Transcription
The word of God delivers the power of God. And when that power is engaged, it produces wonders. If you do not know how to engage with God in partnership, through prayer, and through obedience, you will never be able to birth prophecies in your life. Therein lies many believers who claim a lot of things that never manifest in their lives. Do you know God wants to lift you? I know. Do you know God wants to bless you this year? I know. Do you know the prophetic word He's given you? I know. In fact, I had a dream, a correct dream, but it may never come to pass. Do you know why? Look at me.
The Bible says, "From the foundations of the earth, the lamb was slain. But that reality could not save any man." Jesus had to walk upon the earth and literally enforce that which was finished in the mind of the Father. And these were the two keys that Jesus used. One, prayer. Two, obedience even unto death. That was what brought our victory. Every time the word of God seems to be wanting in your life, it is because you have not understood the technology for enforcing divine verdict. So when a prophetic word comes that this is the direction God is taking you to, when you celebrate that word, it does not stop there. The next thing is you go back and now learn to engage. And this morning, I want us to focus on how a man can partner with God. How a man can partner with prophecy. How a man can partner with the word in prayer, like a woman who takes seed. The seed that leaves the man to the woman can be a child, but it may not be a child. Whether that child manifests is dependent on what the woman does with that seed. Am I right on that? Yes.
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Partnership with God. So I've said that enforcing the will of God depends on two factors. Number one, partnership in the place of prayer, and number two, obedience. Let's look at prayer. What exactly does prayer do? What does it do? Why do we have to pray the will of God? Is it just a ritual? What do we do at the point of prayer? What are we really doing? So when I take the word of God and engage it in the place of prayer, what is really happening to me? I will tell you. Please listen. The prayer ministry, when it has to do with manifesting divine realities, is predicated upon this revelation. Listen carefully.
Number one, God gave man a will. Please listen carefully. God gave man a will. Now, I don't have the time to begin to describe for you what it means to be a man, because the word "man" there is a spiritual definition to the entity that you call man. Not every one of God's creation can be called man. You cannot call a lion man. You can't call angels man. Although they are God's creation, there is a condition you must satisfy to be called a man. Are we learning? To be called a man, number one, you must first be a spirit. If you are not a spirit, you cannot be man. Number two, that spirit must be hosted in a body. If that spirit is not hosted in a body compatible to the earth, it cannot be called man. Are we together? Now, that spirit hosted in the body must have the psychological faculties to allow for expression both in the realm of the spirit and the physical realm. Any creature that has this combination is called man. Do you understand me now? So, not every of God's creation can be called man. You can't call angels man. You can't call animals man. Although they are all alive, but they cannot be called man. So for you to be called man is an honor. You must be a spirit, and that spirit must be domiciled in a body having the psychological faculties of will, emotion, and intellect. If these tripartite conditions do not coexist in any creature, you cannot be called man. Are we learning now?
Now, please look up. There's a reason why I said all that. The will of man is a very powerful mystery. Because that will God gave you can send you to hell. That will God gave you can send you to be with the Lord. That will God gave you can redefine your destiny. That will God gave you can destroy you. Even though God is almighty, He submits to the way man uses his will. That at the expense of your eternal destiny, God will still allow you to choose whether you are interested in Him or not. If I were God, having died for the sins of man, I would not even allow you to decide whether you want to choose me or not. You must choose me. Are we together now? I can't go through that labor and die and tell you to still choose. No, no, I don't have that time. You must choose me. This is me for you. But that Jesus went through all of that journey and yet He gives you a chance, and you can walk before Him and say, "You died. I'm aware of Your blood. I'm aware of Your tears. I choose as an act of my will to reject You," and He will respect you, even though He sees you going to hell. This thing called the will is powerful. If you do not know this, you will not know why believers pray. Animals don't pray. Are we together now? Yes. You will know why He told men to pray. Please help me in the handkerchief. Thank you. He spake a parable, Luke 18 and verse 1, that men, men, there is a, there is a particular description of His creature that He mandates they pray. Men. He spake a parable that men ought always to pray and not to faint. Do you know why? The highest demonstration of your will is in the place of prayer. That will that God gave you, the power to choose, the power to accept, the power to reject, all happens within the place of prayer. It is in the place of prayer that you verbalize your partnership with God for or against your destiny.
