and start applying for a job and a job comes. Now you prefer the first one, isn't there? But that's not always how God works. Because if it's supernatural, it means it is super and it is natural. It is both of them that comes together that makes supernatural. There is always the super part of it, which is the god part of it, and there is natural part of it, which is the man part of it. It is when god it is when god now latches upon that natural that make it supernatural. You understand what I'm saying?
Yes sir. A virgin will conceive. It's impossible for a virgin to conceive without a seed. That is supernatural. Is that not so? But the fact that the seed is super does not mean that the virgin will conceive in one week. Doesn't mean that the virgin will conceive in one day. It will still be nine months. The child will still have to grow, will have to suck breast, take breast milk, take baby food, learn how to walk despite it is God. It is not spectacular, but it is supernatural.
And you must understand this blend in your Christian experience so that you will not think that it is only natural. Supernatural intelligence. You see, supernatural intelligence doesn't mean that you're not gonna read. Doesn't mean that you're not gonna study. Doesn't mean that you're just gonna pass your exam miraculously because God is gonna stretch his hand. Fear. And without reading the thing, you just remember everything. That's wizardry. That's how many people like it. So start praying for a spectacular thing when we have not done anything towards preparing.
That is out to be an unserious believer who wants to live only by miracles. Life is not designed to be lived by miracles. As a matter of fact, miracles are supernatural intervention that God supply to believers in the wilderness to supplement for they are not arriving in the promised land. Because in the promised land, there are no miracles. Or perhaps I should be more specific. In the promised land, there is no manna. In the promised land, water does not come out of the rock. Because there are brooks of rivers in the promised land. In the promised land, you are the one that will till the ground to eat because the ground is fertile and it produces fruit. 100 times what you have planted, but there is a planting.
You can decide to live in the wilderness and only live by the hicks that come and only live by the man that falls from heaven. And you will think that that's the best of God's provision. Whereas, God is saying that if you truly want to experience my best, you will not trust me for miracles every time you fall sick. You will experience eternal life and live healthy. So there is healing. There is divine health. One is a miracle. The other is a principle. You can choose which one you want to live by. And if you peradventure, if if peradventure is subscribed to divine health, you will now realize that there is...
It is supernatural. That God preserves your health, but there's natural part of it. Because you don't fast and break with nonsense. Eternal life will not mean that you would because of eternal life go and damage your body and your own foolishness. Don't have to be spectacular. Only has to be supernatural. And as you walk with God, you begin to have several experiences that makes God real to you even as I've said it, as I've described it. And these things causes an ignition in your heart. But if you do not treat them well, you will burn out that fire. One of the reasons why God gives miracles, one of the reasons why God gives supernatural experiences is so that you can be trained and taught to see differently.
So in a sense, the encounter is actually meant to teach you something. It's meant it's meant to make you see life differently. It's meant to alter your perspective. Now the problem is you may go through life experiencing encounters, experiencing miracles with God without extracting what was intended for you in those experiences. It's like eating food. Eating is only half the job. The real job is in your body's ability to extract nutrients from the food. Because if you have eaten, you have only done half of it. What makes the food profitable to you is that your body can do the other half. Do you understand what I'm saying now?
So God does a miracle or you have the supernatural encounter, and you say that was amazing. That is only half of it. You are dazzled by the euphoria that comes with each miracle or with each supernatural encounter, but that's where it ends. You leave and then... Or nothing happens to you. You thank God for the experience, but it has not affected your perspective in any sense. It's like a man who has eaten, but the body hasn't digested it. That's only half the job. Because you would go home and your life continues in the same very patterns as before. You want...
The only difference now is that you have one more fun thing that God has done. That's the only difference. What I'm describing here is the same thing that happened with disciples of Jesus. They participated in the miracle of multiplication of food. If you remember, in Mark chapter six thirty five and thirty six, the bible says, when the day was now fast spent, his disciples came to him and said, this is a deserted place and already the hour is lit. 36, send them away that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread for they have nothing to eat. Can you see this? Who was the person who noticed the problem? In in... Was it Jesus?
Who noticed the problem? The... Look at the next verse. One, two, three, go. Pause. In other words, it is the one that sees the problem that solves it. Say it with me. I have a teaching on this. This is a teaching in itself. Oh, don't worry.
The only spirit will continue that one. That statement I just made. You just need to explain to you your heart. You give them something to eat. You give them something to eat. And they said to him, shall we go and buy 200 nairi worth of bread and give them something to eat? Where are you gonna get that from? There are no bakeries around all that. You know the story. Verse 41.
Watch this. Watch this. Watch this. When it was time, Jesus asked them to bring five loaves, two fishes that are not so? And Jesus looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves. Five loaves. Get the story. And two fishes. Jesus looks up to heaven. Blesses the loaf.
Broke the five loaves. Gives it back to them. The question is, when he broke it, did it become 5,000? Do you understand I'm saying? When he gave it back to them, did he give them 5,000, 10,000, 15,000 loaves? The Bible says, he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. And the two fish, he divided amongst the disciples. Is that not so? Next verse, watch this. So when the disciples started sharing the food, they all had much to eat and they were filled.
Another tradition says that he told them to sit down in groups. Now, watch this. The disciples realized as they were distributing the food that the food was not handy. It was in the process of the disciples sharing of the food that the multiplication began. Some of the multiplication happened in their hands. So in a way, it still confirms what Jesus said. You give them something to eat. Because it was as they shared it that the food started to multiply. Jesus ensured that they partook of that miracle. I'm going somewhere with this.
Jesus ensured that they did what now? They partook of that miracle. Now later that same day, just after they have only witnessed a miracle... They have not only witnessed a miracle but also participated in that miracle, Jesus told them to cross over to the other side of the boat. And he went to a mountainside to pray. The same day, verse 45, the bible says immediately, he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side to Bethsaida where he sent them a wood. Then he went to the mountain to pray. The same day, the same chapter, the same day. Glory to God. Now as he was praying, he saw the disciples in the spirit straining and rowing, almost ready to lose their lives.
And the moment he saw them, he came walking on the sea, close enough to check up on them, but not close enough to rescue them. Because the Bible says that he would have passed them by. Please give me the scripture. Verse 48. One, two, three, go. Would have done what? I love Jesus. Would have passed them by. Right? Yes, sir.
