Transcription
All right, break your Bible if you have one to Ruth chapter 1. Ruth chapter 1, verse 9. Ruth 1:9, verse 20, and verse 21. "The Lord grant you that which that you may find rest." Somebody say, "I'll find rest." "I'll find rest." "Each of you in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept. Verse 20 and 21. Can we go? Hold on. Let's go to verse 19, 20, and 21. Want to go.
So they went, the two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them. And they said, "Is this not Naomi?"
Verse 20. And she said unto them, "Call me not Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me."
Verse 21. "I went out full, and the Lord brought me home again empty. Why then call ye me Naomi? Seeing the Lord testify against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me."
I want to share on what I titled, "Is this not Naomi?" "Is this not Naomi?" "Is this not Naomi?" is a question. "Is this not Naomi?" The name Naomi means the plump and pleasant one, the one that God has decorated and blessed. But when she was returning back from the land of Moab, she was spent, wasted, dried up. She was a shadow of herself. And people began to ask questions, "Is this not?" There is a way life can beat you, life can be so hard on you that people begin to doubt if it is you. There is a way life can beat people and their identity can be tempered with. There is a way life can beat people and their originality will be taken away. Are you aware that the way you look now is not your finality? It is wealth that has not come.
The story we read tells us a lot of things. The Bible says that there was a couple. The man was called Elimelech. The wife was called Naomi. It said there was no more bread in the place called Bethlehem, the house of bread. And they went to the enemy territory, Moab, because they had food there. But they went to the enemy's territory to get bread. In the process, the man died, the children died, the woman lost almost everything, and she had to begin her life afresh. There was no bread. Don't forget there were two people. If you study the story of Noah, of Lot, sorry, daughters of Lot. They begot two children. One was called Moab and Ammon. And those were perpetual enemies by reason of their procreation. They were enemies of God's people. But because there was no bread in the house of bread, they went into the enemy territory.
Anything that takes you outside God is not considered as provision. Anything that takes you outside God is not considered as provision. Anything that will make you go outside God for help is not considered as provision. When the devil wants to ruin a man's life, he begins to entice you. He shows you things outside of God and makes you think that these things outside God are provision. He shows you things outside God and makes you think that these things are provision. They are not provision. The Bible says, "My son, if sinners entice you, consent thou not." Sometimes you will go through hardship. You will go through pains. You will go through trial. The Bible says in James 1 from verse two, "Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations; for the trying of your faith." Verse three, "Walk patience. Let patience have her perfect work in you, that you may be entire, wanting nothing." It doesn't matter your experiences. It will come to an end. Are you aware that battles are temporal? Challenges are temporal. Troubles are temporal. It doesn't matter what you're experiencing. It has an expiring date. God is saying, "No matter the provision in Egypt, don't go to Egypt for help. If it's a native doctor that knows how to give children, let the children go to hell." There's something you are looking for and they tell you you can get it outside God. You don't need it. Nothing should take you outside God. Am I communicating here?
Watch this. They went to Moab. These are a royal people, a people of covenant. And the Bible says the man died. The two sons, one was called Mahlon, sickness, one was called Chilion, dying. Mahlon means sickness. Chilion means dying. They were both sick and they died because God didn't send them to Moab. God's power, listen to this, God's power cannot keep you where God's spirit has not sent you. God's power cannot keep you where God's spirit has not sent you. God is only committed to His commandments. God's power cannot keep you where God's spirit has not sent you. If God has sent you, if God has spoken to you to go somewhere, if God has spoken to you to do something, if God has given you an instruction, if God has said, "Go on with this business," if God has said, "Go on in this marriage," and God has spoken to you, child of God, God has the power and the capacity to keep you when He has spoken. When God gives a command, He has the power and the capacity to uphold you. When God gives an instruction, He has the power and the capacity to be committed to His instruction. When God says, "Go ahead," He has the power to keep you. Am I communicating now? There is a power that keeps men when God sends them. There's a power that protects men when God instructs them. There's a power that accepts men when God anoints them. If it is God that said, "Go into that marriage," God will keep you. If it's God that said, "Start that business," God will keep you. If it's God that said, "Start that investment," God will keep you. It is God that has started that mandate. God will keep you. Am I communicating right now? God will keep you. It doesn't matter the battle. God will keep you. He will keep you from trouble. He will keep you from falling. He will keep you from the struggles of life. He will keep you from the cost of hell. He will keep you from the manipulation of the people of darkness. God will keep you. I don't know what I'm talking to this morning. God said to tell you, God will keep you. Let me tell five people. God will keep me.
