The Power Behind The Contender For Our Faith

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Telephone numbers 0703 03636 59 0703 76811 98 Email address lsmedia at livingseed.org or visit our website at www.livingseed.org Let us sit back and listen as the servant of God brings forth the Word of Life. I'd like to go ahead this morning on our theme, Contending for the Faith. I have been looking at the letter that Jude wrote.

And I still wish I could draw further issues out of that before we draw the conclusion this morning on the matter, the contenders. Yesterday I spent time on looking at the personal preparation for contending for the faith. And I noted that just looking at the letter of Jude, those 24, 25 verses that he wrote, even though it looks like very short, but to me, I saw a compendium.

I saw a man who is fully loaded with the knowledge of the truth. I saw a man who studied always, I mean, the scripture from Genesis all through to the point at which he was writing. And he could bring issues, he could bring different matters as it pertains to the faith across all the divides.

And use it to bring a challenge to those of us to whom the end of the age has come. So the first thing that struck me about Jude was that he was a man well-versed in the word of God. He was a man that whether the historical scriptures or the prophetic utterances through the prophets or the law of Moses, he combined all of it together in order to arm himself and prepare himself to be a defender and a contender for the faith.

As I was looking at Jude, I remember Ezra. I remember the Bible said Ezra was a ready scribe who prepared himself to study the law of the Lord and to practice it and then to teach it in Israel. And so when it was time for the captivity to be returned and God had moved, God had raised an Eden king who said no, Israel must go back.

And he announced, he said, is there any scribe, is there any man who is knowledgeable in the law of the Lord God of Israel that can provide leadership for the people? The Bible said Ezra was a ready scribe. I found that those who contend for the faith, they don't do so by accident. It is not that it just suddenly happened to them.

They were men who were prepared. They studied. They took it as personal responsibility to find out what is the peculiarity of our faith, what are the distinctive of our faith, what is the superiority of our faith, what is the efficacy of our faith that made them to be ready to defend it and die for it.

They understood that if this faith is not preached, men will perish. They recognized that if the truth was not taught, the hearts and souls of men will be subverted and many people will go down the drain. So these contenders, they were not casual, they did not start casually.

They did not come in sporadically. They were not spurious men. They were consistent.

They were concerted. And they were concentrated. And finally they were consecrated to the things that they came to know of the Lord.

So this morning, I want to again draw from the letter of a Jew while I'm still looking at the contenders. The power that will make us to succeed in contending for the faith. Now please turn to the epistle of Jude.

I said we don't have to say chapter 1 or chapter 2, just one chapter. So let's just say we're reading the Jude. From verse 1 to verse 25, that was all about it.

But you couldn't have gone through those 25 verses without it taking you back almost to the whole scripture. And begin to check the people that stood for God. What did they do? Hallelujah.

So permit me now to read. I'll read verse 3. I'll read verse 4. And then I'll go on very quickly. Tracy.

These contenders. What gave them the capacity to contend successfully for the faith? Which we must take as our own exhortation this day. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance how you once knew this, how that the Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day.

Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these filthy dreamers, defy the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet, Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, does not bring against him a reigning accusation, the Lord rebuke you.

For this they speak evil of those things which they know not, but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, and they ran greedily, after the error of Balaam, for reward, and perished in the Gensei of Korah. These are spots in your feast of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves, without fear, clouds they are without water, carried about of winds, trees whose fruit withers, without fruit twice dead, clogged by the roots, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame, wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

And Enoch also, deserving from Adam, prophesied of this, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his angels to execute upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly, among them of all the ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own loss, and their mouths speak a great swelling word, having men's persons in admiration, because of advantage. Let me stop there for now, before I now begin to look at what our Father in the Lord already began to talk about God's provision for this warfare in contending for the faith.

But I just thought, as we look at Jude, we now see the kind of things that the Word of God will have us to focus upon Now, Jude, first of all, struck my heart with the fact that he said, I give all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation. When he used the word common salvation, that meant that the matter of our salvation is not a private affair. And that what Jesus Christ set as the way of salvation, the way of life, is common to all.

No one of us has the right to bring out our own private interpretation of it. So Peter also said, no prophecy can be subject to private interpretation as if he has his own personal opinion about it. This is how I feel about it.

This is how we see it. Which was the first mistake of many, many preachers who went into false doctrine. Who thought that they have such an anointing as to impose their own personal understanding that is not congruent with the consistent interpretation of Scripture that has been upheld from generation to generation, from one place to another, from one people to another, from one man of God to another man of God.

Who felt that now they have a new anointing that gave them the audacity to twist the Scripture and create a cliche for themselves. The first thing that our brother noted is that this salvation is the common salvation. It's not private and it cannot be customized to service some particular person's ego or some people's personal opinion or point of view.

It's a common salvation. I was particularly affected by that because I don't know whether Jude, I think so, I think Jude must have learned so much from Peter. I felt that maybe when Jude now finally repented the discipleship he went through must be under the hand of this man of God, Peter and those early apostles.

Because I found that as he was talking about common salvation you will see that Peter was writing in his own book in 1 Peter he was talking about how God has brought us onto the same faith as precious as theirs. So even the apostles they recognized that this salvation they cannot even customize it to themselves is a common salvation. So may I quickly note that never you be intimidated to contend for the faith and to stand and speak against any man who tried to twist the scripture as if it is his own peculiar revelation of it when it is contrary and not congruent with the tenets with the principles of the word of God that we have all believed.

So if there arise any man of God no matter how highly placed even if he is speaking and fire is coming out of his mouth and he has contradicted this common salvation we have the right to challenge him. Sometime we might be intimidated because maybe they demonstrated some power signs they demonstrated some kind of miracles and because of that kind of miracle you all kept quiet and said wait but the thing is working. If you remember the book of Numbers and in Deuteronomy how God was speaking to his to the children of Israel said there may arise a man among you who may even come with signs and wonders but he has not come with this law God your father your God is only testing how much you will follow him.

I can see how many times we are quickly silenced because the men that are choosing the scripture they seem to follow it with some miraculous activities. Maybe you have understood or heard how some of our preachers are beginning to advance what they call the redemption of your first sons and that means you are going to bring some certain money to redeem the first son from the obligation of serving God. And because for you to redeem your first son you need to place a price upon him.

