OVERCOMING THE ACCUSER

Series:         Spiritual warfare

Aim:           

Message:      OVERCOMING THE ACCUSER

Text:            Zechariah 3:1

BACKGROUND OF ZECHARIAH

The name Zechariah means Yahweh remembers or to put it in another way; He is faithful. Zechariah was a younger contemporary of a prophet Haggai. He was both a prophet and a member of the priestly family like Jeremiah.

In 538 B.C. together with Prophet Haggai, he was among the about fifty thousand Jews who returned to Jerusalem led by Zerubabel after Cyrus the King of Persia had issued a decree to the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.

Coupled with rebuke for lethargy (extreme lack of energy or vitality, sluggishness), his chief purpose was to encourage and motivate the people of Judah to complete the rebuilding of the Temple (Zechariah 4:8 - 10) along  with reaching spiritual renewal. In this book he records eight prophetic visions called apocalyptic (revolutionary) literature of encouragement to God’s people (Zechariah 1:7-6:8).

The book of Zechariah also teaches the sovereignty and future. Our text is a record of the fourth vision and it appeals of Israel’s cleansing and restoration as a priestly nation. “…if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant then you shall be my own possession among all the people for  all you be my  own possession  among all the people  for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priest which acknowledges or admits the truth of God or King.” (1 Peter 2:5,9, Rev. 1:6 Isaiah  61:6, Revelation 20:6; 5:10). The temple in Jerusalem was by divine choice epitome of earthly worship. Housing an alter which was the most pronounced gate between the earth and heaven it represented a major system for the fulfillment of God’s purposes on the earth.

The scriptures in 1 Corinthians says “…do you not know (realize, recognize, understand, perceive, have full knowledge) that your (singular) body is a temple (sanctuary, shrine) of the Holy Spirit who is in you….you are not your own”. You are consecrated or set apart for God. Your body is sacred and the Holy Spirit therefore helps you to be like a holy life void of sin as you surrender yourself more and to Him. This aspect of belonging to the Lord makes you immune and therefore answerable to any external satanic accusation because you long ceased to be responsible over you, more or less like a slave and his master.

Pursue God, work towards raising divine structures and possess an heavenly attitude like or father of faith Abraham who “looked forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God (Hebrew 11:10). Be wise and build your life a round God now.

FORGIVENESS VERSUS ACCUSATION  

“Then he (the angel of the Lord) showed me Joshua the High Priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “I the Lord reject your accusations, Satan. Yes the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire” (Zechariah 3:1-2) Yes, indeed that is who we are, burning sticks that have been snatched from the fire before they are completely consumed by fire through God’s mercy. Any suggestion therefore returning us back to the fire through satanic accusations are countered and overcome through the breath of God’s mercy and forgiveness towards those who believe in Him. It is actually Satan the accuser who will ultimately be destroyed (Revelation 12:10) while every believer is sacred like in Joshua’s case. Ask God to remove your clothing of sin by grace and dress you up with His Holiness and righteousness even as you personally abandon the attitude of accusation on others and embrace forgiveness towards all who offend or who will ever offend you. Don’t ever forget that God through His grace and unfathomable love and mercy has chosen to forgive you. Do not be like Satan the accuser who takes great delight in accusing God’s people before God.

Joshua in Aramaic (a Hebrew language which Jesus Christ spoke) is Jehsua and in Greek is Jesus. It means the Lord saves. He is symbolic to the Messiah and stands for God’s people and their sins. A lot goes on in the spiritual realm in order to effect the salvation of God’s people. It is in this realm that we must vehemently contend with God for the well being of mankind and accordance with the will of God. Like Jeshua or Daniel (in Daniel 9:4-19) practice identification repentance for the sins of God’s people and speak divine destiny over them in the power of your intercession. Unlike in the law where a sinner died without compassion (Hebrews 10:28), our hearts must be tender and compassionate towards each other (Philippians 2:1). As our heavenly father, we must be merciful (compassionate, sympathetic, full of tender mercies, Luke 6:36) because it is the ground on which we ourselves stand as we present our bodies (which is) our reasonable service (Romans 12:1). “God chose you to be the Holy people He loves; you must clothe yourselves with tender mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember the Lord forage you, so you must forgive others. (Colossians 3:12, 13). Like the Lord Jesus Christ, put others before yourself, even if it means with your own life. You will not be the first to do that, Jesus Christ has already done it for you! God’s children are His inheritance so do not attempt to relegate them to another realm if you want to avoid a divine rebuke.

