PROPHETIC SHIFT CONFERENCE 2025 || DAY 1 || APOSTLE FEMI LAZARUS || PASTOR SUNDAY OGIDIGBO

move. We moved here. Hallelujah! And the last time he was here, he also came with Pastor Miracle. Please let me celebrate the woman. When a man comes with his wife, uh, what honor! Thank you. We're so— and Pastor Timisha, good to see you. Pastor Natalie, so amazing family, and I'm so glad that I know you. That I'm connected.

Hallelujah!

Apostle is bringing to us, and please open your heart to receive the instruction of wisdom. Media, I think they have a very brief introduction, and the next voice you'll hear after that introduction will be the Apostle over the Light Nation, Apostle Femi Lazarus. There's no volume. There is no volume. Okay. Apostle Femi Lazarus is the apostle over Light Nation, and it's a church that has continued to spread his impact globally, globally. Is an author of several books, life-changing books, and then happily married to Miracle Femi Lazarus, and they are gladly raising two children. The Change Embassy, for yet again and not the last time, can we please receive the ministry of Apostle Femi Lazarus to Prophetic Shift Conference 2025?

Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord Jesus. Let's bow our heads quickly. Father, we give you praise, we give you all the honor, we give you all adoration. We thank you that tonight will be a night in our lives we'll keep making reference to. Accept all our thanksgiving in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Please, let's put our Amen. Don't mind me, um, once I stand too high, I start seeing men as trees. Please help me honor Pastor Sunday Ogidibo. I will just say this about him. There are— you can hear the message of a man and be looking for the content. That's not the way he teaches. Everything is serious. Everything. Please help me honor him. Everything. And I will, I will say this. I've seen with so much awe the spirit of wisdom in unbelievable dimension in his life. So much awe. He doesn't shout. I honor you, sir, and you know it, and I love you, sir. Please let me honor him. And I want to really thank God for the angels over this house, Dr. Bukola Williams and his dear wife. I met your wife first. It was you first. Oyu tuwa. Yes, it's been amazing all the years. I want to thank you particularly for being solid. Yes, um, there are things I can't say publicly. That night you came to our house, God had not sent you that night. Brother Net, I'm talking about my wife is seated here. What we are saying today may not be what we are saying. God sent you specifically for that purpose. If a car is moving, there is the engine that keep the car moving. The engine of our speed, our book of relationships God gives us. And I want to thank you, sir, you and your dear wife. Thank you, thank you, thank you, sir. And I want to specially honor all of God's servants in our midst this evening. Kai, whenever pastors gather for a conference like this, then the man of God is getting something right. Thank you, sirs. Thank you, sirs. Thank you, sirs. And of course, my Femi Lazarus' wife is here. Thank you. Those of you who are single, your own will come too. The loudest amen won. All right, all right. Amen. Ah, God help me, I would have been lying. It's grace. I say it is grace. It's grace. Media. This is my house, so you give me the mic. I think it's going up and down, something. Yeah, another mic. It's from tweeting. No worry. Okay, we are back. Every church— see, Pastor, me, I don't used to play video for guest again. I just use my mouth. So, and actually they are trying, they are really trying because I've served in the media for most part of my life in church. And one of the things I've learned is that media department is like ofada rice. You know the gist, no matter how much you pick it, you chop stone. So something, because you are dealing with machines that will not tell you I'm not fine. So anything can go wrong. Let's give them a big, big hand. And please help me celebrate Mama. So good to see you. She's gracious, very gracious. Okay, 54 minutes. There are many things people do here that In Abuja, I'm always scared to call for meetings. These Abuja people don't really come show up for meeting like that. But let's leave it for another day. But it's a sign that a big work has been done here to establish people. Let's give ourselves a big hand. So much work. Amazingly, In Abuja, there are just 3 ministries I've ever ministered for: yourself, Pastor, and Mike Oropu.

Amazingly.

Thank you, sirs, for the privilege. It's a privilege. Amen. So I'm just going to settle in, and the reason why I'm going to teach the way I want to teach is because I've settled in. I have a— I don't know whether it's a ministration weakness. Until I settle into a place, I can't be a thorough blessing. So I really have to settle in. Every condition has to be right. Having checked that, I decided that maybe consistent itinerant work is not much for me anymore, because I found out that the most effective place where I'm a blessing is when I've settled. So if I call for a meeting where you have 5 people who are hungry for the word, leave me with them. Those are kind of things I now enjoy to do. But I believe we are people of the word of God. Am I correct? Good. So I can go to places and minister, and you wonder, where is his anointing? Well, I've settled here, so I believe that I can be able to communicate what God wants me to communicate. Is that okay? And, um, the depth of the things that God has placed in my heart will be life-changing to answer questions. I'm telling you to answer questions, and then I'm going to now leave us to go into the practicality of these things. Is that okay? Now, when I sat down and Pastor was ministering, the Lord opened my eyes, and for the first time coming here, I saw this place, um, more like 20 times far more, and I saw people I couldn't number, and I just— yes, so, oh yes, so I'm so excited when God showed me that. Okay, this two-factor authentication, I just off this one for now, so don't worry, I know what to do in case. I've been around these things for a while, so yes. One of the ways I know that I've been able to settle into an environment is that the prophetic flows endlessly. So, um, it's done. We receive it in the name of Jesus. We receive it. We receive properties. In the name of Jesus, we receive it in Jesus' name. Hebrews chapter number 4, verse 16. Hebrews 4:16, um, very interesting scripture. Um, the Hebrews 4:16 says, let us therefore come How? Boldly. Look at it. Unto what? The throne of what? Grace. That we may obtain what? Mercy and find grace to help in time of what? Need. So, um, it means that as we appear and related with the subject of grace There is such a thing as approaching God for grace with full assurance and boldness. I want us to understand that there's a reason why this is written. If you read verse 15 of that scripture, I mean, made reference to Jesus in verse 15 of that scripture. Look at, for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the what? Feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. In verse 16, I'll say, let us now therefore come boldly. So if he's making reference to Jesus as our high priest who was tempted, checked— that's the word there— pressed on all sides, the presence of grace doesn't mean the absence of tribulation, okay? We must understand that now. And in fact, you see, there are two components that function side by side. Um, in fact, if you, if you go into the right, the, the root of the subject matter, you discover that there are a lot interlinked than what people have even discussed. And that's the subject of grace and the subject of the blessing. They are so interconnected. Okay, pay attention to this. The presence of grace in a man's life doesn't mean the absence of tribulation. Unfortunately, we have learned a version of Christianity that makes tribulation look like God is missing the equation. Grace is needed not where you are strong, but where you don't measure up. And that's why if you— for you take, for instance, you imagine the personality of Samson in the Bible. Samson, the man who killed a lion. I would say he caught a lion by the beard and then he smote the lion. King James words are very friendly. He killed the lion. Okay, at one point he used the jawbone of an ass to kill 1,000 people. At another point, he carried the entire gate, the post of a city, and placed on his shoulder. Just to show how mighty he was, he climbed the hill. If you want to imagine a man like that, you imagine a man with six-pack, imagine a man who is so big. You try to— what happens to our mind is that we always find a way where physical advantage connects to spiritual advantage.

