ANCHOR MEN'S CONFERENCE 2024 || 11TH OCTOBER 2024

So he asked him a simple question: What is your name? It took him several years to know what his name was, so he said, Jacob. Correct. Your name shall no more be called Jacob. Can you check the next verse? But Israel, for as a prince You have power with God and with men, and you have prevailed. Look at the next verse. And Jacob asked and said, tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, wherefore is it thou ask after my name? And he blessed him there. The next verse. And Jacob called the name of the place what? Peniel. For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over Peniel, The sun, the sun rose over him. I didn't know what age he was, but this was when he entered his day. Suddenly a light arose, and he will no longer have to do life in darkness. He would no longer have to do trial and error. That when this same guy will get to Egypt And Joseph introduced him to Pharaoh. He blessed Pharaoh. He carried— he didn't supplant and find a way to manipulate. Many people don't know that the life of manipulation is putting them many years behind God's purpose. He's putting them many years behind God's will. He's putting them many years away from what God has for them. May I ask you a question tonight? What is your name? Ah, you know, many men have called themselves the names that they are not, particularly now that we're in a season that some boys don't want to be boys anymore. You'll be amazed that a man is interested in hips. He wants to have hips and he wants to have breasts. A man is just interested. One time after service, few weeks back, the Lord just led me to check something online. And I saw that someone who came to our church had gone to drag me online and said, I went to Apostle Femi Lazarus' church and he was speaking against male men sleeping with each other, and he was doing that, that, that's, that's those kind of pastors. I said, hey, You want me to be a pastor that is pastoring men sleeping with each other? The devil is a liar. There is a world system that is trying to conform the church to the agenda of the devil, and the agenda was well spelled out. Pharaoh did spell it out. When the Hebrew men deliver, kill the male. And leave the girls. Kill them. He wants to kill the seed of masculinity. He wants to kill the seed of the blessing. He wants to kill the seed of manhood. He wants to kill a man while the man is still standing. Kill them, but leave the girls. If the males have been conquered, automatically the women will marry wrong. And many men, you need to understand this, the devil wants to take you out. He wants you to be there and have nothing to offer. He wants you to be there And there's nothing that when your children see themselves behaving like you, they hate themselves for it. The devil wants you to be there and the next generation will never have to pattern from you. And let me say this: there is a kind of man that God will have to send his children far away from. If they must enter his will. That's the unfortunate thing. There's a kind of man like that. The journey God told Abraham to go on, the father started, but he stopped halfway. So God said, pick your things, leave your father and your mother. To a land that I will show you. The best gift you have for the next generation is not money, but a life modeled after Christ. It's not money. Someone said a man can be so poor that all he has is money. Sometimes we exaggerate what money is. And we destroy our families in pursuit of the money, and then we die without spending it. We exaggerate it, and the devil likes that pattern of dysfunctionality. He enjoys it. The devil wants to kill the seed. On your inside, but your spirit must revive tonight. You must reach out to God that the days of darkness will be over, that light will begin to shine again, that the prophecies that were once fresh in your spirit will come back again in your mind, that the same anointing you used to have, you will sense it again, that men will wield the staff or priesthood. I've seen complaints. I've seen complaints. Many people complain that women honor their pastors, they don't honor their husbands. Well, I don't know about that, but I've seen few cases where I've seen women cry and say, Pastor, I've been pregnant now for 8 months. My husband has never come once to lay hands on my womb and prophesy to the child. I've seen women cry about that. I've seen women cry that he has never laid hands on me and speak words over my life. I've seen women cry about that. I've seen women cry that why must I be the one begging him to go to church on Sunday. I've seen women cry about that. I've seen women crying. Why won't he tell me what God is saying? I want to obey him, but why won't he tell me? One time Judah went to sleep with a girl, and the staff of his office, he forgot it there. And when they were asking questions, they were castigating the girl and say, who got you pregnant? Who did this? And she said, the man whose staff I'm wielding. May I ask men tonight, where is your staff of office? What changed that you suddenly could no longer see yourself prophesying over your home? What