INTIMACY; The Power of the Tent of Meeting

In my last teaching (SEE HERE), we discussed the tabernacle, the torn veil, the altars, God as our sacrifice, all that was moved just to ensure we have a tent of meeting.

But really, what is the power of this meeting place? Why the sense of urgency to prioritize intimacy?

I keep shouting to us, "Intimacy is the order of priests", but why? 

What really happens when we draw near?

I will be taking time to break this down to us here.

One of the places I really love to start my teaching from is the beginning. 

If you know me well, you will know I love the Old testament and it is largely because The Word was there in the beginning. If we look well, we will see Him

Exodus 25:8 NKJV

[8]And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them! 

The call to intimacy always begins with God. This is where it starts from; God's desires! 

From the beginning of time till now, the deepest yearning of the Father has been to dwell among men. Not visit. Dwell.

John 1:14 NKJV

[14] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

If we look at the concordance, when the Word became flesh in John 1:14, the Greek says: “He tabernacled among us.” Christ became the tabernacle now inside of everyone of us.

This idea of the tabernacle is not just an old testament idea, it is an eternal desire. 

The same desire God had in Eden, down to the cross, to the indwelling of the Spirit and even when He will come back for His people. 

God's message has always been the same: I want to be with you.

Now here is the tricky part of this:

Because we see over and over that it is God expressing desire to be with us, it is very easy to assume that God is the sole beneficiary of this arrangement. Maybe that's why we don't rate it like that too, we come if and when we like. So this is where I will start from;

1. The Tent of Meeting is for our Survival and Sustenance

Man was not made to function independently of God.  

If man is an extension of God then He needs to be connected to God to function properly.

"That I may dwell among them", is not because God is company-starved (because sometimes I think we think we are doing God o), it is God recognizing your inability to function outside of Him and helping you.

I mentioned previously that Israel had left Egypt and there had to be a meet point between God and them to sustain them until they got to their destination.

Intimacy is for sustenance, it is for the journey.

I need you to pause and imagine Israel without God being with them;

They'd not have made it out of Egypt.

Let me get ahead of myself, the reason some of us are struggling in various areas of our lives today is because we have abandoned intimacy. We have abandoned the system that helps us live outside of Eden.

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV

“The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.”

Eden was God's original idea of living/dwelling with man. 

Man sinned and fell from this natural habitat and is thrown into the earth to fend for himself. But God looks at man and sees that this one cannot do anything outside of Me, he has to stay connected to survive. 

The secret place is the place of survival.

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

If you remain in me,

If you dwell here and I too dwell with you, 

If you keep to the tent of meeting, 

If you stay true to the secret place, 

If you place value on Intimacy,

You will bear much fruit! 

There is a life of abundance that flows from you and the part I want us to note the most:

For apart from Me, you can do Nothing! 

Outside of the tent of meeting, you can do nothing! 

Please don't take these words as ordinary, scripture means exactly what scriptures says, 

Outside of dwelling, you can do nothing! 

You may try o, but it will amount to nothing.

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭33‬:7

“Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp.”

Everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle!

You are looking to God for anything? 

It is in the place of dwelling.

See, the Israelites had been delivered from Egypt, but without the meeting place, they had no direction,

No intimacy,

No guidance,

In fact, no manna and divine provision. 

We are not just people who have received life, we are people meant to live from it.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

The secret place makes for your peace, fullness of life is from here.

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭25‬ ‭TPT

“If the Spirit is the source of our life, we must also allow the Spirit to direct every aspect of our lives.”

If we say we have gotten this life from the spirit then we must look to Him to sustain it.

And God has provided a sustenance model which is the tent of meeting. Nothing lives outside here.

Two days ago, I saw a copy from my team at work for a case study:

"Greatness is within"

And I just burst into laughter in the Spirit.

We want to do great things, we long to be significant,

But we forget:

It is not the desire for greatness that makes a man great, it is the presence of the Great One.

It is God that is the greatness within. 

How do you do great things without the influence of the One who is Great?

Where will the atom of greatness come from? How is it forged?

 How does it come to be? When the main ingredient is missing?

Greatness is in you because God is in you.

But the God in you must be hosted.

He must be fellowshipped with, He must be met with.

This is how we harness the "greatness" 

A huge percentage of the world does not reach their maximum potential because we have not found the tent of meeting.

Again,

It is God who is great,

It is God who gives purpose,

It is God who sustains!

There is no living a life of purpose outside the One who authored it.

Where will the strength come from?

Where will the breath, the direction and the clarity come from?

In fact, how will you even know the purpose? 

It's not by attending motivational speaker masterclass o

John‬ ‭6‬:‭57‬ ‭NKJV 

“As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.”

This is the design for how we live!

By feeding on Jesus (I explained the table of showbread in the last teaching and what it means) 

You feed and live 

You live life in its fullness.

We need to stop thinking that it is God who benefits from our secret place meetings with Him.

It is not a favor to Him when we pray, it is your life that depends on it.

It is you that needs the secret place to survive!

God didn’t set up the altar for Himself, He set it up for you.

So you can survive.

So you don’t burn out.

So your soul has a place to rest.

So you can connect and power your purpose.

When David was saying in Psalm 132:4-5 that, he will not sleep or rest until He found God a resting place, flood did not carry God's bed in Heaven where He is seated o.

David knew, it was David that couldn't survive.

We sing this song:

“You didn’t want heaven without us, so Jesus You brought heaven down…”

But maybe it’s deeper than that,

Maybe it’s not just that He didn’t want heaven without us,

Maybe it’s that He saw we wouldn’t survive outside of heaven.

It’s like putting a fish on land or asking a bird to swim without wings.

Take a fish out of water, and it will flap for a while,

But it will die trying.

And that’s some of us o; 

Flapping. Trying. Pressing. Fainting.

Because we are attempting to do life outside the Presence,

Outside the very thing we were created to live in.

What we are courting is death. 

You and I, We were never designed to function outside the Presence.

The Tent of Meeting is not a luxury, it is not optional.

It’s not a spiritual extra reserved for the “deep believers"

It is YOUR lifeline.

“In Him we live…”

Not just visit on Sundays,

Not just speak of when we’re in crisis,

NO.

In Him we LIVE

And MOVE

And HAVE OUR BEING. 

Because this is how we survive and this is how we are sustained.

