COUNTER CULTURAL 7

2 Timothy chapter number 3, and I want us to pay very keen attention. We start the reading from verse 1. 2 Timothy 3 from verse 1, very interesting scripture. This know also. So amongst other things, know this. That in the last days, what will come? Again? Now I'd like to do a bit of comparative work. Now look at this in the Passion Translation. Look at this. Let's read this together. 1, 2, 3, go. But you need to be aware that in the final days, the culture, society will become extremely fierce and difficult for the people of God. I need you to patiently listen to me tonight. What you just read Read it again. The culture of the society. What will become extremely fierce? The culture of society. Who will it be difficult for? People of God. Who are the people of God? The called-out ones, the church. Or permit me to use the word the saint. In school of ministry, we tell you that there are different definitions for the word church. One is the common community of saints from resurrection till rapture. Another one is the called-out ones, the separated ones. Another definition is those who have been renewed and washed in the blood. So you need to know, be aware that in the final days, the culture of society will become extremely fierce. And difficult for the people of God. Look at verse 2 quickly. People will be self-centered, lovers of themselves, and obsessed with money. They will boast of great things as they strut around in their arrogant pride and mock all that is right. They will ignore their own families and will be ungrateful and ungodly. Look at verse 3. They will become addicted to hateful and malicious slander, slaves to their desires. They will be ferocious, belligerent, haters of what is good and what is right. Yes, with brutal treachery. They will act without restraints, bygotted, wrapped in clouds of their conceit. They will find their delight in the pleasures of this world more than the pleasures of the loving God. They will pretend to have a respect for God, but in reality they want nothing to do with God's power. Stay away. From people like this. Very, very detailed scripture. So it means that— please pay attention— the end-time Christian must know that he is not separated to fit in. Can I say it again? You are not separated, or you were not separated to fit in. As a matter of fact, you're not supposed to be wondering why you are not accepted as you want to be. So people are going to build cultures. And when I started this scripture, I told you where that culture will come from. I'll show you again in case you've forgotten. 2 Corinthians chapter number 10. Let's start the reading from verse— from verse 3. 2 Corinthians 10 from verse 3. Don't worry, I'll just read in TPT, don't worry. Then we go to Message translation. Although we live in the natural realm, we do not wage a military campaign employing human weapons, using manipulation to achieve our aims. Instead, we use our spiritual weapons— I'm sorry, instead, our spiritual weapons are energized within divine power to effectively dismantle the defenses behind which people— what? Height. Look at verse 4 now. We can demolish every deceptive fantasies, fantasy that oppose God, and break through arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance to the truth of God. We capture like prisoners of war every thoughts and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One. Ah, it's a tough one. When you read the Bible, please pay attention to it. That's your mission.

It's tough.

Look at this in Message translation from verse 3. Now we use our power. Look, the world is on principle. This dog-eat-dog out there, the world doesn't fight fair. We don't live or fight our battles that way, never have and never will. The tools of our trade are not for marketing or manipulation, but they are for what? Demolishing that entire massively corrupt— what? Culture. Look at verse— the next verse. We use our powerful God tools for smashing what? Rabbed philosophies. So what that means is the foundation of the culture are philosophies, ideas, smart ideas. Have you ever heard the conversation people are talking about being in the company of Christians that are smart, smart believers. Um, how many of you love to be identified as one who is smart? Come on now. If smart people are talking and they say, don't join us, how do you feel? You won't like that, true? If someone steps in here and say, I want to work with people who are smart, and they count 5 people and leave you out of it, how do you feel? You become angry because everyone wants to be smart, true? So because you desire to be smart, the devil can hide dangerous things in smart ideas. Rabbed philosophies that— you see, listen, the duty of principalities is to champion the philosophy that a community is governed with. Read this in King James translation. Oh boy, let's read Together, you read verse 3. No, I read verse 3, you read verse 4. Are you ready? For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. Verse 4 now. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. All right, now look at it. Let's read Ephesians chapter number 6. We start the reading from verse 10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Yes, verse 11. Now, the olam of God, that you may be able to stand. Now go back to that verse 10, so you can— verse 11, so you can understand. Give us verse 11 in Amplified Translation. You need to understand what you just read. Read it for yourself. 1, 2, 3, go. So that you may be able to successfully stand up against the schemes and strategies and deceit. So what is the devil bringing? Schemes, uh-huh, strategies, and what? Deceit. What is he bringing? Schemes, uh-huh, strategies, and what? Deceit. What is he bringing? Schemes, uh-huh, strategies, and what? Now you, you must understand this: when it has to do with schemes, when it has to do with strategies and deceit, you need more than smartness. Discern it. You need help. Rule number 1 when it comes to subject of deception: believe in your heart. Rule number 1: you can be deceived. Have you been scammed before? Talk to me now. You were scammed? You, have you been scammed before? Okay, you've not been scammed. It will happen. It's just a matter of when. Pastor, have you been scammed before? Pastor Femi, you've been scammed before? Let the person that scammed my wife see. The reason why you can be deceived is that the deception— the deceiver needs to know you. To fashion what you believe. Deception is always tailor-made to suit the person you are deceiving. If a guy wants to deceive a girl and knows that this is a Jesus girl, he will come to her in Jesus' name. My God, because that's the password that will open that door. If he says that, my God, the other time while we're in service, I just saw two angels descend. And if that's the girl's number he's dialing, she'll pick the call. He's fashioned something tailor-made for her. Okay, this the age of enlightenment, so the devil is still making the deception for this age. That is for those who are enlightened, those who like to brag about knowledge. You can be in the midst of deception, you are being flawed and being fooled, and as far as you are concerned, you are smart, you are the smartest guy in town. The only person who knows you're a fool are demons and God also, who is in heaven. Demons just shake their head and say, is that our boy? Say, that's our boy. He's running with our ideas. People are in the grip of the devil, being deceived, being controlled. The devil is turning them like the body of water where he wants. He knows what he will say and they will follow. Look at it, verse 12. Now go back to King James. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against what? Principalities.

