Transcript: The Father of Light
Prepared from the audio, so small errors are possible.
This message is from believers equipped, a meeting organized by the Disciples Christian Network where the word of God is taught with practicality and believers are raised to reign in life. Join apostle Emmanuel as he walks us through the word of God. Today, I'm going to give a very short exhortation. It's gonna be a two part series. Next week, Tuesday, if God permits, I will do a more in-depth and a more theological teaching on what I'm gonna be talking about today. However, today, I'm just going to exalt our hearts on the same subject. When we come next week, Tuesday, it will be a more intentional teaching, a more in-depth teaching that would be done. Glory to God. Hence, the two parts that we are talking about. James chapter one and verse 17.
That is where the title of the teaching has gotten from. I want us to pray today so to be very short. In the new king James version, the bible says every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the father of light. That is my teaching. The father of light. The father of light with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. The aim of the teaching is simple, is to establish and to remind for some of us, it's a reminder, a reminder, bringing to your remembrance as a matter of urgency, the very crucial subject of the fatherhood of God. And so what the exhortation is about is just reminding us, bringing us again into the consciousness of the fatherhood of God. I believe this is one subject that has not been... Has not received the amount of emphasis that is due it.
And so a lot of a lot of people have a deformed picture and a deformed image of this nature of God, this character of God, Whereas this is where our Christian experience begins as believers. Glory to God. Glory. So in one minute, can you bow your head and say, Lord, open the eyes of my understanding. Can you just bow your head and say open the eyes of my understanding? This is a very serious exhortation and I want everyone to listen, give hears, give your spirit, pay attention. I believe you'll be blessed in no small way. Father, oh, I love you of lavish on me immortal to be called yours to share your image divine. What an honor to be ordained and anointed. To be your name your Father, please pray.
To share your image divine. Oh, what an honor to be ordained and anointed, to a good father. It's It's who you are. It's who you are. It's who you are, and I'm loved by you. It's who I am. It's who I am. It is who I am. You're a good, good father. It's who you are.
It's who you are. It's who you are, and I'm loved by you. It's who I am. It is who I am. It is who I am. Your the ing all of your ways to me. Oh, Lord, you are perfecting all of your ways. You are ing all of your ways. You are perfecting all of your ways to me. You're a good, good father.
It's who you are. It's who you are. It's who you are, and I'm loved by you. It's who I am. It's who I am. It is who I am. You're a good, good father. It's who you are. It's who you are. It is who you are, and I'm loved by you.
It's who I am. It's who I am. One more minute to pray. You are god most high I a father great I am. You will be forever. Abba Abba and we will cry. Your spirit cry. This evening, we cry. Grant me an encounter tonight. Grant me an encounter tonight.
Open the eyes of my spirit to see. Reveal yourself to me again. Reveal yourself to me again. Would you tell God to reveal himself to you? When we speak about the father, he reveals himself as the father. Open the eyes of my understanding. It's another time to learn about you Jesus. The glory reign your power reign in this place in this place your glory reign your your power reign in this plane in this plane your glory reigns your power reigns this place in this place your glory reigns your power reigns this place Light my life. Light me, Lord. Light my Light me, Lord.
Jesus, we ask for your presence in this place. We ask that you reveal yourself to us. Overwhelm us with your power, with your presence, with your love, with your glory. Look beyond our limitations, Jesus. Reveal yourself to everyone. Let the weight of your present and the weight of your glory come down strong in this place. Let us know you personally. Let us have a personal encounter. Even myself, I pray and I ask for myself. Renew our encounters, Lord Jesus.
Renew our encounters. Lord Jesus. It is time for a renewal, a time for a reawakening. In the name of Jesus. Thank you. Because things you have done. In James chapter one that we read, the Bible says, if at all you see anything good in the life of a man, then do not be confused as to how it came. It comes from the father of light. To whom there is no variation, to whom there is no shadow of turning. When it has to do with good things, it doesn't just come from God.
The bible said it comes from the father of light. God is God to all. But father to some. He's not father to all. He's God to all. The Bible makes it extreme... Extremely clear that in his goodness, he makes the rain to shine on both the just and the unjust. He's God to all. But only a few people have come to know him as father. The bible says, if you see any good and perfect thing in the life of a man, then don't be confused as to the origin of that.
There is something about the nature and the character of God that is responsible for the arrival of good things in the life of the saints. And that if good things are not in your life, if perfect things are not in your life, if your life is not a picture of goodness and perfection, then it might perhaps mean that you have not known God as father. The bible says, every good gift, every perfect gift is from above. Above can be relative. And so it tells you what it means by above specifically. It is from the father of light. This also shows you that if a man does not have the experience of good gifts, of perfect gifts in his life, what the bible describes as every good gift, every perfect gift. The limitation is that that man has not come to know the father of light. Thank you Lord Jesus. You see, I believe strongly and even theologically speaking that Jesus did not just come to die for the world alone even as much as that is his primary assignment.
He didn't just come to die for the world alone. He also came to correct our perception about God. Because until Jesus came, there were many ideas that people had about God. Some were atrocious, some were superstitious. He was he was made responsible for many events. Many of them he had no hand in. So Jesus came as a reference and as a standard. Anything that was supernatural, people just ascribe unto God. As though God was responsible and he's the only supernatural being that exists. And so even good, evil, everything was just ascribed onto his name.
And so if there was a gross misunderstanding of the person of God based on the experiences that many people have had with supernatural, Jesus came as a correction to this misunderstanding so that when you study the life and the ministry of Jesus, you can have an understanding of the character of the person of God. That is why in the book of Hebrews chapter one and verse three, the bible says, who being in the the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person. So he came as the express image of his person. He came as the word made flesh so that when you look at Jesus, you can begin to edit your understanding. But eventually, there are some things you have believed about God that is not he... That that is not who he is. Your study of the life of Jesus should bring you to a point where you come to know God, especially to know him as father. Remember, in Isaiah chapter nine, the bible says, unto all the child is born, unto all his son is given, and his name shall be called wonderful. His name chapter six, I believe. His name shall be called, the government shall be upon his shoulder.
His name shall be called wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting father. So when we look at the son that was given, his everlasting father, he comes as the express image of God so that when we study his life and ministry, we come to understand God as father. And as you do so, your understanding and your perception of God that may be wrong is edited. I believe strongly and theologically even that if a man does not know God as father, there are many things that will be missing in the life of that man. So many things will be missing in the life of that man. And it will be missing because of the kind of relationship and experience that he will have with God. You see, perception is powerful in this kingdom. Your perspectives inform your perception. And so if you have a false perspective of God, it's... It it simply means that your perception of God is wrong.
