NEWNESS: THE POSTURE OF A BEGINNER (PART TWO)

 Last week, we started speaking on The Posture of A Beginner.

What it really means when we say God is calling us into a new season and the position we must take. 

We started with the first 2 postures:

1. The Posture of Obedient Departure

2. ⁠The Posture of Faithful Endurance

Now let's move to point 3.

3. The Posture of Humble and Patient Listening

After the first 2 postures of departure and endurance, what comes next is Listening.

I would need us to listen well to this point, actually.

This posture is more than just hearing God’s voice, way more than.

This posture combines submission with patience.

It is listening without a mind of our own, without a direction or path to tow.

If you are saying something I already know or I’m familiar with, the chances of me listening are lower. 

Our outlook here is that we know nothing. The heart posture of humility and our ears opening up in response.

Now, what does it mean to have a posture of humble and patient listening? 

- Humble listening: a heart that receives instruction without arguing, demanding, or trying to force understanding.

- Patient listening: a discipline of waiting for God to reveal the next layer, without rushing, pushing, or presuming.

This posture is literally positioning yourself to receive God’s next instructions, waiting for Him to speak, and resisting the urge to force the process.

The instruction is not complete? We wait.

Nothing like completing the sentence here.

One of the problems many believers have is that we are not listening patiently. 

There are people running with half instructions; they got halfway and are stuck. 

There are people running with misinterpreted instructions because they did not listen humbly. 

Humility; 

You must wait here as one who doesn’t know.

In fact, as one who hasn’t heard.  

Humble and patient listening requires that you sit in uncertainty without anxiety, trusting that God’s timing is perfect. 

Again, you MUST wait as one who doesn’t know. You wait as one who hasn’t heard the whole plan. You wait as one who is fully present in the moment, attentive to what God is saying right now, without rushing to the next step.

“But God told me abc yesterday.” We are inside of today, my dear brother.

An example of this is Elijah, 

This man was used to hearing God.

In fact, he was a prophet of God.

He wasn’t just hearing, he was speaking on God’s behalf.

And while he was in the cave, scripture says the word of the Lord came to him

“And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭19‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“What are you doing here Elijah?”

He was explaining. 

He gave God a report. He told God all the reasons he was afraid, why he was hiding, and why he felt alone.

But here’s the thing: in that moment, Elijah wasn’t listening. 

He was running. He was fearful. He was afraid of what was next. His mind was racing ahead, trying to figure out the future, worrying about what he couldn’t control. Worrying about what he had never even controlled in the first place.

You see that question God asked him? It was a rhetorical question. 

God was trying to stop him, to draw him into reflection, to shift his posture from fear to attentiveness.

When God saw that he was still not getting it? Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.

That was the instruction:

Go to the mountain!

If we look at the Old Testament, mountains served as a place of meeting between God and men.

God spoke to men there; He gave instructions and laws right there.

Go to the mountain at this point for Elijah was, you are not listening, go to where you can hear me clearly.

3 things under this that you must note when God is calling you to the New. You must be:

- Still, so you can hear God’s voice over the noise.

- Humble, so you can receive instructions layer by layer.

- ⁠Attentive, so you are ready for the whisper, not just the dramatic displays and noise.

While listening is done with the ear, it erupts from a heart posture.

Again, please do not be in a haste. 

This is why I started with 'Faithful Endurance', before this particular posture.

If you do not get faithful endurance right, you will miss humble and patient listening. 

You will be doing fill-in-the-gap for God.

You must be okay with getting instruction 1, though it looks incomplete, staying in the place of prayer and trust that the Lord will speak again and complete it.

You will not rush to try when you’ve not been asked to.

A part I feel like God is speaking to us on is this:

Yesterday’s instruction is not today’s.

Except God says it is.

Just listen for the voice of the Lord and His instructions per time.

“Listen when I tell you what is right for you to do. Then you will be wise. Do not forget what I tell you. Anyone who listens to me is in a happy place. You can wait outside my home each day, and I will teach you.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭8‬:‭33‬-‭34‬ ‭EASY

Before I move to point 4, I want to emphasize something on Humble Listening.

In Matthew 2, we will see that the word of the Lord came to Joseph:

“saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The instruction was to go to Israel.

Where in Israel wasn’t specified, it was when they got in that they realized Herod’s son was on the throne.

Note that it is only Joseph who realized. God of course knew. 

What happened next is that God spoke again, and he was led to Nazareth.

Active listening 

Humble listening

I feel like some of us are hell-bent or fixated on things out of pride

It’s like we don’t want to be wrong 

“But God told me yesterday.”

Ehn, and He is saying another thing today.

Why do we want to be more right than God?

Finally, humble listening is you not forcing your opinion on God.

Some of us say we are listening, but what we are really doing is trying to get God to listen to us instead 👀

Again, I don’t understand it, but I have seen it.

We must trust God throughout the process of entering our New. 

One way to trust is by patiently listening 

His voice is never late!

4. The Posture of Courageous Alignment

After humble listening, the next posture is Courageous Alignment.

You’ve left the old, you’ve endured the gap, you’ve listened humbly and patiently, you’ve heard God.

Now comes the moment to position yourself boldly in alignment with God’s plan, even when the next steps are unclear or the path seems uncertain.

It is exactly what happened in Joshua 1

“Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV

There is a courageous way you must align yourself with the New you have seen.

You must align first in heart and then in words before it flows into reality.

Some of us have not gathered the courage to believe fully, and how I know is by what we are saying.

You see this particular posture is not one of waiting passively.

It is standing firmly inside the word God has given to you. The promises you’ve heard by the Spirit, the visions, the nudges, everything God has spoken.

Funny thing is, everything may not look like it in this season,

But you must align boldly with your heart.

It is the point where you believe only one truth.

Where you begin to close up every other possibility. 

There is no option B

No option C 

I’ve shared the story of the last Retreat with us before 

How we didn’t have our venue approved, and in meetings, we kept saying that if they don’t respond, we will go back and use the former venue.

I woke up one morning, and it felt like God brought me to where He was.

Without telling anyone, I called the old accommodation people and canceled with them. I told them to rent the space out.

I had just one option, and it was what the Lord had shown me 

 Courageous Alignment 

Courage because that was such a if you don’t win with this alignment, you’ve lost.

The way of the Lord must remain for you the only way at this point and junction.

The reason some of us are still stuck is because we are not fully aligned with what God has shown. 

We just want to leave the trenches please, that’s the only reason we are doing all this stress. 😭

Your heart, your mind, your choices.

Your everything must be positioned fully in line with what God has shown you, even when it feels uncomfortable, uncertain, or risky.

In fact, the way of the Lord is always uncertain, uncomfortable, and risky. 

Go and ask the Fathers of Faith.

There is never a time God has shown me a new different from what I know that I have not looked like a mad person to people.