So they saw him and they started screaming for fear. And then he ended up entering into the boat. And the winds and the waves and everything stopped. And do it. The Bible says, I think it is KJV or another rendition that says they were sore. Amazed. Not so. Saul. To describe a foul state of amazement. It wasn't what?
In other words, it wasn't a positive thing. It was fear. It was shock. It was wonder. And in verse 52, the Bible now begins to explain to us the reason for that fear. The Bible says, for they had not understood about the loaves. Pause. And think. Is it bread that did not, were they hungry here? You're not getting what I'm saying.
Were they hungry here? Is it poverty that wanted to kill them? Is it lack of food that wanted to kill them? Were they fasting and there was no food to break? How then would the Bible say that the reason for their fear in in the face of a death inside water? Was because they had not understood. That he had an encounter that was meant to provide an understanding. An understanding that was meant to ignite a fire in them. They are sustaining the fire would have been to remember what happened when... You're not getting what I'm saying.
In other words, what they should have done was to have ignited a memorial, was to set up stones to ensure that they are they are they are taking stones along with them. That would have made them remember that when we needed bread, it was in our hands that bread multiplied. The the the the one who gave thanks and gave us bread was the one who said go to the other side. He did not say go to the middle of the sea and die. If only there are stones with them, They would have remembered the loaves. They would have remembered the loaves. That there was some... This thing had nothing to do with bread. It means even unrelated experiences that I wanted to get admission into school, they said it wasn't possible. But somehow somehow, God just did it.
And here I am in school. I packed the stones. Now what is facing me is my admission. What is facing me is no longer admission. What is facing me can be something entirely different. Can be can be finances, can be can be can be marital, can be married, can be whatever you mention it. And then I would remember that there was a time when when it looked as though all hell has broken loose. When as though on the part of that journey, I faced a mountain and there was nowhere to cross and then and then just just quarter to shame. But the disciples, those guys were forgetful like many of us. The bible says that the lesson that that encounter was meant to supply, that they would have gotten if they had masticated on the encounter, if they had kept memorial, if they had thought about it.
On that day, they would not have been stranded. Perhaps the reason why you are stranded is because you are forgetful. Perhaps the reason why there there is so many fears in your life. Will it work? Will life fall again? Will life fall again? If someone is always asking, will life fall again? Are you telling me that there is no instance of God's experiences in your life? I'm about to feel now. I'm about to feel now, and fear grips you.
Fear just grips you. A young girl, one of my daughters, and told me that she's so afraid now that she's in law school, and she just thinks she will fail and all of these things. And I remembered that while you were in school, that was the same way you were afraid you will fail. And guess what? You did not. You did not even have an extra year. Despite the intense fear that gripped you, despite how unprepared you were for many examinations, God still came through and you found favor. You have now found yourself in law school and and and so much you cannot remember. You can all remember that there is a way God does comes to help you. Listen.
Hear me? This is the reason why to sustain that consistency in the spirit, there have to be stones that you take along with you on your Christian experience. There must be stones so that in the day you feel as though your mistakes are pulling you away from God. Because I've done something now that makes you look as though God is just hungry with me. Are there no stones? That reminds you again and again of his unfailing love. Is there not a scripture that have become a memorial to you? In the day that you start measuring your work with God by your sacrifices and your rituals, and you think that just because I've not performed a worthy enough sacrifice, are there no stones? Even as you mature in the spirit, there are stones you must take along with you. Let me tell you why.
Because as you mature, you begin your Christian experience that taught you as a child. And the more you grow, the more kingdom responsibility is put on you, and the more is demanded from you. The more the more you grow. And you will be conscious of the demands that are on you as you grow. This does not mean that the frailty of your humanity cannot pop up. And the day that it pops up, it is possible because of your status and where you are to think that the mistake that you have made is unforgivable or not pardonable because somebody like you should not do this. That's why when you were a child, there must be stones that will make you realize that regardless of your status, you are still a child. It keeps me humble. It is why there is no meeting I come for that I ever feel as though the reason why God would do anything spectacular is because I prepared. Doesn't mean that there are no preparations.
You can't imagine. There are. But I have never once had confidence in the preparation as the reason why anything will happen. That's not... Oh. Because the moment I do, the devil is an idiot. That's the day the priest might not attend to the altar because his schedule was very busy. So he slept off. Then the devil will now come with intense condemnation. And the reason why you will become a victim is because that has always been what has kept you on track.
You have always had a knowledge of your self sufficiency to sustain you. So in the day you feel as though you are no longer self sufficient, you feel as though God has no longer... God has dumped you. There are stones out of severing with God's word. God what? That makes us confident. Only in what Christ has done. For we have no confidence whatsoever in the flesh. You have no what now? Whatsoever in the flesh.
Are you with me brothers and sisters? Yes, sir. This is why I told you that there must be stones. Because there are times you will sit down like this, and there are experiences that will almost make you doubt your Christian work. One family member will just come and eat you with the heavy wind of frustration, and they will attempt to mock the very thing that you claim to have believed, even are convinced about. And they will make you doubt everything you... That you claim God has told you. You mean that you are... Can't you see the stupidity of the path that you are walking in? And that path you are walking in is God that told you to walk it.
If you're not careful, you will sit down, and you will now begin to question everything. What's the point? What's the point? What's the point? In such moments, you will find out that it's not every time that you will hear a loud voice from heaven coming to encourage you. Because you will think that once you are down like that, you just hear God say, my son. Fear not for I am with you. No. There are times your stones will ignite reignite passion in you. You will not hear a voice outside.
The voice will be from within. It will be from many of the ones you have heard in the past, both from scriptures and from the world. Fear not for I am with you. I will uphold you and I will keep you. Holy Spirit told me, he said, from scriptures oh. When it does come to me like that, I don't quote scriptures. It's the holy spirit told me. He says my ways are higher than your ways. When I said your ways, I'm not referring to just your way. I mean the way of man.