As we go through our days, I want us to look at our study and prayer time in this manner; as a means of survival. 

Write it on your stick notes, 

Paste it everywhere around you:

I cannot survive without intimacy 

Intimacy is for my survival 

Intimacy is for my sustenance

This conversation reminds me of when I was in Macedonia, I had stick notes everywhere that said: Rẹ̀mí if you don't pray, you will die. 

It probably sounds like an extreme to you but it was and is truth. 

Outside of this template, I will die.

Remind yourself of it until your body understands it.

Make it into wallpapers,

I am telling you: if you don't pray, you will die. 

This is not even to instil fear.

You think if prayer is not a non-negotiable the devil will bother to stop you from praying or distract you?

Everything is fighting for your attention; from life wàhálà, to your phone, internet and other things.

You think it is water gun fight? 

It is a fight to bring the fish outside of water to dry land because Satan knows that the fish will die outside its natural habitat.

Stay in your natural habitat

Stay in the secret place! It is for your survival and sustenance.

I will stop here for now, we will continue in my next teaching.

I hope we've all been blessed by the teaching.

Also if you have questions, please send them HERE, and I will answer.

Until next time,

Remain blessed.

THE ALTAR FIRE

I believe the Lord wants to open us to certain things as we go through this teaching.

So, open question, What is an Altar?

Queen: A place of encounter with God, a place of fellowship with God.

Ngozi: A sacred place of prayer.

Ruth Olayinka: An altar is a place separated unto God.

Ruth: The altar is a place where covenants are made and upheld.

Jane: A meeting point to offer sacrifice.

I will add to what we have shared.

To explain what the Altar is properly, I will start with the tabernacle and the temple.

First, what is the Tabernacle?

The Tabernacle is a mobile sanctuary commanded by God and built by Moses for the Israelites during their journey to the promised land.

Israel had left Egypt and there had to be a meet point between God and them to sustain them until they got to their destination. The tabernacle was how God dwelt with the Israelites in the wilderness.

"And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it." [Exodus 25:8-9] 

THE TEMPLE

The temple was a grander expression of the tabernacle. It was a permanent building/central place of worship for the Israelites.

The temple was built by Solomon but first desired to be built by David.

I will come back here.

Let's go to the structure of the Tabernacle;

The tabernacle had 3 layouts (we can see this in Exodus chapter 25-28)

The Tabernacle Structure:

- Outer Court

- ⁠The Holy Place 

- ⁠The Most Holy Place 

THE OUTER COURT

The outer court is the first place you come in contact with as you enter the tabernacle. It was a place of public approach. Everyone could come in.

And in this outer court, there is an altar; a BRONZE ALTAR (made of acacia wood.) 

This altar was the Altar of burnt offerings. It is where sacrifices and offerings were made to God. The Israelites made sin and peace offerings here.

Remember we said the Tabernacle was a place for meeting God, but the first point of encounter is an altar where sacrifices were made on the bronze altar. 

Why? Why first the sacrifice?

"therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.."  [Genesis 3:23-24]                                             

God sent Adam out of the garden. Adam was banished from the presence of God. 

Why? Because of Sin.

God is holy and cannot behold sin so for man to approach God, something else needed to pay. It is a righteous demand. Even God couldn’t bypass this process, so much that His own son had to die.

The bronze altar is where sacrifices of blood are made for atonement. 

So the first altar is in the outer court and it is called the The Bronze Altar.

For anyone to come to the meeting place of God aka the Tabernacle, they needed to first make use of this altar by sacrificing. Blood had to be spilled so they are clean.

But something happened.

"For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." [Romans 5:10 NKJV]                                             

"By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." [Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬]

When we were God’s enemies! 

This is what we were before the Bronze altar, enemies of God. For every man that approached the tabernacle, they were first enemies of God until something was sacrificed at the bronze altar.

How does an enemy come to a designated meeting place for friends? You are trespassing.

But see what Jesus did, 

He came and died for us, everyone of us, Once and for all! 

It was a one time sacrifice. 

It is that everyone that draws near to the tabernacle (the place of meeting) can now do so as friends because only friends come to this zone.

Back to the structure of the tabernacle: 

• The Outer Court
• ⁠The Holy Place
• The Most Holy Place 

I’ve explained the outer court and the altar on it. 

Now there are 2 altars actually in the tabernacle, the first one is what we see in the outer court for peace and sin atonement, the second one is in the holy place. 

THE HOLY PLACE

This is the second chamber of the tabernacle. 

It is the first inner room after the outer court. It is where you enter into after forgiveness of sins. 

This room had no natural light and had 3 things in it:

1. The Golden Lampstand 

"This golden lampstand had 7 branches each with a lamp on it. So basically the golden lampstand had 7 lamps that provided light for everyone that made it into this part of the tabernacle." [Exodus 25:31-40] 

"And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." [Revelation 4:5 NKJV]  

Seven lamps were burning before the throne which were the seven spirits of God. 

We see that the tabernacle actually mirrored Heaven.

"The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." [Isaiah 11:2 NKJV] 

The spirit of God! 

Present in the tabernacle 

The spirit of God!

Light in the tabernacle

No external light needed. The Holy Spirit was enough light 

PS. I hope we are following closely and understand so far? 

Because I will tie all of this back together at a point.

 

2. The Table of Showbread

The second thing in the Holy Place is the table of showbread. 12 loaves of bread representing God’s covenant with Israel is placed here. The bread was also called the bread of the presence.

The priests were to eat from this bread at the sabbath day as a form of intimacy and fellowship.

3. The Golden Altar of Incense

The third thing in the Holy Place is the Golden altar of incense. 

This altar is the second altar in the tabernacle. The first was for atonement. The second is for fellowship; for incense rising before God daily.

Now, the Golden altar of incense is placed directly in front of the veil separating the Holy place from the third room which is the most Holy place.

The people that made it into this part of the tabernacle at this point were just the priests by the way. The priests were the only ones allowed to burn incense on the altar of incense and they were to do it daily.

"And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you." [Exodus‬ ‭30‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV] 

‭‭‬‬The altar of incense is just at the entrance of the veil separating, and what the veil is hiding behind it is the ark of the testimony also called the ark of covenant, where the glory of God resides. 

God’s throne!

So basically, incense offered is what stands between the holy place and the most holy place.

