Kingdom Prayer Retreat - Day 4 Morning || 5TH JULY 2025

So yesterday I taught you, I mentioned a few things. As I stood there, God just changed my text, so Please, this morning, listen. Is that okay? Do what? One of the things I noticed is that in the core areas of secrets that God has shown to me in life and ministry, for some reasons, I don't have utterance in those areas. So I didn't know why, but recently someone close to me was asking me a question and I wanted to answer the person and I noticed there was a withdrawal in my spirit. And God said, if you give people If they ask for what they ought to seek for, they will not rise. There is what you ask shall be given, but there is what you seek to find. So people who get what they should get by seeking, when they get it through asking, they don't value it. Is that okay? So this is a prayer conference, and what I've been showing you in in particular is why is it that many believers pray and yet there's no shift? The battle is as strong as their prayer life. And if you understand this thing, and I'm telling you in practical steps, 48 hours is too long to begin to see manifestations of shifts, deliberate ones. Is that okay? So I showed you yesterday how that David was lamenting over Saul, and he said he had died like one that was not anointed with oil. And I also showed you 2 Kings 4, one of the sons of the prophet who had died. Nobody here will die young. There are times that people do things in ministry, and I know in my heart, if this person doesn't get help, this person won't live long. Hey, should I talk? You want to live long in ministry, walk in love. You see, maybe you close your notes first so you can get the message. You see all this nonsense people do. So-and-so minister attack this one, this one attack back. Go and check church history. People die for strife. Permitted in the outer court. If you get to the Holy of Holies, there are things you can't do. So I don't fight, talk less of fighting back. If I'm angry with you, I tell you what you have done wrong. I beg you. One time we're in service, a very demonic girl got to the family house and scattered everywhere, caused confusion between leaders. The Papa called me to his office, called the headquarters meeting, and began to yap me. They misconstrued one of my messages. He was really insulting me. You know what I did? I prostrated right there. I laid down flat. I'm sorry, sir. Go and read the story of Jacob. He extended his tent by a few meters so that his tent can be called the biggest. He died. I have laid hands on people and I knew it won't work. I have gone to places and returned and I knew I've wasted my time. There are secrets. In all honesty, spiritual things are not that tough. It is governed by secrets. I don't want to use the word mysteries because Mark 4:11 says unto you, it is given to know the mysteries. But he said in verse 12 that to those who are outside, these things are done in parables so that in seeing they will see, they will not understand. They will not perceive. In hearing they will hear, they will not understand. So the wisdom of God is not in plain sight. There are battles you don't fight because you won't win. You must choose your battles. Let's get into the vein of the land.

Island.

Let's get into the thing. One of the things that can turn the heart of God against a person and a ministry, can I tell you, huh, is injustice. Psalm 82, let's start from verse 1. What I'm going to say today, it won't concern many of you, but you will need it tomorrow. And those that it concerns will hear it online years later, whenever they find it. Look at this scripture, never forget it. Can I continue? Are you really sure? God standeth in the congregation of the mighty, he judgeth among the gods. Yes. Verse 2, quickly. How long will you judge unjustly and accept the person of the wicked? Defend the poor and the fatherless, do justice to the afflicted and needy, deliver the poor and needy. Read them. Out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand. They walk on in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, ye are gods, all of you are children of the Most High. Yes, but what? They will die like men and fall like one of the princes. But go back to verse 2.

3, quickly.

How long will you judge unjustly and accept the person of the wicked? 3, now. Defend the poor and the fatherless. Do justice Have you ever heard that the Lord is a just God? Listen, listen, see, look up, listen. There are certain biblical principles that can be the reason why somebody who is not praying as much as you are praying, not fasting as much as you are fasting, can be weightier in the spirit, more anointed, more heavy, respected by God There are reasons why that can happen. Oh yes, and I'm not going to show you you saw fasting? No, because people think fasting can bribe God. Fasting is powerful, but it's not the measure of spiritual—

it's not. Amen.

