HARVEST SUMMIT '24 DAY 4 MORN DR. DELE OSUNMAKINDE | APS. FEMI LAZARUS | PST. IMISIOLUWA OWOLABI

A lot of people don't know Pastor Shola, but he's been here before to minister to us. By the grace of God, he's the contemporary of Pastor Paul Joe Emade. They started out together, and not just that, he was the one that started Winners Chapel here in the UK. By the grace of God, thank you very much for fellowshipping with us this morning, and all the way from Atlanta, Georgia. We have Pastor Femi Lazarus. Thank you very much. Pastor Femi Lazarus is doing a mighty work in Atlanta. I've been there before, and, uh, he's also Toluwani's pastor. That is the church Toluwani attends in America. By the time your daughter's pastor is there, so Toluwani Apostle Lazarus Oluwan is our first daughter. She's schooling in America, in Atlanta. So that's the church, that's the pastor. Thank you very much. And of course, DDK, I don't need to say too much. And the one I call the dynamite— ah, no, no, no, powerful things in small container. Pastor Emisi Owodabi, thank you very much. Powerful, powerful. So I can't wait till evening again to just hear you bam again. And, uh, and, uh, it's a great one. We also have one of the veterans in the house, one of the fathers in the city, who is also the younger brother of the Nobel laureate, Professor Wale Soyinka. Baba Soyinka, thank you very much for worshiping with us this morning. Thank you. I mean, you could see they look alike. The resemblance, the same hairstyle. Thank you, Baba. Thank you for coming. Baba is one of the greatest evangelists here in Leicester. Anytime you go to city center clock tower, you see him there evangelizing, sharing tract, reaching out, and that is all he does with his life.

Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

And welcome your neighbor. Come on, good neighbor. I mean, Sunday morning, good Amen. Say something beautiful to your neighbor this morning. Hallelujah. Amen. Hallelujah. Are you ready for the word of God? Please let me warn us this morning again. We're just going to go, and let me set some rules when it comes to this kind of meeting. Please don't be in a hurry to go. Wait till the end because anything can happen. Wait until Apostle Lazarus says you can go. So there is no cap on the number of hours for the teaching this morning, just like we did yesterday night, and it's for strategic reasons. So without much ado, I don't know how we can thank Apostle Lazarus for this. One of the most difficult thing for a pastor to do is to leave your church on a Sunday morning. And if you can do that, that is apostleship. And not just that, that means you believe God has so much to do here that I could— and don't forget, they have a church here in the UK, so it could have been there. It could have even done livestream with a team in Nigeria and say, okay, Now that I'm here, we're still going to do our service. Thank God for technology. But to choose to identify with this conference at this level— this is his 4th session. I don't know, I don't know. I know you don't talk, Apostle, but I'm also a man of the spirit enough to know God must have told you some things about us. That you are hiding from us because of your style. Because this level of commitment is not usual. You don't get this usually. I mean, I can't remember the last time I also went out to speak in a conference and I did like 5, 6 sessions. That was almost like 10 years ago when I used to go to America extensively. And so I told my wife My wife. So I'll go out preaching 7 cities in 4 days. And when you say 7 cities in America, to move from one city to another can be 7 hours flight. And I'll get to the hotel, unpack my bag, preach there. 2 days after, I'm packing the same bag again, the same clothes we have ironed. And in America, they don't have people to help you to iron, so you have to iron yourself. There's no PA, you understand? All these things we enjoy in Africa, it's only in Africa. You start traveling the world, nobody sends you, just come and preach and that is it. And so my wife, I used to tell her, I said, ah, this is always tough. One day she now said she would travel with me, so we traveled together. We got to the first place, minister. Second place, she just said, he said, you me, I will stay here. Go to anywhere you want to go. After you finish ministry, come back here, then we go to Nigeria. I said, you understand now? Ah, and she now said, this is the last time I'll travel with you to America. I'll go to my own, or we go together. I will stay in Maryland, you go all over, then come back and meet me and the children in Maryland. Then we can now go back to Nigeria. And that's what we started doing, because it's not easy. I'm just saying that to appreciate the sacrifice. Until you start traveling the world, you will understand some of these dynamics and the level of sacrifice and the level of love. So Apostle, on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church, we want to thank you. And with Jesus' joy, shall we receive this morning again the ministry of God's servant, Apostle Femi Lazarus, all the way from Abuja, Nigeria.

