GHEALEAD 6

Amen.

All right, so, um, I began to show you the lies of the devil, particularly because of the nature of the devil. As an opportunistic being, so it takes advantage of situations to get people into what he has always want to get them into. Are you there? For instance, there are things that the devil wants you to believe about yourself, but you will not believe it now, so he wait. For the time that an occasion has been created for him to speak. Okay, so in creating that occasion, of which most times, oftentimes, is a scene, that occasion is now not an end in itself, what it means to an end. To the end that now he can get you to believe what he wants to say to you. And that's why you read Genesis chapter number 3. When man fell in Genesis 3, it was the devil who convinced Eve and deceived her about the what God has asked them not to eat. And the moment they had— all right, both of them saw that they were naked. When God came, they've gone through transgression now to guilt, or what you call having a sense of condemnation. So the man and the woman were hiding themselves, and when God called out, said, we hide ourselves because we are naked. So God said, who, what told you that you are naked? So the fall was to the end that the devil can have the opportunity to speak. That's why if you read Romans chapter number— Romans 8 from verse 1, there's a very strong counsel there. Romans 8 from verse 1, let's read together. 1, 2, 3, go! There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Why? Because condemnation is conveyed through words.

Amen. Amen.

That's why any believer who speaks carelessly will always speak on behalf of the devil.

Anybody—

if you were here on Friday, I showed you the way the spirit of lying vanity works, right? That it can latch on people around you who are not deep in God, and they will confirm what is not God. Okay, so the devil wants you to believe certain things. Now this is where I'm going. John chapter number 10, verse 10. John 10:10. John chapter number 10, Quite a popular scripture. Let's read together. 1, 2, 3, go. The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they may have life and that they might have it more abundantly. The thief cometh not but to what? To kill and to destroy. So it means that anything the devil does, you can capture the sum total of it within this three frame. Is either trying to steal something or try to kill something or trying to destroy something. To steal is to take away. To kill is to cease from existence, from life, the cessation of life. To destroy is to put in a state that there's no hope. For instance, let's say this is a home and the devil wants to attack. First, he steals. How does he steal? I've shown you. The devil doesn't steal by taking, he steals by giving. Amen. So when they said that in Acts of the Apostles chapter number 1, that Peter gathered disciples and was speaking about Judas, that he was one who had a pact with us but now had gone to buy a field where the wages of iniquity won't be received after selling Christ. He said, it's bishopric, let another person take. How did the devil collect that 30 pieces of silver? Let me say this to you: there's a price for everything. The devil believes that there's a price, and sometimes the price is not money. Amen. Sometimes price is not money. All right, so he wants to what? Steal. He wants to what? Kill. He wants to what? Destroy. And the way he does that is to use his method, which is to sell a lie. That's why he lies. The devil was referred to in scripture as the father of lies. He lied from the beginning, he's still lying. So because of the situation that many believers find themselves, he now takes the advantage of that situation now to tell you things I should not have told you. Oh, now that you came from a home where maybe your mom had cancer, now I can tell you that you are not going to escape it. Maybe you came from a place so poor parents went separate ways. All right, now he's going to tell you that, um, you are not going to escape it. Why? Because once you see a pattern, you believe it faster. Are you there? So the pattern there is established as a system to get you into a belief system. Let me show you this. There are ways that the devil attacks minds by proxy because he knows that you are weak in faith. Any faith that is anchored on human is a weak faith. Any faith— have you seen people that say things like, ah, see, a celebrity couple don't separate? What's the hope now? What's the hope? Where are you seeing that? Meaning that they were anchoring the possibility of a good marriage on the fact that one celebrity is happily married. And let me say this to you: PDA does not necessarily translate to happiness, okay? And lack— PDA means public display of affection. And lack of PDA does not mean you are also a private person. It may be that, so I need to balance it. It may also mean that something is wrong. So let's balance that. Okay, now people can do— and once they drop the phone— and it's possible that maybe people don't just know how to do all those kind of things, but they are happy. Well, be sure you are not the only one who is happy. Be sure your spouse is happy. Okay, so I've been showing you some of the lies that the devil tell, taking advantage of people's pain to lie to them. I said number one, he tries to get you into self-pity. Self-pity is a lie. In fact, self-pity may not look like it, but it is pride.

Yes.