Change.

But that's not the way grace function. Is that okay now? I, I don't, I don't know what Samson must have looked like, but understanding the way grace function, whatever is allowed in a man's life spiritually, there is a physical aspect of that that doesn't measure up. And that's why the grace comes like a garment to cover it. Have you seen people, you know there is something supernatural about their life, but you can't explain what it is, but it is producing results? And let me give you an instance. Somebody was going to start church in the city and gathered money, millions of naira, and then said that— gathered people, began to give them money, and they said, we are going to take over this city. And according to what he wanted to do, they were going to make billboards, going to pay influencers, and people will talk about the church and all those things. And it was because a man can be saying things that look like faith, but it's actually resident on the energy of the flesh. If I tell you tonight now that I'm going to give you $20,000 to go and do what you want to do, and I say I'll send it to you tomorrow morning, when you get home, you'll be the greatest man of faith. Till I fail you, before you know that you don't have faith. So there are times that people put their hope on the energy of the flesh till it fails. They now discover that they didn't have faith. You see that now? So the subject of grace that we talk about doesn't mean that there won't be issues. And God wants to clothe you in the areas that you are naked. Once you are sufficient, you don't need grace. Once you are powerful, you don't need his strength. Okay, so the grace of God comes to cover you in the areas that you don't what? Measure up. And I'm going to show you what that means now. So the guy says he's going to take over the city and all that. And you know, once you have money to share, now people collect money. He began to share money with Billboard, do all this, inflate the price. And by the time the money finishes Then he went back to seeking God. God will never give you what will sit on his throne. Can I say it again? God will never give you what will sit on his throne in your life. He will never give you what will not make you need him. So to be a person who understands the subject of grace is to be a man who is in consistent need of God. Listen to what I'm saying. Any gift, ability, talent, whatever it is a man have that puts the man in the place where he doesn't need God part-time, he has not found grace. And I told you that the subject of grace— because I'm going to show you from the Bible— is a lot interlinked with the subject of the blessing. The blessing— and this issue of grace is even causing problem. Oh yes, because some people say— I don't want to get into all that, but there's only one aspect of grace that is causing problem, and that's the grace that saves. And that's just one out of over 10 aspects of grace. So while we are fighting about the grace that saves, but there is the grace that lifts, there is the grace that prospers, there is the grace that advances, there is the grace that preserves. We'll find grace. The grace of God is his spiritual investment. I, I call grace— some people call it, um, God's riches at Christ's expense, and use the word grace as an acronym. We'll break that down. It makes a lot of sense, spiritual sense, that the things we could not have measured up to On the account of Christ's sacrificial work, we gain access to them. In Ephesians chapter number 1, verse 3, say, blessed be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who had blessed us with all, all spiritual blessings, where? In heavenly places, in Christ. So when he say he has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, look at it, in Christ. So it means that when he says that we are seated in heavenly places, we are seated in Christ. So Christ is not just a person, is a place. Are you following what I'm saying here? Are you, are you, are you learning what I'm saying? First, it's a, it's a place. So he had blessed us with all spiritual— the believer in Christ has all spiritual blessings. Let me give you a typology of spiritual blessings and Because tonight we are not— I'm not just going to teach. Faith is not in action if the believer learns in silence. To get people to walk in faith, you must get them to speak. A woman was brought— was one of my pastors happened to be close to the woman, brought her case to me, and then all the two kidneys had packed up, and they say pray for the woman. She happened to be a pastor's wife. I interacted with her on the phone and I said I didn't find life in her spirit. Mean that she's done ministry for years, she was not taking in life. You can learn to tell others and it's not staying in your spirit. If you put it in your spirit, that spirit will carry you in the days of infirmity. So I said, if I just pray like this, you die. I said, get her to sit with the word. Oh, actually you don't prepare in the battle, but there are times that just be where the life is entering your spirit. We underrate what is happening here till it is negative light entering your spirit. Much more being in God's presence. There are things you may not retain in your consciousness, but your spirit has grabbed it. Are you following what I'm saying here? So something is shifting on the inside. And then she began to listen to the word of God. Because the idea is not for me to look like a Superman, but to get the job done. And before you know it, God restored her health, was discharged from the The word of God is going to rejuvenate someone tonight. So we must get to put the word not just in our ears, but where? In our mouth. Is that okay? Now, now I want to show you something very— a typical example of spiritual blessing. There are too many things in Christ. I'm going to show you the root of that, but let me first show you from Genesis chapter number 49. And that's the blessing that was conferred. I want the media to help me get ready message translation for the next scripture, not this one. So I'll show you this one quickly. Genesis chapter number 49. There was a type of blessing that was pronounced on Joseph, and I want us to pay attention to it. He said Joseph— Genesis 49:22, Genesis 49:22. The spirit that doesn't get the believer to speak is the spirit that hinders the believer's miracle. Anything you see in the word of God, say to yourself, what did I say? Once you see that the Bible says it, say it. Faith is not believing, no. It believes in your heart. It begins in your heart. It ends on your lips. It doesn't matter how well you believe, as long as you are not speaking, it's not yours. The woman with the issue of blood didn't just touch Jesus and receive healing. She had said, she had said, once I touch him, I'll be healed. Everything you are seeing in your life now are the things you said yesterday. There's no future if you are not speaking today. Is that clear now? Very important. Look at this. Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. Yes, quickly. The archers have surely grieved him and shot at— so you see, listen to what I'm saying here. Once the hand of God, the blessing, that hand, that grace that separates men, that distinguishes men from the crowd, once it is on you, you become a target. You— so it means that the believer must be trained not just in getting blessings from God, you must learn the art of war. You've been given something, want to defend it. Oh God, I'm sorry, I didn't bargain this for this kind of war. Fight! The devil is coming after your wife, after your children. Get up on your feet and what?

