The Retreat is just 4 days away. How many of us are excited?
My next question is this. How many of us are expectant for this Retreat?
Samson: Me
Loveth: I am
Bukky Larissa: Me
This leads me to my next question. Are you prepared for your expectations? Are you rightly positioned for it?
I will need us all to pause and take in these questions.
And here is the reason;
So many people attend Retreats like this. In fact, for some of us it is a routine;
"My church has a yearly Next Conference, RCCG does Holy Ghost Service, there is Shiloh," and so on.
I’m sure you’ve attended one of these meetings and probably even done so regularly, and I am also very sure that you’ve heard the kind of huge testimonies that people give after meetings like this.
Sometimes you are forced to ask yourself if it’s the same meeting you just attended. How many of us have been here?
Samson: Me
Onyinye: Me
You see, encounters are empowerment/ need staples placed on the path of our destiny. Encounters are meant to prepare and preserve destiny.
Let me break down the first part; Let’s say I need to cook jollof rice and I’m on a road and I get to pick up all the supplies for the jollof rice on the road, encounters are the box carrying the supplies we need for destiny per time. But what so many of us have been doing is wasting Encounters.
For us, it is just another meeting, just another Retreat, we will come again next year.
As you look forward to the Retreat, I need you to know that there will be NO normal life waiting for you. There will be no normal to return to. In fact. if you’ve been planning life after Retreat, you can maybe pause.
But first, you must maximize this Retreat. The 3 to 4 days we are spending with God? We must first maximize this season of visitation.
If it is what will plunge us into what is ahead, into destiny, then we must take advantage.
Your attending that Retreat MUST NOT be a waste. This should not be just another Retreat for you.
So how do we maximize and prepare for the Retreat?
1. Understand/Identify your need for the Retreat
First things first, why the Retreat? Why are you coming? Why do you think Heaven wants you there?
Is this for you a vacation? Is this a holiday?
Or you don’t know what to do with your time. Or is this just a religious routine for you?
What necessitates your being at the retreat? The worst thing that can happen to you is to have a need that Heaven has proposed to meet at the Retreat and even you yourself are not aware of it. Have an understanding of what your destiny needs.
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. I Kings 3:5-12 NKJV
Here, we see Solomon. He just became king. Prophecies had gone ahead about him. He was going to build the temple his father David could not build. All of a sudden, he had an encounter with God in Gibeon. But what did Solomon ask for?
Wisdom!
He knew exactly his needs in that season of his life. He could have asked for resources to build the temple, or God to deal with his enemies.
But he knew what his destiny needed. Israel had been thrown into a bit of chaos. The end of David’s life wasn’t that sweet. That sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah caused a lot. He spent his last days with his house in disorder. His son was against him.
Ultimately, Isreal was co-opted into this mess caused by sin and what it means is that Solomon did not sit on the throne of Isreal in her best days. And although prophecies has gone ahead on his major mission (build the temple), he was able to discern his need for a peaceful reign: Wisdom
Immediately the encounter came, he pushed forward his need.
Solomon was not going to build the temple alone. He’d need men on his side, and he’d need wisdom for an already divided kingdom.
And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. I Kings 4:25 NKJV
And Judah dwelt safely!
Wealth and Peace! Solomon had the most peaceful reign over Isreal. No major wars. Like him or hate him, He literally womanized and did not fully walk in the ways of his father David. Yet!
2. Desperation for an Encounter
Come hungry. Come as though if you do not meet with God at this Retreat, your life is finished.
You know that “God if you don’t help me, I’m dead” countenance? Bring it on. It is either you encounter God or you encounter God. Don’t leave room for any other option.
Treat this as a do-or-die affair.
Desperation is normally not a good thing o, but please in this case, be desperate. Be like Jacob. If you don't bless me, I am not leaving.
3. Sanctification
We are fasting and praying. How are you maximizing that? What are you exposed to? What songs and teachings are you listening to? How are you making use of your time and days pre-retreat?