And if your perception of God is wrong, your experience with God will also be wrong. This was the problem with the Old Testament believers, and this was why they ascribed many things to God that God was not involved in. Please pay attention. I would always explain perspectives as a lens of some sort, like your shades, and there are different colors that they make. Yes. Black shades and white and blue and green and all of that. Now do you agree with me that when you have shades on, you never see things as they are? You see things as the color that the shades define. And so you can look at this place now and tell me that this person is wearing a white shirt when in fact the person is wearing a green shirt. But because of the lens at which you used in seeing what the person was wearing, your perception was wrongly defined.
Are you with me? This is exactly the problem of many people in their relationship with God and their experience of the same. Wrong perception, wrong perspective, wrong knowledge. There's been no accurate theological teaching as to the true nature of God. The true character of God. When many of us come to understand God and what it means for God to be fathers, scripturally speaking. Many of us will have to repent for how far we have gone away from him, whereas he desires a relationship with us, and we faulted him for many wrong events and wrong things in our life that he was never responsible for. Luke chapter 11 verse one. This was the disciples coming to Jesus. The bible says, now it came to pass as he was praying in a certain place.
When he was seized that one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples. And so he said to them, when you pray, say, our father. This is where prayer begins. And not just prayer. This is where every relationship with God begins. It begins with the consciousness and the knowledge of God as father. It didn't just say when you pray, say God. This must be the consciousness that you have when you prosecute prayer. You must step into that place where you know for a fact that the one you are dealing with is not just the creator of the earth or the hands of the world. It's not only the ancient of days, but there is a connection.
There is a relationship. And his name as far as that relationship is concerned is father. The word father is gotten from the Greek word harbor. Harbor means source. Harbor means sustainer. Harbor means defender. There is something about the fatherhood of God that when you understand, you will step into unprecedented dimensions of possibilities. The bible says every good gift, every perfect gift. Your life can be such that people look at you and say, why are you so blessed? And you say because God is my father.
This is powerful. Do you know that I expect to be blessed every day? I expect to be favored every day. I expect to be gifted every day. I expect that somebody will favor I expect my business to prosper. I expect my deals to not fall to not fall down without without no result. I expect possibilities in my life because the bible says, every good gift, every perfect gift comes from above, and it defines what it means by above, from the father of light. If I've known him as father, I can expect every good gifts to come every day. Are you with me? So what is this thing about father?
Why is it so important? It is important because from this scripture, is revealed that the consciousness of God as father is the first key in stepping into dimensions of the blessing, favor, and even the goodness of God in your life. Luke 11 chapter nine. Luke 11 verse nine. Read down to verse 13. So I say to you, ask and it shall be given. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened unto you. For everyone who asks receives. And he who seeks, finds.
To him who knocks, it will be opened. It then shows us the premise upon which this is so. If a son asks for bread from any father amongst you... So if you not a father, this question is not for you. From any father amongst you, will he give him a stone? And you can imagine them nodding their heads in response and saying no. Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then in verse 13, being evil, look at this, know how to give good gifts to your children. Can you see this?
Every good and perfect gifts come from the father of light. So God now tells them, if you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more your heavenly father? This rendition says, give the holy spirit to those who ask him. Matthew's rendition says, give good gifts to those who ask him. The proof of fatherhood is not just the presence of children. The proof of fatherhood is seen in your ability to give and to let go, to release. You are not a father just because you have children. You are a father because of your ability to give. The relentlessness of your giving.
This tells you that if a man does not know the fatherhood of God, the man can receive nothing from God. Because the dimension of God that makes him give gifts to his children is his dimension as a father. And when you are dealing with God, you must understand that God is multidimensional. As a matter of fact, when Jesus was talking here, he was talking with respect to prayer, our father who was in heaven. Jesus Christ has taught prayer using different dimensions to God. In Luke 18, we see two different dimensions of God. Verse one, the bible says, he spoke a variable unto them. Men ought always to pray and not to faint. Verse two, the bible says saying, there was a certain city, a judge. And he uses this story to compare how that God is also a judge.
And this story was also to defend or further explain men ought always to pray. The reason is because God is a judge. Are you with me? In the same chapter, it goes down to explain how that in the same prayer, God God can be a friend. But where your life begins ultimately is understanding that God is father. Ah, this thing is so serious, and I pray you get it today. I really pray you do. There is something about the fatherhood of God that if you do not know, you're not gonna receive. You cannot receive from God. You cannot excel God's way.
You have to know that the God that you are dealing with is more willing to give than you are willing to receive. Do you know that many people struggle with the will of God because they don't know the father, the fatherhood of God? There are so many believers who have that issues. Who have not understood the God to whom they serve and the fatherhood nature of that God. And so whenever God reveals his will to them, they are always afraid to even seek for the will of God because they just believe that the will of God will sentence them into a life of penury and pain. It is because they have not understood the fatherhood of God. Somebody is asking for marriage. Once you get married, then you ask them, have you prayed about it? Or probably they find somebody that they think that they love. And when they come and meet the pastor, the pastor then asks them, have you prayed about it?
The person becomes sorrowful immediately and says, ah, I've not prayed about it. As though if I go and pray, God will tell me no. You can see it in the skepticism. You can see... As a matter of fact, one of my young girls came to me and she told me of how, you know, a young man was interested in her, and she insisted that the young man goes to pray about it. And the young man kept on insisting that he cannot pray about it because he does not want to lose her. He said, I can't pray about it because I don't want to lose you. Will it now sit down and carefully analyze if per adventure per adventure, God says, this is not your wife, does that mean that the person whom you love that God has said is not your wife is more perfect than the perfect gift of God? But at the same time, go and pray, and God now and God now clears your doubts and say, it's not my will.. Oh.
What then happens? So that person who your soul is so attract... Attached to is more perfect than the perfect gift of God. Whereas the bible says every good and perfect gifts. Don't you realize that if God says this is not a person, you have just been sentenced into a life of freedom because you have no idea what you would have encountered. You have no idea what God has delivered you from. Human beings are shortsighted. So the bible says the ways of God are not our ways. The thoughts of God are not our thoughts. And so we think judging by the things that we need now, this must be the best.
And God says, daughter, no. You can do better than that. And then you say, I know it takes care of me. And God says, no. I like to give you the example of the man who has a wound on his leg, and he has the option to pick between a crotch and a shoe. He looks at his leg and says, what do I wanna do with a shoe? I can't even walk well. What I need right now is a crotch. And he asked God, says drop the crotch, take the shoe. And he says, no.
Do you want me to be in pain? Every attempt I take to walk is painful, and you are telling me to drop the crotch and take the shoe. What I need right now is a crotch. But the question is, will that leg remain in pain? Will you be healed? So when you are healed, what need of you off the crotch? This is how we see as human beings. We are limited in perception. We are limited in view. So we tend to judge matters by what gratifies us in the now.
This is the reason why many people have interpreted the will of God as evil. Because of the limited perception that they have, You have two job options before you, and I say, how long should I choose now? And somebody now for the... A Christian like you suggests, have you prayed about? And you say, you don't tell me that. Because we don't expect God will tell me go for the lesser one. Who told you? Who told you? Many of us have envisioned that if we ever pray about two things with God, God will tell us to go for the worst because he wants to test you. It has brought us to a place of fear.