“Move back to Nigeria until I tell you to move again.”

When every other person is moving out. Does it make sense to you?

Again, start playing in your mind as possible what the Lord has said to you.

Courageous alignment is not optional; it is essential. 

It is what positions you to receive the New fully, without compromise. 

It is where faith becomes visible in your positioning, and it prepares you for the steps God is about to unfold.

Close off every other possibility. 

And align your heart with the one possibility of what God has shown.

And there are real dangers in not aligning. 

Real dangers!

- If you don’t align, you are doing yourself o. Because now, you’ve left the old, and you cannot enter a new just because your heart is not on the same page. You are in a limbo. I feel like this is what happened with Abraham’s father by the way (story for another long day, you can read up on your own before then)

- ⁠What you are courting is compromise if you don’t align yourself. 

- ⁠You delay or even miss the blessings/promises.

I am begging us, don’t leave space for anything but God’s word to rule your heart and your steps.

The moment you’ve heard clearly, align yourself

Stop using 10 years to struggle with one instruction, thereby delaying yourself.

You see this courageous alignment ehn, it is the battlefield of Faith.

Spiritual buying and selling happen here.

People trade off what is theirs simply because their minds can’t hold what is theirs.

I added courageous to it for a reason o. There is a reason it is not just alignment.

Saying I am truly on the same page with you Lord can be hard, especially if the page Dey carry you go where you no know. 

All humans love safety,

Every single one of us.

And one thing I will leave with you is this:

You must stop looking for safety in the plan or promise. Safety is in God!

I pray for everyone,

The Lord quiets your heart,

He brings you to a place of stillness until you can hear Him.

For everyone who has been struggling to know what exactly is the next, the Lord quiets your heart and helps you to hear. 

He takes away every preconceived notion that has affected your hearing.

Your ears are opened to God’s instructions layer by layer, with patience, without rushing, and without forcing your own understanding.

You will not misinterpret the word of the Lord to you! 

And after you’ve heard, may the Lord align your heart and expectations to His will. Receive courage to stand firmly in the word that you’ve received. 

In Jesus name 

Amen.

NEWNESS: THE POSTURE OF A BEGINNER

RECAP OF THE LAST TEACHING ON NEWNESS:

Ruth: 
NEWNESS:
- Newness is God's language of mercy

- Newness begins with God.

-Ignorance is not an excuse! I must contend for knowledge if I must enter the New and live in it.

- To enter new seasons, I must be discerning

Bukky:

I remember the graph/diagram showing the progression/transition between the old and the new. It's never a smooth transition and some people can get stuck in the in-between phase, never really entering the new. We must know how to position ourselves to enter the New so we do not get stuck.

Omololu:

Newness 

Newness is not starting something new

It’s starting something with God 

There is no election without opposition 

The graphics illustration also 

Stating the levels one gets to before entering newness

Seyi Ayodele:

Newness is accompanied by Death, but don't mourn too long.

The New is only new to us and not to God.

The New is God administering a fix to something that's outdated or not working in the old, not necessarily a total replacement of the old.

The intersection between the Old and the new (I can't remember what PRems called it) is where we are now and we must maximize it in the place of intimacy.

Pastor Oluremi:

NEWNESS

There is no election without opposition 

There is always contention at the entrance of the New

I must not only jump up at the word of the Lord that I have a new season before me, I must Infact expect Satan to show up

If he doesn’t, I probably did not hear well.

It is possible to successfully leave the old and not enter The New (case in point: Israel)

Something dies at the entrance/birth of a New

Don’t stay too long mourning the things/people/relationships that aided you in the Old, Olúrèmí 

They’ve served their purpose 

That discomfort? Allow it

That attachment to the old? Let it go 

There is a gap period between The New and The Old

People most assume that you just jump into The New after the old 

But there is a gap

What you do in that gap period and make of it is what determines if you enter

-------------------------------------------

Now, to my teaching for today, which is a continuation of the last message on NEWNESS.

THE POSTURE OF A BEGINNER

We’ve talked about Newness and what the Lord does with the New, starting with the first man. 

But there is a posture a beginner must have, your outlook on the old cannot be the same as now.

The playing field is different, same as the surrounding context. 

So to excel here, you must take on a new posture.

The posture of a beginner is the spiritual stance you take when you recognize that a new season has arrived, but you are still learning how to move within or towards it.

Tonight, I will be running us through this.

When God calls someone into a new season, know this: He is not just opening a door. What God is doing is that He is inviting them into a spiritual alignment, into something He is doing.

The new is not about doing something different on your own terms; it is about being positioned rightly before God so that His plans can unfold in your life or for a generation.

I mentioned at the anniversary that there is always purpose to a new thing God is doing. 

God never does things aimlessly.

Every new season carries a plan, a promise, a purpose.

And here is what you must hold dear: there are no presumptions when God is moving.

When a new season beckons, many of us make the mistake of assuming that enthusiasm is enough. We think that excitement, desire, or our eagerness will bring us in. But it does not work that way.

Your happiness or excitement will not unlock what God has prepared.

That you desire it will not birth what the Lord has ordained.

Newness does not respond to zeal alone.

Alignment, readiness, and the posture of your heart before God are very key to if you enter.

Side note is that some people are not ready for the New. Sadly!

Most times they even think they are:

They pray for it,

They talk about it,

They shout amen to the prophecies,

But by their postures, we know they are not ready.

Again, leaving the old does not mean the new is automatic. There is tension, there is opposition, and there is a period of waiting and it is sometimes longer than we anticipate.

And during that time, the enemy will often try to convince you to give up, to return to what was familiar, to settle for less than God intended.

But here is the truth: God’s new things are never delayed because He forgot you. They are delayed because the heart, the mind, and the spirit must be positioned rightly to receive. them.

Tonight, we will be walking through these postures as already shown in scripture.

1. The Posture of Obedient Departure

I mentioned something to us at the last teaching that so many times we assume that we can enter The New from the Old.

Like slowly takes steps into the New while still maintaining our current position. I explained to us that this is largely untrue going by scripture.

It is an anomaly according to scripture.

Everytime in scripture that I have seen God call people into The New, what He does is that He first calls them out of The Old!

God is asking me to leave my old job and go work in a new place, but let me stay here first and start and see how it goes.

It doesn’t work this way! 

A call to The New is first a call to leave the old! 

When God calls you into a new season, the first thing He asks of you is to leave the familiar behind and step into what He is calling you to, even if you cannot see the full path ahead.

In fact, most times, you will not see the full picture.

What you will have mostly is time to depart.

Hebrews 11:8 ERV

[8] God called Abraham to travel to another place that he promised to give him. Abraham did not know where that other place was. But he obeyed God and started traveling because he had faith. 

