Transcription
Honor Jesus with a clap of it as you have your seat. Please be seated. Please be seated in the presence of the Lord. You are most welcome in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This morning, we will share the message titled "The God Factor." We made references to this from time to time, but today we want to look at it in focus and in detail. So, we take our text this morning from Daniel chapter 4, verses 28 to 37. Daniel chapter 4, verse 28 to 37.
Easy to read version: He says, "All these things happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months after the dream, King Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his palace in Babylon. While on the roof, the king said, 'Look at Babylon! I built this great city. It is my palace. I built this great place by my power. I built this place to show how great I am.' The words were still in his mouth when a voice came from heaven. The Lord said, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, these things will happen to you. Your power as king has been taken away from you. You will be forced to go away from people. You will live with the wild animals and eat grass like an ox. Seven seasons will pass before you learn your lesson. Then you will learn that God rules over human kingdoms and gives them to whoever he wants.' These things happened immediately. Immediately, Nebuchadnezzar was forced to go away from people. He began eating grass like an ox. He became wet from dew. His hair grew long like the feathers of an eagle, and his nails grew long like the claws of a bear. Then, at the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up toward heaven, and I was in my right mind again. Then I gave praise to God most high. I gave honor and glory to him who lives forever. God rules forever; his kingdom continues for all generations. People on earth are not really important; God does what he wants with the powers of heaven and the people on earth. No one can stop his powerful hand or question what he does. At that time, God gave me my right mind again, and he gave back my great honor and power as king. My advisors and the royal people began to ask my advice again. I became the king again, even greater and more powerful than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, give praise, honor, and glory to the King of Heaven. Everything he does is right; he is always fair, and he is able to make proud people humble. Praise hear the Lord."
People could ignore the God Factor in different realms of life, and God would tolerate it for a very long time. But if there's no repentance, no humility, no brokenness, and men continue to feel highly entitled, then God will at some point in time step in to prove that He is the one that ultimately decides whatever happens on the surface of this Earth.
The God Factor. A factor is something that actively contributes to cause a particular thing to happen. Something that actively contributes to cause a particular thing to happen, like it is something that helps produce or influence a result. The God Factor. Some factors have higher levels of value, higher levels of impact. They are relevant factors, and they are more relevant factors. They are very important factors, depending on what is at stake and what needs to be overcome or what needs to be achieved. Very important factors are usually described as key factors or major factors. And then, of course, there are what we call indispensable factors. And that is part of the message God is passing across here. The God Factor is an indispensable Factor. It is an indispensable Factor. So, whatever plans you are making at any point in time, you must consider and give proper place to the God Factor along with other factors.
One challenge we have in Africa is that we sometimes also go to the extreme. And in many areas and issues of life where we need to combine success principles with the God Factor, we completely abandon success principles and we focus only on the God Factor. It doesn't happen that way. Said faith, with you must match your faith with the necessary and relevant action required to achieve what needs to be achieved. The God Factor is an indispensable Factor. Praise hear the Lord.
So, if we are to define the God Factor, we could define it as that daily intervention and influence of God over different events, circumstances, and the personal or collective experiences of people on the Earth. It is God's act of reaching into the visible world. The God Factor is just talking about an intervention of the Divine. And a lot of instances of the manifestation of the God Factor are usually described by people as good luck. Good luck. So many of the things people, some people describe as, you know, the product or the effect of good luck, is actually one of those moves that God's influence or intervention has orchestrated and produced on the surface of the Earth. The God Factor is an intervention of the Divine. It is God stepping into human affairs to ensure that His ultimate will is established, is perfected, and is advanced.
Ecclesiastes chapter 9, verse 11. Ecclesiastes chapter 9, verse 11. New Living Translation: "I have observed something else under the sun: The fastest runner doesn't always win the race. Take note. Doesn't always always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn't always win the battle. The wise, non-legible man sometimes goes hungry, and is careful are not necessarily wealthy, and those who are educated don't always succeed in life. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time." Instead of the word "chance," some versions will use the word "opportunity," and that opportunity is divine opportunity. I pray for you that second comes, we favor you. The seasons of change, which is evidently playing out now in our climb here, it will favor you. It will favor your platform in the name of Jesus. Policy and major policy change that is about to happen, we favor you. Location, we favor you in the name of Jesus. The new Nigeria will favor you. Take note, everything being mentioned in Ecclesiastes chapter 9:11 are success keys. All those things being mentioned there are success keys. So God is not saying you should put these things aside. He's just letting us know that these keys alone, without the God Factor, will not always give the expected result. But the Bible, by mentioning them here, is confirming that these are time-tested success keys: wisdom, intelligence, skill.