If you think your first son wants a million then you bring that and then when you pay it in exchange for his soul he looks lucrative and he is preached by highly you know recognized people and that may make us to keep quiet and say well that's how they see it. How did they see it? When the Bible say we know that no man is redeemed by corruptible things like silver or gold. We are redeemed only by the blood of his son.

If we will keep quiet because the men that are perpetrating error they are big men they have miracles I say well that's their own understanding. We will not be doing well. There is a common salvation.

Is that okay? And this common salvation is not subjected to private interpretation. It's not subjected to a personal idea. All of us that have been called to preach the gospel we are under the authority of the truth.

None of us is on top of it. And the archbishop spoke very clearly this morning. No matter how we grow we can never outgrow the word.

Even if there is an issue in our lives that we are still contending with because we are yet to come to terms with the authority of the word of God that does not give us the right to short measure the word as to exonerate our misbehavior. It's a double-edged sword the man that carries it it faces him as well as it faces those to whom you are preaching. May God help us to defend the common salvation.

Hallelujah. So when you use the common salvation that is to say that it is the same in Nigeria it will be the same in Australia. It will be the same with the black people it will be the same with white.

The Asians the Chinese whosoever they are if they want to be saved they must come this way. But Jesus said I am the way I am the truth and I am the life. Hallelujah.

He did not say I am a way He did not say I am one of the truths He did not say I am one kind of life. No. I am the way I am the truth and I am the life.

No man no matter who he is no matter how educated he is no matter how highly connected he is no man comes to the Father except by me. So Jesus said what I am speaking about is the common salvation that nobody can customize for private advantage. So when it comes to teaching and preaching the word of God we must recognize that this is not even a denominational salvation.

Praise the Lord. Our salvation is not denominational. Our salvation is such a common salvation that whosoever regardless whether it is a whatever denomination it comes from they must submit to this.

So when we are contending for the faith we need to keep clear minds in our hearts that that which we are speaking about that which God has given to us is impeccable is uneditable. You can't edit it. No matter new, new, new, new, new, new theories they cannot affect this.

It was delivered. Look at the way the Bible put it and I wanted to note it. It said endlessly content for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

You know when you use the word once delivered that is once and for all it can be added. You can't add to it. When Jesus stood at the cross and said it is finished you can't add anything to that.

It is finished. Every scripture that pointed to our salvation point to Jesus as the end unto the law of righteousness to everyone who believes and that apart from Jesus there is no other way and that whosoever has the son has life. Those who don't have the son they don't have life and the wrath of God abides upon them.

We need to be clear about that. And so whether we are Methodist or we are Anglican or we are Baptist or we are Presbyterian or we are in the Dutch Reformed churches or whatever it is that God has brought us in our different categories and whether we are just charismatics it does not affect this matter. Common salvation.

So we have a common denominator by which we check out whosoever claims to be saved. Whosoever is claiming that he is a child of God we have a common salvation by which we measure it and let nobody deceive us by coming with big, big, big language. Now verse 4 And why is it that contending for the faith became a very big matter unto our brother Jude? He said for because there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation.

They were ungodly men turning the grace of our God unto lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Please can I beg someone if you have the version to help me read verse 4 either from message or from amplified and yes is anybody with message here today? For this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guide and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks.

As scriptures warn us this will happen. Who beneath their foul skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license which means doing away with Jesus Christ our one and only master.

They have taken the grace of God as a sheer license to misbehave. A sheer license to tamper with the matter of godliness and to obscure our Lord Jesus Christ. They have taken the grace of God for granted and as a license to misbehave.

The Bible says they turn the grace of our God unto licentiousness that is unto lasciviousness. Loose living as if we have the license to be loose simply because of the grace of God. Now let me inform you that I hope you know that one of the reasons why the churches lost the fear of God is a misinterpretation of the grace of God.

Are you hearing me? What made it easy for people to be in our congregation and live in sin and see how boldness that it is with them is because somehow someone carelessly stood up and said by grace we are saved. It's not of works lest any man should boast. They take Ephesians 2 verse 8 they took it out of its context.

They took it as if the grace of God is a permission to misbehave. They say since we are saved by grace not because we are doing anything right. They do not understand that what is the word of God about grace? What did the word of God say about grace? The Bible says shall we continue in sin that grace may abound and what was the answer? God forbid, God forbid let it never happen.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation has appeared unto all men. Doing what? Teaching us to deny ungodliness. So when you have received correct grace grace gives you ability to say no to sin.

If anybody says he has received the grace of God the first thing I wanted to see is what has grace done in his life? Grace gives you a divine capacity to say no to sin. Grace does not encourage sin. Grace does not condone sin and sinfulness.

Grace does not license sin and sinners. Grace does not lower biblical standard. Do you know what grace does? Grace carries you up to meet God's standard by a supernatural lifting.

Grace does not drag the standard of God down to your level. What does grace do? Grace rather raises you to meet God's standard and to satisfy God's holy standard. If anybody say Lord I need grace I need grace, I need grace what he says is Lord I cannot ask you to short measure your word I cannot ask you to reduce the truth I cannot ask you to lower the standard but Lord I need you to release grace to carry me up.

Did you understand what I'm saying? Now those that are preaching this kind of grace for like seriousness they are saying once you are saved you are saved forever whatever happens to you since God has decided to have grace you are saved whatever you do no problem. Now brother Jude contending with the truth see how he decided to deal with people that open their mouth to say what they don't understand. Sometimes people say because God is love and this I have met as I travel here and there from different groups of persons and I know those who say that most of them they preach that when they have been overcome of their own loss when they have become addicted to their own sinfulness and they have not found a way to repent because they have seared their conscience with hot iron they now decide to adjust the canons of the word of God they now decide to reduce to misinterpret the word of God to allow for their misbehavior.

