PERFECT LOVE BELIEVERS CENTRE, BENIN SUNDAY SERVICE MESSAGE EXCERPT DATE: 11TH JANUARY 2015 MESSAGE BY: PASTOR PRESTON IDORO MESSAGE TITLE: LIFE OF THE SPIRIT (PART TWO) • On Wednesday, I started a powerful teaching on the life of the Spirit and I will continue it today. I want you to start this New Year well so you can end it well. There is a saying that goes thus: “it is the way you lay your bed, that’s how you will lie on it.” If you start in a wrong spirit, then it is not going to be a very bright year for you but if you start in a very high spirit, then we can be sure that something good is going to come out. By December, you should be able to say that 2015 was a great year for you. In PLBC, it is our year of Great favours and fruitfulness. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you (John 15:16). • Job 10:11- “Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews.” Job made this statement because he understood that his body was not the real him. On Wednesday, I told you that man is spirit that has a soul and lives in a body. Your body is a cloth. God is not going to punish your body or send it to hell because your body did not commit sin. Your body works by the instruction given to it. It will be stupidity for you to smash your computer because it displayed a wrong language. For everything that your computer displays, someone gave the command. Same way, your body is a slave to your soul; it does what the soul tells it to do. I feel sorry for those that are looking for a beautiful body to marry. Before you look for a beautiful body, ensure that the body has a beautiful soul and character. You don’t marry a body; you marry the heart. Most people who came to life have truly been living for their body. How? They think of how they will hustle to buy good food, clothes, build a house, buy a new car, e.t.c. All these things work for the body. What are you investing in your spirit? A lot of you find it difficult to buy messages or gospel materials that will bless your lives. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD. (Matthew 4:4). Jesus made this statement because He understood that you are not the body. The man who judges himself as his body is the man who wants to feed only his body and forget about his spirit. Your Spirit needs to be fed. Hebrews 3:13 says. “but exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Exhort yourself today; you must talk Jesus to someone and someone must talk Jesus to you. If you don’t do this, you will be hardened and Satan will steal you away. One week away from the word of God will make you weak. Job knew that he was clothed with sinews yet he was already praying even when there was no problem. Job was praying for his children’s wrongs even when they had not done anything wrong (Job 1:5). Do you know why? He wanted to secure the things that please his body. Some of you come to church because things are fine and you forget about church when things are not fine. Do not allow any circumstance determine your mood. • Romans 8:6, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” The word “carnal” means to be natural or to be drawn to fleshy things. So many people brag about the designers they put on; are you proud of the eternal designers? Instead of bragging about the designers that you wear, why don’t you brag about Jesus? When people graduate from school, they organize a party; how many parties have been organized because someone got born-again? I’m not saying you should not go to school but seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all other things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). The scripture did not say you should seek other things and then add his kingdom but in the world today, a lot of people seek other things and then add the kingdom. People don’t have a problem going to work 6 days in a week, but find it difficult to attend church once a week because they are seeking other things first. Some of you work from 8am – 6pm everyday without complaining yet you complain that 3 hours is too much to spend in church. You don’t have attention for where your spirit will be schooled. No wonder your life is the way it is. To be naturally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:7, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” The natural mind is enmity against God. Some people say, “I like to be very frank, I am not into those religious things; if I don’t have money, I say I don’t have money.” You’ve been so frank and that’s why you’ve been so broke because you’ve been acting natural. The bible said you should call those things that be not as though they were (Romans 4:17). What do you want out of life? At the end of the day, what will you be remembered for? How would you have lived your life? The protocol you observe will determine the future you will create. The instructions that you obey will determine the result that will come out of your life. Don’t forget this. You might think you are not obeying anything, but the truth is: everybody is obeying something. Either knowingly or unknowingly. You either obey obedience or disobedience. To be disobedient is to obey the negative thing. • Take care of your spirit; it is very necessary. Your body obeys the instruction given by your spirit. What makes you spiritual is not when you try to pretend. Pretence is not spirituality. When you partner with God, you will get better. One of your biggest problems is the people you grew up with (your parents, siblings e.t.c.). One of the biggest problems of Africans is inferiority complex and it is a result of how they grew up. A child is programmed by his parents, teachers at school and the friends he made. As parents, you must be careful with the kind of things you do around your children. They will copy the things they see you do. Parents forget that the bible said “train up a child in the way he should go” and most times, we see parents train their children the way they want them to go. They have packaged you the way they want you to go but failed to package you according to the word of God. Don’t use sentiments to make them live an extension of your life; allow them