Fight!

And how do you fight? Use words. How do you know that you found grace and mercy? I just released a book, a book coming next week. I titled the book The Other Side of Mercy. Mercy is not always pleasant. Was it not grace that came on David? Didn't he defend it by facing Goliath? When he faced Goliath, it was a battle of strength, but he would have to face Saul. That's the battle of wisdom. You don't run towards Saul, you run from him, cuz he's also anointed. But that's grace that separated him, and the grace put him in warfront. Can you follow what I'm saying here? Oh God, I want you to raise me, I want to do— am I in the right place here? Are you people here? How about here? How about here? Put something on my life that nobody in my village has ever entered. Okay, all the forces will just allow you go scot-free like that. The day that thing came, you have to fight. Every new dimension you receive, you must get into a warfare to manage. A friend of mine was in trouble, very big trouble, because one of the things God does with my teachings is to give people interpretation of their seasons. Every— he didn't tell me, everything was scattering. I had a meeting in UNILAG. He just said, once I go to that meeting, I will know why what is happening. So I taught a message titled Wonders in Heaven, Jewel 2. Once we finished the meeting, he came to me in my hotel room, he said now he understood what happened. He was working somewhere, something happened one strange night. The same night, Bishop David Olayidepo laid hands on him. Dr. Paul Eretie laid hands on him. Pastor Ebio Mie laid hands on him. Bishop Abioye laid hands on him same night. In fact, at some point they gathered around him and began to release words. I say you're in trouble. The devil begin to inquire, there must be something about this one. So all the forces that have been facing others that are not real threats, vacate your duty post and come on this one Now, because I just left a meeting, a young lady ran to come meet me and then said, um, I want God to— you know, sometimes I will just hear certain things, I just want to repeat it. I want God to come and, come and, uh, come and everything you have lay it inside my life. Even me, am I resting? I'm kind of in trouble. You know, I did very, very silly thing. I meet Daddy Umar Pai just there, I say, you know, say, what do you want? I want the grace of God for your life. He laugh, he said, do you know my battles? Are you ready to fight? Are you ready to fight? And if the grace of God lifts you amongst your brothers, there will be envy. Envy doesn't come when you are defeated, it comes when you are lifted. The problem is that you get too busy talking about those who are envying you that you miss the real point. Eh, they are envying me. He spoke about Joseph. He said the archers of life have grieved him. Why did they come for Joseph? He was wearing a coat of many colors. Look at it. He said, and they have hated him. People who have low self-esteem can't deal with hatred because they build their life on validation. Who must validate you, must accept me for just, just love me. Even though monkey don't find mama like him, just accept me. Doesn't work like that. Say loud and clear, I'm a force. You are not. Say, say it again. I'm a force. Let's rise on our feet just one minute. Say it again. I'm a force.

I'm a force.

I'm not afraid of battles.

I'm not afraid of battles.

