How To Live a Blessed Life
Before I begin, just imagine with me, everybody has 10,000 rupees right now. Okay, and I tell you to give. So somebody gives 10 out of that 10,000, and somebody gives a hundred out of that 10,000, and somebody gives a thousand out of 10,000. In their mind, they are thinking that they have given. Get it? So no matter how much you have given, there's always more to give...........
October 13, 2024
Before I begin, just imagine with me, everybody has 10,000 rupees right now. Okay, and I tell you to give. So somebody gives 10 out of that 10,000, and somebody gives a hundred out of that 10,000, and somebody gives a thousand out of 10,000. In their mind, they are thinking that they have given. Get it? So no matter how much you have given, there’s always more to give. Similarly, no matter how much you honor God, there’s always more to honor Him. No matter how much you submit to God, there’s always more that you can submit. There’s always more.
So when the man of God tells you to submit, don’t think that he’s questioning your submission. It just means that there’s more. Yes, Amen. Because I have seen, when I receive the grace that out of 10,000, when I give 10,000, when I receive the grace to do something like that, that’s when I see that I have been blessed. It was not 10,000. I was already blessed with 10 lakhs. I’m just using this money example just to show you something.
It’s when you move from 10 to a hundred, to a thousand, to 10,000, when you feel like you have given everything, is when you realize it’s just beginning. There’s so much more. That’s when it unlocks.
Still, until you give a hundred percent, you’ll feel like, “Oh, I only have this much.” It is at the point of complete exhaustion of your resources that you realize, “Oh my goodness, God has already blessed me with so much more, that I can give even more.” So don’t just be satisfied at the 10, when you can move into a hundred, a thousand, 10,000, one lakh, 10 lakhs, 50 lakhs. Again, I’m using money as an illustration for you to understand that in God’s presence, you can give more, you can honor more, you can submit more, so that you can move from one degree of glory into another.
Are you understanding something? Everybody honors God. Even the one who is sitting at home, not going to church, he also thinks in his mind that he honors God. So the question is not about whether you are honoring God; the question is, how much more can you honor God? So if you were in a particular degree of honor, there’s much more. So, move on to the next level. Get promoted. Honor God’s Word.
Get attentive. Get on your toes. Don’t get comfortable because comfort will kill your destiny. There’s more that you can learn. There’s more that you can tap into. Maybe you already know the bigger picture, but it’s now the final details that will take you to the next level. Maybe you were sleeping on those final details for the last 10 years. Now, today, get awake. Tap into it. Catch that revelation. Move into the next level.
If you stay awake when the word is preached, you can sleep when you are working during the week, from Monday to Friday, in the world. You can sleep peacefully, for He gives sleep to His beloved. No sleepless nights! So stay awake. Get your physical posture right. Be attentive. You’re not just hearing from a man—you are hearing through a man, but the source is God. Amen?
So after you hear the sermon, understand that God spoke to you through the man. Hallelujah. It’s not man—God is speaking to you. So stay attentive. Are you with me?
Okay, let’s read
Ephesians 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”
God has already blessed us. It doesn’t say He’s going to bless us. He has already blessed us. You know, once you have a revelation of this scripture, you’ll stop praying for blessings. You’ll, in fact, stop praying for needs because you have already been blessed in Christ. It’s a done deal, it’s a done deal.
You are blessed. Say with me, I am blessed with… with what? With every spiritual blessing. Whatever you need for a life of godliness, whatever you need for a life of success, you have already been blessed in Christ.
2 Peter 1:3 – “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.”
You have been blessed already. Yes, you have been blessed already.
You know, once I had the revelation of this, I stopped singing one Hindi song. Now, if you sing that Hindi song, it’s fine. Don’t get too technical, but I stopped singing it because I had a revelation. The song goes like this in English: “My praises go up, and it brings down the blessing from heaven.”
The thing is, it’s not your praises that bring down the blessings—your blessings have already come. That’s why it invokes praises. It is a revelation of God’s goodness that invokes praise in our hearts. It’s not your thanksgiving that is bringing the blessing.
Romans 2 – “It is the goodness of God that leads man to repentance.”
