Servant leadership is a departure from the prideful; I’m the boss, controlling, imposing trend that we see all over the place. Servant leadership is God’s way which when not followed, you pay heavily for it.

Let’s learn a pitiful lesson from Rehoboam, the son of king Solomon. The hand of the Lord is against those that will impose themselves and their status on others. Leaders lead by serving. The less you are serving the less of a Godly leader you are. You have no influence.

Rehoboam (1Kings 12) had succeeded his father, Solomon as king. The people approached him, asking him to make life a little better for them. Okay, he said give me three days and come back. While they were gone, he asked for wise counsel. The elders advised him to serve the people. “If you will be servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servant forever” (1 Kings 12:7). But Rehoboam was not satisfied. One who is on the part of self destruction will not heed wise Godly counsel. He went in search of more counsel. The young folks advised him to lord it over the people, make life more miserable and that was exactly what he chose. Often when people are shopping for counsels, they know exactly what they want and are only looking for who to use as their rubber stamp. When he told the people he wouldn’t make life better for them, the people revolted. He lost the kingdom he inherited. Servant leadership makes room for the followers and protects divine legacy.

Jesus is our example of a servant leader. He so blended with those he was leading that those that were coming to arrest Him needed someone to identify Him for them, without which they would have been unable to spot him. Jesus blended with his disciples, ate with them, prayed with them, and did everything with them. That was how he discipled them. Discipleship is like apprenticeship. The student lived with master, understudied him and after a number of years, the leader conducts a freedom ceremony for the servant and the whole process begins again with the new leader raising others. Servant leaders are doers, leading from behind and never struggling for limelight or human praise.

Let me show you Jesus, the master servant – leader in action in John 13. Jesus was preparing for the feast of Passover, after knowing that His hour has now come that he should leave the world to His father, and supper being ended, the devil already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray him, Jesus rose from supper, laid aside His garments, took a towel and guided himself, poured water into a basin and began washing the feet of His disciples, and to wipe them with towel.

Jesus washed and wiped the feet of His disciples with towel. Whose feet are you washing and whose feet have you cared to dry lately?

Jesus didn’t wash His own feet. He washed the feet of His disciples. What does that mean? We know what it means when we examine the dialog between Jesus and Peter. Peter had refused Jesus from washing his feet. When Jesus told him if he didn’t wash Peter’s feet, it meant that Peter would have been an outsider to Jesus. Peter demanded that Jesus would not only wash his feet but the entire body. But Jesus told him those that have taken this bath didn’t need a bath, they’re already clean. What needs cleaning is this feet? (John 13:10)

Here is where I think we need a little grasp of the background of this story. The means of transportation at this time was mostly bare foot. People walked around and animals, (Camels, Horses, and Donkeys etc) with their dungs litter the walk way, making their feet dirty. Traditionally, the rich have feet washing places and servants at their homes. They didn’t ask their guest to take a shower. They just helped them clean off the mess they picked along the way.

Along life’s journey, a believer doesn’t need to get born again anew. He already took his bath. Rom 6:23 says “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Our Lord”. But watch this. Along life’s journey, we pick up some filth along the way that needs washing. Question: whose filth, difficulty, pains, horrors, shame, etc are you washing today? Along the journey of life, we all need someone to come along our sides and help us along, clean us, strengthen us, cover us, etc. Are you a hand for Jesus or you’re just there washing your own feet, wanting to Lord it over others, wanting only yourself to look good? Remember this” Jesus didn’t wash His own feet. When all your prayers, life’s pursuit, etc are about you, you have let God down. He saved you to serve. Again whose feet have you washed lately?

I am using this vital forum to challenge you to see your life as a gift. Jesus died to snatch you from the jaws of hell. You too ought to invest your life for your brothers, sisters, friends and foes alike. 2 Cor 5:15 says, “He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them (NLT, emphasis mine)

In addition to showing you how to make meaningful conversations and stir every conversation toward Jesus, I want to challenge you to discover one or more ways in which you can wash the filths in the feet of someone. Let me give you some tips here. But before you implement any idea, remember the following pre – conditions:

1. Select an activity you are comfortable with. Just doesn’t be an on looker. Do something. Help. Impact.
2. Prepare. Get approvals for the place you are going. Wear your T-Shirt with the church name on it. Make sure you always have a card that you can leave for this people to connect with the church, wear a happy smile, excitement and love. Let your slogan be: We do what we do totally free, because the love of Christ is totally free. If what you are doing doesn’t give you the opportunity to share the love of Christ with anyone, stop it. The goal is always to share. Have business pegs, signs etc explaining what you are doing.
3. Every outreach need to be followed by a review session for the experience of participants to be captured on camera for promoting future events and generating  supports- hands, prayer, resources … Endeavour not to allow any outreach to go beyond Two Hours. Remember the real works are always in the preparation stages, getting pre approvals, your resources, your team, etc.
4. Pray, pray, pray. You are snatching from the claws of the devil. Share your own story – what you used to be, how He saved you and what your life changed into. Have it in 1, 3, and 10 minute passions. It makes you an authentic witness. Don’t be complicated. Keep it simple. Guide every conversation toward Jesus, the solution. Use the 4 spiritual laws.