Can I come again? Self-pity may not look like it, but it is what? Pride. Let me say this to you. Let's assume you make a mistake as a believer. The fact that you hang around it for so long and you are asking a whole me is not a sign that you love God. It's a sign that you are proud. When he's giving forgiveness, obtain it and move on. Ah, look at my life, look at my life, eh? I wish, I wish, I wish. Let me tell you something. Even the best of us, at the end of our days, will have testimonies and regrets. There will be things that you are not so proud of. Are you still there? You don't want to mourn longer than you should. I saw a video, someone was mourning, trying to bury someone, say I will go, and then somebody pushed the person, then go. Then the person will say, please draw me out. It's not that deep. Let me tell you something. If you mourn around something too long, you become what you mourn. You become what you mourn. Is that okay now? Let me tell you again, in case you've forgotten, you are human. There are certain things you have no— you, you— it is not in your place to have decided them. You could not have decided who gave birth to you. News flash, there's nothing you can do about it now. Are you feeling what I'm saying here? Some of you just wish that— I wish I was not born in Nigeria. We are locked here together. We are locked here. You want to be saying in it, we are here and there's nothing you can do about it. Are you there? There's nothing. Let me tell you something. Even if you go and obtain the, the, what's it called now, the passport of another country, your name is still Ayo Oguntunde. Is that an American name? Chinedu is an American name. Musa is— we'll be here to repair this nation together. There's nothing you can do about it. There might be certain advantages that comes with it. Let no one deceive you, please, please. One time I, I was in Italy and I thought I had a fantastic passport. Apologies, they wrote with their language. I didn't know what. I've been queuing for about an hour. I scanned my passport, it didn't open. They said, I don't know, all others, all others. Me, Nigeria, all others. I start to do another almost 3-hour queue again. I said, my God. You enter some countries, they will tell you so-so passport, so-so passport, so-so passport. All other countries, your queue. But there's nothing you can do about it because certain things were predetermined to fit into your kind of future, and part of it is where you were born and who gave birth to you. It doesn't matter the kind of pain that may come as a result of that and how much you envy those who did not have the same circumstances. There is a system God has created in life that there will be balance. Many of us will never be where we are today but for the things we pass through. So if you go through that storm well, it should lift you, not sink you. It only sinks you when you start getting into self-pity. Is that okay? Now let me tell you this: there is no situation in life, as long as it has not taken your life, it can lift you. As long as it has not taken your life. Let me— listen, listen, um, can I say a statement to you? One of my very strong burden in pastoring and leading people is that there are some things that many people would have been better at or succeeded at if only they had the opportunity of certain kind of leaders who are not religious. And many people have failed because at certain point in their life they could not get voice of truth that was void of bias. And that's the opportunity I'm trying to provide here. Are you following what I'm saying here? Oh, this has happened. Listen to what I'm saying. What's the worst marital case that can be, that can be worse than the woman was by the well of Samaria? 5 husbands. 5.

5.

Jesus did not say, see your life. Jesus, when he was done with her, she became a preacher. Nothing that fails to kill you can take your calling.

Nothing. Nothing.

Let me tell you something, it is men who struggle to forgive. God has forgiven in advance. Is that okay now? Um, so sometimes people linger in certain cases because they are asking themselves what people will say. And yes, son of men, or sons of men, and daughters of men, they are brutal, more brutal than vipers. It will amaze you that those who are praying for forgiveness are those who fail to extend it. Have you seen your sister? Do you see what is happening in her life now? Have you seen that now? And they will come to church, amen. There are certain things that— see, maybe a mistake you made, it will be between you and God. God has forgiven you. Get the balance. Make sure you have a leader that has a large heart. Aha, get the balance. God has forgiven you. Let me explain. Imagine during COVID somebody just said in a bus, thank God I just recovered from COVID then he cough once. Are you what I'm saying? They didn't get the medical report, so they would doubt all the cough thing. In fact, they will say, boss, park. Are you following what I'm saying? Because this is why I'm not sure he has made full recovery. There are ways sometimes that people can look at you with the face of your past because there are things you do that reminds them of it, but that doesn't mean you are still your past. Are you there? The devil wants to trap people in self-pity and they start mourning. Hey, I wish, I wish I never had this problem. I, I wish, I wish, I wish my, my father was this. I wish my mother was this. Time to start building. The days of mourning are over. The second one is bitterness. That's the lie of the devil— bitterness— to get people into a state where they lose their sweetness, where they become coarse. I gave you the illustration of the story of Absalom and the story of Ahithophel. You remember? Yes, how that David slept with Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, Eliam the son of Ahithophel. And Ahithophel was one of David's counselors. The moment— what's his name now— Absalom saw what Amnon did to Tamar, he knew who to recruit. If a bitter person finds it convenient to speak with you all the time, it is not a sign that you have the maturity to console. It's because they perceive a level of bitterness in you also. Yes, there is a difference between somebody who needs help and somebody who has venom. There are two different people. Any organization, anywhere you find yourself, that those who are hurting and want to say vile things find you as the right ears to listen— there is something that connects the both of you together. If you are doubting whether you are bitter, that's the proof. That's the proof. Everywhere bitterness recruit bitterness. And that's why when people hate people, they are not okay till they find someone who hates the person too. Unfortunately so, the fellow may be in the person's cycle of friends. Are you— are you following what I'm saying now? That you may have a friend who hates you so bad but keeps the friendship till a bitter person come and manifest the person, and you are surprised that we've been friends all the while, but the person has been angry. And when the person start talking, say, 2 years ago you did this, so for 2 years you kept quiet. Bitterness recruit bitterness. And let me say this to you, bitterness stagnates people. There is no progress where there's bitterness. It stagnates people. The brothers of Joseph were bitter against him. They were envious, they were jealous, they were trying to use every means to bring him down. Years passed. When they came to Egypt for food, Joseph could recognize them, but they could not recognize him because the bitter doesn't change much. Almost same old clothes. Almost same old pattern. Bitterness stagnates people. Joseph had to reintroduce himself for his brothers to know him. In any dispute, the one who refuses to be bitter is the one who will move ahead. Let me tell you something: even when somebody brutally breaks your heart, forgive so you can move on. See, the one who has not forgiven is the one who is in trouble.

Yes.

The fellow you fail to forgive is living in an apartment I didn't pay for in your head, and everyone comes around you and there's no space into your emotions because it is clear somebody is still living there. You need to just ask people, your ex or og nepa pole, they choose nepa pole. If that person was so bad, you must have been bad too to date the person.

True. Yes.