WHY GOD ABHORS (HATES0 AN ACCUSING SPIRIT

God pronounces a rebuke on an accuser since He (God) who had the moral authority or right to accuse us has instead chosen to have mercy and forgive us. A rebuke is another word for ‘you fool’. A person driven by an accusing spirit exhibits a lack of good judgment and understanding plus one who is easily deceived (by the deceiver). Below are few reasons why God detests an accuser.

1. You will always harvest what you saw.

The only perfect man who ever walked on the surface of this earth is the Lord Jesus Christ, the rest of us even the best of us is still prone to myriads of errors.  This means that if we accuse and condemn our fellow humans, the same will surely be vested on us hence the folly of this attitude. “Do not be deceived, God (system of justice) is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” Galatians 6:7). The Greek word for ‘he’ in the above scripture is ‘Anthropos’ which means human being, person or humankind, hence is not limited to a male adult but to all humans as it is used in its generic or general sense. “Do not judge others and you will not be judged, do not condemn others and it will come back against you. Forgive others and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37; Mark 11:25, 26)

2. An Accusing Spirit Diverts Destiny

Sanctification is the process by which we as Christians are purified in heart and mind by the Holy Spirit. In it, a justified sinner is graciously and continuously delivered from the pollution of sin, renewed nature wise into the image of God into performing good works (see Thessalonians 4:3,7, 5:23). Unlike justification it is not instantaneous. We however must all cooperate with God, the Holy Spirit for its realization in us and in our neighbours life. Because we are our brother’s keeper and stewards of God, we must purpose to work with God towards the sanctification of all believers, not against it as does the spirit of accusation and condemnation.  

To condemn is hand over to destruction, throw into a dirt bin or pit, to declare not fit for life and so cast into the fire. Sad to say, this is what many have done to the would be precious and lustrous pure jewels if only we had been more understanding, forgiving, merciful, tender hearted, kind, gentle, humble  and patient. When you get to heaven you will not be recognized and rewarded for the souls you condemned through your irresponsible accusations, slander and negative attitude and sent to hell instead it will be for those strong souls that you helped find their way on this pilgrimage way into heaven, so be wise and do the right thing. “Those who have insight (wise) will shine as bright as the expanse of heaven (sky), and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like stars forever. (Daniel 12:3). To accuse is to be mean, legalistic, self righteous and phoney (or fake) faithwise.      

3. To Accuse And Condemn Is Proof Of The Lack Of God’s  Love

When you don’t love others it is an express indicator that you are not only hate God but yourself too. This disposition

4. The Accusation Strategy

The strategy behind satanic accusations is to make Christ’s blood of no effect on man. Satan effects accusation by the exploitation (or taking advantage) of God’s nature of justice. With lies or the distortion of the truth and manipulation coupled with threats, he introduces the dimension of unbelief and persuades man out of the cover of divine grace, away from Christ’s love and mercy into the world of accusation, condemnation, cruelty, revenge, legalism, and hypocrisy. After that it now becomes easy for him to control man through the spirit of fear and self imposed righteousness to do his bidding of accusation and counter accusation. This way the devil effectively sets up man to destroy his fellow man and the process is then quickly spreads through the multiplying effect with little or no effort from Satan, having enlisted man into his service of accusing others.

Declare thus: You satanic spirit of accusation, unforgiveness and condemnation, I denounce you forthwith. Release me and all God’s people to serve God and His purpose with a heart of love and discernment in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!