Okay now to some servant evangelism ideas:

1. Hello, we want an opportunity to wash your rest rooms totally free, to share the love of Christ. Clean + perfume it and leave your connection cards behind.
2. Serve soda and cold water in an intersection. Mark the whole place with your stickers. Totally free drinks. Always give them your smile and connection card.
3. Mow someone’s lawn totally free, for an opportunity to share the 4 spiritual laws with them.
4. Get permitted to wrap gifts, totally free, during thanksgiving and Christmas. You can reach tens of thousands in a short period in a good mall. Lots of hands needed for the work. You need to buy papers in bulk and set your table and have hovering persons going round. Most importantly you need witnesses and sharers while they are on queue for their gift to be wrapped. This channel alone can open a very large opportunity to you.
5. Totally free car wash. It will surprise a whole lot of people. Always mark the venue with your pegs and give guest your connection cards. Get kids involved. Let them wash the tires but give them a happy meal treat after. Share Jesus with them with smiles and real joy and excitements as you wash their cars.
6. Wind shield cleaning at a Wal-Mart, target, best –buy etc. that approves you. Just tell them you’re giving back to community. Wear your T-shirts and always leave a connection card behind.
7. Pre-pay, say $100 food for a Mac Donald’s next set of customers, if they will just point to your corner as the donors. And as they come, share the love of Christ with them. If you limit it to $15 per person, $100 gives you potential 200 people that you may witness to.
8. You can conduct a vacation Bible School, SAT Exam Prep, etc – so you can witness to these kids.
9. Free computer repairs while you wait. The goal is to be able to share Christ. Get the coffee, soda, while waiting and let an arm of smiling witnesses be ready. Never forget your connection cards, especially if it is not being done at your church premises.
10. Free food for community, especially at times like this. Distribute your flyers in particular estates you are targeting. Tell the estate managers that this is your community care outreach to their estate. Prayer and approach are key here.
11. Free park entertainment on a hot summer day with BBQ, soda, music, etc. So you share your faith as they wait. Always display your free sign and hand over your connection cards with love and excitement. Also;
12. Totally free back to school pack
13. Totally free sports facilities
14. Totally free auto drying and vacuuming
15. Totally free oil change
16. Discount gas price by 10cents for 2hours
17. Police and fire service appreciation parties
18. Movie Nights
19. Friends and Family Outreach
20. Free hypertension and diabetic screening etc.

Pastor Dave Arogbonlo

Poverty spirit control is different from poverty mindset but they are alike. If for example, one of your parents robbed or swindled someone or obtained his wealth from a satanic source, then a curse is in force- to empower and enforce failure. But a success mindset, injected by the poverty policeman, will be in operation in such a life. He will find himself like is stated in Rom 7:19-20 “The good I want to do, I don’t do them. The evil I don’t want to do, that is the exact thing I do.” Now watch. I do what I don’t want to do, it is no longer I who does them but sin that dwells in me. Meaning an enforcing spirit makes me do what I don’t want to do. I may feel like prospering but I do things that lead to poverty because a force is at work, which if unbroken will make me a ship wreck.

Make no mistake about it, prosperity, wealth, success, favor, progress… they are good, very good. They give you influence, power, joy, liberty, peace etc. God is not against you having great things. His concern is that things must not have you. Remember the rich young ruler in Mark 10. Why did Jesus ask him to sell his goods and give to the poor? Was it because Jesus didn’t want him to have things? No. The answer is found in his reaction to the command. He became sad at what Jesus asked him to do because he had so much possession.

Let’s flip the story upside down. God asked Abraham in Gen 22 to sacrifice his only son, whom he loved so much. Without hesitation, he went ahead and did it. Why? You’ll find the answer in Heb 11:19. He knew that even if Isaac died, God was able to raise him from the dead.

What does these mean? You have the spirit of poverty when things have you. Know that alone. You are under the oppression of this spiritual force when you don’t know that God is your source. That’s what made the difference between the rich young ruler with poverty spirit and Abraham who gave away his favorite son and God blessed him in return. A man will remain under the yoke of poverty until he grasps the truth that there is nothing we have that we have not received. For emphasis, a man can receive nothing except it has been given from heaven (John13:27).