Genesis 12:1-4 KJV

[1] Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: [2] and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: [3] and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. [4] So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 

Abraham did not know where that other place was, but he obeyed and started traveling to a new! 

Your trying to understand and get all the details for the new before moving away from the old might be why some of us are stuck.

Abraham had no roadmap, no clear destination, and no guarantee of comfort or provision but he obeyed.

As humans, we always want a sense of safety and security but when it comes to the things of God? We must see Him as our safe rock instead, and this should be enough for us.

Stop waiting for everything to make sense before you move 👏👏👏👏

Look at Abraham! That obedient departure positioned him to receive God’s covenant, His promises, and blessings that would impact generations.

Familiarity is an enemy of The New!

Step out of what is familiar! 

I feel like I am shouting this to somebody’s spirit man.

Step out! 

It is time!

Step out!

Stop waiting for things to make sense before you do

Obedience often requires moving toward uncertainty, not away from it.

Tonight, I want you to think about your own life for a moment. What has God been asking you to leave behind? 

Is it a place, a relationship, a comfort, or a mindset that has outlived its purpose?

Are you waiting for everything to feel safe, fully explained, or convenient before you move? That waiting could keep you stuck in the gap.

You cannot hold onto the old while stepping fully into the new. The moment you step, even with uncertainty, you position yourself to receive what God has already prepared.

You cannot like the old more than the new

And I just hear the Lord say to tell us:

It is time to move again. Move!

You’ve waited enough 

Move!

2. The Posture of Faithful Endurance 

After you step into obedience, leaving the old behind, the journey is not over. Most times, The New doesn’t come immediately. I already explained this gap year to us and I need us to pay close attention because this is where most people fail.

This is where most people make mistakes, what happens in this space is dangerous:

You cannot fully enter the new, and you cannot comfortably return to the old you already left.

You are in between.

And that in-between place exposes what is really inside you. 

It is here the waiting happens,

It is here the opposition comes, 

It is also here most people fail.

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭36‬ ‭NIV

This is how the promise is received. This is how we enter The New:

You need to persevere!

I want us to look carefully at Israel.

They obeyed. They left Egypt. They applied the blood. They walked out boldly. They saw the Red Sea part. They sang songs of victory.

But between Egypt and Canaan was the wilderness.

And it was the wilderness that exposed them.

You must learn perseverance in the wilderness.

It is the only way you move out of it.

It is the only way you are not stuck.

Let me tell you where Israel got it wrong:

“Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!””

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭14‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT

You must never romanticize the old!

See, this was their biggest mistake, 

They couldn’t persevere,

So they said let’s go back to Egypt (the old.) 

 I need you to take note of the tragedy here.

They could not actually go back to Egypt,

Egypt was no longer an option.

But they also could not enter the promised land because of unbelief and lack of endurance.

They lacked a posture that carried men to the new,

So they got stuck.

Not because God was unfaithful,

Not because the promise was false,

But because they failed the posture of faithful endurance.

See, you must not fail this posture.

Yoruba people have this proverb:

Iwaju ose lo (you cannot move forward)

Eyin o se wo (you also cannot look backward)

The day you start looking to the old because the gap period is difficult, what you are doing is giving away your right to the new. 

You are declaring yourself unfit to enter into it.

That place you left or God has asked you to leave is never an option to go back to.

Again; 

The gap is not punishment,

The gap is preparation!

But if you misinterpret the gap, you will make yourself miss out on the new.

The question must move from:

“Why is this taking long?”

To 

“Who am I becoming while I wait?”

Again, waiting is difficult ooo.

Ah! Waiting to enter the new is difficult.

But may we not fail the test of endurance.

And I pray for everyone here:

The tragedy of Israel will not become your story 

You take on the posture of endurance 

This building and creation season, you stay aligned with God

You will not spend it grumbling, frustrated and doubting 

The word of God stays before you in such a season as this until it comes to life 

Your Faith rises up to the occasion 

You believe what you have seen and heard even while you wait

You enter your new 

In Jesus name

-------------------------------------------

QUESTIONS

1. Ibukun:

My question is around here, when God asks of one to leave the familiar behind.

Is it always leaving something weighty?

Is it always leaving something pleasant?

Is it always leaving something enjoyable?

The understanding about God telling one is to leave that has always been labeled is  (leaving a good place then it gets bad, then it gets better in the end.)

For Eg, God tells someone to leave a 6-figure usd paying job to go to a remote village and start a trade.

I need clarification around that because if one is not discerning enough, someone can ' deliver' a wrong message or think he heard that he should leave riches behind because God wants to take him into the new 

ANSWER:

Hmmmmm

Basically, that most people associate God’s instruction to depart to be from good to bad. Right??

If yes, I think I will use Abraham as my talk point.

First, I want us to know that leaving is not from good to bad

Infact, I think that it is us humans that try to impose our understanding of good and bad into the instructions of God. 

We measure good by comfort, earthly wealth, stability and what is visible. 

This is normal for us humans  by the way.

But that’s not how God measures instructions and movement. 

I said something at the anniversary meeting, that every invitation to The New starts with a purpose of God. 

We see this in the story of Creation—the very beginning! 

So when God says “leave,” it is not a pointer on whether where you are is pleasant or unpleasant. It is not even a pointer to whether it is successful.

It is a pointer that God is doing a new thing and you’ve been called into alignment.

So when you start sensing a new season beckons, it is not because God wants to increase your level.

It is usually because God is doing something New,

Something that your current position/state cannot carry.

Back to Abraham, 

Abraham was okay in Haran. They had possessions, he was doing well with his family.

Then God asks him to leave for a blessing 

Note that God did not ask Abraham to leave because something was wrong with Haran, but because of the promise.

The promise was bigger than where he was.

Abraham got to Canaan (the promised land) but he did not even dwell there immediately. If you read Gen 12, you’d see that there was in fact a famine in the land at the point. Abraham got there first. 

How is there famine in the land that is supposed to be flowing with milk and honey?

The gap period

I gave us 2 other names that I interchanged for the gap period: The building season or the Creation Period. 

Let me use this example:

If you have a house and you have to bring it down to build again, what happens is that after you have demolished, you will have to endure the cold and rain pending when you are done building back up or at least started. 

The gap period exposes you;

To rain.

To wind.

To discomfort.

This doesn’t mean building the house again was a mistake but because rebuilding has phases.

That exposed season is the gap.

Another thing to note is that the devil always comes after the word.

The building season in fact is such a perfect time for him to show up because that is your first reality of following the word.

And as we know, Satan also follows the word.

Temptations and trials then begin to happen alongside the pain of building again (in uncertainty.) 

Most people have then come to interpret this as God bringing them into evil.

Times and seasons my people

If I put your bungalow down and it is in rubbles, you are most likely going to interpret that the bungalow is a better phase than the rubbles we’ve made of it, forgetting that we cannot build another solid sky scraper on same land, if we did not first demolish.