It's not a measure of your stature. God is a just God. Have you ever heard that the Bible says that righteousness and justice are the found— foundations of his throne? Anytime you cry for God's blessings and the reason why you want to be blessed is not connected to a just cause, you won't have it. There are ministries that God is angry with. There are ministers that God is angry with. There are Christians— oh yes, that doesn't mean God wants to kill them. You can have a child, you love that child, the fact of the child being your child can be debated, but you are not happy. God hates injustice. One time, Ahab was moving by his walls, and he saw a garden close to his house, and he loved the garden. And he went to meet Naboth, say, sell. Naboth say, is not selling. Ahab went to Masai crying. What kind of king cries over a land? Jezebel met him crying and said to him, why are you crying? Said, I want the land of Naboth. He won't send it to me for much. Jezebel said, you are the king, stop crying, go and eat, I will organize it for you. The Bible says she wrote a letter and sent to the nobles and said, gather the sons of Belial, and they testified falsely against Naboth, and they killed him in the name of the Lord. And dog licked his blood there, and he got the land. Few weeks later, he was walking in that land, and God sent his prophet and said, is this not the lamb that belonged to Naboth, whom you have killed? Thus says the Lord, at the very same spot where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, that same spot dogs will lick your blood. There are bloods that cry against lineage. There are bloods that cry against children. There are bloods that cry against families. From the moment Cain killed Abel, it doesn't matter how good his sons were, they were born in the lineage of injustice. There are lands that doesn't do well because of injustice. One of the things that is crying against Nigeria is the blood of the innocent that has been shed. A child is on the street, doesn't have food to eat. Another one is somewhere, the child of a politician, wasting food. A soldier has dedicated his entire life to serve the nation, and they do some manipulation and kill him in battlefront, and his family is not compensated. Those bloods cry. Somebody labored over you in ministry As you become bigger a bit, you check out. Eh, is injustice. There are people even in Nigerian church that we must go back to dig their stories. We are closing the pages of history like some men emerge by themselves. But they had roles they played. These people now are considered irrelevant, they are considered useless, but they were the foundations. Okay, maybe I'm in the wrong meeting. They were foundations. One time I was going to board a plane, and as I was boarding, I saw one of our fathers in the body of Christ also boarding. So I already carried his load for him. That was maybe 2 years ago. And as we entered the plane, I collected his ticket. So I saw he was going to economy.

Ha!

I have booked business class. So I swapped seats. I said, Daddy, you come sit here. So I went to economy. The airline wouldn't let me stay in economy, so they moved me back to business class, but I was seated behind him. I was happy watching him enjoy the food they were bringing, and he was just so smiling. And I said, if my generation will do well, in our own lifetime, men like this should not be in economy. Who told you that lifting is a function of your strategy? I'm struggling with utterance because of your hunger. Your hunger is not much, so it's like I brought a diet, you don't have a better iPhone.

Huh?

Let me give you two secrets. Giving does not automatically mean that you are going to be blessed. Let me tell you why. In fact, your trouble can begin through giving. If you give to a man God wants to teach a lesson, you have hindered God. You suffer for it. Oh yes, and there are people that God wants to wipe away their sweat. If you join him to do it, he will honor you for life. Go back. And open the pages of history. Who are people who have labored, whose sweat must be wiped?

Wipe it.