Again, I hope we are holding the thoughts and piecing them together slowly.

Back to the structure...

THE MOST HOLY PLACE

Also called the Holy of Holies, this was the final point of the tabernacle. 

The innermost room, just behind the thick veil. It housed the Ark of Covenant and the Mercy Seat.

It was where God dwelt in the temple; His Shekinah Glory was here!

Only the High priest could enter here once a year. 

This was the real meeting point of the tabernacle, this is where all of The outer court and Holy place was leading us to.

Now that we’ve seen the tabernacle and everything inside of it, what is it meant for?

I’d like to move to us

How does this apply to us in our world today?

The Tabernacle, Its Structures and What They Mean for the Believer in Christ Today.

"who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” [Hebrews 8:5 NKJV]

These things serve as a copy and shadow of heavenly things! 

Everything we’ve seen here is a pointer to something more; It is a pointer to Heaven! 

Now we say that Heaven has come and Heaven is in the heart of the believer in Christ, so we must understand this copy and shadow of that which is within us. It’s a guide sort of, a template to follow.

Back to the tabernacle, we say that the tabernacle is the place where God and man meets. 

What is then our modern day tabernacle?

  "And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” [II Corinthians 6:16 NKJV]

Now, we are the temple.

Remember I had explained the temple is a grander and permanent version of the tabernacle. 

The tabernacle was the first copy released to man.  Until one day, David thought to build a temple; he thought to make that dwelling permanent. Like he desired it, God did not ask him. 

Again, David was a man ahead of himself!

Back to the temple. 

Everything I have explained about the tabernacle is now us! 

The place of meeting is now inside of us. 

It is not a physical building, 

That building is now you and the same rules apply.

You are the meeting place! 

Say it to yourself.

You don’t visit the tabernacle anymore, it is eternally resting inside of you.

So let’s go to the structure of the tabernacle that is now you. 

1. The outer court

I had explained the Bronze Altar and how sacrifices were made for the atonement of sins. 

For the believer in Christ, Jesus became the sacrifice. He did not just make a sacrifice, He became the sacrifice. He is the one offered on the altar day in day out as we approach the outer court. He is the how we can approach.

"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." [Ephesians 5:2 NKJV] 

"By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for  all." [Hebrews 10:10 NKJV] 

Christ gave Himself as an offering and a sacrifice 

A sweet smelling one. Acceptable.

And through that offering, we are sanctified. 

Through that offering, we move from the outer court to the inner room.

Now that we have fulfilled the requirement of the outer court, what then is our own reasonable sacrifice? 

Is there even a need for one?

What do we bring to the outer court since Christ has done it all?

1. Ourselves

  “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” [‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV] 

‬The word“reasonable” here is logikēn (logical/spiritual). In light of what Christ did, it only makes sense to lay ourselves on the altar in response.

We offer ourselves: fully surrendered, daily, consistently.

This is your first duty to the outer court, yourself in response to Christ giving Himself.

2. Our Praise and Thanksgiving

While Christ has indeed paid (become) our sin and peace offering, we have a response.

  “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” [‭‭Psalms‬ ‭100‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬]

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” [‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬]‬

This is how we enter the courts of the tabernacle; With PRAISE.

You don’t have what to praise for? 

That there is a sacrifice on the altar is enough reason to praise! That you do not have to be thinking everyday about the bull to bring to the altar is enough reason!

Therefore by Christ we also must now continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God.

See, in the tent of meeting with God, how we enter is praise and thanksgiving.

Not complain, not grumbling. 

This is how we come before God to meet with Him;

We throw away everything on our heart,

We keep aside the things bothering us, 

We focus on the lamb on the altar and we enter with thanksgiving. 

Minister Dunsin once shared something profound that stayed with me; he said that, if he comes before God and he has a lot of things on his mind, he stays in Thanksgiving and worship for hours until those things dissolve and it is only God remaining.

In pain, in confusion, in waiting, 

This is how we enter the outer court: With praise!

3. Good Works and Generosity

One of the things the Israelites brought to the outer court was their grain and drink offering.

This wasn’t to atone for sin, rather it was from a place of being blessed. 

"But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." [Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV ] 

From our time to caring for other people genuinely, giving in church and, to people around us, with such sacrifices as this, God is well pleased! 

And my question to us is this, when was the last time you randomly gave? (Without grumbling) 

How often do you give?

Some of us, it’s the same #500 you’ve been giving as offering since 2021 you are still giving. 

Have you not been blessed by God? 

Your spending is going up but your giving hasn’t gone up,

You are short changing yourself. 

Some of you have never given your pastor anything. 

Their birthday? Save towards it and buy something. 

Random, just because, giving 

Christmas period, pack something for their family and honor them. 

It is part of your sacrifice and offering to God.

Your friends. the people around you, people you know, people you don’t know, Give! 

It is your goodwill offering and sacrifice.

4. A Broken and Contrite spirit

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.” [Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬]  

This is the posture we enter with! 

A broken spirit 

A broken heart 

A contrite heart 

Surrender. Humility. Repentance. 

This is how we enter the outer court.

Ruth Olayinka: Please ma, I have a question,  how do we focus on the lamb while praying ?

This is a great question. 

The Lamb here is Jesus Christ 

John 1:29 says Behold! The lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world 

To behold is to fix your gaze 

Pay attention to Him

Pause every other thing and look at Him

Don’t be in a rush to look away 

Meditate on who He is 

Magnify the lamb in the place of worship

Lift Jesus and exalt Him 

Don’t focus on asking 

Don’t be focused on your worries

Let all that fill your heart and eyes be the lamb (Jesus) 

A great place to always start is His sacrifice 

Think of what Jesus dying means

Do the maths 

Calculate the price of goat and check how many you’d have sacrificed if Jesus did not die

Think on His greatness and all that He is 

Just allow yourself to be immersed in God alone

This question you asked is also one of the reasons I encourage us to sometimes not sing when we are worshipping and giving thanks, learn to use your words

To help you understand better, please CLICK HERE to see a previous teaching where I taught comprehensively on 'WORSHIP.'

There are people that don’t know what to say to God outside of music and it is because we don’t know God 

We’ve not settled long enough on Him to express from our heart. 

If you are here and you struggle with words, reduce the music when praying 

Deliberately use your words 

During the day, write the things you know and can remember about Jesus 

Allow yourself to meditate on these things until your prayer time 

I hope this helps and answers your question.