So if I've introduced you to my way, I have brought you to a superior realm that ordinary men cannot understand. Because that way is higher than their thinking. So there are many times I'll be trying to explain to them things going on in my life in that way, and they can't understand it. All I will have is doubting thoughts and doubting utterances. Are you sure? Are there not many other things you can do? Are there not many other things? I'll remember again. My ways are higher than your ways. My ways are higher than your ways.
It sustains the fire. It's like you have added extra wood again. I knew a young man before he entered university. And he shared with me something he saw in scriptures. And he was so convinced about it. He said, this is what God has said unto me. The one that has studied medicine. And then he tried every single thing he could do to ensure that he studies medicine. I did not get it. Came to me.
He tried even to cross and all of that, but it didn't work out. At the point of frustration, he now came to me. Shared his burden with me. He was so pained. Do you know that he was so sure he was so sure he will get met? That he wasn't coming to class in the department that he was in because he was sure he will cross. So he was taking medical courses. And he continued to do that for... And, normally, it wouldn't take time before your faith is known whether you will cross or not. Five weeks, you would have known.
Six weeks, you would have known. But this particular year, the institution made it such that nobody knew your faith until about two weeks to the exam. That means even if you were crossing, you'd had only two weeks to prepare for the exam in that department that you crossed into. But he was confident because he had been attending classes there, and he was on the first class, by the way. Unfortunately for him again, there were about six first class in that department, and his own was the lowest. And they were only going to consider five. Long story short, he did not get it. Along with several others from my... From that department who wanted to cross who also did not get it. In humility, they came back.
And after they're asking, what have you been doing? What have you been doing? What have you been doing? Imagine the pressure. The pain even. And he came to me, and I reminded him. I said, sorry, come. Let's check this thing together. What did you tell me God told you? Did you say God told you you will be a great doctor?
Or did you say God told you so and so? He said, Kai. That was the end of it. The young man now is in ministry. Young man now is a multimillionaire. Your man now is going place to place. Organizing crusades, conferences, outreaches. He could have held his life down. But there are stones. Thank you Lord Jesus.
Stir up the fire The second strategy of sustaining the fire is to stir up the fire. One of the key ways to sustain the fire of God in your life is to embrace discipline. And by that I mean you must have a regimented structured approach to spiritual things. Write it down. You must have what now? A regimented structured approach to spiritual things. Anyone who treats their spiritual life casually will soon find their flame dying out. In first Corinthians chapter nine verse 25, the Bible says, everyone who competes for the price is temperate in all things. I discipline my body and bring it into subjection. 27.
If athletes can train their body with such consistency for a crown that fits, How much more should we train our spirit for an eternal reward? You don't sustain spiritual fire by inspiration alone. You can't say I'm waiting till I'm inspired. I wait till I'm inspired. No. You can't depend on motivation to sustain spiritual fire. You don't only pray or study the word of God when you are feeling like it. You need to create systems. You need discipline. And it has to be regimented.
It means choose a day in a week to fast. Regiment your fasting life. Put a structure around it. Know that everyday of the week, on Tuesday, I fast. On Thursday, I fast. Regiment it. That is how you sustain fire. Don't say I fast when I are times I feel a burden and I know it's time to fast. You are a foolish believer. You know, when it's time, I would hear the spirit calling me.
He will invite me into the secret place. You better invite him. Break the door open and sit down there and don't come out. The man of God said if the spirit does not move him, I move the spirit. Create regiment. Regiment your spiritual life. Stick to it. Set a daily time to pray and protect that time. Create a consistent study pattern, bible study pattern, not just random devotionals here and there. Establish a giving habit.
Give regularly, not just when you feel like it. Everything that enables you to grow in the spirit regimented. Acts chapter six verse four, the bible says, we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the world. Prayer is not something that just happens to you. It is something you give yourself to. It takes intention. To pray. It doesn't just happen. It takes being intentional, being deliberate. The disciple said, we will give ourselves to it.
We give ourselves to it. Don't be lazy when it comes to these things. Are you with me? Yes, sir. Don't go around saying, you know, prayer is... You can't really time your prayer. Prayer is a relationship. It has to flow naturally. Now you can barely pray for ten minutes. It has to flow.
It has to flow. You can barely pray for ten minutes again. Why? Because unstructured devotion will eventually dry out. Luke chapter five and verse 16. The Bible says, so he himself... Let's pray together. One, two, three, go. Who is this? Do you see orphan there?
It was regimented. He didn't withdraw into the wilderness to pray only when he felt like it. Only when the father is calling him. This was something that had become a consistent habit himself often. There must be that often constant about everything that is spiritual that you do. These things are called rituals of victory. Listen to me. You must pray every day, and you must have a time it happens. And you must discipline yourself to be there when it happens. You have to understand that spiritual things take discipline.
If you would say that your time to wake up, your time to pray is by 3AM to 4AM, ensure that it is a realistic time. Don't go and give yourself a time you'd know that I'll be struggling with life and death. And then complain that, you know, I just I just... Listen to me. Don't deceive yourself. Be sincere. Have a sincere heart with God. The last time you were up by 3AM was three years ago. You you you you then want to start your Christian experience, and then you say, you know what? I think I'll start praying by 3AM.
I will set an alarm. Even when you sleep close to least time and later, you don't wake up, but you want to set an alarm. Listen, the spirit helps our weaknesses. Doesn't mean that you should be foolish. Set a stopwatch. I wanna pray from 6PM to 7PM. Time yourself. If you're just starting to stretch yourself in the spirit, and you want to build a life of consistency, start small. Because in building a prayer life, consistency is more important than duration. Your focus is not just the duration, it is consistency.
Because you want to build something. So what you do is tell yourself I'm going to pray for fifteen minutes everyday. This is your first exposure to prayer as a daily experience. Make it something that you can easily achieve. Don't make it something that because you see, if you set a goal of two hours for yourself and you fail at it the first time, you will discourage yourself to even try again. Yes, sir. The more you fail at it. That's the reason why you want to first build on consistency. So tell yourself, I'm gonna pray for fifteen minutes every day. Set an alarm.
Because you will find out if you're just starting. That's why they set an alarm. If you're just starting that experience, you would pray in tongues, and you would stretch yourself, and you would check the time, and find out five minutes have gone. You would have felt that, my goodness. This must have been three hours. Because according to you, when you look at the energy you have dissipated, if at this this... No. No. No. But you check the time and you just realize that my goodness.