If you call your ex a monkey, the wife of a monkey is a monkey. Let me tell you this: beware of people who don't have anything good about those they were once with, that they share depth of relationship, and once they are out, all they have to say is bad. No. Once you become the listening ear, it's just a matter of time you become the victim too. Yes, yes, you become the victim. So you listen to people with discretion, with discernment. Replay the scenario in future with you as the villain. Same person is still speaking and somebody else is receiving the emotions. Are you following what I'm saying here? Bitterness recruits what? Bitterness. It is a lie from the pit of hell. The devil gives people yardstick and reasons to be bitter. You see, I, I, I, I know I have to help. All right, but let me— I just— I gave you a clue. I'm going to give you another clue. Let me say this to you, and I want you to— I will say it for the record. There is no country in the world, even your beloved America, that there is no election fraud. There's no country. Listen to what I'm saying. The election they just finished in America, the places that Kamala Harris won the most were places that they don't need any registration to vote. Ah, something is wrong now. Are you feel what I'm saying? Forget to see. Our people, they will tell you, o man, we guide you confirm. Listen to what I'm saying. It's because many people are still here, that's why they say that. It's Nigeria, is Go to Central London, wear expensive watch, they will snatch it. It's like, oh, shodi, you are the one who doesn't know. Fact. Are you following what I'm saying? The reason why I'm saying that is this. Listen, no matter how you shout from now to tomorrow, copy and paste, they've been shouting since 1999. It's 25 years old. It will not end. Nobody, no insult on Twitter or Facebook can put anybody in power. Don't be so angry to the point that you also fight stakeholders. Have sense. Because this is what I'm saying, the goal of bitterness is to remove your rationality. Once you are bitter, you are not rational. You become— are you— what I'm saying there, you become irrational. This, this, this, you see, in another 8 years you are still saying the same thing. It doesn't work like that in life. There are people you must work with because they are important. They are gatekeepers. You must understand that they are gatekeepers. You need to work with them. You need them. You may not like people, but you must know when you need them. See, listen, like I said, I'm saying these things for what? For the record. Sometimes I watch people online insult kings, insult leaders, insult heads of industries, insult this and insult that. Ah, no, come and change anything. It doesn't work like that. Fact. If it, if it could work, the fuel of bitterness in this nation was enough to have toppled this government. Well, systems are in place for a reason. They're in place for a reason. There is a level at which you get bitter, they no longer trust the person you are supporting because they feel if this person comes in, there will be chaos.

Yes.

All right, are you following what I'm saying? The most dangerous person to have issues with is a narcissist. A narcissist will afflict you and look nice, then you will look like a witch. I'm saying, a narcissist will be afflicting you and be wondering why you are reacting the way you are reacting. Are you from— say, let me see, let me— can I have two strong men? You need to see, before you come, I will tell you why I said strong men. To what? But I know I said it. Two strong men, let them come quickly. See how you just denied us now? Okay, two, two, two, two, two men who can endure. Just shortly, I want to show you something. I saw something online because, you see, because I'm always thinking impact, I get to see messages from everything I see. That's, that's the way my life is wired. All right, so even when I see things that are funny, I, I just see the implication. I saw a game. I don't know where the guy is, but I just saw it online. Two people will stand— please, the other person stand there, come— and then this one will slap the other person. I don't know if you have seen those guys. Come closer, don't worry, don't worry. So no, no, wait, no, don't do anything because we don't have a dentist around. But so I was watching When I saw the first one, I was worried. How can this guy be the one who is successfully slapping the other guy and that one could not hit him? This one will slap, that one want to hit, you know. So it's a matter of slap, then you dodge, slap, then— so I went to check other videos. Then I checked and I observed something. Everyone playing that game with him were slapping back reactionally. While he was doing what he was doing calculatively. You can never win with reaction against someone who is calculated. You cannot. You cannot. That's all. Let's stop there. We don't go more than that. Let me say this to you. Are you with me? Um, how many of you saw— was it Oscar Award? Many years ago now, that somebody was talking to the wife of Will Smith and said, don't talk to my wife like that. Was it, eh?

Aha.

