Pastor Jimi Odukoya @ Sunday first service
Pastor Jimi Odukoya of The Fountain of Life Church has told believers not to be bothered about the schemes of the devil, reminding them that he (the devil) is fighting a lost battle.
He said this during his sermon in the first service of Sunday, March 13th, 2022, noting that the believer has been given the authority over the devil, referencing Luke 10:18-19
“So, ladies and gentlemen, I announce to you that the devil is fighting a losing battle because all authority has already been given to you,” he told the worshippers in the message captioned A Word in a Dry Place.
“The devil has no power than the power that you allow him to think he has. All he has is the power of suggestion. He cannot do anything…nothing can happen to you without the say-so of God.”
According to him, when a Christian speaks the word of God over situations, he places a demand on the authority given to him.
“When you speak the word, you place a demand on the authority that has been given to you,” the preacher noted.
While explaining the concept, he read from Matthew 9:18-26, saying that the word of God is backed by His power. Pastor Jimi said when the believer understands this; he can effectively use his privilege to navigate the issues of life.
He differentiated between power and authority, noting that the latter is being able to compel action from others. According to him, authority is the influence to rule. This, he said, is how the believer’s life is structured. The word of God helps the believer to activate the authority deposited in him, he added.
Pastor Jimi said a man who has power does not command influence unlike those whom authority has been given.
“Power is earned, but authority is given,” he said, referencing Matthew 28:18. The pastor illustrated this with someone who wins an election but has not been sworn in. Until such a person is sworn-in, he cannot carry out the functions of the office even though he emerged victorious in the poll.
Earlier in the service, the Grace Levites, colourfully dressed in African attire, treated the congregation to a session of high praise and worship (mostly indigenous).
The Promise for the Week was taken from 1 John 4:4 as Pastor Mary Fayemi urged Christians not to be deterred by happenings around them. She explained that Christians have been shielded by God and thus protected from evil machinations.
MIND YOUR BUSINESS: THE WORK CONTINUES; IT’S ACTION TIME
Pastor Bimbo Abiona @ Sunday second service
Pastor Bimbo Abiona at the March 13th Sunday Service explained that Jesus told the disciples when He was about to depart, that He will send a comforter in the person of the Holy Spirit. The arrival of the Holy Spirit which now dwells within us removes every limitation on our lives in respect to our assignment hence making a timid individual become bold. In her preaching titled “Mind your business”, she hinted that life remains a mystery and when life happens to us our standard should be that of Jesus.
Emphasizing the fact that joy abides wherever Jesus is, she recounted the incidence of how Jesus kept on with His father’s business after being informed of the death of His cousin, John the Baptist. Though the expectation of the people was for Him to sit in grief, He acted contrary because He was on an assignment. She went on to give instances of assignments that continued in spite of circumstances that befell the. Examples were: Pa. Elton, a Missionary to Nigeria who was accounted to have asked that the work of God must continue even after his demise, and it is. Another is of the Senior Pastor of TFOLC, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, who, after the demise of his wife, Pastor Nomthi, continued to minister. Pastor Abiona said this should remain the attitude of believers towards life happenstances because “greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world.”
Narrating the story of Isaac in Genesis 26; 12-22, she noted that irrespective of Isaac’s contentions, he remained consistent and determined; in like manner, we would be faced with anger, strive, contentions before arriving at our fruitful place but behind every closed door there is always a room, we must never give up. She added that God will always back us up when He sends us. “We can’t go after the master’s work and He won’t take care of us” she added.
THE DRIVER’S SEAT
Brother Seyi Sowemimo @ Thursday Showers
There is a story of a little girl who always called on her mother for almost anything and everything. One day, after dinner, this little girl was too tired to climb up the stairs to go to bed, so she called on her mother as usual to help her. But this time too, her mother declined and asked her to instead, call on Jesus. The little girl did, and in answer to her prayer, she received strength and climbed up the stairs. When she got to the end of the stairway, she stopped and said, “Thank you, Jesus, you can go back now.” What most of us do as Christians is put Jesus in the drive-along seat, and whenever we require His service, we call on Him.
These were the words of Brother Seyi Sowemimo at the March 10, 2022, Thursday Showers Service. He said this while speaking on what he titled, “The Driver’s Seat.” Taking his opening scripture from the Book of Matthew 16:24–26 (Message Translation), Mr Sowemimo said that Jesus Christ is asking all to yield control of their lives to Him and to trust Him. “When things don’t go as we planned, we feel disappointed, and this is because we have this sense of wanting to be in control. But Jesus is asking us to yield control of our lives to Him,” he said.
He defined control as people wanting to have power over things and situations, but what the Bible says about control is that we should let go and let Jesus take control. He then went on to explain the different processes of handing the driver’s wheel over to Jesus.
Denial is the first thing to do when yielding to Jesus. “When we commit our lives to Christ and let Him take control, He not only reveals to us the things we should let go of, but He is also with us every step of the way till the end,” he said. (Read Luke 9:23).
Obedience is the second thing believers must do in allowing Jesus to take over the driver’s seat of their lives. There are times when God asks us to do so-called “illogical” things or things that don’t make sense, but He expects us to obey. Examples of such incidents are the stories of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana; the story of Abraham being asked to offer his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God; and Elijah asking the widow to bake him her last cake. “What God requires of us is to obey His commandments. If only we obeyed, we would struggle less,” he said. (Read John 2).
The third process is for believers to expect warfare. Inasmuch as God has called believers into a life of fulfilment, peace, and joy, we have been called to expect trials and warfare. In his words, Mr. Sowemimo said, “As we get closer to God, we are a bigger threat to the enemy, and he will do everything possible to try to make us fall.” But he encouraged his listeners from the book of Psalms 37:23-24 of God’s assurance to hold us in the midst of these trials. (Read Philippians 4:7 and Ephesians 6:12).
The final process is to never doubt God (Philippians 4:6-7). This process, according to Brother Seyi Sowemimo, is important for every believer to imbibe. He noted that when believers fret and worry in the face of challenges, their peace is eroded. “Worry doesn’t solve the problem. We may be concerned, but we can take those concerns to God in prayer. God knows what we need and when we need it. Can you hand over the wheel to Jesus?”
