THE ALTAR CONTINUE

Learning from today's fellowship.

The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out. Leveticus 6:12-13

Classification of altar
1, Godly altar (Genesis 8:20, 12:7, Exodus 24:4)
2, Demonic altar ( Numbers 23:1, Exodus 34:13)

There is no where on this earth that the devil does not have his agents and the way they pay homage to him, the way they give him access into their lives is through their demonic altar. Everywhere they go, they raise altars to the demon who sent them there.

In our neighbourhood, our work places, our markets, our schools, everywhere. Anytime they get to such a place, they call him there. They invoke him to dominate that place for them to be able to operate.

But children of the Most High God will be living their lives as if it's not the same battle field. We walk carelessly, sit carelessly, we don't even know how to bring the King into our jobs, homes, schools, markets, etc. ... That is why we are at the mercy of the devil everywhere and we are just praying compilation of warfare prayers from a book.  I'm not asking us to be paranoid but "watch and pray".

Let's take a cue from Moses in Exodus 17:15. Where he called God, Jehovah Nissi...God is my banner. That battle with Amalek was the 1st one for the Israelites after they left Egypt. This banner is not the banner to print programmes, it is the flag carried by those at the frontline of a battalion to show what clan they belong to at the warfront. Let the altar of God be the 1st thing we raise anywhere we go. Let the kingdom of darkness know that you have arrived.

As I said last week, that altar does not need to be different from other parts of that space. Pick a spot, anoint it, call God to take charge of that area, at every time you step there, you give Him thanks and hand that place over to him. You will see the devil lose his hold over you because the environment is not conducive for him to operate. He cannot survive there.

Note that even if a demonic altar has been raised in your space, the moment you raise an altar for Jehovah Nissi, the demonic power is dead.  1Samuel 5:3

1 Thessalonians 5: 17, Pray without ceasing. Bring everything, every person, every desire before God on that altar.

Cancel the actions of demonic altars from that altar. Heal the sick from that altar, cleanse the "leper" from that altar, raise the dead from that spot and cast out demons (Matthew 10:8)

Call names, call places, mention plans/desires. It's not a bother to Him, He wants to know. Let's be empowered to conquer.

Shalom!

THE ALTAR

Learnings from today's fellowship.

The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out. Leveticus 6:12-13

Types of altars
1, Church altar
2, Personal altar
3, Occultic altar

We know what the church altar is and we have an idea what an occultic altar is used for....

The emphasis today is on the personal altar. This is where you fall in love with God. Where you fellowship with the lover of your soul. Where your two hearts beat as one. Where you have such a good time that you don't want to leave too soon.

Personal altars are very important if we say we are children of God. An active altar gives dominion. No prayer from a burning altar can be stopped.

Across the old testament, we can see the significance of having an altar. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses all built altars when they want to have or already had deep communication with God. With Christ now our lamb and our priest, it seems we think it is no longer necessary but God who now lives in our heart's (you are the temple of the Lord 1Corintians  3:16) eagerly waits for us to sit and fellowship with Him ALONE. Without the choir, the ministers, the ushers, the children

One question for you to answer please, is God in your heart? Before you are quick to answer "Yes", what are the songs you listen to? What are the movies, pictures, etc you watch? When you sit with friends, what are your topics of discussion? Answer these questions sincerely and you will know if God is in your heart because He will not be in the same temple with dagon. You cannot serve God and mammon.

How to build a personal altar.
1, Choose a place. This can be anywhere in your house. It is NOT expected to be marked like a shrine. It could be a chair or bed corner. It can be seperated (for those who have the space) or same as your usual living area.
2, Choose a time. Let it be known by you and God that....Daddy, we meet here by this time everyday. This does not mean that you cannot travel. When you are not home, you pick a place in your new location, anoint it at the SAME TIME and CONNECT to your home altar.
3, Anoint the place and plead the blood of Jesus upon it. Mark it for the King of kings. Sanctify it for the Master's use. At other times of the day, it can be used for other things but at THAT TIME, it's an altar and must be treated as such.
4,Speak to God that you have chosen that spot for your daily fellowship with Him. Ask Him to come and dwell there as Jesus said in John 14:23
5, Read the word.
6,Give the sacrifice of praise, worship and thanksgiving.
7, Make your request known
8, Be silent and listen with your heart. He will always speak if you've fellowshiped and your mind has not drifted off.