changed? Where did the lamp of Israel go to that you can no longer carry the light to navigate by prophecy what God is saying about your children, your wife, your family? What changed? What died? When did he die? When was the last time you were alive? A man can be long gone and yet he's still seen amongst men. I perceive strongly that before I continue, that we should pray at least for a minute or two. Restore back my staff of office. Restore back the oil of priesthood. Restore back the oil of leadership. The same anointing I used to sense years back. I can't tell what changed, but I'm asking If you won't mind, men, I'd like us to pray that, Lord, you will restore. Will you open your mouth in a minute and cry to God? Don't pray quiet prayers, I beg you. Don't pray with swag. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, says the Lord. Please pray. Please pray. Please pray. Please pray. Please pray. Men, pray. Men, pray. Please pray. I resume back to my office as a priest. I resume. In Jesus' name we are praying. Please, just before you sit down, There are many things that can kill a man on the inside, and one of it is dishonor. A man can become bitter and he will shut down, and nobody knows. A man of God was sharing a story with us. He had a very notorious son. The boy had caused him pain The boy had taken tears out of his eyes. He said he went to fast so he could curse the boy and the boy will die. He did 40 days dry, and God waited for the 40 days. And as he opened his mouth to curse the boy, God said, you can't curse my servant, you can't curse the one I have blessed. So God instructed him, begin to prophesy over the boy. So he prayed. He went back sad. Why did you have to wait for 40 days to say this? He got back home lean and tired. All his children came and greeted, Daddy, you are welcome. That boy, he greeted the boy, the boy say, and he stood there Looking at that boy like, you, God's servant, let's see how it will happen. Lo and behold, few weeks later, someone he had trained years back reached out to him and said to him, please send me the list of children. I want to pray and seek God to know the one I should invite to America so I can train. And he wrote all his children except that boy. So he left few lines and wrote it like a mistake. Then the man selected that mistake, and the father warned him, see, you've never gone to prison, this boy can send you there. He's The man said he heard God. God said this one. The boy left Nigeria, went to America. That's where he got born again. That's where he got baptized in the Holy Ghost. That's where he became a pastor. That's where he invited his father and his mother over. Sometimes pain can blind us from seeing what God is seeing. I just sense in my spirit that there are words you have been holding back. Release life. Maybe there's that one child, maybe even your wife, that you have become cold on the inside, and anytime you see that person, the priest in you is not touched. May I beg on their behalf, in the next 2 minutes, speak life. Healing takes place as we intercede. Call the person by the name, maybe a friend, and intercede and release life. Lift your voice loud and clear. Don't pray quietly. Lift your voice. Oh, lift your voice. We have very short time more. Please pray. Release life. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run in and are safe. He gave it to us as inheritance so I can make warfare with thee sooner than years. Godu na. Please pray. Please pray. Please pray. Please pray. Please pray. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' mighty name we are praying. Let that amen roar like thunder. Ah, imagine what will take place in the world if men will roar in prayers. The devil will do everything to make sure a man doesn't come to priesthood, because he knows if a man can bear that light, darkness is in trouble. Again, we send out the works of darkness from our homes and the life of our children, from everything that we do. Amen. In the name of Jesus. Please sit for a moment. I want to tie this up. One of the things I learned quite early is that most times a man's experience can be a direct reflection of how he treats God. Sometimes what a man calls rebellion in his wife is God saying, you are also rebelling against my authority. Sometimes what a man call rebellion in the children is saying, this is the kind of child you have been to me also. Sometimes it is just a mirror effect of what our life really has But I want to show us a story, and for the sake of time, I'm just going to, you know, read through 2 Samuel chapter number 13 from verse 1 to 30. There's a very interesting story there. 