Thank You Lord! Father we bless Your name this morning, thank You Lord; You are the King of kings, You are the Lord of lords, You are the ancient of days, the Almighty God, the great I am that I am, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, there is none like You.
Merciful God, faithful God, glorious in holiness, the God that does wonders in our lives, we give You thanks, we give You praise, we give You all the glory. Thank You, Father, in Jesus mighty name we have given thanks.
Let’s take that song again [music] ‘on the blood of Jesus, the blood that washes and cleanses from all sickness, every form of unrighteousness’. If you are sick, just go into this as the choir ministers to us. Praise the Lord.
Book of Psalm 107: 20, He sent his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Let’s cry and say, “Father, send Your word to me today, touch me today, send Your healing message upon my life. In every area you desire healing, talk to the King of kings, the Lord is here, the Spirit of the living God is right here in our midst, talk to Him, send Your healing mercies unto us.
Philippians 4: 19, it says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Just like our faces are different, our needs are also different from each other, but this week the Lord will visit us in the mighty name of Jesus.
We are going to pray and say Father, this week, please arise for me, meet me at my points of need in the mighty name of Jesus. Talk to your Father, talk to the King of kings. My Lord and my God, arise for me, meet me at my various points of need in the mighty name of Jesus. Thank You Father, blessed be the name of the Lord, in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.
Psalm 138:8, it says, “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me; Thy mercy, oh Lord, endureth forever; Forsake not the works of thy own hands”. The Lord will perfect all that concerns you. If you are sick, the Lord will heal you in the mighty name of Jesus; in every area you need a touch of the Lord, the Lord will visit you in the mighty name of Jesus.
We are going to cry and say Father, please arise for me, perfect all that concerns me, perfect the works of my hands, smoothen every rough edge in my life in the mighty name of Jesus. Talk to the King of kings, talk to the Lord of lords. The Lord is here, the Lord will do as you have said in the mighty name of Jesus. We have spoken unto His ears, He has heard us and He will restore in the mighty name of Jesus. Thank You, Father, blessed be the name of the Lord, in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.
I want to thank the Almighty God even for the opportunity to stand before you this morning to share the word of life; and also to our father in the Lord, Pastor Tunde Netufo and his wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Yemisi Netufo, I also want to thank you even for the opportunity given unto me share with the brethren. My prayer is that your validity will not expire in Jesus name.
Let me also use this opportunity to say what do we have today for the men? Is there any man in the house? Can they shout a big hallelujah? Happy Father’s Day to all the men in the house, let’s appreciate the men, let’s appreciate them.
We pray for all the men in the house that the Almighty God will remember you today for good in the mighty name of Jesus, will bless the works of your hands, bless your family and prosper all that concerns you in the mighty name of Jesus. By the grace of God, if Jesus tarries, this time next year, we’ll celebrate you again in the mighty name of Jesus.
Quickly today, the topic we have for today is Faith in the Face of Adversity, and our text is taken from the book of Habakkuk 3: 17 – 18, and also from John 16: 33, but first of all we take Habakkuk. It says, “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.
18Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation”. No matter what the economy is saying, it shall not last forever, we’ll rejoice in the Lord, our joy shall be full in the mighty name of Jesus. John 16: 33, the next anchor verse we have, it says, “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”. Jesus has overcome for us, no matter what we see around us, He has overcome for us in the mighty name of Jesus.
From the topic we have, there are two words that are outstanding there; the first one is faith, I’m sure we can all define what we mean by faith. The simple dictionary meaning of faith says confidence or trust in a thing or a person; I have faith in the Almighty God because you trust the Almighty God, you are confident that He will do that which He has said He will do for you.
And then Hebrews 11:1 also gives us the definition of faith, it says now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and evidence of things not seen; while the dictionary meaning of adversity says it’s a condition marked by misfortune, calamity, unfortunate events, things that are a bit adverse. That is about adversity.
In summary, the book of Habakkuk that we are taking the message from, God used that to instruct Judah to live by faith even when life makes no sense. We have to live by faith and not just what we see, even when life makes no sense, live by faith, God is there; even when the economy makes no sense, even when there is insecurity that it makes no sense, live by faith, God will see us through in Jesus name.
We can prove further, faith does not mean the absence of trouble, but the confidence of trusting and relying on God’s promises, that’s what we mean by faith. It doesn’t mean that there will no trouble, but the confidence of trusting and relying on God’s promises that no matter what happens, no matter the trouble that may come, that God will see you through in Jesus name.