live their own. Don’t destroy their lives out of sentiment. If God shows you a vision of what you ought to have been, you will be shocked. Even Jesus Christ said that your greatest foes are members of your household. If you will either get better or destroyed in life, it is determined by the people around you. You have a right to choose your friends. Let go of the ones that are not in the same direction with you. When you stand before God, you will not tell Him that you messed your life up because of someone. Your life is important. • Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” When it says “be not conformed”, it is saying, Dont think like ordinary people, don’t behave like ordinary people because you are not ordinary. When you hear the right information, do you renew you mind with the information? Are you debugging your brain? What you are now is the way you have been programmed. Are you ready to reprogram yourself? You could not determine the way you were brought up but you can change the way you will continue life. It’s in your hands. Do not allow anyone deceive you. Your today is a summation of your yesterday and tomorrow will be a summation of today. You can’t sow rice and expect to reap banana. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting (Galatians 6:7-8). Where are you sowing? Where are you putting your investments? Have you come to understand the fact that you live as a spirit? If you understand this, have you fed your spirit enough so you can live a bright life? Some people say “I’m taking things easy because i don’t want to be a pastor.” Nobody is telling you to be a pastor but living triumphantly is our calling. You don’t have to be a pastor to enjoy abundant life in Christ; it is for all believers. • Success is investing in your personality and using that investment to affect someone else to become better in this world. A lot of people think success is building a big house, driving a good car e.t.c. That’s good but not all of it. If you labour only for earthly things and not labour for eternity, then you have missed it. What will you be remembered for? When Benny Hinn is mentioned, we think about healing; when Mike Murdock is mentioned, wisdom comes to mind. What comes to people’s mind when your name is mentioned? When your spirit was sent to partner with your body for life, God gave it an assignment. There is an assignment tied to every head that came here. Don’t stop yourself and don’t allow anyone stop you. I’m not talking about physical assignment but some real spiritual assignment. Your job may just be to sponsor the work financially, tidy the church, encourage people e.t.c. • When you think like ordinary people, you will get ordinary results and there will be no proof for your life. There will not be fruitfulness until there is a deposit. Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” It is not how much you shout God bless me that will make God bless you. Favour will not come from anyone until you have first offered favour to someone. When you give, it shall be given unto you. Matthew 7:12 – “therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Some of you hate all the people around you and then expect God to love you; it won’t work. The one who gives is always bigger than the one who collects. Don’t allow your mind deceive you; the Holy Ghost is bigger than your mind. When you are walking with God, don’t use your senses. You cannot be faithful to God’s business and God will not be faithful to you. People might think you are foolish but the result will prove who was really foolish. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). The way of the Spirit cannot be predicted by man. It is like the wind that you cannot tell where it is going. • Don’t live for your flesh; live for the Spirit. John said: “He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).” There is gain in living for God. if you were not paying your tithe last year, decide to pay your tithe this year. Don’t just attend only Sunday services; attend weekly services also. 1 Corinthians 3:9 tells us that we are labourers together with God. What are you doing for God’s work? What is your proof of love? Your love shouldn’t be in words only; let it show in your deeds. Some of you take your time to shop for yourself; what are you buying for God? Revelation 2:2-4 says, “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my names sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” When you spend time with those you love, you are not desperate to leave. Even when it is getting dark, you still want to stay more. How long can you stay in the presence of God? When you stay long in His presence, you are investing in yourself. Love God better, serve Him better, give Him your time and attention. Don’t use your mind before God; He knows the end even from the start. • Don’t try to change people. It is God that changes people; the highest you can do is do either deceive them or cajole them, but it will get to a point where they will get tired of the cajoling or deceit. Allow the spirit of God lead you. As many that are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). PRAYER I pray for these ones: that where they missed it last year, they will not continue thereof this year. Where they made it wrongly last year, they will not run in the same spirit this year. If there be any one that is sick, I pray that the divine healing of God will touch you right now and you are healed in your body in the name of Jesus. If there is anyone that lacks in this place, you shall not lack anymore. The hand of the Lord is upon your life, family, academics. Everywhere you go, you will prosper, you will find favour and you will be fruitful in life. God will strengthen you with might from the inner man. Wisdom shall be at work in you. Knowledge shall grow in your system; you will not suffer lack or pain. You will not be troubled on every side. The Lord will be with you. The Lord will bring that miracle that will turn your life around. He will bring that provision that will cause you to smile. In Jesus name. Amen
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 09:07:09 +0000