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This is very powerful that when you want to enforce the will of God, you cannot enforce the will of God until you use the God-given gift. He's given you the will, the power to choose. God sets before you life and death. He sets before you blessing and cursing. He sets before you advancement and a possibility for retrogression. He cannot force you. But He says, "Choose life." And that when you get to the place of prayer, as you engage scripture, you are agreeing with God that, "I agree." This statement called "Amen" was not something you were supposed to say at the end of prayer. The entire prayer itself is how you say "Amen." Did you get me? Now, I'm not saying saying "Amen" is wrong. But just saying A-M-E-N is not how "Amen" was supposed to be said. The act of praying in partnership with God. Are we together now? That is how the believer says "Amen." You don't say "Amen" by reciting it like a chant. The act of partnering with God is you saying "Amen." "Amen" means let it be so. As it is in the heavens, let it be enforced in my life. So if you shout "Amen" and you are not prayerful, you did not say "Amen." You only said "Amen" to a service, but you did not say "Amen" to your destiny. Are we together? He spake a parable to the end that men ought always to pray and not to faint. In Mark 11, from verse 23, 24, Jesus caused the fig tree, and He used the opportunity to teach them how petitions are granted in prayer. He says, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, when ye pray, when ye pray, verse 20, yes, believe that thou receivest them." When you pray, when you activate your will in the place of prayer, verbalizing your partnership with God, entering into agreement with Him in the place of prayer, He says, "Believe, and then you shall have it." Are we together?
Let me tell you what happens when believers do not pray. When believers do not pray, as mighty as God is, He is limited as far as manifesting His will on earth is concerned. And evil will drive, and all kinds of things will drive in your life and your territory when you do not pray. Acts 12, the Bible says Herod made up his mind to vex certain Jews. Watch this now. Herod, he decided to afflict the people of God. Obviously, under the influence of an antichrist spirit. And the Bible says James was the first who became a victim. They caught James and they beheaded James with a sword. Verse three, and he saw that it pleased the Jews. Don't think your downfall brings pain to everybody. There are people who actually rejoice. It was pre-programmed. That when you cry, when your children cry, that is someone's mission accomplished. The Bible says because he saw that it pleased the Jews. How can a man's beheading please other people? The next statement is very scary because he saw that it pleased the people, and yet the church kept quiet. And yet God was still God. Angels were still there. The word was still there. "He shall put His angels charge over you." But we don't see His word. We don't see any angel in charge of James. "He shall put His angels charge over you." The word said that even Satan quoted it to Jesus. Yet here is a man in trouble, and we do not see any angel in charge. The Bible now says he proceeded further. Every time you keep quiet watching Satan, he proceeds further. He starts with your health headache, and you keep quiet, he proceeds further. He proceeded further to take Peter also. He touched your finances, and you carelessly gave an answer and said, "No, it's just the economy." He proceeds further to your health. Are we together?
Now, watch what happened. Verse four. And when he had apprehended Peter, he put him in prison with four quartans of soldiers, that after Easter he will bring him and behead him just like James. The church now said, "We made a mistake with James. We will not repeat that mistake with Peter." Let me show you what the church did. Shout verse five with all your heart. Are you ready? One to go. Stop. Stop. Stop. But he was kept in prison just like James, under the same condition, with the same possibilities for deliverance. The difference was that in one case, they folded their arms and said, "How can I lie?" Whereas in another case, they said, "I must wake up. I can't watch my children die like this. I must wake up. I know what God has said that is not a cross land. Why is the land not delivering its blessing? It destroyed my father, destroyed my grandfather." But but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. Read verse five again, please. One to go.