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Tell someone, "God will keep you." Listen to me. Take your seat. I want all the ladies here to listen to me. All of you and ladies who are female, female, females rather, listen to me very well. Naomi tells us a story. Listen to this. All ladies, whether you are a young girl, whether you are a young woman, whether you are an old woman, this is very important. Naomi's life explains something. Wife, mother, and woman. As a wife, she failed. Her husband died. Are you aware? As a mother, she failed. Her two children died. But as a woman, she didn't fail. That tells you that being a wife and a mother is not the entirety of womanhood. Because there are so many women who think that what makes the entirety of the feminine gender is being married or having children. Even if you failed as a wife, you may have failed as a mother, don't fail as a woman. There is something about your life that is beyond marriage. There is something about you, woman, that is beyond having a child. Naomi lost her husband. So marriage was a, was, was miserable. She lost her two children. Childbirth was miserable. But there is something about womanhood that is beyond just having a baby, that is beyond just getting married. A lot of women stop their dream, stop their career, stop their destiny after marriage, after childbirth. There is something about your femininity. There's something about you being a woman is beyond just having a child. There is a place for you in life. There's a place for you in destiny. You are created to occupy. Am I speaking to somebody? We hear little about Deborah's husband. We hear little about Deborah's children. But the Bible said Deborah was a woman of honor. She was so anointed that men came to hide under her. Yeah, me, child of God, there is something about your femininity. There is something about you being a woman is beyond marriage. Is beyond having children. Don't stop because you have children. Don't kill your dream because you already have children. Don't kill your vision because you got married. There is something about your life that is beyond marriage, that is beyond having a baby as a woman. There's a grace upon you. You are called to conquer. You are called to dominate. You are called to be in charge. You are called to take dominion. You are called to lead. There is something about your life. There is a grace upon your life. Mary Magdalene failed. She failed as a mother. She failed as a wife. But she didn't fail as a follower of Jesus. Am I talking to somebody here? When we think of Mary Magdalene, we don't know who her husband was. We don't know who her children were, but we know who she was. Why? Because she knew there is something beyond marriage. There is something beyond having babies. There is a dream I have. There's a vision I have. There's a pursuit I have. There's a purpose on my life. You don't serve a dead God. You serve a mighty God. He's the same yesterday. He's the same today. He's the same forever. When God says yes, no man can say no. When God lifts you up, no man can bring you down. God is on your side. Power is on your side. Hear me, every woman here. There's a vision for your life. You will fulfill that vision.
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Take your seat. The pursuit for marriage. The pursuit for marriage is so funny until you get married. Then the pursuit for children until you have children. By the time you have children, you are asking God, "What is all this, mothers?" Do you understand what I'm saying? Say, "What is all this?" You hear mothers say, "I didn't kill my mother. You won't kill me." You are tired. I see a lot of young men. Oh Lord, don't worry. You see, when we talk like this, you think we are trying to stop you, as a young man, from getting married. Come. All this one that every night, every night you are in courtship, every night you are visiting yourself, visiting. Come. When you get married, you now know that that night's work is work. You know it's assignment. Now you have come, come. There are people that pack their dreams and their visions as soon as they have children. There are women like that. They think that's the sum total of life because even raising those children again is another anointing. You need a fresh anointing because there are children that are smart. You know, when I do this free food when I share, I fear children. I'm not joking. I fear children. Oh, every time. Every time. The way they do it, very smart. You see them on this roll before you are talking, they have eaten. They're on the next roll and they are so normal. No, no, no sign, no shaking. And, and I always catch them. I always catch them. I say, "Hey, hey, I gave you food." Me, "Papa, no." I say, "I get that is the, that's what you're up against now at this end time." So, you need a special anointing because what a person, a family can have. Come on. A family can have so many children. Okay, let me show you something. Solomon, King Solomon, had 700 wives. Are you aware? 300 concubines. And, and he had four children. Solomon had 700 wives, 300 concubines. And the Bible says he had four children. Yeah. He had four. That's what the Bible says. Not that they have children. Only four had sense. Are you following? I'm talking about when the Bible says he had four, in other words, amongst all his children, Rehoboam was his, was one of his children. Amongst all, only four could be reckoned with. Have you not heard people say, "We are talking of the family of lawyers. He's the only lawyer that's in that family. He's the only lawyer that is standing. We are talking of the family of that chartered accountant, family of governor's. Only governor that's there because others are silent." Mothers, open your hands. Your seed will not be wasted. Your children will not be wasted. Your seed will not be wasted. Every power that wants to waste your seed, I waste it.
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Listen, I'm praying for you young ladies. Oh, I'm speaking to your future seed. Even you that say you are a teenager, I'm speaking to your future seed. Even you that is unmarried, I speak to your future seed. Your seed will not be wasted. Your seed will not be wasted. Your seed will not be wasted. Your children will not be wasted. Your seed will not be wasted. Your time will not be wasted. Your data will not be wasted. I said they will not be wasted. I said they will not be wasted. I said they will not be wasted. I said they will not be wasted. If your amen is louder, take the blessing.