Amen, amen, amen. Please, let's be seated in a moment. Thank you, thank you, Lord. You know, the first time I heard about Pastor Didi came was maybe 12 years ago. Yeah, it's that long. Yeah, so I— when I heard that message, and that was the same feeling I had when I heard Apostle Selman for the first time, I said it's like we were all assembled in the same room in heaven and God said you people should go first. That's the kindred spirit I feel when I hear her, and I hope we know that she's not just a teacher, she's a prophet. The attempt to box the move of God is the undoing of the church. So God had to send some people ahead to where the church will meet them, and like I said, God is doing something. And Pastor Emisola, be good to see you again, ma. Help me celebrate them, please. And to the angel over this house, sir. Amen. Please, let's be seated so I can just say something. There was a morning around 3:00 AM, I just couldn't sleep. I just couldn't stop crying. I, you know, there's, there are burdens and there are burdens. I just knew in my spirit that God had moved on from many things with I think is still doing. And I was— and I'm going to explain, all right? I just felt that there is an approach to pastoring that we may miss a generation if we copy, and it's a totalitarian approach. So I needed to speak with ministers who I have observed to be operating where I think the church needs to go. Amazingly, at that time I wrote 3 names down. I wrote your name, I wrote Dr. K, I wrote Pastor Poju. I should not have said, but that I could count around me. So it was Dr. K I could reach at that point. I just wanted to speak with a pastor who is doing it by lifestyle. I just wanted someone you don't walk on eggshells around them, cuz that's pastoring. And I want to thank you, sir and ma, for being who you are. Thank you. In all honesty, if I was given 5 sessions anywhere else, you'll have to tie me down. I would not take it for anything in this world. I've never taken more than 2 sessions in any meeting. I tell them, 2 sessions is too much for you, just take 2 sessions. But from the first time I stepped my feet here I told my publishing team at home, pay attention to everything I'm teaching and treat it like I'm at home. I want to thank you again, sir and ma, for the love, for the care and the platform. I'm not here because there's scarcity of word here. The word is here. It's a privilege. Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

And I want to especially honor all God's servants here present this morning. Sars and Mars, thank you. Let's give them a big, big hand. When I got back home yesterday, I began to ask myself Hey Lazarus, what did you do? The Lord gave me a word this morning and I'm going to teach from that word. A part of it looks like warning. And I want us to pay attention. 2 Kings chapter number 4. 2 Kings chapter number 4, and we're going to start the reading from verse 1. And this is a very pathetic story, but I want to help bring out some part of it that we need to pay attention to. Yes, yes, good. Yes, good. Ah, I was trying to maintain steez, but steez is not steez. Hey, you know, I think March I was ministering in Bournemouth. So I was asking Lazarus, what's happening? I thought I was under attack. So I said, the attack that I didn't receive in Africa, here I just dropped mic and told the host, you either get a cardigan or I'm done.

Amen.

Thank you, Lord. A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophet cried unto Elisha, saying, your servant, my husband, is dead. You won't die before your time. And you know that your servant feared the Lord, and the creditor is coming to take away my two sons to be his slave. Um, just verse 1 alone carries too many messages. 1 cried a certain woman of the sons of the prophet. So probably we can say these are individuals that, um, were directly accountable to the prophet, as it were. And then said— she combined many things that ought not to be combinable. She said, your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared God. Look at it. You know that he feared God, and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons. To be born men. So let's combine this. One who had the covering, one who feared God. Look at it. He had the covering, he feared God, then died prematurely. Then not just that, he left problems behind. When I read this scripture, I read it from the lens of a leader. And I began to ask myself, is it possible to combine the fear of God and trouble? Is it possible for someone who fear God to still be in trouble? Oh yes. I also have quite a number of questions when I read this place. One of the questions I have in my heart is, why now? Why did she wait till he died before she cried for help? You know, I teach a lot about dysfunctional background, how to heal from trauma. And all that. And statistics has shown us that at least 3 out of 4 individuals you see are coming from Femi background, particularly Nigeria. And this brings me to certain conclusions that there are Mistakes a man will make that it will take his death for repair to take place. That's why I said money— there is a way a man will live his life that the only way God can salvage what is left in his home is when he's out of the way. Unfortunately, many men have chosen that path. Let me share a story with you. A man was dying in the hospital and they were rushing. My friend was there helping them. Let's help go get this at the reception, want to go buy this at the hospital. And the wife called him, 'Who was your own?

Let him die.