Say it again. I'm a force. I'm not afraid of war. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. I run into it. I am safe. Say it again. I'm not afraid anymore. In the name of Jesus, the blessings of the Lord is upon my life. Sit for a moment. Let's, let's get into some things. Have you seen— you see, God begins to bring through dimensions. Demons begin to buffet your soul and begins to try to pressure your heart. The devil begins to tell you maybe you're a problem, maybe you are this, maybe you are that. It's the dimension of the blessing of God upon your life. Something is shifting you. Something has removed you from the class of ordinary men. It comes with fight. Let's go to that scripture. He says, because I'm about to show you spiritual blessing, he said, but his bow abode in strength. You will fight. Say, blessed be the God of David. Is, is what? Um, he strained my hands to war and my fingers to fight. His bow abode in what? Strength. The arms of his hand were made strong by the hands of the Almighty God of Jacob. From then, says the shepherd, there are, there are graces God will not place on people's life because they will rather run from battles. They're not ready to fight. There's nothing as dangerous in a man's life than when the man doesn't have desire. Just dry. Doesn't want, doesn't give, doesn't want more. They're just there. They just want to live, survive, give birth, die. That's the begotten level. You read your Bible, there are names you mention, they pause, tell about their exploits. There are names that just say that they say this begat and this begat and this begat and this begat. Because if you keep disappointing the intentions of God, He will preserve you to begot, then he will hope to start with the next generation. It means that the most important part of the person's life becomes the womb. What that means is that expiry date comes any moment from time you have done that thing. God can move from you without saying so much and hope to do what he wants to do in your children's life, and it will not come with announcement. He told Abraham, get out of your father's house, I will make you a blessing, and all that. Abraham left and went with Lot, right? When God spoke, God didn't— he didn't tell Abraham, this is what I will do to you or with you. He said, with your seed. When God speaks, pay attention to the vocabularies. When things are changing, start begging. Let's go to that scripture. He said, his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hand were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob. From then, says the shepherd, the stone of Israel. Verse 25: Even by the God of my father, who shall help thee, by the Almighty God shall bless thee with the blessings of heaven above. There's the blessings of heaven above. In Genesis 27, we call it the dew from above. It is noiseless, but it water everywhere. And also look at what— there's the blessing of the deep that lieth under. There's the blessing of the breast ever flowing. That's, that's what God multibreasted one, El Shaddai. That's the point God brings to the point of himself as the God of all sufficiency. He doesn't do that through salary. He does that when you come to the end of yourself. Are you following what I'm saying here? Every time you get to the end of your rope is an invitation to find a dimension of God you don't know before. Don't cry. Open your hearts to him. You find him. Look at it. He said he blessed you with the blessings of the breast and the— what? And of the womb. The next verse: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. Let's expound on that a bit. Look at Deuteronomy chapter number 33, still on Joseph. I read King James for a while, then we switch to Message translation. Is that okay? And now I'm going to get you to speak. Is that okay? The way you spoke, you know, I saw that the fire is in you. You have it. We're going to ignite everywhere tonight. Is that okay?

Now say, I hear.

I hear. Deuteronomy chapter number 33. Let's jump quickly and let's go to verse 13. Deuteronomy 33 from verse 13. And of Joseph he said, blessed of the Lord be his land for the precious things of heaven, for the dew and for the deep that coucheth beneath.

Yes.

And for the precious fruit brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon.

Yes.

And for the chief things of ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills.

Yes.

And for the precious things of, of the earth and fullness thereof, and for the goodwill of him that dwells in the bush. Let the blessing come upon the head of Femi Lazarus. Let the blessing come upon the head of Femi Lazarus. And upon the top of the head of him that was what? Separated from his— that's what, that's the work of grace. Grace separates you and the blessing clothes you. Now let's read from verse 13. Message translation. Let's go to verse 13. Let's start Message. Now let's get up on our feet. Now I'm going to show you how to read this and personalize it to yourself. Is that okay? Now that's how we draw our identity from the word of God. Now what's the first name there? That's Femi Lazarus. Can you see it? No. Is your name in the Bible? Is your name not taken? Femi Lazarus. Look at it. Blessed by God be my land. Say it again. Blessed by God be my land. The best fresh dew from high heaven and fountains springing from the hills and fountains springing from the depths. The best radiance streaming from the sun and the best the moon has to offer. The next verse. Beauty pouring off the tops of the mountains and the best from the everlasting hills. The best of earth's exuberant gifts. The smile of the burning bush dweller. All these on the head of Femi Lazarus. And on the brow of the consecrated one among his brothers. It's a dimension of blessings that everything is predetermined by God to produce in my direction its strength. Oh, this city is dry for some, it produce for me. Oh, nothing dies in my hands. I said nothing dies in my hands. Things are hard for some. Everywhere I step, the sole of my feet takes— I carry the dimension of God's blessing. It produces, it yields. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Sit for a moment. There are dimensions of The presence of grace on a man's life in itself is invisible, but the manifestation of grace is glaring to all. You see certain things, you don't even understand why. In fact, let me tell you something, the people that you see God blessing, I don't know why he's blessing them, are those you're afraid of. It means there's something they know and there's something God has seen that is making them do it. Do you understand what I'm saying here? It's invisible. When a man is blessed, it's not written on his forehead. When a man is cursed, it's not written on his forehead. I know this man now.

What are you doing? Yes.

It's not written on his forehead, both the blessing and the curse. But the manifestation is there. Cain said, with this word I'm carrying, anyone that sees me want to hurt me. There's what you carry, people see you and they want to harm you. Nobody is just favorably disposed. They are not there when the words were spoken, but they react to what was said. And I want to tell you, be intentional about the blessing. If people say words as simple as God bless you, if you understand the power of God's word, grab it. We— our consciousness is not so much ingrained on the blessing like it is on curses. If I, if I hold the mic now and say you are blessed, it's normal. If I say you are cursed, it will be everywhere on social media tonight. Apostle Lazarus came to our church and guess what he said? He cursed me. If you will be that loud about the blessing, do you not think you will walk in it? You make an altar call for those who are having generational curses, they come out. We bless them, they call for another altar call for generational curses, they still come out. They are refusing for the curse to go. What about those who are here who are blessed? They are not sure. Our mind is so fixed on negativity, and that's why negative news flies. The problem and the reason why many believers are living in defeat is the focus of their minds. They've not been trained to fix that mind. Your mind will wander. You have to set it on certain things, and it takes discipline. I have to make sure anything that looks like defeat, I don't watch, I don't listen to. I would never— anything that doesn't end well, I will not watch it. You know, your mind starts wondering and say, what if? And what if? Even hypothetically, I can't fail. Say it again: the gene I carry is not permitted to fail. Say it again! The gene I carry— —is not permitted to fail. Say that again! The gene I carry is not permitted to feel bad. Again! The gene I carry is not permitted to fill up there's no failure of my consciousness. There's no failure at my mind. There's no failure in my vision. There's no failure in my future. There's no failure on today everything I do.

