Transcript: To Him Who Overcomes

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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. Revelations chapter two verse 17. At the early hands of this morning, the holy spirit changed what I intended to share with you this morning into something else entirely, and I had to just spend time praying and studying that subject even more. And we pray that God will give clarity of speech. We pray that you would not misunderstand what you'll be hearing. But that it will edify you, and it will bring you comfort.

In the name of Jesus. The title of my teaching is inside this text we are about to read. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the church. Can we read the next four words together, everybody? That is the title of my teaching. To him who overcomes. To him who overcomes. I will give some of the hidden manna to it. I will give him a white stone. And on the stone, a new name will be written, which no one knows except him who received it.

The bible uses a term overcome, and the bible uses the term overcomer to describe the believer. One of the words used to describe... One of the names used to describe the believer is the word overcomers. You find that word used in scriptures again and again to describe believers, and you have to understand the context upon which that word is used to describe believers. There are several words used to describe our identities as believers in scriptures. There are our positional realities in Christ and to substantiate our positional realities, there are words that are used in scriptures to describe the believer. For instance, the bible says we are sons. We are sons of God. That describes our positional reality in Christ. The Bible says we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

That describes our positional realities in Christ. All of these are names and words that the Bible uses to describe where we are sitting because we are believers. But the bible also uses words that describes our functional realities in Christ. So there is our positional realities, but there is also our functional realities. That is realities that belong to the believer or names that the believer identify with as a result of his function. So for instance, the bible says we are the salt of the earth. The salt is a statement of function. Bible says we are the light of the world. Bible says we are witnesses. Are you seeing that?

All of these are statements of function. They describe our function as believers. The Bible even calls us soldiers. The bible calls us farmers. Different words that the bible uses to describe the believer with respect to the function of the believer. But this is a completely different appellation. This is a completely different name that is used to describe a believer. The word overcomer is used to describe a believer who has sustained the grace and the stamina to run this race and to finish with honor, to finish with dignity. The name given to the believer who has sustained grace, who has sustained capacity, who has sustained stamina to run this race and to finish without distractions, to finish with honor that can say like Paul said, I have finished my race. I have finished my course.

To say like Paul said, I've emptied myself upon the earth. I fulfilled all that was written concerning my life. That name given to that believer who has completed his course upon the earth as defined by eternity, as defined by the kingdom of heaven for his life. The name is overcomer. You know the bible calls us heartlets. When an harlot wins a competition is no longer just referred to as an harlot, is now a winner. There's now a difference between that harlot and several other harlots who run the same race but did not win. Is crowned with stars or awards or given all forms of reward to celebrate his victory. But the bible does not use in as much as the bible calls us heartless. Paul is the one that calls us heartless.

He says we are as heartless. We are supposed to be disciplined like heartless in training. And he uses that to explain the fact that we are on a race. And we are running a race of life. You'd expect that if we are on a race and we are heartlets and we are and of course you've been taught that that race is a marathon. Upon finishing that race, the name that you would expect the believer to be called is a winner. So the name should be to him who wins. Do you understand my point? But the fact that the bible does not call the believer who succeeded and who finished that journey winner should tell us something about the nature of that race. The bible calls him an overcomer.

The question is what did he overcome? We are on the race. But at the end of the journey, you are not just called a winner. You are called an overcomer. And the bible says if we find anyone, it means this is not for everybody to him who overcomes. Jesus says, I will give some of the hidden manner to it. Do you know that these are mysterious reward? That only the man that overcomes will ever even know what it means? I will give some of the hidden manna to it. I will give him a white stone.

And on the stone, a new name will be written, which no one knows except him who receives it. Jesus said there's a price to him that overcomes. This already shows you that there are many who will not overcome. But that a believer stays through that journey to the end, a believer runs and fulfills that cost to the end, there is a price to him that overcomes. I will give him hidden manner to eat. I will give him a white stone. Very strange rewards for being an overcomer. Listen, in your pursuit and in your journey towards the knowledge of God, in your journey towards fulfilling your divine call and your divine assignment towards destiny. The bible does not leave us in the dark as to the fact that possibilities exist that you can be challenged by situations and by circumstances that attempt to impede your journey or attempt to fight you on your way to that journey or even stop you from finishing that journey or even attempt to stop you from starting the journey. The bible does not leave us in doubt that these realities exist.

The bible is not silent as to the fact that these possibilities exist. And I should also mention to you that there is no single human being that is immune from the reality of this evil seasons or as another portion of scripture calls it, the days of adversity. Are you with me? The only guarantee that we are given in Christ is that we can sustain the grace and the intelligence to rise above these seasons, but that in a man's lifetime, it must be captured in your human experience. Seasons that represent discomfort, seasons that represent pain, seasons that represent seasons that... Seasons where defeat looks to be imminent. Seasons where obstacles are layered in front of you, disappointments layered in front of you, where it looks as though unfavorable experiences seem to be the order of the day. The bible says these seasons are captured in the experience of every human being, not just every believer. As long as you are a man on the face of the earth, you are bound to go through these seasons. But when you become a believer, there is grace, there is stamina, there is strength that is supplied to ensure that when you go through these seasons, these seasons will not overtake you, not overpower you, not overcome you.

That is why the name given to the person that finishes the race is not winner. It is to him who overcomes. That a believer has accepted Jesus as Lord and savior, and a believer has seen that this is what God will have me do. Please do. Please do. The believer has discovered that this is what God will have me do even if you have not discovered it. There might even be seasons to ensure you does not even discover it. And after you have discovered it, there will be seasons to ensure he does not fulfill what he had discovered. There are obstructions layered on the pathway of every believer from becoming great, from achieving greatness? Do you realize that when God...

When Joshua called the people of Israel, his charge to them was, I have called heaven and earth as a witness today, not for you, against you. In other words, by default, the earth is against the believer. The earth is against every man, not just the believer. Are you with me? Yes, sir. You will take intentional choices to overcome the challenges and the obstructions that the earth throws at every man. The bible says a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hand, so shall thy poverty, thy poverty, thy poverty. Every man has a customized form of poverty for him. Because the earth is by default against the man. Are you with me?

The earth is by default against the man. In other words, if you live your life alone and do nothing about it, what you would do is fail. Do you agree with me? Yes, sir. What you... If you have an exam and you don't wait for it, what will happen? By default. If you don't go to work every morning, you don't have a job, you do what will happen? You'll be poor by default. Do you realize that the default state of man is that the hurt is against you?

By default. And so every man that rises above these hurdles, the bible calls him an overcomer. To him who overcomes. We see this even in the life of Jesus. The Bible says to look up to Jesus, is that not so? The author and the finisher of our faith. Who for the joy that was set before him endured. Look at that mysterious statement used to describe the king of kings and the lord of lords. He endured. You will think that because we are dealing with Jesus, you will not have to use such an expression for one who is a king of kings and the lord of lords.

Why will the fountain of wisdom, the prince of peace, the counselor, the expression of God's image upon the earth, why would he need to endure? Why will you associate the creator with the word endurance? The Bible says he endured the cross. He despised the shame. What? How would you use these kinds of statements for the king of kings? Because the king of king became a man. And as long as you are a man, there will be seasons where it looks as though you are carrying a cross yourself. It looks as though you are experiencing some level of shame, pain, disgrace, reproach yourself. So even Jesus was not immune from pain, from shame.

Most believers have not been taught the spiritual systems that are put in place to deal with these seasons, to deal with these times. What we do instead as believers is that we pretend they're not there or we assume they're not there. And we confess our realities in Christ Jesus, and we say, oh, I'm a victorious person. Oh, I'm a disarmed that. And then we assume because we make declarations, these things will never happen to us just because we are believers and would be lying. Because even in the confessions, you would still have seasons of adulthood. That is why the only word used to describe the believer is not a victorious man. There is also him that overcomes. This suggests to you that there will be things to overcome. And there will be believers who will not overcome.

That is why it is specific. Jesus is the one speaking. It says to him who overcomes. To him who is not swallowed up by the vicissitudes and the challenges and the trials and the travails of life to him who is not swallowed up by it. To him who overcomes. We have to be... Listen. In as much as we must teach on the victory of the believer and the invincibility of the believer as long as his authority over demons, over principalities, over hell is concerned, We must also be honest and mature enough to expose believers to the things that befall all men and to prepare the heart of the believer so that if and when this season comes, the believer can sustain stamina to be able to go through these seasons and to come out victoriously. Let me give you an example. Do you know that all men will die?

Is this is this common knowledge? Should we debate this? All men will die. Do you know that there are people who have crashed in the race of life because a loved one died? Despite we know that all men will die. And we can pretend as though these things will not happen. We can pretend as though these things will not... Are not there. There are believers who have lost loved ones and have stood in faith, stubborn faith at that. You can tell that these people really believed something will happen.

And they stood at the hospital bed. They said, don't take him away to the mortuary. We are trusting God. And you would see entire families gather, and they are praying. They are holding the protect person's hand, and they are declaring words. They're saying, life come back. We declare this to you. We declare this to you. We call you back, and they are calling our name or his name, and they are insisting he must not go, and they stay there for four hours, sometimes even a whole day and nothing happens. To him, who overcomes?

And nothing happens. There are situations that will put questions in the heart of the believer that sincerely speaking, there is no answer to. And any man of God who claims to have an answer might even deceive you. To him who overcomes, the bible says. I have seen believers who were at their who were at their lowest state. In the hospital, births, patients in the hospital, cancer eaten up their body, and all that is in their lips are confessions of faith. By his stripes, I am healed, and he died there. And I've seen believers who are with them, who saw their process, their soul, their journey of faith. They saw their confessions. They even saw how they were laughing with people, encouraging those that came to come and pity them.

