Recently, I was invited to minister to a group of Christians. I taught on the subject of the power of God. I emphasized the basics i.e. God’s power has been given to all believers (Acts 1:8) in equal measure (John 3:34). Furthermore, since God’s power is a spiritual blessing, Ephesians 1:3 lets us understand that all believers have been blessed with all spiritual blessings from the moment they got born again. Therefore, no Christian lacks His power and we should never ask God for power (as this will mean unbelief). I pointed out that it is our responsibility to understand and express the power we have received from God. Finally, I gave some guidance on expressing the power.
To my surprise, Brother Jack came to round off the meeting and prayed – “We ask Oh God that you release your power unto us afresh this moment in Jesus name”. Guess what? There was a resounding “Amen” across the congregation. I felt gutted. What could have gone wrong, I asked myself. Was I such a terrible teacher that I could not communicate the message with clarity? Why were they asking God for something they already possessed? I had just shown that from the scriptures? Even if they had not fully grasped the truth, surely they should have remained in neutral gear pending further personal study like the Berean Christians in Acts 17:11? As I pondered on the possible cause of this error, my mind flashed back to what occurred the last time I visited Jack some years ago.
He took me to his private library filled with a staggering number of books – over 1500. He seemed delighted at the fact that he had read all those books, most of which, I must admit, had changed my life. But Jack’s life appeared to be at variance with the teachings in those books – and he is not alone! Many Christians, perhaps you are one of them, have sat under great teachings and read great books, including the greatest of them all – the Bible. But their lifestyles contradict these great messages. So today, I’d like to share 3 things you must consciously amend in your life immediately you listen to any gospel message or read the bible / any gospel book. Let’s use the acronym P.U.T (Prayer. Utterance. Thoughts) to remind you of the immediate necessary action:
- Prayer: Your “prayer points” should change immediately. Ask yourself, how do I pray concerning things relating to this subject and what change is necessary based on this message? For instance, I expect that over time, Jack’s prayer regarding God’s power will change to “Lord, thank you for your power at work in me”.
- Utterance: Ask yourself how you have spoken in the past concerning the subject and what changes are required in your utterances? For instance, if your last discussion with your friends, everyone said things like – “If only God would give us power like he gave the church general overseer”. Next time such a conversation comes up, you should be saying – we all need to work on expressing the power of God just like our general overseer has been able to do.
- Thoughts: This is the bedrock and it affects your prayers and utterances. You have to consciously put all the previous thoughts you had concerning that subject on the table including scriptures you had wrongly misinterpreted. Evaluate them one by one on the basis of the insight you now have. It is better to do it on paper. If you get confused at any point, do further research. By so doing, you turn on the lights in every dark area of your life.
Please let’s not be like Jack who found it difficult to change probably because he made the word of God of no effect by his traditional prayers, utterances and thoughts. We must start practicing P.U.T founded on the truth of the Word, and then we will be changed from glory to glory by the Spirit of God.
“Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think.” – Romans 12:2 (GW)
– Tope S. Aladenusi
Early this month, someone sent this very important mail to me regarding deliverance:
“Hi Tope. I have this question weighing on my mind; when a sinner who is under a covenant with some black or (occult) powers (blood covenant) becomes born again (perhaps it is something his father or forefathers did way before he was born and, he is unaware of the covenant). Will the covenant be broken automatically, once he becomes born again, or, does he have to go for deliverance to break this covenant?”
A lot of Christians are faced with similar situations and I desire that they read this piece. First, the major reason we are faced with such dilemmas is because we were not taught or we do not really understand the implication of being born again. Most believers still think that to be born again means to change your attitude, or as it is commonly said, “the bad things you used to do, you do them no more”. However, that has a totally different meaning from this.
I like the way the question was framed: when a sinner … becomes born again? Last week, I emphasized that before you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, the devil was the Commander-in-Chief of your life. Because of the sin of Adam, man was separated from God and since man is primarily a spirit, the devil could possess his spirit. But what happened when we got born again?
John 3:5 (KJV) “Jesus answered … Except a man be born … of the Spirit, he cannot enter into thekingdom of God.”
2Co 5:17 (MSG) “… anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons!”
Rom 6:6 (GNB) “And we know that our old being has been put to death with Christ on his cross…”
To be born again means to be born of the Spirit of God. A new being was created in us when we got born again. But before that new being was born, something happened. The old being that was easily possessed by the devil was destroyed. As a matter of fact, every time a person gets born again, we should be conscious of the fact that someone just died. Furthermore, a new being (spirit) that previously never existed was born inside that person.
