GET UNDERSTANDING
Pastor Femi Megbope @ Sunday First Service
Without understanding, there can be no wisdom. Without understanding, you cannot make progress. These were the words of Pastor Femi Megbope on Sunday, September 11, during his ministration at the Sunday first service held at the Fountain of Life Church Headquarters.
Speaking on what he titled “Get Understanding”, Pastor Megbope, whilst reading from the Book of Proverbs 4: 1-7, noted that there can never be understanding without knowledge. He defined knowledge as “facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education, whereas understanding is the ability to comprehend something and make a connection between what is being read and what one already knows. “It is based on the understanding one gets that one is able to act wisely or make wise decisions,” he said.
He gave a personal example of his life when he was a student, writing his O’level exams. He narrated how, after attending classes and studying, he still failed his Physics paper. Initially, he blamed his failure on his teacher’s inability to teach well. But years later, after thinking through that incident, he realised that it was never the teacher’s fault but his own failure to understand what was being taught.
He went ahead to say that without understanding, one cannot act rightly because they have not processed the information the way it should be processed. In other words, for anyone to get wisdom and act wisely, they must first of all get understanding. According to the clergy, “understanding is the bridge between knowledge and wisdom.”
He further explained that human beings (both believers and unbelievers) will be faced with tests, trials, and various forms of exams in their everyday lives, and they need to make choices based on the information around them and act right based on their understanding. He therefore said, “It is our duty to get understanding. All man can do is teach us. The effort is left for us to pay the price to understand.”
He went on to note that many have made foolish decisions because they lack understanding regarding some issues. But understanding, he said, puts one in a position of strength. “Everybody can learn, but not everybody can understand,” he noted.
Pastor Megbope also made reference to the sons of Issachar recorded in 1 Chronicles 12:32, noting that they had an understanding of the times they lived in; hence, their brethren and other people being subject to them. He also alluded to the fact that people who have an understanding of the times and act with wisdom will make progress in life.
He went on to urge his listeners to not abandon the use of their reasoning even when they choose to pray for God’s help in any of their life’s challenges. He said this to let them know that they (believers) compete in the same environment as unbelievers, and as such, they would be required to study, work, and be diligent even while they pray to be able to have an edge over their unbelieving counterparts.
Also, reading from Proverbs 3:5-6 and James 1:5, Pastor Femi Megbope urged his listeners to commit their endeavours into God’s hands and trust Him for wisdom. These were his words, “As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to help us understand things. When He helps us understand, he helps us act rightly. We have no excuse to fail because we have God with us. We have the Holy Spirit who will help us understand and make sense of all the things around us, and He will direct our paths the way He wants us to go.”
KEEP HOPE ALIVE
Pastor Tayo Kujore @ Sunday second service
While ministering at the September 11 Sunday second service, Pastor Tayo Kujore said that believers need to keep trusting God, maintaining that He never fails. According to him, irrespective of the situation, God always comes through.
“The situation and the economy of now have denied people good faith. People are tired, but I also want to say to you, keep hope alive; keep faith alive,” he said in the sermon, citing Hebrews 11:1-3. “No matter how long it takes, God does not fail on His promises.”
According to him, God even pays back with interest, especially when one exercises patience on His promises. The preacher, who also narrated how he was gifted a phone when his former device became terrible, told the congregation that God can do beyond their expectations.
“The interesting thing about September is that it is the ninth month and nine means completion,” he added. “Is there a cycle you are going through now? God is saying, ‘From this month of September, I am completing it no matter how tough!’”
Furthermore, he told the worshippers not to rely on their abilities, stressing that “when you think it is by your strength, it will be tough.” He told them to equally have the fear of God which brings understanding, a feature he rued is lacking in several leadership positions.
“The fear of God brings about good leadership,” the clergyman noted.
He continued by telling them that “when we are praying for this nation and its leadership; when we are praying for leadership across board, let us pray for wisdom; the fear of God that brings about wisdom and, with wisdom, understanding”.
Earlier in the service, prayers were also offered for Nigeria, with Pastor Ibukun Awosika anchoring that belt. She asked the worshippers to thank God for the anticipated victories over the challenges facing the nation.
Pastor Bisoye Okwoli also took the Promise for the Week, asking the congregation to be expectant of their rewards from God. Reading from Ruth 12:2, the personal finance expert said God never owes, noting that He pays beyond expectations.
“We serve a God that does not owe,” she said. She added that “the beautiful thing about the reward of God is that one plus one does not make two. One and one make a thousand when it comes to God.”
Pastor Okwoli declared to the worshippers that “those things you have lost, God is bringing them back. Those things you think you have lost because you are following God, you are set for a reward!
IT IS YOUR TIME OF FAVOUR
Pastor Nkeonyelu Malaolu @ Thursday showers
It was a time of electrifying praise and intense prayer at the September 8 Thursday Showers, which were held at The Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju.
The intense prayer session led by Pastor Nkeonyelu Malaolu, popularly referred to as “Pastor NK,” was centred on supernatural progress and favour. Pastor NK encouraged the congregation to have faith in God, noting that He is a God who answers prayers.
Speaking from 1 Samuel 2:9, the assistant Pastor of the Worship Tabernacle, Amuwo-Odofin branch of The Fountain of Life Church, said that accelerating supernaturally is not by strength but by the hand of God. “It is only through the hand of God upon you that you will experience supernatural speed and progress, as it is the case with Jesus and Mary in Acts 10:38 and Luke 1:35, respectively.”
As an example, she used the brother’s testimony about how God helped him get one of the 10 United Nations Diplomatic Scholarships as a way to lead the congregation in a time of intense prayer and encourage them that it is their time to make supernatural progress.
According to Pastor NK, God is the sole giver of supernatural speed, adding that believers always ought to believe in God and to go to him whenever they are in need of help, as admonished in Hebrews 4:16. She said, “God can take a person from a prison to a palace.”
So, based on Isaiah 30:21 and Genesis 37 and 39, she told them to seek the power of vision and pray for their eyes and ears to be opened so that they would always know what to do. This is a key part of being able to work in the supernatural realm.
“It is your time of favour. All mountains shall be made plain before you, and God will do a new thing in your life,” she said.