2 Samuel 13. Now this is the story of Tamar and Amnon. Tamar happened to be Absalom's younger sister. You know Absalom, the one who dared to rebel against David? And I'll show you the root of it. One day, David's son observed that Isiah lost him after his own sister. Isiah having sexual attraction towards his own sister shared with a friend, and the friend said to him, this is what you should do: pretend like you are sick, tell your father, let him send and he pretended like he was sick. The father sent the girl to come attend to him, and he raped her. He raped her. He took advantage of the girl. And the girl— look at what Tamar said in verse 13, 2 Samuel 13:13. And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go. As for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king, for I will not withhold me from thee. Albeit he will not hearken to her voice, and but being stronger than she, forced her and lay with her. Look at it, verse 15. And Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred wherewith he hated was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, begone. And she said to him, There is no cause. This evil in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me. But he would not hearken to her. And he called his servant that ministered unto him and said, Put now this woman from me. And he bolted the door after her. And she had a garment of diverse colors upon her. For which such robes were the king's daughters that were virgin— virgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out and bolted the door after her. And Tamar put ashes on his head and on her head and rent her garments of diverse colors that was on her and laid her hand on her head and went on crying. Look at verse 20. And Absalom her brother said unto her, 'Am I not my brother, being with thee? But hold now thy peace, my sister. He is thy brother. Regard not this thing.' So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house. He was pained. He was angry. But his response when he's angry was not to talk. His response was, let's hold it. So he said, don't worry, he did this, it's your brother, just let's go. And she stayed in his house, but he had a plan. Look at it in verse 23. Look at verse 22 now. Of course, you read verse 21, David heard, didn't say anything about it. Verse 22, and Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad. Have you seen people that you offend, I won't say anything? Good morning. Are you angry with me? They didn't say anything. He didn't say anything good or bad, for Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister. Yes. And it came to pass after 2 full years, he carried it for how many years? 2 years. He, he strategically— look at what he did. He designed in a grand style how kill him. And he didn't just want to kill him, he wanted to kill him in the presence of their father. He said, let all the sons of the king come together for a feast. And he had arranged that when he's drunken, he will kill him and smite him there. He wanted David to be there. You know why? There was pain in the family. There was pain. David heard and kept quiet. So the pain he carried for 2 full years, he wanted David to feel the venom, so he killed him. Look at it in verse 20. 8. Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon, then kill him. Fear not. He told them, we are princes, I'm the one telling you don't be afraid. Fear not. Have not I commanded you, be courageous and be what? Vigilant. 2 years nobody knew he was still angry. 2 years Amnon must have been shaking him. He said, well done, brother, I celebrate you, brother, welcome to church, brother. And he wanted him dead. He couldn't stand him, but he was waiting for a perfect time when no one would see it coming. And killed him. He killed him. Now look at what I want to show you. When he killed the brother, they told David their father. David was angry. Why will he do that? Look at what he did. And Absalom fled. But I want to show you something you probably have missed in this scripture. If you look at that same 2 Samuel chapter number 15, let's start reading from 2 Samuel 15. David— um, this same guy Absalom In verse 12, look at what he did. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor. Now, in case you need to understand, Ahithophel was the most ranking counselor that David had from his city, even from Gilo. While he offered— what? When he sent for Ahithophel, Ahithophel was what? Offering sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with who? Absalom. Now, of course, for the sake of time, you know the counsel that Ahithophel gave him. Ahithophel said, on the rooftop of your house, that's where you should sleep with your father's concubine. The question you want to ask is, why are they both trying to hurt David this bad? Look at it, 2 Samuel chapter number 16, From verse 20 to 23. And Absalom said to Ittai, give me counsel— sorry, give counsel among you, what shall we do? Yes. And Ithopel said unto Absalom, go into thy father's concubine which he had left to keep the house, and all Israel shall hear that thou at Abod of thy father. So he gave him. Why was it that when he met David's trusted counselor, he also didn't hesitate to say, let's hurt him? Why was it that David was just hated, or something was missing in between the line? Let me show you a scripture. Are you there? Are you still with me or you are tired? I want to show you something. Look at the Bible, 2 Samuel chapter number 11. 