It is not our repentance that leads to God’s goodness—it is God’s goodness that leads to man’s repentance. In competition with God, you can never beat Him. He will always be first. He always initiates. The best thing we can do is just respond.
He gave us the blessing, so we respond in thanksgiving. He loved us first, so we love Him in response. He adores us, so we worship Him. Are you seeing this? Nothing we do is first—He does first. God is always the initiator, and we only respond. Isn’t that good news? God has already moved on your behalf.
Ephesians 1:3 says that you’re already blessed. Already blessed! I’m saying if you are praying for money, stop praying for money because money doesn’t answer prayers. You can get poorer and poorer. I’m just saying, you are already blessed. Pray for revelation. Don’t pray to be blessed; pray for a revelation of being already blessed. Amen.
That’s why most of our prayers are not getting answered—because they are defeated. What we call prayer is often complaint, blabbering, or a victim mindset. And let me tell you this, victim mindset is demonic. It’s not from God.
Nobody loves me, nobody cares for me, the government is bad, I’m living in India, so poor. I’m telling you—whatever your situation is, you are born of God. The one who is born of God has overcome the world. Amen.
Okay, Ephesians 1:3 says that we are already blessed with every spiritual blessing. That means God does not have anything more to bless you with. He has already blessed you with every spiritual blessing.
Now, what is the criteria for being blessed? Not everybody is blessed. The criteria is that you need to be in Christ. If you are in Christ, you are blessed. If you are not in Christ, you are not blessed. Does that make sense?
Okay, the criteria for being blessed is to be in Christ. Quickly, let’s turn to Romans 8:32, and then we’ll come back to this verse.
Romans 8:32 -“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
I’m going fast because I have a lot to cover. Are you with me? Yes. Stay with me. This is practical—practical things that will change your life, bring an upgrade in your life. It should affect your finances, your emotions, your health—every dimension of your life. We’re not just going to heaven; we’re bringing heaven here. Yes!
Romans 8:32 – “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, with Him, graciously give us all things?”
For God, the most precious thing to give was not gold, silver, cryptocurrency, USD, or Kuwaiti dinar. The most precious thing for God was His Son. When He gave us His Son, He gave us all things with Him. When you receive Jesus, you received all things with Jesus.
You got the biggest billion-package deal of the universe with Jesus. You have been blessed with all things.
See, if you buy a phone, you get the charger for free—you don’t buy the charger separately. (Except for iPhone, forget the iPhone…)I’m talking about sensible companies that offer the charger as an accessory with the phone.) But the phone is the main thing. What is the main thing? Jesus is the main thing! With Jesus, you have received all things.
Everything you need for a life of godliness, you’ve received in Jesus. Everything you need for a life of success, you have received in Jesus. I’m saying, don’t just pursue money because there are more important things than money.
Just imagine you’re a millionaire, but you’re a fool—there are things far more precious than money. But in Jesus, you have received a package deal. Hallelujah. Don’t be so poor that all you’ve got left is money. Amen. Come on. If you are in Jesus, you are prosperous because prosperity isn’t just about money. Prosperity is about having Jesus.
Say with me, Jesus is my prosperity. Jesus is my prosperity. With Jesus, I have received all things. Yes!
Some of us pursue the accessory, and we forget the main thing. The main thing is Jesus.
That’s why Jesus said,
Matthew 6:33 – “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
What the world is seeking will seek you. Hallelujah.
Ephesians 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”
So, your criteria for being blessed is being in Christ. What are you blessed with? Every spiritual blessing. Now, where are you blessed? This is important. You are blessed in the heavenly places.
So, there’s a heavenly account in your name, and in that account, you are blessed with every spiritual blessing. Now, here’s the gap: every believer is blessed with these spiritual blessings, but the blessing we need is here on earth because we live on the earth.
It’s like having a bank account in the US, but because you’re living in India, you need money here. So, you need to figure out how to move the money from the US to India. Otherwise, that money in the US account will add no value to you. Just because you are blessed doesn’t mean you will automatically be blessed on earth. You are heavenly blessed already in Jesus, no doubt, but it doesn’t automatically translate to earthly blessings. You need to learn to move those blessings from the heavenly realm to the earthly realm. Understand this: spiritual blessings are not in the currency of INR, USD, or Dirhams.