2. The Holy Place

After the Outer Court which was open to all of Israel, the next structure is the Holy Place. 

Like I mentioned previously, there are 3 items in the holy place (the showbread, the golden lampstand and the golden altar of incense.)

Only the priests are allowed inside of the Holy place. 

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” [‭‭I Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬]  

“and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” ‭‭[Revelation‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ ]

See what Jesus becoming our sacrifice on the Bronze Altar translated to? 

We are now priests! We too can come in like the levites to the Holy Place 

The garment of holiness is already on us so we will not be struck dead when we do.

What then are the implications of the 3 items in the Holy Place now that Christ has died: 

- The Golden Lampstand

I already explained that this represents the Holy Spirit. There is no natural light in the Holy Place which means for us that we do not try to make sense of things from our natural mind. We follow just the leading of the spirit. This signifies us walking only in the light of the spirit. .

“We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit.” [Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭25‬ ‭ERV‬‬]  ‭

“If the Spirit is the source of our life, we must also allow the Spirit to direct every aspect of our lives.” [‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭25‬ ‭TPT]  

- The Table of Showbread

The priests eats from the bread spread on this table. Like I explained, the 12 loaves represented God’s covenant with Israel. The priests comes in and feeds on this covenant reminder bread. 

What this represents for us is,  The Word of God

“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." [Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV] 

Infact, I will take this further a bit; 

What it represents for us is Jesus 

Because Jesus was the promise and that covenanted to Abraham and reiterated to Israel. It is why when we read the word, we must do so from the lens of Christ. 

What we are taking in as we study the word daily should be more of Jesus (more of God, for the son of man is God.)

- The Golden Altar of incense

I had explained that this altar was right before the veil which separated the Holy place from the most Holy place and on it the priests burned incense morning and night to God. 

See if you’ve been looking for a template for your devotion/worship/fellowship, pick from here! 

Morning and night! 

Show up daily.

The secret place is not a place for excursion 

This is how we come to God 

In fact, the instruction to the priests is that the altar must be kept ablaze and its fire must never go out. 

They had one job, keep burning incense 

We have that same job now 

And we must remember that we have it easier than the people of old 

Oh! We have it so easy

A lot of things Christ has bypassed, we just need to show up and burn incense on this altar. 

Our prayer must be set before God as incense as in Psalms 141:2 

 "Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." [Psalms 141:2]

And here is the thing, you cannot bypass the altar to reach God. 

Everybody must pass through here! 

All of us must be given to devotion, prayer, worship and constant fellowship. 

This is the template! 

We are in a really busy world and it’s so easy to forget these things,

It’s so easy to go 1 week without studying the word (until Sunday service)

And here is what I have seen in our generation: 

Many of us want deep

We want to access the Holy of Holies but yet we want to bypass the altar. 

The altar stands right in the way

You see that incense? It must rise before we pass through!

So yes, the holy place is our place of devotion.

3. The Most Holy Place

I explained yesterday that this is the innermost court where only the High Priests (the descendants of Aaron) could enter. 

It was separated by the veil. 

Quick question,

Can the believer in Christ have access to the Most Holy Place ? If yes or no, share why.

Ngozi: Yes, believers in Christ can access the Most Holy Place, because Christ has sacrificed himself for us.

Debbie: I will say yes the veil was torn after Jesus’s death on the cross and we are co heir with Christ so we can.

 "Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,” [‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭51‬ ‭NKJV‬‬] 

See, we need to give it to God, 

Very intentional 

Jesus did not just die and become the sacrifice for us, He tore the veil as He did. 

He tore it so He could go in as our High Priest but He did not stop here 

He could have gone in and brought back the veil then remain there as our high priest. 

He went in and took His place as our mercy seat, then left the veil torn so we too can now enter! 

What a God! What a sacrifice! 

When we sing Yes Jesus loves me, we need to understand just how much by how far He went for us. 

You and I can now access the most holy place, 

Because He went in, we too can 

No gatekeeping here!

And now, we can dwell there 

The high priest could enter once in a year 

How can you enter periodically what was built inside of you?

The ark was the dwelling place of God. You are now the dwelling place of God

“And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.” [Leviticus‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV] 

‭‭We began this teaching with the altar, and we must end it there.

           “I will not rest until I find a place for the Lord, a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.” [Psalm 132:4–5 NLT] 

Look at David. King, warrior, poet! He had everything. 

Yet, the one thing he couldn’t rest without was this:

A permanent place for God to dwell.

David desired this place on his own accord o. God never told anyone to build a temple for Him. Go and study the Bible. 

David on his own thought of it and desired it not knowing that God also desired this. His son Solomon eventually built a magnificent temple for the Lord.

We’ve walked through the tabernacle.

We’ve touched every part—from the Bronze Altar to the Ark of the Covenant.

But here’s the truth I don’t want you to miss:

The tabernacle is a waste if you don’t use the altars.

The essence of the tabernacle is because God wants to meet 

“And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” [Exodus‬ ‭25‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬]

He doesn’t just want to dwell as furniture taking space, He wants to commune with you

We can admire the beauty of the tabernacle, we can study all of its gold furnishings from now till next year, but the power of the tabernacle is not in how it looks.

The power is in how it leads us to God!

How it fulfils God’s desire to be resident with us.

I know you have read a lot about the altar fire not going out but I have taken time to break it down in a much different way because I want you to see the moving parts.

To know the weight of what was sacrificed just for you to have that altar you’ve been neglecting.

So you could come to that place of prayer you now treat as optional,

So you could open that Bible that’s been gathering dust,

So you could live in the very glory that once killed men who touched/came close

My dear siblings in Christ, The fire must never go out on the altar wasn’t just about the fire, it was about the meeting!

It is the meeting that must never be aborted 

Our lives are thrown into chaos when the meeting is affected 

And the meeting is powered by the fire!

The blood,

The cross,

The veil torn,

All of it was so you could meet with God daily 

In your car,

In your room,

On your knees,

In the toilet,

Even in your silence!

Again, the tabernacle is a waste without its altars.

And this is because the altars were the gateway to the Presence.

Your God paid in blood, not just for a visit but for dwelling. We must stop the spiritual excursions. The secret place is not a place for 2 days holiday/vacation.