QUESTION 2

How does one discern to have left the old?

How do you know if you are on the way to the new.

ANSWERS:
Bukky:

I think one would be a sense of restlessness and discomfort with where you are at the moment.

I vaguely remember this from the teaching on the Wheel of Time.

You can't quite place your finger on it but it will just feel like your time in a particular place is done, like there's a sense of switch in seasons. Feels like where you are just doesn't serve anymore.

Then there's a sense of hope for something new or different, even when it may not be clear or you don't know what it is.

It could also be that you are trying to do the things you've done before in the way you've done it before and it's just not working.

Moji:

to add to this, i think you’ll know you’ve left the old when you experience a certain kind of peace that comes from aligning yourself with God’s plan, after experiencing the restlessness Bukky described. the peace is not necessarily because you know the full blueprint but because there’s a turning in the water and you’ve jumped into it in alignment with God.

Ruth:

There are subtle changes... You might not fully realize or recognize. Things you certainly won't do before, you start doing them...

There's a mindset shift in a particular direction... 

And the temptations and struggles you will encounter, will also be in that particular direction...

Pastor Oluremi:

I think I have a very short and straightforward answer to the question 

How do you know you’ve left the old?

Obedience to the instruction you got. 

One thing I’ve found in scripture is this, everytime God brought people into a New, there was a preceding word, and instructions tied to them

For Abraham, it was leave your father’s land Haran to a land I will show you.

How he left the old was that he traveled out of Haran.

For some of us, the instruction may not be dramatic or loud.

It could be as simple as change the posture of your heart, forgive, deal with anger, go to church, pray everyday.

These things could come just as nudges also, but you will always get them when God is leading you elsewhere.

Sometimes, it is even discomfort and uneasiness until you stop or start doing something.

If you are wondering where you are at, go back to the instructions and nudges you got concerning this new season.

Did you obey?

Have you done what you heard/sensed?

And for someone I hear the Lord say this:

Have you done FULLY what I asked you to?

Exactly as I asked you to?

So if you sense a New thing or season beckoning to you, ask the Lord what must I do? 

What is required of me?

For some of us, the answer may be as simple as "sleep."

Like just stop worrying.

This is the key to leaving the old for some.

As simple as this.

So if you are wondering if you’ve left the old, a pointer might be to check if you’ve followed the instructions you got concerning the new.

I hope this helps and answers the question (alongside the other thoughts shared too.)

PROPHETIC WORDS FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH

 WATCHWORD FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH

- Of Open Doors, of Favor and Mercy

- Of Divine Alignment and Placement

- ‌Of Divine Instructions and Interventions

- Of Waiting and Intercession

Alignment 

Favor 

Mercy 

I hear the word placement 

Timely instructions 

The Lord has exalted me

He has lifted my head like that of a unicorn 

Favor

Timely help 

Divine intervention 

Intercession. A month of intercession 

I see incense rising up to the Lord heavily 

The body of Christ stands 

The sound of war

Ogun Jesu fere de na

I hear this hymn: "Onward Christian soldiers"

Hebrews 12:2 NKJV

[2] looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Open doors

Exploits

The Lord is fixing. He is putting things back in their place

He is aligning

Where they ought to belong

Right where they ought to be

According to the design of Yahweh

The hand of the Lord 

Favor

Exposure

Strange happenings

Strange doings of the Lord

Do not shut your mouth. Speak aggressively. Demand. Command.

Son of man, SPEAK!

Vivid dreams

Proverbs 18:21 NKJV

[21] Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

You know what do

Clarity

Restoration

Strength

Renewed strength

I see a covering as a mother hen covers its eggs

New wine for new wineskins 

A purging 

A sifting

Welcome to The New

Fight one more time

Breaking new grounds 

Eagle, now Soar

Isaiah 40:31 NKJV

[31] But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Matthew 11:12 NKJV

[12] And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  

Look to your God

He is making crooked paths straight

Building season

Obedience 

Grace is available 

Supernatural appointments

I see people being noticed in the right quarter

Resurrection

Changed position

Divine Access

Beauty for Ashes

Vindication

Peace

The attention of the Lord is upon us

The wind of God

Oil of gladness 

It begins to make sense. Everything is coming together

I see the Lord closing a circle/cycle

Open doors

Ease

Crossover

Everything is working out for your good

Exodus 14:15 NKJV

[15] And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 

Victory on every side

NO LIMITATIONS

Timely help on all sides

A spirit of prayer

Promises are brought to life

It is time to enter prepared places

Unusual Breakthroughs 

You will see and know the handwriting on the wall

DANIEL!!!

Divine Repositioning

Preservation

Rest

Answers

Speedy answers 

We are not caught unaware (Alertness)

Nothing missing and nothing broken

The grace to finish well

It is given to you to know all things

Don’t eat with your ten fingers

Josephs will rise for such a time as this

Right discernment of the time we are in

BUY THE DIP

Alert!

The Lord is Teacher and Guide.

PROPHETIC WORDS FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY

The Lord is my portion

I hear the song “on the mountain in the valley, on the land and in the sea…”

Month of newness

Season of newness

Welcome to The New 

Transitions

Tell my children that they go forward

Forceful evictions where men refuse to move

Forceful transitions

Isaiah 14:1-2 NKJV

[1] For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob. [2] Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the Lord; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors.

Remember not the things of old, look to your new

Exponential increase

Joy and Rejoicing

Season of announcement 

Emergence

It is unto us according to the word of the Lord

Things begin to work out

Things begin to take shape

Replacement 

Realms of glory

Isaiah 60

The season of His presence. You are ushered in. The Lord causes men to approach

Supernatural expansions

There is filling. That hole is filled

Hallelujah. This is your song

No more facing the same mountains. It is time for the New

Favor

Fresh Strength and grace is released

I see sprawled on the floor and I see the Lord raising them up

New records are set

I hear this song: Ohun ton ba mi leru baba ti se o. He has done it

Testimonies. New songs

Everything Is working

The builder’s anointing

Realignment

Hallelujah ni Orin wa…

Hallelujah is our song

I see people building, starting again fearlessly. Unstoppable

Matthew 5:6 GNT

[6] “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will satisfy them fully!

Fearlessness 

Isaiah 41:17-18 GNT

[17] “When my people in their need look for water, when their throats are dry with thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer their prayer; I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them. [18] I will make rivers flow among barren hills and springs of water run in the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water and the dry land into flowing springs.

Enter into the New

I see new ideas, bold ideas. I see the spirit of boldness upon us. We are doing things we’ve been scared of for so long

New strength 

I see men picking up blueprints again and going fully in it

Open doors

Transformation

The old is gone 

I hear roars of lions. It is the year of your rising

FEAR NOT

FEAR NOT

FEAR NOT!