While we are living on the earth, we need blessings here. The spiritual blessing comes from the Greek word, which gives us the English word eulogy. For those unfamiliar, a eulogy is when someone speaks good words about a person after they pass away, highlighting their legacy. So, God has blessed you in the currency of good words. You might ask, “How does that help me?” This is where being spiritually minded is crucial.
Let me give an example. Let’s say the Nigerian naira is a lower currency compared to Indian rupees—maybe 2 naira equals 1 rupee (not exact, but for illustration). And 80 rupees equals 1 USD. In which currency would you want to be blessed? Naira, rupees, or USD? Obviously, you’d choose the highest currency.
The Kuwaiti dinar is even higher, with 1 dinar equaling 200 rupees. So, given the choice, you’d always pick the highest value currency.
Now, God’s Word is the highest currency of all. It is higher than USD, naira, or anything else. So, why would God bless you with a lower currency when He can bless you with the highest?
He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the currency of good words. Now, these good words from God can produce anything you need when planted in your heart. Think of each good word from God as a seed, and your heart as the ground. When that word-seed is sown into your heart, it has the power to produce whatever you are believing for.
That’s why, when Jesus was teaching the parable of the sower in Luke 8, Matthew 13, and Mark 4, He said it is the most important parable. The story goes: the sower sows the seed, but the seed falls on different types of ground—some falls by the wayside, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil.
The quality of the soil determines the fruit. The problem isn’t with the seed, but with the ground. And Jesus explains that the seed is God’s Word, and the ground is our hearts. That’s why the Son of Man can sow seeds through preaching, but the results vary based on the condition of the heart.
If you hear the Word casually, like lying on a beach, versus hearing it with full attention, receiving every syllable as precious, the fruit you reap will be different. So, what converts the Word from the heavenly realm into earthly blessings? Just like you would need a currency exchange to convert USD in a US account to rupees in India, you are the currency exchange that translates God’s Word into earthly blessings. The technology you use to convert those good words into earthly blessings is faith and action. You receive the Word, become pregnant with it, and deliver it into your life.
It’s not magic. See what God cannot do through you? He cannot do to you. Mary was pregnant. The Holy Spirit gave her the word. She was pregnant, and in nine months, she had the baby that was inside of her. Similarly, you can be pregnant with every promise within you, and what you are pregnant with, you can experience once the delivery happens. Got this? Yeah. You are the one. You are the channel that converts God’s good words into earthly blessings.
See, for example, I tell you a story. I was in need, and someone gave me 10 lakh rupees. Now, the problem in church is everybody wants to be that person who receives. Have you ever thought, what if you are the person who actually gave 10 lakh rupees? So, when you receive good words within you, when you receive the promise of God, you can actually bring forth the promise through you.
So how do you become conceived with God’s word?
Imagination
The first point is imagination. Whatever promise you are holding onto, whatever promise you are believing for, it needs to flood your imagination. If you’re believing for healing, but your imagination is full of sickness, you will not see healing. You know, when Goliath was challenging the people of Israel, any 5-year-old, if he had stood up and challenged him back in the land of Israel, he would’ve defeated Goliath because the grace was not just upon David, it was upon the land of Israel. But when everybody failed, one 18-year-old boy stood up against a giant because when everybody saw Goliath as a giant in their mind, David saw him as a dwarf in his mind because he was comparing him with God. Your imagination matters.
You know, even before David started fighting Goliath, his first question was, What will I get if I kill this giant? Nobody’s thinking about that. Everybody in their mind has already been defeated. If you’re defeated in your mind, if you’re defeated in your imagination, your life will be defeated. That’s why meditate on God’s word so that your imagination will be flooded with God’s word. Does that make sense?
Genesis 6:5 – “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.”
Your imagination is a reality for God. That’s why Jesus said,
Matthew 5:28 – “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart”
That’s why it is important that our imagination is flooded with God’s word.