Now how did he deal with it? How did he handle that? and I want you to see several illustrations he gave he said I will therefore put you in remembrance do you once knew this? how that the Lord the Lord having saved are you hearing that? the Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt he has saved them afterward what did he do to those who did not continue to believe him? he destroyed them he is the same God let nobody confuse or say once you are saved you are saved forever no matter what you do it is contrary to the word of God Jesus said those who endure to the end shall be saved how do you twist the scripture? just because you don't want to repent from your misbehavior how do you drag the whole scripture into the mold? simply because in your heart you are enslaved of your lust and you don't want to change if I have a bishop who is twisting the word of God simply because he himself is involved in Syria immorality and there is nobody who is bold enough to inform you and say sir be careful because the road you are going is the road to perdition no one has the right no matter his ecclesiastical position to twist the word of God none of us have that right so if we are contending for the faith we will be contending for the faith because the word of God is clear it is the same God that you are talking about who is the same yesterday, today and forever am I right? let me ask you the God of the Old Testament is he different from the God of the New Testament? no he is the same God say I am God I change not die out of a purer eyes your eyes cannot do what? behold iniquity as he who has called you is holy be ye therefore holy in all manner of your conversation is that the Bible? follow peace with all men and holiness without which? no man how could you put all of those scriptures aside? so Jude said you remember that God having saved some people from Egypt afterward destroyed them that believed not it was God who actually saved them but those who did not believe afterward it destroyed them can I remind you again? and the angels which kept not their first estate can you imagine? they have been given an estate they have been brought into a good position before they have an estate but they did not keep their estate but let their own habitation what has God done? he has reserved an everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh as set forth an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire you see? that's how to contend for the faith excuse me sir when you want to contend for the faith you don't contend with human reasoning how do you contend with it? you contend with the word of God you contend with the sword of the spirit you bring scripture to confront what men are saying don't stand up and say you are fighting against a false preacher or a big man who is saying something and you say well we don't like him no no no no it's not that we don't like him it's not a personal problem it is that he is deviating from the word of God he is swathing from the truth and that's why we confront him with what? the truth contending for the faith is not because of personal jealousy contending for the faith is not because he stole our members that's not the matter the matter is that here is the word of God that cannot change and here is the deviation that this man is perpetrating let's confront it that's all that matters I found Jude a red scribe in the word of God engaging scripture engaging scripture relevant scripture to deal with all the things that are creeping into the midst of God's people in his own time hallelujah hallelujah likewise also these fieldy dreamers they defy the flesh they despise dominion and speak evil of dignities now you see as I was looking at how Jude was contending the first thing that touched me I said God so what am I worried about? as far back as in the days of the apostles are you hearing me? there already started to arise men of this kind men whose only reason of going to the ministry is to make money men who are very bold who have no respect for nobody men who men who are self made self made apostles self made prophets self made bishops those who just woke up one day and say from today call me apostle you know it can be very painful some of you that are now bishops look at how many years when you were first deaconed in the Anglican communion see the years it took before you were priested and since the year you were priested see how you have been just moving like that, like that, like that, like that, like that how it took several years see how long you were a curate they are watching you left and right before they could ever imagine whether they can even make you a vicar and put you in charge of a parish see how long, how long you were just you know, like that before you were even preferred a canon before you were collated and then elevated all of these processes someone that just finished secondary school just woke up one day and is now the archbishop and you see a retinue of girls in front of him others behind him and as he is moving like this everybody is like this around him it could be a provocation you might say why am I going through this long process that's a short cut to get up there and unfortunately, do you know the unfortunate thing the worst is they don't know the difference when we go for function when they say oh the archbishop you see this self-made archbishop whose congregation is no more than 100 it is going to be put along the line of your own archbishop you say oh God and they have done so much that nobody could say excuse me who ordained you, who ordained you all of that could make us to be silenced so these are fielded dreamers they have dreams in their head they just wake up out of their dream and say yes, yes so they will bring one big name something, something international and because the flock are generally blind nobody has taught them, they have not been groomed to discern between evil and good they are always tossed about by every wind of doctrine men that are lying in wait to cheat and to deceive they despise dominion they speak evil of dignities it appears since they are bold they will stand up and say yes I don't care how many years you say you have been in the ministry deliver your constituency if you are a man of God show it by power and science and just to make sure that those of you that have been standing in the word of God, in the fear of God you are discredited, comes around and as he is blowing his useless wind into the microphone people that don't understand, they are falling so you see now, see now, Harabush so he walks away as if he is a champion and because of all of that all the hypnotism we feel, we feel intimidated we feel as if what we carry is not authentic it appears to us as if oh maybe, maybe all these things and then he stands up and he discredits our seminary he says some of you, you have gone to symmetry that's what they call our seminary say you went to symmetry where they buried your anointing and filled you with empty head knowledge if you want to really be real in the anointing and the power of the Holy Ghost come the man of God will lay hands on you here yes yes and he is moving up and down like that it's an incase if you want, come to the school of ministerial anointing by excellence that's the name of his bible school three months three months you are made I say three months you are made for your destiny yes yes the form is available for you so you see they went for a three month course this three month is not residential it's weekend and Saturday 10 to 5 that is the three months and it comes out with a diploma so when we are crying for accreditation and you say the Nigerian government is saying we don't it's because we have too many charlatans yes how do you expect anybody to trust the degree that somebody awarded in six months to dropouts that's the problem now these men they have crept into our midst unawares they have crept into Anglican communion they are in the baptist denomination they are inside our methodist they are there in the presbyterian churches they have crept in unawares what do we do to deal with all of this yet Michael the archangel this is Jude now saying look I don't know your position are you highly placed more than the archangel Michael when contending with the devil when they were disputing over the body of Moses he does not bring against him a railing accusation he was not abusing the devil he knew that the only authority he had to overcome the devil is the authority of the Lord he said the Lord rebuke you but I see our young men wanting to cast out demons he said even if you don't fear God don't you fear me can you imagine so they come around they are imposing their chests as if it has to do with themselves they have preached so much of themselves that the members, the church, the brothers and sisters they fear their mother, they fear God but how do we contend in this day for this man they speak evil of those things