So what if a sinner practiced occultism / witchcraft before and now he is saved? Simple, the person that practiced occultism is now dead; crucified with Christ on the cross. That is what the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ means. In the mind of God, when Jesus went to the cross, we were in him and died with him. That’s why you will see the phrase “in Him” or “in Christ” over 130 times in the New Testament. We may not notice any instant change physically or even in attitude, but let every man be a liar and let the Word of God be true; that new man is born again and will be shocked if you associate him with occultism. It would be like accusing a day-old child of being occultic last year; everyone would think you were out of your mind. The curses (ancestral or not) were automatically broken when you got born again because the person that had their physical lineage and partook in the curse is dead! We now have a new lineage from God (I Peter 1:23). Does a dead man require deliverance from occultism? No wonder the bible says – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be absolutely free.” John 8:36 (GW).
You may say – But some Christians behave as though they are possessed? Why do some still act like occultists even after they are saved? What about people who say a Christian can have a spirit husband, spirit wife or spirit whatever? Is it possible for an evil spirit to return to a believer if he/ she commits a sin?
We will discuss this and many more in our subsequent messages.
– tope aladenusi
One of the greatest mistakes the devil repeatedly makes from generation to generation is that he does not terminate the lives of many Christians while they are unbelievers. Let’s face it; before you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, the devil was the Commander-in-Chief of your life. You were totally under his spell. Ephesians 2:2 (CEV) puts it this way – “You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn’t obey God”.
Perhaps you didn’t feel it then, but that’s the truth. His remote control was fully operational in you. He could hit a “lie” button and the next minute you would be framing a very constructive lie. He could press the “lust” button and you would have no other option than to lust. At the extreme, he could press the “nightmare” and then the “die” button, like we do when we ‘fight’ Mortal Kombat on our computer games, and in a heartbeat, you would be ‘dead and gone’. But thank God it is already too late for the devil to have such power over your life as a believer.
Colossians 1:13 (KJVA) “Who (God) hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son”. This is one common trait of every believer. We (believers) have been delivered from the devil and his cohorts, even though many of us do not accept it. I will never forget a prayer meeting I attended about 11 years ago. The pastor leading the prayer session would read a verse from the bible and give us a “prayer point” in line with that verse. Then, he read Colossians 1:13 and said – “brethren, we will pray right now that God should deliver us from every power of darkness”. Whoa! I was angry at this grievous blunder, but that seemed to be the least I could express. When I looked at the zeal with which most believers in that congregation were praying about this, I could not help but weep. How come we had just read that God had delivered (past tense!) us and we are praying that he should deliver us from the power of darkness? Were we calling God a liar or, did ‘deliver’ and ‘delivered’ mean the same thing to us?
I understand some of us have issues with deliverance and I will attempt to discuss more about it in our subsequent messages. For instance, how much power can witches / wizards exercise over you? What if you practiced occultism before you got saved? Can the believer be possessed by the devil or his cohorts? Should Christians seek deliverance, and if yes, what type?
But before then, I want you to take note of one more thing. Colossians 1:13 does not give us the impression that we were delivered and left alone to sit on the fence, No! We were immediately transferred into the Kingdom of Christ. Even though your physical location remained the same when you got born again, you immediately switched locations in the realm of the Spirit. You now dwell in God’s kingdom. Think about it and its possible implications!
To be continued …
– tope aladenusi
Who do you think is the most powerful Christian on earth? Let’s assume his name is B.A. and that he is born again. The bible says the same power that is in B.A is also in you (if you are a believer). But you may say “B.A heals the sick, raises the dead and sees visions, but I have never experienced any of such things before”. This is understandable. But first you must realize that possession is different from expression; Identity is different from activity; and having power is different from acting based on the power you have.
The bible says in Romans 8:9 (GNB) “Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” In other words, as long as you are a believer, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. That is what makes you a Christian. The good news is that when the Holy Spirit comes into your life, he doesn’t come in bits. He comes with his ENTIRE person; he comes with all his attributes. You either have all of him or none of him. Please keep this in mind, it will help you understand this series of messages and also help you better understand your bible.
The Holy Spirit is not a fluid or a gas; he is a personality. Just as I cannot come into your house with only a part of my body, he cannot come into your spirit without coming in totality. No wonder John 3:34 says “God does not give his Spirit by measure”. I like the way The Message translation puts it – “Don’t think he (God) rations out the Spirit in bits and pieces”. Therefore, no born again person, no matter his/her title, has ‘more Holy Spirit’ than another.
The same thing applies to God’s power. Acts 1:8 (GW) says “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes to you.” Do you have the Holy Spirit? If yes, then you have His power. His power is also not given in measure. It is not measured in kilojoules or kilowatts. You either have all of it or none of it. Does B.A. do “powerful” things that you do not do? It is NOT because he has more power than you have; it is probably because he has learnt how to express that power. So instead of running to God all the time and claiming he has not given us power, we should start looking within – what we need to do is ACT!