So how do you conceive God’s word? Through your imagination. Every promise of God gives you a picture. Any promise of God you take, it will give you a picture. And the reason why there’s a picture is so that the picture will replace your poor imagination with God’s imagination. Amen. Are you with me? Yes? Okay.
Once you have the imagination, the second thing that you need to do is you have to confess.
Confession
Joshua 1:8 – “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
So meditation is to influence your imagination, and confession is to prioritize that word over every other thought.
At any given time, you are probably flooded with 20,000 thoughts, right? So how do you prioritize this one thought, which is God’s word, above every other thought? By speaking it out. The thought that comes out of your mouth is the thought that has been amplified; it is the thought that has taken permanence in your life.
Look at David. He has imagined the end picture. What is the end picture? Not just slaying Goliath, but receiving the reward—marrying the daughter of the king. He has already seen the end picture. So when you’re believing in God’s promise, see the end picture. See it as if it’s done. And now, when you’re confessing, you’re confessing the word.
Look at David’s confession,
1 Samuel 17:45-47: “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands.’’
Any promise that you’re meditating on to influence your imagination, let it come out of your mouth. What you’re doing is you are letting the word of God take priority among all the other thoughts in your mind. Does that make sense? Okay.
The third thing, have you seen a peanut? How big is the peanut? Now, when you’re believing for a promise, you will face challenges, immense challenges. Just because God gave you a promise does not mean that you will not face challenges. You know, sometimes people think, you know, I got a promise from the Lord, but there are challenges. Maybe I heard it wrong. It’s not true. Every promise has a giant. God promised the land of Canaan to the people of Israel, but there were giants in the land. In fact, the sign of the giant is the evidence that you’ve received the promise. The sign of the giant is a sign that the promise is for you. So don’t run away from challenges. Every challenge is God’s sign.
Victorious Mindset
So the third thing that you need to have is a victorious mind, a victorious mind.
2 Corinthians 2:16 – “We have the mind of Christ.”
The mind of Christ is not defeated. The mind of Christ is always victorious.
So this is how you do it. Every challenge that you face, every giant that you face, make it smaller. Make it look smaller. I’m saying simple. Just make it look smaller. You see a big mountain, make it look smaller so that you can just walk over it. Because every challenge is an opportunity for promotion. If the challenge is facing you, it means you are prepared to face that challenge. When Goliath was facing David, he did not know that David was being prepared. Yeah. So if you see a challenge, know that you have been prepared for the challenge. It’s the day that your promotion is coming.
So any challenge that you face, this is what I do personally. Any challenge that you face, it’s a peanut for the Lord. Such a small thing for God. It’s not a big thing, not a big thing. Whatever you are believing for, whatever you are contending for, any challenge that you face is a small thing for God. It’s such a small thing. Don’t magnify the challenge, magnify God.
Psalm 34:3 -“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”
So magnify God over your problems.
You know, when people come to me with challenges, I have a tolerance to listen to the issues, and then I’ll stop them in between and I’ll tell them, okay, I understand. I want to be empathetic. But no matter how big your challenge is, we have a bigger God. Let’s talk about how great our God is. Don’t keep talking about your problems. Don’t keep talking about how big the mountain is. Speak to your mountain about how great God is and you need to do it confidently. Victoriously. Be bold. Amen. Boldness is the doorway to the throne of grace.
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
If your prayer does not carry an attitude of boldness and confidence, your prayer will not be answered.
Stand on Scripture
Okay, the next point, you need to have a scripture to bank upon your promise. Meaning, if you are believing for a promise, what scripture? Where is it? Don’t be random and absurd. You know that man of God came and told me that word? Yeah, you can receive any number of words, but where is the scripture upon which you are banking?
You need to have a scripture. See, just imagine if you are a lawyer and you’re fighting in a court, every argument that you will use, you will use based on a legal precedent. You know, you’ll probably say, in the constitution, it says like this, or CRPC something, it says like this. Based on what is written, you use a legal precedent to argue in the court. So similarly, have a scripture. You need to know the scripture with the reference. You have the scripture, but you don’t know the reference because having the scripture will give you the confidence that if it is written in God’s word, it is God’s will for my life. My friends, never again do you need to doubt God’s will for your life. Because if it is written in God’s word, it is His will for your life.