Against what? Powers.

Against what?

Rulers of darkness of this world.

Against what?

Spiritual wickedness. In where?

Leave it there. So first, keda, the first basic level is that we war against principalities. Principalities, another word for them are princes. You must understand that, um, your idea about demons as some, um, strange-looking creatures with some white chalk on their faces Well, there's no costumer in, in, in their realm. Nobody's costuming them. You only have that in, in Nollywood. You just see some demon just come, just come. If you meet the devil face to face, you probably be intimidated because he's so good-looking. So you must understand that the spirits we are dealing with, they are elite. The spirits that has been able to hold humanity to account, to ransom for thousands of years. The same spirit that operated in days of Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Enoch, David, Daniel, the days of Jesus, these are the early apostles of the church, are still operating now. And in many cases, they were called success. They are elites. They have the advantage of experience. They have the advantage of a nature that is very much around. They don't die and do transfer. They are around. They probably were busy the day you were born, and you'll have to mature in Christ to engage them. So principalities are the elite princes that set the tone of culture of an environment. For instance, I shared with you before we started the work here, I had to separate myself to pray, to seek the face of God, and to fast. Two things the Lord showed me about this city. Number one, I saw a prince over the city that was walking in the middle of the night, had meat in his mouth and was so stuffed with meat, was coming out of his mouth and nostrils. And God said, this is the land where my ministers have fed fat out of their callings. Some other time I will see another strange prince whose duty in this territory is to cast lost. So there is a very high chance that ministers who don't have record of misbehavior anywhere else can come here and fall, because there is a prince whose duty— the what he is casting into the air is that which will make your heart lost. If you are not under the governing influence of God, submitted to him, that spell will conquer you. And you just notice that you are thinking the things you not be thinking. It's not just you, there are many also who are captives under that influence. And as long as you are in the same prison, you can't set them free. So there are princes They, they orchestrate, they engineer thought process. Have you been to a territory before and discovered that in this territory what is prevalent is teenage pregnancy? Did they tell themselves to go and get pregnant? Is an orchestration, a culture. If you will come out of such a place and wield the fire of God to help them, it must be that you never bowed to the oppression. Do you understand what I'm saying? Never forget, the devil's strategy is simple: smite the shepherd, the sheep will scatter. So to quench fire of revival anywhere, get the leaders, let them bow secretly. They will preach, but it will not shift anything in people's hearts. Because the spirit of lust that is in someone's heart has built immunity against what you are saying. Do you understand what I'm saying? Let me tell you what that means. If you pick Toshiba— you know Toshiba television— if you pick the remote and try to use to operate LG, it won't respond. I'm saying the devil has observed that there are remote presses you respond because a property of his is in you. So Jesus said, the prince of this world came to me and found nothing of his in me, meaning that I don't respond to his impulse. I don't respond to his pressure. I don't respond. And that's why the moment you— the devil can't find a property of his in you, the next thing he wants to do is to take you out. When you go to a territory, one of the ways you know those who are on fire is that they are the, they are the ones people fight. There are things I now know I wish I knew 10 years ago. Acceptance is not always a proof of wisdom. It can be a sign that you are not any different.

Exactly.

The devil has looked at what he's doing and he has weighed you. And you don't possess any trait of being a threat to it, so you'll be loved. In fact, your position on the pulpit will be kept so that somebody who is on fire will not replace you. If you are sinning, it will not be revealed. The devil will help you conceal it so that his activity will prosper, so that those who will bring the real fire will never come to unseat you. But the day you now want to discourage all of them having looked up to you It will show them that you have failed long ago. I'm saying that exposure comes only when it profits the devil. If you hear that a very powerful man of God has impregnated somebody, how do you feel? You feel bad, right? So he will wait for you to conclude the man of God is powerful. Even though the fellow has been failing for over 15 years, when he reached that conclusion and the fall now has economic value, then it is now important to the devil that the fellow is exposed. There are elite spirits who engineers deception. They, they are culture shapers. They, they, they are architects of civilization. They are engineering what people see and what they should think. I told you we're taking a walk in a park in Houston, and I saw a guy was shaking his bum bum. He was shaking it. With all his strength. So he's not going to think that it's that— that's not the kind of shaking. He was twerking the bombom shaking. Ah, I said, aye, me, the devil has gone far here. If somebody comes out now on the street of Wuse 2 and then start maybe one pack and then start as a guy. Chances are very high that even those— listen, even those who are not Christians will feel this is wrong. And if care is not taken, they will beat him. No, don't, don't mention that one so that it doesn't— no, no, don't, don't reveal that one. They will beat.

Why?

Listen, culture doesn't know religion. When the devil wants to architect culture in a place, it is not about Christian clerics. Everyone that has the ears of the people should be manipulated. Regardless of faith, he instigates the leaders to open the door for new ideas. It's just something new.

Come on, you won't surely die. Welcome a new idea.