Everything I am doing will succeed. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you very much for your time this morning.

God bless everyone who joined us online too. And thank you so much for being here tonight.

We're going back home now but before then let me just say something about our church family because if anyone has any question or comment please put them down below in the comments section underneath these videos and ask questions from anywhere around the world through Facebook Messenger WhatsApp chat groups all over Africa and beyond. So when they come out tomorrow Works.

evening 6 PM Nigerian Standard Time which means Nigeria standard times zone one hour ahead There's no what if it doesn't work. It works. Everything I see, once that becomes a consciousness, you won't— you can't be a man of faith and your lingua doesn't change. Have you been to environment that people, people interact with defeat? They interact, they gist about it. You say, ah, when something bad happened, that's, that's their lingua. They are so— because you can have home training and not have world training. So defeated in their consciousness. They like people that will tell them that things are hard. Those are their realistic people. People that will tell them that this place you have to struggle for like 10 years. And that's why in Nigeria, if you prosper on time, they believe you are either a ritualist or a Yahoo guy. Are there all girls? Oh, there are. Oh yes, come to— I won't tell you where. Say it again. I can feel everything I touch works. Everything I do works. The blessing of God is upon my life. It's not enough that it is said. You must be conscious of it. God had to engineer Abraham's consciousness. Look to the stars now. If you can count them, look to the stars. I'm going to show you something. So the, the, the— when that grace upon a man is not— you don't write it there. Some of the wealthiest people I have around my life, you see them, you think they're Uber drivers. One of them was sharing something very strange with me, and that's why we must humble ourselves in this life, very humble. You see, grace flows in the direction of humility. He gives grace to the humble. I'm going to tell you why that works. Well, God gives grace to men through men. This man is a friend of mine, solid guy, billionaire. I mean talk about. He was in a meeting. I just— God just laid in his heart to sow a seed of $50,000 to the man of God that was ministering. I didn't tell him, and I know the man of God ministered. He need— he needed money. You give him $5K, he's made. He just walk up to me and say, how are you doing, sir? Please, please, can I just get your number? So I want— he says, I don't give another. Let me tell you something. If you're an arrogant person, the day your breakthrough will come, you cannot be humble because your default setting is arrogance. That's why God resists the prayer. Anything you allow your life to be settled on— see, see, there's no loco. When Abraham said, go and get a wife for a baker for Isaac, say The servant prayed, and what he prayed about was the manifestation of the core values in Abraham's family. And I'm going to talk about that— his hospitality. He said, let the woman that will come— because the woman must— we cannot be training at the home training of that place now, but somebody who was trained in that regard— let the woman feed both the camel— camel drink a lot of water— and myself. Be the one. If a baker had been a saucy, rude girl. She will be rude that day. You can be praying for something and with your hand you are capturing it. It's called self-sabotage. The blessing you are crying out can come— no, we no man after the flesh. Many of the things God want to do in your life, you can destroy just the way you talk. Me, when I'm angry, I talk. I say, clap for Gino, clap for Gino, clap for Gino. I don't look at anybody's face. I fear only God. Those are languages you find around small men. Wherever you see greatness, they understand the value of people even when they don't look like it. Your boss will say, Ashon la kol eyon la. Femi Lazarus say no, people don't look like it, but that thing just come and say you are the one. And separated for this, and that's it. The reason why God puts grace in unlikely place, so that all glory can go to him. Nobody can look at your life and say, I made this person. Are you following what I'm saying? I want to show you a few things. Now look at this. Grace is the invisible force of favor, preference, and the backing of heaven upon a man's life. It's the invisible force of favor, God's preference. I chose this one. The children be not yet born, Romans chapter number 9, neither having done good or evil, but that the purpose of God according to election might stand. God said, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. He said they've not— it's not like they both did anything at the time God made his own choice. So the election of grace was an election you couldn't have campaigned for. Hmm. In Jeremiah 1:5, before you were born, your womb, before you were formed, I knew you. So there was nothing you did to end God's election. There was nothing you could have done. It was just an election of what? Grace. Right now you could have been where they are smoking. And that's why you don't go out and look at those people who are doing all those stuffs. Do you know what I'm talking about? Those— some of you have been there before, right? So are smoking shisha. Um, why are you looking at me like that? Um, one, one time like that, I was very sick on campus, so my roommate Knowing I'm a pastor now, because I was trained up, they set me up and said there's something they know that if you drink it, that you will not throw up again. So they now give me— yeah, they gave me— they gave me something they call Calypso. So yeah, some of you don't know what Calypso is. Don't bother knowing. So I drank it. Actually, I did not say, toh, if it's going to work very well, you have to step it down with palm wine. So I was, yeah, I was in trouble, so I drank it. But I had to travel home. So, but I now noticed that the train didn't stop. Ah, so I was on the bus. I said, park, I want to— I didn't know as I was talking, my mouth was oozing off. So they thought I was drunk. The bus zoomed off. My load was inside, everything, as I was left on the— I'm the one preaching the gospel today. So don't look down on people. The drunkard today can be your husband tomorrow. No, maybe your— even your spiritual father. Because grace pick people from the back, from the back, and put them in the front. That's grace. And you can't— you— can you ask God why he leaves a man? Who are you to ask him? What impudence is that? You can't ask him. God can do something. The person like— can you feel the person doesn't— is not qualified for it? Huh? Why should he be the one that will marry that sister? Why, Lord? Why not? Why not me? God just say, pick 10. You know what I mean? Pick 10 years in waiting field. Grace is God's preference. You could not have earned it. To walk in grace is to walk in the