I've only been here for five minutes. Set an alarm. Is that okay? Yes, sir. Set an alarm. Hey, stop watch or stop clock or whatever. I'm praying for the next fifteen minutes. Shut everything down. Put your phone on airplane mode. No distractions.
Sit down and pray. Stand up and pray. If you know that you're the type that sleeps sitting down, stand up and pray. Do not deceive yourself. If you tell yourself I'm going to pray in the night, for instance, don't lie down to pray. Listen. Listen. Listen. Be very intentional about your Christian experience. We are talking about sustaining the fire.
It happens intentionally. You give yourself to it. Have you seen heartless that wanna build their muscles? 6AM, 5AM, some of them are on their way to the gym. They regiment that thing. They don't go there when they feel like it. You have been trying to build muscles. You only do it once in three months when you feel like it. How successful has it been? The things of the spirit are much more comprehensive.
You are building your spirit man. It is called Job chapter one verse 20 says, you beloved, building. It's a building that is happening. So when you're praying the spirit, your spirit man is being built the same way you are working out. So what is happening is actually a workout. You are exercising your spirit man, gaining strength in the spirit, Building strength in the spirit. So what matters is the consistency of the approach. Do you understand what I'm saying now? The consistency of the approach. So ensure, if it's 5PM, you...
You've already checked your time. Okay. I finish work every day around four, around five, or I finish for study four. Those that are students, classes every day around five. You know what? Instead of going to my hostel, I would head to chapel first. Because if I go to my hostel, I might be distracted by many things. That is that is being intentional. Okay. I've checked it and I realized that between 9PM to 10PM, I would have been done studying.
Would have been done with assignments and everything I have to do. I have that time to pray. Nine to 09:30. Have the time to pray. If you have more time, set it like that. But remember that what matters is consistency. What you can actually do. If you start with fifteen minutes and you become consistent, eventually, it becomes organic. In the consistency, you would now begin to invoke what is called the spirit of prayer. The spirit of prayer now helps you spend more time than you have even scheduled.
A time comes when you go to that place and fifteen minute now looks too small. In fifteen minute, you are still thanking God. Now you are wondering exactly how did I even get here because the spirit of prayer has now come to sister endeavor. What makes that happen is your consistency. Inconsistency lies the power. The more consistent you have, the more you invoke the spirit I mentioned of whatever it is you are consistent in. Even if it's bible reading. That's what is called the spirit of revelation. The spirit of prayer and supplication. Men can be assisted by the spirit.
You see, but it takes consistency. Regiment bible study. Tell yourself I'm going to read my bible everyday. Everyday. If you're just starting making one chapter. 10 verses, one chapter. Just ensure that your your eyes collide with scriptures. Ensure that you are feeding yourself with the word of God. Regiment your listening to messages. Regiment your what now?
Listening to messages. Don't assume that just because you were there, when a message was preached means that you have gotten it. You have not gotten it. You have not gotten it. Are five things we get from messages. And five of them, to get it, you would have need to listen to that message more than five times to get one of them each. We get instructions from messages. We get illumination from messages. We get impartitions from messages. Do you understand what I'm sharing with you?
The spirit of men are hidden in their words. You can receive impartations studying the materials of men. Listening to the messages of men. Most of the graces of God that work upon my life, I've never met the men of God physically. But I have consumed their messages like a man on a mission. There are some messages of a man of God I've listened more than 500 times without exaggeration. Some more. Some more than that. Regiment it. You're going to have your bath be listening to a message.
You are walking to work. You are waiting for vehicle. You are driving. You are doing anything. Ensure that messages are plain. Regiment it. Make it a habit. As a matter of fact, it is when it becomes a discipline that becomes a habit. It is first something you regiment yourself to do and then you discipline yourself to actually follow that regiment, then it becomes a habit. It becomes force of nature.
You do it spontaneously without thinking. It's already a part of you. That's how prayer is for some of us. You cannot but pray because you are disciplined yourself in so much consistency. Addiction is not something that you do every time. That's not what makes a thing an addiction. You can do something every time, and you are not addicted to it. How you know that something is an addiction is when you stop doing it. An addiction therefore is something you cannot stop doing. Do you get the difference?
Yes, sir. That's how prayer is is meant to be. It's meant to be an addiction. How you get there is by making it a force of habit, something you do consistently. Interacting with messages is meant to... Do know that? This thing is so much a part of me that there is... It's in my subconscious to always listen... There's something must be playing. I might be walking on my decks, studying, reading, doing doing whatever on my decks, and and I go to the bathroom.
Before... While I'm planning that I have to enter the bed, I'm already calling a message to play. Because it's already a force of habit that I cannot enter the bathroom without something playing. How would you waste whatever minute you're spending there? Some of the brightest ideas come. Routine is more important than duration, you see. Don't aim for thirty hours on day one. Start with fifteen, thirty minutes, one hour of consistent prayer daily. It is better than praying six hours once in a month. There are people like that.
You say, I have not prayed for in, like, three weeks now. I'm going to chapel on Friday. And on Friday, we'll come. We start by 12AM. And then by 3AM, it doze our. Wake up by four And by 6AM, they say, yes. Men are charged and are charged. The following day, there's no prayer again. He will use he will use three days to first recover. Because when he gets home, he will not run like that.
He can't he can't stand up. His body is spinning. So the first three days is to first recover. Some said, can you seven days to recover? Say, brother, how are you? Say, I prayed six hours. When... That's when they will now start seeing for everybody. Say, brother, when I was praying last week Friday, Friday, when I was praying last week Friday, the only... God just came to me.
Apostle, I had a dream. I had a revelation. Some things were in my heart. I had some things to do. They are on seven days in seven days. In that in that seven days, the guy is on fire. The guy wants to preach the gospel. Any woman that has a good afternoon, don't pay. Yeah. I'm a I'm a man on a mission.
Hear me? When the seven days is over, he's the one that was going to doing like this to have fun now also. That's how you will know that this this thing has already started deviate. You don't understand this. That do not have time for anybody in just seven day. We're not saying, hey. I just called to greet you. How are you doing? You say, ah, so I hope you have been praying. I hope you have been studying.