You will enter into a covenant of lift. But let's leave it. But we won't, because our generation is largely arrogant. There are many. Have you heard of the name Paul Kindiri? Papa Pandam? These are the ancient missionaries. Many of the things you hear about God's General, God did those things in those villages. And who laid the foundation of Ekwu. I used to live in the North. I grew up from the North. I attended Ekwu school. When missionaries are going to mission field, their children— because it's a mission school I attended— they're in my class and across classes. You see them singing, they are happy, they are taking buses. In those days, all these open van bus, um, is it pickup or something like that? It's not bus. I don't see those buses again. When they return back, it is always like soldiers coming from war. Two things usually happen. Those who made it will come, then those who died in mission field, they bring their bodies. Those were the price that was paid for the revival that we are seeing sparks of it in the north to be established. Some children became fatherless, some women became widows. If those labors are allowed to go without their families being recognized, is injustice. He cry not against those ministries but against the land. Sometimes the reason why God is carrying you is not because you are any special. You must know those for whom God is blessing you. Okay. If you don't— our world is governed with covenants and by covenants and secrets. Serious secrets. Don't break truce. Don't break any ministry to start your own. The foundation is laid on an unjust foundation. Don't do that. Don't take from anybody what's not yours. I shared a story, it's one of the most painful events of my life. And that's one of the visions we have on ground now. We are getting the federal government to act on this. Oh yes, and we are doing a major work on it. In fact, what I'm telling you now is with the government already. They called me from an orphanage home I was living. They used to come there and bless those children and said to me, "One of your daughters is dead." I rushed down there. "What happened to her? Can't just die." And as I got there, I asked, "Where's the body?" They said, "So and so room." But I noticed their tone has changed. As I entered that place, I saw the girl was alive. So I became suspicious. Why will you tell me she is dead when she's alive? Is it that you plan to kill her or so that all the stakeholders will know? Oh yes, that's what they planned. Because the girl had been sick, so I carried that girl. I told the woman around in the orphanage room, Oh yeah, follow me, let's go to the teaching hospital. She acted like she was dressing and then came back. I said, if I follow you there now— because the girl had liver cirrhosis. Where's the doctor lady? You a doctor too? Where's that lady? Okay, you are here too. So she had ascites. Her stomach had become big, eyes yellow. Her stomach was as big as a 9-month pregnant woman. They left her unattended to. So we carried the girl. The woman told us, say, I can't go, say they can arrest her, saying why did they let it get this worse. I said, give me any of your children. Said they can go. So I carried the girl and I get the girl's younger sister. They were orphans. And we went to the teaching hospital. I wept that day because you need to see the way the younger sister was joining me to carry her like she's filled. I couldn't hold tears. I said, your parents are dead. You are the only human being left with her on earth. Even the orphanage might turn their back against you. You do this. We carried her down. They said we can't take her because doctors are on strike. I look for two doctors that are pastors. I say, come, I'm your pastor. Whatever you can do, take this girl for me now. Say, let me bring one or two, reach out to some few. Come, say no, they can't. Let's leave the remaining part of the story. Everything I could do within my capacity that day, I did. Because if the girl died in my hands too, they will deny me. They called us and said they have— they've called one of their partners, there's a better hospital now, so release the girl to them. Long story cut short, the girl died. In less than 2 years, the daughter of the woman developed the same sickness. They called me, I prayed, but she died. God is against injustice. Many believers fast, they pray, but their heart is bad. I'll show you a text. So they don't experience God's lifting. Let me show you a scripture. You're going to read this scripture for me in Message translation. Psalms 51 from verse 16. Psalms 51 from verse 16. Do you have Message? Give it on the screen also. Ah, yeah, yeah, thank God. Look at this. Can you fix your gaze on your Bible without your Bible in your hands on the screen? Going through the motions. You know what going through the motions is? Oh Lord, I love you, you are everything. Doesn't please you. A flawless performance is nothing to you. Verse 17. I learned God worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice. Meaning that there's something God does to your heart that you become— listen what I'm saying here— you become a— there are different kind of ministers. There are ministers that are like Conduit Pipe. Something flows through them, but the issue with that kind is that after the meeting, they are back to normal. But there are vessels that are like sponge. They suck up the glory, and anytime there's a squeezing, something is juiced out. The reason why we pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, go all day— I'm sorry, I'm not against any version of prayer. I'm not against it. I have friends that the way they pray, even me, I'm shocked. But that's their dimension, and I honor it and honor them. I, uh, one thing I can't stop doing in the place of prayer is tears. Because I'm an intercessor. So I cry easily, I get embarrassed, I just— and sometimes for 2 hours I'm just on the floor, not a word. I honestly am not the kind of person that you'll be hearing scream, "Yahweh!" I really can't do it. If I start screaming and preaching, you need to buy me ribena. I don't have those kind of energy. Not that I'm not strong as a person, but I just don't— doesn't work. A few times myself and Eddu have had to minister Ah, when he do the head like this, I say we are in trouble. But beyond that guy's posture like that, there's a heart, oh, because I see people trying to copy that dimension without that heart. Is headache you live with. And you do it for the camera, you hang like a roasted mosquito. You hang like a—

sorry.

Once you are done hanging like that, now you come back and wonder why. Because you've not paid attention to your own dimension. At some point, my servant Lawrence, we have weekly 6-hour prayer. 6 hours, we shut down. Wednesdays, that guy, he will just put one speaker, he'll be giving sounds like this, and he'll sit down. And he just bend his head. He can be there all day. He's not sleeping. All my boys came to my house one time to greet me, and he wanted to pray at night. I said, if you— if, if I had a roommate then who doesn't take nonsense. That one told him, you shout, if you raise that shout here, I will take you. See, even your pastor doesn't shout like that. So we do all those stuffs. Don't forget, there are those that is their dimension, but there are those who are just copycats. But one of the ways you know it's not a dimension is that you do all those things, you are still not hosting his glory. As a believer, You must be conscious of the glory quotient you can house. You must love the presence so much so that you learn the secret of not just dwelling there but hosting it. That when you step into a place, you have stepped with your own environment. You see, that dimension is hot. Is hot. When you see people who are very hot, fear them.