invisible force of God's backing. God just say, I want to back this one. And make you my own. When God backs a man, nothing can stop the man. I didn't hear amen to that. Now, to get this right, there's something called dispensational theology. That's studying the activities of God across different dispensations. Some theologians believe that it changes, it varies, and all those things. But the nature of God has always been constant. The manifestation across dispensation changes. Because of their level of exposure, understanding, and growth. God has always been the God of all grace, even in this dimension of law. I'm going to show you from the Bible. He gave law to them, to show them the need for grace, that you could not earn God's approval through trying to measure up. So law was a schoolmaster. Even in the dispensation of law, he introduced himself to Moses. As the God of grace. So the Israelites had law, but in relationship with God there was grace. Let me show you in the Bible. Exodus chapter number 33. Are you getting something? Exodus chapter number 33. Oh, thank you, Lord Jesus. So Moses began to cry to God about certain things. In verse 11, Bible says, God spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh to his friend. In verse 13, Moses began to cry. He said, now therefore I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way. Look at it. That I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider this nation is your people. And look at what the Lord said, my presence shall go with thee and I will give you rest. And then Moses began to ask again in verse 16, for wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found what? Grace in thy sight. The word grace there is the word khane. Khane, yeah, that's the pronunciation. Khane. Now it, it means favor, it means kindness. The grace you find in 1 Corinthians 13 is charis, but they mean similar things, just Greek and Hebrew. But look at in Genesis— Exodus, for when God introduced himself to him. Exodus 34, when God introduced himself to him. We're going to jump for the sake of time to verse 5. And the Lord descended. Exodus 34:5. The Lord descended, what, in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God. And what do we go to obtain in Hebrews 4:16? Mercy. And what? Grace. That's who he has always been. Listen, there are things that God ha— or God is but your maturity can't do it. He's always been the God of grace. That's always what he wanted to do. There are things— read your Bible. God did not present himself as one who doesn't have struggles. God struggled in the Bible. He struggled to take the Israelites to the promised land. He couldn't. All the generations that left Egypt had to die because they were deformed on the inside. You could get them out of Egypt, you can't get Egypt out of them. It took God time. One time God told Moses, let me wipe them out. Moses said, if you do that, they will say you brought them out, you couldn't take them to the promised land. God heard and said, I repent. God can struggle with you. It's powerful everywhere else but in your life. A pastor can be anointed everywhere else but towards certain members. Why? Because posture determines inheritance. Posture. I am the Lord God of grace. And the Israelites were basking, trying to fulfill the demands of the law. So to understand grace is to know the nature of God. That's who he is. He's always been merciful, he's always been kind, he's always been benevolent, he's always been the loving Father. And that's why you read 2 1 Corinthians 13 say the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. God, God gives love. For God so loved the world, he is love. Grace, Christ, the Holy Ghost, koinonia. Broke it down. Religion makes you perceive God as brutal, the God who wants to kill you. And that's why you have a child, the child sees you, the child loves you, run towards you, and all that. You become favorably disposed towards that child. There's a kind of training that child will receive. Are you sad? The child becomes respectful but loses the sense of cordiality. I'm sitting down, I say, God wants to be related to— he wants you to relate with him. A child doesn't grow up in the sight of the parent. He wants you to come boldly. The picture of grace is what you saw in Genesis 27. Jacob took— please come, sir. Your suit, will it be easy to remove? Okay, please help me. Who is not wearing suit? Everybody's wearing suit. Please, sir, come. This was the coat of an animal, huh? Who killed the animal? Rebecca killed the animal and put the skin on Esau, on Jacob. On the basis of this now that looks like Esau, Jacob came boldly before Isaac to obtain. Isaac touched him. It was not Jacob he touched. He touched what died. We are put on Christ. It was a typology of what will happen. He touched it. The Bible said he smelled the smell of his raiment. What was his raiment? What died. And then said, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. The Lord then make you a ruler over this. I'm going to release them. That's, that's what we have. We have put on Christ. He said, this is the voice of Jacob, but the person— is flesh of Esau. It's the voice of Femi Lazarus, but the person of Christ. That's the picture when we're in front of our Father, that we can— say it again— we can come boldly. I don't know what may happen, only God knows tomorrow. Has no boldness. Prophecy has many parts. One is to foretell, another one is to create by speaking. Say, I receive. You can give him back his. And that's why you see that after several decades, when Jacob later stood before the angel, the same question was what he asked him. What's your name? The last time you had this posture, you gave a wrong name. 30 years after, I want to ask you the same question. Just like writing an exam question. It's not even a question. Write your name. You went to write the name of someone else, all the answers you get is not for you. So the result he was getting in his life was the result of Esau. You won't fail. Listen to this. To understand grace is to know what the nature of God, regardless of dispensation, whether function of human government, of the law, or whatever we call them, God has always been the God of all grace. That's what he was doing in Abraham. He separated him. And that's why when I came and Pastor was preaching, where I said, oh God, This is so prophetic. He separated him from his idolatrous roots. What was God doing with Abraham? Simple— Christ. The, the— what's the substance of the Abrahamic blessing? Christ. The reason why they were blessed— listen to what I'm saying because this is where I'm going— the reason why Abraham was the way he was, the reason why the Philistines would dig well and not find water, Isaac would dig and find water, was because they were the lineage exempted. The end of that lineage is Christ. Anyone who gives his womb to bear the agenda of God gets the blessing. That's the reason. Nothing else made Abraham different. The content of the blessing— he said, the Lord will bless you with the dew from above and the fatness of the earth.

Christ.