We were not... We were unable to relate with God as a son relates to a father. This misconception has affected a lot of people, have cheated a lot of people from a sincere relationship with God. A young man saw one of my young girls and said he wanted to marry her. As I say my story, please give no reaction whatsoever. Keep your reactions to yourself. Remember in school, those days, they will say fame? Fame. Yes. So fame for for my story.
Young man saw one of my girls and said he wanted to marry her. I don't know the young man before. Never seen him. The girl brought brought him to me, proposed, ring on finger, ready to marry. Let me meet your father. Let me meet your mother. Who is your father? Who is your mother? When is introduction? And all that.
And I was praying one night. And as I was praying, I saw the picture of the young girl came to my spirit. And as the picture came, I started feeling a physical pain in my heart as though I was having physical heart palpitations. And the holy spirit told me that if this thing is to continue, this is the result of it, to be pain. I said, interesting. But knowing how women are, I'm not sure as to how to give that news to a woman who is in love. A woman who is in love is not sensible. This I know by experience. It tells such a thing to a woman who is in love directly like that, your your kiss can become gist between herself and the man. So you don't know how much I love you.
Even my pastor told me not to leave you. Had no answer. So I devised a strategy. She went by the strategy. She just... She got long story, and she discovered that this was not the right person for me. And thank God that she listened because as she did, the young individual who she was about to get married to, who she was already carrying a ring on her finger as a declaration of the love that the man has for her. The moment the lady told the man that I don't think that this is the will of God, and I don't think this can work out. The man said, okay. No problem.
And brought out a list from his pocket. Glory to God. Pray. Brought out the list from his pocket and said, this is everything I have bought for you since we began this relationship. This is all the things I've done. On your birthday, I bought 10,000 naira cake. 1,500 naira nails I did for you. I bought you a spec. I bought you a wig. This is everything.
It is 60 something thousand naira. Fifth. They even know. Then both of them started negotiating saying, this one, did I ask you for it? You know the one that did it? This and that and that. Okay. Actually, this birthday cake, I bought it for the church. I didn't buy it for you. We removed that one.
Yeah. How much is now left between somebody you intended to marry? Now what would have happened if you had married the person? What what faith have you been sentenced into? She told me about it. Old man said, send all my money. Get the money and send it to him. Young man came to the front of his door, started knocking his door, banging the door. Front of her door rather. I heard banging her door.
Said to him, was asking for a landlady. He wants to report to a landlady. I gave her some tinctures. I he reported it. This and that and that and that and that. How does I'm in love with you, you're in love with me suddenly lead to that? If not, that God is father. That lady could have been so convinced that look at all these things this guy is doing for me. He's buying me things. He's giving me this.
He's giving me that. Ah, I love you. And if an instruction comes, you feel as though, no, no, no, no, no. Why does God hit me so? Sometimes, it takes certain experiences to know what God prevented you from. Glory to God. That's why many people who have been through scars tend to be wiser. Let me explain it to you. If I tell you... What's your name?
Olamide. Where do you come from? Lagos. Lagos. And I tell you, the normal route to Lagos, don't go by that route. Pass a longer route. And you see what was the sense in this. Right? And you decided to not listen, and you pass the normal route to Lagos. And as you are going, you entered the bus...
The vehicle you are driving, had a brake failure, went straight into another vehicle, someone halted 10 times. That's not your story. Just listen to me. Someone's halted 10 times. And somehow you came out. You just came out somehow. Do you know that the next time I tell you that don't pass this place, you won't even wait till the year where you should pass. You say, I'm not going. I'm not I'm not going again. I'm not going.
Do you understand, Transy? Now the wisdom you will have for the next time, would you compare it to the same as someone who I told don't pass this way, and they just listened. They did not pass. They just passed on that way. The person would not have known what would have happened if they had passed. That's why many of us are ungrateful because you don't know how many things God have saved you from. Fabulous. The fatherhood of God. Every good and perfect gifts come from above. This is an understanding a believer must have that if it is God, it is good.
But that it is good does not mean it is God. And so I would not be deceived by it is good. I will be confirmed to ensure that God is the one who supplied it. Because if it is God, it is good. If it is God, it is perfect. Are you with me? Yes. That's the reason why it's called source. But the word harbor doesn't end at source. It is three words inside one.
It is source, sustainer, and defender. Why? Because if he sourced it, he must sustain it. There is nothing God tells me to do that leads to destruction or that leads to harm. Please settle it in your mind. If God sends me to the widow of Arabia and said this is where you will do ministry, it is because it is good. How do you explain? You are right in the center of Kaduna and you go to Lagos, And then from Lagos, ministry is doing quite well. And God tells you, you're about... I'm about to enlarge and expand you.
Say, yes, sir. Keep on driving. And you're driving to Ogun state, then you enter into Ota where no human being is. And God tells you, this is where the ministry headquarters will be. And you're wondering, what... How would we tell people that the ministry's headquarter is two hours drive from their houses? Who will follow us into the bush? Are you with me? There is an understanding you must have that God is father. Else, there are instructions you cannot obey.
Your experiences in God will be ultimately determined by this knowledge you have of his fatherhood. So when he tells me to go, I know he tells me to go because he loves me. Has that wilderness not become a fruitful ground? It wasn't always like that. It was a bushy road, a village, two hours, three hours away from civilization. Now from all parts of the world, nations travel down just to come and behold the spectacle. It was two years ago that a delegate from Harvard came to study the school. That was the result of a man's obedience. Go to the village. Every good and perfect gifts comes from the father of light.
If God tells me stay in Ibadan, whereas an opportunity is staring staring me in the face to travel to other countries and perhaps even with a scholarship, and I know that God is telling me to stay here, do you really think I've cheated myself? Do you see how people think? A lot of people will say, are you foolish? How will you ignore this opportunity? This is a open door staring at you closing the face closing the face. But I've prayed about this, and I don't have peace about it. I feel God will have money to remain here. Usually, all that is required is time. Time will show that every good gifts truly come from God. I heard apostle Jesus Selman talking about when he started ministry even...
He had not even begun there. I think he had begun. Back then in 2011 or so, when he began and some people came to him, they said they are from the PFN. They are from the PFN, and they see what God is doing, and they see how they are struggling with space, struggling with instruments, struggling with equipment, and all of that, and they don't like this is their... This anointing is to the world true. This message is to the world true, But that they feel as though the expression that has been given is not is not enough. So what what they would do is they would give him an auditorium to be using, they would give him pastors to serve with him, they would give him workers to serve with him, they would give him everything. That what... Do you know how many ministers are looking for that? Instrument that are that are just starting.
And somebody comes to you and say there's an auditorium waiting. There's equipment waiting. There are... In fact, people that will serve with you are waiting. The man said he went to pray, and God said I'm not in that. I'm not in that. And because he never went that route, you would not have known what would have happened. Do you understand what I'm trying to say? To men, it look as though he just rejected a nice set of opportunities. Why do you want to suffer like this when they've already offered you something?