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Be seated. Naomi came to a point. Are you aware that all that happened to Naomi happened to the husband because they left without divine instruction? And do you know that that whole story formed the book of Ruth? And listen to this very well. Listen, there are people that judge you by what you are going through. And that is, that is a wrong judgment. In fact, only great people go through things. When you are going through anything, it is a sign of greatness because if you are a nobody, the devil will not bother you. The devil is too smart and too profit-oriented to waste his investment on nobody. Satan is too profit-oriented to waste his investment on nobody's. So the fact that you are going through something means you are somebody. Are you aware? With all Ruth went through, it was time for her to get married. Her husband died, her father-in-law died. Even now, by the tradition of the Jews, somebody will step in line and get married to her. The man ran. Why? How do you marry a young girl who lost the brother-in-law, lost the husband, lost the father-in-law, and she's a stranger from another city? The man took off. That is why the husband said in Ruth 3:13, he said, "I am not your kinsman-redeemer. There is one that is closer to you." He said it to the mourning, "I pray you, if he perform the part of a kinsman well, let him do the kinsman part. But if he will not do the part, I will come." In other words, there is somebody more related to your husband than me, is closer to your husband. Let's wait for him to morning. If he comes, you get married. But if he doesn't come, I would step into his role. The man didn't show up. If you bring the Message Translation and other translations, you get to understand it properly of Ruth 3:13. So stay the rest of the night. In the morning, if he wants to exercise the customary right and responsibility of the closest covenant redeemer, he will have a chance. But if he's not interested, as God lives, I will do it. I want to pray a very funny prayer. Whoever will not mean well for you, may they not be interested in you.
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Whoever will not mean well for your children, may they not be interested in them. Whoever will not mean well for your business, may they not be interested in that business. Anyone that will not mean well for your life, may God keep them far from your life.
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May God keep them far from you. Anyone that does not mean well for your children, whether as friends, as partners, may God keep them far from your children. I say may God keep them far from you. May God keep them far from you. May God keep them far from you. May God keep them far from you. This man had an opportunity. He was close. You know, if that man had known that this woman was going to be the great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother of Christ, he would have ignored the experience of Ruth. Everything Ruth went through was to was to form her book. Today we read the book of Ruth because of the experiences. Your challenges form your book. There are many of you are going through pain now. It's your book that is being written. It doesn't matter what the enemy. Are you aware that in a movie, there are what they call suspense? The, the, the value of a movie, what makes a movie interesting is the intrigue. When the movie can be explained, there are so many Nigerian movies you can explain how it will end. Once you see the man poor, the lady rich, she's the daughter of Iguay, you just know that they're going to fall in love. The father will not agree. You already understand. But there are movies you watch, you cannot understand it. You can't predict because of suspense. When you see things happening in your life, you are praying, nothing is coming, you are believing God, things are standing, it is because there is suspense. God is trying to make your story interesting. So that when you open your mouth and begin to speak, when you open your mouth and begin to share and begin to tell the world what you went through, am I speaking to somebody here? That you went through the fire, you went through the water, you went through earthquake, you went through the storm, but God kept you, God preserved you, God sustained you, His hand held you. Am I communicating right now? He said, "When I pass through the fire, he said, I shall come forth as gold." Hear me, child of God. There are people who have missed their chance. They look down on you because of your experience, because of the family you come from. They think nothing can come out of your life. Heaven is about to shock them. Heaven is about to shock them. God is about to go beyond them, go above them to do some great things for you. Miss your chance. There's a young man in this ministry. I just thought about him yesterday because I saw his message. That young man was getting close to the altar, getting close to the ministry. And he came to this church with an investigative mentality and, um, came, sit down. He came. In fact, when I finish preaching, the guy will correct me. Yes, he will correct me. He will correct me. Correct every, with respect, Papa. Don't you think the message was good? But don't you think he will correct our choir songs? Their song that they sang is not, does not align with our redemptive right in Christ. Look at this. They said it will correct everything. Even correct my dressing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Was that bad? Correct my dressing. He said, "No, no, no. That thing you wore is, is not good for a Sunday service." I don't know when a coat not good for Sunday service. Correct us. Correct us. Always correcting, always correct. Corrected pastor on corrected pastor. He corrects everybody. Was correcting people. And I was looking at him and I told him, I said, "This your attitude will put you in trouble." Now, you got a house in Bos. He corrected his landlord. If you see beating, you see many of you. Is this rascality? Because church don't talk. They beat him when they brought him with bruises. That's what happened. They began to explain to me, "The lazy children are not okay. They are smoking. They are doing that." You'll be telling this life is not a good life. This life is a useless life. You're going to. So they, they helped us and they left. He left because I told him, "I'm not going to renew your rent because you are useless to me. I was trying to support you, put you on salary for doing nothing, pay your rent." I said, "But since your ministry to, I can't be paying you, support you to be correcting me." Of course, I, I can take correction. Nobody's above correction, but correction that makes sense. Ask me, Papa. Okay. You know what? You know what I'm talking about. You will come by her name. One day told me, said, "God told him I didn't dedicate the altar." I said, "Altar, altar that I played for almost four hours." He said, "No, God said you should do it again." So I made sure I just waited till his rent expired. When his rent expired, I said, "No. No, you cannot listen to me. Listen, listen. You cannot be funding who is upsetting you. Yeah. You can't. You can't financially give muscle to what's upsetting you." And that's the reason some of you don't have, and you are not aware that it's not everybody you should help. There are some people that God is taking through a process. If you help them, you, you short God's plan. And there are some people who God wants to learn. God wants them to learn certain things. So when you come to help them, you stop that school. Guess what? What they were supposed to learn is you that will not learn it. So you must be sensitive to helping. There are some people God wants to teach them how to grow, how to be dependent on Him. When you help them, there'll be a crisis. There are characters we have that disqualify us from God's plan. I know to, to you women, that is the same thing. The man is going outside. Why is he going outside? You see, let me tell you something. Beauty fades, but peace stays. Peace. Every man will choose peace over beauty. When you are your husband's peace, he will treasure you because beauty will fade with time. It will fade. Your shape will change. This your flat stomach will come out. All this, you are the young girl now. All these things will, you'll be shocked when after you drop two, drop three, women, am I saying the truth? You'll be surprised. You that was always conscious of yourself at that time, what would be your relevance? It's the peace, peace, peace, peace that you bring. This man disqualified himself. Disqualified himself. And the Bible says Ruth and Orpah left with Naomi. When they got to a spot, the Bible said Orpah kissed Naomi, but Ruth clave. Those are the two categories of people we meet in life. There are kissers and cleavers. Kissers are those who are physically expressional. "I will never leave you. I will stay with you." They are kissers. They are physically expressional. But cleavers are quiet. They don't talk, but they stay. Most of the people that will be loyal and faithful are not loud. Most loud people are not real. Most loud people are not real. People that are loyal are silent. People that are loyal and faithful are not loud. They are quiet. People that will stand with you in life are very sad. They don't look like they even care about you. They don't look like they even care about you. But those are authentic and unconditional. Am I communicating here?