which they don't know about but what they know naturally as brute beasts in those things they corrupt themselves warn to them for they have gone in the way of Cain they have gone in the way of Cain I told you that there was no way we could rush the book of Jude because he has introduced go back to the way of Cain, go and look at the way of Cain if we had time now we would have gone now and look at the way of Cain and see how many of our fellow friends and preachers they are in that road they kill anybody who appears comparative to them are you hearing me? they silence you immediately if they can't get you silenced by whatever manipulation they can kill it all happened in our very eyes before we have seen men of God fighting dirty to overcome one another we have seen churches break with serious violence we have seen churches where brethren used to take communion together they came to church with unpolished men to divide the Buddhists all of this has happened in our very eyes we saw it, we watched it and they have run greedily after the error of Bala for reward and they have perished in the Gensei in the presumption of Korah these are spots in your feasts of charity when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear they are clouds that are without water they give an impression as if it is going to rain but there is no water there they raise the hope of church members if you give this, I give you three weeks your fortune will turn around I say it and so will it be say amen somebody yes your amen is not strong enough you must say it as if you mean it if you want it to happen, you say amen somebody yes you are waking up now you can imagine these are men who boast of great things but there is no reality they carried about of wings they were trees whose fruit withers without fruit, twice dead clogged up by their roots they were raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame wandering stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever what a bold preacher Jude was what a man of God Jude had become that is speaking so strongly so authoritatively and yet so biblically so you see to contend for the faith is not an armchair thing to contend for the faith is to stand on your feet to fight with all that lies in you for the common salvation and Enoch see how he went quickly to show us Enoch also the servant from Adam when he said that I quickly went back to check the genealogies I said Kai this man has studied his bible very closely he prophesied of this saying behold the Lord comes with 10,000 of his saints to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him these are murmurers complainers walking after their own lust and their mouths speak great swelling words have immense patience in admiration because of advantage so Jude could see all of this and he was bringing the word he was saying even in the days of Enoch this was the matter he was preaching against so can I now move forward we have simply stated that there is a need for contending for the faith have you also seen the need? is it in our dioceses? can you imagine that there are some who you have ordained but their way is dubious their message is not correct but they are inside our ordination and it is as if we don't know how to stop them some are performing terrible atrocities some are beginning to bring in syncretism occultism witchcrafts on the pulpits some are carrying tokens some are going to get some little little stones, pebbles to say look I bless this stone for an offering of 10,000 or 100,000 either we give you this precious stone put it in your pocket every time any time your money is reducing just put your hand and say father I call it back I call it back, I call it back, I call it back, I call it back, I call it back so your account will just be filling up witchcrafts you know in those days that's how the Babalawos they gave away your say put it in between the coins so that your money will never finish they have gone back but now they have decided to spiritualize it we know where they are coming from these are men that wanted power by all means but they don't know how to follow the way of the Lord now we have seen it so how are we supposed to equip ourselves that's where I must be drawing issues before we speak to conclude today verse 17 up to verse 23 maybe up to 25 will be the final issues that I saw Jude bringing forth on how you will prepare yourself and how you will stand to defend and contend for the faith but beloved remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts these be they who separate themselves sensual having not the spirit that's the first thing expect it don't be taken by surprise don't let it happen to you as if it is unexpected remember that the Lord Jesus told us about it did he tell us about that Jesus said false prophets will arise did he say that did he not tell us that by their fruit you will know them did he say something like that did he tell us that if the days were not cut short even the elect shall be deceived did Jesus say it now that's the first thing remember that what of the apostles did they speak about these things they spoke about it they were very very meticulous about it they pointed that yes Antichrist they will come and fight they already are rising they spoke about it Peter spoke about it John the beloved spoke about it if James the one they beheaded was alive he would have spoken about it but Paul came and spoke about it all the apostles none of them kept quiet so Jude said beloved brothers and sisters remember the words that were spoken to us by the Lord Jesus and by his apostles then I saw that in order to contend for the faith we need never to forget that Jesus already told us it will happen the apostles already told us it will happen some years ago I was really really feeling down because I felt that why am I always fighting I said but God then one day as I was praying I just suddenly opened the scripture and I saw in 2 Corinthians how Paul was saying we are not like them who ask the word of God as if they are selling a cake I said so even in your own day brother Paul they were already there and I said I was hearing in my heart saying yes we fought and won you have no reason not to join us as overcomers we didn't have books to read you have our story to read you have our epistles to read and you have our stories the story of our lives to encourage you you have no excuse not to come along with us as an overcomer I said yes sir I want to ask you never you forget that this is the end time and part of what ministers of God raised to labor for God in the end time must be aware of is this contention will you take your stance I'm asking will you by the grace of God take your stand let me tell you no one else will I was reminding myself I said many years ago I was not in position to speak nobody would hear me am I communicating with you several years ago nobody would listen to whatever I had to say because in God's determinate council that was not the time for us we were all under there learning and growing and praying whatever we saw we can't talk we cannot talk we knew that the pastors that were officiating us were members of Uboni fraternity but we cannot talk those of us that dare to say no they cast us out we were telling our father don't you know that this one is not born again they said keep your mouth shut he has gone to seminary what do you know you have gone nowhere how can you say pastor that went and was trained for many years in the seminary how can you say he doesn't know what he is preaching you are arrogant keep your mouth shut it was not our turn to say anything but now this is our turn to contend for the faith if we don't God will hold you and me responsible those of you that you know if you know the power of a bishop when I used to meet bishops in those days bishops are lashing I think that's what they call them bishop is calling me who are you and I understood that there is authority in the hand of bishop a bishop may be ten years younger than you you are venerable you are whatever if the bishop just does like I said he just does that you are finished now you have that authority why don't you use it to contend for the faith you have been empowered with authority to preserve the truth what are you doing with a canon who is a habalist when will you evoke your bishopric authority to say canon so and so I suspend you from teaching and preaching in this diocese until further notice can he do anything or have you allowed him to bribe you with thanksgiving offering he is bringing big returns that's why you are keeping him there when you know that he is a wicked man if you don't contend for the faith now that you are in position to do so heaven will hold you responsible if we don't contend for the faith now that we have opportunity to teach and preach the word of God if we don't contend for the faith now that we are in charge of seminaries and colleges of theologies if we don't contend