And say, no. No. No. No. Don't worry. Don't worry. Jesus has healed me. Jesus has healed me, and the following day you heard is dead. That sentence is the believer into instead of confusion. Are you telling me this thing does not work?

Are you telling me blah blah blah blah blah? Because there will always be events and circumstances that comes to test your conviction to him who overcomes. Sooner or later, this will be a season in the life of every man. Some of you are already in that season. Some of you will be there. It is not the curse. It's a normal event of life, and you must be taught to be prepared for it. Do you realize that for every season of greatness and opportunity that opens up onto you, there are challenges you will face? There are people that opportunities have opened up onto them, and they have been promoted, and their promotion became the reason they died. Because they experienced levels of challenges and difficulties they will never be paid for.

Nobody told them that when you are promoted, when you become great, when you have influence, there are there are battles that only face people of influence. There are battles that only face people who are great. But when you are not great, you have no business with it. You don't even know they exist. Stay with me. We've we've we've we've had believers who have lost money. They love Jesus sincerely with all their hearts. People have lost loved ones without answers. There are people who the equation of their lives and destinies in spite of their commitment to the to the things of God does not seem to add up. Does not seem to add up.

And you can painfully look at them and, you know, try and tell them all kind of things, but the truth is they love Jesus. Some of them are even obeying principles, yet it looks as though these things don't just add up. My experience is quite different from my claims. And many people continue to ask secret questions, and we must be able to bring perspective and light to difficult issues and even sensitive issues like this in the body of Christ. In first Peter chapter four and verse 12. Apostle Peter is teaching and he's talking to those who are in Christ. How do I know? Because he starts with the word beloved. So this charge is for people who are in Christ, for the beloved. Is that not so?

He says beloved, do not think it strange. Concerning the fiery trial which is to try you. As though some strange thing has happened to you. This is a very, very powerful scripture. Apostle Peter is discipling believers, and he says, don't think it as a strange thing when you go through trials. Do you know that this guy was mentored and taught by Jesus himself? And he's teaching the believer that you must be able to build some level of strength and stamina in the spirit that if and when you are confronted with uncomfortable situations, that you'd not address them as though some mysterious things were happening to you. So don't think it's strange when thing... When you go through things that are unpleasant as though some strange thing that has not happened to anybody or that should not happen to anybody has happened to you. How you know faith is not just that you use your faith to avoid every problem and challenges of life.

That's not just how you know faith. How you know faith is also how you come out of them. And Jesus never promised any believer that in this life, there will be no persecutions, there will be no trials, there will be no tribulations. Your life as you accept Jesus will just be a smooth sail through. You'll just be coasting in the air and have fun because you have accepted Jesus as Lord and savior. That was never the promise Jesus made to any believer. In verse 13, it says, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings. And when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you. For the spirit of glory and of God rest upon you.

On their part is blasphemed. But on your part is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer. So there is different expressions of suffering. There is suffering for Christ. There is suffering because you are a fool. It says, let none of you suffer as a murderer. Let none of you suffer as a thief. In other words, if you are a murderer, there is a dimension of suffering you will enter. Christ is not there.

You'll be taken to court. You'll be put in prison. You'll be put in jail. If you are a thief, they will beat you into stupor, put tire on you, put petrol on you. Paul says, don't think that was... That is part of your suffering for Christ. That suffering is because you are a thief. He says, let none of you suffer as an evildoer or as a busybody in other people's matters. So when you put your mouth in other people's matters, there is suffering allotted for you. Stay with me.

Verse 16 says, yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. I will come back to this scripture. There are so many things to see in the scriptures. In Psalms 61, the bible says, hear my cry, oh God. Attend to my prayer. This is the genuine heart cry of a heart in anguish. This is from the end of the earth I will cry to you. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than high for you have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy when my heart is overwhelmed. But there is a possibility for the heart of a man to be overwhelmed. The bible lets us know it is possible for a believer to go through a season in his life, in the life of a ministry, an organization, a family, a business, a career, even a nation, a marriage, where it seems as though the word of God is not producing the kind of result it is meant to produce as a believer.

In Proverbs chapter 24 verse 10, the bible says if you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. So the bible references that there is a day of adversity. And if you fail in the day of adversity, if is a statement of possibility, it means it is possible not to fail in the day of adversity. But by peradventure you fail, it is not because the adversity had what it takes to overwhelm you. It is because your strength is small. It means you didn't build strength for that day. You weren't prepared for that day. Nobody told you in your journey through life that there is a day called the day of adulthood. And before that day comes, it is wisdom to prepare so that you build stamina and you build strength. So that when that day comes...

In other words, there is no day of adversity that ever comes that has the power in itself to swallow up any man. If you faint in the day of adversity, it is not because the adversity is big. It's not because the problem is large. It is because your strength is small. And so it means even the perspective of the adversity is as defined by your strength. And so when somebody feels as though, don't you know what I'm going through? Look at everything is just turning upside down. I'm about to collapse. I'm about to die. The fact that you think that their vanity can kill you means your strength is more.

You don't even understand. Look at what I am going through. Look at this. Look at that. The bible says, it's a reflection of unpreparedness in the race of life and destiny. And in our maturation of believers, we must also teach them that a day will come in every man's life that is called the day of adversity, and it is wise as a believer to build strength for that day. This is not a message that everybody loves. Everybody wants to hear. But if you give your heart to it, you will have no idea when you will need it because I promise you you will. Sooner or later, will.

Some of you need it now. Apostle Paul, in Ephesians chapter three verse 16, starts praying for the Ephesian church. And watch his prayer very closely. He says, that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory. To be strengthened with might. Through his spirit. In the inner man. Did you see that prayer? That it is possible to be strengthened with might. It is possible to be strengthened with might through his spirit in your inner man that the inner man of a man can be strong and powerful.

There are times when you see people and you see them posting through life. Some of you have seen people like that, and it looks as though they they don't have any problem at all. Their life is always looking as though you just have everything figured out. Do you even have any challenges? The bible says this is their reality. It is not because there are no challenges. It is because they have built strength in their inner man. So that even when they go through challenges, these challenges does not have what it takes to swallow them up. They walk through fire as though it were nothing because they've prepared strength for days like that. Galatians six and verse nine.

And let us not grow weary while doing good. That it is possible to grow weary while doing good. It is possible to grow weary while doing good. I wonder what can make a man grow weary while he's doing good. While he's on his path to destiny, while he's on his path to progress, while obeying principles, the bible says let us not grow weary. For in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart. KJV says we will reap if we do not faint. Do you know what this means? It means even if you have been committed to well doing, if you faint or if you lose heart, you may not survive the times where the harvest will come for you. Because the bible says, for in due season we shall reap.

If we faint not, it means it takes strength to harvest. When due season comes, when it is time to reap, if a man has faint, if a man has lost heart, if a man has given up on destiny, he won't be able to take advantage of harvest even though harvest has come. So harvest does not come to life of a believer, and the believer start experiencing the dividends of harvest just because seasons have changed. That it takes strength to experience harvest. And if a man loses heart whilst he's doing good, whilst he's on that journey, then seasons will change. Seasons of opportunities, of breakthrough, of progress will come. And because he has lost heart, the first thing that will happen is that his eyes would not even be able to see opportunities because he has lost that. The door will open in his front, and somebody will invite him and say, ah, sir, there's another contract bill. Go and bid for it. Yeah.

What what is the use? Ah, buddy. About 50 I've bidded for, and nothing came out of it. You see, if he does not lose heart, what has happened now is that that experience has brought him to a place where he has lost heart, where he has grown faint. So when the season of opportunity came, the numerous disappointment has brought him to a place where he has submitted to defeat. And there are many men like that in ministry, many men like that in life, many men like that in destiny who are not willing to do anything again because they believe I've done it all. I've opened all doors. I've knocked all doors yet. Nothing seemed to be working. God is able to do just what he says he would do.

He's gonna fulfill every promise Listen. I do not know one great man, any great man who became great properly with the discipline of kingdom integrity, who does not have a story of these seasons of adversity in his life. Whether in ministry, whether in business, in fact. The bible lists the credentials of people who you should follow. And he says, follow them all through faith and patience. If you find that the result did not come through faith and patience, something is wrong about that result. There will be seasons of life where there are situations that typify adversity. A loss of a loved one, a loss of a job, loss in business, some kind of situation that represents adversity. Listen. I wish we can tell you as men of God that you will have all the answers when those times come.

But there are times you will be challenged with things you won't find any answer that makes sense in such a situation. There are people who fail and go through things in life because of obvious disobedience to kingdom principles. We know those. We can see it evident in their lives, but I've seen people in my lifetime that that that you cannot exactly say that there is anything wrong that they are doing with respect to complying to kingdom principles in as much as we can see, yet their lives are nothing to show for it. I've seen parents sick who love Jesus. I've seen people continue to declare words, I have a great future. Opportunities are opening for me. He wakes up in the morning. He's excited, and he's saying, oh, what a good day it is. All things bright and beautiful.

The Lord God made them whole. Oh, I'm I'm moving in leaps and bound. I'm running through a troop by my God. I leap over a wall and a guest at the office place, and what is offered is a circulator. And he cannot seem to reconcile the confessions that he has made with the experience that now stands in front of him. Do you know that many people who are atheist are atheist today because they were not prepared for these seasons? And so when seasons of adversity came, one of the things that they could not overcome that stank that sank them into atheism is that they could not understand why this can happen. But God, if I am a Christian, but if God exists, but if there is a God, if God exists, why was I praying? Why was I doing this? Most people who are atheists are atheists as a result of disappointments that they experience that no man of God can explain.