4. Take out distractions
Keep your mind strictly on the encounter ahead of you. Take out everything that will distract you. I have a list of events I’m missing this period not because they are necessarily bad but because my time can be used better.
Is it a distraction? Decline parties if you have to. Remove yourselves from conversations and unnecessary gist. Hanging out without a head and tail? Take it out.
You have plenty of time to gist in your life.
Keep your minds strictly on that encounter.
Tarry with it.
5. Embrace the Prophetic Words Shared With Faith
How many of us have gone through the Prophetic words shared concerning the Retreat more than twice? This is such a crack code.
In meetings like this, there is cooperate encounter and individual encounters.
There are things that God has revealed that is general for everyone and things specific to your own destiny. God has been faithful to us to reveal some of the things He will be doing.
Go through them and start praying on them. Embrace them with Faith.
What you will begin to see is God revealing even more things to you.
Things specific to you and what He wants to do for you.
Things specific to your destiny.
It’s such a great starting point.
And I beg you, for the next 4 days make sure you open these words daily
Feed your mind with it.
Let it explode with expectations.
6. Unbroken Focus
So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” II Kings 2:10 NKJV
Elisha had been following Elijah, yet, the condition was if you see me taken up. Elisha could have walked with Elijah that long and still not receive.
The condition for him was to not lose focus.
Keep his gaze fixed on his master as he knew not the time he will be taken up.
Focus! Focus so you don’t miss your own personal time of visitation.
A lot will be happening at the retreat!
If you see people falling under anointing, it’s not film or Telemundo!
Don’t watch!
Focus on your God and your own encounter.
If you are coming with friends, don’t stick with them at the Retreat o.
Avoid them.
Good thing no internet at the mountain, so you people cannot press phone. If your mind decides to start wandering (because the devil works really hard), direct it back. It is also not time to bring out your book and be scribbling drawings on it 🌚🌚🌚
May you not decide to do fine art during encounters.
It’s also not the time to be playing games because you don’t have internet.
Keep your gaze on your God!
Not even on me or anyone ministering.
On your God!
7. Be sensitive in the spirit
Sometimes, kairos moments are introduced by words or instructions and it can be the most random thing.
It takes God just one moment,
Just one
Be alert spiritually all through.
Even during the games, be spiritually alert.
We’ve had cases of people coming for the retreat wanting to fast. We told them our own instruction is “upside down” so the fast was before the Retreat. We are to eat and play well during the retreat. I could see the person’s face as I was explaining. I looked like a heathen 😂😂😂
I’m sure the person was asking themselves why they came to this kind of unbelieving people’s retreat 😂😂😂 I tried convincing and convincing and had to leave.
Guess what? They later ate the food. The person came to me and said the food felt like fire in his mouth as he dropped the first spoon and he’s been unable to control it.
See, be spiritually sensitive.
God may use the most mundane thing.
It may not even make sense, but be alert at all times
Also, follow instructions that come at the retreat.
That young man received his own package of the fire inside the food. If he did not eat the food and was looking forward to exerting energy in prayer, he may not have received anything even after praying for hours.
Who would have thought that fire can be inside food? How?
8. Be Open Minded
God is set to do exceedingly above the things that we expect.
Do NOT box Him
Even though you have expectations, still come as an empty canvas, ready to receive anything the Lord wills to give. Have expectations o, still, note that God can do anything and your expectations must not stand in the way.
These words also apply to those joining online
Streaming not working?
Pray
Arrange your room in readiness for the Retreat
Prepare for an encounter.
.......
I will add extras for us
Extra 1
Go back to the previous Retreat Testimonies.
Read it and allow yourself to soak in what God has done and what He is capable of doing.
Extra 2
Give towards the Retreat
This is a cheat code I tell you
Money will not buy you blessings o
But anywhere you see God about to do something and you sense that your lot is there, drop your substance there too.
Sow towards it
Seeds always germinate!
Final Extra
Pray for the ministers ahead
Pray for every vessel that will be used to bless you.
They are a channel.
Previous retreat testimonials
Words concerning the Retreat
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