Does God desire me to be prosperous? Does God desire me to be successful? I’m saying, if you can find it in God’s word, it is His will. God’s will is in His word. God’s will is in His word. So when you know the scripture, the devil cannot steal the promise from you.
Because since the day you conceived the word in you, the devil is coming to steal the word from you. So when Jesus was getting baptized, heaven opened and He heard a voice,
Matthew 3:17 – “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”
Now He’s received the word from heaven. Do you see that? Now He’s going into the wilderness for 40 days, and He’s being tempted by the devil. The entire crux of the temptation is, “Are you the Son of God?” The very moment He received the word, the devil is trying to steal that word from Him by bringing confusion.
Jesus does not use the reference of His experience. He does not say, “Oh, weren’t you there when heavens opened? When I was getting baptized?” He doesn’t use the reference of His experience. He uses the reference of scriptures. He says, “It is written.” The problem is, when believers don’t know “It is written,” they’re tossed to and fro by the enemy. Don’t get boxed by the enemy. Get out of it by knowing the scriptures. Stand on the scriptures and with confidence say “It is written.”
Psalm 23:6 – “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
It is written. So you need to have a scripture portion where you’re standing on. For David, his scripture was the testimony of what God did in the past.
1 Samuel 17:37 – “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
If you know that the Lord has done it before, He can do it again. So David kept on meditating on his past victories that the Lord gave him.
That was the scripture that he was banking on because he did not have the privilege we have of holding a Bible. Now, when you have the privilege of holding a Bible, know the scripture. There are 7,000 promises in the Bible—more than 7,000 promises. Do you know one scripture portion that you bank upon can change your life? One scripture that you’re rooted in can change your life.
See, when we came to this building, when we came to this land, the Lord gave me one word:
Deuteronomy 1:8 – “See, I have set the land before you; go in and take possession.”
When I was believing for finances, I confessed the same word. When opposition came, we confessed the same word. When we had to do renovation, we confessed the same word. When the entire ceiling came down, we still confessed the same word, because this is the promise that God has given to us for this place. We don’t need a hundred promises. One word is enough. So what is the promise that God has given to you? What is the scripture? Get rooted. Let it go within your heart. You cannot have a scripture in your heart without memorizing the scripture.
You say, “Oh, Ephesians 1:3 is my scripture.” What does it say? “Uh…” You cannot have the scripture in your heart if you haven’t memorized the scripture. Very simple. So memorize the scripture. That’s how you begin, by letting the scripture flow from your heart. Memorize scriptures.
That’s why I read Deuteronomy 28:1-14 every day, because I want to memorize it. I want it to flow from my heart. Psalm 1, Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd”; Psalm 91, prayer of protection; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, new creation; Romans 8, about sonship and victorious life in Christ; Ephesians 1:3-14.
These portions I keep reading every day, every day, every day, because I want to be established in these promises.Do you know a bamboo tree? If I’m not wrong, for the first six or seven years, it does not grow tall. It is only four feet, but after the sixth or seventh year, it becomes 30 feet tall. Amen. So what you’re doing is being established. The word is going within your heart. It is establishing within your heart, possessing your imagination, possessing your confession, possessing every dimension of your heart. So just because you don’t see immediate signs, don’t give up. Keep establishing yourself in His word. Amen. Does that help you? Yeah, because when the fruit comes, the fruit is always bigger than the seed, and it’ll be worth it. All the years of labor that you put in the word will always be worth it, because the fruit that you receive is much more. Amen.
Praise
I have given you four points. The fifth one is praise. Since the moment you conceived the word until the delivery of the word, there’s a time period of waiting. What do you do? You praise. Because praise is like adding water to the soil. Praise is like adding manure and fertilizer. In fact, the more you start praising, you can reduce the timeline to bring it. Bring the result faster by being in an attitude of praise.
David says in
Psalm 119:164 – “Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous judgments.”