I heard the story of an extremely wealthy man who had built his empire through several years of hard work. When asked to put his home in order because he was going to die of an infirmity, he began giving away his wealth. He donated large sums to universities and was surprised at how they appreciated it. The more he gave, the more they celebrated him and the more he wanted to give. The time the doctors predicted that he will live up to passed and he didn’t die. Unknown to him the spirit of poverty had kept him in oppression all along. In contrast with the spirit of poverty, what does God’s word say about prosperity? Simple; God wants you to prosper. John 10:10 says, that Jesus came that you may have life and have it more abundantly to the full, till it overflows. Gal 3:13 says Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, which includes poverty. And when you see 3 John 2, God makes unequivocally clear: “I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers.” Amazing! Prosperity is for me now. King David, a man after God’s own heart says, I have being young, I have being old and I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread. God surely provides (Psa 37:25). Still I cannot leave this without Psa 35:27, which says that God has pleasure, joy, and happiness in the prosperity of his servants. What a wonderful Shepherd He is. We shall not want (Psa 23:1). Without a doubt, the Lord shall supply all our needs (Phil 4:19). There is no need to fear. This singular critical truth must be drilled into us. God wants us to prosper. Truly though He was rich, Christ was made poor so that we might be rich through his poverty (2 Cor 8:9). He did it all for us. I will not be poor again. All my needs are met. He is my source!!

It’s hard to be a blessing to people when you are always in lack yourself. You cannot impact kingdom business, spread the gospel, give to your pastor, and help do something in your local church. Lack is debilitating. You must abhor it.

From where does poverty come? Certainly not from God. The Garden of Eden had it all, until the devil tricked Adam and his fall brought curse, which includes poverty. But glory to God, Jesus the second Adam has translated us from the power of darkness into the Kingdom of His dear son (Col 1:13). We are free. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. We are free indeed.

One critical scenario must not be ignored. If you’re laboring under generational spirit of poverty, whatever you gather will be scattered. Hag 1:6 says, you put them in leaking baskets. What a powerful demon that no one should live with for one day. My loud warning here is that you must be sensitive to watch for obvious patterns of unprofitable labors and resist them by repenting and restitution. Please see Lam 5:7, it says our fathers that sinned have gone but we now suffer under the yoke of these troubles. The consequences of evil legacies must be confronted and rooted out by the power of the Holy Spirit, the irrevocable word of God, and in faith. This is critical.

How do you break this negative spiritual force that prevents the fulfillment of divine purpose?

1. Watch for persisting negative spiritual patterns and dig it out from its root through repentance and restitution. Ecc 10:8 says he that breaks a hedge will be bitten by a snake. Exo 20:5 be sure that you are not being visited with the sins of your fathers gone (Hag1:6). Learn from Zachaeus. He was willing to refund up to four times whatever he took illegally. As long as you hold on to the devil’s property, he has a right to mess you up.
2. Renew your mind (Rom 12:2) and change your dirty thinking about wealth. Don’t repel prosperity. What you reject will not gravitate toward you. Know and declare daily that you’re a covenant wealth carrier. Declare that you will never be broke again. Be bold to be a commander of money. Ask it to come to you every day. Release the blood of Jesus over your finances. Open new saving accounts. They are your store house to which God will store those blessings.
3. Be a tither. Tithe is a tenth. When you rob God of 10% the devil robs you of 90%. Give the devil no room. Give God the honor due to him. You cannot rob God. Don’t let the devil rob you. Shut him out.
4. Be a giver:
   1. Give hilariously (2 Cor 9:7)
   2. Give your first fruit
   3. Give in good measure (2 Cor 9:8)
   4. Give to receive (Luke 10:36)
   5. Make vows and pay them (Psa 50:14-15)
   6. Give to the poor (Pro 28:27)
   7. Support God’s kingdom business (Deut 8;18)
   8. Give to your pastor (1 Cor 9:11)
5. Master money
   1. Be a better money manager (get financial counsel)
   2. Don’t be lazy (Pro 26:13)
   3. Be careful with borrowing (Pro 22:7)
   4. Do new things to get to new destinations.
   5. Be diligent (Pro 10:4)

One thing you must know about God is that it is His habit to show up, suddenly. Your expectation is very critical. God wants you to be expectant. Pro 23:18 says, “For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” God is not a man. He never disappoints anyone and He knows exactly how to handle your case. Jer 29:11 says, “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” (Msg).

Going through the entire Bible, you will discover that God always shows up, suddenly. Daniel was thrown into the den of lions and God showed up for Him. Dan 6: 20-22 says, “And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me” (Emphasis are mine). Lions are ravenous beats. They are rootless killers. I don’t know what might be threatening your life right now. The God of Heaven that intervened for Daniel will do the same for you. At the time of your most dire needs, when all hopes seem lost, God will show up. He will silence and paralyze every evil plot. He will surprise you.

God shows up in the times of crisis. He says in Psa 50:15, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” When the three Hebrew boys were thrown into the fiery furnace, He showed up. Dan 3:24-25 says, “Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” Again, be reminded, it doesn’t matter what the shape of your challenge or circumstances may be, God will not leave you helpless or hopeless. He will show up. Expect Supernatural Intervention. He never disappoints those that put their trust in Him. Your unflinching faith in Him is very vital. Talking about the helping hand of God, 1Chr 5:20 says, “And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer, because they put their trust in Him.” Whatever happens, your faith in God’s ability and commitment to help you must remain unshaken. If you will learn to put your faith in Him in the battles of life, you will go from victory to victory. Psa 22: 4-5 says, “Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.” You will never be put to shame for trusting Him.