Perfected.

Because her heart is broken, it can host God. It says the heart shattered lies ready for a love. Don't for a moment escape what? God's notice. Look at that passage, that verse 16 and 17, King James. King James. Thou desirest not sacrifice. Else will I give it? Thou delightest not in burnt offering. Yes. Verse 17, quickly. The sacrifice of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. Oh God, thou will not despise. That was the secret God taught me even to get to the realms of encounters. People think that encounter is just about how long you pray. No, praying long is a discipline a believer must master. But you know, you can pray long more like an Olympic race, as a bragging right. You do 40 days fasting so you can boast with it. Say, have you done? I've done too. Ah, it doesn't work like that. In your lifetime, you see people who have not fasted that much carry more than you, and you'll be offended. They can get to a mountain and speak to the mountain simply, 'You mountain, get out!

You get out!

Shake your head! Shake your head!' The mountain becomes times 2. Because we don't understand the protocol of the spirit. Many of us can't host those dimensions because there's still wickedness in our heart. You know, to walk with God is to be on a journey with him, and to be on a journey with God means that he's going to begin to strip you of your armor to show you his glory. Is a love work, and once it's a love work, jealousy is involved. An average Nigerian Christian now has been damaged by social media. An average one. Too much junks, too much noise, too much confusion. They don't even know what to believe. They are happy as you are pastoring them and blessing them. They are so happy. But the moment God gives them a little breakthrough, they are out. They are not just out from church, they are out from God because they were never seeking God for his face. They were seeking him for his hands. How much is your price?

If you had—

let's take something small. If you had ₦50 million seated in your account doing nothing this morning, will you consider this retreat an important one? Meanwhile, that ₦50 million is somebody's nightclub. Go to parties, they are spraying somebody's life savings. Unbelievers, once they sing that song, Dori me, what somebody— think about how foolish it is— what somebody is coming out of seeking God for 20 years with as a souvenir. The one who doesn't know God is playing it in club.

Why?

An average believer's mind is impoverished. There's poverty as a culture there. Somebody is giving a tithe of ₦200k, he's the highest giver in church. He won't sit down. ₦200k. That's somebody's bank charges for a transaction. Yes, somebody's bank charges. The last time God had some people to himself was before he blessed them. So for you, when you say, God, have mercy on me, the manifestation of mercy is for you to be small so you can know God. You will be poor, for his mercies endureth forever, because you have proven that you are better as a son with poverty. Your mouth can be saying one thing, but your lifestyle is saying something else. Oh yes, all these things, all these things we do, God doesn't see as man sees. I'm trying to walk you through a secret. Are you following what I'm saying here?

Yes, sir.

For a long time, I don't allow— and I'm sorry, I've said this publicly before— when people give me money, I keep it. Come back after a year, I show you envelope, because the heart of man is wicked.

I've seen things.

Lest the king of Sodom said, I've made Abraham rich. People can sit down in churches, they will say amen to all the prayers, but they conveniently sit down and still tear the pastor in pieces.

Yes.

And they are surprised that they are small. Why won't you And I make bold to tell you, there is the spirit of smallness in this land. Is there? Is there? There is. There is a spirit that shrinks people, that makes small things look big in their size. There is. So once you notice an atmospheric thing, then start counting. Who are those who are able to break through as a voice and broke out of Uyó? What did they do?

Ask.

I was listening to the man of God from Uganda, Robert Kayanja. He shared the story of an event that took place, I think, in Tulsa, 1985. They invited them. His father, spiritual father, was, um, the man of God that went to India, the healing evangelist, T.L. Osborn. So they invited him for a meeting there and all that. So he preached And you know, 1985, years back, they gave him an honorarium. Not honorarium, they had given him a seed of $1,000. Far back then, that's a lot. Archbishop Benson Osa came, ministered, and Archbishop with his akpada now said The church that they are building here, we are going to support them to build it. Since where everybody is going to give a seed of $1,000. Baba Kayanja said the mentality he had is that it is America that should give to Africa because Africa is poor. Who is this guy who is saying that we should give to America? And he said he made up his mind, this check of $1,000, I ain't dropping anything. Archbishop turned towards him and said, we're going to start from Uganda. And he began to say, I don't have the money, I'm this. And he had this in his back pocket.