Why should you be strict on yourself? Have you seen that the culture is becoming prevalent now? Cross-dressing. One time I finished preaching on Sunday and somebody went to tag me online and yabbed the hell out of me and said I went to Femi Lazarus' church and then he was speaking against homosexuality, that people like him are the this, this, this, that, that. Long story cut short, the brother is a brother that likes brothers. I will be a good pastor if I make him feel good and say, just continue, grace of God is more than sufficient. Well, I, I, I must be an idiot, mm-hmm, to tell you that the Bible doesn't support that. Don't be a nice person. Niceness is not a fruit of the Spirit. Don't be a nice preacher, Mr. Nice Man. Go and check those that girls call nice man in their hostels. Usually that person is a capital fool. He's buying suya for everybody, he's not taking care of his own mom, doesn't have life savings. Does he say he's nice? God listed all fruit of the Spirit, didn't put niceness. You think God is not smart? Niceness is what you have when you don't have financial plans. You do serve them round, serve them— sorry, sorry. So the devil is pushing leaders into the siege of acceptance. If you bow to our culture, we'll accept you. Will make you popular, will tell the world that you are the best. You must, you must be ready to forfeit traction, views, likes, comments. That's what is killing people in these days. Views is not being Thank God for it. There's a kind of thing you stand for, the devil will be interested in promoting you. He'll say, let me promote you. Say, this one, I'm interested. And there's something you will stand for, the devil will say, shut him down by every means necessary. What do you want to stand for? And I told you what the devil is exploiting every human is your desire for acceptance. You want to make sense.

Don't you like to make sense?

Talk to me now.

Don't you like to make sense?

You like it. Do you not like to make sense? Am I making sense? We'll soon change now. You want to make sense, and to make sense you must be understandable, and to be understandable you must speak the language of the one that you want to understand you. I'm going to show you that the culture of the kingdom is not a sense-making culture. Doesn't make sense. And I'm going to show you from the pattern of the early church. It doesn't make sense. So we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against princes that are architects, thought process. The architect. And you know, these strange spirits instigating people, they are so deliberate, they are so bold, they are so procedural. One time, one of my friends was sharing with me that he was watching their Sunday service online, and while he was watching their Sunday service online, he He saw somebody had joined their choir who was wearing maybe fishnet or something. A guy— sorry, what's fishnet? I'm talking about— yes, yes, now yes. Oh yes, and was doing fish— was What's all those genzidans? So no, okay, that's another one. This one was— so he got to church, saw the guy with the fishnet, then he saw him, the belly button was showing, everything, a guy. So he said, go and call him. And tell him that we have a jacket for you, okay? That even if you are not this thing, but you are giving that vibe, okay? So just help us. This is a church. There is a— the church has culture. Are you aware? Yes, sir. Everything doesn't go in church.

Are you aware? Yes, sir.

If a sister sits in front of me, open the laps, I will tell you to stand up. I intend to finish well. Yes, sir. Are you following what I'm saying here?

Yes, sir.

If I take Sister— please, just you, let's do an example. You go to the back and I tell somebody, come and sit down here. Have we not done examples? Have I not changed your seat? And I'm rescued. Never think you can fall. Oga, what you won't eat, don't smell. So whatever thing you come for and say, I'm the nice pastor, come everyone, be dressy, dress the way you want, open your bum bum, shake it. Okay, okay, okay, it's a trap. Those who have done this thing for long, check their life. It's a trap. This whole idea of we bring something new, we bring something new, we are something different, something spiced, is not always true and it's not always correct. You'll be in trouble. I'm a pastor. The kind of grace I found— sister, come and sit on my lap. Nothing. So this particular prayer I want to have now, you will have it. You sit on my leg so I pray for you. Say, in the name of Jesus. Yes, Daddy. So look at the layers. We wrestle against— not against— but against princes over territories, then against rulers. You know who a ruler is? Listen, these are spirits responsible for government. Rulers of darkness. Why do you think that in many nations the seat of power is on blood? Government requires power. It is not done with fairness. It is the violent that takes it by force. So we are dealing with rulers.

These are rulers. This, the kind of account this spirit give is to show territories they are in charge of, to show areas principalities are under this one's grip.

Principalities report to rulers of how they are managing their local governments.

So rulers now—

so there is another one which we call spiritual wickedness in high places. This one don't come down to the earth. They are forbidden. They are spiritual wickedness, so they are high spirits. Another translation will use the word heavenly places. So look at the arrangement.

So where do you think witches and wizards fall?

They are, they are junior, junior, junior spirits. I've been in meetings that witches came, cast the spirit out, you see the person shivering. But you can't cast out a principality.

You can't.

This guy is here as an architect of culture.

How do you deal with that?

Counter ones. And do you not think the devil is smart enough to start from where you think is correct? Let me explain what I mean. Do you think the devil is going to try to build something you know obviously is wrong? It's going to come to you at your level, something that a part of you appeals to, something you feel, ah, I know it's bad but not that bad.

So we deal with rulers. Of darkness of this world. These are mafia forces. They are not some of your, um, easily cowering—

you must understand, when the devil fell, angels fell with him. So these are not demonic beings now. These are fallen angels. These are angelic beings. These ones are not Oh Lord, help me now. Are you still here? Can I get into some very serious stuff? You see, demons, demons, demons, we call them also disembodied spirits, okay? One of the advantages they have is their numbers. They are not elite. You cast them out. Well, you see falling angels, they're elite. They've seen that light, what it looks like. They used to have a form of power that was not taken from them but corrupted. The devil used to have an anointing. It was the anointed cherub that covered it. He wasn't stripped of that anointing. It was corrupted. It used to be a personality of wisdom. It wasn't stripped of that wisdom, it was corrupted. So you are dealing with spirits with sheer focus. They know what they want.