for the faith now when shall we do it and who do you expect to do it so he said remember that these things have been said by our God apostles have spoken about it stand stand and be contend for your God what's the next thing to do verse 20 but you beloved but you beloved and you know I kept wondering that once we came to that verse 17 he was addressing us as the beloved he was writing to us as people that God has a great expectation of our lives people that God has decided to choose to love him, to love them but you beloved building up what? yourselves on your most holy faith brothers and sisters to contend for the faith you need to be strong so you need to do what? build up yourself on your most holy faith you know what is touching me which I wish to say in a very few words is that you see if a man continues to to eat the word of God to study the word of God to understand this faith more and more and more and more and more Dr. Eshola was saying to us yesterday that just to bring an exposition of a short scripture you will read it no less than 50 times not because you don't want to, you don't want to, you don't know what to say anyhow you want to soak yourself into the word until the word becomes your sense until it becomes your mind until it becomes your expression and until it becomes you building up yourself in your most holy faith if we are going to contend the contenders must be building up themselves I thank you for coming to Boko when our Father in the Lord was introducing his message on warfare yesterday he said something that struck me he said here the only protocol is the word of God only protocol and the reason why God is insisting that we gather as apex leaders let's interact with God let's interact with the word of God let's interact with the truth is the fact that you have come to a level where nobody ministers to you again I don't know whether you are hearing me Baba Bishop you have come to a level where nobody has any boldness to minister to you if a man was preaching on the pulpit and as the Lord Bishop you have a reason to enter the service are you getting me? when he has started preaching what is the correct protocol? talk to me sir I know you are humble now you say I know we don't do that again but tell me the truth what is the correct protocol sir? it is required of that man to do what? to stop you know why he stops? the owner of the pulpit the owner of the parish has arrived hand over to him that's a normal protocol he takes the bishop in his own humility to say go on so you will notice that he has to stop first even if he is making a fiery statement it must die in his lips it is compulsory in fact it is by reflex he will have to stop it and then when the Lord Bishop has now ascended to his throne and he is seated then he will say my Lord Bishop then the Bishop say go ahead that's when he can continue that's the protocol that protocol has not made room the protocol has forgotten that you are a soul a soul that needed to be fed a soul that needed to be helped a soul that is in need a soul that can be hungry they don't care whether you are in good shape or not once you come they say let the Lord Bishop you must have something to say even when there is nothing you have to say something but God wanting me and you to be effective seeking spaces where we can build up ourselves in our most holy faith so that when we go back we can exercise the authority of the Word of God with strength with grace with fresh anointing but thou beloved building up yourselves in your most holy faith every opportunity to build ourselves we mustn't take it light because it doesn't come to us freely again are you hearing me? it doesn't come to us freely again one time I mistakenly no I won't say mistake because when I went to the church they were honoring me and they put me behind the pulpit in the chancellery you need a special arrangement in those churches are you hearing me? for a speaker to be directed otherwise those of us that are sitting down there we hardly hear what the man is saying you only hear echo that's what happens because it's not for us it's for the people can you imagine suddenly you are backing the Word of God what is affecting people has not faced you and it takes a very radical preacher while he is preaching like this instead of facing the congregation to turn back and say and my father is in God you also need to repent you know you have to get some extra strength to say that no no no no you just you just before you stand up as if am I permitted to continue so I have to say yes and then you go on who are you to look back what you are saying is for the people it's not for them when are we going to have opportunity to feed ourselves when are we going to have space of building up ourselves in our most holy faith if we don't know how to go to the secret place where God feeds the flock if we don't know how to go into the secret place of the most high bare chested and say Lord I have put aside all my clerical garments just as I am without one place and now the beast may come to thee O Lamb of God I come I come building yourself in your most holy faith if we don't build up ourselves we can easily be swept the sophistication of the devil is so much that if we don't have strength in ourselves as we get strong in the Lord we can't do it so when our father in the Lord this morning read Ephesians 6 and he said finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might there is no other way contenders for the faith can contend effectively if they are not strong in the Lord building up yourself on your most holy faith pray in the Holy Ghost pray you see Jude is repeating what Paul said in Ephesians 6 verse 18 do you remember that towards the end of the morning devotion the archbishop simply ended in that verse he said and we must be praying in the Spirit am I correct? it's the same thing that Jude is saying here the men who be contending for the faith are men who are building up themselves in their most holy faith praying in the Holy Spirit he said when you pray in the Spirit you edify yourself you build up yourself you make yourself stronger for the battle ahead you make yourself you know stable equipped empowered from inside to minister the word of life with boldness verse 21 keep yourselves keep yourselves where? in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life what an instruction keep yourselves in the love of God you see when I read that scripture what came to my mind was Jesus in John 15 do you remember Jesus in John 15 somebody should please help me read John 15 John chapter 15 and quickly read verse 10 and I think verse 11 John 15 yes you will abide in my love even as I have kept my fire and abide in his love these things have I spoken unto you that my joy might be remain in you and that your joy might be full you see he said as the Father loved me so have I loved you continue ye in my love if you keep my commandments you shall abide in my love even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love I was surprised that Jesus himself had to abide in the love circumference of the Father excuse me sir there is a boundary of God's love let us not step out of that circumference let us not be tempted to walk outside the love of God let us not be so presumptuous to say anywhere God loves me anyhow no there is a circumference of his love that's why he said abide in my love and he was not ambiguous he said as I keep my Father's commandments and I abide in his love even so you you will abide in my love as you keep my commandments when you break Jesus' commandments over and over again you are stepping out of the boundary of his love you know these are scriptures that sometimes we quickly rush over without studying it without looking at it and saying so there is there is a circumference within which I will be dwelling under the canopy of his love you know we used to sing that song his banner over us his love and his banner over us his love he brought us in to his banqueting house and his banner over us his love his love his love his love oh his banner over us his love he brought us in to his banqueting hall and his banner over us we are singing Psalms of Solomon chapter 2 that there is a canopy of his love beloved dwell in the love of God don't let ministry opportunity take you outside the circumference of God's love if I were preaching Yoruba now I would have told you the Yoruba proverb I say if you say you know the meaning of that if you say God is your keeper and you are a palm wine taper and you now went and got the rope of a banana banana leaves you made it to be your rope and you are now using it you know when you want to climb a palm tree you know palm tree because it doesn't have branches what you do you tie that rope around yourself and then you use it like this and as you are using it it is carrying you up let's now imagine that it is a banana rope that you are putting and you say I trust God I trust God God