And they came to men of God looking for answers, and they could not offer any answers. So they came to conclude that if there is a God and that God allows this kind of a thing to happen, either he's a wicked God, he's schizophrenic, but he's not a god that I want to worship. Most people who claim to be atheist are just offended people, bitter people, angry with god, angry with men of God, angry with pastors because of experience in their life that no man could explain to them. Am I boring you? All men go through these seasons of weariness, these seasons of adultery, these seasons of frustration, of hardships, of mishaps, of weakness, of weariness, and so on. In Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 29, the Bible says, it gives power to the weak. And to those who have no might, he increases strength. He gives power to the weak. The Bible says in verse 30, but even the youths shall faint and be weary. And the young men shall utterly fall.

This has nothing to do with backsliding. This is a reality that befalls men by reason of wearing a mortal body. That there is an emotional wear and tear that can befall men. Remember that the bible says the glory of the young man is in his strength, But the bible is not saying even the young men shall faint. That there will be experiences where the the the the appearance of glory in his life will be deflated. Because there will be no strength. Thank you Lord Jesus. Thank you Lord Jesus. Advocacy is that state of serious or continued difficulty, that state of misfortune, challenges before a man or circumstances that are terrible that he can't just explain unpleasant experiences. And you would expect that sincerely speaking, this kind of thing should never happen to a believer.

And as far as the word of God is concerned, we continue to declare and to release our faith for days of victory. But the reality for every man on earth is that sooner or later, something of this sort will happen to you. Or to someone connected to you. Like so. Every man under the sound of my voice, whether you agree with me or not, will sooner or later be confronted with seasons and situations that will test your convictions, that will test everything you know about God. The fact that you came out unscathed was not because the season did not come. Have you seen people who had terrible accidents and would come up as though nothing happened? You won't even see a scratch on their body? Did... Is it because they actually did not happen?

Do you understand what I'm saying? That's exactly how the life of many is. By the time you hear their stories, you wonder how are you still standing? Bishop Ouedepo came and announced on national television that the federal government has just given them the license to have their own personal hanger and history as a ministry. Everybody was celebrating. The following month, a bill was passed in the house of assembly telling the federal government not to give licenses to hone airstrips to private enterprises and to withdraw the one that was given to bishop Oedepo. I know it is currently still being argued about. Of course, it's a failed endeavor. It's not a failed endeavor because it not come. It's a failed because you are you are fighting against the wrong man.

You're not getting what I'm saying. You would think that the devil will just be happy, everybody will be happy. No. The man of God shared an experience. He said he got back home one day and he saw his wife blood everywhere whilst the wife was pregnant. And the wife said, oh, I have a miscarriage. Is it because the day did not come? The man said, how would you have a miscarriage? Come, woman. Go and get me my food.

Is it because they did not come? The wife was ministering on the pulpit and slumped and fell. Do you know that can collapse a ministry? The wife of the man of God is ministering and he slumps and collapses and faint in front of tens of thousands of people has to be rushed out on a stretcher. And yet the man of God comes as though nothing happens. Papa Iyadebu, he said whilst he was in the prayer room, the wife kept on knocking at his door. And he was praying, God will not allow him come out. And he had to ask the wife what happened. And the wife whispered, our son is dead. Is it because they did not come?

Are there no questions you would ask? How will a man who has raised several dead bodies come and be confronted with the fact that his son is dead and he can't give a word and say, stand up? Of I have to buy it as a finance. How do you even begin to explain that? There are many people who have lost their own sons, and by a word that came out of your mouth, you spoke and things happen. And you are told that your own son is dead, and your anointing cannot do anything about that. How do you begin to explain that? There are people who have held on to that dead body who have said, Jesus, if you don't do something, this is the end of my ministry. I will not believe you again. I will not love you again.

Why would this happen to me? Why would this happen to me? And the son will lay down there lifeless, and they will close on the ministry and say, God does not exist. To him who overcomes. Do you remember that story in scriptures? Jesus saw the disciples and he told them. The bible says he constrained them to go to the other side. Jesus was the one that gave the instruction. The Bible says in the beginning was the word. The word was with God.

The word was God. So the person who gave the instruction was the word of God. So if you are following the instruction that the word gave, does that not mean you are acting on the word? And the word told them, go to the other side. At the middle of the sea, the Bible says a storm arose and it was so boisterous, they would have died. Were they not acting were they not acting on the word? Couldn't the storm respect the world that spoke? Why would you be acting on the word? Acting on what Jesus told you And on the middle of the sea, whilst you are going as Jesus instructed, a storm arises about to take your life, take your business, take your ministry, and you start wondering, is it God that sent me? Are you sure?

Because people believe that if God says go, there will be no challenges. As far as God was the one who said it. There will be no issues at all. It'll just be a smooth course through. But Jesus was the one who said, go to the other side. And yet the storm arose. On another occasion, Jesus himself was even inside the boat, And he was going to go for a crusade in Gadarene. And on his way, the Bible says a storm arose. What kind of storm does not respect the fact that Jesus is in the boat? And once the king of kings is in the boat, the storm still came.

The Bible says Jesus woke up from his sleep. When they came to him, they said, master, carest not thou that we perish. Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind. You don't rebuke a nonentity. In other words, that thing... The word wind, there is the word pneuma. You know that scripture that says that? They say the way the wind, no one knows where the wind comes and goes. That's the same way you don't know the way or the path of a man who is led by the spirit. The word wind and the word spirit are both pneuma.

And so when the bible says Jesus rebuked the wind, the word wind was also pneuma. In other words, what the bible is saying is Jesus rebuked the spirit. So did the spirit not know that Jesus can't rebook it? Why did he still come? The bible says the bible calls him author and finisher. That's the name the bible calls him. Author and finisher. There are certain factors that I've observed that are responsible for these seasons of adversity in the life of a believer or in the life of men in general. Are you with me? The first is what we see in Proverbs chapter 13 verse 12.

The bible says hope deferred makes the heart sick. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. This is this is the first precursor for seasons of adversity, disappointed expectations, the deferment of hope. Do you see what that means? It means I'm hoping that this will happen. But all the while while I'm hoping, it does not happen. I keep on waiting expecting that a time will come when I will see the manifestation of that which I'm hoping for, but I still don't see anything. Disappointed expectations can dampen people's spiritual life, dampen their faith. You submit a CV, and for a long time, you don't hear any response. You keep on applying for jobs upon jobs, bidding for contracts, putting gigs on Fiverr, and you are doing everything you know to do, everything you have been taught to do, expecting that one day, mine will break through and then up deferred.

You are expecting a breakthrough based on a promise somebody made to you. And you consider this person and helper of destiny, maybe because he has the financial wherewithal to make that promise a reality. And he's told you, I'm gonna get you a laptop. I'm gonna get you a phone. I'm gonna get you a warehouse. I'm gonna give your church a building. I'm gonna do this for you. And then you you you put all your hope and expectation on what that man has said. And you keep on expecting, expecting, expecting, expecting hope deferred. A young man spent over twenty, twenty one years going through western education, and he's expecting to get a job when he's done.

Now he's five years out of university, and there's still no job for him. Hope defiled. It makes the heart sick. It makes the heart faint. How about marital issues? People who have trusted God, women who are now in their twenties, late twenties, entering into their early thirties, some even in their forties, and they're still expecting that one day I will marry. One day I will marry. How about fertility issues? Husband and wives who have married now, five years, ten years, there's no children. Hope deferred.

There's no children. And there are times when you'd go and you find out, oh, this is the problem. The husband has a low sperm count. The wife has infertility issues, and you try to figure out a way around that problem. Oh, let's go for your surrogate mother. Let's go for maybe IVF. Let's go for this. Let's... Whatever. And this is because you can trace a a seeming problem.

Is that not so? But there are many people who have gone to the hospitals, have themselves tested, and there's no problem with either party. Husband is good, wife is good, yet the mystery is that there's no child. Hope deferred. There are people who have who have given... How about people with all kinds of miscarriages upon miscarriages? Do you really think anybody plan for that? How about people who have given birth whilst the child is in the mother's womb? The husband will come and rob the womb of that woman saying, what we will name our child now? And they will paint all kind of pictures.

They will go and buy gifts, make a playhouse for the child. They will imagine how they will hold their daughter's hand and they are playing and they are doing all kind of things. And now it is time for the child to be born and they are told, oh, this child has an enlarged heart. This child has a neuro... Neurological condition. This child is autistic. He has this. He has that. And you're wondering, but what did we... What is this?

Hope deferred. And this is the reality of several. Disappointed expectations. The second thing I found is persecution and attacks. Please stay with me. Persecution and attacks. In James chapter one, from verse one, the Bible says, James, a bond servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad. Greetings. He now says in verse three, knowing. In other words, there is an information you have to know.

Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing. Stay with me. There is a burden of greatness that most people would not know. And it is easy to be carried away by the glamour, by the prestige, by the honor that surrounds greatness. And you would not know that every great man is also carrying their own cross. The easiest part of greatness is becoming great. Remaining great is harder than becoming great. And if greatness is what you hope to accomplish as a believer, if greatness is your expectation as a believer, you must be taught to know that it is easy to be great. However, it takes wisdom, it takes strength, it takes stamina to maintain greatness, especially even after you die.

There is a battle for every mantle. You want to be a CEO in Africa? Are you ready to stand the attacks, the charms, the wizardry, the witchcraft that follows greatness? You want to go into oil and gas? Amazing. But are you ready for the biases, the powerhouses, the godfathers, the oil mogus? People who your purpose as a believer in that industry is a threat to their livelihood, who will fight you with everything that they've got. The warfare that goes on in that sector. I want to be a politician. Oh, that's amazing.

