Our Father and our God, our hope and our strength, our Maker and our sufficience, our everything both great and small, unto You we have gathered that the scriptures might be fulfilled, for it is written, unto the Lord shall the gathering of the people be. Father, I thank You for this very moment, we ask that You accept us and accept our worship in Jesus name.
Grant me utterance oh Lord, speak to me and through me to Your people, that at the end of this meeting, every one of us might become an instrument of blessings in Your hands. Heal the sick, deliver the oppressed, set the captive free, draw men unto Yourself. Thank You for answered prayers, blessed be thy holy name Lord, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
I want to appreciate the leadership of the church in CTL for inviting us for this very service; like he said, I’ve been part of this family from day one, growing as a youth to this very day, I’ve been part and parcel of the program of the VI family and we still remain members of the VIA family. Praise the Lord!
I want to thank God for CTL for what God has been using you people to do. I remember when we went to the gates to start CTL some years ago, it was interesting, but today when we look back, we thank God for allowing His grace to prevail.
I’m asked to speak on a topic “Mighty Enabler”. Anytime we talk about enabling, we are talking about the grace of God: in my introduction, I put it this way, in a world filled with challenges and uncertainties, we need a power that can enable us to overcome our limitations and achieve our goals. God’s mighty enabling power is not just a theoretical concept but a practical reality that can transform our lives.
2 Corinthian 5: 17, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new; so this enabling power transforms us from our old nature to a reformed nature because of this mighty enabling power. When we rely on God’s enabling power, we can achieve things that will be impossible on our own; God enabling power can be seen as a manifestation of His grace; grace is the unmerited favor and love that God shows to humanity and His mighty enabling power is a demonstration of that grace in action, Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthenth me.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, we see Apostle Paul talking about grace, talking about the enabling power of God; he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore, I take pleasure in weaknesses, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecution, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. So, the enabling power of God helps us to overcome our weaknesses. Praise the Lord!
Ephesians 3:20-21, now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that is at work in us. 21Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. So this enabling power helps us to overcome all manners of challenges, it is this enabling power of His which is grace in manifestation that helps us to fulfill purpose in life.
I am persuaded that as you tap into His grace, most importantly this month being the month of double grace, that the grace of God will find you out and bring you to a place where you’ll be fully fulfilled in Jesus name.
There’s a scripture that I so much love, John 1:16, and of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. So every child of God has this fullness in him or her, in other words, it’s your inability to manifest, it’s not because it’s not in you, is because you lack knowledge of whom you are in Christ Jesus.
We have biblical examples of men that utilized the mighty enabling power of God. For example, a man like Moses; Moses was a weakling, in short, Moses told God that he’s a stammerer and that he cannot do anything better and that he was a fugitive running away from death, that Pharaoh has declared he wanted, and so for him to go confronting Pharaoh will require a lot of enablement.
But here comes God saying to Moses in Exodus 3: 1 – 20 when God visited Moses at the burning bush, revealed Himself to him, showed him His enabling power, endowed him with that enabling power, and without the enabling power, Moses could go back to Egypt to confront Pharaoh.
You could see Moses activities also throughout Exodus, but in Exodus 4:1 to the end, we see Moses hearkening to God’s enabling power, tapping into it, connecting himself into it, believing God that it is possible with God on his side. Praise the Lord!
And you can also see that in the life of a man called Gideon in Judges 6: 7-40 when the Midianites were buffeting the children of Israel and making a public show of them, they waited for them to go into planting and when it was harvest season, they came to harvest. It’s like a story of monkey dey work, baboon dey chop. Praise the Lord! So Gideon was afraid until God came in, enabled him and opened his eye to understand that the thing he was afraid of was actually not existing.
Like a story my father told us as children, every weekend my father would sit in the evening on his rocking chairs and enjoying the breeze and most often we would see the masquerade passing. They can be five, seven, ten, as many as they are going for an occasion, and when they get to the front of our compound and we are seated with our parents, they would be there, they would gyrate in front of our compound and after gyrating they would bow and go. We had noticed that for a while so we asked our father, what is the correlation between you and these masquerades? So we would know our bearing.
We were Catholics, we were deeply involved in Catholic church and here we see masquerades all over us. My father said you want to know? We said yes; he said the young man, the leader of the masquerade which we call in our place, like the igbo will say olukwumawun, the head of the masquerade, he said that young man is my junior brother’s son that is inside the masquerade, so anytime they were passing with his group and they see me sitting outside, they want to greet their uncle, you may not know but between me and him we know the secret, so the only way he can greet me is to gyrate in front of us and speak in his language with his nose like they are speaking in tongues, then after some times he will bang his head in greeting my father and then they will move.