2 Samuel chapter number 11. Let's start the reading From verse 3, you know the story when David was walking on his rooftop and he saw a very fine girl, huh? That story that they buried for several years. And David sent and inquired after the woman, and one said, is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, The wife of who? The Hittite. Now, this Eliam was Ahitophel's son. So let me explain. David slept with the grandchild of Ahitophel, did not apologize, and still kept taking counsels For my Itofe. A man after God's heart, huh? And he moved on like it was no man's business. And have you seen people that can do things in impunity, and it looks like not even God can stop us. I think I want to show you a scripture. Are you still with me or you are tired? Look at it now. 2 Samuel 23, verse 34. So they were listing genealogies now, and there's a man called Eliphelet, the son of Ashbai, the son of Machnite, Eliam, the son of Ahitophel. This Eliam is the father of Bathsheba. That David slept with. So when Ahithophel spoke, what he was saying is, where he defiled my granddaughter, take his wife there and defile them, mess them up. How did he carry that pain for that number of years and was still offering sacrifices? And had mind to revenge but had not seen the opportunity. And when he saw the opportunity, he struck, sleep with his wives on the rooftop. David's past was haunting him. You know, two people can be married and they have vowed not to forgive each other. The woman has— she has vowed in her heart, I'm just going to hang around because of the children. And while she's hanging around they are celebrating wedding anniversaries and she's just hanging around. And a man can decide, I will just hang around for the sake of the church so that they will not say that a old me decide to put away my wife. And while they are still hanging around, occasionally they'll put each other's picture They rose in my garden, but on the inside they are dead towards one another. While they are dead towards one another, pregnancies can still happen and they will do naming ceremony. If we take a census in the world today and say that God has permitted that there's halftime in marriage and you can decide not to play second half with the same woman. That is when we will know that people are just patching it. They are dead towards one another. God has sent me with a word today to say, if dry bones can come alive, you can revive. You You can heal. It can remove the injuries and the scar that there's no reference to it again. You can forgive. You can heal. That's, that's the word God has sent me. And you know, sometimes when you receive a word from God, it doesn't look like it makes sense. Because we don't look like it. We are Christianese. But the one who sees beyond veiled faces has sent me with a word to say life can happen there again. Life can happen again. So I wrap up with that same text I started with, Genesis 45:27. Please, media, help us project. And they told him all the words of Joseph which he has said to them. And when he saw the wagon Sometimes the wagons is the Holy Spirit nudging your heart that there's light ahead of the tunnel. It's the one showing you that there's light. You know, the wedding at Canaan of Galilee, wine finished, but Jesus was there. Water became better than the first wine. Water can become wine again. The spirit of Jacob did what? Revived. I want us to do something as I drop the mic. You know the areas that you have died on the inside, that people may not even know, that if they know, some of them may even laugh at you. I just want us to go before God in all honesty. Maybe it is in the marriage, maybe it is in parenting, maybe it is in spiritual leadership that you have given up. Please look up before we pray that prayer. I read something in Judges chapter number 16 when they took Samson and they cut off his hair and began to use him for sport. Actually, the hair of Samson began to grow back before he prayed. The moment the damage was done, God was busy restoring him. He doesn't bury his wounded soldiers. He heals and he restores. Sometimes your heart can actually die towards your own future, that you are just saying, what's left of me, let me just manage the rest. But God is saying, out of that ashes, I want to spring back life again. And that's why I want us to pray. If you can kneel, kneel. If you can lay down, lay down. Let's just do it in honesty for the next 1 minute and say, Lord, revive me in this area. Quicken me, quicken my heart, Lord. Help me, Jesus, thou Son of David. Help me. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. We receive life where there's been death. We call out to dry bones. Dry bones, come alive! Let forgiveness take place. Let healings take place. Let the restorations take place. Dry bones, come alive! Let families be restored. Let broken walls be mended. Help us, help us heal our hearts in the name of Jesus. Thank you, Father. Help us. Please pray. Please pray. Please pray. We bless your holy name, Jesus. Father, we ask that your spirit will travel across our midst today, and where there's been death, let there be life. I didn't hear that amen loud enough. Let there be life. In him was light, and the light is life of men. Where there's been darkness, let there be light. Thank you, blessed Father, in Jesus' mighty name. Once again, thank you for inviting me, sir.