Likewise, John 16:33, we have read that scripture again, tells us clearly that despite the challenges that we see around us, in the midst of all these challenges, Jesus said He has overcome for us and He will give us victory in the mighty name of Jesus. We shall all be victorious in Jesus’ name.
Now, let us bring it home further to our situation in the country; we all know the challenges that we are all facing in our country on a daily basis, weekly basis, we hear of one sad news or the other, such include insecurity, rising level of poverty, dwindling opportunities for our children etc. That being the main reason why some of our youths want to move to other climes of the world, they want to japa as we normally say the syndrome as the most of them will do, most of these challenges have been with us for quite some time, it’s not as if they are just coming now.
For example, the issue of boko haram has been with us since year 2002, that’s when Boko Haram actually surfaced in Nigeria, while armed insurgents have been with us since July 2009 as a case. So they have been with us but God has been the One protecting us, God has been the One saving us, He will continue to guide us in the mighty name of Jesus.
But the encouragement we also have is that God through prophet Habakkuk made it clear that such challenges will come, we stay in a world that is full of challenges, not just Nigeria alone, the rest of the world, they all have their own measure of challenges, therefore Nigeria is not an exception. But we also have confidence in the fact that yes, God has assured us especially in verse 18 of Habakkuk 3 that He will see us through in the mighty name of Jesus. He said we should rejoice in the God of our salvation because He will give us victory over these challenges in Jesus name.
So the core message is that faith chooses worship over worry. Let’s worship our Maker, let’s give Him all the glory, let’s thank Him; thank Him daily for life, provisions and the rest of them, once we thank Him, once we give Him thanks, once we appreciate all that He has been doing for us, He will strengthen us on all sides in Jesus’ name. He will fight those battles, He will give us victory in Jesus’ name. Can somebody shout a hallelujah!
Let us read together, let’s take Isaiah 43:2, and it says, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee”. That is the assurance we have from the King of kings, and I believe that that will be our testimony in the mighty name of Jesus.
In Romans 8: 37, it says, “Nay, in all these things (in all these challenges that we have) we are more than conquerors through him that loved us”. So shall it be for us in Jesus name. We shall overcome, we shall succeed. God has done it already in Jesus name. This is a house of praise, it is not a house of sorrow; sorrow will not be found in our midst in the mighty name of Jesus.
So as children of God, what should we do in this situation? God has given us a promise that through faith we can overcome all the adversities, faith in Him, trust Him and He will see us through.
So the first thing we can do, point number one is let us look beyond the current situation. Whatever challenges we see around us, let us look beyond it; let us see what will happen, let us focus on what will happen thereafter. We look beyond this current situation, so don’t dwell unnecessarily on what is happening.
Why do I say so? Ecclesiastes 11:4, it says, “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap;” do not wait for a perfect situation before planting or before reaping. There will always be challenges in our lives one way or the other, but look onto the One who can deal with all those challenges in the mighty name of Jesus.
Do not waste your time lamenting upon the situation in the economy, God that has seen you through all these years will sustain you in the future in the mighty name of Jesus. In Exodus 14:15, the children of Israel got to the Red Sea and it was like a dead end for them; do we go back to Egypt? But what did God say to Moses? He said, ask them to go forward. You shall move forward in the mighty name of Jesus, you shall move forward over those challenges in the mighty name of Jesus.
And to the youths in our midst, I just want to share a word with you based on this looking beyond the current situation, Nigeria has a population of about 240 million people, the sixth most populous country in the world, and these 240 million people on a daily basis, they must eat something, so what does that tell us? Opportunity in the area of agric and food business as the case may be.
If those people you have applied for job are not listening to you, don’t waste your time, look beyond that situation, take up the challenge. You can decide to change everything about your career by looking at opportunities in this area that I’ve mentioned. Our welfare department has tried to prepare our youths, all the programs they organize from time to time, skill acquisition that will empower them to do better in the area of life, don’t just focus on a particular area, look beyond the current situation.
Ecclesiastes 11:5 says, “As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.” You don’t know what God will do, we don’t know His works; trust in Him, have faith in Him and He will see you through in the mighty name of Jesus. So let’s remember, faith without works is dead, so do something and the Holy Spirit will back you up in Jesus name.
The second point I have says we should prepare. Prepare like the five virgins, we have ten virgins quite all right, but I urge you to prepare like the five wise virgins. Matthew 25: 1 & 2 says, “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2And five of them were wise, five were foolish”. What did the wise ones do? They made provisions for exigencies, they made provisions for the unexpected.