Yes, I've been studying. Oh, that's good. That's good. So have you eaten tonight? So what did you eat? Oh, really? Ah, who cooked it? Are you the one? And it cut this one hour, two hours, three hours. And the following day, and the next following day, and next following day, and it goes on to, you know, I'm just having emotional something, something, something.
Sir, I've known you're feeling it. I'm feeling it too. Is it really? Don't worry. This time, we have to be very careful. You know, we cannot allow this. Okay. No problem, sir. So just ensure that let's let's just create the distance for like two days and we should not talk. But don't worry if you have any need, you can come to me.
I will help you. Alright. See, alright, sir. Alright, sir. Alright, sir. Alright, sir. And the following morning, I hope you have prayed today. But sir, you said we should not, but I'm just I'm just concerned about you. That's why you know the fire. The fire is already going out.
It's... The flame is dying. You can... It's not hard to tell. You can tell. You just deceive yourself. Have you forgotten that when you are when you are charged, there are people you cannot even... You can't even stand talking to them because their convocations irritate your ears. You are not at the same place where they are. You have ascended in the spirit.
Your spirit man cannot even... Can no longer bear the convocation of mortal men. You have to discipline yourself to even laugh at some jokes. When the fire starts going down, that... The first thing you would find out is that that's the very place you want to go and find fun. That's the place you want to... Your your pleasure. That's where you want to go and find pleasure. Your soul starts calling out to vanity. You realize that you are the one that deleted TikTok.
You are the one that use of Anto download it back. No. Is... You know that the flame, the flame, demons are laughing. I know it's still a candle. It is still a candle. Look. Something you are supposed to guard and and watch very well. We're exposing to what kind of demonic breath. Say, supposed to have said that same thing that we used to run away from is what will now make us fearing when other, you are not yet fearing.
Sit down and grab that thing. You can't do. The aim is never to get there. That's why you sustain it. That's why you keep the fire burning. Because when you get there, finding it up again is work. It's work. It's work. That's why you now go and pray and you look as though heaven has left you and you're the only one alive. God is on...
God, you... Father, father, why have you forsaken me? Is what... Say, I I I don't feel as though I've touched God. I don't God, God is hungry with me. Whereas, the holy spirit is inside you. He did not leave. He said I will never leave you nor forsake you. But the fire is... The fire has gone down.
The same spirit says quench not the spirit. Now you have quenched it. Now you are looking for the reignition. The spirit is there. It didn't go anywhere. But remember that there is a hot spot that you used to experience, a sweet spot in the spirit. Now the only thing that exists is soya sport. There's no hot spot. There's no sweet spot. Nothing.
We will give ourselves to it. It's your responsibility. And it's a choice. It's a choice that you can consistently make. Until it was your choice to download that novel that you know will kill your fire. Let let me. Daniel six verse 10. We need to finish this today. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open towards Jerusalem, one, two, three, go.
As was his custom, since holidays. So the next time you are praying, the spirit of excellence was the one Daniel. That's how it came. Don't ask for the spirit of a man if I'm not ready to be exposed to the labors that come with that spirit. Say, ah, I saw high above all that in my dream, and you are watching Chelsea match the following day. You have never dreamt. When you download a man's spirit, the burdens of the man come with it. Labors of that spirit come with it. The understanding and the pursuit and the knowledge that come... Oh my god.
Do you understand what I'm saying? I was sleeping and I saw Ketrin Kumar and there was there was no burden. You just woke up the same. There is no transformation, no change in whatever in your life. Check who you saw. Check who you what? Ask your neighbor, is it Ketrin Kumar? As his custom was. That means this thing is something that has to become your custom. His home was, he he had a regimented three times a day prayer.
He even regimented the posture. You are sleeping on your bed today, standing tomorrow, sleep nodding to me, doing that tomorrow, later you say, I have an inconsistent, you know, I fell asleep yesterday. I fell... This guy knew that if I'm to if I'm to regiment this thing, even the poster has to regiment it, I know that that that poster will make me sleep. It's a poster of slumber. So I will regiment even the posture. Do you know you can intentionally pray and intentionally make it your habit to walk and pray every day? That it becomes a force of habit. Be... You you are already praying as you step out of your house.
I have a friend like that those days. He cannot... If he's talking to you, we are we are just talking normally. The guy... As long as he's not the one that is talking, his mouth is moving. As long as he's not the one in that conversation. Say, apostle, how are you doing? That is how. The guy the guy has entered prayer. Prayer has entered him.
There is... There's no difference. You are... He's teaching... Do you know we are both teachers in an a level center? The guy will be teaching children biology, and he will be speaking in tongues under his breath. Somebody's... As he's teaching, he speaks normally when somebody has any questions. Somebody... Alright.
So as he said, he was trying to understand... That that how his life is. Always speaking. Always speaking. How can a man regiment it even even to that level? Prayer can become who you are. When you see people like that, it's no longer them that please. Something else has overtaken that thing. Are you paying on? First Thessalonians five verse 16.
Bible says, first Thessalonians five verse 16. The bible says, rejoice how many times? Write it down. Regiment your rejoicing. That's the only way to be always. Else, it will only be when you hear a message and rejoice. When the apostle says, rejoice. That's the only time you rejoice. He says, if it has to be always, then it has to be regimented. Oh, glory to God.
Thank you, Jesus. Listen. Listen. Listen. I have moments when you are praying. You break out into singing. You break out into dancing. The bible says rejoice always. Regiment it so that you can... So that joy becomes you and you become joy.
There is no thing that can happen to you that you can ever be gloomy about. Do you know that this is my life? You cannot stay with me for one day, and you will not hear me say thank you, Jesus, almost subconsciously. Oh, thank you, Jesus. At some point, I don't even know why I'm saying it. Sometimes I think about something, I say thank you, Jesus. Sometimes I just say it spontaneously. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus. Because the bible says in all things, give thanks. It mean it has to be regimented. Rejoice always. Rejoice always. Yet I see believers walking up and down like witches and wizard. Somebody came for a riyazah one time, worshiping riyazah, and I I was at the riazah. And the lady came in and walked like a demon I've seen before. Listen, you cannot carry that kind of atmosphere atmosphere with with me. Me.
