Pastor Taiwo Odukoya @ Sunday service
The Senior Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church has urged believers to always meditate on the mercies of God, emphasising that God is good and no iota of bad is found in Him. He said this at the July 31 Sunday service.
Taking his anchor scripture from Psalm 136:1-4, the clergy said that God’s goodness always provokes His mercy and love towards His own, as it’s in the case of David in Psalm 107:1-2,8-9. “God’s goodness made Him lay down His life for us, His goodness made us known to Him, His goodness made Him teach sinners His ways,” he said.
Pastor Taiwo went ahead to say that God does not segregate or discriminate when it comes to His goodness. God is good to all. Citing Psalm 145:8-9 and Psalm 5:45, he noted that God makes the sun shine on both the good and evil, stating that it was God’s goodness that provoked the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, as recorded in John 3:16.
In his words, “To believe God is not good is to be trapped by the devil, for the devil works by deceit and is funny in all his ways. Even when situations seem so bad, there will always be a way to thank God if only you look inward deeply. ”
He also added that believers can live the rest of their lives in the goodness of God when they live a life of thanksgiving, citing the examples of Kings David and Jehoshaphat from Psalm 145:1-2 and 2 Chronicles 20:6-22 as men of unusual understanding of the goodness of God, an understanding which made them live a life of thanksgiving even in the midst of troubles and challenges. “The turnaround you yearn for is hinged on the knowledge of the goodness of God, which will provoke you to live a life of thanksgiving always,” he said.
Pastor Taiwo thus admonished believers to always live in the fact that the goodness of God is always trailing them daily, for God’s goodness is not defined by what they have been through, noting “His goodness is the reason for who HE is.”
THE BEAUTIFUL GATE
Pastor Funke Ige @ Thursday showers
It was another time of praise and worship at the July 28 Thursday Showers, which was the last of the month. There were moments of praise as well as testimonies to showcase the goodness of God over Showerians, as popularly referred to.
The Assistant Pastor of Fountain of Life Church, Grace Family, Ojodu-Berger; Pastor Funke Ige, who ministered at the service, told the congregation that the circumstances of their lives should not make them lose focus on the big picture of the future God has for them. She said this, noting that the word “gate” scripturally signifies a place of agreement, transactions, and decision-making. “You need to take your mind off your daily needs and look at the big picture God has for you and agree with Him concerning that picture,” she said.
Using the account of the lame man at the beautiful gate recorded in Acts 3:1–9 as an illustration, the clergy said that believers ought to focus on God for their needs to be met just as Peter and John helped the lame man focus on God for his permanent miracle.
Reading from Luke 18:10, Pastor Funke advised believers to avoid the temptations of always complaining and comparing themselves to others while praying, noting that they should have complete faith in God and remove all doubt from their hearts so that their faith can produce the desired results.
She said, “Thank God for what He has done, as He is going to do more. It’s for one to believe in the power and name of Jesus to get all that they want. ”
She therefore encouraged them from Psalm 24:7 to not accept any norm that is not in conformity with the word of God, adding that God can change anything even if it has become a norm in their lives. “Every ancient gate that has made itself a stronghold in your life can be pulled down,” she said as she led the congregation into a series of prayers.