This morning as I was done praying, I was just sitting down. How many of you sometimes you go to the restroom and you, that's how you see that you are thinking things? Does it happen to you? You go to the restroom that is, you're just, I was just thinking about my life. Okay, it doesn't happen to you. You are from, you're from another planet. Sometimes you just sit down that, wow. You see, sit, you are relaxed. You are just thinking. So I was just thinking about some things and I'm like, ah, there are some people I should not have met. And I had opportunities not to have met them, but my emotions made me meet them. The desire to want to help them, the desire to want to leave them. And those were the problems I had. And since I began to allow the Holy Ghost lead me, not my emotion, I had peace. I'm being honest with you. I don't walk by sight. I don't walk by. I walk by the spirit. I don't walk by sight. There are many of you that send messages. Your business is down. This is down. I pray for you financially. You want this, I pray for you. If I don't hear the voice of God, I don't do nothing. And I discover I began to have peace. For as many as are led, the leading of the spirit is what settles peace. You must continually have the discernment and alignment. Watch this as we pray. The Bible says, he says, "Is this not Naomi?" In other words, our life, the challenges of life are changed identity. Now, this is the prayer I want to pray for every woman. Your originality, what God created you to be. That circumstances has blown you from that tribulations has taken your originality. What God has made you to be, what God has configured you to be, what God has said you will be. I don't know what has beaten you. Maybe as you got married, something took that thing. Maybe as you gave birth to a child, something took that grace from you. Maybe as you began to move with that man. What the dreams and the visions you had, something tempered it. I am praying today, you are going back to your original state. You are going back to becoming what God said you should be. What God created you to be. That's what you will be. Women, that's why I came this morning. That's my assignment this morning. What God originally created you to be. Maybe marriage tempered it. Maybe childbirth tampered it. Maybe something tempered it. Wrong association tampered it. Wrong business tampered it. I prophesy in the name of Jesus, God is taking you back to that realm. You are going back to that realm. You are going back to that realm. You are going back to that realm.
Take your seat. What did Naomi do to correct it? He said Ruth was wise enough to know three things about Naomi. He said, "Where you go, I will go." For a woman to get back her originality, she must be conscious of her destination. Where you go, as a woman, where are you going? You must be conscious of your destination. Where are you going? If you treat your husband like this, where will it end? Where you go, this thing you are doing, where will it end? Where we must be, we must be very careful to be led by the spirit of God. Anything you are doing, what is divine instruction? Are you aware of people who during wonders without number will give testimonies of how they anointed their fridge and they started working, anointed their car, started working? Strange testimonies. Now, this is where pastors miss it. I'll tell you now how some ministers miss it. They now feel that God is giving them a special grace to bless oil. Special grace to bless oil. So guess what? They now prepare some oil based on those testimonies that are coming. So testimonies in a dimension does not necessarily create a ministry. I'm wise enough to know that is the act of God. That the day I give you too much attention, the grace withdraws. I wish you are, what I'm talking about, this character, this attitude, how can a woman deny the husband from touching her? You are starting what you can't finish. There are people looking for who to touch them. Oh, you are starting what you can't finish. You want to sleep. You wear nicer, you wear jumper, you wear jeans, you wear two jeans, you tie belt, you wear this thing. You are starting. Can you finish it? This character, the man does not deserve it. The man does not. And you, your, your life is now regulated based on the finances of the man. When he has money, he's honey. When he's broke, he's monkey. And you, you, you, you react based. This thing you are starting, where is he going? Can you? We can laugh, but this is the truth. This disrespect for your husband, where is he going? Where is he leading you to? Your husband talks when you talk ten. Can you continue? Can you? This thing you are starting is going somewhere. I'm giving you a counsel. Can you? There are many of us today who started what we are now going through and we are praying for God to help us come out of it. Meanwhile, we had opportunities to break free from it. No matter your condition, you, you still have a destination. No matter where you are now, what you're going through, there's still a destination. God said in Jeremiah 29:11, "I know the thoughts I think towards you, thoughts of peace, not of evil, to give you an expectant end." In Psalm 139:17, I love that scripture. He says, "How precious are thy thoughts towards me, O God. Great is the sum of them." Isaiah 55 from verse 8, he says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither my ways your ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my thoughts than your thoughts and my ways." So God has me in mind. Hear me. There is a destination for you. I know that presently things are bad. I understand that presently you can't make ends meet. I understand that presently you don't know how to come out of this quagmire you find yourself. But there is a destination. God has ordained a destination. You are going somewhere in life. Don't allow the circumstances speak otherwise. Don't allow the situation