Pastor Biodun Soderu @ Sunday first service
Pastor Biodun Soderu has urged all believers to always hold on to God’s word over their lives and run with it until it becomes manifest. He said this at Sunday’s first service held at The Fountain of Life Church on July 24, 2022.
According to him, when a believer continuously declares God’s words over his or her life, not minding their current situations, such a believer will eventually end up being great. “Every time God speaks the word and you proclaim it, you become great,” he said.
Citing John 1:1-3 and 12-13, Psalm 68:10, and Ephesians 1:6, the clergy stated that the Word of God is not devoid of power, but believers are the ones who don’t eat the Word enough to become flesh in them.
Also reading from Genesis 1:1-3 and Joshua 1:8, Pastor Soderu said that creation was made by the Word and will continue to be made by the Word. According to him, “The world was made by the Word and so is whatever you are believing God for; it is in the Word. Creation has not stopped, so you can create your world by the Word.”
He, therefore, urged his listeners to avoid using harsh words because it would count against them. “God has given us the Word and it is meant to be meditated upon. It is only the Word of God that remains forever. So be mindful of what you say. Your word is either moving you forward or taking you backward,” he said.
FACING YOUR SWELLING OF JORDAN
Pastor Mary Fayemi @ Sunday second service
Speaking from Jeremiah 12:1-5, Pastor Mary Fayemi, while giving the message during the July 24 Sunday second service, said that challenges seem to be the order of the day in the world and especially in Nigeria, but that believers should not let that weigh their hearts down so much that they would forget that God is still ruling in the affairs of all men.
In her words, “The little things we face every day make us feel intimidated, but God is saying that those things are like the footmen described to Jeremiah; they should not make us forget God.”
She likened the various challenges confronting the world to the swelling of Jordan, noting that they are inevitable, especially for believers. She further noted that such challenges should not be enough reason for believers to turn their backs against the Lord. “There will come a time in your life when you see something that seems bigger than you; would you then turn your back against the Lord because of such challenges?”
Also speaking from Luke 18:1, Proverbs 24:10, Isaiah 40:29-31, Joshua 1:8, Hebrews 10:25, and 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, Pastor Fayemi highlighted the lack of dwelling in God’s word, not connecting with the Lord and meditating on His word, neglecting the assembly of one another, among many others, as reasons why believers get weary and faint in the days of adversity. “If you faint at a time like this, it means that you are not connecting with the Lord because He is the One that renews strength,” she said.
The clergy admonished that believers should not faint in the days of adversity. According to her, challenging times are when believers should be closer to God, trusting Him to bring them out. “If there are no battles, there are no crowns. People want the glory without fighting the battles. It doesn’t work like that,” she said.
According to her, “The Jordan River that is swelling now has a purpose. Every time the Jordan River swells, it is harvest time, and when it goes back down, the land becomes fertile and there is abundance. If you concentrate on the swelling, you will lose what is behind the swelling. If you concentrate on what you are going through now, you will lose the reward.”
She therefore urged her listeners never to give up but to keep holding on to God for their breakthrough. In her words, “When you concentrate on the devil, you will not know what the Lord has in store in the “swelling of the Jordan.” Beloved, don’t give up. Be strong in Him. Challenges will come, but don’t give up before the expiry date of the challenges.”
Also in the service, Pastor Femi Megbope encouraged the congregation with the promise for the week, taken from Isaiah 44:3-4. According to him, when God’s spirit is on anyone, such a person would thrive and flourish like a willow tree, which thrives in well-watered soil. He therefore assured them of God’s blessings irrespective of the circumstances.
He said, “God is assuring you that no matter what you’re facing, He has your back covered; yours is to just continue to trust in Him. Stop feeling threatened; step into this week and beyond knowing that God has your back covered.”
THERE IS POWER IN YOUR HAND
Pastor Dapo Williams @ Thursday showers
As usual, the July 21 Thursday Showers service was another opportunity to praise God for His goodness to his children.
The awesome testimonies of Brother Oluwatuyi Olumide, who was arrested in 2018 while working as a security guard in a financial institution alongside other security guards after a robbery attack on the institution and was detained at the Medium Kirikiri Prison, but was acquitted and discharged on the 7th of June after he picked a promise from the ministration of the prison evangelism organised by the Prison department of the church; Sister Giwa, whose household was healed of sickness that lasted two weeks and whose company’s roof collapsed on a nearby church building but there was no loss of life; and Mr. K, who got two miracles on the same day-a baby girl and a juicy job, testify to God’s awesomeness.
While giving the message for the day, Pastor Dapo Williams spoke about the practicality of the Christian faith, noting that faith is a contention and believers would have to fight the fight of faith. “You, as a believer, must know how to contend with the spirit world because life is spiritual,” he said.
Speaking from Habakkuk 3:4, Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:1, Proverbs 25:2, Matthew 13:10-11, 1 Corinthians 4:1, and Psalm 82:6, the clergy stated that one of the weapons a believer can use to fight the spiritual fight is their hand, noting that there is power in their hands. According to him, blessings, curses, affirmations, welcome, building, tearing down, and covenants are made with the hand. This, he continued, showed that the hand has a spiritual significance.
Using the account of the young Prophet and King Jeroboam recorded in 1 Kings 13:1-6 and Jesus’s blessings on children recorded in Matthew 19:13 as illustrations, Pastor Dapo said that believers need to understand that there is power in their hands and to use it accordingly. While addressing parents, the man of God said that laying hands on the heads of their children to bless them, goes a long way towards affecting their future. “Parents, there is power in your hand,” he stated.
The clergy further read from Genesis 1:26 to state that man was created to contact, contain, and manifest God. According to him, if rays of power came from God’s hand, then there is power in the hands of children of God who are made in His image. “You are little gods, so there is power in your hands,” he said.
He further noted that all of God’s children have a measure of this fire but vary in intensity, stating from 2 Kings 13:14-21 that the power is manifest in different dimensions.
The pastor then shared many testimonies of believers who had an understanding of the power in their hands and used it to get results. “There is a spirit in man and the breath of God gives him understanding,” he said.