But do you know what it means to live every day with threats throughout the rest of your political life? Threats upon threats? Always having to watch your back because somebody can come and kidnap you and ask for money because they believe you have stolen every money at the politician. Even the ones that have good intentions, there's no difference. Every... As long as they're a politician, you are a you are a thief. And when you get there, people will call you the same. People will refer the same. People will call you the same. People will tell you, you are also a thief.

You... All of you are just thieves, bandwagon of thieves. You are doing nothing. You are only driving cars. Look at them with new cars every day. You are collecting salary as though they should not be paid. If you were there, won't you collect the money? And you have to withstand this as though you're not a human being yourself. There is a pressure. The bible says on...

Not the bible now. A proverb really. On easy wears the head. That wears the crown. It is very true and even agree with scripture. On easy does wear the head that wears the crown. If you know that the crown is what you desire, understand there is a level of weight that come to the crown. Most people have no idea that greatness is a burden. And sometimes when God withholds certain possibilities from you for a season, it is not wickedness. It is God's mercy looking at you and saying, let me let me not wreck this fragile destiny that is not yet fortified with knowledge.

This this naive destiny who still thinks that everybody likes him, everybody likes her. Let me not offend anybody. Nobody will offend me. Let me not touch anybody. Nobody will touch me. This very fragile, innocent believer, if I should expose you to certain things right now, it will destroy you. Let me allow you grow. That is why many people who have been exposed to greatness without going through the rigors of the training that prepares a man for greatness have gotten there and have entered into a. There are people today who everyday on social media, they are coming to cry. Why are you people abusing me?

Why are you calling me names? Somebody called me this and that. Listen. Were you not prepared for it? Didn't they tell you that as long as you are in people's faces, they will see everything in your face? Nobody mentored you. How did you happen at greatness? Oh, my father was wealthy. My father is influential. My father is a man of God.

And because my father... Everybody knows my father, everyone should know me too. And you have no idea that your father was prepared by God for that season. You were born by him and entered into a reality you were not prepared for. And most people who are on trend in this thing expose their children at a very early age without having the stamina to withstand the pressure. That's why most wise people you see, when they see that God has given them prominence, the first thing they do is protect their family. They don't want anything because... Ah, do you know what it means to be the son of the politician? People will see you after and call you a thief. He didn't do anything.

Your father is only a governor. So look at look at him. What did he do? The guy goes to Chicken Republic like you and do that $2.05 to buy food. He said, look. Oh, Nigerian here. They they are stealing our money, using our money. Thieves, you bring up a phone, snap him, say, look at him. The child of this man spending the money his father has stolen. And you wonder the pressure the guy is going through right now because his father is great.

Attack and persecutions. You see, for as long as you are not great, your watch is okay. Your cloth is okay. Your dressing is nice. Your appearance is good. The way you talk is okay. You don't even have to do anything. You think you are beautiful. You know you are beautiful. Everybody also agrees around you that you are beautiful.

But the moment you become great. When you succeed and when you become great, you will find that somebody had an issue with your watch. Something is wrong with your clothes. It is meant to be longer than that. There will always be people that find everything wrong with the great, and it will not stop. It's a crown the great must wear. Important that come to greatness. Don't... And if you think that you you will escape it by just doing right, enter into a roof shock that people are not concerned about doing right. They are only envious.

They are they are they are only poisonous at heart, bitter, angry people at the fact that you are great. So anything that has your attention, even if it's a good thing you said, they will say, why did he say like that? Could he not have said this? People will be hungry that a man of God is wealthy or is rich and is not blessing the poor or is not doing this. And you have no idea what he does without camera, Without publicizing it, people's coffees is paying, you have no idea. And you think that maybe the reason why they are abusing me is because I'm not putting these things out there. Okay. Let me now put it out there. At least you stop abusing me. The first day he puts it and say, widow, come.

I'm giving you 100 k. He said, oh, look at them. Look at them. Jesus said, watch your hand do it. Don't let your right hand see it. Look at them. And they said they are believe... They are of God. Morning, are stealing. They're even now showing it off in the church.

And you would think if I only do one thing, a man of God is on YouTube gathering a large crowd of people praying every day. They came to... They came... They said he's a YouTube content creator. He said he's making billions from naive believers on YouTube, making money on YouTube. All these bodies, pastors, all these this, all these that. It's a business they are doing. Why is he making Is that the life that Jesus said you should live? Another man of God who is also getting that much traction came and announced that on my own YouTube, I'm not monetized it. I'm not making any money.

He says he's a fool. He's a fool. Why is he not monetizing it? Why is he not making money there? That money can bless the poor. That money can heal the sick. That money can do this and that. And you wonder, what exactly can you do? Many will ask, what did I do? You were great.

That's all. What did I do? You are successful. That's all. What did I do? You are blessing life. That all... That's that's all. You are impacting life. You are blessing souls.

And you must know, else don't be great. Because the pressure can kill you. Men have killed themselves. People have committed suicide because they could not handle the hatred, the bitterness that came from people who just cannot stand greatness. I know it's not conventional to hear this in church. But if your desire is greatness and if that is what I'm teaching you to become, you must know this. You must know this. Else you would go on social media and five hundred five hundred followers, you're following maybe two fifty. You stand there, you say, I just want to express myself. And you show people you are painting your nails, you are painting your eyes, looking good.

And you see your family members and your friends, and they say, wow, so beautiful. Wow, so nice. You are encouraged and motivated. You go again the following day. You go again the following day. And then all of a sudden, 1,000 followers. You're still good. 2,000 followers. You're still good. 5,000 followers.

You're still good. 8,000 followers, you're still good. 10,000, 15,000, 20,000. Now you're reaching hundreds of thousands of people doing the same thing you were doing when you had 500 people. Then you will see someone say, ah, I think you will be better if your nose were slimmer. And you will see under that comment, 500 other comments saying I thought I was the only one. I wanted to say it. I just didn't know how to say it. You'll find someone else saying, old is this girl? You look like your grandmother.

Another person would say, are even doing all of these things? Or that park well? And you just wonder, why? What did that do to you? What did that if you are naive and nobody taught you that there are always bitter men everywhere looking for whom to pull down? You will you will read it. You will say, but I'm I'm only a human being. Pack well, pack well because you will be destroyed. That greatness you have entered will now destroy you. The reality of spiritual attacks even.

You enter into an office people are contending for, and you think that you just leave it there to enter into a state of rest and peace. It is better to be properly prepared for greatness than to stumble into it. Because if you stumble into it, you you will stumble out as fast as you stumbled in. Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof, the bible says. Do you know that Jesus himself said in this life, you will experience tribulations? Jesus himself. I'm telling you this thing because this truth I'm teaching you in this place will lift you above your current realm of success. And for many others, it will bring you into that realm of success and greatness. I know this more than I know my name because these are not the opinions of men. You will be great if you do what I'm telling you to do.

If you follow these teachings, if you accept these prophecies, you will be great. It's only a matter of time, and you must know it. If you will be great, then understand that there are pressures, attacks, persecutions that you must be prepared for to handle even as God is lifting you. As soon as you are done celebrating the glory and the success that comes with greatness, that comes with influence, understand that you are in a very delicate realm. Before you were making, say, 100,000 naira, 50,000 naira, now you have entered into seven figures. There's a level of battle you start experiencing. Then you cross into eight figures. There will be new battles you'd experience you never thought was possible at seven figures. Now you shift into nine figures. For every level, there will always be new possibilities, new inventions of wickedness that people will craft just because they are unhappy with the fact that you are rising.

And a man must be prepared for this. Else you will wonder why people you thought were loyal to you will one day turn their back and stab you and sell you off for money. Some you dine with, some you wind with. I've seen people who are angry that their so called loyal friends betrayed them, sold them off for money. Greatness and influence is a very delicate realm. It is a realm that you... That will wreck you emotionally, even spiritually if you're not prepared for it. Attacks and prosecutions in your place of work. You see, you are diligent, and perhaps you are more diligent than everybody you met there, employed before you got there, and you just start applying yourself with kingdom principles, doing the things you were taught, giving yourself to excellence, giving yourself to diligence. You don't participate in office drama and mockery against the boss, and suddenly the boss starts seeing the result that you bring into the office and the amount of sales that you are tractioning inside.

And suddenly you become a threshold for excellence and diligence, and the boss starts comparing you to others, and you become the benchmark for success. And the boss comes and says, can't you see what this girl is doing? Can't you see what this boy is doing? Can't you be as reasonable as this person? You think they will look at them and smiling. The question is, are you doing bad? Let us not be weary in well doing. Because as you start... As you continue in well doing, you will amass hatred from people who think that you are showing off, who think your own is just too much. Can't you just be normal like every other person?

Why must you get to the work by 7AM? What's your own? You're not putting every other person in trouble. You know why? Because time to get to work is 7AM or 8AM. So there's a roster everybody puts. So when they come, they just fabricate time. One... The earliest person comes by 08:30. Right?

08:08 or 07:48. The second person come by 08:45. He writes 08:05. The third person comes by and he says, okay. 84... 805. And then you call 08:10. And suddenly, you are employed. You are employed all of a sudden. You get there, and right 07:00 in the morning you got there.

Now the person who came by 08:00 in the morning can no longer put eight something again or seven something again because the fact that your own name is there has already exposed his own lie. Are you with me, brother and sister? That simple act of integrity will amass enemies. That simple act of integrity. You're a teacher in the school, and they say his own class. We had nobody who failed. They come to the church meeting, and they say, mister Simon, stand up. Can you clap for mister Simon? Can you clap for him again? Can you clap for him again?

He has 57 students in his class. 45. Had 42 distinctions. Now ask me what... Tell me what you are doing with your own lives. Mister Solomon, you have been here for five years before mister Simon came. You have never had so and so. You have never had so and so. Mister Simon, you know what? Come and tell her what you did.