speak otherwise. You are going somewhere in life. God has a plan for you. Nothing can stop your destination. Am I speaking here? Your condition can't stop your destination. Your challenge can't stop your destination. Your pain can't stop your destination. The battles you go through can't stop your destination. There is a plan of God for your life and you will get there. I say you will get there. Your destination is sure. Your destination is setting. Your future is setting. I say it is setting. I say it is certain. I say it is certain. When the asses of s father was missing, he said, "Let's go look for the man of God that he may show us our way." Said there is a way to take. Isaiah 30 and verse 21. "Thou shall hear that voice, shall hear, thou shall, that ear shall hear a voice behind thee saying, This is the way." There is a way, sir. There is a way to take to achieve favor. Your condition cannot alter your destination. Let me and hear me well. I came to give somebody hope. You are not ending in this level. You are not stopping where you are. If you lose everything, don't lose hope. Don't lose hope. Hope maketh not ashamed. For the love of God is shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Spirit. Am I communicating right now? There is something about your life. There is something about your destiny. There is something about your future. It doesn't matter your experience now. There's a destination for you. I said there's a destination for you. I said there's a destination for you. Every current champion is an ex-failure. Every current champion is an ex-failure. Failure. I'm not saying they were failing. They failed woefully. But they bounced back by taking up the crumbs and the shrubs of failure. They didn't lie down there. They took the crumbs and took the shrubs and they bounced back again. Hear me? This is the counsel. Say, "Where you go." In other words, despite the pain now, is it that is enough for somebody to commit suicide? You lost bread, you lost your husband, you lost your children. And you are not thinking of dying. You are still going somewhere. Can I say this to you? What you lose does not define you. Your hope is what defines you. Oh my God. What you lose does not define you. Your hope is what defines you. What you lose that. Can I say this to you? Can I say this to you? She lost the husband, lost the sons, lost bread. That was painful. And God gave her a woman that took her into royalty. The pain of your loss is what determines the gain of your restoration. If your loss is not painful, then your restoration might not be gainful. The level of pain you feel at a loss is what determines the recovery that God is bringing for you. Oh, nobody's following me here. It's what determines the recovery that God is bringing for you. I, I, I can't go into testimonies now. All you have to do is to hold on to the word of God. I preached a message some time ago. "I Am That I Am Has Sent Me." I preached that years ago. And there was a brother who said he hated a polytechnic. He wants to go to university. So I was looking at him. He wrote his, um, first and second choice. The first was University of Ibadan, UI. The second was UNIBEN. So he got admission to UNIBEN. So he came to me, said, "That I want to go to UI." I said, "But it's UNIBEN." Said, "No, I want to go to UI." I was looking at him. He said I should pray. So I prayed for him. He said, "But you just said, 'I Am That I Am Has Sent Me.' So I'm going to the school to tell them, 'I Am That I Am Has Sent Me.'" I said, "But it is UNIBEN you go. These other people don't want you. They didn't." He says, "Sir, I Am That I Am and sent me." I said, "Okay, okay. This is stubborn because I preferred, I preferred UNIBEN that I saw that one." He said, "No, I Am That I Am and sent me." So he got to UI. He didn't know nobody. So he stood at the gate and was looking, was looking. While he was doing that, a man was driving in a black jeep with a boy inside the car. So the man moved towards him. The driver wound down and said, "Go around." So the orgas spoke to him and said, "Where is the admin block, the administrative block?" They asked a boy who was coming there for the first time, who doesn't know anything. So the boy was saying, "Okay, if you go like this, um, if you enter this, if, if you go inside, you will see it. If you go inside." The man said, "Go inside where?" Describe it now. The natural thing to say is, "I don't know." But he saw himself standing there. If you go, to make matters worse, the man said, "Come into the car so you can direct us." Is that not enough for you to run? He carried himself. He didn't know what was moving him. He sat inside the car. And the man said, "How do we go?" Say, "Hey, be going straight." They were going straight. "Okay, keep going. Okay, go. Turn. No, don't turn. No, turn. No, go. Just be going." All kinds of direction. So, while they were navigating a bend, they saw another group of cars coming, a convoy. So the bend was very tiny. So both cars were flashing lights. Flashing light like you move back. You move back. You move back. You move back. You move back. You move back. While they were flashing light, the man came down from his car. The other guy came down from the car. The person that came down from that car was the Vice Chancellor of the school, the VC. And this man that came down was the chief. So he looked at the VC and started laughing and began to insult themselves. You know men when they meet for a long time, they, they first, they first insult themselves. Women don't understand that. They say, "Yeah, boy. This useless boy." That's how men old name. Yeah. So they were calling themselves names and the fe said, "What you can't come do for my school? Why are you here?" He said, "I brought my two children. Admit them." Ladies and gentlemen, I asked the boy, "Did you tell the man you had no admission?" He said, "Did I talk? I was looking for admin block."