So, Allah is too much.' And she was saying that crying because he had become the principality that terrorizes his home. Unfortunately, many people were born in terrible background, but they are repeating it. It is not enough to hate where you are coming from. You must have the wisdom to get to where you are going. From my dealings with people, I could deduce a few things. Could it be that the man told the wife that marriage, we don't bring third party. He's my pastor, his jurisdiction is not my own, so you don't dare tell him what is going on till he died. Many of us have gotten the definition of masculinity wrong. Believe that being a man is to be one without any sign of weakness, no voice of accountability. Nobody can tell you what to do. Jesus told Peter, he said, when you were young, you went everywhere you wanted to go, but the sign of maturity will be that another will hold you by the hand and take you to where you don't want to go. Real men submit to leadership. Real men submit. I told my wife, so I don't know why you said yes to me. Maybe you perceive I'm a wise man, but I perceive that the wisdom that can drive us, I need it. I need to outsource it. What I have can bless the church. I need something higher than what I have. So I gave her 3 names. If I ever become stupid, if I ever become foolish, if I— if you notice that something has changed, you know who to call. Don't wait till it is too late before you cry for help. Don't wait. So, um, who exactly was this guy? But we have a clue, so we can investigate his circle. The Bible gave us a clue. What's the clue? The Bible said that the woman was a wife of one of the sons of the prophets, meaning that he belonged to a WhatsApp group. So before I continue, I want us to investigate the psychology, the orientation of the group you belong to. 2 Kings chapter number 2, we're going to start the reading from verse 1. Hope you are not tired of me. You know, I might not tell you, thus says the Lord, but I can tell you this is the word of the Lord. And it came to pass when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a wild wind that Elisha went with Elijah— I'm sorry, Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee, for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. So let me, let me pause here. Let me say something. The most dangerous leader to follow is a leader who— and I'll tell you why such leader is dangerous— who prioritize is walk with God over your learning, and that's still the best leader to follow. It's dangerous for you because such a person, because of the sincerity of his walk and maintaining that integrity, there are things he will not want you to to do so it doesn't stress you, and that's where you miss it. You see people who just say, 'I'd rather just keep a pure conscience.' If you don't pick the instruction, forget it. When you walk around such leader, you ask questions, and God help you, you get to the point where they begin to tell you the things that they don't tell the rest. Our pastor doesn't talk, we take him as he doesn't talk. Ask questions. You have a pastor that maybe when he shows up, you want to help pick the bag, he say, no, no, don't stress yourself, this is not Africa, this UK. Then honor died in your heart. Then he just prefer to keep the integrity of that work and all that. The heart of a man can be so large, you are buried in it. Be careful, very careful. Um, Okay, like DDK will say, "C'est là." That "c'est là" meant something to me when I came here. C'est là. It's true.

God.

Look at the WhatsApp group he belonged to. Verse 3 now. The sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha. And said to him, 'Knowest thou that the Lord will take away your master from your head?' And he said, 'I know it. Hold your peace.' They were sons of the prophet, but the prophet was not their master. They were sons of the prophet, but the covering of the prophet was not over their head. Hope you know that one of the duties, one of the spiritual duties of a shepherd is the duty of covering. Are you aware that when you are in a house like this, you are covered? But the dangerous thing about covering is that you can puncture the part of the umbrella that covers you. You are under the same canopy, but you are drenched by what ought not to get you drenched. And I've noticed that it's not everybody who is in church who have a pastor. Your pastor is not your pastor until you accept him into your heart. There are people who want to come to church and don't want anybody. I said, this UK, this is not Nigeria. I've left all those things in Nigeria. I'm just going to come here, just worship God and give my offering when I have and just get out. Nobody's going to know me. Nobody. He said, I serve God in my heart. This is between me and God and all that. When Paul, formerly Saul, encountered Christ on his way to Damascus, he referred him to a man. And sometimes it's because our pursuits, they become mundane. We think that once you have some small money in your account you are fulfilled. How much do you have? Is it about money? That's what we think. That's what we think. So we saw the group, but what we don't know is his own personal character. But sometimes the character of the group can determine yours. Until you get out from them. Wait, we have no access. But it belong to that group. They are sons of the prophets. They were the ones who stood to view afar off. They, they were in a transition moment. They ought to fasten themselves to the chariot, but they would not. They prefer to view afar off. We have some spiritual intel.

Do you?

Do you know that God is going to take your masters? Just so you know. You know, there are people you come together and you are sharing, you are sharing. When you go to a river, you don't give water, you take. You see, I've been privileged to sit in rooms that even when they said Apostle say something. I say, say what? I'm jotting, sir. Speak for your servant is listening.

They were sharing. Do you know?