David blessed the Lord seven times in a day. But then later he says,
Psalm 34:1 – “I will bless the Lord at all times”
Psalm 150:6 -“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
That means every time he’s breathing, he’s praising the Lord.
So, from seven times to all times, to every breath—there’s a promotion of praise that is happening. So when you praise the Lord, you can bring the fulfillment of the promise faster. Now, I’ll give you a couple of things that you need to do when you praise. Praising is not just singing and dancing. Yes, there is singing, yes, there is dancing, but that is not all there is. You can’t sing and dance all the time, right? Praise is an attitude. It has to become your lifestyle, so it has to flow from acting as if you have already received the promise. Whatever you are believing for, live your life as if you have received the promise. Because you don’t attract what you want; you attract who you are. Do you know that the blessing you’re praying for, the blessing you’re seeking, is also seeking you? The blessing, yeah. The blessing that you are seeking is also seeking you. But unfortunately, this blessing cannot find you because it is waiting for an upgraded version of you.
The blessing cannot come to you in the point of contact where you are right now, because if it comes right now, it’ll crush you. You don’t have the strength to sustain that blessing. See, look at Joseph. He started interpreting dreams when he was young. When he was a child, he knew he was going to become very influential to the point where his parents and brothers were going to bow in front of him. As soon as he shared the dream, his brothers wanted to kill him. They threw him into a pit and sold him as a slave boy. Even as a slave boy, I’m saying for Joseph, in the moment, it did not feel like the promise. This did not feel like the promise, but that’s the journey towards the promise. That’s why God does not tell you how the promise will come through. You believe for the promise; you don’t understand or try to understand the how.
If you try to understand how God is going to do it, it’ll really challenge you to the point that you don’t want the promise anymore. Are you getting this? So Joseph became a slave, and even then, he was still ruling. Now he’s wrongly accused of rape and sent to prison. But even in prison, he had so much favor. He’s progressing, and as he’s progressing, he’s moving towards his promise. But from day one, he is living his life as if he has received the promise. So it doesn’t matter which corporate office you are working in—if you receive the promise, you can live from that promise.
We often think that Joseph overnight became a prime minister, but that’s not true. It took many years, many years of waiting on the promise. Amen. With Abraham and Sarah, God had to change their names before they could become parents. From Abram to Abraham, from Sarai to Sarah. Now they’re calling each other “father of many nations” and “great mother”. They hadn’t received the child yet, but God had changed their identity. So until you step into the identity that is required to receive the blessing, you will not receive the blessing.
I’m telling you, this one is the hardest imagination. Meditating on God’s word is easy. Confessing God’s word is easy. Standing on the scripture is easy. What is the other one? A victorious mindset. That is also easy. This one is hard because you need to step into that identity when you will have the blessing. Amen. Amen. I was already acting as the pastor in 2015, even before I had the church; God was already training me for that. I did not suddenly move into the pastoral role once we started the church. I began with teaching Sunday school to five-year-olds. Yeah, pastoral ministry starts there. So, don’t take for granted the responsibility where you are. There is a great calling upon your life, and God is using where you are to train you for what is required tomorrow. Be faithful.
You know, God told you you are going to the nations and preach the gospel, and here you are at Lighthouse cleaning the chairs. But I’m telling you, it is in cleaning the chairs that God is building your character that is required for preaching the gospel in nations.
So, receive the promise and live as if the promise has been delivered to you. When a mother conceives with a baby, she gets pregnant, and during the nine months of waiting, she’s already turning into a mother. The baby hasn’t come out yet, but she’s already behaving like one. So before the promise comes to you, start behaving like one. Change your identity. Tap into that identity. Move into that identity.
Okay, I’ll give you five points. Very simple. Just write it down.
- Don’t be moved by adverse circumstances. Any circumstances that come your way—don’t be moved by it. Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you.
The Psalmist says,
Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me”
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Pay no attention to critics.
If you receive the promise of becoming a businessman and God will bless you with a business, then you have to become the businessman. Don’t pay attention to critics. Criticism will most likely come from the closest people because they think they know you. First of all, they don’t know you; you don’t know yourself. Only God knows who you are. Amen. So trust God’s word and move ahead.