Matthew 25:4 says, “But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps;” they prepared for exigencies. I can hear someone saying yes, the economy is not friendly; yes, the economy may not be friendly, but it will not last forever in the mighty name of Jesus. Nothing ever lasts forever, only the word of God standeth sure forever, only the word of God that will last forever. Every other thing that we see around us must surely pass away in the mighty name of Jesus.
Bad economy will pass away and we shall smile in the mighty name of Jesus. The Lord will bless Nigeria in the mighty name of Jesus. The Lord has heard our cry, He will not forsake us in the mighty name of Jesus. Your testimony shall come suddenly because we are serving a God of suddenly, so He will arise for us suddenly and your testimony will be suddenly the almighty God remembered me. If you know that’s your testimony, can you shout another hallelujah!
Our welfare department as I said earlier, recently organized the AI boot camp, the attendance was wonderful, and then we also believe that these are some of the initiatives that the church is also bringing to empower our youths, to encourage them, to make sure they are versatile in everything they are doing, that they will not just focus in one direction, that there are other things they can also do.
As I said, look beyond your situation now, don’t just dwell on your situation, don’t open any book of lamentation, if you want to open lamentation, you go to the book of Lamentation and read. But I pray that we will not lament in the mighty name of Jesus. Let’s find something to do, God has placed a lot of things in our hands, let’s make sure we use that opportunity and God will bless us in Jesus name.
For example, in our house fellowship where I belong, the favor house fellowship, my leader is here, Pastor Joe, Pastor Benson and the rest of them, Mummy Idia is also part of us, we share a lot of life experiences in terms of learning points for the youths, for the upcoming ones, we try as much as possible to guide them.
So who do you emulate in life? Who do you look forward to to get advice in terms of what to do? It is also very necessary for our youths to focus in those areas where they can benefit from the experiences of the elderly ones. And I pray that God will bless you as you do so in Jesus’ name. Just like the wise virgins showed wisdom, I pray that that wisdom, divine wisdom will be our portion in Jesus’ name.
The next point I have here is recall your Ebenezer moments. 1 Samuel 7:12 says, “Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezar, saying, hitherto the Lord helped us.” Testimonies – the Lord has helped each and every one of us here; the fact that you are alive this morning is a testimony because not everybody that went to bed last night is awake, so that’s a testimony for you.
But I’ll also take it further, we all recall what happened in 2019 and 2020, we had COVID, was ravaging the whole world, not just Nigeria, the whole world. COVID everywhere, but you are alive today because the Lord is here, the Lord is on your side. That’s a wonderful testimony. If you want to clap for Jesus, clap for Jesus, let’s appreciate the King of kings. Thank You, Lord, glory be to God. We are here because God saved me and you, so, we thank God for that.
We thank God for saving us, therefore, it’s always good to remind God, yes, I appreciate You for all the things You have done for me, the testimonies You have put on my lips, all the mighty things, even those I cannot remember, I just want to give You thanks. Psalm 77:11 says, “I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember the wonders of old;” everything the Lord has done for us, let’s remember, tell God that you are grateful about all these things He has done for you, all the things He did for you in the past,and like Oliver Twist, ask Him for more, my Lord and my God, please do more for me, He will do more for me.
I have my own testimony in terms of what God has done that I’ve never forgotten, but because of time, probably we’ll leave it for another day in Jesus’ name.
The fourth point I want to make, command your life. You have to speak life, you have to speak truth to your life. Job 38:12, it says, “Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know its place;” NIV says, “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place”, it’s time to speak life, to speak truth into your life, to say, “Yes, I, John Obi, today I will excel in the mighty name of Jesus. The Lord will open doors unto me in the mighty name of Jesus.
What are you waiting for? Why don’t you speak life to yourself? Speak, open your mouth. Speak to the Almighty God, confess positivity in your life in the mighty name of Jesus. It shall be so unto you in the mighty name of Jesus.
We are all created in the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ, if our Lord Jesus Christ did not fail, we will not fail in the mighty name of Jesus, we shall succeed in the mighty name of Jesus.
Proverbs 18: 21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof; what you say is what you get, a closed mouth is what is a closed destiny. I pray that you do not close your mouth in Jesus name. Isaiah 3:10 says, say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Your doings will never pass you over, you will enjoy the fruits of your doings in the mighty name of Jesus. So shall it be for you and so shall it be for me in Jesus name.