NOTE: Don't miss your fellowship time, God will ALWAYS be there waiting. Make sure the fire (Praise, worship, thanksgiving and prayer) on your altar does not go out. You might think it's impossible not to miss a date but if you want THE power, you must adopt John 15 totally, abide in me.

So you think those with occultic altars miss their time? That's why some of us are at their mercy....they dictate what happens in our environment.

If you want the dominion that comes with being a child of God, you need to have the power that flows from the Most high God which you can ONLY get from your powerful personal altar.

Create the time, ask God to give you the grace to meet with Him and He definitely will because He desperately wants to abide and commune with us.

When a date is missed, make amends as to The Lover of Your Soul. Ask for forgiveness and give special "sacrifice". Our God is not like the devil that punishes defaulters of occultic altar agreements severly...but he will not be happy with a missed appointment.

Luke 5:16 told us Jesus OFTEN  seperates Himself to the wilderness to pray. Let's be empowered to conquer.

Shalom!

DISCHARGED, ACQUITTED AND COMPENSATED

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:1.

This bible passage is powerful. Let's not forget that because we are still in the flesh, we have to constantly keep our souls/thought/act under the authority of Christ because the devil is always looking for ways to make God's own people fall.

This passage dropped into my heart when I was reading Genesis 20, from the beginning where Abraham said Sarah was his sister..... he lied so that he will not be killed by lustful man. Not so that he can "walk in the flesh",  but to preserve his own life.

Though the word was not written then, His Person (I AM), who is still the same God acted accordingly and did not condemn Abraham.

God stepped in,
1, Chastised Abimelek.
2, Honoured Abraham by empowering him to pray for the king.
3, Blessed Abraham with livelihood (sheep and cattle), help (slaves), land and riches (shekels of silver).

To Sarah, she was "completely vindicated" (Gen. 20:16). Wow!

Even when Abraham was wrong in lying ( according to God's commandment), but because He was of God and walked not in the flesh but in the Spirit. God was fighting for him and ensured Sarah was not touched and "kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving".

Instead of condemnation, Abraham and His wife got wealth. Is God's way not mysterious? Abraham was discharged, acquitted and compensated! I pray that as a believer in Christ, my mistakes will not bring me judgement, it will bring mercy and breakthrough in Jesus name.

So, if you read the bible say "judge not", this is one of the reasons. Anyone who looks from the outside will see a "Pastor " committing the sin of lying..... what you don't know is that God sees his heart and will act accordingly.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Psalm 145:8.

Are you in Christ?

SALTY OR NOT SALTY

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Matthew 5:13.

In chemistry (wikipedia), salt in its natural form is a ROCK and one of its properties is it's conductitivity which means  salts conducts electricity (also known as POWER).

The above definition of salt means Jesus knew what he was saying when He called his followers SALT.  We actually carry both the Rock of ages and the Power of God in us!

Please note, that anything salt comes in contact with feels it's impact. Either food, water or even steel (one of earth's strongest metals) does not remain the same after salt comes in close and continued contact with it.

Then imagine the shocker, after Abraham's negotiation to save Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18:32-33 (Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more.What if only ten can be found there?”He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.) that God could not find 10 righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah. Ha!

As The Salt, Abraham's faith brought his household to God, which was how Lot became a believer. When in Genesis 13:6-7, Lot and Abraham's household became too large to stay together, they parted ways.

At the time of the destruction, Abraham expected Lot (as a Salt) to have turned his immediate family, his staff and a few people in his community to the Lord. But alas, even Lot's immediate family "were not salted".

Lot lost his saltiness, and so,  he was no longer good for anything, except to be destroyed along with everyone in Sodom and Gomorrah. It was Abraham's intercession that stopped Lot's destruction but how did he fare eventually? Terribly.

To be made salty again, John 15 is key for every believer who has lost his saltiness and does not want to be thrown out. We need to retrace our step to The True Vine (The Rock) and Abide in Him who is The Word (His Power).