And those years when when they started having overflows, rain will fall upon people in the overflows. You can imagine the devil coming to come and whisper. There's still a venue. If you wanna keep these people, the rain is falling... If rain is beating them every day, do you think they will stay with you? There is still a venue and God says stay there. And the more the rain fell, the more the people stayed. The more the people came and stayed in the rain. And listen to a man of God in the rain. When you see what God is doing with the man right now, you truly understand that every good and perfect gift truly come from the father of light.
Are you with me? Truly comes from the father of light. It pays to know God as father. It pays to relate with him as such. It pays to understand his character and his nature as father. But he never denies his children from good things. The bible says in the book of Jeremiah 29 and verse 11, the bible says something powerful. For I know the thoughts that I think towards you. This is the father speaking. Says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil.
To give you a future and a hope. Romans chapter eight and verse 32. Anytime I see this scripture, I'm just reminded again of how wondrous the love of God is. Look at this. He who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? He did not withhold his only son away from us. If he did not withhold his only son, how shall he not freely give us all things? My god. There is nothing God is hiding away from me. There is no amount of wealth God cannot give me.
The bible says he can he cannot with... He does not withhold all things away from us. He has given us all things that pertains onto life and godliness. God wants you to have the best houses, to live in the best houses rather, to drive the best cars, to stay in the best places. The service of God is not the... A service to suffering. Whoever told us that messed us up. To serve God does not mean to slave away and just be living your life and just be suffering. You see, people who do this don't know God as father. It is true.
When you meet a man who is truly and sincerely serving God and this is his lot, It's not scriptural. There's a gap in understanding that a man has. He might know God as several things, but probably not as father. He might know God as the... As a deliverer. That might even be the basis of his ministry. Jesus' deliverance revival mission. And miracles, signs, and wonders happen every time, but you never see the man living the best of God's will for his life. It might be that something about his understanding of God is missing. He knows that God is deliverer, but does not know that God is father.
Do you know that as father, his love is demonstrated towards us? And he's not ashamed to be vulnerable with us as to how much he loves us. It's right now you tell a man to tell his woman how much he loves him and the mouth the man's mouth is shaking. So you love your wife, you love your fiance, tell her how much you love her, tell her how much it means to you. And you would see how how difficult it can be for men to be vulnerable, to express their vulnerability to the ones to whom they love but not God. In Jeremiah 31 verse three, unashamedly, God says it. He says, the Lord has appeared of hold to me saying, who is this? Who is speaking here? The Lord. Yes.
I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness, I have drawn you. If God says I drew you, this shows you that God is desirous of you. God desires a relationship with you even more than you do with him. God is more willing to give to you more than you are willing to receive. More than you are willing to receive. It is a blessing to know that the owner of the universe is my father. The giver of life is my father. The custodian of favor is my father. The ancient of days is my father.
As people begin to call him all these names, if all you know is father, you have done well. Are you with me? Yes. Yes. If you have a father who is a boss, say, CEO of an organization. Right? A lot of people would refer to him as a CEO. But the man might try as much as possible to make his child believe that his one blessed CEO has a mighty establishment, has a hundreds of people who listen to him, who are telling him, yes, sir, who are willing to do anything at his command. But you will realize that the more he tries to explain to the child that, you know, I'm a... You know your father is a big man.
The father can't just seem to understand or have revelation of his father as a CEO. All the child knows is this is my daddy. It means to those who need a job, you can be a CEO. To those who want to work within your company, you can need a CEO. You can be a CEO. To those who want to earn a salary and earn a living, you can be a CEO. To those who need your services that you provide or the goods you manufacture. You can be a CEO. Are you with me? Yes, sir.
To those who are serving your corporation, you can be a CEO, but not to that baby. You are not a CEO to that baby. You are harbor. And every time he comes to you, he does not come he does not come expecting that a protocol will stop him. So even if people have to sign 10 letters or sign 10 appointments or book appointment beforehand to see the CEO, when the when the son comes to see his father, he will walk in front of the heavy chested protocol officer, and none of them dare put their hand on him and say, where are you going? He will walk in. In fact, the the officer would even say yes, sir, to a baby. And once he comes before his father, while several people are are queuing to see the CEO. The advantage this one has is I'm not coming to a CEO. I'm coming to my father.
So others might queue. Others might need to sign several documents. Others might need several appointments. But when I come before my father, it's only a matter of opening the door and calling him father. He responds to the sound of my voice the moment I call. He can... He's vulnerable to my cry. He's vulnerable to my tears. He's vulnerable even to my pain. Many of us growing up would always have this experience of our parents coming back home.
Usually, the man, the father, and he would always think of what to get his child. Sometimes it's biscuit. Sometimes it's a toy. Sometimes it's bread. Sometimes... And this is the image some of us have. The bible says, if you being evil will give good gifts to your children, how about God? If you will take the time to think that, ah, let me get my child a gift, how much more God? I I I read a scripture some time ago where the bible says God is mindful. What is man that you are mindful of him?
And the Holy Spirit opened that scripture to me. I don't know how you understand it, but this is how I understand it. God gave the son of... God gave the psalmist permission to his heart and to his mind, And all he saw was Emmanuel. And when he saw it, he said, what is man? That your mind is full of him. That that is the only thing you think about. What does... What happens in the mind? The mind is where reasoning happens, where thought happens, is where logic happens, is where everything is processed.
So if if your mind is full of him, it means it is the only one you think about, It's the reason you do everything you do. It's the reason... Are you with me? For all the actions, all the creative power, all the... What is this man that your mind is full of him? In Hebrews, after in Hebrews 11, when the bible talks about all the exploits of the heroes of our faith, in the last verse, the bible then says, these people, despite all the things that they have done in Christ, did not obtain because they were imperfect without without us. The bible says God had something better in view for us. God had something better in view. Give me amplified version. Can we read the first line everybody?
God had us where? In mine. Go on reading. Of course. It means whilst these people were acting, whilst Moffitt was patting the waters and doing all of these things, all God was thinking about is man. Man that is saved. Man that is redeemed. All God was thinking about is let these prophecies be fulfilled so that I can become flesh and die for the sins of mankind so that I can draw man to myself. Look at how intentional God is about man. Look at how desirous God is of a relationship with you.
Look at how far God is willing to go. This is what should inform your perspective of God. He is father. If you understand this, it will inform your response to this knowledge. So I know I can I can approach him unashamedly? I took some people something. I said, I would rather hear even the rebuke of God than hear nothing from God. Even if it's the rebuke, even if it's God rebuking me, I would rather to hear that as long as I'm in touch with the father than going to moments of silence where I cannot hear him. Ah, never. I can't I can't bear that.