And then the guy got up and went on a global stage and did what? Slap the person. It is a moment that it doesn't matter how long it will take, will be regretted forever. Once you lose your sense of rationality, you make decisions— listen— that you will regret. But you may defend your decision with your ego and remain small, or apologize but still have a measure of the scar. Never live a life that you function reactionally. No, be calculated. So bitterness gets people into the state of what? Reactions. Just react, just react. You see, bitterness is not until you speak. Bitterness is when it is settled in your heart. You speak from that place. Are you following what I'm saying here? You speak from where? From that place. Let me tell you something. The greatest mistake this country can make is to believe that because some of us are pastors, we can't help in building this nation. Are you what I'm saying? We have what it takes. As you are reacting, you will even fight those that God has called to join. Let's leave it, all right? Because are you there? The second— the third lie of the enemy is to put you in the place of vengeance, where you begin to look for vengeance. And I'm going to explain. If you read Genesis chapter number 27, when Jacob went before Isaac, their father, and received the blessing. What did Esau say when he came? He said, the tears of my parents will be much. He said, now I'm going to kill him. Wherever I find him, I will kill him. Once you go on a journey of vengeance, you have left your purpose. You have left your purpose. It's a lie, it's a trap. You see, because it manifests in many ways. Have you seen cases where somebody said that, um, My spouse is cheating, I will cheat too. Ah, it's our revenge. Let me tell you something. If you— how do I explain this? If your spouse hug nepa pole that can kill the person, do you say I will revenge by also killing myself? No, now you only do what you already have the capacity for. There's nothing anybody can bring out of you that was not in you. Nothing. Nothing. It was there, but there was no opportunity to manifest it. Anytime you go on a journey of vengeance, you forget your purpose. You don't come back the same way. You break yourself. You destroy yourself. You see, if you read the book of Genesis chapter number 1— write it down— Genesis chapter number 33. In Genesis 27, Esau set himself and he said he will kill Jacob whenever he find him. Say, I'm going to kill him. All right, but in Genesis 33 You will find out that by the time they met, Esau was no longer interested in killing Jacob. Little wonder physically he was greater. Life will put you in a position where you want to see the person who have stressed you suffer, but you must forgive. You know, there's a kind of vengeance that you are not doing it yourself, but you equip those who should do it. There's a kind of vengeance that you are not the one going to hurt the person but you just give them some things with which they can hurt the person. Maybe an information, maybe a word, maybe something about the person that when the person hears, the person will be hurt. And you see, there's a reason why God said, 'Vengeance is mine,' because no one can perfectly orchestrate the situation than him. Once you become vengeful, you take the place of God. You miss the purpose of the entire journey. You miss the purpose, the reason why you went through what you went through. You miss it entirely because you are looking for a way to hurt someone back. Do you know you can be on a mission to replay certain scenarios again? Maybe you were in a party and they didn't treat you right because you didn't come with a car. Or maybe all those lousy places where they say, um, Benz, BMW, park one side, Toyota here. Listen, many of those who make such announcements themselves, they came with bike. Don't pressure yourself. Are you what I'm saying? Don't let anybody what? Pressure you. See, what— let me, let me— don't let me get into story. All right. So you look at that case and then you just begin to say things like, ah, this money, I will have it too. Hope you know that's vengeance. You want to revenge. You want to enter back to the place you have been despised and then they will not respect you. It means that apart from your money, you are a nobody. You have, you have chosen a life where what is giving you definition are things. The kind of your phone, the kind of your car, the kind of your clothes and where you buy them. And that's why people are quick to say that I bought this too for $1,300. Now lie. None who buys clothes at that rate shout about it. You know why? Anything you brag about, you are not used to. Are you there? Anything you brag about, you are not used to. If it is something you are used to, you know, if you travel often, you don't even remember to snap yourself in the plane because you are too tired. I'm not this. God sees me. Is— you see, because listen, the balance is that I'm not with you, not because I don't like pictures and all that, but I'm just saying it will not be— let me leave it. Let's say I didn't say anything. I didn't say it, all right? But it will not be a decision with which you want to pepper. You want to pepper because the pepper is not often That's the truth. It's because one time you were watching WhatsApp status and somebody peppered you, that's the moment you took that mission too, that we too will do our own. Some of you still have pepper you want to pepper, like Dubai. Me, I'm a boo.

Are you there?

You know, you can, you can so go on journeys like this that the same clothes that person wore the day they made you feel inferior, you wear the same white clothes and roll the sleeve the same way and come out of the same color of car. You were buying everything to specification to replay one scenario. You must have left many things behind. You must have. It takes leaving many things behind to do that. It takes living a small life to go on a journey of vengeance. You see, if you are in a state where you still want to hurt your stepmom You still want to hurt your dad, your mom, your siblings. You want them to feel your pain. You want them to feel that. It is actually because you have not left where that thing happened. You are still around the same season. Until you find purpose in your pain, you don't move. See, you get to a point where you look at the people who have afflicted you the most and you thank them for blessing you. Are you following what I'm saying? I know what I'm saying. You look at them and you are grateful that you— yes, you might have afflicted me, you might have done this, you meant it for evil. That was what Joseph said. But God has used this occasion for my rising. Don't sit down and insist that it is evil, then you will never rise. They meant it for evil, but God used for your what? Rise. No matter what anybody can do, there's nothing that can be done against you but for you. That's the scriptures. But that will only be the reality if you go through it well. I don't know why I sense in my Spirit that I should ask us to pray that those who still have certain decisions of individuals they wish will be hot— maybe you are in a state where you feel, I can't do it, but I wish somebody would do it for me. I just want to see that guy cry. I want to see that girl cry. I want to feel their pain. Let me lead us to pray. And I want you to yield it to God. All right, we do that in another 2-3 minutes. Is that okay? And see, see, the beautiful thing about this place is that there is freedom of expression and worship. If you will lay down, lay down. See, let me tell you, there are cases that demands tears, that you look at your life and thought, this one, there's no strong person here. All right, you, you In some places you have— you've been hurt, truly. You've been bruised and battered, truly. But as long as you're in a journey to revenge, you are the one who will not rise. I want to give you 2-3 minutes, everyone, that this is the kind of case. Bring it out now and say, Lord, I yield it to you. I yield it to you. If you will kneel, kneel. If you will stand, stand. If you will lay on the floor in the next few minutes, please do so. We just raise that sound, Age 2 Age, again for another 2 minutes. It may be your spouse, it may be your former boss, it may even be your present boss. But let God help you dig out those matters. Pray.

You gave me hope, you made me whole at the cross. You took my place. You showed me grace at the cross where you died for me. And his glory appears. Like the light from the sun, age to age he shines. Oh, look to the sky, hear the angels cry. Singing, "Oh, please, the Lord." And his glory appears like light from the sun. Ei, tu regis, Yahweh. Oh, look to the sky, hear the angels cry, singing, "Holy is the Lord, and his glory appears." Like light from the sun. Hey! O live, my Lord. Just look to the sky, hear the angels cry, singing, O live, my Lord. Singing, O Please. Oh. Sing it, ho. Please.