And you come to the front and you say, well, you have to... You think people are listening to you? They they are watching. They are saying, where did this one come from? And they will look for every avenue, every opportunity. It is the burden of excellence. Let us not be weary in well doing. That is why the bible says not to be weary because even doing well have its own pressures. You are the most brilliant student in your classroom, and everybody wants to come and meet you for training, for this, come and teach me this, come and prepare this with me, but the test that is coming up, I have not yet prepared. And you tell them, see, I'm a human being.

The fact that I'm doing well, I also have to rid myself. I don't have the time to make for you and say, it's proud. Look at that, but a proud girl because you are passing, because you think you are smart. Nonsense. Who God... Who who did God not give brain? Who did God not give brain? If God gave you go and use it, why pressure the person? And and if you are... If you don't have emotional maturity or stamina and strength, you'll you'll sit down there and wonder, ah, ah, apostle, I don't even know what I'm doing again.

Everybody's not angry with me. I was greeting my boyfriend. He just eased and walked out. So I like to look at that and say, what is this? What is this? If you are if you are already depressed because your your classmate, how will you handle greatness? How will you handle greatness? Remember Jesus? The son of the living God? For as long as he was a young boy that nobody knew, he would enter into the tabernacle and scribes and Pharisees would give him audience, he would ask them questions, and he would answer all his questions.

They would even they were even amazed at his wisdom, but they never challenged the wisdom as long as it didn't challenge them. Or they didn't see him as a threat. How will a 12 year old boy come on now? So when every time he came, he would ask them questions about the law and the prophet, and these people will be so glad as to answer him. They even gave him opportunity to read the Torah. Because in the bible says, he went into the as his custom was. That means he was given the privilege many times to come and read this Torah. I mean, they liked him. They they trusted him. But one day, the heavens opened.

They saw a dove coming from the heavens and a voice thundering down from the heavens saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well placed. Hear he him. And all of a sudden, the bible says he returned in the power of the spirit. His fame went abroad. Miracles, healings, signs, wonders. Suddenly, the person that answered his question in Sunday school came to him and said, by what authority? What is the difference between that 12 year old boy and the one you are challenging now? And do you know that they are... They look for all opportunity to to ensure that he dies? They didn't even look for a way to discredit his ministry.

They wanted him dead. And they found it. They appeared before Herod, and they told Herod, he has done this. He told he told us he would destroy our temple in three days. He was talking about his body. Nobody even come out to ask, what are you talking about? They don't want to hear. All they want is, go away. You are a threat to our business. You are a threat to what we are doing.

Go away. He entered into gathering, and you will think that a man... A madman who has probably even attacked people, even killed people, even raped people. You'll be happy that he's been delivered. You'll be happy that he's now seen. This man has become a terror to us in this nation for many years even since he was born has now been delivered. You would think people will return and be happy, but no. The first thing is, where where are our pigs? What happened to our pigs? And they say, the pigs like...

We didn't even know what happened. They were on their own. No. They just took risk when that man came. Enter the sea and they died, and we... He's the one responsible. They say, how? How we now spend? What we now sell? This is our means of livelihood.

Get out. Leave this place. Never come back again. No thank God for what he has done. No celebrating Jesus for the miracle he has done. This is a human being. You mean to say you prefer a pink over your life? Over your life? What was bad in the fact that he delivered a man? On one Sabbath day, the bible says he came and he healed a man.

They were hungry not because he healed, but because he healed on Sunday. Where where else should people be healed? They had something wrong with everything that he was doing. Are you with me? One day, someone will stand in front of your warehouse, and when they see it as big as ICC, they will say, he must be doing something. We don't trust him. We knew when he started. How can he just afford the kind of money to buy this kind of investigating? EFCC, police, come here. And they will come.

They will bring all kind of people. They... Your name will be on media. Just because somebody feels as though your life is a mystery. And every time your life is a mystery, every time there are results in your life that logic cannot explain. People will have their own form of biases and explanations for why your life is like that. One day, a relative of yours will win an election, and they will start calling you all sort of names. You will think they will congratulate you. They will say you frost star. You son of a thief.

When you are a nobody, nobody really cares about you. But when God begins to honor and lift you, when God begins to honor and lift you, I'm... Oh, Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus. When God begins to honor and lift you, we have had several meetings. Muslims have been here. They have been saved. Giving their life to Christ. Nobody really cared. Sailor.

You stand in the midst of people and you're driving a good car. You're in trouble for that. Do you have stamina? If it is the glory of God that you will carry in your life, you must sustain strength. Because you will go through high waters, you will go through terrible situations, flaming fire of persecution, You will go through things that are not that that are even not your business at all. What have I done that people don't like me? You succeeded. What have I done that people don't like me? You impacted lives. What have I done that people don't like me?

You are a blessing to generation. Just because of that, you will amass so much hate. You would think that the richest man in the world will be loved for his many inventions. There are several people who still hate that man. For no just cause. Who still hate that guy? Are you with me brothers and sisters? We are having a meeting right now. I'm fellowshipping with the word of God. And the birds are having fun.

Let us be great. Somebody just carry a camera. So that's the source of his strength. We knew it. We knew it. That's where he taps power from. That's where he taps power from. You see? Those are his those are his comfort and they came to Kupoma and visit him and say hello And say hello. You can wear a ring as a man of God does not matter even if you are married, but you'll be great.

That ring, it resembles the one in the hand of... And then they now bring screenshot. They show you a photo of one president who said it was illuminati wearing that same ring. They show a video... Another photo of a a a a a secular singer wearing that same ring. They show another video of another one. They say, look at them. They all wearing the same ring. They belong to the same confraternity. They exposed scandal.

Eden's secrets behind mega churches in Nigeria. They will put... Listen to me. They will put your face with horn. And you will see feathers behind your back. You you will check it to say it's... And we know such things will be done to us as well. We are prepared for it. A lot of the things we say will be highly misunderstood. One thing you should not expect from us is to explain our stand to anybody.

Anybody can go to hell as long as they want to. Carrying the things that I say and misconstruing it, I hold nobody no explanation. Some of my guys came to me and told me when the last event happened and this organization released an article and a news about us, and they spread all kind of lies in that news. And some of my guys, out of their concern, their love, say, apostle, we must not allow this. Let's also give out our own narrative. I said nobody cares about your narrative. Nobody cares about... You will think that because you gave out your narrative, people will now think that, oh, you are a stand up guy. People already have their emotions. They are only looking for the slightest excuse to believe it and to reinforce it.

As we are doing what we are doing, there are people who don't like what we are doing, but they don't have anything to say yet. So the first time a news come out, they say, said it. We knew it. And you would think that your own argument will suppress that perception? No. No. It will not. Do you have the stability and the stamina, the maturity to withstand pressure, and to stand in front of persecution? Are you with me? Yes, sir.

Especially to stay with your convictions and not water down your message because you're now great. This is how I will continue to speak. This is how I've been speaking. Let me advise you. This is not in my message, but let me just say this. Understand something. Mainstream media is regulated and controlled by the princes and power of the hair. There is a principality that regulates mainstream media. That mountain has not yet been overtaken for Jesus. I can guarantee you this.

Both by the integrity of scriptures and by personal experiences and revelations. And that is why it is foolishness to use information from mainstream media as the basis of your belief or of your conviction. One. Number two, understand that because it is regulated by the princess of the hair, there is a large hatred for the church on the media. That means there is no news about the church on the media that is ever given with a good intention, even good news. The assignment of the media is to destroy the church and use every means possible. In other words, if it will not attract the attention of people to either attack, to either speak against, it is not worthy of being propagated. Understand the media so that you don't become a victim of of nonsense. There are some of you that go to all these bloggers and go to all these and you're reading articles. You are feeding yourself with poison.

Don't do that. Don't do that. It's not healthy for your soul. Because one day, you will become on the receiving end of what you're currently doing. And you will know how it is to be innocent, yet people spread lies about you. Even good news, the way the media will phrase it, you will wonder, ah, did they really say that? The media therefore is not the source of truth about the church. Because their their intention is to tear down and to bring down. So if it does not cause controversy, it's not worthy of being propagated. So they can do several good things in the church.

No media house will carry it. But you say something that appears to be controversial. Everybody interested. Papa Adeboyye said this. Bishop Ouedebu said that. And people who are not members of the church, who are... Who did not even hear the full sermon, will come on social media. Christians, believers, don't be a part of this wickedness. Don't be a part of this iniquity. It's a foolish thing.

Don't let them see your name on social media. You are arguing with people, and you're saying we've always known it. No. No. No. No. It should not be said that any of you does that. Understand this. A man of God does so and so mind your business. It's not your business.

Do you understand what I'm telling you? Please believe what I'm sharing with you. The same thing we have been doing. If a phone rings during my meet, I will send you out. It's not new. I've been doing this under the tree. Now because we are plenty and we are great, a full narratives and ask them what? You know, as a man of God has pride issues. I do not have another tree. It's now I got developed.

You are you are a foolish person. Very foolish person. But it's the price of greatness. Yes. People will have opinions about every single thing that you do. And they're on. Count of that opinion, there will be attacks and persecutions. From men and from the realm of the spirit. There will be circumstances and pressure you might not be able to explain. Like the loss of a loved one.

People spreading lies like the... You see, all kind of things really. I've seen people who are going well in their business and they get to a point and everything just stops. There's just a a stop and they seem to be on his spot for longer than usual. And they can't seem to be able to explain what is causing this. Is it that my giving has reduced? Is it that my... This has done that? There are times when you might not necessarily be doing anything wrong. You may be, but there are times when you might not necessarily be doing anything wrong.