It is because of a perception that I have of him as father. So I know even the rebuke is because of love. Whom the father loves, the bible says he chastens. Who the father loves, the bible says he reproves. It means if god rebukes me because he loves me, this is this is love expressed. Anything apart from this, it means... Listen. If as a son, a son you see runs away from the father when he does something wrong because he's afraid of rebuke, it is because a wrong image of fatherhood has been model to that child. Thank you Lord. A wrong image of fatherhood has been modeled to the child.
I would rather have a connection to the father. I would rather have a relationship with the father even if the... If even if he's just correcting me and rebooking me all day than go months without hearing the father's voice. This lack of understanding as what has affected several people with supposed spiritual fathers. I have a perception that anything the father does is because he loves me. I have a perception that everything works together for my good. So if I try my best to secure a business proposal and I'm working towards it very hard and it does not come. I'm not offended. I'm not hungry. All good and perfect things come from God.
When I come and share testimonies as it relates to my business, a lot of people will sit down. And for some of you in this place, you might have... You might understand what I'm saying. A lot of people will sit down and admire the things that we say. Somebody else might come and say, oh, in my business, I got a contract, and the contract was worth 7 digits. And somebody will just sit down and say, ah ah, these people are just lucky. And someone will just say, ah, like this in me, Lord. If you want it like that in you, then be ready to go through the same process testimony came. Because when you sit down with them, you will now hear that for that one contract, there was a thousand no's. Unfortunately, we can't go on with you in this project.
Unfortunately, we decide to consider all the options. Unfortunately, I remember that my email was full of unfortunately. The following day, I would apply again, unfortunately, Unfortunately, one gave me so much hope. I went through three stages of interviews, all with white men. At the third stage of interview, I have to even spend money because I was required to build a website, to render the script. And the time to build the script from scratch wasn't there. And I wanted to deliver excellence. So I bought the script, built the entire thing, submitted the thing, excellent in all its core. They sent a message, unfortunately. Oh, but God is good.
So when I come and I come and share testimonies and I say, you know, I got a I got a contract, the client the client paid seven days for that contract. I say, wow. There's a process. There's a process of maintaining a solid revelation and conviction of God even in tough times. Are you with me? Yes. Even in tough times. For I know that every good gift come from the father of light. Thank you, Jesus. Many people have been approaching God wrongly because they have no revelation of him as father.
And because of the way they have been approaching him, that is why they've not received the response of a father from him. Many people approach God like a CEO. Do you know that if that child who can walk to his father's office anytime becomes employed, the terms of transaction changes as long as it's within the organization. So the father is father, but if he's gainfully employed by the father, the father becomes boss. So despite being one, despite being a man, a man is now both father and boss. It means that child can relate. You see, ah, thank you, Jesus. If that child's if that child's understanding is... Has not been framed properly, it can carry the boss that he meets at work back home. And when he goes back home, he still thinks I'm relating with a boss.
And he carries father's back and say, hold. Let it, sir. Yes, Yes, sir. And then somebody call, is that not his son? He says, it's his son. I said, what happened? He said, oh, it's his... He he works he works as a manager in one of his... Okay. Okay.
Okay. But is his son? That is his son. That was why the prodigal son who stayed at home was pained. You know there were two? Prodigal sons. You think it's one? There were two of them. Was a prodigal son that stood at home. There was.
In fact, the story is so miss... Is so is so mystical, is so mysterious that when the holy spirit gives understanding, you you see several things in that simple story. Even the father is prodigal. To to be prodigal means to lavish, to lavish as in to waste. If a son comes to you whilst you are alive to ask for his inheritance, inheritances are given when a will is passed. A will is only passed by the death of the one who wrote the will. That is what the bible says in Hebrew. Are you with me? That's why Jesus had to die for the new testament to become ordained because the new testament is his will. It was his death that signified the contract that made us partakers of his inheritance.
That's why the bible calls them the inheritance of the saints. Are you with me? Yes, sir. And so whilst you are alive, your son comes to you and says, give me my inheritance. And the father will... Without question obliges. Who is prodigal? But leave that one alone. The father gives and the son takes it away, squandered it all, and comes back home. You know the story.
And and and we all celebrate how that even if the son is lost, the the father is able to accept him and all of that. How about the second son who is also lost? Lost at home. Lost in his father's house. Give me give me MSG. Can we read this together, everybody? You know what? Let's start on verse 24. One, two, three, go. NLT says the tree apart.
Give me NLT. Was it NLT? Give me NLT. Now he's found, so the party began. The father, the father, and the father being typified here is God. And because the son was found, a party began. They were parting because his lost son returned home. You would expect that the brother will be happy seeing that his brother has returned. And we'll say, my brother, I would come and hug him. Would celebrate with him.
But look at this, next verse, the Bible says, now his elder son was in the field. And as he came and drew nigh to the house, he had, can we go back to what I'm reading please? So that we'll not be lost. All this time, his older son was out in the field. Watch this. When the day's work was done, so you see, he was employed. Stay with me. Same as all the servant, the son too was working. He was gainfully employed by the master. The moment he was done with work, the bible says he approached the house.
He heard the music and the dancing that was happening. Next verse, calling over one of the houseboys. See, he asked what was going on. You see the houseboy knows this is not my father. This is my boss. But when you are under the service of the same person who is father who has not become boys, who has not become boss, How do you juxtapose? How do you handle that dichotomy? Look at the next verse. It says, he told him, your your your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast barbecued beef.
Look at this. Because he has him home safe and sound. Watch this. Next verse. The older brother stalked off in an angry sock and refused to join him. Look at this. He wouldn't go in. The the bible says the father came out and begged him. The father came out and begged him. Think about this.
The bible does not say his boss came out and begged him. His father came out. Why was the father begging? Because his son is being celebrated, and you as a brother is not even happy that your brother came back home and is being celebrated. He's angry because he had been at home all this while, and nobody has thrown a fist for him. Let's look at the next verse. The song said, look how many years I have stayed here serving you. I stayed there, and I was a loyal employed servant. Look at this. He says, I never gave you a moment of grief.
I've never given you a moment of grief. I did all my work excellently. I was faithful in service. You've never had a reason to perform and audit and found my department wanting. Every time, every year when we do an analysis of those whose departments procured the highest revenue, it was my department. And yet after all of this, have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? He wanted fatherhood responsibility with the mindset of a boss. He wanted to be loved but only knew a boss. Perhaps, if he had known a father, he would have known that a party would not have been a big deal. If he had came home and said, I feel like holding a party for myself and my friends, the father would not have said no because every good and perfect gift comes from the father of light.
But the only mentality this man had was how to labor, how to serve, how to work. He never understood how to relate with the same person that he's working for as a father. Do you know I've seen this this this problem in people's relationship with spiritual fathers such that you can find someone who is a good servant but doesn't know how to be a son. A good servant can serve his heart out. Oh, what can I do for you, sir? Do you need anything, sir? Let me carry this water. Let me carry this spill. Let me carry this tarp. And if peradventure, the same son comes on one day and sees sons like himself talking with the father and laughing with the father, and all of them are having fun.