Look who steers this boat, fear not!

Nothing missing nothing lost

Spiritual strength 

A strategic month in the realm of the spirit, align!

Decree the words of God, Stand on them! Job 22:28

Job 22:28 NKJV

[28] You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways.

Clarity to decisions

Ojo Ibukun 

Showers of blessing

New reports

Grace

New anointing

Great Grace

Acts 10:38 NKJV

[38] how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 

Divine help

Yahweh; Alpha and Omega

Divine direction

I see a carrying by the Lord. A carrying into the things that must happen

New strength

I see someone sweeping off dirts from people’s lives

Divine visitation

A renovation happening spiritually

You reign as a king

Kings have no need!

Your needs are met before they arise

Everything has changed

Everything has changed 

IT IS TIME FOR THE NEW

IT IS TIME

Access to kings

Isaiah 43:18-21 NKJV

[18] “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. [19] Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. [20] The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. [21] This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.

Rest, Labour is over

Open heavens

No more delay

No more denial

Access

I see someone with several denials. The Lord says it has ended

I finish what I started

Sufficiency

I see God filling people up Himself. If you’ve been struggling with your spiritual life, GOD IS HERE

A season of announcements

Joy Overflow

Restoration

Restoration like you are dreaming

New perspective

Angelic publicity

Angelic announcement

“When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, We were like them that dream.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭126‬:‭1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

I see the Lord touching every area. Not some, all

We are led by the Spirit of God. We do not make any wrong turns.

I see someone that is meant to go through a surgery but the hand of the lord comes in and draws bone to bone. The scripture I hear is Ezekiel 37. (I hear Half 1 2026?)

Ways where there seem to be no way. Rivers in the desert.

Go again

Intimacy

Like never before

Ezekiel 47:12 NKJV

[12] Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

Speed

Genesis 27:20 NKJV

[20] But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.”

THE HAND OF THE LORD

Open heaven

Peace that passes all understanding

PROPHETIC WORDS FOR THE YEAR - 2026

 2026;

The Year of the Hand of The Lord 

⁠The Year of the Friends of God and His prophets

⁠The Year of the Brides of Christ

2026 is such a differentiating year.

It is the year when the hand of the Lord carries His own into the things that must happen swiftly. 

An active presence and involvement of Yahweh, for the things that must happen swiftly. 

I see the Lord heavily governing and presiding over outcomes.

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. [Prov21:1 NKJV]

The Lord said to me that this is the year of His friends. 2026 ushers in the season of the friends of God.

He began to break it down to me that 2020 marked the beginning of the rising of the sons of God. Sons found their voice and relevance, new sons came into the fold, lost sons found their way back home. 

But 2026 will see a rise of FRIENDS of God. Not sons, friends! 

I see a line drawn, and I hear the word,  'THE DIFFERENTIATING YEAR'

What will stand people out will be that they’ve been with the Lord!

The friends of God will stumble into revelation; a lot of it will not even come as a word, for some of them, it will just be a knowing in their spirit.

This will stand for them as an advantage in the day of adversity, for it comes.

I see an amplification of their voices.

The Lord wants the world to know His heart, now more than ever.

He will speak it through those who already are close to His heart.

I see liftings, Strange liftings 

Many of these men will have no business or even interest in these places, but for the agenda of the Lord, the friends of God will GO.

I see a call to Faithfulness go out, especially to those who started out with Him.

A call to return to the Lord.

It is the year of Christ as First Love.

The year men have set their hearts to love the Lord.

The friends of God will have an edge

They will be prepared for the strange things that come.

OF THE BRIDES OF CHRIST

Of the Brides: 

Those whose longing and desire is for the bridegroom alone. 

Those who seek Him with faithful devotion, abandoning all.

They would want nothing else outside of Him,

Not money, not fame, not the pleasures of this world.

These ones, bound to Him by love,

The Lord gives them a voice, and He courts even more to become.

Many will be betrothed to the Lord in Love.

So many. SO MANY! 

They will delight in His Glory and His coming.

Their delight will be HIM alone. 

Let the teaching priests not be quiet.

Let the ones who labor for His children not leave their knees.

I hear “induced hunger.”

Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." [Matt22:37 NKJV]

IT IS TIME!

Sound the alarm!

Wake them up!

It is time for the things written.

Hear the alarm! 

Hear its sound! 

Hear and see that it truly is time. 

Align yourself inside of time.

Put yourself together and align!

It is time to fly into that which seems so far off. 

I hear these words, "30 hours by road, 1 hour by flight."

As I tried to make sense of it, the Lord told me, "the journey it takes men 30hours to get by road, He is helping us to get there in 1 hour by Flight."

Speed! It is time for flight!

This is the year to cover distance and grounds. Long/far distances are best covered by flight. 

It is time to fly into that which seems so far off.

30 hours by road, 1 hour by flight!

I see the word 'Projectile.'

I see people being suddenly and forcefully propelled into things.

I see them sustained by the Lord.

There will be no pauses in between.

A rapid thrust into all that should be. 

Subject to only the acceleration of the Spirit.

Their trajectory will be determined by the Lord!

YEARS DO NOT MATTER BUT DAYS

Start thinking in days (Timely Instructions)

I hear these words, "No time to cry over spilled milk. Put yourself together and move with Me."

Move at My word 

Move by My word 

2026, THE YEAR OF COMPLETE OBEDIENCE

Obedience is the watchword this season.

More than ever, the Lord demands from us swift obedience. 

Total obedience is what the Lord is asking for.

“The Lord will move when your obedience is complete”

I see people by revelation laying a foundation for the next 30 years. 

Some will have to leave their job and try things they’ve never done before.

In fact, some will be led to try things that have been proven to not work in this season. When He leads you to, move.

New ideas.

Strange ideas.

Unreasonable ideas.

They will build wealth for the next 30 years!

“BUY THE DIP”

I heard these words and wondered what it meant. 

To 'buy the dip' means purchasing an asset when its price suddenly falls, the drop is temporary, and the value of the asset will rise again.

I see the Lord by the spirit of discernment leading men to invest time, money, etc, into certain things this year. They may not look like it at that point, but it will be for them an advantage.

I heard this clearly, "when the time comes, you will get a witness in your spirit with these words. You may have forgotten it then but the Spirit of truth who brings men into remembrance of all things will remind you." 

You will know exactly how it applies when it is time. 

2026 is the year of audacity and many firsts.

The Go order you’ve been waiting for comes here. 

It’s the year of the builders,

A year of grit. 

Men will build again and set foundations for the years to come.

It is that year! 

Yet in it there are years,

Both of harvest and planting again.

Do not be carried away while reaping; immediately plant again.

I see a recycling of old instructions.