has decided to keep me wherever I go and you carry banana rope when your backbone will fall down and you become crippled it will be your fault do you know how Jesus never never tempted the love of his father Satan said since you are the son of God I say in whom I am well beloved come to this tower of the temple fall down since he said angels will carry you just try to fall down man of God abide in the love of God there is no unknowing thing that insulates you from sin abide in my love as I have abide in my father's love as I keep his commandment so you also keep my commandment so you will abide in my love one of the things I have been begging God for Lord don't let me fall out of your love circle make me an object of your love that whenever they say Billy I can't go say I love that boy I want God to surround me like that with his love he say yes I will but do it there don't dabble into things outside my love don't tempt my love and say God loves me even if I do anything no don't think you have been so used of God that he cannot discard you don't do that Jude was warning these contenders what did he say? keep yourselves in the love of God and as I listen to Jesus how do I keep myself in the love of God? by keeping his commandments the things that God has taught you never to do don't do it are you hearing me sir? before you grew up God has removed alcohol from your mouth am I communicating? now that you are the Lord Bishop you know people when they want to you know honour you they come with all kind of aromatic genes they say I just went to US and I was thinking of what do I bring for my Bishop and I just got this special gene you know it cost so much but I say how can I give my Bishop anything less so he brought a carton a carton that will kill you this is a carton that will make the love of God to fold out of your head don't allow your big mansion to make you walk outside the love of God you hear what I am saying? don't walk outside the love of God a man of anointing that is with other girls other women no matter how insulated you are, you are walking outside the love of God you are gradually migrating outside the love of God this was how David I mean Samson gradually walked and walked and walked until he walked out of the love and when his two eyes were plugged out he cried and cried and cried God will you not remember me again keep yourself in the love of God men of God keep yourself in the love of God I don't know how to say it in a very short way but I hope God has communicated what is in my heart to you, keep yourself in the love of God as I keep myself in the love of God nobody is in our parishes now that can tell you this even David notice that you are you are spending too long evening with a girl all your servants all your stewards all your chaplains can they come into the room where you are sitting they can only say my Lord Bishop if they want to interrupt at all my Lord Bishop there was this fire that you said I should bring in the afternoon I've been waiting that this meeting will finish so I just want you to sign before I go out they are trying to interrupt you but they have no right to face that girl and say you Deborah what are you doing here they have no right to say that they can't command that girl to go out because the Lord Bishop is the one sitting with her Baba Baba you are going you are going this rope I see around your waist now is banana leaves banana leaves don't let your backbone be broken sir keep yourself in the love of God contenders you can't contend if you are missed out you can't contend when you are already on your back keep yourself sir in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ you know the reason why I felt brother Jude must be a very close disciple of Peter I found that he speaks like Peter did you know that in 2 Peter he said what manner of men ought we to be looking forward and hastening unto the day of our God keep yourself in the love of God looking for the mercy that God will reveal to us when he appears let us never be so confident as not to know that he is coming back again he is coming back again our Lord is coming back again he went away and he promised that he is coming back again he is coming back again my Lord is coming back again oh glory hallelujah he is coming back again he is coming back and he can come anytime please serve contenders for the faith keep yourself in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life what do you do with those who are airy and of some have compassion but making a difference and others save with fear pulling them out of the fire having even the garment not heavy yet even the garment spotted by the flesh that even when we are seeking to help others we must make a difference Jesus came to save sinners but he was separate from sinners is that the bible that this high priest is the one that we need the one that is harmless the one that is higher than the heavens separate from sinners don't allow sinners no matter who they are no matter how friendly they want to be to you don't let them rubbish you don't let them put you in the same category with them if I have chance I will say don't ride the same car with them don't let people say you are far off they are the same you are not the same you are man of God even when you want to help others have compassion on them don't be judgemental but let there be a difference there are many preachers yes we were friends because we were friends but there is no how I will allow myself to be rubbished with the rubbish they are preaching now sometimes they want to invite me and I say yes Bradbillay is coming and I am asking Lord you want me to appear there you want me to carry your presence to sanctify this rubbish so that they can put it on record even Bradbillay is one of us I am not one of them we used to be together but they went out from us we were studying this same scripture together when they said they have found something else make a difference the devil would like to lump all of us together so that we can lose our message you must make a difference you are not judgemental you are not condemning anybody but you are preaching the truth and even when you want to snatch somebody from the fire be careful that your own garment is not spotted by the flesh contenders for the faith their personal lives must remain beyond reproach I will come back to read the benediction but I thought that benediction is what we need to conclude our meeting tonight so you permit me to please stop at verse 23 because verse 24 and 25 is a benediction for those who will obey God is a benediction for those who are saying I am going oh God to contend for the faith now let me conclude by asking you to please read the church charges to Timothy and the charges to Timothy I will just read and make one or two comments but I just want God to help me 1 Timothy chapter 1 1 Timothy chapter 1 are you there? let's read verse 18 verse 19 some of it are very self explanatory so you just permit me to be reading this church I commit unto you son Timothy according to the prophecies which went before on you that thou by them mightest war what? a good warfare you need to war a good warfare and all the word of God all the prophecies all the hands that were laid upon you all the invocation that were invoked upon your head when you were being ordained, consecrated elevated it is so that you might war a good warfare may God help us in the name of Jesus Christ but in order to war a good warfare look at the Bible verse 19 holding faith and a good conscience with some having put away concerning faith what have they done? they have made shipwreck there was one matter that the Holy Spirit is pointing out here that we cannot hold faith without having a good conscience along with it one of the reasons why many many of our colleagues are doing what they are doing and they are so freely misbehaving is because something has dropped out of their ministry what is that? good conscience good conscience they are not touched again can you imagine that somebody stands up and they tell a fat fantastic lie just to raise money but his conscience is not touched that he told a lie he forgot that the Bible says all liars all liars we have their part in the lake of fire that burns with what? sulfur and brimstone he forgot that whereas when we first met the Lord if you were telling a story or a testimony and you exaggerate small something struck in your heart say no you told a lie and you couldn't sleep throughout the night we came back the following morning I said sir brethren I made a mistake I told a lie yesterday say when I was telling that story I exaggerated can God have mercy on me our conscience never allowed us to rest but now men of God are telling fantastic lies huh they have arranged who will fall they prearrange who will pretend that he was healed all of this but he doesn't touch them what has happened they have left they have put aside good conscience concerning