You You you you can't... Can't... I I treat you like a demon. I I repel those people. You you look gloomy. You look sad. You look down as though there is no joy in your life. Yet, what can the problem be? What can the problem be? Listen, the second part says, pray without ceasing.
I like that the Bible dedicates one verse to each of them. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. It means regiment your prayers. Do you know what else you regiment? Next verse. In everything, give thanks. Listen. Listen. These are these are Christian experiences you must regiment.
Regiment giving thanks. There is no Sunday that I don't have testimonies to share. There's no day I don't have testimonies to share. There are... God has been good. God always has to be good. I wonder how you will be a believer in this church and not have testimonies. There's no Sunday that should go by that that was... That you should not come here and say, I have a testimony. I have a testimony.
I know I shared one last week that I had made my 10,000,000. This week again, I don't I don't know what has happened. Listen. Do you realize that it is possible to never run out of testimonies? Your your life can be constant constant episode of the goodness of God. People look at you and say, your own is too much. The problem is that you are not a grateful person. That's your problem. Oh, I am grateful. Oh.
That's the reason why the goodness of God keeps running after me. Listen. Listen. In other words, he then go down to say, in everything, give thanks. After listing all these things, he now says, quench not the spirit. In other words, if you don't rejoice always, if you don't pray without ceasing, if you don't give thanks always, then you quench the spirit. It has basically listed out to you what must become your daily experience. You must pray without ceasing. You must rejoice always. You must give thanks in everything.
That is how not to quench the spirit. Regiment it. What did I say? Regiment it. It continues so it does not stop there. He said despise not prophesying. Despise not... KJV. I like that KJV one. Despise not prophesying.
You know what it means? It means apostle... It is called prophesying. It means be hungry for prophecy every day. It doesn't say, despise not prophecy. Prophesying. The consistent repeated Don't despise it. It means cherish spiritual things. Cherish it. Place unknown spiritual things.
Every time words that's spoken over you, dump at it and receive it. Won't say every time. Every every time. You say, amen. Amen. Amen. Is that how money comes? It's how money comes. Listen. Listen.
Of my daughters,, listen. Told me... She said, apostle, I got a living to go and listen to your messages on Telegram. I think talking about the blessings. All that was in that method was prophecy from beginning to end. She said she kept on listening to it every morning, receiving it, shouting amen in her personal place. Somebody following day, she went to the organization. She went with everything. Just that, okay. When can you start?
You are employed. She said, I'm sorry. I can't you that I'm I'm still a student. You are employed. I can't tell you that I'm not available. You are employed. Hear me? People only they knew. Let me... It says test all things.
Hold fast what is good. Hold fast what is good. I like the next line. It says, abstain. Who is going to abstain from it? Abstain from every form. It doesn't say abstain from evil. Abstain from everything that resembles evil. A guy can be fine and resemble evil. If it had said he would have known that it meant just one thing.
It's just any appearance of it, any form that it comes in, it can come disguised in a novel. The moment you saw the Harvard of that novel on Facebook, you'll know this was... This is an appearance of evil. You know. The bible says abstain. All of this attached to quench not the spirit. Note that it tells you what to do, then tells you quench not, then tells you what not to do. So quench not is in the middle. It means there is work to do on one side. There is work not to do on another side.
Despise not prophesying. Hold that fast what is good. Abstain from every appearance of evil. Abstain from it. You met someone and they just told you, ah, you're looking so this and that. You have been thinking that, ah, wow. This person looks like a good choice for a... For your husband, and the next thing you know, the person tells you, you go clubbing. Appearance of... Does not need to have horn.
That is that is as clear as they appear. That's that's four k clear. You need to be a foolish believer to still be meandering with evil. It doesn't make trying to change appearance of evil. It is run, flee, run, abstain. Avoid. Avoid conversations that looks like the appearance of evil. Avoid it. After all, we're in a journey of keeping the fire, sustaining the fire. This is how to stay always on fire.
It is your choice. Abstain from it, the bible says. You can't keep on listening to great grace hoping that you would break out of addiction, break out of masturbation, and all these things that choke your fire and still be meandering with things, having a compact with things, seeing things, hearing things that put you right in that hole. Talking to people who'd not edify your spiritual life. You see that now? Yes, sir. Abstain, the bible says. Abstain. Abstain. Abstain.
Don't despise spiritual things. Don't mock spiritual things. Don't criticize the power of God. Don't belittle speaking in tongues. Don't constantly expose yourself to anti faith, anti God content. You can't stay neutral about the things of the spirit. You have to choose a side. Don't don't be ashamed of what you stand for. Don't be ashamed of it. Some guys came...
Some white guys came from The UK and in my place of work, and they wanted all of us to go out and celebrate. They are welcome. They are coming into Nigeria. And we went to a popular restaurant on the highland in Lagos. When we got there, they served drinks, and they came to me, and they said, Hari, this is yours. I said, is inside? I'm I'm not ashamed of it anywhere. They said, oh, it's alcohol. I don't take it. He said, really, What do you take?
And I said, I don't... I'm talking to the to the chef. I'll waiting for what they call them. All the people that I came with, my colleagues and so, they turned. He said, Emmanuel. I'm proud. You see, some of you some of you will be in church circles, and you will not be shy. You'll not be like, though you are you are out of place. Let me not be the only one. Sorry.
You're not calling me church girl, church boy. Say, ah ah. Is that is that how you are? That's how I am. I wear it proudly. I'm just a child of God. Me? Sit down. Hear me? Hear me?
First Corinthians fourteen one says, for so love, desire spiritual gifts. Don't don't be like a dicey girl about spiritual gifts. It says desire it. Covert it. You can't be neutral. It says desire spiritual gifts. Ah, I love that gift. I love that grace. I desire it. Every time I come to talk, I'm hungry for it.
I don't stand on the fence when things of the spirit are concerned. Spiritual... Oh my god. When I go for meetings, you have to see me. I'm not a man of God. Yes, sir. I say this every time. When I'm receiving from the man of God, I'm not a man of God. The hunger... So don't don't despise it.