They have been standing in defiance against God and everything God stands for over the years.

Those you will read about, they dealt with them. Those who read about Jeremiah, just imagine in your heart how that days must have been like. They saw humanity evolve, they saw societies change, they saw civilizations coming. They were there in the crude days, so they know how to evolve with time. They know— they get what I'm saying? They know how to evolve in dealing with you with your own time. They've used different strategies over the years. These are the forces that we are at war with. The most elementary ground level is demons. They don't even— they didn't make it to this list. They didn't make it. To this list. If the level you are is the point where you want to go and ease yourself at night and you see a spirit looking at you and all that, you are not elite. There are some demons that are on IT. Those ones are trying to do industrial training. So those ones are— you want to go and eat something, you say, you are not carrying anything that has commanded the attention of rulers. When you begin to command the attention of rulers, it moves governmental forces against you. Oh yes, moves the highest authority of the land to shut you down. And that comes when you carry the pure flame. Oh, it's some spirit, um, from my father's house and my mother's house, ancestral spirit and ancestral spirit. That is, the spirit is moving from one person to another person to another person. That's a spirit that the devil did not even trust with much more job. The only job they can give them, you stay in the grammar. Once you are done, then move to the ground. So you can't— that spirit can't do more. So that's the one you are saying they gave you one goya oil to drink. Some of you have drank oil. How you are still alive, only God knows. And, and, and those, those spirit, they have record of success. Oh yes, because they are not dealing with elite Christians. They are dealing with Christians that God can't— God has not committed much to their hands. They, they have not entered into the secret place of the Most High. They are not locked in him. What did the Bible say we do? Say we trample upon what? Snakes and scorpions. That's, that's, we trample on them. That's the one that is pressing you at night. You can't shout Jesus, Jesus. When you should be taking nations.

Yes, sir.

Just, just one frog-like spirit is now choking your throat. Jesus, they serve me food, they serve me food. You know, you know the worst one? Some people now say that they have sex in the dream. I've said it again and again. There's nothing like sex in the dream. It's rape. You know why? It's not consensual. This, this spirit, I did it.

Yeah, you to come.

Now we call say Shandamaya. Jesus, I rebuke you. I rebuke you. They will be laughing. But when you carry the fire you should carry, principalities tell those ones, we still need you around, avoid him. Come, let me have another person. Come. So imagine Who is the biggest person there? Okay, anybody that is huge, come. I thought he was coming. Maybe it's your spiritual form. No, face each other. So if these two guys are fighting each other, they are up to each other. So I allow them, okay? But if this guy will grow in stature like times 50 of this, it's going to be massacre. Principalities tell the demons, leave him for us. When it gets to the point that it begins to confront established ideologies With the light of God's word smashing down strongholds, destroying everything that has been built over the years, rulers tells the principalities, step aside, it's too much for you. You must get to the point that you begin to command the right attention, not some strange looking demons harassing you. Because you have refused to carry the fire you should carry. You must get beyond some spirit afflicting your business, some spirit afflicting your sleep, some spirit trying to come into your home, some spirit trying to oppress you at night, some spirit trying to get all those things. Put on the whole armor of God. Put on the whole armor. You shake out principalities, shake aside powers. Are you following what I'm saying here?

Shake them aside.

I've been territories to preach that Fulani headsman say if he climbs the altar, will cut his head. And I preach 3 days. The confrontation you face is a pointer to your level. Many believers are not being confronted. Not because they are fine, not because they are safe, not because they are secure, because there are no threats. There are no what? I, you know, while I was praying towards this meeting, I, I sensed strongly that God would have us pray particularly tonight. It may be a good time to tell God to clothe you with fire. It may be a good time to ask him that you want to be an elite warrior, not a recruit, not a copper. Where we need soldiers, sorry to the coppers. Where soldiers are needed.

Are you following me now? Ask him for power. Ask him for it. Come on, pray! Oh yes, I want to be an elite believer. Oh, Satan, be like a snake, say, "Laman, come partake.

Raina, come, pile on." In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Sit down for a moment. When you get to the point that you start commanding the attention of spiritual wickedness in high places, the only thing those ones are trying to instrument, they're trying to engineer, is death. When you start— the higher you ascend, the more you must refuse to fly alone. At some— listen to what I'm saying though. Listen to what I'm saying, and I'm going to give you a very important principle. As you begin to ascend in what you are confronting— listen to what I'm saying— it doesn't matter how powerful you are, if you do it alone, they will take you out. I'll show you example. People have died because they didn't understand this principle. When James was captured. Acts chapter number 12. Herod stretched forth his hand to pick James. He, he was not sure what he wanted to do, but the church didn't back him up. Okay, no backing of the church. He killed James.

You know how he killed him?

He beheaded him. When he saw it pleased the Jews, he took Peter. But Peter had the church as his backup and intercessors. The church prayed without ceasing, so God sent an angel. Listen, for God to send an angel, it means Herod was not repentant. Go and get him out. The angel got him out. That same chapter, Herod died. We'll get there, okay? But look at this. Ah, how do I— let me tell you something. If the devil captures Peter, if he wants to now kill Peter the second time, What do you think is wise to do if you're an advisor to the devil? The first time he captured Peter, the church prayed. What do you think is the best way to capture Peter now? Don't capture him yet till you have sown a seed of offense between him and the church. Let the church stop praying for him. Let him too have issues with the church, then capture him. He's without defense. Offense is the way the devil breaks your covering.