A woman—

oh boy—

got up from the crowd, an American woman, and came towards Robert Kanyanja. To assist him with $800. Archbishop Idahosa said, you get out of there now, you can't help him, only him can help himself. He dropped the money, but he was offended, and he said in his heart, even when he got back home he said it, that Archbishop Idahosa is not a man of God. Learn from the story. 3 days after that event, they invited him in another church in Atlanta, and he went there to preach. And when he was done preaching, they gave him an honorarium of, um, $7,000, transport, $3,000. Then a support for his work back at home in Uganda, $25,000. When they gave him that money, the first thing he screamed is, "Archbishop Idahosa is a man of God!" Go check that among the ministers who broke through in Nigeria, broke all over the world, What did they know differently? One of the things you will see is that they were not men who were given to pity. That pity us, we are poor, we are broke.

Hmm.

Anywhere you get to that the ministers have that kind of mentality, they'll be very small. You don't support the church works. You don't see— I'm sorry to say, I'm sorry, I just want to say a few things. This ministry should at this point not be having a project of 50 million make announcement. It is the duty of sons to remove reproach.

Okay.

Years back, I don't know if my spiritual father is watching this, I want to beg for mercy in advance. I'm gonna share this story. We're celebrating, we're having his birthday to celebrate, and they put a meeting together. This is the reason why it's just recently I opened my heart small to allowing people honor me. He knows the best time you can have problem with me is around celebration. So the person coordinating just said that want to buy a car for him. As at then, that car will cost, it was even up to a million. So he said everybody should contribute 50,000. I didn't have. That's the truth. But I was just observing and learning, and I saw somebody in the comment section got offended. I said, this wickedness, 50,000, where do you expect to get money? She was ranting, typing all those kind of things. And I saw on the page, so, so and so person left. I said, ah, he exited the page. Hey, I said, God, I don't want this. I wept that day. I said, I don't want this kind of insult for this man. I said, God, if you can bless me with this, I'll wipe away this reproach. Following year, we bought it single-handedly. We bought more after that. If it is not in your hands, if you have it in your heart, it will come to your hands. Okay, that's one of my secrets. Before Pa SGL Tin died, the man who bought his coffin was Pastor Iya Adeboye.

Femi Lazarus.

Permit me to say a few things. What we call PFN today could have been a personal structure built around Reverend Dr. Umar Opai's ministry. Oh yes, but he ceded to the body of Christ. And build that structure for the body. God will never forget that. There comes a time that is no longer about your ministry. My— forgive me, but I won't mention figures— but my biggest money goes to other ministries, not our own. And I used to warn pastors, what makes the Dead Sea Dead Sea? It's not because water doesn't flow in, but it doesn't flow out.

Selah.

Hey, we pray a lot, but we don't know the principles. We don't— are you following what I'm saying here?

We don't know how he works, so we miss God.

That man that is laboring over you, if God bless you now, won't you become too big for that anointing? Yeah, people don't have loyalty. I used to have a mentor who was sick and died. Before he died, they did a surgery for him. It was cancer. The surgery was so bad, they broke his iliac bone. I was there. I left church to go and live with him. One time I had to clean him up because he was on pampers. And while I was trying to clean him up, he held my hands and said, Pastor Femi, are you not even irritated? I said, in the days you were teaching me the Bible, was I irritated? Then it was weeping. Let me give you 3 very important principles. Honor those that God has used to labor over you. I won't say more than that. Number 2, you see this one, your life depends on it. You can learn, but learn in a hard way. Anywhere you hear people gossiping, run. Anywhere. Anywhere you hear people gossiping, do what?

Run.

The last time I ever heard audible voice was the day I finished a meeting. Some pastors were with me. They were just talking and jisting, but I wasn't contributing. I was honestly not contributing. Their conversation had entered about talking about another man of God. I heard that voice loud and clear, Femi, what are you doing there? I ran. We pray about these things, but we lack the wisdom about them, and it's the reason why we are prayerfully small. I can tell you, people miss seasons because they don't know the time of their appearance. Look at it. Genesis 18. Just don't open, but let me just quote it. When those men were passing, when Abraham was by his tent at the plain of Mamre, That's one of the Old Testament appearance of Christ. That's Jesus walking there. That's Jesus. Abraham saw them. They didn't write Jesus on his head, he just thought they were men. And he ran. Abraham, with his wealth, ran towards them to host them. And when they were done eating, one of the men now asked, "Where's your wife?" "She's inside." He said, "Tell her, no off this thing." I don't want to talk about it, but when the glory itself comes, Sorry, choir. He ran towards them and they killed Animaq. Wait, all the process of Abraham for 25 years was hanging on his ability to recognize and be hospitable. It was then that they said, by this time of life, Sarah will be with a child, and that's it. Let me tell you something. There are times that hospitality is bigger than your 7 days dry fasting on that matter. Okay, they didn't tell you. No matter what I teach Many won't listen. So still carry on with your own wisdom, small. At least do some 20 more years, then fall back to this message. Try this one.