GOD’S RESPONSE TO MAN’S SINFUL NATURE (JOHN 3:10)

The Lord Jesus Christ did not judge nor condemn personalities. He instead struck directly and deep into the root cause of the problem – the spirit in the man. “For God did not send His son into the world to judge (condemn) the world, but that the world should be saved through Him” (John 3:17) Romans 6:23, states that; “For the wages (pay, stipend, ratio/portion) of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” With His own blood (and not that of goats nor calves which can only cover or blot out but not remove sin) the Lord Jesus Christ entered the most holy place and once for all secured  our redemption (ransom, paid the full price  for the debt of our sin) thus freeing us from the bondage of sin forever. All sin whether ‘big’ or ‘small’ cuts us  off from the Holy God  as  stated in Romans 3:23; “For all have sinned and fallen  short of  God’s glorious  standard”

Christ through His death has freed usrom and of the bondage of the mind, will and spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ has paid for it with His own blood (Ephesians 1:7) and released us into the freedom of serving Him with a glad and freed heart. Don’t however misuse this freedom.

Declare thus:         Through Christ’s’ redeeming blood I am free from all wickedness, the grip of sin, the old life, the curse of the law, the bondage of the law, death and hell – there is now no condemnation over me, for I being to Christ, the Power of life giving spirit has freed me from the power of sin and death because God has declared an end to sin’s control over me by giving His son as a sacrifice for me. Amen! (Romans 8:1-3)  

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Having introduced the above message, on 1^st may 2011, 8^th May 2011 bulletins, we today tackle the topics on accusation

ACCUSATION

The opposite of an accuser is a defender. The scripture in Mathew 18:23-35 speaking of a debt of slave who through compassion forgiven and released from having to pay ten thousand talents (about Kshs, 8,000,000/=) which he owed his master. This same slave however could not reciprocate and also forgive a fellow slave who owed him only one hundred denary (about Kshs 500/=), throwing him into prison till he pay up in spite of the victim’s pleas to be given more time to pay. Word soon got round to the master of the ruthless slave who with anger in turn handed the unforgiving slave to the torturers until he pays what he owed him. God’s word says; “so shall my heavenly father also do to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from the heart” (Mathew 18:35). God through Christ Jesus’ death has forgiven the debt of sin which we could never ever pay being sinners. We must also truly forgive those who do wrong to us no matter the magnitude of the offence in order for us to qualify our salvation. An accusing heart is also an unforgiving heart upon which God applies the same harsh judgment of eternal damnation.

Make a deliberate and informed choice to forgive others and so become an agent of life, not death. The spirit of unforgiveness is Satan’s strategy against the blood of Christ to make it of no effect. He effects this strategy by instigating (inciting) doubts, fear, threats and manipulation based on lies in order to get someone away from God’s love and cover of protection effected through Christ’s shed blood.

Satan takes undue advantage of the divine attribute of justice to instill unbelief on Christ’s finished work, drawing the undiscerning heart into the uncouth (ill mannered) world of accusation, counter accusation and judgment ultimately thus making you an agent of death. Be wiser and never allow yourself to fall into his trap. Learn to believe, do and say the right things about yourself and others always.  Scripture says, “And they overcame him (Satan, dragon, the accuser) because of the blood of the lamb and because of the word of their testimonies (‘marturia’ – report, record, evidence given which is judicial in nature, witness) and they did not love their life even to death”. (Revelation 12:11) We must know what God says about us, stand on it by faith, speak it forth loud and clear as the true account a record of who we are before all and sundry, foe included.

As written, we must stand firm (on God’s word or report) to see the salvation of the of the Lord or to overcome.  (2 Chronicles 20:17)

CONVICTION AND GUILT

Be able to distinguish between conviction (which leads to repentance) and guilt (which leads to judgment, condemnation and ultimately death). Whereas guilt draws from the law or letter that kills, Holy Spirit Conviction draws from life-giving grace of God, which is a firm and sincere belief in Christ’s salvation that leads to repentance and acquittal (2 Corinthians 3:6) Guilt for a child of God is self imposed condemnation that illegitimately puts the laws (an order which you died to when you received Christ) against you (Galatians 2:19; 5:18). Maintaining an attitude of guilt as a child of God is being out of order and certainly not the right way to go. It is imperative that a spiritual warrior lead an ordered life. Whereas Ephesians 6:11 says we “put on the whole armour of God” guilt fools you into lowering your spiritual armour thus exposing  you and making you an open target to the ruthless kingdom of darkness.   