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Uh-huh. But prayer. Hold on. Hold on. Just walk with me. But prayer. I like that. Something was introduced that was not there before. But prayer. But prayer. It is true that the prophecy about you dying this year would have come to pass. But prayer. Something was introduced. It is true that people don't rise in ministry in Jalingo. But prayer. It is true that young men become robbers. It is true that there are causes that draw down destinies. But prayer, but prayer, but prayer added to the situation makes a difference. But prayer, but prayer, but prayer. What you saw about me may be right based on your vision, but prayer. Let me introduce prayer to that vision. And you watch the power of God. It is true that it looks like it's difficult to find helpers in Jalingo, but prayer. But prayer. Someone say, "But prayer." There's no such thing as hopeless. But prayer. The church folded their arms when they caught James. "God, if You want to move, You can move." And He said, "No, I don't walk that way. I'm seeking for a man to come into partnership with me." Can you imagine? I can imagine the angels waiting. I can imagine God on His throne. The angels are saying, "Engage us. We are waiting," and nothing happened till James died. Can I tell you the truth? The more you know the Lord, the more you weep at many things that you allowed happen in your life that if you had knowledge, not to make you feel bad, but maybe if prayer came in, maybe mama would have still been alive. If prayer came in, maybe you wouldn't have gone through that situation. You are as powerful as your prayer life. You are as powerful as your prayer life.
Let's finish the scripture. Verse five. But prayer was made by the church unto God for him. Now let's see what happened as a result of that prayer. Verse six. Do you know that everything that happened from verse six to verse eleven would have happened right from verse one? The same angels that came to rescue Peter were there to rescue James. The same miracle that happened to Peter, the church should not have lost James. That was not the will of God. But they did not know how to enforce. But they got angry. The Bible says while Herod would have brought him forth, the same night, the night prayer started was the night deliverance started too. The night prayer started was the night salvation started. The Bible says while Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with chains, something happened. Verse seven. Give us verse seven, please. Behold, the angel of the Lord came. Question: Where was that angel? Where was the angel when James was dying? Where are the angels while you cry? While all that sickness afflicts you? When there are no saints to enforce the verdicts of heaven, all the resources of heaven look limited and frail. This is the kind of power God has given us to exact in the place of prayer. The power to rewrite your possibilities. The power to redefine your destiny. The power to force your life to be consistent with that which is written. This is a correct theology to making a people become a people of prayer. Prayer is not just a channel to satisfy the guilt of not looking spiritual. If that becomes your understanding of prayer, you will pray, but you will not be blessed by it because it's not by revelation. But when you understand what is at risk when you do not pray, then it becomes a survival strategy. Hallelujah.
The angels came and they tapped Peter. They said, "Finally, the saints have partnered with the word of God. We are here to enforce this. Stand up and let's go." And the Bible says when Peter got up, the chains fell on their own. Are we together now? He opened the first gate. Opened the second gate. Peter thought he was still in the vision. Do you know why this was happening? Back at the other end, there were saints who were praying. What were they saying? Everything they were saying was what the angel was doing. "Lord, deliver Peter. Your word says that there is always a way of escape for the believers." And while they were praying, the angels were there bringing credence to the word of God. God's power was there swinging open the prison doors. But something happened that I needed to learn. Go to verse eleven for sake of time. Same. The Bible says when Peter was come to himself, he said, "Now of a surety, He had sent His angel and delivered me from the hand of Herod and he also delivered me from what?" All the expectation. It's not only danger you can be delivered from through prayer. You can be delivered from expectations. You don't have to. That means there were other troubles scheduled aside from the actual one that has happened. Are we together now? Yes, sir. The one that has happened now, you can be delivered from, but you can also be delivered from expectations. Let me see who will rise in this family. Expectations. Let me see if their children will also eat. Expectations. Let me see who will help the woman now that her husband is gone. Expectations. "But thou, O Lord, art a shield from me, my glory. You lift my head. But thou, O Lord, are a shield for me. You're my glory, the lifter up of my head. But thou, O Lord, are a shield for me. My glory, you lift my hand."