Amen. The Lord said to warn you about the culture of inheriting enemies that are not your Femi Lazarus, on behalf of someone else. Be careful. Don't be recruited into a fight that is not your fight. Don't get yourself into a situation that you are crying more than the bereaved, that you are angry on someone else's behalf. They may go on to touch what they want to touch and they will forget you because now you are lost in the middle of a fight that is not yours. I said this last week Friday, when seasons that decisions will likely decide— will, um, will determine lots of things for people. Be careful, because sometimes maybe a friend of yours has been hurt and it reminds you of something, and here you are now on a journey on behalf of that person that they didn't send you to, and you miss everything altogether. I decree healings upon heart in Jesus' mighty name.

Amen.

Please sit for a while. If you look at the book of 2 Samuel— before we read 2 Samuel chapter number 1, read 1 Samuel chapter number 16. I want to show you a pattern. 1 Samuel chapter number 6, um, 16. The, the beginning of that text is a follow-up conversation of a conversation that began in 1 Samuel 15, that God had told Samuel to go to the house of He said he has found a man after his heart in Israel. Pay attention to this. In 1 Samuel chapter number 16, look at what happened. God told Samuel, he said, for how long will you mourn over Saul? The real physical mourning for Saul will later begin in 2 Samuel chapter number 1, but spiritually the mourning began in 1 Samuel chapter number 16. Say, for how long will you mourn over Saul? Sin have rejected him from reigning over Israel. Fill thine horn with oil and go. I will send thee to Jesse, who the Bethlehemite, for I provided me, who, a king among his sons. Listen to this. When God said, I provided myself a king among his sons, one of the requirements for kingship is largeness of heart. Are you following what I'm saying? Meaning that the, the Davidic grace now will be— who is the person that can be trusted with a journey where there will be so much hurt but yet will not be on the journey to revenge? That's a king. In 1 Samuel chapter number 17, on behalf of the nation of Israel, David killed Goliath. From that same 1 Samuel 17, Saul wanted his life and he pursued David till he died. It was so bad that Saul began to make a fool out of himself. That one time Saul slept off in a very ridiculous way, that David went to where he was laying. The men that were with Saul, they are men that you can't break into their camp, but that day they all slept off. And David caught a part of his garment and held it and stood there and said, all this while you've been pursuing my life, if I wanted to kill you, I would I killed you. This is the hem of your garment. Saw it there. Look at what Saul said that day. He said, ah, now I know you are a righteous man. You have the occasion to kill me, you did not. He said, I will turn back now and go. He left only to come back again. Saul died pursuing David for what David didn't do. David— if David wanted to kill Saul, he had the opportunity. God is looking for those who will not stab back. You will have the— you may— if people listen to your story, they say, oh, you have the justification, but you refuse to do what? Stab back. Let me tell you something. There are people that you will look at and what you feel about them is the love of Christ. Not association, not the need to associate. Why? They are still as brutal as they were when they hurt you. I have decided I will love this person, but from a— from a spot that it is possible to remain in love with you in Christ. And that spot may be distance. Yes, there are homes you don't go back to live in. No, you have the tendency of not being a Christian there, so you love from afar. Now, are you following what I'm saying here? This is very important. Pay attention to what I'm showing you now. Now, in 1st— in 2 Samuel chapter number 1, Saul— you know Saul killed himself? Are you aware? Or is it a coincidence that Ahitophel went on a journey of bitterness, he killed himself? Saul too, on the journey of bitterness, he killed himself. I'm saying once you are bitter, it is with your own hand. Let me, let me— I won't, I will not mention who, but I'm going to tell you a case. One time as a child, somebody was coming towards me, towards me. Somebody were together at the same house, was coming towards me, towards me, was charging towards me, all right. As she tried to enter the place where I was, the, the knuckle of the door entered into the arm. Person was so much of the Me that you wanted to come and alter, I'm the one that was now removing it from the muscles of the hand. Because once you go on that journey, it's a frantic journey. You will kill yourself and the people who made you do it will survive. If there's any decision you must make this year, is that you stop living a life of reaction. You respond to issues. Calculatively, you will what? Rest. You look at people, they've— why they've served you, saw, drink. Listen, Jesus said on the cross, I taste. John chapter number 19, what did they give him? Vinegar. I was showing you a story. Now, if you follow PPC, David Ah, life. David was running from Saul. He went to the house of the priest, the camp of the priest. When you— I feel I'm saying just like you are— somebody was trying to kill you, went to your pastor's house, you expect everybody you see there should be normal, right? When he got there, he met a man. The man came there with his family. The priest was making sacrifice on their behalf. They were having atonement. The man was watching. David went to tell, and the Bible says that the man has been there for some days, I think 3 days. So David told the priest, do you have food? Said, well, there's hallowed bread, not common bread, if the men have at least kept themselves from women. So they gave him hallowed bread, and then the priest also gave him the sword of Goliath. Meanwhile This is somebody that the priest has been laboring over for some days now, still there. When the king— when the priest was done, the man left. That guy went from the priest to tell Saul, I know where David is. Saul came with his host. They gathered the priest and his family like goats and put them outside. And Saul