Hi. Hi.

Hi.

That's the reason why when Abraham was going to die and his servant was to go get a wife, Abraham didn't tell him how. But the God observed the Abrahamic pattern. He said, let it be that the damsel that feeds both my camel and myself water will be the one.

Why?

Anyone who can be a part of this Abrahamic blessing must have the Abrahamic culture. If you are single here, you want to marry someone, do we carry the same culture? If the person you want to marry doesn't honor those you honor, You are finished. I shared something with our pastors. A friend posted, but I said this true, that there's a kind of woman you marry, your pastor knows his journey with you is over. Yes. Okay, he won't tell you, but he knows. Um, well, he's over here now. He knows you're a son full of honor, but this girl is something else. Or sometimes the girl is the daughter, but the boy is the son of Billions. And the pastor look at this girl who has labored effortlessly in this ministry and knows the husband's role supersede his own. Now he has to step back. Now she's getting married, but he's mourning her. Okay, sorry. When Rebecca came, if she said she wasn't in good mood, of course she will go back home not knowing she had lost something. Oh yes, the most difficult thing to lose is what you didn't know was yours, because you can't ask for restoration about it. You didn't even know it was yours. When Eliab stood before Samuel, Samuel said, no, God has rejected this one. You can't reject who was not a candidate. Meaning that for a long time he was under God's spec. Whatever he did is the one that knows. You must know the demand of your own destiny. If Joseph had just said just one night with Mary, yes, will God forgive? Yes, but you can't bother Jesus again. There are people that their destiny can accommodate certain things, but yours can't. The more critical it is, the more dangerous your mistake becomes. Okay, we pray, but I'm showing you the wisdom part now. Look at it. 2 Kings 4. There's a story of a woman that the Bible called that— it's the great shu'it woman. Let me share a story with you. A family had a misery. So the pastors went to name the child, and of course they honored the pastor and put their food in the dining room. So the pastor, out of honor, ate there. And those that were recording the naming ceremony, you know, video. And when the woman was watching the tape with her daughter, you know what she said? She said, look at your pastors as they are eating like pigs. The young girl heard it. Few days later, the pastors came to greet them. It was that girl who went to open the door, and the girl screamed, "Mommy, the pastors you said are eating like bed have come." There are places that the blessing doesn't stay. Because they are contentious. They are contentious. They are petty. I function primarily in the prophetic, so I know some stuff, but I can't say publicly. That's 2 Kings 4. Elisha was always passing, and the woman said to her husband, I perceive that he's a man of God. Let's make a chamber for him. So they did. I will always take care of the man of God. One day Elisha said, call her for me. What does she want? She doesn't have a child. He said, by this time of life you will have your child. The woman said, don't deceive me. Just for you to know that she was not doing what she was doing transactionally. She was doing it out of honor. So he said, no, you have it. And she got the child. If it is in Nigeria, when she has that child, she will start becoming wicked towards the man of God. I've gotten what I want. But the man of God was still there, so the child died later, and the man of God raised the child up. The Bible called that woman great, shunamite woman. We pray so much, but the wisdom part is missing. Years back, I was into a retreat. Daniel fast, 7 days, just water and vegetables. Okay, I should not have mentioned that, but I have. I was asking God for the secret of church growth. He said 3. He said, number 1, learn to praise me. Ah, say, is it praises we are not doing? Then he showed me a scripture, Jeremiah 30:19. Jeremiah 30:19. Out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry. And I will multiply them, they shall not be few. I will also glorify them, they will not be small. Anywhere that is the house of praise, he gives them leadership. I say, okay, number 2, he said, rejoice. Ah, he said, let there be joy unspeakable, full of glory. I said, Lord, you know, um, what's the scripture for this one? Joel chapter number 1. Let me read it for you.

Joel 1.