You see that young man inside, he mentioned his name, that is your cousin. We say what? He said when you see them again, don’t run so that you won’t injure yourself, from that day if I see a masquerade I don’t run, because I know that it’s not a spirit that is inside, he may be my cousin inside.
So Gideon saw his weakness, the fear that he ought not to fear was pursuing him until God showed up in his life and that fear was taken away. You can find that in Judges 7: 1-25, and God used Gideon to bring an end to that molestation. When you rely on the enabling power of God, every molestation comes to an end.
And so instead of Gideon going to war with 2,000 people, he went to war with 300 people to prove to him that God has the enabling power to do anything, He said with one man, God can conquer a city and that is what God did with David.
The man David, David and Goliath, you can find that in 1st Samuel 17:32-58, after Goliath has molested Israel for days and weeks and months and everybody was afraid even including the king Saul, Bible says this young man appeared, having understanding of the enabling power of God. Because when he appeared before Saul, he told Saul his credentials, he said when I was taking care of my father’s sheep, the lion came and I tore him into pieces; he said when I was also keeping my father’s sheep, the bear came and I tore him into pieces.
He said this young man, this one you are seeing here as giant, he’s an uncircumcised Philistine, before the sun sets the dog shall eat him. He was speaking from an angle of understanding, Saul never had that understanding. May your eyes of understanding be enlightened.
In the days of the disciples in Acts 2: 1 to the end, Bible says after they have encountered the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised them that He will send down the promise of His Father, and after they encountered it, they became embodened, they became so bold that; Peter that chickened out when a househelp confronted him on the day when Jesus was being questioned, this was the same Peter confronting the Sanhedrin and the high priest and the chief priest telling them that look must we obey men or God?
So the enabling power of God helps us to be able to fulfill God’s mandate for our life, and this enabling power is in every life that has known Jesus as Lord and personal Savior. Please put it in your left hand, that scripture, John 1:16, it says of his fullness have all we received grace, and grace for grace, so grows.
Apostle Paul also said the same when he talked about his weaknesses in the course of his journey through life as an apostle of God. The question that comes to mind is how does God enable us?
Number one, through prayers. God enables us through prayers, Philippians 4:4-7. It says prayer connects us with God’s power, allowing us to tap into His strength and guidance; through prayers, you are able to achieve great and mighty things you think you cannot.
When I was made the area pastor in 1996 in resurrection when VI was just one single family and I was made the head of the family then, taking over from Adetola, and we had the high and the mighty around. Oh my Father, my Father. I was a small boy before them, they controlled the governance of the state but I saw that these people were very mighty, they were rich, they were powerful, they had access to the General Overseer at anytime.
And as a young pastor, I never had that access, but there was something I had access to, I had access to God, so every 11:00 in the night till 4:00 a.m, I was on my face, and by time I appeared before them, they knew that there was a difference. They had the money, they had the power, they had the influence, they had everything but there was something they never had and that was the grace of God upon my life, the anointing.
So through prayer, I could bring the entire church onto one leadership after I have settled with my Father in the closet. So if you want to obtain this enabling power, this mighty enabling power of God to be able to succeed in every sphere of your life, you must connect to Him through prayers, because Jesus Himself did that, the Bible says that He started with prayers and ended with prayers.
In Mark 1:35, see in a great while why people were yet to wake up, Jesus will go to a quiet place and there He will pray; prayer is work, it’s not recitation, what Jesus gave us in Matthew 9: 6 – 11 was to give us a pattern – our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it done in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, this was a pattern that when you want to pray, this should be the pattern, it is not supposed to be …
Number two, through the word of God. Through the word of God we are able to tap into the mighty enabling power of God, in other words, we must study to show ourselves approved, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly delivering the word of truth, 2 Timothy 2:15. And when you go through Joshua 1:8, God encouraging the young man Joshua, He said this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but thou shall meditate therein day and night, in other words, your confession is your possession.
The scripture tells us that let no man say we shall go to heaven to bring God or we shall go to the mountaintop to bring God, is it not the word of God in your mouth? So the word of God in your mouth is God, and I tell people, I say words our seeds spoken to be harvested in the future, so every word that you speak go to the future waiting for you to be harvested.
I had a pastor’s wife, she will come to church, it was my parish pastor’s wife, well positioned, well placed, doing fine, she’s a big girl, a lawyer. From all the time I knew her, there was no day she came to church with the same hat or the same clothes, every Sunday a new hat, new clothes, new bag, she was well off, she had the best, she was one of the best big girls in town, they knew her.
But anytime she had opportunity to enter my office, she would tell me, daddy, I’m going to die; I said why? She said, I want to leave my husband alone, it’s troubling me; I said, you can’t say that. She eventually died because that was her confession, she died in my presence, she gave birth to a bouncing baby boy and then she was discharged from the hospital, she came home and then her Bp hit the roof, they rushed her back to the hospital, brought all the consultants, they all came there and they called me, I rushed down there, in my very presence the consultant came there and gave her an injection and she packed up. It was a very sad moment in my life.