The Host of heaven are cheering us up. We will make heaven in Jesus name and take as many people as possible along with us.

Shalom!

DELAY NOT DENIAL

"Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.” Genesis 7:4, And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth. Genesis 7:10

Today, we are examining when God makes a promise. We have all heard the bible passage that God is "not a man that He should lie", i want us to also look at the passage which says "For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry." HABAKKUK 2:3

When Noah went into the ark, people would have laughed at him from the 1st day, laughed harder the 2nd day, hardest on the 3rd day. Noah knows God promised him the rain after 7  days but as the days pass by......1, 2 ,3, 4, Noah would have been very tensed-up. Then, the appointed time and God showed up... and their laughter turned to plea for help.

When Lazarus was sick, they sent for Jesus and alas, Lazarus died. When Jesus got there, even Lazarus' sisters lost their faith.

No matter what people are saying, no matter what the realities are showing, please don't doubt God. Hold on to the promises He made to you. He makes everything beautiful in his own time. He WILL come and silence the mockers.He NEVER fails.

Concerning the second coming, He is coming back again. Brethren, be prepared.

Shalom!

PRAISE NOT IN STOCK

Lola came to hug me of her own free will today and started kissing my face. .....left, right,up, down and as I sat receiving those kisses from my daughter, my love for her filled my heart to bursting point. I know she wants to play with my tablet but I just love what she did in order to achieve her goal.

This event made me understand what praise and worship does to God. If Lola had given me gifts, it would have been from what I have her. But this expression of love is out of my capacity to measure and give her with the instruction to return some.

God cannot give us praise (it's not in heaven's store house) that we will give Him 10% back. He cannot praise Himself and He loves praise. Why don't you give God praise without ulterior motive and watch Him open heavens store house for you.

If you think you have little to thank God for, start from that little and continue with Psalm 136.
                                             
                                                Sneak peek from my book


Shalom!

TRUTH AND MALICE

TRUTH!
Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar.......When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,”...........So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.” Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. Genesis 26:1-12

MALICE!
......He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him..........So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.” Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!”.........Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also.......... Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces............. Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.  That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!”. Genesis 26:13-32

Today's bible passages buttress the point from the bible passage of the previous bible study. 1Peter2:19-21 http://olufunkeayorinde.blogspot.com/2019/04/suffering.html?m=1

Isaac had his 1st breakthrough in a strange land when his lies were exposed and he acknowledged it..... he planted during a famine and reaped a hundredfold........wow! He "suffered lack for a sin he committed".

Having a source of water is invaluable for a shepherd. Imagine Isaac's torment of being denied his own well with his large herd He probably would have to beg others to fetch from their well. He would have to agree to their terms too (fetch water after us, your boy must not come here again, your flock's faeces is disturbing is, your men must sweep the side of the wall,etc) and he kept cool.

Isaac's biggest breakthrough came because he suffered for a sin he did not commit and he did not keep malice or hold a grudge. God was busy moulding Isaac into a better man before he got a larger share of his father,Abraham's blessings.

For those of us who still have sin in our lives and we can give excuses for it like Isaac... i lie so that he will not be angry, i stole to feed my children, I'm doing yahoo yahoo because the white man stole from us, I'm doing runs to get revenge  over men, my employer also stole from the government,etc..... keept it up. You are only delaying God's blessing over your life.

Also, for those of us that can keep records of both real and perceived wrong done to us....let us learn from Isaac. He had the right to be bitter, but he chose to be better and embraced his adversaries with love. This unlocked the earth's resource for him and no one could contend with him over it.

Holy Spirit divine, help us so that Abraham's blessings will be ours. With man, it is impossible, with God, all things are possible.

Shalom! 

SUFFERING

Learnings from today's fellowship.

"For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called,because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." 1Peter 2:19-21

The bible passage above tells us that we will suffer for doing the right thing. This does not mean the same suffering that Jesus suffered such that every one will witness it on the street; rather, each person's suffering (also called cross) is different.