Declare thus: By the grace of God, I apply the blood of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on me. Its cleansing power cleanses me from all sins. I receive my forgiveness and take on my position as a child of God to reign with Christ in high places as join heir. I am forever free from satanic accusation because my debt of sin is fully settled in Christ Jesus. Today I condemn that judgment, condemning and unforgiving spirit, get behind me and release the heart of all God’s children so that they may serve God with a heart void of condemnation and filled with the love of God; Amen!

“For God did no send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through Him” (John 3:17). In this dispensation of grace be an active divine agent of life both to yourself and others.

THE EXPLOITS OF CHRIST’S REDEMPTION.

To redeem means to set someone free from captivity or slavery by the paying of the ransom (full freedom price) – 1 Timothy 2:6

Christ’s redemption death therefore freed us from:-

(i)           All wickedness (Titus 2:14)

(ii)         The grip of sin (Romans 6:18,22)

(iii)       Old life which was corrupt and deprived in nature (1 Peter 1:18)

(iv)        Curse of the law (Galatians 3:13)

(v)          Bondage of the law (Galatians 4:5)

(vi)        Death (Job 5:20)

(vii)      Hell (Psalms 49:15)

This freedom is effected in the real of the mind, will and spirit. We must therefore now consciously and deliberately commensurate effect it by actively acting our freedom out by doing the will of our redeemer with glad hearts and never allow ourselves into the trap of misusing this great and invaluable freedom.

Declare thus: Through the Lord Jesus Christ’s redeeming blood; I am now free from all wickedness, the grip of sin, the old life, the curse of the law, the bondage of the law, death and hell. I am no longer under condemnation for the power of the life-giving spirit has freed me from the power of sin and death. I am now completely free and I will do the will of God with a glad heart all my life. Amen!   

FAITH FOR SPECIAL OR EXTRAORDINARY PROVISION

SERIES: PROSPERITY

AIM: TO SECURE YOUR SPECIAL PROVISION THROUGH FAITH

MESSAGE TITLE: FAITH FOR SPECIAL OR EXTRAORDINARY PROVISION

TEXT: LUKE 5:1-11.

INTRODUCTION

In Corinthians 16:9 Paul the Apostle says; “A wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries”. The statement ‘a wide door’ or ‘open door’ is used figuratively to demote freedom of movement or choice which is depictive of the many evangelistic opportunities which also come with a corresponding number of oppositions of spiritual consequences. It is note worthy that the more openings we get for Kingdom service the greater the                                                             numbers and degree of opposition that we encounter or have to face, however with the end result   that we grow markedly in faith and so realize supper natural results ministry wise. Today we explore this line of supernatural, extraordinary phenomenon or uncommon occurrences to help us secure our supernatural   provisions which will help spur us forward into greater future exploits in the physical and spiritual realms to God’s glory.

SUPERNATURAL PROVISION

As recorded in John 5:29, “ an angel of the Lord would come down on certain seasons and stir up the pool of Bethesda, (Bethsaida  or Beth-zatha) and whoever was first to step into the pool was made well from whatever disease afflicting them. God has occasionally visited His people through time, making known His manifested presence in diverse ways, depending on the implication and magnitude of the visitation. “In this last days (however He ) has spoken to us by His son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He (also) made the universe (world), Hebrews 1:2 . In the pool visitation mentioned above it was not an angel who came but Christ the son of God Himself. It goes without saying therefore that we live in enviable or desirable times which are rife with opportunities for great break outs for every child of God operating with a discerning heart and a prophetic disposition depicted by spiritual alertness and sensitivity. This time round we have Isaiah 7:4 fulfilled and God is sure with us (Emmanuel). The Lord Jesus Christ has promised us His presence in Matthew 28:20, “Behold (i) I am with you always even to the end of the age. This unique visitation also brings with it more pronounced, or profound and extraordinary results. We as Gods children must therefore rise up to the occasion of this special visitation and do greater works or accomplish great exploits to Gods glory. (John 14:12, Daniel 11:32).