Go and check any church that people attend and there's no joy, they struggle to go back. Okay, you don't know. Sometimes even the person who is singing and saying rejoice, the person is angry. Rejoice, somebody! Oh God, smile! You don't know that joy is a multiplier. You think the meeting is spiritual because you are frowning your face. Rejoice in the spirit. Look at you, I said rejoice. Hold on, that's Nigerian joy. How do you know Nigerian joy? It sounds like ambulance.

Even you, you know you are not happy.

Have you eaten this morning? Rejoice one more time.

Amen. Let me show you a scripture about that. Joel chapter number 1.

Let's start from verse 11. It will shock you what you will see. Joel 1 from verse 11. I want it on this screen. Look at it. Be ashamed, O ye husbandmen! Howl, O ye vinedressers! For the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, the fig tree languishes, the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, and even all the trees of the field are withered.

Why?

Because joy is withered away from the sons of men. Once joy goes out, everything starts drying up. Even to abundance— the secret of abundance in ministry, can I tell you? One of the secrets is rejoicing. Many pastors teach giving with anger.

Sorry.

'Cause you're angry.

You don't give. No! The moment negative emotion is mixed with your teaching about giving, you are looking up to the people to give. You can't look up and down at the same time. Joy is a multiplier. The third one, I will keep it in my pocket. No, no, it's a very valid principle. You don't give people what they should seek. So go and wait on God. No, I'm not joking. I went on 7 days to get the secret. You can't sit here with banga and I tell you everything. But even the Bible says the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ah, but it will amaze you how simple things like rejoicing and dancing and praising God can move your attendance from 50 to 500. Mark my words, publicity doesn't grow churches. Evangelism is not a strategy for church growth, it's for soul winning. Put a million flyers on the street of Uyghur, people will only look twice if your face rings a bell. Oh, you don't know? If you look at— if you see a Coca-Cola poster somewhere, it stays in your eyes. Coca-Cola, because you are familiar with it. Publicity doesn't buy influence. Ah, you don't know. People have entered cities and say, we'll take this city because they have millions. When they finish spending that money, now find out that, wait, there's a place of authority. Our church in Abuja grew by over 500% in 2 weeks. Not through publicity, but through a transaction between me and God in the secret place. The landlord of the venue was traveling, and before he went, they were still laughing at us that, look at the few of you in the venue that can seat 1,000. We're barely up to 50. He came back, we've had to be running 2 services in that venue. There is progress, but there is quantum leap. Okay, so I've shown you secrets. You are my brother. That's the only reason I've taught like this. One time, our ministry was always broke. I went to God in prayer. What are we not doing right? He said, teach your people to honor you. Any church where they don't honor the pastor, the pastor and church members will suffer. Can I say it again? Any church where they don't honor the pastor, both the pastor and the church members will suffer.

Oh yes.

How can you be under a man You trust God to use him to bless you, to be a covering to you, but when it gets to the subject of giving tithe, you believe someone else outside? That's double standard. People don't progress. I've learned the secret. If I lay hands on you and your life doesn't shift, the problem is not from me. We investigate. What are you not getting right? These things are not difficult. I'm gonna pray very simple prayers. I went one time to a church, a church I've been before, years back, just to say hello when I was in that city. And I went to the church, I was amazed. Why is everything like this? I went to the pastor's house, it was like a mechanic workshop. No chair. And I said, I know this church has millionaires, but no one has taught you to honor the people that God is using to bless you.

You struggle.