Yes, sir.

If you are— because don't get into this warfare if you have not encountered wisdom. Listen to what I'm saying here. At certain height, you can't get angry anyhow. Listen to what I'm saying. At— because the— it— see, listen, people provoking you will be timed. Either to when the devil wants to take them out or when he wants to take you out.

Because sometimes—

and I'm sorry to say— sometimes I've seen people, believers, manifest some— I mean, people like I hold in high esteem manifest some pettiness. Ah, and I say, how did you get to this height with this pettiness? Something is wrong because there are certain things that process would have taken away from you. To qualify for this seat here. If process didn't take it, that thing here will take you out. There are certain things that we trivialize.

Something—

listen, things as trivial as love work. That's what we should realize, that love work. You see, listen to what I'm saying. All this culture All this culture of people, ministers who come on the altar, call out that minister out, they yap themselves, reply with his own sermon. Listen to what I'm saying. The reason why nobody is dropping dead is because neither of them is a threat. Are you following what I'm saying here? Go and read God's generals. Read the story of Jacob. He just extended his own healing tent by a few meters. To make it the biggest. He didn't survive it. This our revival, that offense and, um, what's it called now, envy, still survives. It is either the devil is still busy. People have died for this same thing. Are you following what I'm saying here? You see, if you will call me out online and drag me, I will celebrate you. I'm busy and I'm not going to die young. I'm a fool. I prefer it than to be a warrior fighting the wrong battle. I prefer to be a fool. He's an idiot, he's okay. Because what the devil does is to distract you. By the time you wake up, he's destroyed many things. You can't sleep. Are you following what I'm saying? The devil wants your attention. Don't give it. He wants your attention. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, against princes over territories, against powers.

What?

They are called powers because there's power. Eh, you know, I share this story. I went with my friend years back to a village for village crusade. So I began to preach. We just carried one public address speaker keyboard, we plugged to it, is a keyboard, is gather the entire village. I began to preach, and we got to the point where people were bringing out their charms to be burnt, and rain began to fall only where I was standing. And as they helped me move the wooden pulpit to another place, the rain followed. That's power. That boy said, you didn't tell me that this is the kind of dangerous things you do. Don't ever call me for this kind of stuff again. That's what— have you been preaching before and somebody came to the place with the purpose of making sure you drop dead? You must have insurance. You must be ensured and immersed. I can count cases. Do you know how many agents of darkness are pressing something and saying that guy must die? You must be clothed with power. Don't just boast. If your boasting is more than your actual power, they will check you out. When you are found wanting, gone too soon. Survive, huh? Stay alive. And the only way is with what? Power. They will take you out. I'm not trying to instill fear in you. If you see— listen, when you get to the war front, nobody is bringing toy gun. Every gun you see there is with the actuality to kill you. If they— are you feel what I'm saying here? This one, you are doing your rehearsal, you say, ah, it hit my leg, it's my leg. When you get to that battlefront, that leg is gone. So you must learn to dodge bullets, you must learn to take cover. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run in and they are what? Safe. You must learn to equip yourself. Are you following what I'm saying here? And, and I gave illustration with Coppers. I've been a copper before too. When you are doing parades, give me a song. Give me song now. NYC camp, huh? You forgotten? Ochebe.

Sing it now.

A Boko Haram should show up, it will not tebe. Because this one is not your camp commander trying to erase your morale. These ones have come to kill you. I am saying that you are going out there to deal with forces whose core intention is to take you out. If you are doing ministry and what you are doing is management and MBA, You are not in the battlefront. You touch theirs, they will come for you. And that's why we have learned to do ministry the way that we don't touch the devil, he should not touch us. Be clothed with power early. When? Don't be a neutral Christian. Don't be a neutral element. And let me just be there, you know, let me just be there. No, don't just be there. Have fire. Let me show you a scripture. Leviticus 6. Let's start reading from verse 11. Leviticus 6. And okay, and he shall put up his physical— yes, go to verse 12. Now let's see together. 1, 2, 3, go.

And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it.

It shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning and lay the burnt offering in order upon it. And he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offering. The fire should not go out. You are in a world, you are interfacing with King Spirits. They are not joking with you. They are not laughing. They are not there with the intention to pamper you. They are not interested in you succeeding. They want to take you out. The only reason you may not know now, because there's a timing for it, and they will first prep you so that by the time that time is ready, it will happen on Indad. But the first thing, two things he wants to do: number one, break the defense of the believer. And to break the defense, get him into offense. Number 2, break the edge. So let me tell you the difference.