SPECIAL FAITH

While faith basically is the confidence (complete trust) that what we hope for will actually happen, thus giving s assurance about things we cannot see (with the physical eye) Hebrews 11:1, we need great faith to go a notch higher than the leading pack to make a corresponding greater impact, and achieve more within the limited time of God’s visitation. “Then Jesus answered, “Woman great is your faith. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at once (that very hour) Matthew 15:28.

FAITH: THE RATIONALE (REASON BEHIND IT).

To flow with God and accomplish His mighty acts with His help, the necessity of faith in God and His word cannot be over emphasized, because÷

1.                 BEFORE GOD DOES ANYTHING HE FIRST SPEAKS IT INTO BEING

“Behold the former things have come to pass. Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you!! “I am God and there is no one like me Declaring the end from the beginning …saying my purpose shall be established.. I will accomplish all my good pleasure.  Calling a bird of prey from the East, the man of my purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken, truly I will bring it to pass. I planned it, surely I will do it (Isaiah 42:9, 46:9-13). Hear me you men and women, of faith, ‘nothing stands solid or firm with integrity through eternity like the word of God or any word that is rightly attributed to Him.’ “Jesus said, Heaven and earth will pass a way, but my words shall not pass a way (Matthew 24:35). God Has exalted His name and His word and is always watching upon His word to perform it (Psalms 138:2 Jeremiah 1:12), so you can always count on God’s word for scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35). It goes without saying therefore that faith in the living word of God is what will catapult you to the fulfillment of the word of God over your life (Luke 4:21).

2.      FAITH IN GOD (AND HIS WORD) IS PROOF OF OUR DISCIPLESHIP AND SONSHIP

“Therefore Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “you are truly my disciples if you remain (continue) faithfully in my teachings” (John 8:31). As said before the basis of our true relationship with God is our faith in Him that results in obedience to Him. This qualifies us as Christ’s adherents who are hooked on following Him always (Acts 11:26). The position of sonship is a position we get through Christ by divine empowerment. “But to all who believed in Him, and accepted Him, He gave the right (power, authority) to become sons (children) of God  (John 1:12).

3.      WITHOUT FAITH WE CANNOT PLEASE GOD

“It is impossible to please God without faith. Any one who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Faith in God from our hearts is the key to a robust or strong, on going fruitful relationship with God. However crazy faith like the kind we find Peter applying above will move God into performing extra ordinary miracles for us (Luke 5:5,6).

Declare this: “I purpose and resolve to operate in ‘firm faith’ in God and His word through life no matter the circumstance I am faced with, to God’s glory.

4.      FAITH FOCUSES OUR ATTENTION AND EXPECTATION ON GOD, NOT MEN

“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns a way from the Lord. For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes….”

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water…and …will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit” (Jeremiah 17:5-8). All mankind is created God dependent from the word go. That is to say,  for every day sustenance we cannot do without God. Moving from this position in life to anything else therefore  is judged as turning away from God and is liable to a curse, a severely limiting principle that ultimately renders us deprived and destitute in life. We do ourselves and others much good when we choose to remain locked on God as our sole source at all times, and in all seasons.

HOW TO GET TO AND TAKE POSSESSION OF YOUR SUPERNATURAL PROVISION.

This is the most crucial part of this message as it provides the keys to our supernatural provision. They are as follows;

KEY 1. RECEIVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOUR

Accepting Christ as your Lord and saviour gives you the privilege and power of Sonship and hence a joint heirship status with Christ over all the promises of God. We through this become children of God of promise (Romans 8:14-17, Galatians 3:14, 29). When the Canaanite woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon came to Christ for the healing of her demon possessed daughter, Jesus told her, it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to dogs (Matthew 15:26). The fact that she was a none Jew and not a believer at that point in time blocked her from the covenant blessings of Gods people Israel. How ever her persistent faith in Christ and to the God of Israel won her daughters healing, (Matthew 15:23). Receive Christ today and be counted in.