Those that will break the layers of this city must learn to honor those who have broken it before. Yes. Elijah leaving Elisha was suddenly. Oh yes, as they were— as day 2 went on, suddenly. That's the word you see there. So you don't have all the time to prepare to honor those you should honor. I'm not saying anybody is going to die, but if God put his servant in a city and that servant of God— God is not happy with the way person— God can call the person to another city vacancy. And that vacancy will be there. I don't run a system where your pastor is powerful only when you are not the one he's blessing. Power is not a strange phenomenon. That heart, when God deals with it, it can host God. I have experiences around God that I can't even share. I'll be everywhere on social media trending and insulting, bashing and all that, because you are trying to explain God to a generation who doesn't even know a shadow. They insult Pastor here, tomorrow they insult Baba Wale Oke tomorrow. Dr. Umar Okpaei, Bishop Oyedepo, they drag them and you, the Joshua generation that wants to receive something, will keep quiet or go under the comment and say, "Eh, I've been thinking so too." What I've done for you this morning is a lot of secret actually. I will ask you to pray a simple prayer. I'm sorry, I don't usually use my time anywhere I go to preach, but today I've taken my time. Pray a very simple prayer: Make my heart contrite. See, you pray it, break me till there's no me left. If you pray that prayer, like I said, I'm going to pray a very simple prayer. That God will introduce his glory, but it will come upon the contrite heart. So you have a minute to pray that prayer and listen to what I'm saying. There are prayers that you pray, sit there, uh, break me, there's no way. We know you don't understand what we are talking about. If you go on your knees, go on your knees. If you lay down, lay down. Give me a contrite heart that can host you. Pray that prayer like your life depends on it. Give me contrite hearts. Oh yes, Lord. Give me a contract. All right, in Jesus' mighty name we are praying. Lastly, let me tell you something. If you go and copy just what we see on social media You will struggle, alright? Because you might just say that the way Apostle Lazarus preaches is very calm, or if I use this kind of mic like this, it will trend. Listen to what I'm saying. Nobody's voice crosses any border until there is a sound. Ye yeem. Are you following what I'm saying here?

Aha.

And I'm telling you this, I want to pray for you, but I'm careful before I pray that prayer. And I'll tell you a story to show you why I'm careful. I used to have a boy who used to sing whenever I'm preaching, and that's why now we just have one of our pastors who I call. I don't do all those things. We went for a meeting somewhere. I called him in the hotel room, I said, "Nidow." I'm very careful to lay hands, that's why fathers don't lay hands on the boy. And I laid hands on him. From today, it doesn't matter how dead the atmosphere is, when you raise a sound, the glory will invade it.

Amen!

He was on the floor. We got to the meeting that night. As he raised the first sound, everywhere scattered. We finished ministry. It was a powerful ministration. He had done something wrong, so I was correcting him. Well, he had seen the manifestation. As I was correcting him, he walked out on me and slammed the door. I wanted to call him back. God said no. And he said, it's your fault. He said, I hold you responsible for that. He said, you don't promote a man I want to process before you lay hands on him. Did you ask me? I said no. He said, it's your fault. I want to pray that the glory of God comes upon your head today. But only dead men can host glory because your light can become so bright it blinds you. Next year you say, I can't come for meeting like the God, they don't have special seat for me, so I can't come, can't come. Say, do they know who I am in Uyghur?

In Uyghur?

What is Uyghur in the map of the world? If there's anybody here who is hungry for the glory of God, lift your hands where you are. Father, I stretch my hands towards these people. And ushers, whatever happens, just keep them on their seat and hold them as much as you can. Let the heavens be opened over your children. Some of them ought to be walking in the realms of encounters, deep sight with you, trance and visions. But now they've cried to you that you give them a contrary heart. It is open now. Let the glory of God, the kabod, that is a weight of both your power, splendor, and access, from my right to the middle and the left. That it doesn't matter how dead an atmosphere is, when these ones show up, power will invade everywhere. At the count of 3, let the glory rush this place. 1, 2, 3. Touch them, touch them, touch them, touch them, touch them. It's an impartation of glory, so it's heavier. So just help them sit.

Let the power of the Lord break loose in this place.

Let deep deep secret breathing upon worshipers, upon vessels, apostles here, prophets, evangelists, teachers.

Let the power of the Lord beyond human understanding find expression here. From now going forth, you become a conduit pipe of God's power and glory. The Lord is asking you to pray specifically for the impartation of the spirit of wisdom. Let it be a dominant trait here upon your life. Let it be what you carry from this place. That ancient streams flowing from the fathers that keeps the move of God fresh upon the land, let it rest upon you. I don't know who that person is, but he's touching your tongues with a coal of fire. Now when you sing, it will be You carry it strong. The days of those encounters and the manifest presence of the glory of God is back, it's back, it's back, it's back. You will no longer be locked out of the Holy of Holies. Now as we raise your hands, you will see an influx of that glory. It will cover you like a shield. The secret of wealth and finances is open up to this house. From now going forward, you know what to do. The glory of God is here. Just lift your hands and soak it in, soak it in. Just lift your voice and begin to pray in the spirit. It's a good time to soak what you have received. Lift your voice, just pray. Those of us that can, go ahead, go ahead. Femi Lazarus, you guys should help me. Go ahead. Somebody should be praying right now. Don't lose the moment. Host this thing. Host this thing. Host this thing. Soak every volume of it. Come on, come on, come on!

Go ahead, pray!