EXERCISING BIBLICAL FAITH IN TIME OF ADVERSITY – PART TWO

Beloved friends, once again, I’m glad to meet YOU on this platform. Thank YOU that YOU have been very consistent in listening to us. please it will give us joy if all the effort we make to bring messages to YOU will translate into YOU knowing  our LORD JESUS CHRIST. That will be the fulfillment of our joy; that will mean that the effort we are making is yielding: the effort we make yields fruit, because that is our aim…to enable you hear the word of GOD and respond to it. So hearing is not is not enough, but doing. We encourage you to take necessary action from the Word of GOD. Take decision as we demand because that’s what people have done and are getting it right in their lives.

Again today we want to complete the message we started previously on Exercising Biblical Faith in Time of Adversity.

EXERCISING BIBLICAL FAITH IN TIME OF ADVERSITY

We stopped at a point, last week; today, we will complete it.

Let us pray.

Heavenly FATHER, The FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST,  thank YOU for you’re ever-present with us. And thank YOU for how YOU have kept this program going. Thank YOU that YOU have always supplied the necessary resources to go on air and reach more people. And I do pray, LORD, that this messages will impact lives: will bring light into the life of people and caused them to know YOU, for we are true, we are not charlatans – as we are not false. We know what YOU have done in our own lives; and we want it replicated them in other people’s lives. It will do them good when they receive YOU as their LORD and Savior, and it set the part to obey YOU. Thank YOU FATHER. Thank YOU FATHER. Let the entrance of YOUR Word bring light to our hearers…in the Mighty Name of JESUS CHRIST.

Last time we did explain that adversity, as is written in Merriam Webster, instance or state of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune. We had it in Nigeria; then this COVID-19 came and complicated it. Right now, we are in a period of adversity, and no person will deny that we are. A few people in the political class may not be, but because everything is not rosy for every person…after they cannot travel easily now. They are also in a period of adversity. You know every person is taking care, wearing mask, wearing face cover, being careful of where to be seen so that you will not contact disease: this deadly disease. It is only GOD that has saved us in Africa. It’s only GOD; and we owe HIM thanksgiving. We owe HIM thanksgiving.

Please I want to advice our readers, please wherever you are raise your hand in praises to Almighty GOD who has delivered us in Africa from the predictions of the West. They plotted their graph and their bars and they said Africa will be littered with corpses. But GOD has defeated their predictions. GOD brought their prophecy to nothing. It is not because we are a people of GOD, it is only by the mercies of our GOD that we have survived. The consequent adversity and hardship as a result of this will come and go. We will also go through it.

Beloved friends, remember that last time we said, if you faint… we from Proverbs 24:10, that it we faint, if we faint, if you become discouraged in the season of adversity then your strength is small. But you cannot continue to be in a state of small strength when GOD has provided us avenue to be strengthened in the inner man. The Bible charges or said, be strong in the LORD and in the power of HIS might.

Friends, you can be strong in a season of adversity, in a season of trouble; you can be strong in GOD. It depends on what you make out of the Words you hear on daily basis.

Friends, the place we stopped last time was where we said there are four things David did.

1. David had confidence in GOD. And we did say that it is impossible for you to have confidence in a person you do not know very well. It is when you get acquainted with a person you get to know his ability, you get to know what he can do, you get to know his integrity: he is a person that speaks and keeps his word. GOD is not a man that HE should lie. GOD speaks…and HE even says, who is he that speaks and it comes to pass when the LORD has not given approval. Men will speak, men may have even good intention. They will promise, but because do not have power of life they may fail or they do not know what will happen tomorrow because the tides may change. The reason for which they make promises will fail, but GOD is not like that. So having confidence in GOD is predicated on knowing HIM – knowing GOD – having a knowledge if GOD.

And how do you get to know GOD? The whole of the attributes of GOD are contained in this book of life the bible what it can do. One of the days JESUS revealed HIMSELF to the disciples. They didn’t know HIM to that extent.  They just knew HIM as a miracle worker. But they didn’t know that HE is a person that can speak to the wind and speak to storm and they will hear.

Friends, GOD JESUS our LORD can speak to your adversity, can speak to your own situation. I tell you that, because I’m a recipient of it. HE can speak to your own situation or circumstance and that situation will hear. JESUS said to the wind, peace be still, and everywhere became quiet. And the disciples turn to themselves, what manner of man is this; or who is this, who can this be that even the wind and the seas hear HIM?