And they're just talking and chastening about, say, movies or whatever. The son stands on my phone and say, hi. I never knew. I have always known he does not love me. Can you see how he's relating with all of them? Perception determines experience. The perception he has. Even though not bad, but not complete. That that that incomplete perception will affect his ability to receive from the father. You see what I told you now?
So this guy wanted a party thrown for himself but could not receive from the father because he never understood that he was dealing with the father. So much so the father had to come and beg. I said, son, don't you know I love you? At that point, he has he has conceived so much so much so much offence and bitterness in his heart against the father. That's how many people are angry with God. Many people are angry with God. They have daddy issues. Because they thought that when when I was going through this, where was God? Where was this? Where was that?
However, they were never introduced to the father. They were introduced to god. That's why I began by saying he's god over all but father over some. Only those who have an understanding of God as father will learn how to relate with him as father. This is only an exhortation. This is not even a teaching. Next week, I will teach on this. I don't wanna go ahead of myself. I will show you next week how that it is the father that gives the son identity. And nothing you call yourself is true if the father hasn't called you so.
What people call you is not what you are. It is what your father has named you that you are. How many of you agree of having nicknames? What was your nickname? People need to hear this. I cannot be the... My God. Who has had a nickname? What was your nickname? What was your nickname?
Just look at all these mystical things. Now you think about this, which father in his right senses named his child was gay? You you hold a child and you say, this is confu. Your name shall be called Abobby. Abomination. And the question is this, would you ever go to international airport and ask a young one, what's your name? You say,. The realm of the spirit will only recognize the identity conferred on you by the father. The same way authorities around the world will only recognize what your father called you. What is the name on your passport?
That's the only thing that would count. So the guy can be Benko. Benko. And then everybody's calling Benko. When he now carries passport, he now found out that his name is Benikola Omombalade Omokiniko. And he now long and you wonder, oh, so he shortened everything to this school. But at the end of the day, that's not his name. How many remember Zechariah? This is why understanding the fatherhood of God is important. Because if you don't know the fatherhood of God, you cannot have identity regardless of what you know God has.
I will show you this in scripture. The angel appeared to Zechariah and told Zechariah, you will have a child. Zechariah said, how shall the... Two reasons. The guy was a priest. He had authority to revoke heavenly mandate with his utterances. Number three was a proof of lack of faith. Because when the angel appeared to him, first thing the angel said is that your prayer has been answered. When the angel appeared to Mary, the same question Mary asked, how can these things be? The angel gave Mary a thesis, a full PhD thesis to show Mary how these things will be.
Mary wasn't praying for it. The introduction was thou art highly favored. Zechariah was praying for it. The introduction was your prayer has been answered. So if you do not know how it will be, why were you praying for it? And if you don't have enough faith as to how that can be, why are you a priest offering the incense of people off to heaven? What are you then doing? The guy was silent, mid deaf and dumb right there. The woman was pregnant, Elizabeth. When it was time for the child to be delivered, she was delivered.
And people asked, what will be this child's name? Elizabeth said his name will be John. He said no. In this tribe, we give names accordingly. There is a pattern in a process. We only give names that people have bared before. John is a strange name that you are introducing. We have never heard anybody bearing the name John. We've never heard anybody being called John. They don't accept this ordinance from you.
Go and call the father and let the father reveal the identity of the child. When they called the father, the father was deaf and dumb. Then they saw what he was pointing to. Said, oh, he was pointing to a tablet. Bring the tablet for him. He said, what's what? He's pointing to a pen. Okay. The guy had to do charades. The charades was important because the identity of the child would not be given to the child if the father does not pronounce it.
After all the charades, they knew what he was talking about. They said, okay. He's talking about a a board, a pen. It to him. And they brought it to him. He wrote there, his name shall be John. The moment his name was revealed, the identity of the child was revealed. His mouth popped open and started speaking. That was what happened on the cross. I will show you this.
I will... It's not for today. It's not for today. It's not for today. Today, I don't intend to teach you. God is harbor. Many people have allowed names that people have called them to stick with them because they've not received what the father has called them. They have no knowledge of what the father has called them. They've held on to false identities, living false lives. Even even what you call yourself can be wrong because you can define yourself by your experiences.
You can define yourself by by unpleasant circumstances and situations. It is that you know the father that your identity is revealed. I don't approach God wondering if you will hear me. No. I don't approach God conscious of the accuracy of what I am saying. There is something about the fatherhood of God that I'm conscious of. I'm conscious of my relationship with God. I'm conscious of his desire to have a relationship with me. God is my source. God is my sustainer.
God is my defender. I know this. God is the source of my joy. God is the source of my blessings. God is the source of my lifting. God is the source of my favor. God is the source of my wealth, not mine. So I will never be disappointed when man fail. Men are not the source. Men can be used, but ultimately God is source.
If a man ever disappoints me and I am sad, it is proof I've not known God as source. What can a man ever promise me? Even if it's marriage. This is the revelation you have that comforts you in the storm. I heard the story that apostle Selman shared some years ago and he spoke about how they lost one of their key... Very key workers and leaders in the ministry, a lady, and she died. And it was such a painful moment for all of all of them in the church. And he had to go on a retreat and just go and pray and ask, how come I did not see this? Well, how did this happen? And whilst he was praying with that sorrow, with that, you know...
But they they they had to go and comfort the family. And apostle Man said he went with the leaders, some of the leaders to the house of the mother of the girl to go and try to offer them comfort. And whilst they got there, it was the girl's mother that was comforting them. You say, apostle, you say, don't worry. Things like this happen. The mother delivered a sermon, all of them were just quiet looking and saying, my God. They left their encourage, they left their strength, and people that came to comfort somebody, someone who just lost their daughter. The man said I knew from that day that there is nothing a man that knows God go through that is turned to pieces. No, nothing. And by nothing, I mean nothing.
There is a strength of heart and comfort that a man will have who knows God, who knows God genuinely, especially as father. Especially as father, What opportunities can you ever lose that you would not think immediately that several will come? Who will ever walk out of your life that you would think is God that left you? Some people have been broken down into shreds because people walked out of their lives. Who is God in your life? Who has become a subconscious idol to you? Do you know God? If you know how many people have left me, if people were a part of you and they leave, and it's God that designed it for us that if somebody leaves you, it's like a body part living. Probably only my tooth. I have seen I have seen terrible betrayals, terrible betrayals that somebody my age should not even see.
I have seen terrible backstabbing. I've had experiences that you can... You cannot imagine. We are older than how we look. Experiences have matured us. And in all of this, we will not die. The reason is because we've understand, we have understood the comfort of God. I've seen betrayers from people you least expect. Who you least expect. And in the midst of everything, people around you getting to witness the event are hungrier than you who is going through the event.