 Pray thus: Heavenly Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, recognize tat I am a sinner. Today I believe in and I accept your salvation through Christ. Forgive me all my sins and make me your child.  Now receive your forgiveness. I am saved. Help me to follow you always. Amen!

KEY 2. SEEK OUT AND MEET GOD’S ‘NEED’ OF THE MOMENT

Hannah’s timely prayer for a son  whom she would give back to the Lord had to be an answered  because she met God’s need of the time, a priest to serve in God’s house at Shiloh after backslidden Eli and his wicked sons had been judged and rejected by God (I Samuel 3:11-14, 2:12-17). In our text above, scripture states that “…the multitude were pressing around Him (Christ) and listening to the word of God.” (Luke 5:1). The Lord Jesus Christ needed a favorable position to deliver His message and He found it in Simon Peter’s boat. Operate with a spiritually illuminated heart, perceive, understand and know through the leading of the Holy Spirit the divine need of the moment. Discover what God wants done in the here and now and then occupy yourself with as you keep spiritual ears open for His next assignment. Be about God’s business and occupy (do business) till the Lord comes.

KEY 3. BE LOCATED OR POSITIONED JUST RIGHT FOR GOD’S USE AND VISITATION.

“…He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake…

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and He got into one of the boats which was Simon’s”. Not any spiritual situation or physical location is good enough when it comes to breaking out into your supernatural provision. Your right location, application for God’s disposition, contemporary is (current) agenda not just necessary it is critical. “…the fastest runner doesn’t always win the race and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry and the skillful are not necessarily wealth. It is decided by being at the right place at the right time” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). The right attitude, a discerning heart and the right geographical position will give you a clear winning edge over and above the best and smartest of competitors.

KEY 4. APPLY THE RIGHT STRATEGY TO BREAK A WAY AND WIN.

In athletic events around the world more often than not it is not the fastest nor the strongest runner who wins, but the athlete or athletes with the right winning strategy. It is even more pronounced on shorter and faster races like the one hundred meters dash. A winner athlete will be honoured and his or her image flashed around the world plus get showered with bounteous or (plenty of) presents just because he beat fellow competitors by a fraction of a second. It certainly sounds unfair, but unfortunately in life it is the small differences that make the big difference when it comes to  rewards. To beat the stiff competition, you just must push a little harder than the competition. “…and (Jesus) asked him (Simon Peter) to push it (boat) out into the waters.” (Luke 5:3). For Peter to properly a line himself for the supernatural provision that was on the offing  his boat had to be  pushed and positioned further and better than the other competing boat that was right next to his. To excel in life do not just be satisfied with being amongst the leading pack of competitors, push harder, break out from the pack with a winning strategy and so win the race. Just like Peter had to hear from Christ before He eventually received his provision, listen to the Holy Spirit to give you the winning strategy package then use it to blaze your trial into a clear win. The Lord grant you supernatural victory over all obstacles, Amen!

5.       AVAIL YOURSELF AND YOUR POSSESSION FOR GOD’S USE WITH PATIENCE.

God loves and has planned the very best for us BECAUSE He takes great pleasure in blessing His children as a good Father. Our corporation with Him in the same through faith is therefore very crucial for our prosperity. The preacher in Ecclesiastes 12:13 concludes on the whole duty of man as…”fear God and keep His commandments”’. We are created to serve God’s purpose which in essence is walking in God’s will, this way we live life at its best purpose wise. To realize God’s supernatural provision, Simon Peter had to avail his boat for the Lord’s use, never mind the many inconveniences and the possibly that he did not know where His family’s next meal was going to come from, now that they had caught no fish. So He (Jesus) sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there (Luke 5:3).

