JIMMY CARTER, A FORMER AMERICAN PRESIDENT, TASTED POWER BUT DIDN’T ALLOW IT TO DESTROY HIM: IN JULY 2020, HE STILL SERVED AS A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER AT THE AGE OF 95.
-Pastor (Mrs) Faith Oyedepo at CHoP
* He is a world-renowned Sunday School Teacher.
* People arrive 24 hours ahead at his Sunday School Class in the Baptist Church, just to gain entrance.
* It is not every time that you will ‘feel’ (in quote) like serving God. We don’t walk by feelings, we walk by faith.
* With time, as you continue in serving Him, you will move from just being one of the princes to one of the presidents. And before you know it, you become Number 1.
Father, we thank You this morning for waking us up. Thank You for the gift of another day. Accept our thanks in Jesus name. Thank You for answered prayers and thank You for these amazing testimonies. They shall be permanent. Again, this morning Lord, speak to us, our hearts are opened, change our story and let Your name be glorified. In Jesus mighty name we have prayed.
All through this week in our Covenant Hour of Prayer, we have been looking at the subject captioned:
SERVING GOD IS EVERY BELIEVER’S COVENANT RESPONSIBILITY
-We shall not fail in our responsibility in Jesus name.
Joshua 24:15
“…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
-May God help us to be able to fulfill these responsibilities in Jesus name.
Clearly, from several scriptures including this one we just read now, it is very clear that serving God is a choice. It is not a gift. It’s a choice that we make. Joshua said,” as for him and his house, he has made a choice to serve God.”
-I pray this morning that the God of Heaven will enable you and I also, not only to make that choice but to stay through to the end in Jesus name.
WHO IS A SERVANT OF GOD?
You have heard it said over and again. A servant of God is anyone who engages in promoting God’s Kingdom on the earth.
Anyone: young or old.
Anyone: male or female.
Anyone: with or without a title.
Anyone, that engages in promoting the Kingdom of God on earth is a servant of God.
So you don’t have to be an evangelist to serve God. You don’t have to have a title to serve God. Just engage in promoting His Kingdom here on earth and God registers as His Servant.
Proverbs 11:30
“…He that winneth souls is wise.”
Daniel 12:3
“They that be wise will shine”
How will they shine? As the brightness of the firmament.
Have you ever taken note before how bright the firmament is when it begins to shine. You can see it from afar off. In actual facts, if you don’t take time and you look up too directly, it affects your eyes to an extent you try to shield your eyes from the brightness of the firmament.
Have you ever noticed that before?
The Bible tells us that those who win souls, that is how they will begin to shine as the brightness of the firmament and not just for a moment, but it says for ever and ever – Daniel 12:3
-As you serve God much more than ever in this season beginning, your shining is just beginning.
-Your shining will not just be for a moment, but it will be forever and ever. You will pass it on to generations after you, yet unborn in Jesus name.
We have an example this morning, in the person of Daniel. A Prime Minister of Babylon, he was a renowned servant of God.
Daniel!
Daniel 6:1-3
You have the people, then you have the princes, then you have the presidents: 3 levels
Now, you have 3 presidents, out of which Daniel was not just one but he was first. In other words, Daniel was number 1 person in the Nation.
A renowned servant of God, yet number 1 person in the Nation, number 1 person in Babylon.
-It doesn’t matter where you may be right now, that’s not where you are stopping. You are just beginning.
-You may be among the people and nobody knows you nor your name, nor your lineage, keep serving God, you will soon move from one of the people to one of the princes.
With time, as you continue in serving Him, you will move from just being one of the princes to one of the presidents. And before you know it, you become Number 1.
Little by little, it is said, a long journey is made. So keep at it.
Tap your neighbour, tell him or her, “keep at it.”
Say with me, “I will keep at it.”
Daniel definitely did not arrive as Number 1 overnight, but he kept at it. No wonder he arrived at the top.
-The topmost top is your place in destiny. You will get there.
-Don’t mind the circumstances around you right now. Keep serving, keep promoting the Kingdom of God, the Daniel in you will soon begin to rise.
Whatever opportunity you have witnessing Jesus Christ, bringing new converts and then promoting them, giving them transportation, serving in your various units, keep at it.
The Daniel in you will soon emerge.
-If God did it for Daniel, you are the next. He will do your own too.
He tasted power but the power did not destroy him. He tasted power but he used every opportunity he had to promote the Kingdom of God.
-If he made it, you are the next in line and you will get there.
A living legend in this regard that I came across is a former American President, by the name, Jimmy Carter.
Many of you must have heard that name before. How many of you have heard about him?
A former American President. You want to talk about someone who has tasted power in this present life, he is one of them.
Amazingly, he is almost 100 years old right now, a living legend but the most renowned world Sunday School Teacher.
He was still teaching Sunday School up until last year July, at the age of almost 100 years old. We are told that whenever he is to teach in his Sunday School class, people arrive 24 hours ahead of time, 1 day earlier and people sleep in the parking lot of his Baptist Church, to gain entrance to his Sunday School class. Promoting the Kingdom of God, serving the interest of the Kingdom of Heaven, yet he has tasted power in this world to the highest level.
You will get there.
-Tell yourself, “I shall get there.”
-Again, the Daniel in you will rise.
So if you look at the testimonies we heard this morning, they are pointers again. The first person said, “I kept at it. I kept in season and out of season.”
Beloved, it is not every time that you will ‘feel’ (in quote) like serving God. We don’t walk by feelings, we walk by faith.
So whether you feel like it or not when once you have made that choice, commit to that choice and believe God to empower you to walk with that…at a certain time, what do you do?
You jump up.
Even this morning, maybe you didn’t feel like getting up when you woke up, but you remembered Covenant Hour of Prayer, I have to be there, something energizes, so in season and out of season.
Grace to serve God acceptably, receive it in Jesus name.
Very importantly, remember you are not wasting your time serving the Lord, it is a covenant platform for your prosperity, you will prosper.
Job 36:11
No more pressure over your destiny.
-As you serve God from this moment forward, it shall be pleasurable prosperity for you.
Luke 22:35
Jesus said, “when I sent you, did you lack anything?” They said nothing.
-No more lack for you from this moment.
Therefore, according to Hebrews 12:12, “strengthen the hands that hang down and the feeble knees so that they are not turned out of the way.”
You will make it to the end in Jesus name.
Prayers:
The grace to fulfill this responsibility of Kingdom Stewardship. Receive that grace to serve Him to the point of reward. Ask the Lord to empower your choice to serve Him.
#PastorFaithOyedepo
#CHoP19August2021
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CHoP is an acronym for Covenan t Hour of Prayer
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