Gaining Spiritual Command for Dominion! By Bishop David Oyedepo

Topic: Gaining Spiritual Command for Dominion!

Welcome to another impactful week! I believe you were blessed by the last teaching. Today, we shall focus on: Gaining Spiritual Command for Dominion!

From Scriptures, we understand that every child of God has a great destiny in Christ. We are not redeemed to be pitied but to be envied by the world. As it is written: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist (Luke 21:15). However, the devil raises several oppositions to deny us access to our glorious destinies in Christ; hence, as great as our destinies are, so are the oppositions against them. The only way to deal with this adversary is to take command of the outcome of our lives. We must understand that God does not only want us to have spiritual turnarounds but also to be physically, mentally, psychologically, financially and emotionally sound. Therefore, we must know how to deal with the adversary or our colourful destinies may remain shut. We need to understand that we cannot gain or give out command without authority. The word “command” connotes exercise of authority, and except we walk in the steps of giants, we cannot command results after their order.

The Centurion met Jesus and said: …speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this and he doeth it. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour (Matthew 8:8-9/13). In the above scripture, there was an instant turnaround in operation and that came from a source of authority. We must understand that we have authority, but we cannot exercise it without being under the superior authority of the One that gives all things. That means, as believers, we have authority in Christ, but to command authority we must subject and submit ourselves to the Source, which is God. Also, as heirs of the Kingdom of God, we are redeemed to be kings and to reign on the earth (Revelation 5:9-10).

How then, Can We Gain Spiritual Command for Dominion?

1. Take the Sword of the Word: Authority cannot be acquired or attained; it can only be conferred. In Matthew 21:23, the Jews questioned the authority of Jesus saying: …By what authority doest thou these things? And who gave thee this authority? Authority is exercised by the word coming from the Source of the authority. Jesus gave His disciples power and authority over all devils and to cure all diseases. He gave them power, but that power became effectual by the authority He conferred on them. One may crave, thirst and fast for power, but authority is only conferred. We cannot fast or pray for it; it can only be received by the sent Word. Hence, the authority that gives us command over all circumstances and situations can only be conferred on us by the Holy Ghost.

Also Read: Engaging the Power of Praise for Fearful Blessings! By David Oyedepo

2. Possess a True Knowledge of Your Identity: A discovery of our actual identity in Christ empowers us to exercise authority. We need to know who we are, or we will never gain command. Our level of authority is a function of our depth of understanding about our position in Christ. As believers, we must seek to have access to the mysteries of God’s Word, because the clarity of our picture from the Word determines our clarity of command in the supernatural. If we can see our worth through the Scriptures and activate ourselves into the flow from the Word, we will begin to command authority for definite turnarounds after the order of Abraham (John 8:39; Isaiah 51:2).

3. Know the Source of Command: Knowing the source of our command helps to boost our confidence. Jesus is always on key and ever in control. He said, “As I hear,” meaning He worked as directed by the Father. Jesus said in John 5:26-27: For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority….Even though by redemption, we are positioned to take charge, it takes a word from the Lord to gain command. “As I hear”, not “as I read”, or “as they said.” “As I hear from the Father, so I determine and decide what happens and I am always in charge.”Therefore, our source of command is a word from the Lord, which will terminate every struggle of life and empower us to take charge of our situations.

4. Engage the Holy Spirit: He is the Carrier, Communicator and Transmitter of the power of God. He is the power from on high and whatever is from above is above all. Therefore, when confronted with any issue of concern, we can always engage the invincible force of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, nothing is permitted to resist our progress, success, accomplishments, exploits or breakthroughs, when the Holy Spirit is at work. For it is written: Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19). The Holy Ghost is the person behind the mystery of the Word that gives us mastery. He is called the Teacher! He teaches and gives us understanding of every scripture that makes us capture our future in the Scriptures, because He will remind us of our sent Word so we can war with it (John 14:26).

In conclusion, new birth is not a religious experience; it is a spiritual transformation into divinity. It is the importation of divine nature into the human vessel. It is not enough to be born again, we must be conscious of the worth of our salvation. This is what distinguishes us from others who claim to be believers. Are you born again? If you are not, this is an opportunity to do so. Simply say the following prayer:

Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Today, I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now, I know I am born again!” For further reading, please get my books: Turnaround Power of the Word, The Force of Freedom, Walking in Dominion, Satan Get Lost, Born to Win and Fulfilling your Days.