The zeal of the Lord is risen over 2026

I see Joshuas rising

The instruction for you is same:

“Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” [Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV]‬‬

I hear these words, "Moses my servant is dead. Now…"

I see a rising of new kings. 

People being placed and planted by the Lord Himself. 

A lot of reshuffling is happening by the hand of the Lord, and the scripture the Lord kept highlighting to me is Daniel 2:20-22.

Daniel answered and said: Blessed be the name of God forever and ever. For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. [Daniel2:20-22 NKJV]

Again, IT IS TIME!

The time has come!

Your time has come!

IT IS TIME!

THE JUST GOD AND THE DESTINY OF EVERY SOUL

 

THE JUST GOD AND THE DESTINY OF EVERY SOUL

First, I want to say that the questions we're asking concerning salvation and the fate of children, the mentally unfit as well as those who lived before Christ, are very essential to our Christian Faith, and I am glad that we are discussing them. 

If we say that there is only one way by which men are saved and that God is a just God, then there has to be a fairness to men who did not hear to be saved, Children/mentally unfit people who do not have the capacity to make these decisions, as well as those who lived long before the coming of Christ. 

This is why I have named this teaching: The Just God and the Destiny of Every Soul.

Tonight, we will explore these truths through Scripture, seeing how God’s fairness and mercy extends to all people, and seek to understand the depth of His righteous and loving character.

Before we start answering these questions, 

I would first like us to establish a truth about God. It determines and influences what we see as we look through scripture.

“who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” ‭‭I Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

You see this scripture right here; it is the basis for everything I’m about to teach. It will help us judge and discern correctly what is true and what is not. 

Sometime last year, while preparing for the Upper Room Maryland, we were praying one morning for the unsaved. I was on the road heading home from a vigil when I clearly heard the Lord speak this scripture to me. I had never seen God’s heart in this way before, in all my life.

God does not desire that even one person should die unsaved. How could God create something in His image and be okay with its destruction? His will is that all men be saved. ALL, not some. Not just Jews. Every single person.

But to fully grasp this, I need to take you back to the beginning so you can understand the story.

“If all men can be saved, why can’t God just carry everybody into heaven and save them?”

😭😭😭

I have asked God this particular question before as a growing teen. I’m sure I stressed out my then pastor with questions on Salvation.

Good God!

All-powerful, owns everything, can do and undo, why not just save everybody since you desire all men to be saved? 😭

The answer lies in sin and God’s righteous demand for justice.

“You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he?” Habakkuk‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Your eyes are so pure that you cannot stand the sight of evil; nor do you look on wickedness with favor. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you so silent while sinners devour those more righteous than themselves?” Habakkuk‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬ ‭TPT‬‬

God’s eyes are too pure to behold evil! 

God cannot behold evil.

To say that we should all make heaven and our sins be ignored is to say that God should behold evil and maybe cease to exist.

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.” Psalms‬ ‭89‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Righteousness and justice are how His throne was founded. They cannot be eroded.

God is perfectly holy and just. His throne cannot overlook sin; in fact, it is against His very nature to ignore sin.

Sin carries consequences, and God’s justice requires that these consequences be addressed. To simply “erase” sin without justice would compromise His holiness. God cannot save everybody by simply overlooking sin, even if He desires to save all.

And this is where the beauty and mystery of God’s plan come in; the only way to satisfy both His justice and His mercy was through the sending of Christ. 

God had to come and die so that all men might be saved. This is His desire playing out.

He did not just come and die, He came as man.

Christ descended, lived as man, suffered, was beaten and spat on, crucified, hung as a public spectacle, until he drew his last breath.

The desire of God for men to be saved is so real, it is not "faabu" (fables) 

We see this expressed in Jesus and how He became the Mediator between God and humanity, taking upon Himself the weight of sin that justice demanded.

But what does it mean to be a Mediator? 

When we say that Christ is our mediator, what are we really saying?

A Mediator is someone who stands in the gap between two parties that cannot come together on their own. 

Two parties have issues that they cannot resolve eye-to-eye? A mediator comes in. 

Humanity was separated from God because of sin, and no one could bridge that gap on their own. So for humanity to stand before a holy God, a mediator had to step in to speak on our behalf and to bring reconciliation.

But simply being a Mediator was not enough. God’s justice demanded that the penalty of sin be fully addressed. That is where the role of the Sacrifice comes in.

A sacrifice takes upon itself the consequence of wrongdoing, paying the price that justice requires. Humanity could also not satisfy this requirement; we were incapable of standing in the place of ourselves.

This is how you know God truly desires that all men to be saved. 

He is the one whose throne demands righteousness.

He is the one who then came to die and become a sacrifice, so He gets our consequence. 

He is also the one who then rises as our mediator and advocate. 

Yoruba people call "advocate" "agba ejó rò and I think this is such a perfect description; the literal meaning is "one who collects another person’s case to plead it."

God’s holiness and justice set the rules that could not be bypassed, and His love and desire for humanity meant He had to enter into the solution Himself.

Salvation required a perfect bridge between divine justice and human need, and Christ became that bridge, carrying the weight of sin and offering the opportunity for every soul to be reconciled to God.

This is God’s desire! 

I need us to understand this part clearly as we move forward to answer the rest of the questions.

If God went through all of this,

If He could go out of His way to ensure that all men be saved,

Do we really think this desire was something He only developed later? Do we not believe that God desired this from the very moment humanity fell into sin? Do we not think that a God like Him, full of wisdom and love, immediately began to craft a plan to restore mankind?

And if this is true, do we not also believe that such a God would, out of His desire for salvation, make provision for those who were not yet alive, or who lived long before the perfect provisions for Christ’s coming came together? 

The question then becomes: How did this good and righteous God fulfill His desire for salvation before Christ while remaining perfectly just?

We’ve said God desires all men to be saved. 

Was this desire on pause before Christ? 

How did He effect this until the coming of Christ?

Did God simply wait, watching generations live and die, with no provision in place until the cross was finally established?

Scripture makes it clear that the answer is no.

God did not pause His desire to save humanity. Even before Christ came in the flesh, He made a way for people to be reconciled to Himself. Those who lived before Christ were not left without hope.

“And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭39‬-‭40‬ ‭NKJV

From Heb 11:38-40, we see that these faithful men and women “did not receive the promise” in its fullness, yet their faith was counted to them. Their salvation was through Christ, even before His coming in time. God applied the redemptive work of Christ retroactively, ensuring that His justice and mercy were fully satisfied.

The sacrifices of bulls, the law, and the covenants were not the ultimate solution; they were but temporary coverings and signs pointing forward to the true Mediator and Sacrifice.

When we read Hebrews 10:4, it says

“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.”

So even though they were sacrificing bulls and goats, their sins couldn’t be taken away by it. It was but a temporary fix. They symbolized the payment that would ultimately be made by Christ, showing that God’s justice required a penalty for sin, while His mercy made provision for forgiveness.