In Proverbs chapter 22, verse 29, the Bible will tell us, "See a diligent in his work." Some other versions will say, "See a man who does his job well." Say, "See a man who is careful in his business, he will stand before kings; he will not stand before me." But here, the Bible is telling us that that doesn't always apply. That it takes the God Factor for it to be guaranteed. And while I'm happy with you this morning, is that you are walking with the God Factor. Give yourself a clap offering this morning. If you attend prayer meetings, be a part from Sunday Services, then you are one of those that recognizes the God Factor. You are one of those that recognizes the God Factor.
The God Factor is needed. You may be the most qualified, the best hand, or somehow the best hand doesn't get that key position so quickly. Some examples of the God Factor. We see it at play many times because it's that overriding influence of God that is usually expressed to enable people achieve their goals and receive solutions to their needs or challenges. You'll see it at play when God shows up in the midst of unfavorable circumstances, those seemingly impossible. It is when what appeared to be the finer end of something, it surprisingly changed in the direction of what God has decided should rather happen. I, yeah, and I heard that in the spirit yesterday, that some of you in the process of time, going forward from now, certain things are going to happen. And I heard you singing, "I can see everything turning around, everything." God is going to turn everything around. This is a prophetic word from God to someone in this meeting. God is going to turn everything around. You are going to see it happen. And you know that song implies that it is going to be more than one testimony. Everything, everything, everything, everything, everything, everything. Is that man or woman in the meeting? Can a person shout, "Yes, Lord!"? Please sit.
So, there are many instances of the God Factor in action. Genesis chapter 39, verses 3 to 5. It's a reversion. It's a Potiphar. These are non-believers now. So, the God Factor can be noticed by people who are discerning. Potiphar saw a gift of God that is truly upon a man or a woman. It's something that discerning people will not miss. Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph. There was there was a reason why he came to that conclusion. And that the Lord helped Joseph. Because, you know, the God Factor is all about the help of God, the grace of God. And once that door is open in the realm of divine help, divine grace, a lot of things will begin to follow. Direction, direction, guidance. Many things will begin to happen. You will be at the right place at the right time. You'll be at the right place at the right time. He saw that the Lord was with Joseph, and that the Lord helped Joseph be successful in everything he did. Is it a God Factor as a key to success? Joseph was very hard-working, but in addition to his hard work, there was a God Factor. Just sleeping, praying, he was doing the needful, and the God Factor was also at work. So Potiphar was very happy with Joseph. He allowed Joseph to work for him and to help him rule the house. Promotion is ahead of someone listening. Promotion is ahead of someone listening. After Joseph was made the ruler over the house, the Lord blessed the house. The God Factor. The Lord. When you recognize that God Factor, when you all know that God Factor, please take note of this and inside. When you all know the God Factor, it moves God to release to impact you more positively and beneficially. Because Potiphar recognized and honored. Because someone can recognize the God Factor and oppose and begin to oppose the instrument through which it is manifested. But he did the right thing, and he did it well, anyway, in the eyes of God. So, because he recognized the God Factor upon Joseph, the Lord blessed the house, and everything that Potiphar, not Joseph, everything that Potiphar owned, the Lord also blessed everything that grew in Potiphar's fields. The Lord did this because of Joseph.
In Luke chapter 5, verse 47. Luke 5:47. Amplified Bible, Classic Edition says, "When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon Peter, 'Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a haul.' Simon Peter and said, 'Master, we have toiled all night, it's not him in our nets, but on the ground of your word, the ground of your word, I will lower the nets again.' I will lower the nets again. And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish from the same location where they toiled all night, and there was nothing." When the God Factor is at play, impossibility becomes possible. Impossibility becomes possible. And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and as their nets were at the point of breaking.