Gal 6:7-8 (KJV) is clear on this – “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.”
Beloved, where have you been sowing recently? Perhaps when B.A. was praying you were watching Indian movies; or when B.A. was studying the word you were running from pillar to post for money; perhaps while you were sleeping, B.A. was having a tête-à-tête with God. Would you expect to see the same results? Impossible! You have been sowing different seeds, and God cannot be mocked. But, you can start sowing in the Spirit from today. God’s power is in you and you should start expressing it today. It is time you began to align your activity with your identity. Let everything you do show who you really are. Let the world know that the ‘most powerful’ believer on earth is … YOU!
– tope aladenusi
The Yoruba’s have a proverb that He who follows a dog would soon eat faeces. Apologies if the thought of this causes you to puke; but this was stated following the observation that stray dogs would just go about eating anything … even faeces.
Somehow in a distant land away from familiar faces and scenes I learnt a vital lesson about companions which drew me to the proverb above. The companions we keep would affect us either for good or for bad. And it would not just fall like ripe cherries; it would have to be worked on. The natural drift of the world is toward itself i.e. worldliness. So most likely, if you are left all by yourself, there is a 100:1 chance that the person that comes your way would be asking you to compromise your stand.
We have to guard our Christianity and one way comes by guarding those we flock with. David said “I am a companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy precepts.” (Psalms 119:74). Just as iron sharpens iron, friends sharpen the minds of each other (Proverbs 27:17). Again we hear Paul saying “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” (Heb 10:24)
I had to break the temptation of just assuming that being in the midst of Christians without consciously pursuing our individual and collective Christianity was all that mattered. I mean we could tatter on end and talk on and on, but many times this was not fulfilling. My spirit yearned for a song, for a phrase of prayer, for a word of encouragement. But somehow I didn’t understand how to make it look real and not force it down others throat. But after a while, I got to understand that deep down inside of most of us was that yearning as well. Why am I seemingly drifting off the topic: it’s because it is not just about who you flock with but what you do together. A group of Christians drinking coke and relishing every lewd joke does not make the gathering more christianly than a group of sinners drinking beer and sharing porn.
Do not consider it strange to pray together. I repeat Christianity is not about living in a house with a huge Christian logo on the door or driving in a car with a huge logo at the rear mud guard. It should be in the popular phrase of the early church – “… and they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
If you find yourself in an unfamiliar environment like me, don’t get lost in the crowd. Seek your kind and flourish.
Dr bolaji akanni
| If there is a time to bring our problem-solving abilities to the table, it is now!
If there is a time Christians should demonstrate the power of God, it is now! If there is a time to walk according to the dictates of God’s Spirit in a way that will astound humanity, it is now! If there is a time we need to demonstrate the miraculous to the world, it is now!
The world is currently speaking one language. Global financial crisis; Stock market crash; Economic downturn; etc. They have gotten to a tipping point where their projections and calculations have failed. The companies with the best ratings are sinking. So what do we expect from the ones aspiring for those ratings? Companies are firing their staff every day. Investors are singing the “send down the rain” song. Men are beginning to come to an end in themselves. They can now appreciate the limitation of self. And this is a good time to dispense the ever present help in time of need.
Oh! I see this time as an opportunity to tell men that there is a God who ruleth in the affairs of men. The “you can do it” talk is ready to give way for the “I can do it according to God’s power at work in me” message. I see it as an opportunity to turn water to wine since the wine in many countries is going dry. I see it as an opportunity to get an idea from the Spirit that will make unbelievers come to us and say “no man can do these things except the Lord be with him”. And we will gladly reply – “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. I see it as an opportunity to walk in the Spirit and demonstrate the miraculous. Let’s face it. Natural ideas have failed. Supernatural insights can be best appreciated at this point. When a man who mistakenly slumps into a river starts struggling for survival, you may go under with him if you attempt to immediately rescue him. But when he has lost hope of survival, he becomes very light and can be easily pulled out of the river. The world has been struggling for long and rescue time is here.
It is also a time for Christians to get to the point where they cherish the word of God over the philosophies of men. In the past few years, there have been volumes of books on investment and becoming rich. Many believers esteemed these principles more than the ones in the bible. Some ministers even started preaching directly from such books. But if the guys who wrote the books are currently weeping, do we need an angel to tell us to repent and return to the bible. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 “ … learn from me, and you will find rest”. If you have deviated before, it is time you found rest for your soul.
Oh! I cherish Christianity so much. We’ve got the solution to any problem in the world. It’s just a pity many of us do not know this. We are supernatural beings. When natural laws fail, we show the world a new order. “You are chosen people … You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God” I Peter 2:9. The world needs us now!
tope aladenusi |