See what we know in our spirit. Till something shifted. They couldn't call Elijah master, but after his death, the wife called Elisha. Master. At least he's a wise woman. He didn't successfully pass dishonor to her. I say something, it doesn't matter how tall, how bearded, how handsome, how whatever stature a man is, If he has no covering, that's Goliath. He's at the mercy of one stone. When Goliath stood in front of David, David said— called him an uncircumcised Philistine, meaning that if you are not— if you don't belong to the covering, to the covenant, you don't belong to the covering. He saw it and he knew a stone will be enough. Be careful. A man who has no head is dangerous to follow. No pastor can call him to account. No pastor can say, why have you treated your wife like that? Are you too the girl? Nicki Minaj with the Touch of Mary. I like them young, free, and wild. Young, free, and wild. Now he's wild, the tiger. Now nobody should speak against the institution of marriage. You married what you married. What the church can do is to try bring some bandage, iodine, to mend before the wound becomes something else. Be careful of covering a bleeding finger, can go bad, go really bad. So he belonged to that group. They were not even asking questions. Elijah, you're about to go, just tell us something, just show us something, show us a secret. How do we confront the peculiarities of our own time? You know, this morning I was praying and I was looking at the body of Christ and I was asking questions in my heart that the next generation, are they even aware of the battles we have to fight ahead? The one we think is serious now Whether you believe it or not, the fathers are on their way out. They have doctrinal questions to answer. Allegation has been laid against the church that all miracles are fake. It's time to demonstrate the authentic. It's time to demonstrate notable miracles that can't be denied. It's time to speak with wisdom that no adversary can withstand or kinse. That doesn't come in isolation. You have to allow God make you. Some of you here, yeah, you have— you, you know there's, there's a calling. You perceive that God is going to have you do more than your work. I heard Pastor saying yesterday that they were— they had 5 hours of lecture. When I heard that, the only thing on my heart is I'm going to beg, which I'm doing now. That, can I have access to the tape just to lock myself in a place and shut down for a day? Thank you, sir. Femi Honor Pastor. Let me tell you something. In case you, you feel maybe, you know, I, let me tell you, I'm a very candid person. I'm, I'm just being— if, if it's someone I don't really— I'm not going to ask but I know the depth of what is here. There are people who know this is the season God will have you fasten yourself to the chariot, be trained, be taught, learn what you should learn. You say, I will make money, then learn later. Then your life becomes too complicated to learn later. Every attempt for God to get you keep escaping. There comes a time that the wisdom is available but you don't have time. Well, the guy belonged to the group of some lousy but gifted men. I also noticed that, um, there's— the Bible showed us, um, um, gave us illustration of such a group. You want to see it? Turn your Bibles with me, please, to the book of Exodus chapter number 2. You know, the Israelites were supposed to spend 400 years in Egypt. How many years did they spend?

430.

I want to show you something you probably have not paid attention to. They didn't spend 430 years because of what they did. They spent 430 years because of a man, just one guy, one funny guy, one, one guy wouldn't go back home to say, I'm the reason why you are here for 40 extra years. God came in their 390th year, and I want to show you a principle. Exodus chapter number 2. Let's start the reading from verse 11. And it came to pass in those days when Moses was grown that he went out unto his brethren and looked on their burdens, and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.

Yes.

And he looked this way. And you know, one of the persons we really don't talk about in the Bible is the mother of Moses, that she successfully raised him in the house of Pharaoh but gave him his identity. You might go to their school, be clever, but this is who you are. I perceive God separated— that's the power of a mother. She stayed with him. He knew who he was. And God help me, unfortunately, this generation blame mothers for their mistake, but they are praying to do worse. It is a generation that wants to have no sense of sacrifice on their children. We see how society is pushing narratives, push like children mean nothing, and the church were embracing it. We are pushing dangerous narratives. My wife is a therapist, and, um, God gave me the go-ahead to start, um, Institute for Trauma Recovery recently. And we began to work on— I started working with my team drafting curriculums. You know, if you want to live longer than your time, you must work with systems. If not, you can't do much. And there are questions the next generation will have that the pastors of that generation must know what is going on now and prepare for it. But let me leave it. And let me say this to mothers: never you let the devil make you believe that your love for family system is a weakness. Look at all the things that Pastor and Mrs. Olabi is doing. Look at Mommy over this house. Look at Pastor DDK. If there's anything that fascinates me about them is the balance they have about family. I tell you, allegations have been laid against the women race that When a woman becomes successful, she becomes proud. There are daughters of Zion who have proven different. Our models are in the church, not in the world. Are you still with me? Look at it. Moses looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. Yes, quickly. And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together. It was not enough that they were fighting, Egyptians were beating them. The Egyptians were doing that because of what they were doing to themselves. Just like the body of Christ, we have issues coming from outside, but what we do to ourselves also give them the license. Look at it. And he said to him that did wrong, wherefore smitest thy fellow? Yes, look at it. Look at what the guy said. And he said to him, who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me as thou killed the Egyptian? And Moses feared and said, surely this thing is what? Known. Look at the next verse. When Pharaoh heard it— meaning that he didn't say it in a way that it won't go out. Someone defended you. That's why he did what he did. But when you are— because you are angry about your brother, do you want to kill me the way you say?