faith and they have made a ship wreck if there is anything you will do sir to sharpen your conscience to make sure that your inner man is very sensitive to God to the Holy Spirit to the Word of God it will keep you going it will deliver you from temptation sometimes you know you are ministering you are ministering and there is this woman that has come and she is not properly dressed half of her breast was out and your eyes could not just go away from it even though you finished praying you are still holding her who is there to help you if you don't have a conscience to say stop it your eyes is going into a different place now dismiss her quickly if your conscience is dead did you see did you see how your eyes were shaking just come let's just pray again there is another level of anointing that I think God needs to release then you draw her closer your conscience is dead when men are put aside good conscience concerning their preaching concerning their ministry it is easy to make a ship wreck so he was telling Timothy hold in faith and good conscience with some having put away concerning faith have made what? shipwreck of whom is Eminious and Alexander whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme it's not time for us to talk about Alexander the blacksmith that this so terrible havoc that Paul said I have committed him to Satan leave that alone you are not Alexander am I right and I thank God that there is no Eminious in our midst in the name of Jesus Christ we only need to take hold of good conscience with the faith so that we may war a good warfare are you there with me in chapter 3 chapter 3 and verse 9 holding the mysteries of the faith in what? in a pure conscience holding the mysteries of the faith I tell you sir the scripture is such a powerful mystery but you know wicked men can easily twist it to their own advantage do you know that sometime when I hear some people preach a scripture if not because I'm studying I'm checking and say where did the Bible say that it's easy somebody just stood up and said yes money answereth all things the Bible say money answereth how many things all things if you have money you can do anything here money answereth how many things everybody say all things all things all things I say all things all things then everybody say money money money money money answers answers all things that is a message there's nothing you can do if you don't have money here stop shouting and say God we move God we move money money is the matter bring it here you see but when you go to the Bible that scripture didn't say that that Bible verse did not say that the context of that scripture did not say that if you don't hold the mysteries of the faith in a pure conscience even the mysteries can easily trap you because to the pure everything is pure but to the man who is with an impure heart everything is impure you can always say anything into the scripture if your heart is wrong so even in contending for the faith you must hold the mysteries of the faith with what? impure conscience uncontaminated conscience unbiased conscience unsubdued conscience unclogged unclustered conscience conscience that is pure conscience that is free conscience that can speak without fearing you conscience that can say no that's not it is it speaks as a witness from within your spirit to say you are stepping out of your boundary now this is not what the scripture says holding the mysteries of the faith in a pure conscience, hallelujah hallelujah now can you go with me finally to verse chapter 6 and chapter 6 and it says are you there? verse 10 verse 11 oh and verse 12 for the love of money is the root of all evil which why some coveted after what has happened to them they erred from the faith you see why was I going through all of this I'm talking about contending for the faith if you cannot if you want to contend for the faith you are holding the faith with a good conscience if you put good conscience away from the faith you make a shipwreck I'm talking about holding the mysteries of the faith in a pure conscience otherwise you will twist it now we are seeing another instruction here the instruction is this the love of money is the root of all evil which why some coveted after they have erred from what from the faith and pierce themselves through with many sorrows but thou oh man of God flee these things follow after righteousness godliness faith love, patience meekness since you are bible preachers I will not bother you again I just want you to note oh man of God flee that's the instruction run away from the love of money I pray that the love of money will not grab you I pray that the love of God will be the passion of your soul money will follow you may I say to you money will only come behind you, you will use money money will not use you in the name of Jesus Christ flee flee, flee these things don't let some money bag silence your mouth be a man of God you are too costly to be bought over the anointing of my life what can you pay for it that's why it's not that I don't respect rich people I respect them but I don't there's nothing about them my destiny is not in their pocket you can't just come here as a big man rich man and control what we are doing who are you you have to sit down, sit down thank God who delivered me from the love of money I don't love money I love Jesus I don't want money I want the mercy of God I have known that there are too many things that money cannot buy I know it's clear to me that the grace of God is the currency that I need to spend in my lifetime not money money, what can money do money can buy you a bed it can get you a sleep am I right please may money not have hold on you no matter who preaches money to you may God help you to know that money, the second name of money is mamon if you call it correct name maybe you will run away from it mamon, mamon mamon is a demon mamon when it captures people like this it makes you insatiable you can never have enough money if they increase your salary now I am telling you the first day they will pay that increase can I tell you what happens as money comes it comes with a list a list of what you must buy and usually the list of what you must buy is always higher than the amount of money so you say I wish it is like this it will have been said to you, you are not serious when they increase your salary to that by the time it is coming the list has also expanded money is an endless useless thing that's how I found it I use money praise the Lord we spend money here as you can see but that's all it has nothing to do with money than let it pass and keep your own heart keep your heart free from the love of money so that you can preach for a long time am I communicating with you if you want to preach for a long time flee the love of money don't let anybody buy you don't let them say this bishop cut I want to refurbish it I want to refurbish it send me the bill do you think 20 million will settle it yes, send me one of your chaplain come and collect that's a wicked man that's a man who has destroyed several lives to make money he only needed you to endorse him no I will with him and his money that's what our elders did they told that boy Simon may you perish with your money flee, thou woman of God distance and follow after righteousness godliness, faith, love patience, meekness fight the good fight of faith lay hold on eternal life whereunto you are also called and you have professed a good profession before many I give you charge in the sight of God who quickens all things and before Jesus Christ who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession that thou keep this commandment without spot only bookable unto the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ will you please rise and let us pray together call on God and say Lord don't let anything lay hold of me don't allow me to make a shipwreck don't allow me to become a disgrace of myself don't allow me to spot to contaminate my garment of ministry with the flesh don't allow me to become a shadow of what I was meant to be for you help me to dwell and abide and keep myself in the love of God don't let me walk outside the boundary of the love of God don't let me be drawn away from the circumference of the love of God I want to abide in your love Jesus all his are bold in the love of the Father I also want to abide in the love of the Father I don't want to go outside that love Lord don't let anything empty my mouth of the utterance of the word of God please help me this morning thank you thank you as we call on God together at this point I just have a sense in my heart that in this opportunity me and you have perhaps the only time that we can be free the only time when the demands of our offices will not strangulate us from seeking the help of our soul I want you to take advantage of this morning and I just want you to respond to God and say Lord help me is there any matter is your conscience no more