And they look at you and say, apostol, why are you not hungry? And I look and say, it's not God that left me. It's not God who left. This does not mean you should be proud and arrogant and now think that apostle is not telling you that it does not matter who lives your life. There are people that are indispensable to your life. There are people you use your own foolishness to drive out. You go and humbly beg them back. Yes. This should be balanced immediately. You were arrogant, you were hungry, you were foolish, and you drove out good people from your life who were capable of helping you out of annoyance and hunger.
Humble yourself and go and fix that relationship. Don't... This... Don't think this is an excuse for laxity and foolishness. It is not. However, when people out of the wickedness of their heart think that in their leaving you, your ministry will go down. In their leaving you, the key or the key road they are taking in your life, nobody else will take it. They will be utterly shocked only if you have known God. Only if you have known God. Oh, and some of us have.
Some of us have. Let me show you a scripture. And then we close. I want us to pray. Do you know that this every good gift is the reason why every single day of my life, I expect to be favored? If I don't have anything, it's only a matter of seconds, minutes, hours. I expect to be favored. I expect to be gifted. There are some of you with an amount of money enter your account now you would think it's a mistake. Somebody called me like that and was and was very scared.
An amount of money entered his account. He called me and he was extremely scared. I told him, so what do you wanna do now? I said, I don't know how for the next six months, I will not touch it oh. In case anybody comes to come and ask me and say, yeah, it's their own. I cannot... I don't want to fall in trouble. And you know the funny thing? Truth to his words. Truth to his words.
Somebody did come to come and reclaim the money back. Truth to his words. There are people that when they are praying, all their spiritual activities is as though they are struggling to make God aware of their presence. As though they are struggling, God, I'm here. God, I'm here. I'm here. Out of the 8,000,000,000 people, can you see me? Can you notice me? There is something about your revelation of God that is insulting the fatherhood of God. The consciousness of the fatherhood of God will give you rest.
Out of the 8,000,000,000 people or so that exist in the world, your relationship with God as father is extremely personal and individual. There's no question as, look how many people are praying to God and out of all out of all of them, you, you small you, you think your prayer is what you now is God... Is what God now count as priority. And they now come and they will they will even speak like that to God. See, I I know I know there are many people who are praying right now, but if you if you can just hear me. And you wonder, who exactly mentored you? Who exactly taught you about God? Romans chapter eight and verse 14. Read down to verse 15. I love that scripture so much.
It says for as many as are led by the spirit of God. These are the sons of God. Verse 15 then says, for you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear. But you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry, harbor father. Let's do it in the passion translation very fast. It says, and you did not receive the spirit of religious duty. Leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. We have not received the fear of religious duty leading you back to the fear of never being good enough. So the spirit of fear is the fear of never being good enough. The fear of being unworthy.
The fear of regard no matter what you do, you will never you will never have appeared perfect. You will always be found wanting one area or the other. I want to move if when I are Jesus I want to move if when I are Jesus Do you know that Christians is not what God calls us? Christians is what some people called the apostles having seen how they behaved, how that they were like Christ. And that is not wrong. But it's not wrong. However, it is not the identity of God for the believer. What God called us is beloved, brethren, believers, witnesses. Do you know why this is important? It is important because the name Christians came to be and it's not wrong.
But it came to be because of some people's observation of how some people behaved. And so their identity was given to them, but God does not give us identity based on how we behave. Do you understand what I just said? And so when when you define yourself only by your behavior, and this does not mean that you behave wrongly. No. No. No. No. Go and get my teaching on consecration. I'm not one of those preachers who come tell you doesn't matter what you do.
Oh, no. No. No. No. This is not what this is. However, you have to understand that what as if ever before you even had the chance to behave, he died for you. And he gave you an identity and called Before you began your work, he called you accepted. Just be... Just by just by receiving his life and accepting him as father. He called you accepted.
He called you one in the beloved. And one in the beloved feels as though it's not good enough. The one who God's mind is full of thinks is not good enough. God just looks at that daughter of his and says, look at how beautiful I meet this girl. Look at just perfect. Look at the strength of Deborah. Look at the leadership anointing of Hester. Look at the wisdom in my spirit I've given to her. Look at the mantles and the potential I've endorsed her with. Look at the beauty.
Look at the prettiness. And while God is firming at his creation, the creation says I'm not good enough. It is because that creation does not know who his father is. Ah, thank you lord Jesus. You have spirit of full acceptance, and folding you into the family of God, and you will never be orphaned. For as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection. Beloved father, He says you will never be an orphan. So even if someone lost anybody's here who have lost their physical father, Painful as that experience might be, you have only lost a channel, not a source. Because god is the source. God is the source, and that source knows how to route another channel.
And there are people that will pick you up and take you as their own. And you will think, it's not for this man who took me as his own daughter. God only created another channel. God is the source. Whilst you are busy thinking all is lost, ah, what will we do right now? What is... There's no other thing. God is already sourcing. Alright? That's why when even people choose not to help you, it's only a channel that is lost.
The source knows how to... Are are you with me? Yes, sir. Yes. It's like the sea, and there are extensions of branches flowing into rivers. And the sea flows into all of them, and you block one probably because you want to make a road. The force of the sea will find another channel for himself. Are you with me? Yes. That's how God does, which is why when a channel stops being a blessing, the channel is not the one we are credited for the blessing.
The channel does not have the power to produce anything. It only has the power to channel. A channel is like a pipe, and many people have given the glory to the pipe. As though the pipe is the one that creates the water, as though the pipe is the one that sources the water. Because the pipe flows water to you does not mean the water originates from the pipe. We know the source. We know the source. Somebody might come to your bidding and and offer you a job or look for what you are doing and gives you a 100,000 naira. And if you're not careful, you will make that person the source. People that do this don't have a knowledge, a revelation of the fatherhood of God.
You will see that person as alpha omega. And when the person now gives an adviser, it's against your values. You will think you have to bend to what they've told you because they're the one that finances it. This is how many pastors deviate from their call when a rich man comes to sponsor their ministry. Because immediately, that rich man becomes source to them. So they feel they must not... The pastor wants to preach a sermon that goes against the lifestyle of the man, he he withdraws because he don't want to he don't want to offend the source. And God now wonders and says, who is father to you? Who is father? Who is father to you?
I'm gonna show you next week Tuesday how this applies to several aspect of your life. This is not a teaching to make you excited and just bubble up in excitement, and then you don't get the essence of what is being said. This is a... This is an exhortation that is an exhortation handed teaching next week that is aimed at readdressing your perspective and your relationship with God. So that in your daily life, that which you've learned can be applied intentionally, not just a moment of excitement that fades away after a time. God is father. God is father. If you know God is father, can you go to God and speak to him as a father? Can you prosecute prayer as a father? Or to a father rather?
Can you go to God and sit down in your prayer time? And whilst you're praying, you're speaking to a father. Oh, thank you Jesus. Father, I love you. I bless you. I bless you. I bless you because you are good. And not just because you are fulfilling a religious sacrifice, but because you realize you are actually talking to a father. Oh, thank you Lord Jesus. You've been so beautiful.