commanded one of his soldiers, kill them. The guy that the priest did not labor over could not touch them. He was too afraid. When you look at the one who had been there that the priest just finished with, he was the one— he did not hesitate. He brought out his sword and killed all of them. There are people you will labor over but will stab you. I'm telling you, they— when they report your matter, they will report and paint you like a demon. You must know how to recover. If not, you will lose your place of kingship. On easy lies the head that wears the crown. Are you feeling what I'm saying here? People will look at you and listen— Hosanna today, crucify him tomorrow. They will look at you and call you— they say I was just— see, you must learn to understand life and judge it for what it is. Love people, but don't expect too much. Man will always be man. That's the fact. I love the counsel of Daddy Joe, and it's a very powerful counsel as touching judging relationship. But let me give you in a refined way, or in a more contextual way now. Never place charisma over resilience. Never. People should weigh in your heart based on what they have survived around you. Leave it at that. All right, if you are the one who have the custom of meeting new people and say this person is my inner circle, I can tell you you won't live long. That's the In fact, you want to what? Live longer. People who make conclusions— just meet somebody, they say, my bestie, bestie. You are saving somebody's number for the first time and the best name is bestie. What a life. And the next 2 minutes you are downloading all the details of your existence to this bestie now. Only for just one misunderstanding, and there you are, your entire life on WhatsApp status. Your entire life. They will summarize your life there and put it there. I'm not like some people who are doing this. See, some people see their life, some people, and there you are. You will mute, still go back and watch again. And to revenge, now you now recruit another bestie. And make the same mistake again. Ripple effect. Now quickly bring somebody else again and say, new bestie, you want, you want to pepper this one. Then this one is worse. This one is worse now. This one, this one will not even just go and put on status, will tweet you and put your picture there. Listen, One of the ways you know people are not smart is that they make quick decisions. It is not smartness. Once you understand life, you are temperate. You take your time with people and decisions. Listen, listen, sometimes even when you want to do something 100%, start from 20 to check reactions, to check culture of entitlement, so that you will not dig your own grave early. Are you following what I'm saying? Are you aware that there are families you don't send all the money to at once? Because the conclusion is that you are so rich, you break it and send it over the space of 3 months. Not because you are wicked, but because that is the way they think. Mr. Nice Guy. If you listen, because one of the signs that you— because every time you want to fight, fighting this person, I'm fighting that person, I'm fighting this person, fighting that person, this one we are not talking again, that one I block him, this one— then the problem is not them, the problem is you. The what you are facing with all those people is a manifestation, is a symptom. You don't want to live a life where there's so much trouble in your camp. Wisdom is a principal thing. Wisdom— what you can't finish, don't start— is wisdom. It is better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for what you are not. Are you feel what I'm saying? Have you seen people that— have you seen people that, um, they always start what they can't finish? When they get to a place, they can start throwing money everywhere. Then when this person is broke, want everybody to supernaturally understand that you are broke? No, sir. You did not present yourself as one who has the capacity for being broke. Even in your broke state, we still finish you. That is how you have presented yourself. There's no anger about it. Change your, your, your strategy. You must be careful. D brought out his sword and killed the priest. The oil the priest poured on his head is still fresh, and yet with it he killed him. Yet with it he killed him. You see that. That's the way life is. So you look at yourself and say, hey, this lifestyle, I'm even tired, I don't even know what to do. That's how you help people. They come and do this. See, listen to what I'm saying. You either think like a king or think like a peasant. The heart capacity is different. Life is tough, yes, we'll face it. Will I say I'll go and die? Have you seen people who tell you that, hey, it's so cold, it's so cold in Canada, it's so cold. Those of you want to come to Canada, see the cold now. Man said, but come home now, come home. Say no, no, even enjoying your stuff there and all that. Listen to what I'm saying. Make your calculations. It is tough, it is tough. Plan for how you will survive it. Don't talk about people. Listen, once you are going to be great, there are things you will face. One of it is betrayal. Deal with it in advance. So if God says, I found a king, it is not just about what you are bubbling. Hey, I'm a king, I'm a king. No, kings go to war, kings fight, kings bleed, kings have tough decisions. Ah, ministry. Ah, ministry is tough. Ministry is— listen to what I'm saying. I don't join all those Pity Pat. It is my calling, okay? The journey is still far, so why should I be digging grave in front and say ministry is just so hard? No, no, no, no, no. People have done it, will do it. Ah, so I feel I'm saying now, right? Because I mean, I— women understand this better now. You must have seen women where they are saying push, push, push. Does that make you say that, ah, ah, So that day will come too. Me too. You say, you see, just settle it in your mind. When it's time to push, you will what? Push. That's the way it works. I'll come and push for you. Are you Hmm, there is something that we often forget about David. It is the fact that those you will have to reward will not be those who were only good to you till the end, but those who had a stake in your life, even if at some point they changed because of life. Sometimes we build reward