They're just seasons of adversity, and you must know how to come out strong. For the bible says to him who overcomes. To him who overcomes. How about the emotional pain that comes as a result of losses, disappointment, depression, frustration? It's one thing to go through unpleasant seasons. But when those seasons get to you, they produce sorrow. And in first Peter chapter four that we read, it says, beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you. As though some strange thing has happened to you. But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings. Do you see this?

That means when you go through uncomfortable seasons in your life, on account of your love for Jesus, on account of your determination to become all that God has destined you to be, the bible says, it is not your suffering. You are only partaking of Christ's suffering. That when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. So there is a there's a relationship between suffering and glory. We partake of sufferings so that glory can be revealed. And there is nothing I ever go through that I will... That is ever supposed to defeat me. The idea is that I've become an overcomer. Do you know that the devil... Your greatest message will come from the testimonies of your survival.

This thing came to kill me, but I came out. You can write a book, and that book will be as powerful as anything because you're only writing a book based on information you have received. You're writing a book based on something you have defeated. When a man who has been poor, born poor, father, probably a plumber somewhere, doesn't even make up to 5,000 naira every month. Mother sells groceries in a small scale market. And you come from that family and you were able to go through all of that and the challenges and the pressure and you come through all of that to now become a wealthy individual, you listen to teachings like this that spurs you into wealth and prosperity, you become a prosperous person, and you say, let me write a book or disciple you. Let me show you how I came out of intense poverty. And you tell your story to people and you say, my mother was so and so. My father was so and so. My goodness.

When people hear that story, it is beyond just a good message. It is now blood on the altar. There is an evidence that God can lift a man. The message has substantiality just beyond information. A man of God was teaching in Lagos, and I had to cry. The only time I cry is in the presence of God, in my personal secret place, when I'm worshiping Jesus. But I was in a conference in Lagos, and this couple was speaking. It was a woman of... It was a woman that was speaking. And I...

The tears were coming out of my eyes on something that I know. She wasn't teaching mysteries. Everything she was teaching, I know. I know because I read the bible. I know because I've studied. I know that there is a path to glory. I know that I've even taught it. Without death, there is no glory. There is death, there is delay, there is all kind of things that happens before glory. There's a process That happen before glory comes.

And this woman came and was sharing the same thing. Using even the same scriptures. But there was a difference. The difference was that she had the result. Result of greatness. Exponential results. Massive giant size accomplishment. Their ministry is now reaching thousands upon thousands of people around the world. Visions I have seen of my tomorrow. There is someone who is now living the experience of that thing now.

And the person stood in my front and was telling me how they started. Now that's just beyond... It's beyond information now. I'm now seeing it in reality. They had pictures. They said after, there were like 20 of them or so some years ago, and they believed God for youth ministry. And as they were praying over twenty years ago, after service one day, they already had criticism from other churches, from people, from parents, all all kind of things. Who didn't believe in their vision, and they were still struggling with that. On top of that struggling, they finished church one Sunday like this. Young children, one was eight years old, the other was...

I've forgotten the age, maybe 12 or so, left the church after church service, and a driver hit both of them and they died. Right in front of the church. They... He said they came to come and call her. And said and said and said, mommy, mommy, and she even thought that it was just these troublesome children again that are coming to come and... But when he got there, he saw two of our members. Young people that referred to her as a mother. On top of the pressure already from churches and ministries who don't agree with the fact that they are gathering a church of young people alone. Now they have new... It was on news.

They brought the newspaper that captured it twenty years ago, and they were showing us. They brought everything, and I I wonder, how do you go through that and your child does not die? How do you go through that? That two people come out of trust service. They could beat both of them and die on the spot. How do you... How... What will you tell their parents? I was I was imagining because I'm a man of God myself. I'm thinking, how do you stand before people the following Sunday?

What do you preach? What do you preach? What will be your message? How will you stand with all integrity? To him who overcomes. And as she brought all the episodes of sufferings and pain they had to go through, that has now led to this great ministry blessing lives around the world including mine. I sat down. I said, wow. Then what is it exactly I've gone through? If this person went through all of this, that means that experience has given weight to our message because she not only has information, she's now a testament of overcomer to him who overcomes.

And what the devil does not want is for you to overcome because he knows the moment you do, you have a testimony that can show people how to. You mean you come out of of of a broken home? Your father and your mother are always fighting every day, and you come to apostle. You even drop prayer request here. Father, let there be unity in my family. Let there be this in my family. And thank God, maybe God answers your prayer. Maybe he does not. And you still go back home again, and you still find the fight, you still find the sufferings, you go back home and the force in your father wake up wake up with which is a slap. Why did that caller not pick my call?

Sir, my phone did not even ring. My phone has been dead. Why is your phone dead? And all through the journey, you have been begging God, God, let there be a change in my father. Let there be a only to welcome with Islam. To him who overcomes. Your mother calls you again and tells you, ah, this is what your father did though. He locked me outside the house yesterday night. Junior could not sleep at home. Myself and the baby I'm breastfeeding, both of us slept outside.

Jesus Christ. Even your school fees, we have no idea how we'll pay it. The idea is not did you die inside, it did you overcome. The testimony is that of this is what I went through. But see how I came out alive unscathed to him who overcomes. There is never a story or a promise of a smooth sail through. Oh, no. It would have said to him who wins. All you have to do is run. But there are obstacles.

There are hurdles. Things you have to fly over. Some you have to bend over. Some you have to climb. To him who overcomes. Do you know how I started my business? There was no sales. Do you know that the testimony of greatness that you read of are only of those who overcame? Don't don't you think that they are the only ones who were presented with opportunity for greatness? Oh, no.

There were several people who could not withstand the training, who died in the pressure. There are many times that the assignment of the pressure is to furnish you, to refine you, start to become a woman of character. There are some people who were raped and molested at age eight. Age nine. I know men, men, that were raped by men. You ask young boys. The question is, will you leave a permanent scar that you will never recover from? And will you blame that as the reason why your life stopped making progress? And why you cannot become anything reasonable in life? Will you say that the reason why I'm loose?

That's the reason why I'm I have I have a desire to act with everybody? That's the reason why I'm... Listen. Done. I'm done. Would you say I overcame? Say to the mountain, I overcame. Listen. Listen. He said it's finished, and Listen.

If you are reproached for the name of Christ, verse 14. The name of Christ does not mean when you are directly preaching the gospel. It means on account of your adherence to the principles of the kingdom, you are now excelling. As a result, there are all kinds of things happening to you. Then blessed are you, the bible says. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, then blessed are you. If you suffer as a Christian, he says, don't be ashamed about it. People persecute you or you go through all kind of things because you're a Christian, because they thought you will use your political position or any position of honor at all to siphon resources, and you have refused. You choose the reproach of Christ and all these things. People will get at you.

They will call you all kind of names. We live in a generation that makes people feel guilty for the word of God working in them. Yeah. There are times when your good can be spoken... Can be evil spoken of. And this is one of the things that close the door to many people's heart of compassion. They were not always like that. There are people who have been changed as a result of the evil heartedness of people. There are people who have vowed to never help anybody again because they invested in too many people who have brought them pain. How about sincere people who have gone to pray with families and they just box them together and they see all these prophets moving from house to house looking for who to steal from?

Whereas some of them were sincere. People believe every man of God who you see moving the power of God using charm. Or if you see a man of God gathering crowd, he has deceived people. The moment people don't understand your life or your lifting, the moment you become a mystery, people will give their interpretation to everything around your life. And every time you meet the days of adversity, every time you meet seasons that are uncomfortable in your life, there are certain keys in scriptures that I want to give you very fast, that it comes a road map to triumph, the road map to victory. There are certain keys in scripture that becomes how you come out unscathed. To him, who overcomes. I know that there are some of us who have been through circumstances that even somebody your age should not have been through. From background... You see, there are some people that have it well.

You come out of good homes. You come out of good families. Your parent love you. Not everybody have that experience. Some people's parents made selfish choices. The mother made a terrible decision to marry someone who already had six wives. Enter into that marriage, now the child is born, never has to be born. Enter into a home where the father does not even like her, does not even want to know her or have relationship with her. If you allow that thing to really your heart, you won't make you won't make progress. You won't make progress.

Understand what I'm saying. A lady came to me some time ago. She might be here listening to me. And she told me, sir, I'm praying to God that you should you should... My mom and my dad are not together. They've been separate for many years. I'm praying to God that you should move. You should cause there to be a unification. You should cause there to be a this. I want you to come and pray for me.

Pray for me for this and for that. I looked at her and I said, hi. Auntie, pray to God that you make progress, that you marry well. Leave that one. Leave it. Leave... Ignore battles are not your business. Focus on your life. Because you can camp around that and never move forward again. You say I'm angry with him.

I'm... Why will he leave my mother when I was young? Why will he leave my mother when I was young? Why will he leave what she knew when I was young? That is you camping in Haran. The devil plans those traumatic things just to ensure you never make progress. To him, overcomes. It is obvious that he left. Glory to God. Will you overcome?

Will you overcome? Ask the question. Oh, I lost my mother when I was young. My mother lost her job. She could not take care of me. I lost my father at a very young age, and my father is the only person that loves me. My mother treats me very horribly because I'm not that child directly, but my... I'm my father's child. My mother is my stepmother because I lost my mom already. And now my father, who happens to be my last father, has has died.

And with this stepmother who cares more about her own children than she cares about me, to him who overcomes. Will you camp around that pain, or will you realize that there is a way inside of that tunnel? To him who overcomes. Stop complaining. Stop making all kind of excuses. Realize that there are hurdles in life. Huddles in life that every man will go through. And the more great your destiny is, the deeper the hurdles might be. Yes. Yes.