Every time we skip prayer, every time we neglect the word 

What we are really neglecting is a Most Holy Place that cost Heaven EVERYTHING to open.

It cost Heaven God Himself

So why did I teach this?

To wake you up

To show you that your prayer life isn’t “just prayer.”

That your Bible reading isn’t “just quiet time.”

It is you a priest of the Most High God stepping into the Most Holy Place (Go and Ask Aaron the honor it is to have been a priest to God 😭. God and ask)

It is a fire burning on the altar of your life.

It is a God who paid in blood just so you would meet with Him.

The place that only one man could enter once a year, is now open to us; Daily

Yet we neglect it? 

How come? 😭

Access means nothing if we don’t respond by entering.

What is the use of a key to a door of riches if we never open the door?

                    “I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my eyelids, Until I find a place for the Lord, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” [Psalms‬ ‭132‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV] ‬‬

Again, look at David,

What this King wanted to lose sleep for is what we now have on a platter!

I will end with this:

God still honors the tent of meeting.

He still desires a people who say;

“I will not rest until I make room for You oh God”

WILL YOU BE THIS PERSON?

WATCHWORD FOR THE MONTH - JULY (SECOND HALF OF 2025)

WATCHWORD FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR (H2, 2025)

- Of The New

- Of Our Fast and Better Half

- Of the Victory of God

- Of Breakthroughs, Testimonies, Completion and Finished Works

- Of Answers, Advancement, and Removal of Delays

- Dry Seasons are over, It is Raining! 

Words from New Month Prayers

Victory Abounds 

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Accuracy

Precision

Results 

A hitting of the hammer on the head

Change is here!

The season of the watchmen 

Ojo Ibukun (rain of blessings) 

You’ve smelt rain, now it rains

About turn 

A change in tide 

A shift is here 

THE shift is here 

Goodness. Mercy. Favor 

The Grace of the Lord 

ALL Truth.

The FAST half

Complete

Finished! 

Faith! Trust in the Lord with all your heart

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;" ‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Radical Faith and Obedience

Hope again 

How shall these things be? The Spirit 

Be still and know 

Ati Segun fun wa  (we’ve been given victory)

Your God is near 

Your God is here 

Fast happenings. Fast in a strange way, You will almost ask how

Suddenly

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it.“Yes indeed, it won’t be long now.” God’s Decree. “Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills. I’ll make everything right again for my people Israel: “They’ll rebuild their ruined cities. They’ll plant vineyards and drink good wine. They’ll work their gardens and eat fresh vegetables. And I’ll plant them, plant them on their own land. They’ll never again be uprooted from the land I’ve given them.” God, your God, says so."Amos 9:13-15 MSG

Salvation

Year of greatness and abundance 

Of Prosperity and lock down

The leading of the lord

Victory abounds 

We experience the hand of the lord 

Flames of fire 

Like prayers Rising up to heaven like flames of fire 

Ears pop open to hear in this season 

There is a breaking forth 

A spring forth in your academics and career 

Fresh tongues  

Beauty, beautification

Words flow 

Overflowing, Dancing around 

You will look back at the words given and you will shout for glory 

Testimonies abound 

Fresh beginnings 

Destines align 

Testimonies overflow 

"After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a [war] trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things"  Rev 4:1 AMP

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  Matthew 11:28 NKJV

Are you worried? It is settled

Breakthrough 

Take off

Glory season

It is happening. Why have you given up?

"I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint". Habbakuk 2:1 NLT

Stand on your watch

Stay with the Lord

Sit with the Lord

Strongholds broken

Speed

Advancement

Go forward

Your God is working

You see workings

Move!

“And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Entering into prepared places

Stepping into fullness

Stepping into possibilities 

No more moving round in circles

Ease

Look, the fields are green

The harvest is ripe for the taking

There is a stirring

Rest

Advancement

No repeated visions, new visions are here

Answers are here again

No limitations

Cast your net again

Stop doubting 

Exploits

Land mark events

No limitations

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Isaiah 55:1 NIV

“Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!"  1 Samuel 12:16 NIV

I watch over my words to perform them

Congratulations

Abundance 

"The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."  Psalm 34:10

New Strength

No more delays

New open doors

The New

I fight the battles

I still every storm

Healing

Encounters

Access

Nothing missing, nothing broken

Divine Help

God is at hand

Seed time, Harvest time; Almost at the same time

Favor

CONGRATULATIONS!

IT’S A NEW SEASON

IT IS MORNING

WELCOME TO THE NEW

The Spirit is your how!

Bible Study: Hebrews 11 [A Deep Dive into the Subject of Faith]

HEBREWS 11: A DEEP DIVE INTO THE SUBJECT OF FAITH

Hebrews 11 is one of the Bible chapters that I love so much, so much. 

I’ve probably read this particular chapter over 100 times, and yet it breaks something in me every time I do. 

I’m so sorry o but I doubt I am able to resist doing a verse-by-verse exegesis of this chapter, so please permit me and read along 🙏.

1. Faith is the evidence of things not seen

This sounds funny

To say something is evidence for what cannot be seen is basically saying you are using a visible to confirm the invisible. 

E.g I cannot see how electricity flows inside a bulb but my proof that there is electricity inside that line is the bulb lighting up. 

I can’t see electricity but I can see the bulb confirming that there is electricity. 

I can’t see gravity, but the evidence for me that gravity exists is that when I drop an object, it falls. The object falling is an evidence of gravity which I cannot see. 

Now we say Faith is the evidence/proof of things not seen. What is the visible in this statement? Since a visible is used to prove the invisible. What is visible?

A lot of us try to make the things that we see proof of our faith because this is how it runs in the natural but it is the other way round actually. Faith is seeing and believing.

TPT says "Faith is the foundation needed to acquire everything we believe for"

Faith is conviction that the things that are currently physically invisible truly exist! 

The EASY translations says We will be SURE in our minds about things that we cannot even see

But what gives us this assurance?

And this is where I land;

Faith is not blind

Faith actually sees something

There is a visible in Faith too

Faith is not mere wishful thinking nor is it self-generated. 

Faith is a response to something God has said!

Faith is a response to God; The Faithful ONE!

Also we sometimes mistake Faith with Hope. Faith is what helps us get all the things we hope for.

We can hope and not receive but there is no way anyone has faith and not receive.

Why? Because in Faith, there is already a "receive" even before the world sees. 