As you can see, Divine Intervene is good enough. It cripples adversity, elongates joy, eliminate unfavorable, ushers the good, and much more. But God, I was to announce, is a God of Extraordinary Intervention. That was exactly what He did when He delivered Israelites from bondage in Egypt. God definitely has a lot more in store than we often realized. Let us see how He delivered Israel in an extraordinary way.

What make great people great is that they do great things. Because God is great, He only does great things. Job 5:8-9 says, “But as for me, I would seek God, ….. Who does great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without number.” Also, God does a lot of great things, things too wonderful to describe. Job 9:10 says, “He does great things past finding out, yes, wonders without number.” What God does is far beyond human grasping. “God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend.” The Psalmist says of Him, “For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God” (Psa 86:10). Eph 3:20 sums it all up, “Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]” AMP. God therefore is the extraordinary God that does extraordinary things.

Looking at our extraordinary God at work, Isa 63:12-13 says, “Who led them by the right hand of Moses, with His glorious arm, dividing the water before them to make for Himself an everlasting name” (Emphasis are mine). God is truly amazing. He didn’t just want to deliver Israel, He was actually sending a message. Rom 9:17 says, “For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth” (Emphasis are mine). Friend, my prayer for you is that God Almighty will intervene for you in spectacular ways against every oppressor in your life. May the Lord devastate all your foes and lift you up beyond your wildest imaginations.

Question: Exactly how did God deliver Israel in an extraordinary way? First, He ridiculed and destroyed their gods, then He unleashed extreme disasters and plagues on them, thereafter He did havoc to their economy, and he purred all kinds of terrible and strange sickness and diseases on them. But that wasn’t all. One night, all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians were killed. And in the midst of their mourning, the angel of death swept through their land, killing their inhabitants because they didn’t mark their door posts with the lamb’s blood. By now, He had totally stripped them of all their powers. Power had changed hands to the Israelites; the oppressor has become the oppressed. What an extraordinary intervention that was. By the time the Israelites were finally leaving, they not only carried all their silver, gold and clothing of Egypt with them, they saw the dead Egyptian army floating behind them in the Red Sea.

Extraordinary intervention implies that God will do the usual in your life. That should make you bold. Like the three Hebrew boy, you should be say when faced with the severest of challenges, ‘bring it on. My God will fight for me. He will defend and sustain me.’ You should feel like you’re more than the Incredible hulk a Superman and if you are a lady, you should feel much more than the Bionic Woman. You are unstoppable. God is with you and for you. “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord , who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways” (Psa 91:7-11). I dare you to dare God. He will certainly not disappoint you.

As agreed, the pastor brought his parrot to the old lady’s home. On arriving, the pastor’s parrot screamed, “Wolala! What a beauty”.  ‘Thanks”, replied the female parrot.’ “I didn’t know you were sus a nice talker. They told me something else. Thank you.” The male parrot went on further to say, “I only say nice things”. The pastor left his bird with the female parrot for a week, where it was taught many songs. The first song was, “Ephesians four verse twenty nine, bad words never come out of my mouth. My mouth says only good and helpful things, always encouraging those listening to me.” Seeing the excitement of the male bird, she taught him yet another song. “Proverbs twenty five verse eleven. I speak timely words. I give timely advice. I never speak rubbish. My words are fitly spoken, always. They are like golden apples in a sliver basket. They are pleasing, shining and uncommon.” The two birds had a swell time together. By the time he was leaving, he was a totally transformed bird. The pastor was very excited that his bird had become changed forever. He had been influenced by the other bird. Real influence always bring change. That’s why the Bible makes clear that who you hang with will determine who you become. “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed” Pro 13:20.

Please see in this passage the demonstration of influence in action. It took place when Jesus encountered a rather very sinful man. His name was Zacchaeus. Please read it for yourself. “Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax-collecting business, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road, so he could watch from there. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the crowds were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a son of Abraham. And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost” Luke 19:1-10 (NLT). A bad person becomes fully transformed upon encountering Jesus. May you find room for Him is your heart and life because there can be no real change without Him. 2Cor 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Jesus is the ultimate influencer.

To be influential is to have the power, directly or overtly, to affect others. That’s exactly what that lady knew the female parrot could do and what Jesus did to Zacchaeus without even saying a thing. It is the capacity to lead others in a particular direction bases on your power, strength of character, knowledge, etc. It is implies that you’re weighty or simply command some prestige. By inference it also means you’re not a nonentity or vagabond. I pray that wherever you may be you will be a person of worth and repute, worthy of being followed. I pray that you will be a trail blazer, a pace setter, a visionary and a colossus for Jesus. You will never be a dwarf. You will be a spiritual giant.