So friends, you get to know JESUS through studying the Bible: know what HE can do, HIS person, HIS likes, HIS dislikes, HIS ability. As you do so you develop confidence in HIM. You know that HE’s a person that speaks and promises, and HIS Words are law. Do you know that JESUS is a King? HE rules by law. HE rules by law! When HE says, no weapon fashioned against you shall prosper, that is a law; that is a law saying that, any weapon brandished against you will not prosper.

So the church ought to be confident even at this time. All over the place people’s hearts are failing them, telling them that we have been circled, we have been engrafted, we are all that. Fear! Fear! Fear!

Friends, we have a GOD. When HE stands up and speak every person will hear, including the adversary — including the enemy.

2. Communion with GOD. David had a habit of communion with GOD. That’s the secret place. It ensures protection. It ensures inner strength. It fortifies you.

I want to refer you to Psalm 91 psalm.

¹ He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

³ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
⁴ He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
⁵ You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

Belong friends, many of us do not have a lively communion with GOD. Even as a family get to commune with GOD. Get to commune with GOD. Get to commune with GOD, you will become calm and composed any day any time, that will ensure successful life in time of adversity.

3. Crying out to GOD…and of course I mean in prayer. Crying out to GOD in prayer. Crying out to GOD in prayer – all manner of prayer: supplication, enquiry, petition, intercession and even spiritual litigation. Don’t you know that you can take someone to court: GOD’s court. That’s litigation. You can take a situation to court. The church in Nigeria we’ll take this situation to court of GOD and leave it there. Our GOD is a GOD of Justice. HE will give us justice.

That’s another angle in prayer. Spiritual litigation. If you’ll like to know more of that you get to us.

Psalm 27:7-9

⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
⁸ When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
⁹ Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.

Crying out to GOD through prayer is another way you go through this adversity. You cry unto GOD, GOD will answer, no manipulation. But in realignment of your will to that of GOD.

Not quite a long time ago…one day I was praying and crying out to GOD, will YOU abandon me in United Kingdom? The LORD said, why will you not accept my will? I have told you I will take you home when it is safe. I repented and said to the LORD, I accept YOUR will. I had peace and joy. And sure, when it was safe HE brought me back to Nigeria.

Your tear will not be in vain…in the Name of JESUS. I do not know what you are crying for. I declare to YOU that the LORD JESUS has heard your cry. If you have not cried before go home and cry to HIM, HE will hear YOU; HE will hear you. Prayer is a weapon against fear and against the devil. Crying unto GOD is a healthy habit. When you cry before GOD you will not cry before the Devil. Did you hear me? I said, when you cry before GOD you will not cry before the Devil, rather you will rejoice before the Devil.

After I had cried unto GOD I came back home and sat in my parlor and began to laugh at the devil, I began to mock him. I said, devil, where are you? You said I will die in a foreign land, but I’m here now in my house: here now in my house sitting in my parlor. Shame unto you. I began to sing, Satan shame unto you, all power belongs to GOD. Satan shame unto you, all power belongs to GOD. That will be your song in this adversity. You will go through it…in the name of JESUS.

Learn to cry unto GOD, and you will not cry before the Devil.

Lastly, is Courage of the Godly. the Godly take courage. The Godly is courageous.

Psalm 27:14

Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

This  adversity will come and go; wait on the LORD. Don’t kill yourself; don’t get discouraged; and die; don’t say your own world is the worst. Wait upon the LORD, HE will soon deliver you…in the Name of JESUS CHRIST.

Hear the word of GOD in Isaiah, the Book of Isaiah

Isaiah  40:29

He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.

O shout hallelujah: to those who have no might, HE increases strength. My GOD will increase your strength. Wait on the LORD. Wait through fasting and prayer. A courageous heart waits patiently. One of the prophet said, if adversity tarries wait for it to come and pass. GOD is coming.

If the vision tarries, wait. GOD said to Joshua, be strong and courageous, do not shake. See the Egyptians you are seeing today in a short time you will see them no more again.

I have good news for those who have been waiting and trusting GOD, your sickness is over…in the Name of JESUS CHRIST. JESUS CHRIST my Master heals you now. Receive your healing in the Name of JESUS CHRIST. The tenure of that problem has been terminated in your life…in the Name of JESUS. The sentence of death over your life is disannulled…in the name of JESUS CHRIST. You are stepping out of this adversity strong…in the Name of JESUS CHRIST. this plague shall come and go, and you will know the power of GOD in the name of JESUS CHRIST.

Let us pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly FATHER, thank YOU for YOUR words to Your people. I pray, LORD GOD Almighty, that the entrance of the Word will give Your people hope, and they will go through time of adversity, trusting YOU, and knowing who YOU are…in JESUS Mighty Name we pray. Amen!