You've been so good. You've been so amazing to me. You've been so amazing to me. And as you say this, remember times and moments where God has pulled himself faithful to you. Ah, a song pops up in gratitude. You're amazing. You make my life feels brand new. Even as you worship, thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus. You remember an event that happens during your day, whilst your day was happening, how that you were just on your own, a client called you and started cursing you, and you speak to your father about it right there in prayers.
At work today, this person called me and he was insulting me, was calling me names, and I was hungry. I know I should not have been hungry. Please help my heart. Help my heart, Jesus. This anger of a thing is getting the best of me. Help me, Lord Jesus. Help me. Help me. Because you are communing with a a father. This is relationship.
This is communion. This is intimacy. As you go on the spirit transitions again, you pray in tongues. But the revelation of God as a father makes you know that even your prayer is answered. Even your prayer is heard. Even your prayer is heard. When I call him, he will answer. When I call him, he will hear. When I call him, he will answer. When I call him, he will hear for Yeshua.
When we call you, you will ask for Yeshua. When we call you, you deliver. There's no name. No name. No name. Listen. I remember those days when I used to travel with public transport. I'm traveling to Lagos, traveling to different parts of Nigeria, administrations, or going for meetings, and it's just noisy. I always walk around with an airpiece, and I will close my eyes. And all I'm doing, you will not hear my voice.
All I'm doing is engaging with my father. And as I'm doing that, I'll be thinking about my life, thinking about ministry, thinking about different things. And as I see areas where I need to walk on, I say, oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Help me. Help me in this area. Help me in this area. Help me in that area. And I'm thinking again about my business. And I'm doing that.
I will start having inspirations and ideas that pop into my spirit, pop into my mind that I'm praying. And I'm quick to write down, we need to start doing this, we need to do this, we need to do that in my business, I need to operate this, oh, I need to upload this, let me talk to this person, let me speak to that person. They come in moment of fellowship with the father. I do not I do not acknowledge my brain as a source of those things. It is the father. When you have a relationship with the father, it will not be difficult for you to acknowledge him. I read the why the bible talks about in Proverbs three when it says, in all your ways acknowledge him. In all your ways, acknowledge him. Are you ready to pray? Oh, thank you Jesus.
Eyes up on your feet. Do you still remember when Jesus was speaking to that woman by the well? Jesus told the woman by the well, the reason why your worship is inaccurate is because you worship what you do not know. The difference between we and you is that we worship what we know. When we know that God is father, When we have an understanding of God as father and how that... And how he sees us as his children. A lot of things about our worship, not just in the songs we sing, but in our in our devotion to him will change. I had a story of a man of God whose son came to him. And the son told him, daddy, it is a child in in primary one, three, thereabout. And the child told him, daddy, I told all my classmates who my father is.
My father happens to be a big man. And I told them, did not believe me. And I told them that, did not believe me, Abi? My father will buy everybody pizza tomorrow. He said, ah, did I tell you I will buy anybody pizza? Did I did that did that did that? Calling wrong social, the following day, he was... He drove the daughter to school, and he just remembered what daughter said. Jesus just jumped out of the car and went to school like that. Yeah.
You just remember that. Ah. These people now will think my daughter is lying. They will think that I'm not the father. They will think I'm not the one. Hey. The man went to Domino's. He went to go and get pack of pizza. He went to the girls' school. Everybody saw the man.
Said, big man. Big man. None of you know what I'm talking about. Everybody started shouting. No. No. Oh. Oh. And they gave... Started giving pizza to the people.
Why? Because my daughter said, daddy, Do you know how God invests his integrity on you when you recognize that he's father? How God is quick to defend his name when his son puts his name on display? How God is jealous of you, but he protects you with that jealousy. When we call him father, it's a very meaningful word that have a strong revelation to us. So when you hear daddy come and say my daddy said, there are five people here that is going to help by this time tomorrow. I hear people shouting, amen. It is because there is a consistent track record of that daddy ensuring that the word of his son does not fail. The question is who is it to you? Who is it to you?
Over fifty years, the man has not changed tactics. My daddy said, you will think one day you'll become mature. You will grow old and say, you know what? I just spoke to God. God said, no. The people that have it... That is a strong revelation of the fatherhood of God. That is a result of the strong... I was talking to a man of God who was who was telling me that he was in redemption camp when he saw a limb, a broken limb grow out as the man was ministering and said the same my daddy said. He said...
He did... The man said my my daddy said he's fixing broken things. As people were shouting amen, a man with a broken leg, the legs grew out. Clear out. So when you see millions gather, they know that when the man says, my daddy has said, but is he your father? Is he your father? Can you pull him into the equation the way that little girl did? And see that they will show up for you. Is he your father? How many thing have you left to God that God has hand right?
Because nobody informed you. Do you really think that God who is father will allow you to be cheated just like that? Will allow people to just ride over your head without any repercussion whatsoever? Do you know who that touch not man anointed is not speaking about men of God? He's speaking about Israel. He was talking about the people of God. That was the anointed the bible was talking about. Touch not man anointed and do my prophets no harm. Israel was the anointed of God. Are you with me?
It means that is how jealous God is about you. How far is he willing to go to defend his own? How far is he willing to go? There are times when people when people do things that are inhuman to you, and you can't... You just wanna lay a curse on them and God tells you keep quiet. Say nothing. People might think you foolishly. You might even say let's go to court. Let's go to court. Let's drag this thing.
And the holy spirit just tells you, let it go. They feel they've cheated you, let it go. And you let it go and you think you're a fool. Oh, no. Oh, no. What you have allowed... What what you have done is that you have allowed God to arise. You have allowed the father to arise. If you feel cheated, it's because you don't know God is father. Like I said, all of these things boils down to your experience of God, your interpretation of events.
When things happen, how how do you interpret them? The time is our time is fast spent. Can you pray a simple prayer? Father Help me to know you as a father. Very simple prayer. Help me to know you as a father. I don't want you to pray in tongues. I want you to be sincere. And I want you to talk to God. Father, Help me to know you as a father.
Help me to know you Has the father. Help me to know you. I've realized that my understanding of you as father is not sufficient, is not strong enough. I do not yet have a complete revelation of you as father. Even though I say it, I don't have a revelation of it. My experience shows. I'm like the lost son who is only serving. I'm serving, but I don't know that the one to whom I serve is also father. Please pray. Pray.
Pray. Please pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Help me to know you. Give me a revelation beyond the information. I don't want it to just be a name that I call. I want it to be an experience, an encounter. Reveal yourself to me afresh. Reveal yourself to me as new and new.
Please pray. In Jesus name we pray. Can I teach you a song? Very simple song. One more time. 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 officialdisciplescn. You can follow us on Facebook at disciples christian network. You can also join our telegram page at DCN media for more messages by Apostle Emmanuel.
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