It cannot be overstated that if you are a leader whom no one is following, you’re only taking a walk. You will never walk alone. God has positioned us on earth to dominate and to subdue it (Gen 1:28). Jesus further instructed that we are the salt and the light of the earth (Mat 5:13). This is quite profound. Imagine a day without the sun. Imagine a meal without its sweetener. That’s what your life is. You are the influencer. Jesus didn’t struggle to make an impression when He encountered Zacchaeus. His presence in the home of that man brought transformation. May your light so shine among men that every dimness disappear.

To be positively influential as I stated earlier demands that you have certain character qualities the most significant being that your word must be your bond. You must be a person of sterling godly character. We must purge ourselves of every ungodly conducts. Other points include:

1. You must change your thinking. You are a child of a king, the greatest King. He is higher than the highest. Because He is your father, carry yourself differently. You’re a prince or princess. You are His representatives on earth. Decree something. Become influential. Arise. Take your place. Stop seeing yourself as one to be pushed and shoved around. You are the King’s kid. Take your place of influence.

2. Grow in grace. That means you should learn how King’s children conduct themselves. You should learn the laws of your Kingdom a written in your Bible. Grow. Don’t let anyone toss you around. Study your country’s constitution. Become knowledgeable and be the very best representative of your Father on earth. Take your rightful place as a child of the King of kings.

3. Live your life with a purpose. If you want others to follow you, then you must be headed somewhere. People don’t follow those going no where. Discover why God has put you here and pursue it with all your might and it will surprise you how many other lives that will influence. Be a good ambassador for God where you are now on the way to where you are going. Spread His good news and influence everywhere. Be an evangelist. That’s what makes you His ambassador and gives you the grace to resist the devils grip on men.

4. For emphasis, you will have to be a person of good repute, honesty, integrity, and spiritual soundness.

5. Attempt great things for your father and king. Dan 22:32 says those who know their God will be strong and do exploits. Do something uncommon for the Lord. Influence your society, pray uncommon prayers. Take extraordinary steps of faith. Let God do great things through you. Remember this, working together with Him, you can never fail. Do great things.

6. Help people, Touch lives. Commit yourself to genuinely caring about people. Become the hand, mouth and legs that Jesus is using. Let Jesus be seen through you. That’s how to be influential, just like the parrot.

Job asked the question in Job 11:7 “Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” As children of God, we are made in the image and likeness of God. We posses the power of God in us through the infilling and presence of the Holy Spirit’ Micah 3:8 says “As for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord and with justice and might”

As believers, we have to be conscious and operate in this power. But then the great question is “Why are we not operating in this power? Why does so many Christians seems so powerless? At the slightess appearance of the devil and his demons, why do Christians run and hide as if their father is not powerful?
The simple answer to these searching questions is this: “We do not know who we are!” We call ourselves believers but many do not believe in the power of God and or do not activate this power to live victoriously.

Apostle Paul was an example of one who did so much in service to God by recognizing and utilizing the power of the most High. He said in Rom. 15:17-19 “Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I’ll not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done; by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the spirit”.

Jesus came into the world and defeated the works of the devil so we can have victory. Rev 12:10 says “the accuser of the brethren has been hurled down”. So rise up as inheriters of God’s Kingdom and posses your possessions.” You have the power through what Christ has done for you but you have to activate it. Like a sucket, until you plug into it, the power will not be activated. You will need to observe the following:

• Know the authority you have as a believer. If you do not know what belongs to you, ignorance is eminent and the Bible says “My people are destroyed as a result of ignorance”
• Keep your faith strong. Avoid things or issues that will contaminate your faith. Believe that with your God, all things are possible. Job in Job 42:2 after going through all his trials said to the Lord “I know you can do all things, no plan of yours can be thwarted” It took a man like Job who have gone through such experience, overcame and at the end the Bible recorded that he had “twice as much as he had before” to make such a statement. Our God remains the same Heb. 13:8. He did it before and He can do it again. You will not be an exemption. Hold on to your faith that God will do those things you reckon are impossible. With you it may seem impossible but activate His power to overcome the impossible today.
• Confess God’s words in everything you do, I Peter 4:11 says “ If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God, if anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ” When you confess the words of God, it becomes prophetic. His words will not return to Him void. His word is Power. When you confess it over your life, the power of God goes into action to perform God’s plan, overriding satanic plans and agenda. When you confess the word, the angels of God are at attention to bring manifestation. Sometimes the result you see is not what you have, just confess. This is the tactics of the enemy to make you believe you’re probably wasting your time. Do not be deceived. Do not stop. God’s power is undeniable. It does not fail.
• Be in the presence of other believers. I Cor. 5:4 says “When you’re assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus; I am with you in Spirit, and the Power of our Lord Jesus is present”, Believers gathering together to worship brings down the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. In such gathering the power of God is present for healing, deliverance, signs and miracles. Jesus says wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am in their midst.

This is an awesome promise that should not be taken for granted. He is present not just to “watch” He is present to “do” something and as believers, we should crave such gatherings.
To be continued…

The cornerstone of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said in one of his writings in I Cor. 15: 12-14 “now if Christ be preached that He rose from dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection from the dead, then Christ is not risen; and if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also vain” If Christ did not rise from the dead as testified by the disciples, as witnessed by those who followed Him shortly after His crucifixion, and even the people who saw Him all at once, then Christianity is not true, and we are foolish to follow and believe the Bible.