When—

read the book of Job chapter number 1. Look at what the devil said. Ah, aye la kavan de ke kuna, say ke Femi Lazarus. Are you still there? Look at Job 1 from verse 9. Say it again: I'm a candidate of power. You didn't say it like one who wants it. Say it again: I'm a candidate of power. I refuse to be powerless. Say it again. I'm a candidate of power. Look at it. There's, there's another, all right, two scriptures I want to put side by side with you. All right, thank you, Lord. Look at from verse 9. And Satan answered and said to the Lord, does Job fear you for naught? Hast thou not made an hedge about him and about his house and about all that he had on every side? And thou blessed the work of his hands, and his substance increased in the land. All right, so Job is saying that there is a defense, a layer of defense and he called it a name. What's the name? An edge. Now look at this scripture, Ecclesiastes 10 from verse 8. Ecclesiastes 10:8. No, go to— please go to verse— go to Amplified— um, King James, please. He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it, and who so breaketh an edge, the serpent will strike. Come, let me give you an instance. Let's say you came from a family where the pattern you have seen here is the pattern of, let's say, premature death. Please never forget what I want to show you now. Is that okay? I want to show you how this works. It's premature death, but you also observe that this pattern Alongside with it is the pattern of polygamy. Okay, so this guy comes from that family, is trying his best to serve the Lord, walk in righteousness, but he makes mistakes, makes mistakes, fall into sin, gets back, fall into sin, gets back. This is what is happening. The judgment here is early death. What causes it here, that is the trap that everybody who enjoyed that must fall into, is they will get to a point, look at their wives and say, I don't like you anymore. As long as this guy is rising and falling, he's not broken the edge yet, till the day that thing will pump him and look at the wife and say, I'm done with you. The moment he steps out, he steps out of his covering. That covering doesn't mean the wife is necessarily praying for him. Everyone that he killed, that's the edge they broke. When you break that edge, serpent will strike. Are you following what I'm saying here?

Yes, sir.

There are certain things you do Recover. But there is the edge. You must go back and find what killed those who went ahead. Build a defense against it. Tell God to help you. Get yourself voice of truth. Be accountable. Have people in your life who can tell you, sit down. Who can tell you shut down? Who can tell you pray? Who can tell you, you and your wife come and see me? Who can hold you to account?

Have—

don't fight alone. A soldier that fights alone is exposed. They can knock him out of the ring.

Huh?

Don't do what? Listen, structure is more effective than discipline. Sit down. Thank you, sir. Discipline— I will hold it, I hold myself. Structure is that beyond holding yourself, God has mounted men as gates, relationships that will hold you to account and say you are not going down. I say, I'm no longer coming to church, I'm doing club now. They will stay on your neck and stay in the place of prayer till you are back. That structure, the devil can't take you out till he breaks the structure. Be careful, watch out for the manipulation that begins to make you suddenly pick offense in everyone interceding for you. It's a trap. He wants to isolate you. Then give you a knockout punch. The devil is a boxer. He knocks men out of the ring. Ask God for wisdom. Ask him for wisdom. Ask him for help. Ask him for help. Ask him for help. Ask him. Femi Lazarus. Ask him for help. You need wisdom to overcome the onslaught of darkness. You need wisdom to overcome the traps He's a master at setting traps. You need wisdom. Ask him for help. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Sit down. So you must know that when the fights, the arguments, the misunderstandings is no longer normal When this is an attack on the home, when this is an attack on something that God is in— there are homes that they will not fight until they are at the helm of breakthrough. The moment something is coming, they lose their bond of agreement, then the devil can divert it, and they keep falling into that trap. Again and again and again. There are homes that every time they are close to their anniversary, they fight. Just look at you and say, why do you look at me like that? And say, ah, I've been— you too, I've been keeping you in my mind. I've been keeping my mind. You're a terrible guy. My mother told me not to marry you. I'm doing— it's my fault. And everything will go from 0 to 100. They have become puppets in the hands of spirits. They formed a ring and there's a referee saying, punch yourself. And as the fight is going on, there are also forces making sure that they are monitoring the breakthrough coming. Once it passes, their eyes will clear. And they can repeat that cycle for 10 years. Emotional intelligence is part of spiritual maturity, that you just begin to observe that this is no longer you talking. You can't talk like this. One has become a puppet. If the other one is praying, you can help yourselves. You are not— they will tell you on social media that you are, you are a fool if you go on your knees and apologize when you are not wrong. They will tell you that on social media. The person talking may not be a witch, but he's been successfully used by the devil, and they will lecture you. There are lecturers that the devil doesn't pay money to. They will lecture you. They will lecture you from their doom. You don't know any better. They are puppets in the hand of spirit. If you will go astray now, your lecturers are online. Anything you want to commit, if you want to start sleeping with chicken, there is somebody who will teach you how to do it. You've not just searched enough. Are you following what I'm saying here? They will teach you. If you want to know how to deal with your husband and manipulate him and, and deal with him and show that you are a woman and use your woman power to— they are also there, huh? They are bitter, they are pained. They want to educate young girls to fight. It looks like human rights. And if you're a man, you want to also deal with your wife You want to make her look miserable. You want to afflict her and torment her, give her silent treatment till she come begging for your attention. I beg you, I tell you, there are men also online. There are lecturers who are not on the devil's payroll, but they are employees. They will teach you. Be careful who you listen to. Don't pay attention to doctrine of devils. The devil architects culture through voices, opinions, lectures, unsolicited advice. Somebody has now set ring lights. It will help people scatter their homes, and we, we just be doing ring lights. It will now shock you to now see that the person, they are happy. Have you not seen king boss ladies, principal feminists who will see young girls— maybe a guy is proposing to a girl, the guy knelt down, the girl too knelt down, or the girl is serving the husband on wedding day and knelt down. They will go online, it's not their wedding, they'll say the girl is a fool. They will say the girl is a fool. They will insult the girl. Many like them will now gather and say the girl is a fool. Then their ringleader will now get married and say, I've left you, boo. Why, why was the person doing that? The person doesn't know love. Now he has known love, now finds out that she was wrong. You know, let me give you an instance. One time we were inside traffic in Lagos, close to Allen. So a car turned and took one way, so another car followed the car. Then the car that took one way, just few meters, entered his own compound. Then this one plus the other one that has followed him, they can't go back. Last man was looking at them. Listen, listen. Okay, you get the gist. Be careful who you See, they will lead you astray and deny you. Listen, let me tell you this. I know ministers who led many young ministers astray.