Second Kings chapter 7, verses 1 to 2. Second Kings chapter 7, one to two. Easy to read version: "Elijah said, 'Listen to the message from the Lord. The Lord said, "About this time tomorrow, there will be plenty of food, and it will be cheap again. It will be cheap again. It will be cheap again. It will be cheap again. A person will be able to buy a basket or two of flour or two baskets of barley for only one shekel in the marketplace by the city gates of Samaria."' Then the officer who was close to the king answered the man of God, the officer said, 'Even if the Lord made windows in the heaven, this could not happen.'" That was a man that did not recognize the power of the God Factor. Everything is possible through the God Factor. Other factors are all other factors are limited. All other factors are limited. That is why even the best of doctors will tell you, "We can only do our part with the best of tools, but what we ultimately, the ultimate outcome can only be guaranteed by God." Because whatever has been the best procedure that has worked for so many people, there will still be some isolated cases where it just didn't work. It just didn't work. So, it is only God that can guarantee that everything will always work.
In Daniel chapter 1, verses 17 to 20. Daniel 1:17-20. Easy to read version: "He says, 'God gave these four young men,' referring to Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego, 'four Hebrews, he said, the wisdom and ability to learn many different kinds of writing and science. Daniel could also understand all kinds of visions and dreams.' Now, let's take note. Some things have been mentioned here. Sometimes the problem we have is that we see people who believe that God's gifting and anointing should only be in the area of visions and dreams. It's not supposed to be so. God can also endow you with intelligence to excel in different fields, in different studies. He said, 'God gave these four young men the wisdom and ability to learn many different kinds of writing and science.' The anointing that we talk about all the time is supposed to produce inventions. The anointing that we talk about all the time is supposed to produce inventions. We should be hearing that a born-again Christian has just invented something. He has just invented something. She has just invented something very outstanding. So Daniel could also understand all kinds of visions and dreams. So then, at the end of the three years of training, as Finas brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar, the king talked to them, examined them, and found that none of the young men were as good as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So these four young men became the king's servants. Every time the king asked them about something important, not only dreams, not only visions, but something important. We should stand out in technology as a result of the spirit of God upon us. We should be the altar ICA breakthroughs, technological breakthroughs, and not just things that are exclusively in the realm of spiritual administration. Every time the king asked them about something important, they showed great wisdom and understanding. Great wisdom and understanding. The king found they were ten times better than all the magicians and wise men in his kingdom."
In Exodus chapter 8, verses 18 to 19, you see how that the God Factor made these men stand out. They were ten times better as a result of the God Factor. May God put His hand upon you afresh today. God put His hand afresh upon all your children today, wherever they are. The hand of God come upon everyone in the name of Jesus. You will excel. You will stand out in the name of Jesus. Through your problems will be solved. Through you, solutions will emerge in the name of Jesus.
Exodus 8:18-19. Living Bible: "Then the magicians tried to do the same thing with their secret arts, but this time they failed. I told you all other effective factors are limited. First miracle of Moses before Pharaoh, the magicians successfully replicated it. Second miracle, they replicated. Third miracle, the same thing. Okay, then God stepped up. God is stepping up in His moves now. Since you could, we are going to begin to see you do them without stress in this nuisance in the name of Jesus Christ. A new dimension of grace is coming upon you right now." See magicians' faith, verse 19. He said, "They now said, they said, 'This is the finger.' Who always saying this? The magicians. Magicians were the ones now acknowledging the God Factor. Pharaoh is all these. They are different all kinds of dimensions of magical arts. This is not magical. This is not occultism. This is not sorcery. This is not any kind of earthly magical arts, spiritual or spiritism. What has you have just seen happen can only be done through the God Factor." He said, "This, this one is the finger of God." We will see the finger of God upon your life anytime from now. By the time something they had seen in the body of someone, and the person had been treated and treated, and suddenly everything disappears. Everything disappears. So this is the finger of God.
In Proverbs 16, verse 1. And Proverbs 16, verse 1, as we are closing it up now. Living Bible: "We can make our plans, but the final outcome is where is in God's work. Hard and take note, like I've been emphasizing, make plans. One of the ways to succeed in life is that you must plan. You must plan. All these things being mentioned as a premise before referring to the sovereignty of God, of the God Factor, are indirectly also showing you things that are equally important that you should combine with the God Factor. And one of them is proper planning. So we should make our plans, then execute your plans. Execute your plans. Don't just plan, sit down and wait for the God Factor. No, execute. But the final and times you will come through these different times in life where you will just do your best, your best. In addition to effort to action, you activate all relevant spiritual sins, these prayers, these things you do. All, then you leave the rest to God. You leave the rest." And there's someone in that mood right now. Someone in that mood right now. God will not disappoint you. God is going to prove His faithfulness to you in the name of Jesus.
[Music]