Thankfully, that is not the case and no matter how the world attacks the faith of Christianity nothing can disprove the fact that Christ has risen and is alive today. I prophecy upon you today that everything that has been dead in your life shall arise and live in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing could hold Jesus down in the grave, nothing will hold your blessing and miracles. It will manifest.
The resurrection is the key to our understanding of the past and the doorway of hope for the future. Death came into the world through Adam’s sin; Life comes to humanity through Jesus resurrection. Before the crown, there has to be a cross. Jesus offered salvation to mankind. Every man who believed in Him, though his believing shall not prevent him from dying a natural death, yet his body shall be reanimated and he shall live with Jesus in eternal Glory.

Thank the Lord that for those who believe and trust in Christ “We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled we shall be saved by His life (Roman 5:10). Notice that the last phase “saved by His life”. It is an emphasis on the life or “a liveness” of Christ that saves us. Christ paid for the penalty of sin by His death but brings Salvation because He did not stay dead but “rose on the third day according to the scriptures “(I Corinthians 15:4).

As we celebrate Easter, may the fact of Christ’s resurrection make sure the stability of your faith, realizing there is nothing that can “knock it down”. The cross of Christ reveals the love of God at its best and the sin of the World at its worst. A pastor friend of ours once delivered a stunning Good Friday sermon titled “It’s Friday but Sunday’s Coming”. This sermon contrasts how the world looked on Friday when the forces of evil seemed to have triumphed with how it looked on Sunday when he rose and defeated death.
The disciples who lived through both days never doubted God again. They learned that when God seems absent He may be closest of all.
Today we celebrate the victory of Christ as laid out in Rom 5 where Apostle Paul contrasts the devastation caused by sin with the restoring Power of God’s grace. Rom 5:20-21 in conclusion, Paul says where sin abounded grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

No matter how much we have personally lost because of sin, we have gained far more through the resurrection of Christ. So brethren, lets celebrate the season, Christ is Risen! Death could not hold him captive, so we can never die our eternity is guaranteed!
Happy Easter!

In dealing with negative thoughts, I really want to appeal to you to combat thoughts of anger, fear, insecurity, limitation or helplessness. Job 15:35 says, “They conceive trouble and bring forth futility.” You only give birth to what you have conceived. Those who conceive failure have them. This is your time to conceive multiple good within your belly. Little wonder why Job said he had not ever rejoiced when his enemies had troubles. He had not ever cursed them or asked revenge (Job 31:29-30).

He kept his vessel pure. Little wonder he had such a splendid turn around. Those expecting supernatural turn around must learn to fill their vessels with purity. Purge your vessels of evil expectations. It is a spiritual law. Those that plot or expect evil will be the first ones to harvest them (Psa 7:14-16).

Allow me to show this important principle to you in Scripture. Please come with me to Genesis the fourth chapter. Here is the account of the first murder in scriptures. Murder is the highest level of treachery or evil a man can perpetrate against his fellow man. It is terrible to say the least. As you will see in this passage, it is an evil that one brother perpetrated against his brother. These were the two sons of Adam. Abel was a Shepherd, keeping sheep but Cain was a farmer. They both sacrificed to God. God accepted the sacrifice of Abel but He rejected that of Cain. Cain harbored hatred, anger, and bitterness. The Lord asked him “Why are you sad? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.

And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Gen 4:7). You probably know the rest of the story. Cain did not get control of his evil thoughts. Instead, he nursed it. Thoughts, particularly the negative ones, that are not mastered or tamed will master or subdue you. Thoughts are real. God warned him, just as I am warning you, please purge yourself of it. Cain nursed it. Like fire is fanned into flame, he fanned his negative thoughts and blew it out of proportion until he ended up murdering his brother. This is the root of many family squabbles. The common thing is that one party simply says, “I can not like it”. How nicer would it be if we can realize these few facts:

#1. None of us is perfect.
#2. You who is harboring unforgiveness, even you, are far from being perfect.
#3. No matter how hard we all try, we would still get in each other’s ways.
#4. We all need one another. No man ought to see himself as an island.
#5. Unforgiveness is the father of disharmony or rancor. A house divided against itself will collapse. Essentially, life is too short to harbor poisons. Let us purge ourselves, compensate for each others’ weaknesses and maximize every moment , lest the enemy should take advantage of us.

How should hurts and pains be handled? Simple, give them to God. Do not make the problems seem bigger that they are. It is an offense. Do not harbor them. It is like, cancer, remove them quickly otherwise it will cause havoc. Remember again, life is short. Hurts and bitterness will contaminate your sweet day life. Do not harbor them –at home, at work, with friends and most especially with any child of God. Get rid of it.