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Remain content where you are but refuse to compare yourself with others.
Amen. You are believing for promotion while somebody else is getting promoted. Don’t compare yourself and lose your joy. Celebrate their promotion, but at the same time, believe God is working in your life. This basically means mind your own business. Ninety percent of church issues will be solved if believers mind their own business. As a pastor, ninety percent of my issues would be solved if believers minded their own business. Yeah. We are so concerned about what’s happening in the other fence. God has given you a house; be concerned about your own household. Amen. Mind your own business.
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Practice patience and perseverance.
Just because you got the promise, don’t lose it because you are not patient. Don’t lose the promise because you’re not patient. Okay? Be patient. If God has said it, He will do it. The scripture says,
James 1:2-3 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you go through trials, because the testing of your faith will produce perseverance”
It will produce strength in you.
You can take any promise from the word, make it your promise, and see that promise come through. Very simple. Conceive God’s word through meditation. Confess God’s word. Stand on the scripture. Have a victorious mind and step into that identity. Very simple. Five points.
Now, what do you do when you’re discouraged? Because when you’re discouraged, none of these steps work. You don’t have the strength to pray. You don’t have the strength to believe. What do you do when you’re discouraged? Because you should do this on a good day. You don’t go to the gym when you have a fever; you go to the gym when you are healthy, right? So on a good day, you exercise this faith like this. But what do you do when you’re down and discouraged?
Jesus said,
Matthew 18:19 – “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”
So when you think you don’t have the faith to believe for what the Lord has promised, get in agreement with somebody. Use the power of agreement.
In the power of agreement, you need very little faith. The power of agreement only works with agreement. So if you’re married, find your spouse and tell them, “Agree with me on this, and let’s believe God to do this.” If you are not married, just come to the pastor. We’ll agree with you, we’ll stand with you, and we’ll believe that God will do it. What do you do when you are discouraged? You use the power of agreement.
The worst thing you can do when you’re discouraged is isolate yourself and tell yourself, “Nobody understands me. Nobody understands my problem.” It’s the biggest lie in the world. There is no unique problem that you’re going through. Whatever problem you think is unique, someone has already gone through. Amen. So there are no unique problems. Just be humble and ask for help. Say, “I don’t have the faith right now. Can you agree with me? Stand with me.” That’s why you need to have godly friends.
Godly fellowships and godly social circles will build your faith. See, a coal that is not burning, if you bring it among a burning heap of coals, it’ll start burning in no time. So if you are not on fire, find people who are already on fire. Come, come, come, come, come find people who are already on fire, and within no time, you will be set on fire. But isolation will always shut you off. Isolation will bring coldness in you. Get on fire. Get on fire. Find godly people and hang out with them. Your association matters. Your association will either add to your life or subtract from it.
Do you know Judah means praise? Judah means praise because of some issue. He left his brothers and became friends with a guy named Hira. His name means anger. When praise became friends with anger, a series of tragedies followed Judah. Judah went through a series of tragedies. So don’t let your praise become friends with anger. Make sure you have the right associations. Amen. That’s why on Sundays we meet as a church, and then during the week, we have fellowships in different parts of the city.
Don’t miss out on these gatherings. Don’t miss out on the gathering of the believers. I’m telling you, if you miss out one week, you will realize how much you have gone under. That’s why I take it seriously. Stay with people who are on fire and be on fire. Amen. Amen. Are you with me? Yes.
Now, here’s where I want to draw balance. You can believe God for anything; if it is in the Word, you can believe Him for anything. But I’ll tell you one key that will bring acceleration and grace over your life, which is,
Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Whatever you believe God for, let it be for the kingdom. If it is for your selfish reason, I’m telling you, you will get choked, and the devil will come into your life. He will use greed, anger, jealousy, insecurity, and all of that to choke you and kill you, and eat you alive. Live your life for the kingdom. Live. Live your life for God’s kingdom. Amen. Whatever you do, do it for the kingdom. Whatever you are believing, believe it for the kingdom.