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The man's car. Now, to make the matters worse, that boy got his own admission letter first before the man saw. "I Am That I Am Has Sent Me."
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Hold on to God's word. Where God doors are closed to others, if He opens for you, hold on. God is not a man for Him to lie. Hold on. Hold on. I did a program in Benin City and called two of my friends. I called them to be in the program. I was praying. I said, "You take prayers. You take prayer. I'm coming. Let me pray." While I was praying, they stood on the pit. We had over two, 300 people. And they told the people that this man is our friend, but he's fake. He's not a man of God. We doubt this prophetic gift. We don't understand this gift that he carries. But we don't understand it. We don't, we don't believe in it. These are people I said should lead prayer. They finished the crowd. Finished. Rubbished me. I was praying and I saw people were leaving. I said, "Where are they going? Where are they going?" I came in, I saw less than 50, 60 people left. What? I said, "What's going on?" Both of them ignored me and they walked away. And I called somebody. A young girl was crying. She said, "London now, she was crying. How can they do this to you?" I said, "What happened?" He said, "This is what they told the people." I said, "How publicly?" Say, "Yes, that this prophetic thing is fake. You are diabolic. You are not of God." I said, "These are my friends." I said, "Why did you do this to me?" They kept quiet. I said, "Why did you do this to me? Did you see me with any diabolic thing?" They kept quiet. You said this openly. "The people left." It was not a two-day program. It was a one-day program. The people left and I cried. I wept. I wept. I wept. I wept. I wept. I cried. My friends did this to me. And I turned to one of them. I said, "You will see the glory but you will not eat it." And I turned. I was so devastated and ashamed. Do you know when your friends that are people know are close to you are telling the world that you are not of God? I left Benin and went to go and stay in a village for some months just to avoid shame. And I kept crying to God. I said, "Why would you?" There are many of you looking at me now. They have given you names that are not your own. It's a matter of time you will answer your real name.
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What did you know? Envy. Envy can make people manufacture lies. Jealousy and envy. I never knew it was envy. It was jealousy. Why is it the one gathering the people? Is it prayer I should lead? If that is what it is, you would have just stayed away. If you don't like people, stay away from them. Don't be around them and envy them. If you do not like people, keep them far. Stop hanging around them with a bad heart. You don't love people, keep them far. Don't come close to them thinking of how to pull them down. Let me shock some of you who God is helping. There are some of you God is helping you now. All of a sudden, you see people coming around you. They are not coming around you because they like you. They want to know the source of your help. They want to know why you are getting help. They want to know how it is happening. If they have an evil agenda, if they have any evil agenda against you, they have an evil agenda against your business, your rising, against your success, the agenda will scatter.
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Number two, "Your people shall be my people." Despite what Naomi went through, how did she get back her status? Relationship. "Your people shall be my people." Understand the power of destination. The power of relationships. Somebody say, "Power of relationships." "Power of relationship." Say that loud and clear. Say that again. "Your people shall be my people." Understand the power of relationship. Man is relational by nature. Man is created to relate. That was why when Adam was in the garden, the Bible says he was alone. He didn't say he was lonely. Sir, for you to be relational, it means that you may have people that you don't connect with. Understanding connectivity is what empowers relationship because you can be surrounded with several people that you don't connect with. Understanding. And let me say something here because look at this. Look at this. Write whatever you are writing down. But let me correct something. Many of us have missed our helpers in destiny because we only think that helpers must be Christians. You see, you have missed your helper. You always think that your helper must be a Christian. You always think that the person God will use to change your story. So God brings a man who is not born again that is ready to give you a job, but because of your overspirituality, you walk away from that job. You are looking for Christians that will never give you one. This is why a lot of people are stranded because sometimes God can raise up a Pharaoh to open your door. Sometimes God can raise up a Pharaoh to give a Joseph a seat. Matthew 5:14 says, "You are the light of the world," not the light of the church. How can you shine when there is no darkness? Sometimes God will connect you to places that Christ's name has never been mentioned so that you will be the light in that place. This is where a lot of people have have lost their greatness because they always think that they must appear in a place. One of our comedians was invited to go and minister in a secular place. He said, "Daddy, I'm not going." I said, "You are going." Say, "I'm not going." I said, "You are going." He said, "I'm not going." I said, "You are going." He said, "But what do you want, secular?" I said, "You are going." He went there and began to give Christian jokes with Bible. Many