Time will not permit me to look at several other cases in the Bible. Esau lived as a bitter man throughout his life, passing all the blames on others rather than his own negligence. The moment Saul began to be envious of David, hatred crept in. Saul’s life began rolling on the negative path to destruction. Remember Ahithophel, the great wise man? He ended disastrously the moment hatred began to grow within him. Jezebel too, for hating Elijah. Also all those that hated Daniel in Babylon.

Incapacity to master hatred will destroy you. Purge yourself of this impurity. It is a cancer. You do not need it. Be like Joseph. He loved his haters and did good to them. God set him on an upward path as a result. In the words of James, “Lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness”

(Jam 1:21). 1 Pet 2:1 is fear more direct, “Lay aside all malice, hypocrisy, envy and all evil speaking” .

God bless you as you stir away from evil.

Pastor Dave Arogbonlo

Of a truth, Daniel was a man of courage. His life personifies how you should and can live under the most difficult conditions. Daniel thrived in Babylon, under a foreign wicked culture by standing firmly on the principles he believed in. He had the courage that conquered. You too need such grace to reign over circumstances of life. God, without a doubt, is looking for a Daniel who by faith will dare to stand, regardless of their circumstances.

What is Courage? It is the ability to stand up for the principles you believe. It is the capacity to resist or surrender to failure. It is the opposite of timidity or spiritless ness. There is no way I can describe courage to you without showing you what cowardice is because cowardice is to courage what light is to darkness.

Let us examine what the Bible has to say about cowardice. 2 Tim 1:7 says that God has not given us a spirit of cowardice but of power , and of love, and of wise discretion (Darby). No wonder God says that the wicked man runs when there is no one pursuing him, but the righteous is as bold as a lion (Pro 28:1). Any manifestation of acts of cowardice demonstrates the absence of God in your situation. A characteristic of the righteous is boldness. Cowardice and unrighteousness are bed fellows. I pray that you will not be a coward.

A coward is someone who never admits that he is wrong. Remember Adam in Gen 3:12, he told God he ate what the woman that God gave to him gave him. By inference, his sin was not caused by himself. Cowards always pass the buck. But not men of Courage. Those that must conquer are those who will honestly say “Sorry, it is my fault. I am wrong.” Another way you know a coward is that for them nothing is definite. They never call a spade a spade. Twice, for instance, Abraham called his wife his sister (Gen 12:11-19, 26:7-9). Such men are slippery, adjusting themselves to whatever favors them. They stand for nothing and can not be depended upon. Remember Peter, how he rootlessly denied Jesus, at a time when his loyalty would have made all the difference. What a shame. They are not friends. Friends loves at all times (Pro 17:17). But cowards only love when it is well. They are fair weather Christians .

Another major characteristic of a coward is that they are tossed to and fro, up and down, by every wind of change (Eph 4:14). That is what cowards do. It is a character demonstrated by Aaron in Ex 32:22-24. Moses had gone to pray leaving him to lead the people. He yielded to the request for a god, made the golden calf for them. But when queried, he said it was the people!

Pastor Dave Arogbonlo

Rev 17:14 says, all manner of onslaught will be launched at Jesus, but He will overcome because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. You will see that same text repeated in Rev 19:16. Money is a spirit. Mammon is the spirit of money (Matt 6:24). It is impossible to be under the control of money and at the same time be under the control of God. You will have to choose one. That is the blunt challenge this writing presents. Only those who have made the right choice, that is, of surrendering all to Jesus, will ever get true riches (Lk 16:11). Why? Prov 8:18-19 says, again of Jesus, the wisdom of God, that only in Him will you find riches and honor, enduring riches, far more than gold.

O friend, have you read the account of the wealthy man in Lk 18:18-23? It is the pathetic story of a man that came to Jesus, asked Him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him to go and obey the commandments. The man told Jesus he had always done that. Then, said Jesus. “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me.” Question: Was Jesus saying it is wrong to be wealthy? No! After all one of Christ’s prime purpose for coming is to restore wealth back to us (1 Jn 3:8; 2 Cor 8:9). Jesus knew the wealth of this man had him. God has no problem with us having things. His concern is what things have us! You can not serve God and serve mammon, the god of money (Matt 6:24). No wonder the man left sorrowful.

Allow me to sound a strong word of warning from Lk 12:15. Simply put, do not be greedy. “Real life is not measured by how much we own” (NLT). Remember that was the exact basis of Satan’s argument against Job (Job 2:4). Live a life of contentment (1 Tim 6:6). Psa 37:16 says, “It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and possess much”. Remember this warning from King Solomon, the wealthiest man that ever lived. He said, “Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! People who live only for wealth come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day they were born” (Eccl 6:10, 15 NLT).