As Christians who have left the "milk" of the word, the meat/bone of the word is that suffering is one of the "jewerries" of a child of God. It is a "rite of passage" to a higher level in Christ. Just like Christ, we "pass through" in order to have His power. "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death"Phil.3:10.

THE POWER COMES FROM THE SUFFERING.

These suffering is for us to be blessed and for God to be glorified. These sufferings can also be likened to the fire used to purify Gold. The heat required for low-carat gold is lower than the heat meant for a higher-carat gold, so why are you comparing your trials to your neighbours. 

Don't forget that He knows us because He knitted us in our mother's womb, so He will not allow us to be tempted more than we can bear 1Cor. 10:13 and He is ready to comfort us as Jesus was 2Cor. 1:5.

Some dirt/habits/attitudes need to be taken off permanently before we are blessed....failure to remove these filth will result into shame when we get promoted which God does not want.

From today, embrace your suffering and ensure you let go of the filth quickly so you don't stay too long in the fire and watch what Master-piece the Master will make of you.

To His glory and for your blessing/elevation.

Shalom!

YOU WILL BE ASKED

1,  Luke 16:20-21 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.

2,    Matthew 25:42-43  For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 

The two bible passages above are the two instances where scenes after death was played in the bible and in both instances, giving was a deciding factor.

Majority of us are not generous in nature. Even in tithing, we try to give as little as possible (if the government tax your gross pay, why tithe on leftover after expenses?) or justify not taking it to God's storehouse.

Our offering in church is very poor and giving outside the 4 walls of the church is non-existence.

I want us to read the whole story from the two passages above and ask the holy spirit to open our eyes to see ourselves. If there is need for a change of heart, ask God for help.

We can also read the write-up in the link for more reasons why we need to give olufunkeayorinde.blogspot.com/2018/08/who-you-epp.html

It's another end of the year and i want us to remember the less-privileged in our society. It is well with us in Jesus name. Amen.

Shalom!

WHO YOU EPP?

This is a slang in Lagos, Nigeria where an individual asks a better - off person what value his being better-off has added to his life. For the purpose of this message, I will not only be asking people who are comfortable this question, I will also ask the not-so-comfortable.....Who You Epp?

There are lots of instances in the bible where someone not-so-comfortable has helped someone else even in his/her discomfort and that action meant an outstanding breakthrough for the helper.

1 Samuel 30.told us about King David on a quest to rescue his wives and children that were captured by enemy forces. Despite his state of mind and the urgency of his mission (risk of being overthrown by his devastated men), King David stopped to help a man and this act ensured the success of his mission. He recovered all.

2kings 4 vs 8-end told us about a Great Shunammite woman. She had no child and had lost hope of having one but it did not stop her from being good to everyone. I'm sure her husband had another wife because if he is not Father Abraham and Sarah, he will marry another woman to raise heirs. How we knew she has lost all hope of having children? It was no longer on her prayer - point until someone else (Prophet Elisha ' s servant,  Gehazi) mentioned it to Elisha who wanted to reward her kindness. She gave birth.

The last example we will look at is 1Kings 17 vs 7-end which is about the widow who was preparing to cook a final meal for herself and only son to eat after which they wait for death during a famine. She was met by a prophet who requested for that final meal and she gave it..... The bible said after that action of the widow, "the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail".

Bringing us to this present century, I was out of job for a few years and my income was completely low. It was during that period I knew the value of the "little" help rendered, cash, transport fare you paid,the cup of rice you gave, etc; but It was during that period that I gave much more than I have ever given even while working (and I thought I did not have enough then)... I will not claim I had surplus in return but "the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail". There was a divine covering over my life such that God took care of my every need (sometimes by providing the money or sending someone to meet the need), no evil emergency, I gave birth with N3, 000 (labour of less than 1hour) and was discharged same day; mother and son, very fine. Jesus was (still is) my Shepherd indeed.

Looking at all our examples, we can see that there is need to take our eyes off our immediate challenge, to be the answer to someone else's prayer so that heavens will open concerning our own need.

WARNING! The parable of the sower makes us understand that some soil will never bring yield to a seed. PRAYERFULLY EPP so that your seed sown will be on a fertile soil, will germinate and yield fruits.


Shalom!