were angry, but there were two particular people of great repute in Abuja who heard him and we were quiet. When he was done, they called him. This one said, "I'm doing my 70th birthday." The other said, "I'm doing this one. We want you to come." And what he got, he said, "In 10 years, I have not seen that kind of money." The problem we have today, Bible says, "Kings shall come to thy light. Gentiles to the brightness of your rising." Isaiah 60:3. You must understand that there are people God will bring into your life because they have not been indoctrinated with the wickedness of religion. Their heart is liberal. They have not been indoctrinated with the wickedness of the mical attitude of those who call themselves Christians. Very mical and stingy character, stingy in thinking, stinging hands. They have not been corrupted with such mical character and attitude. You stand around them and God gives you light, and you take that light and you begin to shine. It was a Pharaoh. It was a Pharaoh that didn't know God that lifted Joseph. So stop thinking when God brings you to them, you don't live their life. You don't do what they do. You stand and you maintain your stand. You don't act like them. You don't live like them. When they now see the way you live, they now come to Christ. So it means that your appearing before them is to reconcile them to God. So where is, where is that reconciliatory assignment? How will it be manifested when you are running today with Tech Christians to avoid politics? So unbelievers are the ones in politics. Are you aware no matter how much you pray as a civil servant, it is the government that determines your salary. So even if you pray for God to increase your salary or God to bless you, are directly it is God will answer the prayer by blessing them. Christians are told to avoid politics. Christians are told to avoid business. Christians are told to avoid this. Avoid that. No. Huh? They say I can't have a restaurant. So I can't because people will sell drinks. No. Oh, they say you can't have, you can't have a restaurant because people will sell alcohol. Do people smoke in Mr. Bigs? Do they sell alcohol in Tantalizers? You can start something and set a standard. Occupy that business world. Go there and occupy. Shine as light. You can be the first Christian politician who is not bending. Don't run from it. Look at the camera law that was passed. Passed. It has been passed. In case you're not aware, just, it's not been activated. When I was checking the device, I discovered that there's even a portion that Jesus must not appear on any signboard. Yes. Yes. Yes. It's a law been passed. Can I shock you? I was part of those by the grace of God, the youngest who was in that meeting in Kh when they were fathers, all of them we are talking and I was quiet. You don't have anything to say? I said, "No, sir." Are you afraid to talk? I said, "No." Respect. Not fear. Respect. Say what you want to say. I said, "Before anything becomes law, it has two hearings, first and second hearing." Before it became law, there were believers in the House of Senate. There were believers in the House of Rep. What happened to their mouth when this thing was being passed? Do you know why? It's an unbeliever that bought their form to run for Senate. It's an unbeliever that bought their form to run for House of Rep. So they are
loyal to what that unbeliever wants, not what the church wants. [Applause] I said, what happened? How did he get here that now we are doing damage control, trying to raise money to get lawyers to go and fight the case? So all of those times we were standing up, saying if you understand it was already a law. Yes. Why men slept, the enemy sowed tares because the church now believes that it's so funny that we have become so judgmental as a church. Very judgmental. No, I can't do this. No. No. No, I can't do this. No, no, no, no.
There are people in the fashion world who are coming out with grand designs, and they're making hell of money, and they are still believers. They're still serving their God. Or your own. There's nothing you know about fashion, maka mazi. The only design you can see is mazi, mazi, mazi. But there are people that are refined. The Holy Ghost is giving them inspiration, and they're suppressing it because religion has entered their mind. Are you following what I'm talking about? So to look good now is a crime. If a woman looks good, ha, she has lost her salvation. If a person dresses this way, ha, he doesn't know God. Are you following what I'm talking about? So it's a mentality in the church that must change. You can be born again and look good. You can be born again and dress well. [Applause] Are you following what I'm talking about? You can come out and look so good, and you're a child of God. Nothing. But no, we have a mentality that we don't take off our earring, God will hear us. That we don't cover our ear and cover and tie our ear. You're coming to church, you tie your ear. How will you hear the message? And you do all that? What am I saying? Intimacy with God is beyond exterior features. Holiness is intimacy, not dress code. Holiness is not a dress code. It's intimacy with God.
Until you get that understanding, guess what it says? Thy people, there are people God is bringing to your life. Do you know what it means that you are the one that God used to show a governor the light, to show a president the light? He becomes born again because he met you. Are you aware? Laban said, "I have learned by experience that God, I was blessed before, but when you came, I saw this blessing. I bowed down to your God." There are people God will bring into your life that may not know God, but through your conduct, through your discipline, they begin to follow God. Well, nobody's talking about.