“Funny how God can transform and use our feeble structures for His own purposes when we surrender to Him. Peter’s fishing boat was turned by Christ into a teaching platform, which we must say brought in the sphere of an eternal dimension to the wooden vessel and its mortal owner Simon so to speak. The fact that the Lord Jesus sat down in the boat also implied that Peter was going to have to wait for a long time before his boat was released back to him. Doesn’t  this sound unfair for a penny less struggling fisherman who has a family to feed. The only conceivable reason why Peter would weather this state of depravity and uncertainty was because of the faith he had in Christ and hence his personal resolve to entrust his future to God, read on!

6.       ABIDE (OR STAY) IN GOD’S PRESENCE.

(Psalms 62:5 ). It is God’s presence, in, and amongst us that distinguishes us and singles us out of the world’s crowd for favour and blessings. Moses knew the significance of Gods presence, that is why he prayed to God, “It is not by your going with us, …that we, I and your people may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth”( Exodus 33:16b). Seek to and abide (remain, tarry, dwell, continue, endure) in God’s presence to receive answers to your prayers. “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). Abiding is like waiting on or waiting for someone. It certainly is not one of the most exciting things to do especially if you cannot see light at the end of the tunnel; however it is a prerequisite for our breakouts. As we wait on God we must be both violent and vigilant because the enemy through his agents will want to swoop down upon us and try to steal our vision, destiny, faith, patience, and sacrifice among others through wrong counsel, doubt, discouragement and unbelief. “Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them a way” (Genesis 15:11). Read or listen to the word of God on a regular basis and maintain the right company of good people who believes in you and spur (urge) you on (I Corinthians 15:33), not a bunch of negative people whose aim is to discourage you, especially on God’s promises to you. Speak the right words and do the right things. Your sacrifice is the service you have given to God’s work all these years. It is the covenant ratifier or the covenant approver upon which God bequeaths or hands down to you your divine inheritance. It therefore must be kept secure, so operate with a hedge, door lock and key for your sacrifice must be kept secure. Usher in and maintain the right environment for your miracle or a breakout. Persist and persevere in God’s presence for He will surely come through for you when He Has finished with the initial stages.

7.       BUILD YOUR FAITH, CAPTURE, BELIEVE AND EXECUTE THE RHEMA WORD

“When He had finished  speaking , He said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets to catch some fish” (Luke 5:4). The rhema (word) is the fresh uttered or written relevant word which the Holy Spirit brings to your attention or remembrance for direct application to a particular situation or to address the present. Since timeliness is critical for the realization of the miracle of special provision we must seek out, find, listen to, and carefully obey the rhema (fresh word) for us to zero down on our miracles. Every step counts big time here. Trust God enough to make the right moves based on His word, over and above your past experiences.

8. RECEIVE YOUR SUPERNATURAL PROVISION

“This time their nets were so full of fish they began to break. A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking” (Luke 5:6, 7). Supernatural provisions surpasses and far outstrips your capacity. It is therefore just natural that you share it with your neighbours. Our God is the God of abundance and overflow (Psalms 23:5, John 10:10). Remember therefore to share out your overflow because selfishness and greediness are both incompatible in the management of divine resources or provisions.  Continue to trust the God who supplied for today for future provisions too as your abundantly sow your overflow through giving (Luke 6:38). “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above that which we ask or think according to the power that works within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

9. WORSHIP GOD AND SOAR TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

“Simon Peter…fell to his knees before Jesus…“Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you will be fishing for people” (Luke 5:8, 10). God will not share His glory with another. (Isaiah 48:11c) so always remember to, give Him all the glory due Him. Testify of, worship, praise, thank and honor Him with your gifts for all His provisions. Do not take undue advantage of any move of God and thumb your chest for that move in any way. Give glory to whom it is due – God Almighty. Pass the critical test of not usurping what is not yours because the abundance also has another tag to it, your promotion. Remember, no divine visitation responded to appropriately will leave you where you have been. Visitation is God’s way of promoting His church, His servants and His children thus adding greater eternal values to our lives as Gods children. God is not through with you yet as long as you remain on this side of life. Walk faithfully before God always in your divine purpose with perseverance and great expectations. God says this about you; “For I know the plans that I have for you! Declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity (destruction) to give you a future and a hope (expected end)” Jeremiah 29:11. Amen!