What have I been talking about? Perspective! Put things in perspective. Let Christ be the Lord of your all. You brought nothing into this world. You will leave with nothing. Do not labor after riches that will not endure. Your soul is priority. Matt 16:26 asks, “what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and looses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Simply put, do not chase getting rich at the expense of your soul. Sinners may entice you with sin – sexual, occult, cheating, even murder. Do not join them (Prov. 10-19). “How”, I perceive you must be asking by now, can I make Jesus the Lord of my finances? By surrendering everything – your thoughts, successes or otherwise to Him – in prayer. Unless He helps you, you will labor for nothing (Psa 127:1). Prosperity comes by the power He alone gives (Deut 8:18). He does not give wealth for nothing. It is for soul winning. He knows what can be achieved when money in the hand of His children are properly used. He wants you to finance outreaches, sponsor ministers, underwrite churches, television expenses, feed the poor etc. He is not angry when you look great. Actually, He is not happy when you look haggard or hungry. Psa 35:27 says it gives Him pleasure, that is, delight, favor etc – when you prosper. He is however, not keen to give you the wealth that will rob you of your soul by making you proud, unteachable, stingy, and out rightly ungodly.

Let’s conclude this discussion with the ultimate test. You will find it in Gen 22. Abraham had waited for his entire lifetime to have Isaac. Here we see God ask him to surrender Isaac to Him at the altar. And that was exactly what Abraham did. What was more, He did not consult with anyone but went to the exact place God asked him to go and lay down the boy. Whatever God can not receive back from you, do not expect Him to give it to you. The money that will prevent you from waiting in prayer, humbling your heart in worship is but a curse. Abraham laid down Isaac. What will you be willing to lay down for the Lordship of Christ? Are you already struggling to tithe? Or have you relegated your offerings to the left over? Herein lies the test. Jesus must be Lord of your all or He is Lord of nothing at all. Question: Did Abraham loose Isaac? No. God stopped him from offering the sacrifice. Please read Gen 22:11-12, 16-18. God said, “now I know that you fear God”. He added, I have sworn, “blessing I will bless you…” Really, enduring wealth is only found in choosing to let Christ be the Lord of your wallet. Freely you got, freely give. Wealth is a tempter. Are you winning or loosing to it? That is the question!

Pastor Dave Arogbonlo

Nothing can be truer. You cannot serve two masters. You have got to choose whom you will serve, whether God or the spirit of money. If God is your choice, there are a few myths about money you must purge yourself of. Money, I must emphasize is not an end in itself but rather a means to an end. The three core purposes of money are for Investment, Enjoyment, and Giving. Of these three, giving is the ultimate. There is something about giving that only very few ever experience. God is a giver (Jn 3:16). Jesus says He went to give His life because of the joy that it brought Him (Heb 12:2). For us, we must learn that it is more satisfying to be a giver than a receiver (Acts 20:36).

However, you cannot get to the ultimate until you have stopped being childish with money. Why did I say “childish”? One thing that characterizes a child is that when they are hungry or uncomfortable in any way they scream and do all sorts of things to get what they want. They want what they want now! They do not have self-control and they do not care where you may be or what you may be doing. Give me food, now; let me empty my bowel, now! etc. If you are a “Now” person with money, wake up. Please grow up. It’s a new day. If you must be free to serve God, begin by taking baby steps. The first step is to save at least $1,000 fast. Do not save money for no purpose. You will loose such money. Have something put away for the rainy day. Remember, if it can go wrong, it usually would. Do not join the one in two Americans that are just a few days away from the streets. Have an emergency fund of $1,000.

The second step is to concentrate on eliminating all your debts. Flee from debt consolidation and credit repair scams. Live debt-free. The spirit of mammon exploits peoples’ immaturity and greed. Many are borrowing at exorbitant rates to support a life they cannot afford, to impress those who do not give a damn about them, and mortgaging their future. You must win the money war- so you can serve God. To keep the battle plan simple, you must know who your enemy is. He is the man or woman you see each time you look at the mirror. If you will master your money habits by living now like no one else, then you will live like no one else in the future. So to keep it simple and put you on the path to financial freedom from the grip and servitude to mammon, know this; debt by any name is bad. Memorize Pro 22:7. It puts you in bondage to your lender. Beware of borrowing money to people or co-signing for them. Give and help. The law of borrowing is servant/master only. If you co-sign be ready to pay it. Those that must be free from the bondage of Egypt must be debt-free; from car notes, credit cards, school loans etc. Whilst there are many extortionate financial policies out there, there are a few you cannot afford not to have. They include car and life/medical saving accounts.

Step three is to concentrate on building your peace of mind fund. Save enough for you to live upon for 3, 6, even 12 months, should anything change. It is your key to mastering life and living free of mammonic manipulations. Fourthly, maximize retirement investments and be financially healthy for life. Find out how much you need to retire and concentrate on it through your retirement savings. You will need it or you will serve mammon till you drop dead! Fifthly, save for your children’s college and step six is for you to start eliminating your mortgage loan. The last step (seven) is for you to concentrate on building wealth with your money. You cannot enjoy or experience wealth until your money earns more for you than you can work to earn.

In closing, when you are free from all these, you will be free to serve no other master but Jehovah. Wealth is freedom to do what you enjoy doing even with or without reward. That is the realm God wants you to be – away with the claws of mammon.

God bless you richly.

Pastor Dave Arogbonlo