Notice carefully again from Hebrew 11: they “did not receive the promise” in its fullness, yet they were saved. 

What saved them?

Faith!

In fact, Faith is how men are saved even in Christ today.

Faith was how men were saved before Christ.

Their faith and trust were counted as righteousness because God’s plan already had a solution, which is the cross. Salvation has always been by trust in God’s provision, not by works, sacrifices, or human effort alone.

What is God’s provision for us now?

Christ! 

And scripture makes us to understand that Christ is the Word. 

The word that existed from the beginning! 

Fix that into my earlier statement, and we see that, salvation has always been trust in God’s word.

This is how men were saved in the Old Testament: they believed God. 

They simply believed the word of God.

"Abraham, leave your father’s land and go to where I will show you."

Faith right there. Faith that bought salvation!

Faith in God’s Word is what connected every Old Testament saint to the ultimate provision: Christ.

Their obedience, sacrifices, and life were important not as a source of salvation, but as expressions of faith in the God who had already provided the solution for sin.

And this is the same for us New Testament saints. In fact, it is why we are called Believers.

I think we need to read Hebrews 11 again. You can read my verse-by-verse exegesis of Hebrews 11, as it relates to the subject of 'Faith', HERE.

Back to the Old Testament…

Abraham was not the only one who was saved by trusting God’s Word. Many others, including those outside Israel, were also counted righteous because they believed God’s promises. While we don’t have stories about our own forefathers documented inside of Scripture, I strongly believe that even some of them too may have obtained salvation by Faith. 

Rahab, a Canaanite woman in Jericho, trusted the Word of God spoken through the Israelite spies. Even though Rahab was not part of God’s covenant people, her faith in His Word aligned her with His redemptive plan, and she was saved.

All she did was believe that God was going to help the Israelites win the battle and not only was Rahab saved through faith, but she also became part of the lineage of the Messiah.

Just look at!

Another example is Ruth, a Moabite. 

She left her people and declared her faith in God

“But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.”

‭‭Ruth‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV

Your God shall be my God! 

This is how she was saved. God’s plan and His provision have always been both just and merciful.

He reaches ALL people in the ways that are consistent with His character, always offering a path of salvation through faith, in alignment with His ultimate provision in Christ.

In every age

Every tribe

Every Nation

God has been faithful to His desire: that all men be saved.

And He has provided the way through the promised Messiah, the Word made flesh, Christ Jesus.

Now, if God has always found a way to reach people, even before Christ, what about those today who have never heard the gospel? Or children and those who are not capable of making a conscious decision for themselves?

We see the same principle at work. 

God’s justice is perfect. While sin must be dealt with, His mercy is boundless. His mercy exists for all!

Just as He applied the provision of Christ retroactively to the faithful of the Old Testament, we can trust that He is not and will not be unfair to those who, through no fault of their own, have never heard the gospel or cannot understand it.

“for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.” Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Those who are not Jews don’t have the law. But when they naturally do what the law commands without even knowing the law, then they are their own law. This is true even though they don’t have the written law. They show that in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, the same as the law commands, and their consciences agree. Sometimes their thoughts tell them that they have done wrong, and this makes them guilty. And sometimes their thoughts tell them that they have done right, and this makes them not guilty. All this will happen on the day when God will judge people’s secret thoughts through Jesus Christ. This is part of the Good News that I tell everyone." ‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭ERV‬‬

Reading this scripture at first glance, it might sound like God is judging people by their works. But read again carefully, and you will see God is not saying that good works earn salvation. Works are never the currency of salvation. Salvation has always been by faith in God’s provision.

In the Old Testament, that meant trusting His promises; today, it means trusting Christ.

What Romans 2 is showing us is that works reveal what is in the heart. They are evidence of whether a person has responded to the truth God has placed before them. Even people who have never heard the gospel still have a conscience, a sense of right and wrong, and God judges them according to how they respond to that, not by the mere number or doing of good deeds.

God judges according to the light and knowledge people have, and always applies salvation through the provision He has made in Christ.

So even for people who have never heard the gospel, or children and those unable to make decisions, we can be assured that God’s judgment is just, merciful, and consistent.

What I am essentially trying to say is this:

Everyone, at every point in history, has had a chance to respond to God in faith.

In the Old Testament, people like Abraham, Rahab, and Ruth were saved because they trusted God’s Word, even before Christ came. God’s provision was always available to Israelites and non-Israelites alike.

Today, even those who have never heard the gospel, as well as children and those unable to make decisions for themselves, are fully known to God, and His justice and mercy ensure they are given a fair opportunity to be saved.

Salvation has always been by faith. Faith in God’s Word and His provision, and this principle has never changed.

In every age, in every circumstance, God’s desire is the same: that all men be saved, and He has always provided a way for them to respond.

Deaf people, for example, probably cannot hear the gospel when I preach to them, does that mean they are condemned? 

God finds ways to reach men, always!

Does this mean we can relent in preaching the gospel because God finds a way to save people?

Absolutely not.

While God’s justice and mercy ensure that every person is given a fair opportunity, Scripture makes it clear that the ordinary and primary way God brings people to salvation is through the proclamation of His Word.

Your preaching of the gospel is the fair opportunity for salvation to those who hear you. 

There are men learning sign languages just so they can preach to the deaf, this is the understanding of that fair opportunity.

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NKJV

Faith comes by hearing the Word, and God uses His people as instruments to carry the message of salvation to the world. Preaching the gospel is our God-given responsibility.

In every age, tribe, nation, for every kind of person, God has been faithful. His justice is satisfied, His mercy is extended, and salvation has always been available to all who respond in faith.

I will end here:

This is the heart of God: just, merciful, and desiring that none should perish.

Bible Study: Mark 1 [The beginning of the Good News of Jesus]

  Mark 1: The beginning of the Good News of Jesus

THE BOOK OF MARK

We started another book in the Bible!

Matthew was an awesome read for me and I'm grateful for the fresh revelations about the person of Christ and excited that another journey has started.

In fact, I think I am very much more excited that I am starting the book of Mark on Christmas Day, that the very first thing I read about on the morning of the birth of Jesus is the story of His birth and coming. Absolutely loveeeeet 💖.

If you missed Matthew, this is another chance to know Christ as Mark saw Him.

If you've read this book before, come with an open mind to learn.

May the person of Christ be revealed to us all as we read,

May we see Jesus in the pages of this book like never before.

Amen.

This is the beginning of the wonderful news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It starts with Isaiah the prophet, who wrote: Listen! I am sending my messenger ahead of you and he will prepare your way! He is a thunderous voice of one who shouts in the wilderness: “Prepare your hearts for the coming of the Lord Yahweh, and clear a straight path inside your hearts for him!”