And why is there a receive? The word of God is the backing/anchor of Faith.

The faithfulness of God!

Faith is the receipt of the things that do not yet exist fully in the physical but exist already inside of the word of God and His Faithfulness.

What I told myself as I studied is this:

If my Faith is going to fail at any point,

If I have to throw it away at any point,

It should only be because God did not speak or God stopped being Faithful, Which is impossible.

Because for every response, there is a call. So if I will cancel my Faith which is a response, then the call will have to be cancelled also.

Can the word of God or His Faithfulness be cancelled?????

Can anything invalidate it?

When I say Faith is a receipt, let me explain;

I do not have a Tesla yet in my garage, but I have a valid receipt in my name for a Tesla car, am I a Tesla owner or not? 

Of course I am!

Faith is this receipt that certifies me as the owner of that testimony, it is my proof of ownership of a thing.

I will backtrack Faith to the word of God because that is where it is borne from. 

The word of God given to you is your proof of ownership. It is your visible for the currently invisible, because God’s word can be considered done.

PS. If you disbelief this principle, then you disbelief the same principle that says you are saved.

Faith is my receipt that when this world passes away, I will be among those raptured.

Faith also has a kind of boldness to it, it doesn't second guess.

It's either I have a Tesla receipt or not and If I do, I definitely have a Tesla car.

Faith is very sure.

2. Framed by the word of God

In case this subject of Faith still doesn’t make sense, because again how can I use what is invisible as proof? The writer in Hebrews reminded us of the very beginning 

“Because of faith, we understand about how God made the universe. He spoke his word to make it happen. In that way, God made all the things that we can see. He made them from things that nobody can see.” Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭3‬ ‭EASY

First, the earth was void and without shape then God spoke!

This is the basis of everything; God spoke! 

We wake up everyday and expect it to be morning and then after some hours we expect it to be night, why? God spoke!

All the things that we can see, the firmaments, the birds in the fields, etc, all of them exist because God spoke. 

The word of God is how things are framed to life.

So if He gave you a word, why are you doubting?

Has night ceased to exist or daytime paused for over 6000 years since God spoke? 

If a word spoken that long ago has not faulted in any way or for any reason, why do you doubt what your God has said to you?

3. Pleasing God

In verse 5, the Bible said Enoch did not die. He was transported.

Why? Because he pleased God by Faith.

God was also pleased by his faith.

Without faith no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him Hebrews 11:6 ERV

The order here is that we have faith first before we seek God and try to find Him. If you are waiting for the miracle first before you can have faith, wrong order o. 

Some of us want to find God first, then have faith based on what we find. You see, without Faith, it is most likely we will find nothing. And when you look at this order, it defies the natural.

It is why logic cannot explain the things of faith, you sound like a fool when you try to logically explain these things.

Again, Faith is your proof of payment/purchase. Without Faith, there is nothing we can get because no purchase happened.

Faith is a cheque that never bounces back!

You may not know how these things will happen, but you just know that a testimony has been procured already, fully paid for, in your name!

And sometimes, Satan in his craftiness may want to tell you you are holding a fake receipt;

Na lie o! 

Stand there

Die there if you must 

There are kuku people that died believing; Joseph asked his children to carry his bones to the promised land.

Faith does not take No for an answer

I cannot buy a Tesla car worth millions and you tell me my receipt is invalid, then me too I will say, "Ehnehn. Okay. No problem. I will go and check another car or trek to where I am going to." I will drag you till I collect my car because can you not see my receipt?

Faith knows what has been bought,

Believes it,

And accepts no other answer than this!

4. Faith is an action word

It is in acting that you see the proceeds of faith. Nothing comes to you if you don’t move on the word you got by Faith. Nothing!

Faith motivated Abraham to obey God’s call and leave the familiar to discover the territory he was destined to inherit from God. So he left with only a promise and without even knowing ahead of time where he was going, Abraham stepped out in faith. Hebrews 11:8 TPT

This particular verse turns my head always.

Abraham left his city with just a promise.

God did not say, "I'm sending you to America. Go to Texas, you will meet xyz and I will do abc"

No.

God called Abraham and asked Him to leave where He was then told him to just be going.

No direction o, nothing. Just be going till you get to where I will show you.

When you are not a nomad 😭

But you see, Faith motivated Abraham to take an action. Faith was what made Abraham to pack his bags and leave.

I once heard Nkiruka call the Old Testament the Foolish Times and true true na foolish times. Because it takes a level of ‘foolishness’ to do this 😭

You see wise people? They cannot do it. 

Earthly wise men will not. 

Maybe we don’t understand it, Abraham left for nowhere with his whole family!

Nah, we don’t get it.

When people are travelling out of the country and there are little uncertainties, most times the head of the house will go first, settle properly then full family will join later.

But Abraham carried everybody,

Every single person in his family. He left nothing behind, meaning they have nothing to come back to if the journey doesn't work out.

Nah, we still don’t get it 😭😭😭😭

If it didn’t work, there was nothing to come back to. He had lost everything! 

That’s how you know a man that believed in His God and His word

It doesn’t make any sense to me, and this is what Faith is like; It almost doesn’t make sense. 

I remember one time someone came to me for counselling, that God told them something. I was looking at them and in my head what was going on is “this is madness”

You know when you come to your pastor for assurance on the word you get and Pastor sef dey look you say omooooooo I no dey for this one o. I don’t understand it 😭😭😭

But you see, even though I didn’t understand their word, I could see that God had given a word truly. Even though I found the instruction ‘foolish’ by human understanding, a part of me knew. 

So I prayed with them and honestly told them that you see this thing you are about to do my human mind thinks it foolish. I want to give you human inspired wisdom advice, but I know the hand of my God when I see it and it doesn’t matter what I think. And if I were in your shoes, I will have faith and move. I will not care what anyone says/think. 

Why am I sharing this?

There are times even the people you expect to understand your instructions will not. There are days you will be standing alone on a word but know this, the word is for you so it is your faith that is needed.

Move!

Let’s head back to Abraham and his instruction, 

The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country and your people. Leave your father’s family and go to the country that I will show you.  I will build a great nation from you. I will bless you and make your name famous. People will use your name to bless other people.  I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you. I will use you to bless all the people on earth.”  So Abram left Haran just like the Lord said, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. Genesis 12:1‭-‬4 ERV

Leave where you are and go to where I will show you

Just be going, as you go, I will show you.