The fifth point I want to share with us is the place of prayers and the act of praise and worship, we can never overlook the impact of prayers in our life. Isaiah 43:26, it says, “Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified; that is Almighty God telling us, put Him in remembrance, declare to Him, remember those things that He promised to do for you concerning you, justify your case and His mercies will see us through in the mighty name of Jesus.
You can imitate the washmen at Jerusalem. We can find that in Isaiah 62: 6 & 7, it says, “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, oh Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye shall make mention of the Lord, keep not silence. 7And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” Give the Almighty God no rest, call upon Him, whether you are at work, in your house, wherever you are, whether you are in the bedroom, keep not silent, glorify God. Call upon Him and He will answer you in Jesus name.
Anchor your request on faith. We’re talking about faith in times of adversity, anchor your request on faith, believe that God can do it. Without faith, it is impossible to please God; what about praise and worship? It is a weapon of warfare; if you are going to war on a particular matter, you need praise and worship.
We saw it happen in the book of 2 Chronicles 20: 22, we know the story, it says, “And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.” We know this story very well, we also saw how the shout of hallelujah brought down the mighty walls of Jericho, praise and worship. Yes, you can shout hallelujah if you want.
You can find that in Joshua 6:20, it says, “So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpet; and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.” Songs of victory, you will have victory in Jesus’ name.
What about Paul and Silas? We know the story of Paul and Silas in Acts 16: 25 & 26, it says, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God; and the prisoners heard them; sing, so that your neighbors will also hear you in the mighty name of Jesus. 26And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prisons were shaken: and immediately all the doors were thrown open, and everyone’s bands were loosed in the mighty name of Jesus.”
Remember that song, dide t’ogun t’ogun; dide t’ija t’ija, sing such praises and let God bless you. As you sing, the Lord will answer you in Jesus name.
Finally, as I begin to round up, you can also decide to wake up Jesus. When you have tried everything and nothing seems to progress, then wake up Jesus. The apostles had to wake Him up, they had to wake our Lord up. You remember that story in the book of Mark 4: 35 – 41, but because of time we’ll just look at Mark 4: 39 & 40.
You see Jesus was sleeping in the boat, they were all in the boat and there was this great storm all over the place and the apostles were worried. The boat was already flooded, and what did they do? And he went down and said Master, are You not caring that we are sinking? See the floods all over the place and You are still sleeping, they had to wake Him up. You will wake up Jesus in Jesus name.
Mark 4:39-40 says, “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was great calm. 40And he said unto them, why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? Where is your faith?
Are you passing through any storm of life? In the name of Jesus, I declare peace be still. The peace of the Lord will surround you, the peace of the Lord will be your portion in the mighty name of Jesus. No matter the challenges, Jesus is greater than all our challenges and He will give us victory in the mighty name of Jesus. Praise the Lord.
However, there is also a big question, how is your relationship with Jesus Christ? How is your relationship with Him? Is He in that your boat of life? Is He sleeping in your boat of life or you don’t even know Him at all? Or you had a relationship with Him and all of a sudden that relationship is no longer as it used to be, it has gone sour, it has gone southward as the case may be?
All you need to do this morning is to just take a step of faith, Jesus is at the feet of this altar, Jesus is waiting for you; if you want to renew that relationship, if you want to wake Him up again, you can still take a step of faith, you can march forward.
[Altar call]
Let’s be upstanding as we take the following prayers. The first prayer point we have is taken from Psalm 115:14, the first prayer point we have, it says, the Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children in the mighty name of Jesus.
We are going to cry and say Father, let Your glory shine brighter and brighter in my life, in the life of my family members, in my business, in my career, in my finances, even in my ministry in the mighty name of Jesus. Talk to the King of kings, talk to the Lord. Thank You Father, in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.
John 3: 27 says John answered and said, a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. We are going to cry and say Father, this week, let me experience open heavens in all that I do in the mighty name of Jesus. Let me experience open heavens, oh, let me receive from You in the mighty name of Jesus. Let me experience open heavens in all that I do.
My Father and my God, oh Father, hear me, incline Your ears to my prayers in the mighty name of Jesus. Thank You Father, blessed be the name of the Lord, in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.
Genesis 21: 19 says, and God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad to drink. What do you want God to open your eyes today for? What do you want God to open your eyes this week for? Talk to Him, the Lord is here, He will open your eyes in Jesus name.
Thank You Lord, in Jesus mighty name.