And I'm going to show you something quickly as I tie what I'm saying up now, because you have to pay attention and to understand this. Because that thing that was placed on Abraham, that ex— that's grace. That's— it may be because of— that's grace. But that grace was— that, that blessing was tied to solid practices And this is where we lose believers. You pay attention to Abraham's life. He was a man that was covenant-minded. One time, was it Genesis chapter 13? Now Genesis 13, yes. The Bible said there arose strife between the headmen of Lot and the headmen of Abraham. So headmen crisis is It's old. Anywhere there is herdsmen, there's going to be problem. But you're— sometimes I drive in Abuja, I say, why are cows everywhere? But it is what it is. So look at what Abraham said. He said, Lot, there should be no strife between us. That's covenant. People who know covenant don't fight. And I've said it, the reason why people— some of you Christians, you are only gentle in church. If people post what you don't like online, you are— you have a pastor, you carry your name and go and be insulting people. You type comment, insult them, bash them. It's because that name is not powerful. It's not a name that opens doors. You never see people whose name has power throw it anyhow or do things that will stain it. Just go and throw words. That's not the way it works. Those who understand the blessing don't strive. People are seated in church, this generation needs to learn. As long as the message make them happy, they like the pastor till he tells them deal with this aspect of your life. People want to be living couple's life when they are not married. One time like that, I was on campus, I moved to a new house. A girl was in the drama department of the church with another brother, and they were living together. They were not married. Then the girl now said that God told her— because me, I didn't have money, do you get that? Whenever she come— she's the daughter of a politician, a very big— that when she buys milo, all those stuffs, that God said she'll be divided into two and give me. I said, if you give me this, I'll not be able to preach well, because I want to be able to declare the counsel of God with my full chest. So I thought, this is the reward of iniquity. People are enjoying yourself upstairs, but me, I'm eating below. I'm taking bread, I'm taking all those things. That's what this generation wants. Pastor me, but don't correct me. Don't, don't do all those things. And they don't do well. The pastor is anointed everywhere else but in their life. When you dishonor a person, the person becomes small to you. Not small actually, but small to you. To you. They speak, you will need more than 10 prophets to agree on your matter. It's not that difficult. It's your posture. It's not, it's not tough. And I've seen that when you, when you make declaration about people who understand the weight of your words, it happens. You train yourself to value your pastor's words. You sit down with it and say, this is my own pastor and my prophet. And listen, you learn it because of the day your life will depend on it. Well, one time, me, that's— there are many things I don't do. A pastor was— a woman gave birth in the church, and then pastors went to greet the woman, and they had to That's love. They put food for them in the dining. The pastors sat together and ate. The woman was watching the video of the naming ceremony and was mocking the pastors. I said, see your pastors as they are eating, I bet. People who have sharp mouth, people who are not gracious. I've seen people that are not— Bible say it is better to dwell in the corner of a door than to be with a contentious woman. There are people that if they are cooking in the kitchen, everybody will collect. Don't will insult and yap. By the time the food is ready, you are filled. Very, very wicked with words. I take his food, you know how to eat. I take. That's why I don't— I really don't like to go and visit you. I don't know what I'm going to see. The last time I went, they gave me on Christmas Day about an egg. So I just said that you've said it all. I know I'm not supposed to come here again, so Oh yes, it's more than 15 years. I've never stepped that place again in my life, God forbid. Are you following what I'm saying? So the woman was insulting the pastor and said, see your pastor, chop like bed. But the first daughter I had, so when the pastors came for visitation, the girl was the one that opened the door. I ran back inside and called the mom, and that's how we got to know that the No, it's not like I was there. I wasn't there. I'm not among the pastors. Said the pastors you said are eating like bed have come. If they serve you food, the woman, 2 Kings 4, the Bible call her the great Shunammite woman. She said, I perceive that this is Emmanuel. I perceive, I perceive, I perceive. And made— she— I, I was in a place to go and minister, not in this country. I now called the host minister. I say, because I saw I've had problem this recent time on social media. Maybe whoever is the head of your welfare, maybe the husband is a music minister or something, because I don't know, it's like they've been planning that when I come, I will be dealt with. They've been planning. See, whoever is in charge of my— I said, I said, I'm being singled out for attack. I had to call the host. I said, how much did you book my flight to this country and the hotel? I said, let me pay back so I can just go. I didn't want to preach. I didn't want to preach there. So I just said, I'm just going to teach and move away. It is not everyone that can undo honor. There are people who are dark on the inside, and that's why they are not blessed. You must understand, honor is Abrahamic. See, listen to what I'm saying. If people that God has sent to you are always cringing and crying around you, something's wrong. I was telling the church that when Paul said to the Corinthian church that I seek to know nothing among you save Christ and Him crucified, that's not ministry model. He said— why didn't he tell the Ephesians that? He told the Corinthian because of the kind of people they were. They were wicked people. If he preach now, they say that's why we like Apollos. So he said, I didn't want to know anything amongst you save Christ. If your pastor doesn't want to know anything save Christ and him crucified, something is wrong. Now we have to get that right. Honor is Abrahamic. So there are cultures attached. So Abraham said to Lot, let's not 5. He said, pick anywhere. If you go to the right, I'll go to the left. You go to— I said, I said, he said, my time is up. So Lot pick place by sight, well-watered land of Sodom, before it was destroyed. When Lot pick, God now said to Abraham, look from where you stand, north, east, west, south, as far as your eyes can see. I'll give you. You are the plan, not Lot. There are people God will separate from you. You are not to cry. Don't insist on keeping your Lot. The message Lot needs is not loyalty. The message