It's true. And you would have to fight through it. Some, it will be in business. Some, it will be in career. You'd have to fight through it. Sir, I've started this team for the last three months. I'm not seeing results. I... I've not even gotten one client. Every job I've every job I've gotten is because somebody recommended somebody to me.

I've not gotten any one of my own. To him who overcomes. Will you be willing well doing and miss out on opportunities when they come, or will you say never never ever will I give up? I will keep on putting myself out there until that light breaks forth. For Isaiah says I will not rest. I will not hold my peace until my light breaks forth at the sun, at my righteousness, at the breaking of the day to him who overcomes. And whilst you go through the seasons of adversity, the first thing you must know is the revelation of the love of God. The revelation of the love of God. This is where you draw strength from in days of adversity that Jesus loved me. Jesus loves me.

There is a jealousy that defends me. In first John three verse one, the bible says, behold, what manner of love the father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God. What manner of love? What manner of love? What manner of love? It means it means look at the extent of love that he has so lavished towards us. When you go through hope, fact, persecutions of all kinds, criticism of all kinds, problems here and there. When you go through all kinds of emotional strains that come from these things, either pressure from home, from career, from business, from your boss, chant this heart, you'll begin to reconsider the reality of God's love towards you. When the boat was about to capsize, look at what the disciples told Jesus. Do you not care that we perish?

Do you not care? In other words, why are you nonresponsive to our situation? The first thing that happens when when things like this happen is that you begin to doubt whether or not Jesus loves you. And that is one thing you must you must know for sure and for certain in any circumstance, I am loved by Jesus. The jealousy of God protects me. In Jeremiah 31 verse one, the bible says, verse three, the Lord has appeared of hold to me saying, yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have loved you with an everlasting love. It it... You must believe this. This love is everlasting.

It does not stop at the point of pressure. It's everlasting. Everlasting. I have loved you with an everlasting love. With my loving kindness, I have drawn you. You may be a man of God here, and you are in a season where things are not working. It is as though God not even call you. People have told you, just go and think well about whether or not God called you because I don't even understand what you're doing right now. There are times when the results are not obvious. It is very painful because there is no explanation you can give.

There are times when people will ask you, where is your God? Pastor, where is your God? See how you are serious in church? Sheba, you say you pay tithe. Now where is your God? You're unable to pay this fee. You're unable to do that. You're unable to do that. Where is your God? You are always going to church every day, serious with God, doing all kind of things.

Now look at your life. You have prayed for people who have children, yet you don't have a child yourself. Where is your God? You mentored other people's businesses. Yet if you cannot even afford 1,000 naira, where is your God? In all these things, these are unnecessary questions you must not answer. Learn to rest on the love of Jesus. Learn to rest on the love of Jesus. In Romans eight verse 28, the bible says, and we know and we know. In other words, this information is privy to those who are in the kingdom.

If you are not in the kingdom, you don't know because we don't look like it. We know that all things, including the painful departure of a loved one, all things, including the appointment you thought will go through and it fell through, all things, including the grant you've not received. All things, including the scholarship you did you did not win. All things, including the promotion you were hoping you will get, and it fell in the hand of someone else. All things. We know. We know. Others may not know. Others may think they are foolish. Others may think we are stupid even while we believe against all hope.

The reason why we believe against all hope, we remain in hope is that we know that all things, not good things. All things work together for good. We know. For those who love God, in other words, this is a realm of love. In this realm, all things work together for God. If you learn to see things through the eyes of the spirit, you will be grateful. Don't sit down and say, is that nobody will rise in this family? Is it that? No. No.

No. No. No. Let No. Jesus carry you. His name is Habah, source and sustainer. If he source me, he can sustain me. When a daughter wants to destroy you, he will isolate you from everything and from everyone and will magnify everything around you so that you will no longer see the faithfulness of God in your life. All you see are mountains all around. All you see are situations that seem to negate what God has said.

Hear me. I speak to you by the spirit. You can be an overcomer. Be strong. The bible says be of good cheer. Be strong. Be of good cheer for you have overcome the world. And one of the ways to be strong is to realize that I am loved by Jesus. No matter what the pain is, look beyond that pain and look at Jesus. Not just as almighty, but as father.

Oh, Lord, I know that you love me. I know that that means what you are saying is I won't die in this. This is not how my life will end. No. The prince of peace cannot leave me here. He says I will never leave you nor forsake me. I know I'm not forsaken. I might not understand what is happening right now, but I look to you for comfort. I will not die in this. I understand that you love me.

All you love cannot be defeated by circumstances. You have given me strength. I cannot be weak. You have given me strength. Cannot be weak. When it looks as though you have followed the instructions you received and there are storms that are losing on the sea, you know I know who sent me. The person who sent me will not leave me to die. And while it looks as though the storm is about to capsize the ship, then you will see him walking on water approaching you. And you will say, ah, who is that? Is that a ghost?

You say, I'm the one. I'm the one. If it is high, if it is you, bid me come. And he will say, come. Even whilst they were about to die on the boat, do you know that it was their fault that they were about to die? Because when the storm arose, all they had to do was to remember who spoke to them, stand on his word, and said, the son of God did not say go to the middle of the ocean and die. What he said was go to the other side. So even in the storm, storm hear me. What God told me wasn't that I will die in this storm. He said go to the other side.

And storm or no storm, I will reach the other side. They never... What happened was a faith failure? They forgot who spoke to them. They forgot the miracles they have seen. Even the one that said, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God forgot who spoke. And Jesus did not say, you mean you you you don't have faith in me? You mean, no. I will just leave you. Just die.

Let me look for other 12 disciples. No. He loves me. He loves me. He loves me. He interrupts his schedule, and he walks on water to go and meet them to show them... Do you know why we're walking on water? Because they were afraid that the water will kill them. So he walked on it to show them. Listen.

To show them that what you are afraid can capsize you. I have victory over it. I I can walk on water. He showed them a mental picture. You are afraid you're about to drown, but see me walking on water. What is about to kill you is nothing to me. You must realize that no matter the circumstances, even if he looks as good about to kill me, he can work on it. He can work on it. As though it does not exist. And I like what Peter said, if it is you, bid me come.

In other words, if it is truly you and you are here, then I too should be able to exercise the same level of victory that you have over this event. And God says, yes. In whatever the circumstances or the situation, I know I'm not alone. I know I'm not alone. I know I'm not alone. I might have been in The US, maybe I relocated because God said to go there. And I got there now, and I can't pay the rent. I'm squirting with someone. The person is abusing me every day, waiting in front of me, saying that I will send out to my house. So I'm I'm uncomfortable.

I'm uncomfortable with you living in my house. I'm on this. I'm on that. I am wondering about God. You are the one who sent me here. I've not even gotten a good job. I I go to work in the morning, come back in the night. It's still... It's it's a struggle. But I know you are with me.

I know you are with me. I you are with me. And even this, I can work on it. Even this, I can work on it. Whilst you're expecting that you will marry, whilst you're expecting that you'll get a job, whilst you're expecting that you will give birth to a child, ensure that you never lose sight of the love of Jesus because I know I will not die in this. The bible says, who against all hope believed in hope? Against all hope means there was no reason to have hoped. I might have lost my father. And from that day henceforth, food, eating became a problem, but I know you are source. I know you are sustainer.

For I'm not alone. You are with me. Listen. The second key that you must have... I will stop here. There are about seven of them, but I will stop here. The second key you must have in times of adversity is the revelation of the word of God. The revelation of the word of God. I'll stop here. Scriptures can bring comfort.

Believe me, scriptures can bring comfort. And if you don't know scriptures in times of adversity, you will die. It will kill you. You will give up. You will faint. One of the sort of strength a man can have is his knowledge and his revelation of God's word. Through the fire, I'm not alone. I'm not alone. I'm not alone. And through the fire, I'm not alone.

I'm not alone. I'm not alone. Hear me? In Romans 15 verse four, for whatever things were written before. Romans 15 verse four, for whatever things were written before. Can we look at the things that are written before? Abraham waited for twenty five years, but he still had a child. Whatever things were written before. Job lost everything, but got everything back and double of what he lost, whatever thing were written before. Jacob suffered and slaved, walked without pay for twenty one years plus.

But when he left, he left richer than the man that employed him, whatever things were written before. Jabez had a time where he suffered and struggled, and he thought nothing good will come out of his life because of a name the mother gave him. But suddenly victory, honor. The bible says the end of his life was that he became more honorable than his brothers. Whatever things were written before, that means that it does not matter what fortune a man was exposed to, his life can change. His story can change. Whatever things were written before, Esther was an orphan, lost his mother, was brought up by a good man of an uncle. A good man of an uncle. Who would have thought that a queen can come out of an orphan whatever thing were written before? The bible says whatever things were written before were written for our learning.

That we through patience and comfort of those things that have been written might have hope. Ah. That when you look at your life and you consider what has been written before, suddenly comfort and hope. You know, if Abraham, if Hester, if Mordecai, if Ruth, if Nehemiah, if these people went through all these things, Joseph was in the marketplace. Daniel was in the marketplace. They went through all kind of struggles. A time came where Daniel was put in the lion's den, whatever things were written before. For we know. For we know. A man of God was speaking.

He's a general in the army. And he was speaking. He said that because he's he's a general, he was a colonel when this happened. People did not like the fact that he was rising the way he was rising. People had problem with how he was doing things, how... You know, God was just listening. He had favor with all his bosses. And so the people came up together and planned a setup in the military against him. And they took him. He was court martired.