Somebody goes after the power and just look. You you you have become familiar with it. There's no hope for the things of the spirit again. Do you know, I've been working in the power of God for eleven year. And every time the power of God wrecks a place, I am still broken and humbled till now. I'm still broken and humbled till now. I've been to meetings. I've been praying in my own personal place, and the power of God comes and the presence of God overwhelms me, and I'm shaking like a leaf. I'm still broken and humble. I have never become familiar or grown familiar and say, oh, because somebody's having mighty power.
I know that this thing doesn't come upon people for joke. I know... I I have honor for the things of the spirit. I have the power of God ever breaks out in the place. It is because lives are changing. That is my mentality. Don't stay around atmosphere where people choke choke your convictions. Are you with me? Yes, sir. Be careful who you listen to.
You can't maintain spiritual fire while you surround yourself with people or content that mocks and criticizes your conviction. Avoid movies that mock the church. Mute voices that dishonors pastors, dishonors the anointing. Shut down conversations that treat prayer and prophecy as a joke. Your spiritual temperature is tied to your circle. You work with the wise shall be wise. A companion of fools will be destroyed. One of the fastest ways to kill your spiritual fire is to get too familiar with the sacred. People now speak in tongues as a joke. Post memes about laying hands.
Treat falling under the power as comedy. It is dangerous. I detest such content. Spiritual things respond to the value you place on them. If you treat them as ordinary, you will never see the extraordinary. But Don Dalek said, tongues for me have been the making of my ministry. Meanwhile, others treat that same thing as the church ritual. No value, no virtue. Number three, and then we close. Number three, spread the fire.
You wanna sustain the fire of God in your life? Spread it. One of the greatest secret to staying spiritually on fire is simple. Share the fire. Don't keep it to yourself. Spread it. Pour it out. Pass it on. You weren't set ablaze just for your own spiritual warmth. God ignited you so others can catch fire through you.
Spiritual fire grows more when it is shared. The more you minister to others, the more God ministers to you. The more you pour into others, the more heaven refills you with fresh oil. That is how it works. Let me show you a scripture. Romans chapter one verse 11. Very powerful scripture. Minister to me powerfully some years ago. For I long to see you that I may impact unto you some spiritual gift. So Paul is saying, I wanna come see you and the aim is to come and impact onto you some spiritual gift.
Why? To the end that you may be established. So whenever you are impacted, you are established. Is that not so? Now watch this. Next verse. Paul then says, that is, that I may be encouraged together when I come and minister unto you, ministering to you does something to my faith. It says, ministering to you does something to my faith. There is mutual steering that happens when you begin to pour into others. You strengthen others, and in the process, you are strengthened.
Your work becomes sharper. Your passion deepens. You become spiritually accountable. If you are not discipling anyone, you are not mentoring anyone, you are not praying for anyone, you are not investing in someone's work, you are vulnerable to spiritual dryness. You You must have people whose spiritual growth you are committed to, not out of religious obligation, but out of love for souls. Jesus did not just call the crowd, he raised disciples. And you must do the same. Invite people to church. Send them scriptures. Ask them how their work with God is going.
Pray with them. Teach them what you are learning here. Help someone grow. A lot of people are barren of knowledge. Some of you might say, but I just started. But as you are just starting, you know more than some people who have carried longer than you. Because of your exposure to truth in this house. Someone does not know how abundant the grace of God is. Someone is dying in condemnation. Condemnation.
And nothing might happen if that person meets you. There are people you see everyday. That scripture I showed you of how that they did not understand the miracle of the living. Is that not so? Do you know that when Jesus multiplied bread in that story, how did Jesus start teaching or preaching to those people? The Bible says that a few verses upward. Jesus did not organize a conference. He didn't invite anybody for a conference. The Bible says that he just came out one day and saw a crowd of people. And the Bible says, he saw that they were like sheep without shepherd.
That was all it took. That was all it it it didn't organize a conference and a game. It didn't organize a crusade and a game. It just came out and saw confused people. They had no idea where they were going. They were just confused, meandering, walking up and down, wandering like idiots. And Jesus said, look at these confused people. And he gathered all of them and began to teach them. It wasn't about a man of God. It wasn't about church.
It wasn't about conference. It was just about... The Bible says he had he was... He had compassion wasn't for them. It means if you have compassion for people, you will teach them. You will invite them to church. You will share the word of God with them. You will put them on the telegram panel. Put them there. Put them there.
You would expose them to what you know. And what you don't know is that as you do that, that ministers to you. Second Timothy chapter four verse two says, preach the word. Be instant in season and out of season. Verse five says, do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry. Is to every believer. Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry. That means you don't need the pulpit to be effective.
Your class, your workplace, your local baba, your younger cousin. Those are the platforms. Platforms. Use them. You don't have to wait to be an evangelist to do evangelism. You don't need to raise disciples and all of those things. No. Just minister in your capacity. Preach to someone. Impact someone.
Pray for someone that is sick. Be a blessing to somebody's someone's prayer life. Trust God for a miracle on behalf of someone else. Can I hold your hands and pray? Can I pray with you? People have problems. When you begin to disciple people, it keeps you spiritually awake. You will pray more. You will study more. You will live more intentionally.
You can't tell people to pray and live a holy life while you are carelessly living a foolish life. Not if you truly care about their soul. There's a principle at play. If you don't use what God gives you, you will lose it. Spiritual gifts obey the law of use and disuse. The less you use them, the weaker they get. But as you pour them out in service, they multiply. Share the gospel. Lead people to Christ. Follow-up with them.
This is one of the greatest ways to keep your fire burning. And every time you step out to witness, you place a demand on grace, and heaven responds every time. Matthew 28 verse nine, it says, go therefore into the world. It's a call to every believer. Make disciples of all nations. Soul willing is not just a church department. It's a lifestyle. If you want to remain spiritually sharp, stay engaged in reaching souls. Stay engaged in discipling souls. Paul told Timothy, he said the things that I've committed unto you, the you have heard from me, commit this also to faithful men.
Who will be able to teach others also? So what I'm teaching you, you are to teach others. That's the principle. That is legacy. That is revival. Don't just burn. Have it done. Let others catch fire from your flame. What did I say? Yes.