Your confession is your possession, you must understand the words that you speak, you must begin to reverse your words if you want to enjoy the enabling power of God. Psalm 119: 105 says, thy word is a lamp onto my feet, and a light unto my path; thy word, the word of God provides us wisdom, encouragement, guidance, and helps us to navigate life challenges.
Number three, through the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live a life that pleases God and equally gives us the enabling power to overcome sin and adversity. Romans 8:26-27, the Bible tells us that we don’t know how to pray, but the Spirit that knoweth the mind of God that searches all things is able to help us, He makes intercession for us.
And lastly, how do we connect? How God enables us is to be born again, we must be born again. There’s no two way about it, we must be born again; if you’re not born again, that grace cannot be part of you. I’m talking about being born again, I’m talking about genuinely being born again because there are many people that are born against and it’s a serious issue and Jesus is in the business of delivering people.
Talking of being born again, in 1987 I was in my final year of Ife; I failed some courses, two major courses, they were three unit courses. I went to register and my HOD told me, Peter, are you aware you will not graduate? I said, why? I will graduate. He said no, you won’t graduate because the senate has just come out with a new law, minimum of 18 maximum of 21, and if you add your six to your 21 that’s 27, so you must drop some courses and then come back next year to finish them.
At that point in time it became obvious, I didn’t need any prophet to tell me that I was going to repeat, and while I was pondering over it, how to communicate to my guardians, suddenly I had a voice saying ‘commit suicide’, and so I walked on that path to commit suicide. I withdrew, the night I was going to commit suicide, I was reading a book titled ‘how to commit suicide’, I’ve gone far with that thinking, I was trying to hide my shame, my weaknesses, I didn’t have the enabling power to overcome it, I was consumed.
And right there in my room waiting for everybody to go to bed, the door busted open and a mighty rushing wind came in and closed the door and began to turn everything inside the room around. Then suddenly the wind calmed down and it looked as if it opened itself, and a personality stepped out of the wind right in my room, I was not sleeping, it happened live. And who stepped out? It was Jesus Himself, He stepped out of that boisterous wind and said to me, smiling at me, I was afraid, white as snow with a glittery hair.
Everything about Him was white and He was smiling at me and said, “Peter, Peter, I am the Lord Jesus Christ. I am the answer to your problem, suicide will not solve your problem.” Then I said to Him, what do You mean by suicide will not solve my problem? I never even knew where I got that boldness from; He waved Hs hand, He said look, and I looked at the direction of His hand and behold my eyes opened and I saw uncountable human beings worshiping God.
They were worshiping God, singing a song, ‘hosanna in the highest, blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord’; and He said to me, all these people worshiping me, are they fools? Go and join them. And I said how do I join them? He said, locate the CU hall on Sunday, join them there, I’ll be waiting for you. So on Sunday, I looked for a young man that went about preaching the gospel, sharing the grace of God so I approached him, I said I want to go to church and I want to be part of the CU meeting. He said okay I will take you there.
So he took me there and I sat down; the message was preached, alter call was made and I found myself in front of the altar weeping like a baby. Everything they preached was about me, I saw my nakedness, I saw my weakness, I saw everything about me, I was dirty. I was crying, then suddenly my eyes opened and I saw two people on the altar, I saw my Lord Jesus Christ and I saw the preacher that made the altar call and Jesus stepped down to me and said “Peter, I told you I’ve been waiting for you here, now you are here, allow me to take over.” This Jesus is real.
I’ve encountered Him in diverse occasions, I’ve not encountered Him as I did that day again but in revelation have I encountered Him in diverse occasions – in dreams, in open vision, I’ve encountered Him, He’s free and He’s still in the business of saving souls and as many of us that will link up with Him He will help, He said for this purpose came I.
As I bring my message to conclusion, what are the benefits of this enabling power? It increases our confidence in Him. When we rely on God’s enabling power, our confidence is increased, our confidence in His ability to work through us increases. I’m able to come this far because of that encounter and I’m persuaded this morning that somebody will have that encounter.
Number two, peace. God mighty enabling power brings peace and calmness in the midst of uncertainty. From that very day, I had my peace, I began to understand life, the meaning of life, everything that happens around me doesn’t bother me as long as Jesus have through me began, He says this one shall also pass away. And I can tell somebody here, this one shall also pass away.
Number three, fruitfulness. Once you begin to enjoy the enabling power of God, you become fruitful. As I grow up in life, I had this understanding that I was a failure and I carried this struggle to the campus as a failure and they were manifesting until I encountered Jesus, and one morning Jesus spoke to me, He said to me, son, hitherto have men call you a failure, but I call you a good success.