he needs is that which you want to do, do it quickly. Oh, sorry. There are people who need to leave you. Don't, don't retain every— okay, so Sorry, this is not ministers' conference. There are people— when a fisherman throws the net into the sea, he will catch snakes too. And when you are sorting the fish, the snake will strike you. You don't know. There are people that you welcome in your church as first-timers, another pastor is saying, thank God they have gone. Particularly this Abuja. One time a pastor saw somebody with me, and I went to go and call pastor. I said, that person you saw, I said, you— I said, pastor, you were pitying me. The pastor, he said, ah, is this your— Yeah, I— he looked at the wife, shook the head, he looked at— ah, I knew he was saying, God will help her, Pastor, God will help. I had to call him. I said, Pastor, say the way you pity— I know, all is well. After a few weeks, I knew why he pitied me. I now call her, I say, ah, I understand. I say, let me wrap up now. I want to just show you 3, 3 powerful practices you find in the Abrahamic lineage. Number 1 is covenant-mindedness. Number 2 is sacrifice. Sacrifice. Genesis 22, you can read from verse 1 to 12. God told Abraham, go and sacrifice Isaac, your only son whom you love. And when Abraham raised his knife to slash the throat of Isaac, God now said, now I know you fear me. There are things God will not conclude about you because your heart is good. You must have practices, and he say, okay, now I can trust you. Oh yes. Number 3, very important practice is hospitality. It's part of the Abrahamic Part of the Abrahamic practice. You can read Genesis chapter number 18. First one, covenant-mindedness, Genesis 13. Second one, sacrifice, Genesis 22. Third one, hospitality, Genesis chapter number 18. Abraham saw some— the Bible says it was the appearance of the Lord at the plains of Mamre, but they came as men. And Abraham said, let's make something, and Sarah didn't argue. That's why she's our mother of faith. She didn't argue. It was a culture in the house. At her age, she quickly dressed something and prepared for them. They— listen to what I'm saying now— they had needs. When those men ate, they said, by this time next year, Sarah will be with a child. They passed through tests and tests and tests. The final test was the test of honor. What about the woman, the grace number? She was— the way she was hosting the servant of God was not to receive anything. No, it took Elisha investigating what her need was. She was doing it because that's who she was, that's her nature. There are people that they— have you seen when people sow seed and retrieve the seed back? They said, sir, the other time when I saw you in that meeting and I gave you that something, I was trusting God for something, so it actually didn't come. So God told her that I didn't put— so God told me that I didn't put in a fertile land. So, so the end result of that question is that I've come to retrieve— have you seen members that have issue with their pastor and they will retrieve their tithe and offering and say, calculate all my tithe and offering? You know, mathematically, it's not every number that is really a number. There are negative integers. 1, 2, 3, you can have 100, but the number 99, there is minus 99. That one can take away all the— let's leave it. You know, I wish I've been in Abuja before I came to Abuja. Come to Abuja, I say go and take OT. Operation amanoa. You have to live in Abuja. Listen, don't be like that. Be a person of honor. Why is that important? Everything God is doing on earth yesterday, today, and tomorrow is tied to Abrahamic project. I'll show you a text and I leave. Deuteronomy chapter number 8 is a text that many of us read, but you have to pay attention to something very important there. Deuteronomy chapter number 8, we start, we read verse 18. Listen to what he said. Deuteronomy 8:18, he said, but thou shalt remember. Let's read together. 1, 2, 3, go. Thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is he that what give it the power to what? Get wealth, that he may what? Establish the covenant which he swear unto thy fathers as it is this day. Who is the father he swore covenant to? Abraham. Listen to what I'm saying. One of the ways to enter into a realm of unending flow is when what you desire is beyond you. The moment all your needs are tied to you— house for you, husband, wife— God is not obligated to be tuned till his agenda is ingrained in it. He's looking for people that will be extension— listen to what I'm saying— of his activity on the earth. As the earth is rounding up, God wants to bless men. He wants to release supernatural ideas. He wants to. Those of the other faith understand, they understand our agenda. Believers don't. That's why they are strong. You may not see them insulting the imams and say they, they, they, they, they are raising seed and say people should give to us a project because the people are trained naturally to give. The core tenet of those of the other faith is built on knowledge. Not miracles. So they are— they grow with a martyrdom spirit. They grow with the art of sacrifice. They understand once you call yourself by a name attached there, their bowels of compassion open. Give a believer open door, they can kill you there. Tell you a story and I round up. I think Apostle was sharing this story. Was in Kenya. Okay, no, I think Bishop Julian Kulian was sharing with him, went to Dubai and, um, saw a place. The place— we thought the place they were was an hotel. People were coming and eating, everything. Yeah, you saw the story. Reception, everything like an hotel. Only to find out that it was not an hotel, it's the house of the man they were talking to. Said, this your house? Yes. People are coming in here eating and going Say yes. And changing clothes, say my house normally every day people come, they eat free food, they can change their clothes, and then they go back. Then the Muslim man was surprised that, but you are a pastor, you mean you guys don't do it? Why should God bless you? You don't need too much to survive, so why should he bring to the point where it doesn't finish? If all that is a project in your mind now is about you. There are many of God's children who will never learn his word enough to walk in dominion. He's looking for those that will give them a soft landing. That's why he wants to bless you. All his agenda on earth now is Abrahamic. Bow your heads. Repent from thinking and living for yourself alone. And ask God, I lay my heart bare before you tonight. If you will trust me with this, Lord, help me to be consumed with your need on the face of the earth, and I will carry your burden as mine. I will carry your intentions as mine. I will carry the desire to see your kingdom established as mine. And pour your grace upon my life. Lift your voice and pray.

Let's go ahead and pray. I live beyond myself.

Pray.

Equip me to live beyond myself.

Jesus, thank you, Father. For in Jesus' name we have prayed. Amen. Hallelujah!