Why are you working in your workplace for the kingdom? Why are you studying for the kingdom? Why are you excelling in this field for the kingdom? You need to have a kingdom perspective in whatever you’re doing.
Now, here’s the thing: whatever you’ve been doing, if you want a double portion, then do a double portion for the kingdom. Amen. If you’re giving X amount of money, give 2X amount of money. If you are giving X amount of time for the church, give 2X amount of time. Because no matter where you are, there’s always more that you can tap into. Stretch. Keep stretching. Keep stretching.
Let’s look at Isaiah 54, where it says stretch. Let’s read from verse 1:
Isaiah 54:1 – “Sing, O barren woman, you who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,”
Isaiah 54:2 – “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.”
In 2013, when I was working for a corporate, within the year, I got three promotions. I’ll tell you the secret: every time I got my salary, I took out more than the tithe. If I had a salary of 20,000, I took out 3,000. If I had 30,000, I would take out 4,000 as a tithe. Why? Because I’m stretching. And every time I stretch, God will honor the vessel to which I stretched. Are you seeing this? It’s a principle that I’ve followed all my life, and we see God filling.
The first place of Lighthouse was a very small, thousand-square-foot space. We had five or ten people coming in. We did not move because the place was filled; we moved because we wanted to stretch. When we moved to the bigger space, it could hold 150 to 200 people, but we were only 15 or 20 people. It looked very strange, but we were stretching again. Now you see this place; we can fill it with a lot of people. But why did we move in early? Because we were stretching. If you keep stretching in faith, God will not let you become confounded or confused. He’ll not let you lose this race. See what His Word says: “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back.”
Turn to someone and say, “Do not hold back.” You’ve been holding back a lot. “Do not hold back.” Lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.
Isaiah 54:3 – “For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities.”
Next,
Isaiah 54:4 – “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
“Fear not, for you will not be ashamed.” Fear comes when you’re trying to stretch because you think it’s going to fail. But the Word says, “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced.” Don’t worry about being ashamed or disgraced; God will not make you ashamed or disgraced. Amen.
“For you will forget the shame of your youth and the reproach of your widowhood; you will remember no more.” So start praising! Amen. You have received the promise; stretch! Keep stretching, keep stretching. Whatever you stretched in the previous season, challenge yourself to stretch more.
I’m saying, if you seek God’s kingdom, you can really quantify how much you see God’s kingdom. You want to know the secret? Your bank statement is a very good evidence of how much you seek the same kingdom. Go through your bank statement and make a graph: How much did I give at the beginning of the year? How much am I giving by the end of this year? Is it moving upward? If it is not moving upward, make it move upward, and you’ll see the resources coming upward.
Another way to understand how much you seek God’s kingdom is by measuring how much time you spend for the kingdom, how much time you’re willing to serve in the church. It’s very simple because God’s kingdom is established through churches. So how much time are you willing to take out to serve in the church? Every week, last year, you took out two hours. This week, double it! If Saturday you didn’t have off, believe God that Saturday He will give you time, and you can give that Saturday for God’s kingdom.
I’m saying, when you start stretching for God’s kingdom, you will see God’s kingdom backing you up. There is no job out there where you cannot find God’s favor. Amen. If you believe, God will make it happen for you based on the condition of your heart. Amen. I know people who were called to work on Sundays, but they believed in God’s favor, and God turned things around for them. All it takes is your desire to serve God. Amen. Are you blessed?
The Bible says,
Mark 9:23, “All things are possible for those who believe.”
“All things are possible for those who believe.” There is no impossible situation that you can face because nothing is impossible with God. With God—not for God, but with God.
So when you and God come together as a team, nothing is impossible. You know, some of the battles you’re fighting are unnecessary battles. If you just choose the right team, you don’t have to fight them. You know, every Sunday evening, we play football. Your skill does not determine if you win the game or not. What determines that you’ll win the game is being on the right team. If you’re on the right team with the pastor, you will win the game. Even if you’re losing, we’ll keep playing until the right team wins. Amen.
So just choose the right team. Choose the right team. Be on the team of the kingdom, and all these things shall be added unto you.
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