That would have meant it have been disservice dishonorably if he was found guilty. That matter was in court for several days, several weeks, several months, and he kept on calling his spiritual father saying this is what is happening. For we know that whatever things were written before, it's not the first time that people gang up against me. The psalmist says, why have the kings of the earth ganged up against the Lord and is anointed? But he that sits in heaven will laugh. The man of God told him, listen to me, go and laugh. Go and laugh. Just be laughing. For whatever things were written before. By the time the court case was dissolved, military courtroom, he was given promotion twice.

Yeah. The people that brought the case against him, it was found out that they were they were the ones behind the entire thing because the people that they paid came to come and speak up. They were disservice dishonorably. Isn't that what happened to a man? Whatever things were written before. So when I read scriptures, I'm not just reading stories that have no tail, have no hand. I'm seeing pictures of my own life so that by the time I read these things, there is hope and encouragement that if this person did not die here, I will not die here. Do you realize that this... That your life is also a testimony of things being written? Do you realize that there are people that will write stories about your own life?

You might be too busy to even write one, but your expert will be so great that people will have to study your life and write something about it. Because your life is now worthy of being written. How does a man come from this and become this? For we know that whatever things were written before, can a man come out of the backside of the desert ignored by his own father, ignored by his seven siblings, his name being David, and still become a king. That when Samuel comes to come and anoint the king, his father does not even consider him a son enough to call him. For we know that whatever things were written before. There is comfort in scriptures, and you must have the revelation of God's word. It is what keeps you going in times over poverty. If there is a kind of failure in your life you're experiencing right now, understand I cannot die here. I cannot die here.

There's prophecy over me. That thing will manifest. Did you see what God told Jacob in Genesis chapter 28 when he had the right revelation and he put his head by the stone, have you ever taken time to read the items of God's promise to Jacob? From verse eleven twelve, he dreamed and behold, the ladder was set up. Next verse, watch this. I want you to see what God told him. And the Lord your God, right, the land on which you lie, I will give to you and your descendants. Next verse. Watch this. Also, your defendant shall be at the dust of the earth.

You shall spread abroad to the West, to the East, to the North, to the South. And in you and in your seed, all the families of your head shall be blessed. Next verse. Behold, I'm with you. Behold, I'm with you. And we'll keep you wherever you go. Behold, I'm with you. This guy was about to enter to Laban's house and went and suffered for twenty one years. Before he entered the experience, God intercept his journey and tells him, behold, I'm with you. In other words, it is important before you experience adversity to know I'm with you.

Don't try to look for me in adversity. There are times that can cloud your thinking and cloud your judgment. It is better you know before the day of adversity that God did with me. He says, behold, I'm with you. I will keep you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. And did he do it? He brought him back there, met with his brother, and he was 10 times bigger than how he left. But that's the one where I'm going. Can we read this one, two, three, go to next line? Boss, who is speaking?

God say, I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoke. God said, God said, the the word I've spoken is like a yoke on your neck. I will not leave you. It means even when I sway away, I will not leave you. This is not a conditional statement. This is not whether or not you stay on track. God says, I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you. I believe this with all my heart. He said I will not leave you. I will not leave you until I have done.

Give me anything. One, two, three, go. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you. Amplified. Then we do MSG. MSG says, I will stick with you until I've done everything I promised you. I will stick with you. This is God. And these things were written for our learning. I will stick with you.

That this is the nature of God's promise to a man. God says if I've promised you greatness, this is how we stick with you. Do you know what this means? Come. Do you know what this means? It means even when this guy was in Laban's house, and Laban thought he was riding him. Laban thought he was cheating him. God held them, my brother. Said, I'll stick with you. Laban did not know that this guy has never had any entrepreneur experience before.

And so as Laban thought he was riding him, God was giving him experience. And say one day you will hold all these things. All these things this man is priding over, thinking he's cheating you. It will become yours one day. So serve with all your heart. And the guy will go to work every day. The guy will see, and God is hoping you when you have cattles, this is how you treat them. This is how you treat employers. This is how you treat everything. Was that not the assignment that Joseph had in Potiphar's house?

You will think he was a slave. He was man... He was laying out to manage people because he was put as head over every slave. I will stick with you. It means even in bad times, there is something God is showing you about your future. There is something... There... There's a lesson God is learning. And if you don't know that God is sticking with you, you will think you are there alone. All your eyes will see is the problem, the affliction, and so you will miss out on the lessons.

Eventually, you die. Are you blessed? Yes, sir. I will stick with you. Through good times, through bad times, I understand they will stick with me. It's in my consciousness. When I go through failures, when I go through success, when I go through glory, when I go through disappointment, frustrations, it will stick with me. There's a promise that I've received, and it will stick with me until he does everything. You know that God did not say stick with me. In Psalm one one nine verse 28, the psalmist said my soul weighed it with heaviness.

Strengthen me with your word. Strengthen me according to your word. In Genesis 21 verse one. The Bible says that the Lord visited Sarah as he had said. And the Lord did for Sarah. As he had spoken. Can you put your name there? Rise up on your face. Are you blessed? Listen, inasmuch as I believe that this method is for everyone, I believe usually that when God intercepts my teachings like this, there's usually one person, two people who need to hear this thing as a matter of urgency.

Yes. This was not my teaching. This was an interception, And it kept me awake for several hours trying to put it together so that it comes to you in this manner. I believe it is because God has a word for someone. There are people that might not need this now because this might not even be your experience. But I promise you, you will need it. I promise you, you will need it. I promise you you will need it. Men of God rather, who have had times of struggles in their marriages. Men of God.

And they've had to terribly go through divorces, not that we advocate for that. Not that they even advocate for that, but they found themselves in a spot where they now have to do the divorce. That's a deal of adversity. Do you think that anybody wants to go through that? The question is, do you know what he has said? Can you get comfort from scriptures? And you draw strength from scriptures. And when you go through terrors, when arrows are flying by you, you remember I shall not be afraid of the terror by night nor of the arrows that fly by day nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday, for a thousand shall fall at my side and 10,000 on my right side, and they will not come near me. For only with my eyes shall I behold the reward of the wicked, For I've made the Lord my refuge. Even the most high in my habitation, there shall be no evil before me, neither shall any plaque come near my dwelling.

For shall give his angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways. In their hands, they will bear me up, Lest I dash my foot against the stone, I shall not be afraid of the lion and the cobra. The young lion and the sandpest shall I trample under faith because they have set his love upon me. Therefore, he will deliver me. He will set me on high because I have known his name. I will call upon him, and he will answer me. He will be with me in trouble. He will deliver me and will honor me. God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, I will not fear.

Even though the head will be removed, even though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with swellings. There's a river whose stream shall make glad the city of God. The holy place of Tabanakula of the most high, God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall help me. God is in the midst of my business. God is in the midst of my ministry. God is in the midst of my family. I shall not be moved. God is in the midst of this problem.

I shall not be moved. God shall help me. God shall help me. Just as the break of the dawn, the nations raged, the head was moved. He offered his voice. The earth melted. The Lord of host is with me. The God of Jacob is my refuge. Yey, do I walk through the valley of the shadow of death? I shall fear no evil.

For you are with me, my rod and my staff. They comfort me. You preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Of whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? No longer will I be called forsaken.

I shall be called by a new name. Which the mouth of the Lord shall say? My name shall be called Bula and Hephzibah. I shall be called Sot out, Darash. Sort out. If I lose a loved one, do I know how to comfort myself with scriptures? Do you know how to comfort yourself with scriptures? Or do you just accept your faith and say, let's just come and cry and be troubled, and let's not move forward again? Or do you know how to stand strong and stand firm? Do you know the bible says that a day is coming when the dead in Christ will rise again, that we'll see each other again and will rejoice with Jesus and will laugh with Jesus.

I thank God because you died in Christ. I thank God because you died knowing Jesus. Oh, glory to Jesus. For I know one day I will see you again dancing and rejoicing with you. Do you know how to gain comfort from scriptures? We gain comfort from movies. We gain comfort from different things, but we cannot sit with the word of God and draw strength from it. The last that I would give you today is prayers. Prayers give a man strength. You see, the wrong strategy is to pray in the day of arbability.

Nobody sharpens his hacks on the day of battle. It's it's an unserious soldier that does that. You give your life a consistent flow of prayer. Listen. Prayer is is is is how we live. It's not what we do. It's how we survive. It's how we breathe. It's the hair that we breathe. The bible says men ought always to pray.

When you give yourself to prayer, you have stamina, you have strength to survive the days of adversity. Do you know I've seen I've seen wives who went through terrible marriages? Their husband would beat them. I'm not advocating all of these things. Please don't get me wrong. Their their husband would beat them. They would go through all kind of things, and they had the strength of heart to stay there and to say, God, I know you will change this man. And to pray and to be on their best behavior until five years later, sometimes six years, seven years later, the old man would have an encounter with Jesus. Give his life to Christ. Come and kneel down before the wife and say, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I didn't even know what I was doing. I don't even know what came up... What came over me. The question is the testimony is not even that the husband changed. Is how do you have that kind of endurance to stay through hardship and not be beaten down by hardship? Him who overcomes. To him who overcomes. To him who overcomes. The ministry just experienced a huge split.

We were growing before, but somebody just rebelled and broke down the ministry. Will he die there or will rise again and start this thing again? Add more fire. Influence the people for God. To him who overcomes. Are you ready to pray? Yes. The strength of an overcomer. The strength of an overcomer. That grace, that strength to stay and to overcome.

Father, I trust you for that today. Can you release that strength to my life? I'm going through all kinds of adversities, all kind of situations, troubles, problems. I ask for the strength of an overcomer. Can you pray? Can you pray? In Jesus mighty name we have prayed. I pray for everyone who needs strength right now. May you receive that strength. In the name of Jesus.

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