From today, your journey shall be success and I will walk with you and go with you; I will carry you on my eagle’s wing and I will make sure I make you an example to the world to know that I am the One that is in charge.” And from that day, my journey turned, everything around me turned and I began to live a life of fruitfulness. There’s somebody here this morning, you will encounter Jesus in a new dimension that will surprise you.
In conclusion, God Almighty is our mighty enabler, providing the power and the strength we need to overcome life challenges. By relying on God’s enabling power, we can achieve great things and live a life of honor and glory that will glorify Him.
So what we are saying is that we need to connect ourself to Him that we may be partaken of that grace which He has given to us, taking us from one level of grace to another level of grace because there are diverse levels of grace. And once you encounter Jesus genuinely, you begin to move in that level of grace in understanding and knowledge of His person.
Can we rise, in 1995 I was on my face before God, I was a parish pastor already but I was not fulfilling purpose, so I went to seek His face; as I laid on my face in tears, Jesus came down, I felt His presence all over the room, He stood over me on the floor, I’ve been praying from 11 in the night till 10:00 a.m. in the morning that day, I was not ready to let go until I’ve heard from Him.
Then He stood over me and said, “Son, I have heard you and hence I have come”, and I’m saying this to somebody here now, I see a man lifted up from the dungeon of nothingness to the lamplight of glory. As I live, says the Lord, I will bring you out of nothing and I will announce you; then He said to me, if you believe what I’ve just told you, which I know I will bring to pass, anytime you have the opportunity to stand before my people in the near future and you remember this day, say it into their ears and as many that believe, I will do same that I have done in your life.
I will take them from their place of weakness, their place of uncertainty, their place of struggle, their place of shame, I will bring them out and I will announce them, I will bring them to a place of glory and honor. And I want to speak to somebody here, hear ye the word of the Lord, I see a man lifted up from the dungeon of nothingness to the lamplight of glory, as the Lord lives whom I serve, your shame is over and the wilderness journey is equally over.
That journey of uncertainty has come to an end, not that it’s coming to an end, it has come to an end. Today marks a new beginning for you, a new beginning of glory, of power and of honor.
Having said this, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, there’s somebody here, you need to give your life to Jesus, it’s very key because He wants to do more, you need to give your life to Jesus. I don’t know who you are, the Lord said you need to hand over your affair to me so that I can show to the world that I am your God.
[Altar call]
If you are laying your hand upon your chest, say after me, Lord Jesus, this morning I’ve heard Your word and I have believed Your word, therefore, I have come to hand over myself to You, confessing You as my Lord and personal Savior. Forgive me all my sins, wash me in Your blood and fill me with Your Spirit that from this day I may be bold to declare You before all and sundry that You are my Lord and personal Savior. Thank You for answered prayer Lord Jesus, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
[Altar call]
The prayer point will be only one and the Lord laid in my heart to ask somebody here, what will You want me do for you? Talk to God. The last Sunday of the month of October, the month of grace, double grace, God is asking you, my daughter, my son, what will you want me do for you? He said whatsoever thou shalt rehearse in my ears, that will I do; He that created ears have ears.
God is waiting for you to speak into His ears that He may confirm them with miracles, signs, and wonders; that area that you are trusting Him, for by the corporate unction of the ministers of God that are with us on the altar and the power of the Holy Spirit, in this very moment… Blessed be thy holy name Lord, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
And so Father we want to thank You once again for the opportunity we have to call upon Your holy name, for the Bible says whosoever shall call upon You shall be saved, saved in every ramification of life. Daddy we have spoken into Your ears as You have instructed us, You said whatsoever we shall say into Your ears, that will You do, by faith we have stood on Your word and we have rehearsed our heart into Your ears, my God, my Father, I ask that before the sun sets, let that which Your children have asked of thee become testimony in Jesus name.
There are six of you here this morning, before you step out of this church, your testimony will be in your hand. Daddy, I thank You for the life of Your children that have stepped out, I ask, oh God, that that which You have begun already to do in their life that You will accomplish, You will fulfill, perfect all that concerns them. You that have helped me with Your enabling power and brought me this far and still helping me, Father until the end, I commit this ones, for You said was so we commit to your care you are able to keep, Father keep these ones, help them, strengthen them, preaching upon preaching line upon line, guide them into the truth and let them not fall nether fail in Jesus name.
May they be fulfilled. Oh Lord, may they have opportunity to share their testimony before the world in Jesus’ name. Once again, I cover them with the blood of Jesus, they will not go back to their vomit, it is a new beginning, a new beginning of Your glory and of Your power, of Your honor and of Your favor and of the prosperity. This I decree on their behalf in Jesus name.
As touching Your entire church, may we hear the testimony of Your children. Thank You for answered prayers, blessed be thy holy name Lord, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