Keep quiet.

Say you want to kill me?

Keep quiet.

You want to kill like you kill the Egyptian? Pharaoh head. Moses ran for 40 years. God waited for 40 years. Let me tell you something. If one of the lessons I learned very early in life is that when God has planted me in a group among friends, I must never assume that I'm the one with the brightest light amongst them, to believe that I can leave and then they need me. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I told you, beware of main character syndrome. Beware. You see, in all your knowing in life, know your captain early. Sometimes what we think God will do later, he has started. He's already flagging someone amongst men, one that can help hold your hand straight, train you and all that. And then say, you know, I'm the kind of person that I am, I don't just do all those things. Um, you see, that was the guy who spoke nonsense. And he bought 40 years for a whole nation. 40 years of multiplied burdens, 40 years of rigor, 40 years of debt, 40 years of pain, 40 years of unexplained— because those 40 years were not covered in the curriculum God intended for them, so they suffered without grace. But yet it was the word of a man. Do not sit in the seat of discomfort. There are, there are, there are places you find yourself, once they begin to talk, you know this is not for me. Are you following what I'm saying here? You just hear what they're saying, you look at the direction that there's no value for covenant here, there's no value for what is sacred, there is no value for what is holy, there is no sense of honor, no sense of—

beware!

Some of you go on social media, you have no— you have no idea of how much your heart has been attacked. You see, let me tell you something. When people are slandering, what they are throwing is fairy dart of the wicked one. What did I say they are throwing? Fairy dart. Let me show you something. Can I have the drumstick? I'd like to give illustration. Please come, sir. Look at this. Let's assume this is an arrow. All right, which part of this arrow should pierce?

Huh?

All right, please come, sir. Look at this. This is somebody— let's assume that— please stand here, sir. Let's assume that this is— let me give you a known name. Okay, let's assume that this is Pastor Iya Adeboye. All right, this is a blogger. And look at it, he's throwing things. Pastor, yeah, the boy is this, is that, is this kind of man. All these fathers, don't mind them, blah blah blah blah. And then you are listening. The name that is being mentioned is Eya Adeboye, but the person who is being stabbed is you, because the one who is being severed not to be able to take what is here is you. What is here is ever fresh and ever The real person who is being attacked in the seat of the skunfu is the listener. Don't sit there. Are you following what I'm saying here? It is an arrow that looks like it is being launched. The man you are attacking is seated in Christ, far above all principality. You are the one who changed seats to listen. Listen to what I'm saying. You are going through life, you will need the dimension this person carry, and it is available. You are the one who will not be able to take from there. There are groups you must never belong to. Every known person that blogs and say all those things about fathers in the body of Christ, insults Christians, I've blocked all of them. There are things my eyes must not see lest I begin to believe. Let me tell you something, you have no idea of how vulnerable you are in the face of what is consistent. You have no idea. Your heart is not as strong as you think it is. If you hear it again and again, sooner or later you begin to believe it. And the one they are stealing from is you. The people speaking, most of them, they have no part of the inheritance. Please sit, sir. Thank you. They have no part in it. That's why many of us, our minds— you see, when— and I'm glad that this is the house of prayer— our minds have been badly affected. You are in church, you don't know what to believe anymore. You are, you are questioning because Both bloggers and pastors are pastoring you. So you are, you are in, you are in a mix.

You are, you are.

And let me say this to you. What is happening is that, you see, listen, the most dangerous thing about distraction is not what you are distracted into, but what you are distracted from. There is a season that money can't buy that is passing by. You ought to be fasting to an activity in that season, but you are listening to something else. When that season come, passes, you may repent, but you have missed something. Amen. Let me show you something about seasons. Are you still here? Hope you are not tired of me. Let me show you something about what seasons— in the book of Exodus chapter— I'm sorry, Genesis chapter number 49. Let me show you something. There's a very serious matter there. Jacob called his sons and said, gather yourselves together. Look at it. That I may tell you that which shall befall you in this last. If what I want to say now is all I've said today, is enough. But listen, look at what he said. He said, gather yourselves together and hear, you sons of Jacob and Akin to Israel, who your father. Look at it. First name that he called. What is his name?