This thing makes me laugh and cry every time I read it.

Like just be going???? And somebody left 😭😭😭

Ah!!!! 

This is all Abraham heard and he left immediately?

God didn't need to reassure him and send like 20 confirmations so he will know before he left?

Again, what a man!

Abraham did not weigh anything o,

He did not think "What if it all turns out to be a lie?"

The over-thinker in me doesn’t agree,

The perfectionist in me wants to fightttttt.

And this is for those of us that are always doing “I’m an over-thinker”

Hear this well;

Faith doesn’t mix well with your overthinking and perfectionism 

For everytime I have had to do anything in Faith, I am sure I looked foolish to those around me.

Faith makes absolutely no sense.

Your overthinking and perfectionism self likes sense and orderliness but Faith does not care for these details o.

It defies all

If you are sitting on this table, please it is something you should pray about. Because you will struggle a lot with God’s promises

“God, help me to stop trying to make sense of everything. Help me to trust in your word and move blindly. Let your word be all the confirmation I need”

Abraham left with just this promise without an exact destination in mind.

God did not even give him tasting from the blessings. At least take one first so you will use it to believe that I'm capable 😭😭😭

The instruction was "just keep going, I will show you" 

This is what Faith looks like!

Imagine God says "Remi, pack your bag and go to the airport, I will show you"

Thousands of reasons that will make me not go.

Show me what God? 😭

When it's not excursion I'm going to do inside airport. Even if it is excursion, they will not allow me at MMA😭😭😭

Travellers only sir

Excuses will come up, "Valid" excuses;

“I will do it when…”

I’m sure a lot of us have said this before 

Again…

Abraham is truly worthy to be called Father of Faith.

What a man!

He is such a wonderful example for us.

Abraham by faith caught Jesus as the promise for us and generations to come. Kai!

What a man 😭

I noticed something else here in the kind of Faith Abraham had;

Abraham was asked to move to a land He will be shown which we later found to be the promised land aka Canaan

Abraham lived in the country that God promised to give him. He lived there like a visitor who did not belong. He did this because he had faith. He lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who also received the same promise from God. Hebrews 11:9 ERV

Plot twist, Abraham got to "Canaan" aka promised land but did not view it as His city of rest.

The bible says he lived there like a visitor.

Imagine doing all that plenty waka and you get to where you are finally shown yet you still dey do like visitor.

Is this not why you went through that plenty stress?

Here's what I found:

Somehow, Abraham's faith translated to the knowledge that God's promise was beyond the physical promised land.

Abraham was waiting for the city that has real foundations. He was waiting for the city that is planned and built by God. Hebrews 11:10 ERV

Look at this man's faith 😭😭

My God.

It wasn't about the material things,

Abraham believed God's promised land to be eternity.

He bought Himself eternity literally by Faith!

HOW DID HE KNOW???

Who told father Abraham?

He saw beyond the physical promise.

Abraham by Faith, saw Heaven and longed for it! 😭

When God was saying go to a land I will show you, Abraham did not see a physical land, he saw heaven by faith and longed for it.

When God was saying I will multiply your descendants and they will fill everywhere, Abraham by Faith saw me and you 😭

When God said I will give land to your descendants as eternal possession, Abraham did not see the possession that happened in the time of Joshua.

This man saw the new earth and the reign of the sons of God 😭😭😭😭

Abraham's waka waka to Canaan wasn't for Canaan but for eternity

Again, I need to understand what Abraham saw or knew

I'm literally crying because how did he know?

What a daring faith! 😭

Such huge Faith!

God truly has sons 

The Fathers of Faith need to sit us down and school us because what is this? 😭😭😭😭

I’m literally crying and typing in awe

Sarah was not able to have children, and Abraham was TOO OLD. But he had faith in God, trusting him to do what he promised. And so God made them able to have children. ABRAHAM WAS SO OLD  HE WAS ALMOST DEAD. But from that one man came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. So many people came from him that they are like grains of sand on the seashore. Hebrews 11:11‭-‬12 ERV

Just look at this scripture 😭😭😭

God promised to make a great nation from Abraham,

One child, this man did not have, until after 25 years. In fact, he had the child when he was so old that he was almost dead. In fact, the statement used was that Abraham was too old. 

But somehow, Abraham had faith.

This thing is not tales by moonlight o, it is someone’s real life story! 😭

I’m going through the things I’ve waited on God for; the pain I’ve felt in waiting, how difficult waiting is sometimes.

On some days I’m good and believing strongly and on other days, something triggers me and my mood changes. I am crying and wondering if it will ever happen. 

And I’m looking at Abraham, 

Imagine waiting for a promise to be fulfilled for 25 years,

Imagine a promise coming to fulfilment when the time for such to happen in the physical has elapsed.

How did he cope? 

How did he cope? Howwwwwwwwww?

What was he saying to himself? 

How did he not give up on God?

I’m asking it for myself 

Believe it, I’m asking it for myself.

I have seen the pain of waiting, I know that pain very well 

Yet a man waits for 25 years? Waits till the deadlines passes, and still believes for the impossible?

At some point yesterday, I dropped my phone (Bible) and just kept telling God that I do not believe. 

Nah, I don’t believe 

I know people look up to me that I have Faith, I know even I have probably said so before. 

But look at these men. No, I do not believe. 

I just stayed in my sitting room crying and begging God to help my unbelief.

Because if what the Fathers of Faith had is what Faith truly looks like? 

We are not close to it, at least, I am not, I can speak for myself.

Back to Father Abraham, 

Abraham finally got a son when he was almost dead, then boom God said sacrifice the child. 

These Bible people, I don't understand them because Abraham carried his child to really sacrifice. Like he left his house, in fact scripture records that he counted it worship and he left very early the next morning. He didn’t even brood over the instruction? 

But look at what was on his mind when he took Isaac. 

He believed that God could raise people from death. And really, when God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac, it was as if he got him back from death. Hebrews 11:19 ERV

Abraham did not sacrifice His son because he felt God gave him and can take or because he will give another.

His reason:

GOD COULD RAISE THE DEAD

Abraham left with the expectation that Isaac goes back him with him.

I need you to pause

How did Abraham know God could raise the dead?

No dead had been raised!

As at the time of this encounter, Abraham did not have evidence or a record that God could raise dead people.