system for those who were good till the end. No. When David said, is there anyone left in the house of Saul that I may do him good? Saul was never good to David. But without Saul, he would not have learned what he learned. Jonathan, his best friend, was a gift from Saul. Saul gave birth to him, and the boy he helped too was a child of Jonathan. So sometimes we just say this person— see, listen to what I'm saying. As long as people contributed into your life, even if they change, you don't have a good heart if you demonize them. Listen to what I'm saying. As long as they what? Contributed into your life. Let me tell you, many of those who have ought me the most in life, I made a decision with God. Anything they need at the time they need them, if it is within my capacity, I will provide for my father. Yes, if for a time they were there, it doesn't matter what later changed. This is because of who I am. Who I am is not a function of what you are. What you have is your decision. It must not change who I am. Because you can get to a place now that you make decision, my one kobo will never touch their hands. You have missed the reason why God blessed you. You see, you must separate Christianity from emotions. There are things you will not feel like, but you do because you honor God. Is that okay now? You do because you what? You honor God and you fear him. That's why you do it. Now, there's something quite similar to the journey of vengeance, and that's something called wrong mission or wrong pursuit, or you can also call it vain pursuit. But just that, unlike vengeance, this particular lie is tricky. It's tricky in the sense that you are not necessarily on the mission to do what is bad. In fact, in most of the times, you're on a mission to do what is good. That it is good doesn't mean it is God. There are two different things. Let me tell you where— how this happened. You know, particularly for people who grew up from a part of life where they were despised for most part of their lives, you were never allowed to do things they demonized you, they look down on you. You had giftings, they talk you down and all that. You know, you could get to a place where you just begin to say, I will show them. You, you, you may feel you were in a ministry, you were maltreated, and then you just— the maltreatment can give you a calling that God did not give you. Are you following what I'm saying now? The maltreatment can go and make you say things like, they are not the only ones that can start a church. I can start. Listen, God will never be the Omega of what was never the Alpha. If pain or anger gave you a mission, it must sponsor it too. It will sponsor it. It will sponsor it. You can get on such journey. You are trying to— you've, you've now given yourself— you can even give yourself a title that is not yours. Who does he think he is? He's an apostle. Okay, I'm an apostle too. Who does he think he is? He's a reverend. Okay, I'm a reverend too. You see that now? And when you are on the wrong lane, you can be there even feeling anointed. Depending on how dead your conscience is, you can be doing what is wrong and have peace. You know, death is in stages. Death is in stages. Wrong pursuit. If you look at the book of Genesis chapter number 4. I want to show you something. Let me show you this first. This, this resonate more with me. Proverbs chapter number 21, verse 16. Proverbs 21:16. I want us to see something there. Look at this. Can we read this together after the count of 3? 1, 2, 3, go. 2 more times. One more time. All right, I want to show you. Can you give me this in Good News Translation? Translation. If they have Good News Translation. Good News. 1, 2, 3, go. Death is waiting for anyone who wanders away from good sense. One more time. I need to show you, um, give me this in Message Translation. Then lastly, God's Word translation, Message. Whoever wanders off the straight and narrow— I'm sorry, off the straight and narrow ends up in a congregation of who? Ghosts. I will explain that. Now give me this in God's Word. Do you have God's Word? Have we used that here before? Do you have God's Word? Let me read God's Word for you. And by the way, you should have translations as Christians, right, that can cover as many. Now look at this. God's Word Translation says, a person who wanders from the way of wise behavior will rest in the assembly of the dead. There is a path that God has given to you. You see, the The devil's goal is to confuse you off that path. And the moment— listen to what I'm saying— the best time to do that is when you are hurt. Any calling you did not perceive when you are joyful, be afraid of it when it comes in the days of your pain. This is what I'm saying. There's a trend I've seen. That many ladies suddenly start having ministry for women after breakup. Na lie. Permit me to say that. Somebody just broke your heart like this, just said that. Ah, now I know, now I know, now I know. Oga, heal first, heal first, so you will not bleed on innocent minds. You can begin to teach them in a way that you confuse them. You give them a fear that is not theirs. What I'm teaching you now, see, it's a master strategy of the devil, that your life was going smoothly, the devil is looking for every avenue to confuse you. This is the reason why once you are in a place, you see, listen, master the heart and the science of settling misunderstanding. You see, listen, it is a principal science you must learn. Learn to recover from grudges. You have kept relationships that could not survive one misunderstanding. Every time one dispute, you go from zero, and then the whole thing can't work again. You never meet again. No, you keep moving in a circle till you learn it. Listen, you waste important lives in your life. You waste important— you will give yourself scriptures, you will give yourself reasons for your decision. It will not change the consequence that if you exit someone in your life that has a role to play, that you feel you do it under grace does not mean God must replace the vacuum you created out of your own weakness. You will have to feel it yourself. Are you feeling what I'm saying here? You will have to what? Feel it yourself. You will feel it. You look at people and you decide, I just feel your role in my life is over. Really?