They led them to be rebellious.

They will insult fathers, they will curse at them. Those ministers now are the ones celebrating the fathers. I see posts online, I say, Jesus, I can't count this guy.

What about this guy?

He lost his place in ministry because of you.

Now he's doing crypto.

This one now is doing forex.

I am telling you fact.

There are people who will repent from their ways without giving account that we have left. They will just say, if you know, you know. Before you follow anybody, check their stability.

Many have lost their callings. Just follow. It is what is trending now. Everybody, hey, this one useless fathers in the body of Christ.

Hey, this one, maybe just one of the fathers they're insulting, just call their ringleader. I say, ah, I'm just hearing about you, you're doing amazing. And just give the person, just say, this is, just take this as a seed to your ministry, $500,000. You, you, you say, what? It's just a seed to your ministry, $500,000. He will go on Facebook the following day and say, I just want to specially celebrate this man of God, is a man of love, is a man of this, a man— you, you, you, you did follow, follow Cupboard, they won't give you, and they will not tell you they collected money. You are gone. Have sense, huh? If they are pushing you, don't push yourself.

Say, yeah, we are, we are the world feminist movement.

You are using borrow data to do that one. They are using you to architect culture because you are not elite. You need your own noise. Make the noise, make the noise, make the noise. After all, how many people are following you? So just, just talk, talk, talk, talk. Once you just miss your official partner, okay, okay, be careful. The spirit behind all these things are smart. They do clinical jobs, smooth. They will leave no trace behind. You will not even know a spirit has done the work. Everything will look natural and normal. Orchestrate divides, pump people to rebel against God's purpose for their lives. Architects those things. Be careful. Don't be a puppet in the hands of— and one of the ways you can be strong is to be prayerful. Let's see, Christians, learn to pray in tongues. You become so saturated, you are not easily carried. Huh? I know that there are Christians That's why he's really carried, that if they see something that will trigger them now, ah, ah, ah, where's my bottle? Ah, they've triggered him. He doesn't have weight, no, he's not stable, he doesn't have depth. You now say, where's my, where's my bottle? Now I'm gonna say, ah, it's not fight. Well, you have shown yourself as an area boy. Don't do that. Let the wisdom of God saturate your spirit and your soul. Are you following what I'm saying here? Let the wisdom of God do what? Saturate your spirit and your soul. Let it be what helps you navigate life. You will pass through layers and defense of darkness without even knowing why. You are functioning by God's wisdom. You are carried by that. Say it again: I'm full of God's wisdom.

Say it again: I'm full of God's wisdom. Say it again: I'm full of God's wisdom.

Till Jesus comes, it won't stop. The devil will keep making attempts to infiltrate our world with dark philosophies, and it's easy to run with them. Oh, there's no good church again. Nigerian pastors— I don't even do Nigerian pastors. I'm done with the Nigerian church. Even when I travel outside the country, I don't do Nigerian church anymore. I do white church. The forces, weapon fashioned against your life, I say correct one, correct one. That's my guy, that's my guy, that's my guy. And this one has another demon. I say, Michael, don't you like that? We like it, we like it. Go to church every morning, every morning, take coffee and some cookie. Say we have retreat, but we just— it's barbecue retreat. Barbecue retreat. Okay, you say I just do white church, taking coffee. You take barbecue. The thing is worrying you. As you are sipping the tea, they are sipping with you and say, well done, well done. Let small fire touch you, the spirit will react. Yes, yes, that's one of the mark of my life. Just sometimes just handshake with people, something screams out of them. Ah, correct. It's always been there, it just takes fire to search it out. Sometimes I just sit with the people in the same bus.

Just— no, you are not praying.

Just sit down there. Just the radiation of what you carry, you begin to see people get defensive. And it's happened to me several times, even on flight.

Just get all defensive.

I say, I recognize it and I'm not going anywhere. Carry fire. Listen, till Jesus come, a billion times, a billion billion times, you see, see them drag me online because people like us must be stopped.

Our volume— find a way, orchestrate lies, say many things, shut them down, report his page, do all those things.

We'll keep talking. Because we have not been called to conform. The mission is simple: attack, infiltrate, dismantle, colonize, lead others to do the same.

It's not a frenzy. You've been called to a fight. Look at the way the Bible described the early—

the, the, the Hall of Fame of Faith. Hebrews chapter number 11, which is where I'm going to wrap up tonight. Hebrews chapter number 11, look at it. We start reading from verse 32. Hebrews 11:32.

What more shall I say?

For time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barak and of Samson and of Jephthah, of David also and Samuel, and of the prophets.

Yes, who through faith did what? Subdued kingdoms.

They didn't join it, they subdued it.

Wrought righteousness, obtained promises. They stopped the mouths of lions. Look at that. You know what a lion is? The lion is the one that goes after the stray sheep.