Reuben.

He said, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, the excellency of power. He called what he was and what he ought to be. He said, but you're unstable as water, thou shall not excel. That's a curse. But he gave the reason, said, because you went into your father's bed Then you defile it and went up to my couch. He cursed him. The day he made this pronouncement on Reuben, Joseph was there. Joseph will remember, maybe around the same time, was the same time that Potiphar's wife was mounting pressure, and he will be grateful that he escaped. Let me tell you something. Times will come that while we are seeing what is going on on the surface, we'll begin to see issues that can't be hidden anymore. Some would have dropped in the race, and some would have died, and some would have failed. If you maximize the grace of God available and scale through, it will occur to you that the devil that stopped them came to you also, but grace kept you. The pressure is always strong before the birthright is distributed. The devil tempted Jesus for a— and then left him for a season. Every time you see so much pressure, you are about to approach the Kairos. If you scale through, it will lift. Once you get to another kairos, it will come. If you scale through, it will lift. Don't bow to the pressure. You are not the only one in it. Time will tell. The pressure to cheat on your wife, cheat on your wife, cheat on— it, it is going for your bishopric. There is nothing in life as sweet as destiny fulfillment. That you stand at some point in your life, you remember all the pressure, all the temptations, and say, thank God I didn't fall. I wish you know that the pressure you face now will not be for life. I wish you know that the pressure to divorce your husband, to put away your wife, make everybody go, they won't talk, you say nobody can Look at one of the lamentations of David, 1 Samuel. Are you with me? Let me, um, sorry, just a moment. Is this 2 Samuel? Trying to get it. Okay, 2 Samuel chapter number 1. Let's start the reading from verse 17. Before I read this story, before I read this, look up. Let me share a story with you. While I was in Part 1, I volunteered to teach mathematics. I didn't used to like maths, but somehow I got deliverance. So I volunteered to teach mathematics at a tutorial. It wasn't part of my course, but I just wanted to help people know it. So a girl liked me. And just say, I just like this our— and I think I like that too because she was— oh yes, she was fine, it was fine. So she talked to me, I talked to her, we talked to each other, we talked with each other, and then so we started talking, be fond of each other. She would gist with me, she followed me, escort me, I would escort her too. And that went on for a while. One time my mom came around, I was sick. She went to the market, get some things. The girl was following her, then she called me and said, Pastor, you know when your mom calls you Pastor, who is she? Who Who is she? I said, just a friend. Say just a friend. Be careful. So I said yes. She made soup, made rice, left. My hostel mate came, took the rice. Everybody shared. I had small portion of soup left with one meat. At least they were kind. So the girl served and we're eating together. When it was time to— you know, in Africa we eat meat like reward. Meat is the reward for eating plenty food. It's not food. You eat meat before food will conk you. You know, there's knock and there's conk. Your head will search for radio network. If you have not suffered before, you don't know what God has done for you. You are not traumatized. E God. So when it was time to eat the meat, the girl said, since I'm not feeling fine, should I eat the meat? I said, no, no, I can always buy meat. You eat the meat. And she said, no, no, you eat it. I said, eat the meat. Some of you know where the matter is going. Is that from experience? So she said to me and said, you are not smart as you thought. Said, if you were smart, you will not put the meat in my mouth with your mouth. So I thought The family I came from, everybody eats their meat with their mouth. So that was when I knew I should eat the meat. Then the girl sat in front of me and opened her laps, and I was there. Femi Lazarus asking, what are you doing?

What are you doing?

'No, don't do that!' And she was just smiling, and I ought to run, but I sat. But thank God I had people praying for me. It's a very true, true life story. The girl is still alive. As somebody's sweetheart, So relax. God change people, okay? I can't tell. Anyways, the girl began to confess and shout, started screaming fire. She was mentioning how many people she had killed, how she did this. It was very bad what she was saying, terrible stuff. She picked her stuff, ran out of the room, this, this, this. And I remember my hostelmate had been disturbed and said, that girl, that girl fine now. You pastor, what you do? We know pastors like you, where they see all this girl, chop him out now. I was looking at them, people don't know what has just happened. I had to travel that season, it was around April. By the time I came back, the girl had moved in to be staying with one of them. They were sleeping with each other. I will tell you, the guy has been sick till from then till now. Let me tell you, a season came, I became the fellowship president. Are you following what I'm saying? Because I want to show you something. I became the fellowship president, we go for evangelism, do all those stuffs. I send my team, let's go for evangelism and all that. So they came back with the name of the convert. When I read through the names, I saw her name there. So the brother who said he had won her soul, I knew he didn't win anything. So I collected the list and then gave it to a sister to follow them up. Brothers follow brothers up. I know many brothers don't like to be followed up by brothers. Say sister should follow me up so you can win your soul properly.