I invite you to fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have four services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:50 a.m., 9:40 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. respectively. I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 01-4548070, 01-4548280; or E-mail:[email protected]; Face book: www.facebook.com/davidoyedepoministries/; Twitter: @DavidOyedepoMin

Please click HERE to read other inspiring MESSAGES by Bishop David Oyedepo

David O. Oyedepo is a Nigerian Christian author, architect, preacher, and the founder and presiding bishop of the mega church, Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners’ Chapel

God’s Promise Of Fruitfulness (Part 2) By Pastor Faith Oyedepo

Topic: God’s Promise Of Fruitfulness (Part 2)

Dear Reader,

It is another privilege to share God’s Word with you. I mentioned last week that God’s greatest desire is that you have your miracle children. I started by pointing out the fact that God’s plan and purpose for every family is to be fruitful and multiplied. Just as He instituted marriage and placed everything at their disposal to make life pleasurable and pleasant for them, He also decreed that man shall be fruitful and nothing or nobody can make man unfruitful.

In this edition, I shall focus on some peculiar set of people, who perhaps are facing physical unfruitfulness right now and what they can do to come out triumphant in this battle. Immediately after establishing the first home, the Bible says: And God blessed them… (Genesis 1:28). In other words, He proclaimed blessings on them, not curses. When God blesses, no man can curse (Numbers 23:20); His blessings stick!

This should excite you because it means that no matter the family into which you were born or married, it is God’s intention to bless your family. Your family is blessed; and because the blessing of God makes rich and adds no sorrow to it (Proverbs 10:22), whatever has been causing sorrow in your family is rolled away right now!

One major cause of crisis in homes today are curses, particularly curses from the devil and his agents. You find a husband and wife who have vowed to love each other for the rest of their lives and who are believers, quarrelling, fighting or even going as far as divorce just for a very temporary delay in bringing forth children. While, any of these can be traced to many other factors, for many, there is a curse at work.

Also Read: God’s View Concerning Marriage (Part 2) by Pastor Faith Oyedepo

However, no matter where that curse is coming from, because you are connected to God and you are a child of destiny, I see God turning those curses into blessings. God has declared in His Word: Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. Nevertheless, the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee (Deuteronomy 23:4-5)

But, when Faced with barrenness, what do you do?

1. Praise Him (Psalm 67:5-7)

Praise is comely. As you praise Him, your womb begins to yield her increase. Stop murmuring, God is not against you. Stop complaining, God is not the cause of your trouble. Remember Hannah, year in and out, she went to Shiloh with her husband, full of complaints that her mate was mocking her. Until she learnt the art of heartfelt prayer and vow to God, nothing happened. Stop looking at your distractors, face your God. When you look up to the sun, you don’t see the shadows. Look up unto the Sun of Righteousness and let your healing and deliverance from the bondage of barrenness come speedily.

Wake up in the morning, let joy fill your heart and soul. Sing His praise and thank Him for a good day ahead. Thank Him that you are even in your right senses to know the desire of your heart. Will a mad woman on the street remember being barren? Thank Him that you even have a husband who is one flesh with you for procreation. Thank Him for His Word that can never fail in your life. Thank Him and thank Him again. As you keep rejoicing in Him, everything that the devil has stolen is being replaced, and sooner than you even think, you will carry your baby. God did not give Hannah only one child as she requested, but many more children followed. This shall be your portion.

2. Get Rid of Unbelief:

Unbelief symbolizes lack of faith in God or His ability to make you fruitful. It always places a limit on God because He cannot go outside His Word to bless you. The Bible says: According to your faith be it unto you (Mathew 9:29). Until the stone of unbelief is rolled away from your heart, your miracle cannot reach you. Therefore, it is time to get out of unbelief and enter into faith. Remember, faith guarantees victory.

3. Shun Tradition and Vain Philosophies:

When you agree with tradition, you make the Word of God ineffective in your life. Tradition can be defined as a tale, belief or practice handed down to one from generation to generation. While Philosophy is the investigation of the nature of being, knowledge or cause-effect of all things. Many have accepted that they might not be able to conceive because medical doctor has confirmed they do not ovulate, menstruate or even have a womb. However, I have seen God over and again break such rules of medical science.

Some others might have been pregnant and because they saw signs of blood, they assume they had a miscarriage. The truth is, the report you choose to believe will determine your outcome.

A woman recently shared her testimony in faith tabernacle of how she was said not to be ovulating and her husband had low sperm count. However, God broke those negative medical verdicts when he confirmed her set of twins, even when several scan results could not detect these babies. They chose to believe the report of God, engaging in Kingdom advancement services to God and He proved Himself faithful in their lives. You too can have the same testimony if you chose to believe God’s Words, over whatever anyone has to say.

4. Destroy all Alternatives:

God is a jealous God. He will never share His glory with anyone, talk less of an idol. Whatever else, apart from God that you put your trust in acts as a hindrance to God’s intervention in your life. The Bible says: They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed (Psalm 34:5). Those who rely on God are never be stranded. He is a covenant keeper; when you believe His report, He reveals His mighty hand to you.