I think I've tried to explain this. It is easy to subdue a kingdom than to shut the mouth of a lion. I'll tell you why. Lion go after isolated sheep. Look at it. He said, be sober and vigilant, for the devil your adversary roams about like a wounded lion seeking whom he may devour. Who are those he will devour? Those who are isolated. See, the lions— the sheep that the lion wants to consume is the one that is offended at the pastor. And if care is not taken, the pastor is also offended at— to know you are angry, but I will still defend you in prayer, is putting your ego under. You can shut— you can subdue kingdom, you can shut the mouth of a lion, you because you want the person's misery to be the proof that you were correct. That I will watch what will happen to that one so they can know. But that's not shepherd-like. Quench the violence of fire, escape the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in what? If this doesn't look like your life, start praying. Turn to fight the armies of what? The aliens. You see, we were— hold on a minute before we continue. We were— oh boy, we were coming from Ibadan. I had to minister and officiate some weddings. We were trying to go catch up with my flight at the airport, and as we're driving, I lost my peace. It was like fire was oozing through my body. Something is wrong. Someone is about to be taken out. Somebody is about to die.

And I told them, it was happening. I can't tell who, but there's someone they want to take out. There's someone's candle they want to off.

As I take this car to the petrol station, I don't know what's going on here. So we're praying. Later I felt the burden ease. I got home on Sunday. My friend called me and said, bro, they almost took me out yesterday. People died. They were about to come out. He just told the person that, he say, 'Park.' The car that moved after them, they were wiped out. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. Our pastors were with me in the house. They were talk— they came to see me, our resident pastors. Some of them. And as they were talking, I looked in front of me and saw in the spirit a frame fell. Ah, I said, stop that. I just saw something. A frame just fell in the spirit. There's someone whose picture has been removed. There's someone they want to take out. I sat down there rebuking, rebuking. In less than 2 minutes, I saw online that a car had missed the way and ran into our building in Ibadan.

Ran into church building, ran into the church building, could have killed people there.

Split seconds. I'm saying that your spiritual connectivity and fervency needs to become a tool in the hands of God that he can now trust you with.

Are you following me here? You cannot afford to be cold. Men who through faith subdued kingdoms. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. They through faith subdued what? Kingdoms. Look at verse 36. Look at it. Others had trials of cruel mocking. They mocked them and scourgings of bonds and imprisonment. Yes, they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, they were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskin and goatskin, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. These are the Hall of Fame of Faith.

They were not men of acceptance.

They were men of power. They were in confrontation against forces. They were men of power. Equip me. I can't continue like this. I can't continue like this. Equip me. Set me on fire. Set me on fire! Set me on fire! I need my fire back! I need my fire back! Men who through faith subdued kingdoms, they wrought righteousness, they quenched the mouth of lions. Men who, through fight, subdued kingdoms. Men of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts as destitutes. They wandered with goatskin. They were not men of acceptance. They were men who moved the kingdom. They were not playing to the gallery. They are not politicians. But kingdom ambassadors. Do something in me. Make me your agent. Make me your agent of revival and of fire. They turn to fight the armies of aliens. They turn to fight the army of aliens. The Warring Christian who understands warfare. Pray, pray. Femi Lazarus, set us on fire, cook us from inside out, that we will know our duty in the last days. We will not seek to be a part of a culture that we must destroy. We will not be impressed by a culture we must pull down. We will not seek to be honored by a culture that has to go down. Set us on fire! Jesus, thou Son of David, we will not publicize a culture that needs to go down. We will not be a part of the establishment that God wants to destroy. We will not seek to be loved and impressed by what God wants to pull down. We will stand as prophets. We will stand as priests. We will stand for the kingdom. Jesus, thou Son of David, help us that we will fight the battles of the last days. We will not betray the kingdom that we represent. We will not betray your agenda. We will not betray your purpose. I will not put myself first. Jesus, use me, pour me out as an offering. I will not betray the agenda of heaven. I will stand and withstand the culture that the devil is building. Not in my days, not in my time. Jesus, equip us. Energize us, empower us, fire us up. We will not be mushy around what was going on.

I've been offered to a deity and now I am the sacrifice. The life that I live is not my own. I've been offered to a deity and now I am the sacrifice. The life that I live is not my own. I've been offered to a deity, and now I am a sacrifice. The life that I live is not my own. Say, Spirit, consume, consume, consume me more and more. Till I consume, consume more, consume you more and more. Spirit, consume me, consume, consume me more and more till I'm consumed. Consumed, consumed more and more.

The life that I live It's not my own. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. That the least amongst us will be as mighty as David. We will not have a house full of spineless soldiers. You will be able to stand and withstand. Strength. Eyes flooded with light. Empowerment, empowerment, empowerment, empowerment. Let soldiers rise from amongst us, men and women who will not rest till heaven touch the earth. You will not propagate what God wants to destroy. You will not be a part of what God wants to pull down. In his mercy, you are kept. You are kept.

You are kept.

Father, amongst us, raise fearless warriors. Raise fearless warriors, apostolic voices, men and women who love not their lives unto death. You are invigorated, surged with power.

Yes!

Prophets don't make sense. They bring the counsel of God down. When Micaiah stood after 400 prophets had prophesied lies, he wanted to blend in, but he still had to declare the counsel of God. The prophetic mantle and anointing that makes you stand out even in a dying world. Oh yes, and that's what happens. Oh yes, oh yes, graces can be activated even now. It surges you with strength. It touch your tongue with coals of fire. Tongues of fire.

Now you can speak as God's mouthpiece. He caught your tongue with fire that you will go out as his mouthpiece, unfazed and not afraid.

Men and women strengthened by the Lord himself. Let that fire What I saw is what I want to describe. A rest on your shoulder for leadership. Oh yes, for leadership. Receive the grace of discernment to be able to tell difference and start with the truth, stand with the truth of God's word. You will never be afraid again. You are helped. It is done in Jesus' mighty name. God bless you.