Amen.

Now this brother was, um, one of the most fervent person with me in the fellowship. After a while, we stopped seeing him, and every effort to reach him was abortive. So I went to his house, past 10 at night, knocked his door. He said, who was that? I didn't answer. I wanted to surprise my brother. He opened the door with boxers. I looked over his shoulder, I saw the girl on his bed. My heart sank. I asked him, what's she doing here? Said she has accommodation issue. I will call, I have people I will call now, they will give her accommodation. Let this girl leave tonight, let her leave tonight. He said, what do you mean?

What do you mean?

You feel because you are this you can talk to me anyhow? I said, no, let this girl leave, this is not proper. I made a mistake that night that I made a very serious mistake. I asked him, pick between this girl and the ministry. That was my mistake. Said, if you think because I want to win the soul of the girl, blah blah blah blah, I'll pick her soul, I go for her soul. You know, some things may make you laugh. But if you ever pass through a desert and you see the carcass of a mighty man, you don't take selfie. What killed them is not far. Careful. That's how we lost him. We had a major revival breakout on campus, major revival. And it was true, Elektra. It came scattered everywhere. People began to pray without stopping for days. Ah, the man even promised us, I'm going to buy you guys sound system, we're going to change this, we're going to change that. I was so excited. That's how we stopped seeing him too. So I tell the escorts, buy Bonvita, buy Milo, buy milk, buy wine. Let's get an ampere package and send to him. So I sent them to— and then send my regards to him, that we miss him, we can't wait to have him around. So they send it to him. When they got to his house, they met the same girl there on Towel, and there she was. Let me show you a scripture. Are you there? There are people who only have taste for kings. Proverbs 31, verse 1 and 2. The words of King Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. What, my son? And what, the son of my womb? And what, the son of my vows? Give not thy strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroy Kings. Read this in Amplified Version, verse 3, Amplified rendition, if you can, quickly. Give not your strength to loose women. Yes, Amplified, quickly. Nor your ways to those who and that which ruin and destroy Kings, message has a message for you. Give me message. This is where it gets serious. All right, can you be a bit faster? Don't dissipate your virality to fortune-hunting women. Promiscuous women will shipwreck leaders. Don't get to a point that it will be in record that your emotions took you out of the race. That's why I said my teaching this morning is a warning. I know when you teach in church, it doesn't look like anything is wrong with people. Proverbs chapter number 5, and this is where I close. I'll start the reading. It's a very long reading, but let's do from verse 1. This is church, we must not hurry it. My son, attend to my wisdom and bow your ear to my understanding. Yes, that you may— thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lip may keep what? Knowledge. For the lips of a strange woman— and by the way, don't, don't tag women. There are strange men, there are fortune-hunting men, they are hunters, they look for girls that have been trained, discipled and then those are the ones they hunt. And from the day they marry them, they start depreciating. Don't ask questions like, what's your best color? What's your problem with that? What has your wisdom produced? What's your best food? What's your best color? 1,000 yards of wife material.

Be careful.

When people are in love, they don't hear. I love him, I will change him. Unchangeable changer. For the lips of a strange woman, in bracket, a strange man, drops as honeycomb. Their mouth is smoother than oil, but her hand is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou This filter tells you if you have yellow teeth, but Colgate Optic White Oxygen with deep oxygenated action works beyond the surface and helps lift away deep-set stains in just 3 days. Colgate Optic White Oxygen, get real whitening in 3 3 days. Try new Vicks VapoRub Extra Strong with 2x actives for your tough cough and cold symptoms.