Nothing has the power to stand against your being fruitful. All it takes is knowledge – locating yourself in the Word of God. If you want to enjoy fruitfulness, as God has declared you to be, go for the light of God’s Word. Keep declaring it until that barren situation disappears. As it is recorded in John 1:5, no situation is too much for God to handle. Countless number of people got their own testimonies simply by operating God’s Word and your own will not be an exception. By the power backing the Word, I bring to you today, that situation of barrenness is consumed right now. You are liberated! I declare you fruitful in Jesus’ Name! This is your own month! Your trials are over in the Precious Name of Jesus Christ! I await your testimonies!

Have you been born again? If your answer is no and you would want to be born again and to be called a child of God, say this prayer of faith: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.

Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building a Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

“Please click HERE to read other inspiring articles by Pastor Faith Oyedepo”

Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.

Topic: Relax! God Is Working [Joyce Meyer Devotional 18 March 2019]

Being relaxed feels wonderful. Being nervous, tense, and worried are not so wonderful. Why aren’t more people relaxed? Jesus said if we are weary and overburdened, we should go to Him and He will give us rest, relaxation, and ease (see Matthew 11:28–29).

Jesus wants to teach us the right way to live, which is different from the way most of the world lives.

It would be putting it mildly to say that I was an uptight woman for the first half of my life. I simply did not know how to relax, and it was due to me not being willing to completely trust God. I trusted God for things, but not in things. I kept trying to be the one in control. Even though God was in the driver’s seat of my life, I kept one hand on the wheel just in case He took a wrong turn.

Relaxation is impossible without trust! If you know you can’t fix the problem you have, then why not relax while God is working on it? It sounds easy, but it took many years for me to be able to do this.

I know from experience that the ability to relax and go with the flow in life is dependent upon our willingness to trust God completely. If things don’t go your way, instead of being upset, you can believe that getting your way was not what you needed. God knew that, so He gave you what was best for you, instead of what you wanted.

If you are waiting much longer than you had hoped to, you can get frustrated, angry, and upset, or you can say, “God’s timing is perfect; He is never late. And my steps are ordered by the Lord.” Now you can relax and simply go with the flow of what is happening in your life.

When it comes to things that are out of our control, we can either ruin the day or relax and enjoy it while God is working on the situation. As long as we believe, God keeps working!

Prayer Starter: Father, right now I commit all of my cares, concerns and circumstances to You. Help me, moment by moment, to trust You—to give my burdens to You and relax in Your love, knowing You have everything under control. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Joyce Meyer Daily Devotional HERE’’

From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries.

Topic: Jesus Is Not Out Of Touch With Our Reality [TREM Devotional 18 March 2019]

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin”. –Hebrews 4:15 KJV

Child of God, we have a High Priest that is gone to heaven. We have a man that can identify with us. He is in heaven right now and his name is Jesus. He is there to tell the father I know what they are going through. Jesus knows what you are going through. He feels what you are feeling. He can identify with you because He sat where you are sitting.

There are some situations that you cannot express but the High Priest is in a position to explain better what you cannot articulate. He knows what it is to go without food and He knows what it is to be tried and tempted. He knows what it is to face challenges in life. The Bible says He was in all points tempted but He didn’t fall and because of it; He is our High Priest. He is saying to the Father on our behalf; I know what it is for the enemy to bombard their minds but they are holding fast. But he would not speak effectively on your behalf if you are not holding fast the promise of God.

The book of 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 says “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body”. In other words, the enemy is buffeting us left, right and centre and trying to get us discouraged but we refuse to be discouraged because the more he is attacking us the more the life of God manifests in us. Don’t ever believe the devil or fall for his lies, God has a great plan for your life.

Further Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16, 7:20-28

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Deuteronomy 32-34; Evening- Mark 15:26-47

“If you missed yesterday devotional click HERE to read TREM Daily Devotional by Dr. Mike Okonkwo’’

Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.

The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 18 March 2019 – Job Complains To God

TOPIC: Job Complains To God

READ: Job 7:11-21 King James Version (KJV)

11 Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

12 Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?

13 When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;

14 Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:

15 So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.

16 I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

17 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?

18 And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?

19 How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

20 I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

THE MESSAGE:

Job, in bitterness of soul, complained to God about his predicament. His experiences were overwhelming that he resorted to complaining, thus: His bed did not give him comfort because he could not sleep (verse 13); He was having terrifying dreams (verse 16); He hated his life because there was no hope (verse 16); God kept his eye on him and made him his target (verse 19).

The above issues mounted much pressure on Job so much so that he felt God had abandoned and refused to forgive him. The truth still remained that God had neither found him guilty nor abandoned him. God still had goodwill for Job only that he had not understood the will of God for his life. The pressure of suffering can force Christians to complain like Job but we should not give in.

Beloved, God does not permit His people to complain, either for good or bad. When the Israelites were travelling to the Promised Land, they complained against God, who also punished them (Numbers 11:1). Therefore when faced with suffering, resist the urge to complain. Humbly seek God and present the matter to Him with thanksgiving and He will visit you fast.

Prayer: Father please deliver me from the temptation of complaining in Jesus Name.

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