sharp as it used to be you just realize now that the fear of God and the fear of sin is no more so sharp with you things you couldn't tolerate in your younger days you are now playing around with them things that when you did by mistake you wept and fasted now you have now got some explanation, excuses how can you cry to God renew my heart resharpen my heart refocus my conscience are there relationships that are beginning to form are there some some agents of satan that is trying to creep around you are you beginning to loose grip in your consecration and strange girls are beginning to waggle their way around you nobody is talking about it but you know that you are loosing ground please pray with me Lord keep me in the love of God don't let me stray outside the banner of your love Father now that we are in position to contend for the faith don't allow us to fail you thank you Lord I am going to sing that song again and I want to ask if this morning you just know that there is need let's pray with one another and you realize that look let me go to God on the altar let me ask him that in this altar renew my consecration renew my fire I want to go back to my parish I want to go back to the DCC I want to go back to the diocese with a fresh fire what I have condoned I can no longer do so Lord help me I'll take that little song Jesus I am here Jesus I am here Jesus I am here I am here for and you want to come to the altar you just want to come and say Lord I'm here you called me you raised me from nothing you brought me out of nothing to this office ah Lord your benevolence to me I must not disappoint it your mercy towards me I must not waste it I never thought I would be a bishop in my lifetime now I am Lord it's for a purpose don't let me spoil it don't let my life be a disappointment to you you must not regret God must not say it pains my heart that I may saw the king some of you are very strong in AFAC in BSF in MEM the Methodist Evangelical Movement that's where God began to spot you out but since you became a big man what has happened to your conscience what has happened to your inner man what is it what food are you eating what money somebody used to stuff your mouth let's tell God I'm here for you as we take that song we just sing it three times and if you need to come to this altar let's stand before God in prayer whether you are kneeling before him or standing let's just say Lord I am here Jesus I am here Jesus I am here Savior I am here I am here Father Father My Father I am here I am here remember you called me I am here you saved me I am here you lifted me I am here I am here for you Jesus Holy Ghost Holy Spirit I am here Jesus I am here Jesus Jesus let's pray let's call on God tell him Lord I am here I can see why you called me I can see why you raised me up I can see why you appointed me to this big office don't let me be strangulated here don't let me lose my first love don't let my inner heart my conscience don't let it die remind me what you used to teach me before how you started with me that very early morning prayer that personal devotion that life of fasting we fast when we don't have food now there's plenty food and there's no more fasting can you pray Lord restore to me where I started so that I can run this race well so that I can represent you well thank you would there be any other whom God is saying and this is one day I have created an opportunity for me to renew, refresh rekindle the fire that I gave you for ministry if you are still there and you need to step and say yes Lord others may not know that I'm beginning to struggle but I need you to help me this afternoon this morning, let's do so thank you, if we lift up our hands to God and stretch it to him as he is to say Lord nothing in my hands I bring simply to the cross I cling naked come to thee for dress helpless, helpless to thee for grace foul I too to the fountain fly wash me Lord, wash me save save you all I die nothing in my hands simply Lord simply to to the cross naked I come to you for dress helpless Lord I look to you for grace this afternoon Lord foul I too to the fountain fly wash me Lord wash me save save you all all I die Father look at our hands empty hands naked hands helpless hands we can't cry to our church members, they will only ridicule us we can't even give our prayer request in the public they will not pray, they will only gossip about it we can't trust them with our secret they will publish it where else can we go than to come to you you are the one who called us you are the one who knew us you knew us before we knew ourselves now O God unto you we have come have mercy upon us our heart is yearning something is crying in us Lord have mercy upon us thou O God who never allows that which was started to get lost please Lord what you have begun in our lives, rescue it every false doctrine that have crept into our hearts, expunge it this afternoon in the name of Jesus Christ every strange practice that we begin to learn from strange people we lay it down at your feet here this morning bury it here in the name of Jesus Christ the besetting sin, that thing that seem to wrap us we know it is not correct but we are unable to get out of it some is an addiction unto drinking we didn't drink before, but now because there is abundance we find ourselves doing what we said we would never do this afternoon Father have mercy upon us, break it break it O God release us to serve you I pray Father for your servants each one of us as those who kneel down and those of us who stand we are all helpless, we have a need for your mercy this morning we need your touch, we need your touch Lord, touch us again many are waiting for us in our diocese in our DCC, in our conferences in our parishes, in our associations, many many are waiting for a word from our mouth Lord don't let them perish send us back to them give us a message and set us on fire that when we go back we will see a reviver, we will see a thorn around you will cause our faces to shine they will say we saw the hand of God on our Father again Lord let it be so Lord let it be so honor your word in our midst if there were issues, some are so difficult to talk about but it's nothing you cannot sort out sort us out O God, sort what lies out O God Holy Spirit some are very scandalous and we are afraid that the scandal will be too much, so we have decided just to hide it but hiding it is only multiplying, this day we decide to expose ourselves to you have mercy on us naked we have come, that you might clothe us, cover us Lord, cover us from our sin cover us O God from our own shame and sinfulness just have mercy upon us if Cain had hidden your word, he would not be an outcast but Cain thought he could cover things and so he couldn't make it again if Balaam had heard you when you used even ordinary ass to warn him he would not have died a soothsayer but they would not listen, the reward of divination has blocked their eyes this afternoon or this morning Lord we beg you do a new thing in our hearts set us free from now that which we brought to this altar we lay it here burn it off and release us raise this man to serve you give them freshness that as they go back strength will come into their matter strength will come into their messages, strength will come into their prayers and their authority will become more and more authentic for your glory thank you satan we know you are our enemy and we want to say to you this morning rejoice not against us who are our enemy if we fall we shall rise even if we sit in the dark God will be a light unto us all your maneuver to silence us, God has a reason on our behalf and the Lord rebukes you this afternoon all your plans to drown these brothers and sisters this servant of God we cancel and nullify in the name of Jesus Christ every trap that you have made for their feet Jesus prayed and prayed for Peter and said when you are converted you will stand in your brethren we will not fall into this trap God is going to fight on our behalf it shall be well with our souls we will make heaven we will wear the crown we will not be cast away in the name of Jesus Christ that mercy that we are looking for at your appearing it shall be ours among the overcomers when they are singing and dancing we shall be one of them they will not say this man started to be a bishop but he went to hell it shall not be so for us we will make it to glory we will sing with all the saints and when we get over there the mansion you say you are preparing for us our own will not be vacant it was for Judas Iscariot they said his bishopric let another take let his habitation become the dwelling of desolation it shall not be so for us nobody will take our bishopric that which God has assigned you, you will fulfill it you will fulfill it you will fulfill it thank you Lord for hearing our prayer, thank you that you will do more than we are asking or imagining even this moment in Jesus Christ name we have prayed, Amen