Satan and his demons are there, and they're shooting darts at God's people. And if we don't have the shield of faith, which we'll study a little bit later, we are no match for his artillery. When Satan gets a hold of somebody who has influence, he devours their influence. He devours devours their message. He wants to devour us. He wants to take away the effectiveness that we have. He's like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. You know, it's always a good thing before you fight a war to know something about your enemy and who it is you're fighting against. In the spiritual realm, it could never be more true. Many Christians do not take take our enemy seriously because they don't know enough about him to take him seriously. Satan's incognitos are very clever. He hides in the most unbelievable places. He hides in religion, one of his favorite hideouts. He hides behind intellectualism. He hides in poetry and art, oftentimes in music. He hides in psychology and human In fact, the Bible says that the whole world lies in the lap of the evil one. Mark it down, men and women: Satan is not the man below heaping coals onto an eternal furnace. Satan is the original jet-setter. Did you know that? Remember in the book of Job when he was answering God as to where he had been, he said, "Where do you come from?" And Satan said, "From going to and fro on the earth." and from walking back and forth on it. Job 2:2. What a picture! Satan trucking all over the earth doing his thing. Now if you look down at your Bibles at verse 12, you will discover that there is a word in verse 12 that is listed 5 times. 5 times this word appears. I'm going to read the verse and you'll catch on real quickly. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. I don't know what you get from the word against, but let me tell you what it means. It means we're in a battle, and there is someone we are against and someone who is against us. And that seems rather strange to most people today, especially those who have adopted a rather passive attitude about the Christian life. Eugene Peterson makes sure we are aware of the serious nature of this battle. In the paraphrase of this verse, he paraphrases it like this: This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps. A life or death fight to the finish against the devil and all of his angels. Paul's instruction to the Ephesians in the 10th verse is addressed to the brethren. Finally, he said, my brethren, be strong. Why? So you can get into this battle and fight against the enemy who is against you. Notice Men and women, this is not a fight for the apostles. This is not a fight for the pastors. This is not a fight for the deacons or the leaders. This is a fight for the brethren and the sistern too. All of us together, the brothers and the sisters. The lines have been drawn. It is the Lord and the brethren against Satan and the demons. And in Ephesians chapter 6 Paul identifies our enemy as the devil in verse 11, and if you look down in verse 16, he gives him another name. He calls him the wicked one. Verse 11 says, you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, and verse 16 says, you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. We are fighting against the enemy of our souls, the devil, and his strategies. And here are some things we need to know about him if we're going to have any chance to be victorious in this battle. Let's talk for just a moment about Satan's personality. His original name was Lucifer, which means shining one, morning star, or sun of the morning. In Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 12, which we'll put up on the screen, we read these words: "How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" Ezekiel describes Satan before his fall as a holy angel, both wise and beautiful. Listen to these words from Ezekiel 28: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were the anointed cherub who covers I established you. You were on the holy mountain of God. You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created till iniquity was found in you. So what happened? How did Satan cease to be Lucifer, the son of the morning, and become Satan, the enemy of God and God's people? Once again, Isaiah the prophet tells us the story. In Isaiah 14:12-14: How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are you cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart, I will ascend unto heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will also sit on the mount of the congregation, on the farthest sides 'Of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High.' When those words came out of Lucifer's mouth, he was cast out of heaven, cast down as a profane one from the mountain of God, and brought down to the earth, and brought down ultimately to hell. I believe But God gave to his angels the kind of free will that he gave to us. They worship before his throne even this day because they choose to do so. Experience travel delight with Discovery Bank.

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But Satan in his own heart determined that he would lift himself up in pride. And the first sin ever committed in the universe was the sin of pride. Satan's personality Where did he come from? How did he become Satan? Now let's talk for a moment about his position. The Bible gives us 3 names that describe Satan's position. These 3 names will help us get a handle on his role in the universe. First of all, he is a prince. 3 times the Bible calls Satan the prince of this world. John 12:31, now is the time for judgment on this world. Now the the prince of this world will be driven out. John 14:30, I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. And John 16:11, the prince of this world now stands condemned. He's also called, as many of you know, the prince of the power of the air. Ephesians 2:2 says, the prince of the power of the air the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. Now listen, as the prince of the world, he's in charge of evil men. As the prince of the power of the air, he's in charge of evil spirits. He is the ruling spirit over the children of disobedience. He is the architect of evil in this world in which we live. He is a prince. The Bible also says he is a ruler. Not only is he a prince, he is also a ruler. The Bible says he is the power behind the world system. 1 John 5:19 says the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. The system of this world is characterized by greed and selfish ambition and lust for power. It is dominated by intrigue and hatred and lies and aggression and rivalry and brutality, and Satan is the father of it all. Satan reigns over his own kingdom. Did you know Satan has his own kingdom? Matthew 12:26 says, "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom last?" Satan rules over his angels. Matthew 25:41, "The everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Satan has a hierarchy. He has a team of angels who are with him. There are many theologians who believe that when Satan rebelled, one-third of the angels in heaven rebelled with him and came to this earth and now comprise his army of rebellion against God. Satan is not just some lone evil person somewhere in the world. Satan is the head of his own kingdom. He has hierarchies of principalities and powers and angels and demons, and he rules it all. He's the ruler of evil in the world today. And then the Bible says, strange as it may be, that he is a god. He is not just a prince and a ruler, he is a god. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says