Some of us are believing for healing, healing that we see everyday like water o yet, we still have unbelief in us. 

How much more believing for something without a template?

Something God did not tell him sef.

He just looked at the Character of the God that He had walked with and He knew. 

Oh my God 

Oh my God! 

I want to screammm!

Abraham's faith was also a foreshadow of what is to come; the lamb of God has been offered as a sacrifice and truly men will be raised from the dead by a reason of this sacrifice 🤸‍♀️

By Faith, Abraham saw and grasped God's plan for men!

Omo × 1 million

Because what kind of Faith is this?

What did these men of old mix as ingredient for their faith?

Moses left Egypt because he had faith. He was not afraid of the king’s anger. He continued strong as if he could see the God no one can see. Hebrews 11:27 ERV

“As a result of his faith, Moses left Egypt. He knew that the king would be angry, but Moses was not afraid of him. Instead, he continued to trust God. Nobody can see God, but Moses lived as if he could see God.” Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭27‬ ‭EASY‬‬

When Sis Jane posted this translation yesterday, I saw it and jumped up. 

He lived as if he could see God

He continued strong as if he could see the God no one can see

To continue strong, you have to start seeing the God that no one can see.

You have to visualise Him and all of His promises even before you see them physically.

You have to start living as if you can see God

He saw a God no one can see! 

I don't have words guys, I don't.

And the walls of Jericho fell because of the faith of God’s people. They marched around the walls for seven days, and then the walls fell. Hebrews 11:30 ERV

They marched believing that the walls will fall and the walls fell!

There is nothing that exists that doesn't respond to Faith

Faith has an audacity that scares even the devil!

WHAT IS YOUR FAITH SEEING?

They marched believing the walls would fall and what happened?

The walls fell

There was no prototype, there was no template. 

I’ve explained what it felt like marching round those walls to us before 

It is foolishness to anyone looking at them.  In fact, even to the people marching.

Imagine that we are going to war and instead of people carrying gun and stuff for war, we are doing forward march like NYSC corpers 😭

I’m sure some of them did not even know how to march like me 😭😭😭😭😭

Faith doesn’t make sense o, it doesn’t 

So if you are there still standing and crying over that situation,

I beg you,

Move!

Move with faith!

Open your eyes and see in the spirit!

I am begging you

Your tears and crying will not change that situation. Put yourself together and believe again. 

Please believe again.

And I pray the word of the Lord comes to you again,

That you receive His assurance in a way that your heart will understand it ,

That it emboldens you to love, 

To go all out in faith, not wavering or shaking 

I pray it for you

I pray it for me 

Amen

All of them had great faith. And with that faith they defeated kingdoms. They did what was right, and God helped them in the ways he promised. With their faith some people closed the mouths of lions. And some were able to stop blazing fires. Others escaped from being killed with swords. Some who were weak were made strong. They became powerful in battle and defeated other armies. Hebrews 11:33‭-‬34 ERV

With faith, some people shut the mouths of lions. They used faith as gum abi super glue for lions 😭

Some of them raised the dead, some stopped blazing fires.

Is it not by Faith that Elijah spoke that it won't rain in the land until he decides to say otherwise?

And nothing changed until after 3 years when he decided it would rain?

Elijah did not give time frame, he just said it will not rain until I decide it will rain, and it did not rain

It was the day he opened his mouth back to say it will rain, the people saw rain (3 years after)

Maybe you don't understand,

If any other person had prayed for rain, rain will not fall because Elijah’s caveat was only me will bring back the rain.

Everytime I remember this scripture, first thing my that enters my mind is: What if Elijah died without calling forth rain 😭😭😭😂😂😂

By Faith, they did what was right

Faith is how we live out our righteousness 

My God

I think that we can study Hebrews 11 for the next one month and we will be eating Rhema everyday.

Faith is a currency in the spirit, it buys you the unimaginable.

What is your faith buying for you?

What?!

Ordinary provision, money that is so little to God, we are still finding it difficult to believe

God has given you blueprint like 100 times

He has sent confirmations tire

Yet, your faith is still shaking

Understand this that Faith is a spiritual trade secret;

There were women who lost loved ones but got them back when they were raised from death. Others were tortured but refused to accept their freedom. They did this so that they could be raised from death to a better life. Hebrews 11:35 ERV

By faith, some of them endured/enjoyed suffering

This one, we don't like to hear it, we want faith to buy "sweet" things only.

Though they were killed because of Faith, they endured because this Faith was purchasing something higher for them: Eternal life.

They were killed with stones. They were cut in half. They were killed with swords. The only clothes some of them had were sheepskins or goatskins. They were poor, persecuted, and treated badly by others. Hebrews 11:37 ERV

These things were done to them in their faith

Even as we expect to raise the dead by faith, expect persecution in faith too.

Endure in time of suffering!

Persevere

God was pleased with all of them because of their faith. But not one of them received God’s great promise. Hebrews 11:39 ERV

Now I want to laugh 

It is we that are struggling to believe that the promise came in our time. 

We have seen yet we do not believe. 

They did not see shingbai yet they believed

Sometimes, I imagine Elijah looking down and getting angry that see the power these guys have and they are not using it 😭

Can never be me

How are they not having Faith?

Like imagine Elisha having the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, just imagine.

And here’s what I found, 

Our Fathers of Faith had Faith for us 

Abraham was believing for us, 

Isaiah was believing for us, 

Noah believed and obeyed to save the world by preserving the seed of righteousness,

Their faith wasn’t just about them.

There is this hymn that has been ringing in my head since last week when I saw we were reading Hebrews 11:

Faith of our Fathers

Faith of our Fathers! living still

In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword:

Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy

Whene'er we hear that glorious word.

Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!

We will be true to thee till death.

And the question I have asked myself is this 

The faith of our fathers, are they still living?

Do we still have the type of Faith they did?

The type of Faith that existed even when Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den

The one that saved the Hebrew boys from burning in that fire? 

What type of Faith does our generation have?

Again, I pray that God helps our unbelief 

For as many of us struggling with believing because everything has acted against the very word God gave and it just doesn’t look like it

I pray for us that our faith is quickened again 

We believe our God and His word 

Once again, we go out and launch in Faith 

And we will see the rewards reserved for those who take the path of Faith. 

I pray it for you

I pray it for me 

Amen