Don't come to don't come to church alone. Let us be many that are chasing Christ together. Let many people bond because you want. Draw me, son of Solomon chapter one verse four. Draw me. Look at the tenses. Draw me. Me singular. Singular. But look at the response, we, plural, will run after you.
It means whenever God draws a man, the influence of that drawing should become so strong that he compels everyone in his sphere of influence to run as he's running. Only one person has to be drawn in a generation. Only one person has to be drawn in a family. Only one person has to be drawn in a circle. And the impact can be so strong that everybody that meets you can run. There are people in your department or your friends, we thought you know this people. This person doesn't go to church. Bring them to church. Have no idea what you are doing. You are investing in a soul.
Pray with them when you get back home. Form a prayer chain together. Every night, let us let us put our prayer altar. 10PM to 10:30. A time will come. You'll you'll be the one that will be weak. The person you have invested in is the one that will raise you up. Are you with me? Yes, sir. And the last point I will give you, you wanna sustain your spiritual fire, serving the church.
What did I say? Serve in the church. First Peter chapter four verse 10, the Bible says, as each one of you has received a gift, minister it one to another. As good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Don't sit on your gift, use it. Can you teach? Teach someone. Can you sing? Join the worship team. Can you intercede?
Raise a prayer halter. Can you give? Be a consistent supporter of the gospel. Can you serve? Serve. Don't just attend church. Serving the church. No fire grows in passivity. The flame in you burns brighter when you use it to serve. Serving in church keeps your fire burning because it forces you to stay connected to the source of fire, which is God.
It provisions you on that constant word exposure. When you serve, you are constantly around the word of God, whether through teachings, through worship, through leadership. That exposure to truth is like kingling a fire. Even if your flame feels low, being in the right environment keeps it from going out. And the way you plot yourself in that right environment is to serve. There are times you go for departmental meetings, and then in prayers, suddenly a fire is lit again. You can't say all there is is that you come to it on Sunday, and then maybe on Tuesday, the next time again is on Sunday. There is no company of believers that can steer you up. But you're accountable to in any form. No.
Romans 10 verse 17 says, faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God. It means the more you pull, you don't have to hear, the better it is that faith will come. Serving challenges you to operate beyond the convenience. You show up when you are tired. You pray when you are discouraged. You give when it costs. These are the very things that deepen your work with God. These are the things that fan the spiritual flame. This is what serving does to you. It keeps you accountable.
When you serve, you cannot afford to be spiritually passive because people are watching. People are monitoring your work with God. They are pastors over you. People are invested personally in your growth. Someone knows you. You not lost in the crowd. There's a system that ensures you are praying, that ensures you are studying the word of God, that ensures you are growing. When you have character flaws, we will know. We will know. It's different from if you are if you are always by yourself, nobody knows who you are.
Just come and you disappear. If you have things that God has to help you on, we will... God will use us to help you. Because one day, they will give you a responsibility, and your anger will manifest. That anger you have kept for twenty five years will just manifest one day. Pow. And God has catch you. That lesson God have been trying to teach you all this while, they will report it to apostle. Apostle will come for workers' meeting. Stand on that chair.
Listen. It will only take one class. One class. The lesson is ingrained in your spirit. You will never forget again. The responsibility keeps you alert. Do you know that? Let me end here. In Psalm 69 verse nine, the Bible says the zeal for your house. I see I have several points.
We'll continue some other time. The Bible says the zeal for your house has consumed me. The zeal for your heart has consumed me. There's no way to be passionate about God, you will not serve in his house. If you are passionate about God, you will be pardoned about his house. The zeal for your heart has consumed me. I'm I I somebody came to me and told me that the way he works, there's someone that is always speaking against his service in the house of God. Those are stupid voices. I don't care whether they are believers or they're not believers. They can even be member of the same church.
And yet one is foolish. The other is wise. Any believer who dissuades another from service in the house of God is an immature believer. He's he's like a servant. Regardless your status, regardless how many years they have been in Christ. There is no schedule you can ever have that can dissuade you from service in your... Some of us are working class, and you will still see them on Tuesdays, on Sundays. Doing very well at work, doing very well in church. The Bible says, and Solomon built the house of the Lord. And his own house.
And he prospered in both. The Bible says there was nothing in his heart to do that he could not do. Give me that picture. I didn't even remember. Listen to me. Do you know that? Service in the house of God gives you access. Okay? And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the house of God and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire, which he wanted to do, next verse, is this a rendition? This is not it.
Is it is in chronicles? The Bible says, oh listen. Access to service in the house of God is what gives you access to discipleship. What happens on the pulpit is not discipleship. What happens on the pulpit is not what now? Discipleship. What happens on the pulpit is the teaching of the word of God. The word preaching even. Discipleship is personal. Jesus had the crowd.
The crowd attended his crusades. The crowd attended his conferences. The crowd attended his seminars. You see that now? But Jesus had disciples. He could not send the crowd here and he could send the disciples here and. Are you with me? But guess what? Whenever he spoke to the crowd, what he spoke to them was parables. In Matthew 13, the Bible says he spoke a parable unto them.
After he was done speaking in parables, verse 10, the disciples came to him to come and ask him a question. He said, why do you speak to them in parables? To who? Them, not to us. Because disciples don't hear parables. What do they hear? Verse 11 says, it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom. So Jesus now began to tell them the meaning of the parable as a mystery. He tells them, this is the parable of the sower. The sower is the preacher.
That was not for the crowd. That was for the disciples. It means all the crowd that came that day did not know the meaning of what he said. And none of them could ask because you don't ask in Sunday service. That is for the disciples. That is for when we gather and we say, apostle, there is something I'm going through. Now you begin to apply the word of God that you taught to your life. You want to know... Now you will have questions as you try to apply. And the platform that gives you access to ask, discipleship, which happen when you are a worker.
Are you with me, brothers? Yes. If you wanna keep the flame burning, starve in the house of Goa. Rise up on your feet. Let's begin to bless name of the lord for the word we have heard this evening. Hallelujah. Glory to God. We believe you were blessed by this message to connect with the Disciples Christian Network and get more from Apostle Emmanuel. Follow us on our social media platforms. You can follow us on Instagram at official disciples c n.
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