Someone came to me and said they want to be my son. As he was talking, he was smoking. He was smoking. He said, "Daddy, ah, good to meet you." Hey, you are young. You look very young. He said, "I want you to father me." It wasn't cigarette he was smoking. He was smoking, you know, taba, the deep taba. I was drawing it. I said, "No problem. I'll father you." He said, "Okay, okay, okay, okay." Brought the phone. He left it in his mouth. I beg, put your number here. The Holy Spirit said to me, "Father him." I didn't say nothing. I didn't judge him. So he said, "Okay, I'll call you. I'll call you." He called the phone. Yeah. Okay, that's my number. Save it. Save it. Save it. I saved it. Me, I know what he finds. This one, he'll be born again. I know what he finds. He'll be born again. Guess what? I saved it. I sent him a text. I said, "At night, let's talk." He called me in the night. He was at home. So I said, "That's your family. We'll talk." That first day, I prayed with him. Second day, I prayed with him. I left him. I said, "If I'm doing a service, you should try and be watching the meetings." He was watching the meetings. After a while, he got addicted to the meetings. This thing was a place of over a month. I was still building him up. One day, we were privileged to talk, and the Lord gave me a word for him. I gave him the word the Lord gave me, and I prayed. He started crying on the phone. While he was weeping and crying, I saw this as an opportunity. I led him to Christ. He confessed Jesus. Sir, I didn't tell him to stop smoking. The Jesus he received. The Jesus he received today is doing correspondence in OBI from a smoker, doing correspondence in Bible school, from a blessed, rich, blessed, gifted that's an asset to the kingdom of God. But some of you, that's how you have your neighbor. You have used condemnation to finish them. Your neighbor is a drunkard. Christ wants you to win them. Your neighbor is an armed robber. Christ wants you to win them. That is the assignment you have been given. Go out and win souls. You have a ministry called the ministry of reconciliation.
Number three, he says, "Your God will be my God." The first was destination. The second, relationship. And the third, divinity. First is what? Second, third, divinity. If God must restore you back to your original state, you must be connected to him. Acquaint yourself, Job 22:21, with the Almighty and be at peace with him. Thereby good shall come unto thee. Thou shall lay us gold as dust and the valley of upper. Yeah, a child of God. God wants you to return to him. Let us return to God, for he has turned us. He will build us back. Let us return to God. God wants us to be connected to him. Meaning, no matter. Do you know that Naomi had every reason to walk away from God? How come I was with God? I lost my husband. How come I'm in God? I lost my sons. But despite all she went through, she still ran to God. Your trouble should not take you from God. Your trouble should take you to God. Your challenge should not take you from God. Your challenge should take you to God. No matter what you go through, no matter your pains, no matter your trouble, no matter your hardship, don't run from God. I like what David said, "Where shall I go from thy presence? When I go to the mountain, you are there. I go under the sea, you are there. I go under the cloud, you are there." Your battle should not take you from God. Your battle should take you to God. Your challenge should not take you from God. Your challenge should take you to God. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones, and no one shall be broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. Your battle should take you to God. Your pain should take you to God. Your hardship should take you to God. Your limitation should take you to God. Don't run from God. Don't withdraw from God. Don't turn your back on God. Rather, run to God. Hide in God. Stay with God. Let me tell somebody, return to God.
I like what Paul said, "Having done all to stand, stand therefore." Having done all to stand, stand. Having done all to stand, stand. The battles of your life should not take you from God. I like what he said, "Blessed is the man that is not offended in me." Don't be offended in Jesus. I know you prayed for a baby, yet you got pregnant and later miscarried. Don't be angry with God. I know you have prayed for a request, and nothing has happened. Don't be angry with God.
A preacher sent me a message yesterday. He said, "Papa, thank you for being my father. Thank you for being the pillar standing by me." He said, "But it's clear that God wants me to die suffering. I hereby renounce, no more a minister." He says, "Living ministry is going to the world." I was praying. I finished prayer. I picked up my phone. I called him. Wasn't picking. So I sent him a message. I said, "What a shame. What a shame. Can I talk to you?" And he picked up the phone. He said, "Sir, I know you want to encourage me." He said, "But sir, I am tired. I am tired. This God has forgotten me. I refuse to do what is wrong. He has not blessed me. I've been to mountains. He has not blessed me." When he was done, I said to him, I said, "The reason why he has not blessed you is because you are following him for blessing." And until that following him for blessing leaves your mind, he can't bless you. Tell him you love him. Convert your pain to loyalty. Convert your pain. And I asked him a question, "When you leave God now, where will you go?" He said, "I don't know, but I'll just go somewhere." I said, "Will you go somewhere you are not sure of than a God you are sure of?" He said, "At this point, I don't know if I'm even sure of him." I said, "I am sure of him. I am a witness." Tell him you love him. Tell him he means everything to you. What the devil expects to hear, don't let the devil hear it. The devil is doing all this so that he will hear you say, you turn your back on God. I said, "God is faithful." I began to talk to this preacher, and he was crying. He said to me, "I am coming back to God. I'm coming. Pray for me. My faith is failing."
There are so many of you who are shaking now because of the things you are going through. When the devil gives you the opposite of your prayer, still run to God. When circumstances come opposite of what you're expecting, still run to God. Don't run from God. Let no one tell you you have been going to the house of God and nothing has happened. Tell them something is about to happen. I have faith in God. My heart in that a good matter. I am not walking from God. I am running to God. Whether there is sickness in my body, like Job said, "I know my Redeemer liveth." It doesn't matter what I'm going through. I know my Redeemer liveth. I will run from God. I will run to God. I will turn my back on God. I will follow the Lord. My Redeemer liveth. He lost his children. My Redeemer liveth. He lost his business. My Redeemer liveth. He lost his investment. My Redeemer liveth. He lost his health. No matter what you go through, don't run from God. Run to God. Thy God will be my God. Be upstanding. Somebody, it's time for us to pray. [Music] I will never turn my back on