Really?

Has God said that? Did God say that? And I say, uh, what are you doing? I can do it too. Let me tell you something. Let me tell you, this is what I know. At some point in Nigeria, many ministries felt that our young people are going to so-and-so place, going to so-and-so place. I say, what are they doing? Listen, because they said, what are they doing there? Said, it's a place where many young people are gathered there. So what are they doing there? What are they teaching? Go and hear the person's teaching, and then let's duplicate the same thing here. Listen, that's how many have left the message behind their calling. It is one thing to do what you are sent to do. It is another thing to do what you think is in vogue. They are two different things. Listen, you can be doing the wrong thing and the anointing will still move. It is not a sign of God's endorsement. It is not a sign. It is not a sign of God's endorsement. People feel, uh, that's why you must be secure. If you have low self-esteem, you will have wrong callings. The chances are too high. I know you must be secure in yourself. Be secured in the fact that there's always going to be somebody ahead of you. Be secured in the fact that you are going to find yourself in rooms that you are not the best. Be secured in the fact that you will not be needed always. Fact. Say, people don't call me until, until they have problem. That's when they call me. Light! It's not needed until this is dark. Shows you a light. Be secure. Be secure in the fact that somebody will have what you don't have. Be secure in the fact that somebody will have the capacity you don't have. There'll be somebody who will know how to do what you can't do. That's what I teach our leaders. See, if you try to lead only by being better than those you lead, you will kill the best to be better. Let me come again. Are you feeling what I'm saying? Come on. If I say, Nakale, come. If I say, Nakale, I put you in this department, you are going to head this department now. If you are only satisfied to head this department as long as you are the one who is the best there, anyone who threatens your being the best will have to die. This is the reason why some— you can kill those under you. Because you think leadership is by being on top. No, a good leader must know how to manage those who are better and those who are less. I look around, my joy as a leader is not the fact that I am honored, but the fact that my men are honored, that they get the honor that they deserve for their labors. That's the joy of a leader. I am not on a journey of being the best. That's not what makes me secure. If I find someone who is better in an area, that's my area of rest now. So I can step back, let people function there. Listen to what I'm saying. If you want to be the only one to do all this thing, you will die soon. Moses was anointed till Jethro came. And said to him, see, you are about to kill yourself. You'll be the one to pray for 40 days. You are the one seeing 300 people in the morning counseling. You will soon die. Then the Bible said God told him to get 70 elders and took the spirit on Moses and what, shared on them. The beauty is this: nobody can bear your burden with you who has not carried your spirit. That's it. So it is not like I can do it. No, no, I can do it is not the action. No, do I carry the same spirit? It, because the grace to do the work he placed on a man, then spread it on the rest. That's Ministry 101. Are you feel what I'm saying? Because there is a way with the wisdom of God that you can run a ministry that there's no civil war, because you are running with wisdom. What you should fight in 5 years, you have killed it today.

Hmm. You see.

You must take rest in the fact that your real definition is not what you have. No, who you are is not determined by your kind of car. No, who you are is not determined by your account balance. No, who you are is not determined by the kind of house you live. No, the life of a man does not consist of their abundance of things which he possess, such that if you find yourself in a place where you are not with all those things, you will not feel naked. If I enter into a meeting and what gives me the sense of importance is the kind of my car, what if the days I will have to take bike? Are you following what I'm saying here? You must deal with the root of that thing now. Because that thing, as small as it is, can give you a wrong mission. It can. It can send you on a journey. Maybe you can even move to a city just to pepe an egg.

Yes.

That say this person say I can't have money, look at me now. Are you aware there is a way you can have what they thought you couldn't have? And those who didn't like you then still don't like you. Yes, they still don't like you. That is so. You are still a fool, just that you are now a rich fool. Now you have chilled all your life to come and receive this bound. But I know insults can hurt. Being despised can be painful. Efe, I'm saying now, being ignored can be painful, but they are not enough reason to choose a path that God has not given you. They are not. They are not enough reason to choose a path. Listen, one time when we were children doing children rally in our church and all those things, there's one particular auntie that has bad mouth. Among the children teacher. So they try to get me to do choreography. They say, you cannot even do choreography. Bend your hand. Your hand is stiff. Why is it stiff? Bend this, bend this. You bend your back now. Do like this, do like this. I just can't understand why I'll be doing like this.

Why?

Ow, ow! You see, I'll be there. I used to say that one day I will know how to dance. Till now I still don't understand. Now go enter one dance group too. Are you following what I'm saying? I joined choir. Choir, not even choir, no, it was a special band. I was seated in church on my own because I wore suit.

Suit.

The brother said he heard God, that God said I should join their music music band. And he told me, I said, are you sure, sir? He said, yes. We're doing rehearsals, rehearsals. They gather all of us on the altar. The engineer that was not in rehearsal, give me mic. I closed my eyes. There's no singer to fear than the one whose eyes is closed. They are saying no, Rocky. When we finish, nobody could clap. I felt, no, my God, no. Power came, power came, power came. This thing hit them till the boss said talk. It's not everyone that should be holding mic. I've spoiled their song. You can, you can be in such situation and you now say that I will show them, I'll go and become Don Moem. See, no matter— are you— see what I'm saying happens, oh. You just say I'm going to show them. Am I the one they— because What happened was that they did not even— they did not tell me to leave the group. They did not tell me. I just started noticing that they were having rehearsals and they didn't tell me. So my house is not far from the church and they will greet me, um, brother Femi Lazarus. I'll be hearing their voice So when they didn't call me for years, I got the message that it's like my time is over. So apparently you didn't hear God, sir. You didn't hear God. For me to now say, for them to have treated me like that, ah, I will show them. I now go and say I want to— you sing this song, everybody will just be laughing on that. I can't single the one that will— you have to be in the spirit now. The, the fact that it's going well on the altar doesn't mean it should be an album, true? These people are trying to convince me. I say no, Apostle, you can say— I said don't push me. If I start trending now, you do Femi Lazarus. There will always be the temptation to want to go back to where you have been despised and show that you can do what they said you couldn't do. Sometimes the fact that they say you can't do it may be a sign that it is the voice of God saying that's not your calling. It may be God speaking through them, but emotions makes it harsh. Still respect it. It is not everything that you prove. You will let some matters die. I've gone to places that they said they knew that I'm going to be a broke person, and the time I went back there, I was still very broke, very broke. It was so bad I had to be fetching water for those who have cooking. So this where we are, let's fetch the water. When things change, there's no reason to go back and prove any point. No, it's below you, it's beneath you. Amen.

Amen.

What are the things you are doing now because you want to prove some people wrong? Is it God? That it is good doesn't mean it is God. And be careful because that simple thing will be spreading till you can no longer find yourself again, and you are asking, how did I get here? How did I get here? You will not make that mistake in the name of Jesus.

Amen.