COVENANT MINDEDNESS 4

Never think that the value of life is based on your physical possession. It matters what your spiritual assets is. They say your network is your net worth. What about your spiritual network? When you thinking about your network, are you only thinking about friends who can lend you money, people who can say start this business? What about those who can speak?

The word of God is the ultimate agent of transformation. It breaks barriers, renews minds, awakens destinies. It reshapes, realigns, rebuilds. Apostle Femi Lazarus has been given a divine mandate to raise a generation of kingdom-minded culture shapers, leaders equipped to infiltrate every sphere of influence, to inspire, to transform societies, and to leave a lasting mark on generations to come.

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One of the reasons that have made this generation weightless is the misappropriation of the subject of grace. We don't even understand it because there is an assumption that grace is irresponsibility. Look at it in 2 Kings chapter number 4. All right, a woman, the Bible called her the great Shunammite woman, saw Elisha passing, and you know, she honored him and all that. And in verse 9, she said, I perceive that he is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall. Let us set for him there a bed and a table and a stool and a candlestick. And it shall be when he cometh unto us that he shall turn— she was reporting what she wanted to do to who? Her husband. At least one thing is certain, this woman had her own money.

True.

And not just that, the fact that she had her money does not— did not make her disregard the office of the husband because of a man of God. So God looked at the combination of these two virtues and called her great, great. Shunammite woman. Look at this. Let us make a chamber for him. So he came. This is the man of God. Um, in verse 13, look at what Elisha said. And he said, say now unto her, behold, thou has been careful for us with all this care. What is it to be done for thee? Wilt thou be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among my own people. Yes. And he said, what then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, verily, she has no child, and her husband is what?

Old.

And he said, call her. And when he had called her, She stood in the door. You know, just have a mental picture of that. She didn't say, 'No, we put you inside this house,' and just barged in. She stood by the door. Respect. And look at it, and he said, 'About this season, according to the time of life, thou shall embrace a son,' not a child. A son. And she said, nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thy handmaid.

Yes.

And the woman conceived and bare a son. What, what opened that door? Honor. Honor is a strong covenant practice that you learn to honor people. Make it a culture in your house. That whenever anybody comes, they will experience the generosity and the benevolence of your house. It is Abrahamic. Make it a culture. I'm going to teach you this. Years back, the Lord gave me a word. He said, travel to so-so ministry. And go and proclaim over them their new season. They didn't host me. I called, I said, I'm coming, the Lord has given me a word for you. So I went there and declared the word. We entered the car to return back to my base And I perceived that every virtue I went there with, I was going back home with. Nothing dropped. The visitation was so tedious for me that by the time I got there to the state where the meeting was holding, years back, I collapsed and I was shivering because I had moved from about 4 different states, preaching everywhere. So I had to do it because the Lord said to do it. And I just asked him, I said, ah, wait, wait, wait, it's like I'm going back home with all this virtue. So I asked my boy that was driving, I said, where we went to preach, did they give us at least a bottle of water? He said no. Even if something was supposed to be yours, the culture of honor personalizes it. Listen to what I'm saying. Don't let me talk because— let me leave it there. Years back, I was there somewhere God sent me to. There's a lady, the daughter of the woman, she put it upon herself that whenever this man is around, I will be the one to personally receive him, down to the water I will drink. Honor is perception of value. She was doing that for a while. If a foolish minister, you say maybe the girl likes you. This culture of always thinking that people like you, people like you, is overrating yourself. Are you that fine? Oh, you are fine. Clap for yourself. So one day she came to serve me food. So I said, hold on, what do you want? Then she broke down in tears and said, I have observed this pattern in my family. I said, go on your knees, and I laid hands on her and decree that you are exempted from this pattern. And she was. Honor is a covenant practice. You must learn it. You can read Genesis 18. How did the womb of Sarah got open? Honor. True honor. He said, by this time you have a child. And she did. You know, she could get what she was looking for and start misbehaving towards Elisha, but no, she intensified the honor. Shortly after that, that child died, but the man of God was still within reach, and he raised the child up again. Never think that the value of life is based on your physical possession. It matters what your spiritual assets is. So your network is your net worth. What about your spiritual network? When you think about your network, are you only thinking about friends? Who can lend you money, people who can say start this business. What about those who can speak? Do you know how to honor people, or it is only when you need things that you honor them? Honor must be a culture. It is not a tool of exchange. I was somewhere and they told me that a woman brought something for you and she wants you to pray for her. I said, let her go with it. I'm not seeing anybody. I'm not going to lay my hands on anybody till I leave this place. I preach and go. Then the woman said to the person at the door and said, I just hope that my gift will make a way for me. I said, that's worse, I'm not going to see this person. I said, till I— I didn't tell her, just so you would— I said I'm not seeing— I'm not going to lay my hands on as much a bed till I leave this place. And I was praying following day towards my meeting. God said, that's my daughter, pray for her. So I called her and I saw a convergence of all that could have dropped in that place. And God said, place it on her. She was there quivering on the floor, and I understood why. It hits differently when the blessing is coming from a heart that has been touched. God can instruct somebody to bless you And the person does it reluctantly. Okay, are you still there? Yes, sir. It's one of the biggest secret of shifts that I know in ministry, the culture of honor. You see, Festival of Life, that we narrow our lens to service. We send memos across all our centers And I have scripture for it. If a pagan king can have book of records that he checks, how much more the church? Everybody send me records of people who have done extraordinary thing that we can't close our eyes from, and I sit with it and pray. And some God said, yes, go ahead. Somebody said, not this year. Allow them for a while more. Honor is a vital key to unlocking promises about your life. It's an important covenant practice. Honor people. Whether up or down. Honor your parents, honor your leaders, honor everyone. Make it your culture, make it your lifestyle. Is that okay? Make it your lifestyle.

The—

for a servant of God to go to a place and conveniently eat, it's not about the food. You can be a good cook but you have a cancerous character. And the Bible says it is better to dwell in the corner of a house than to dwell with a contentious woman. She will nag about maggi, nag about salt, nag about— say, want to cook, say, don't mind them, they don't know more than food. It's just food. Every time, this is— come here, it's food. Anybody who has guests 'Will you eat?' has not been trained about or no? Oh yes, when you ask people, 'Will you eat?' what do you want to hear? The way they even introduce the food to you, you know that they didn't plan you.

Yes, sir.

Listen, never give your guests the impression that they are stressing you. When we host guests for meeting, number one, you can't even— you can't be on my team to attend to my guests because you want to. You are selected. People have cooked for guest ministers before, and I said, sit with it, eat it. I made this food with so much love in my heart. Eat it with so much love. It's a covenant practice. Some of the things that bring shift is not so much about grammar. It's covenant practice. You are hosting a guest for meeting. We plan everything the person can need. If we are hosting a female guest, we assume that she needs pad. We assume. If you don't need, no problem. We plan it. And if you want something that is not on the menu, we don't tell you, oh, it's not there. We tell you, give us also a minute. The blessings of the Lord rests where people are honored. It's Abrahamic, learn it, okay? And that's why if you have the privilege of learning certain things in this house, you go very far. If you are humble, you know how to avail yourself to learn. If you walk with me in planning meetings, You want to think that, is this not too much for a guest? Is he your guest?

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Femi Lazarus.