Mark 1:1-3 TPT

Just look at the beauty in this opening. 😭😭😭

It hits so different for me today. 

The beginning of the most wonderful news ever, Jesus, the one who is Messiah and also the Son of God.

But please notice something in this chapter: where this wonderful news began. 

The ERV says, "This good news begins with what the prophet Isaiah said would happen..."

The story of this wonderful news, Jesus (Note that Christ is not bringing the news; He is the news), is not starting at or with His birth. Mark dates the beginning of Christ to the Prophet Isaiah.

We see Isaiah giving a prophecy about Christ and His coming.

What is a prophecy?

A message communicated to us by God.

A prophecy is literally God's mind/will communicated to man.

The story of Jesus began with a prophecy from Isaiah.

The story of Jesus began in God's mind.

Let me take it a notch higher: The story of Jesus began with God's will.

And what is God's will? 

That all men be saved and come to the knowledge of Him!

The keyword here is man, as centred in the will of God.

So I fix this back in Mark's narrative :

The story of Jesus began with man in God's mind!

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus today, we must understand that which we are really celebrating. That if we miss the part of God’s mind being so full of man that He had to come to the world and be birth to die, then we’ve missed it. That if you look at the story of Jesus; He who was born in a manger, and you do not see a picture of yourself in it, you’ve missed it. Whatever story we will be reading in the book of Mark and other gospels,  please be reminded that it has you centred in it.

You are a huge part of the story of Jesus.

I am a huge part of the story of Jesus.

The most wonderful news that ever came to you and me began in the mind of God.

This right here was the inception.

First, His thoughts.

If such a wonder could come from God's thinking and it was indeed accomplished, then let's look at where we fit in.

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

Jeremiah 29:11 AMPC

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16 NKJV

Seeeeee

For God so loved the world that He gave Jesus.

For God so loved you that He gave Jesus.

For God so loved you that Jesus had to be born. 

Man is the main character in the story of the birth of Christ. 

You are the main character in this story.

You! Yes, You!

We celebrate the birth of Jesus because there is a God who loves you. 

And even as I type, I am led to share this for anyone who has been feeling dejected and alone for a while now:

God loves you

You’ve probably heard this so much, and you are tired of it. 

But I remind you still: God loves you.

He thought of you when He sent Jesus to be birth to die, 

It was you on His mind. 

He has the details of your life sorted. 

You are on God’s mind,

You are in God’s plan,

He has not forgotten you.

Your God has not forgotten you.

In the same way the story of Christ started from the mind of God, so are you in His thoughts.

You are a part of this story, fully considered in it from inception.

 

Whatever I am, whatever I will be, I had first become inside the mind of the Almighty.

I am not becoming; I am already inside of the mind of God, which is His will.

There is a final outcome in all of these thoughts, and of course, it is beautiful. It is wonderful.

It is important that we know the mind of God. Very important, as it is what gives us hope about our end/final outcome. 

We know that it stands.

Let me break it down into 2 as it is coming to me:

1.⁠ ⁠I am inside of the mind of God. I have been in His thoughts before I existed.

Though things may not be going as I want at the moment, this phase and the way out of it have been in the thoughts of God. 

His thoughts towards me are as powerful as His words about me because it is that which He conceived in His mind that is spoken/written about me.

Before I became Olúrèmí, I first was in the mind of God!

2.⁠ ⁠The Holy Spirit broke this down to me that the thoughts of God towards me are Christ and everything He did on the cross.

When the Lord told His mind about Christ to the prophet Isaiah, I Olúrèmí, I was on His mind too.

My final outcome is based on this thought about Christ.

The wonderful news, Christ, began with God's mind poured out through the Prophet Isaiah.

My Glorious end began also in this place!

So if you are confused as to what God thinks about you, start with Christ. Go back to His birth and the love that engineered it.

If you are ever in doubt of God’s love, please always find your way back here.

In fact, you should talk to someone about God’s love for them. You can’t keep this to yourself. 

People cannot afford to not know that they were specifically on God’s mind when He thought of Christ coming to the earth. They shouldn’t be ignorant of such intentionality in love. We owe it to men.

Please, today, go out and talk about the love of God.

Back to Mark 1:3

Clear a straight path inside of your heart for Him.

You see, the position Christ has come to take is at the very core of us.

Inside of your heart, where life itself flows from. Your heart stops beating, and that is it.

This is where Christ came for,

Your very heart beat.

Clear a straight path for Him inside of your heart. 

Not to be contested with anything; 

Not the cares of this world,

Not money,

Not gold,

Not career,

Not ambition, 

Not even family, 

For Christ! 

And my question to us this morning is this:

What holds your affection?

What consumes your heart?

Do a heart check when you see this, and honestly write what you find down.

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

Mark 1:4-5 NIV

Here, we see John calling men to repentance and to be baptized, and they came in flocks.

John was asking that they do something against their belief actually.

Baptism was meant for Gentiles who wanted to accept God and become Jews.

So telling Jews to come and be baptized is telling them they are just like the Gentiles they carry shoulder for. 

It is telling men who perceive themselves as belonging to God that they do not really belong to God. Much rude if you ask me.

Telling them they are far away from God and need Him just as the Gentiles do.

This would have been so unacceptable, I believe. But then a lot of people went ahead to be baptized. They left what they knew and thought was right.

You want to know why?

John lived His life standing in the presence of God

Before He came teaching, He was in the wilderness, away from the noise of the world. Just Him and God. Not caring for how he looked or choice food to eat.

The one who has a habit of standing in the presence of God commands so much authority, people had no other choice but to listen to him. People left their experiences and what they knew because John carried the authority of God. He didn't have to force any man to accept.

He had been with God.

And I tell you this, being with God changes everything.

So many things we struggle with are sorted from the place of just being in the presence of God.

You will not have to lobby for certain things, the light from God's presence will cause men to come.

John was also prepared for a need.

There was no prophecy for 300 years before him, the people were craving to hear from God.

See, the world still craves.

Are you part of the men the Lord is sending to them? 

First, you must be intimate with Him. This should be a habit.

Intimacy with God is not a choice. I tell you, you do not get to choose. It is not either or.

For the sons of God whose manifestation the world awaits, we cannot compromise on intimacy.

In fact, especially for the season the body of Christ is entering. I sincerely can’t wait to share what the Lord has laid on my heart for 2026 with us. 

Just know this, intimacy will be the differentiator in the coming year!

Jesus, sent from God

“And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness,”

Mark 1:11-12 NIV

I neva see this kind thing before.

After endorsement, are we not supposed to be seeing this man on news channels up and down? 

From flier to flier? 

But see what happened, instead, immediately after God endorsed Christ, scripture says the Spirit immediately sent Him out to the wilderness. 

Hear me:

God hides His best men.

Ah! God cooks His best men.

He is not in a hurry to show you to the world. 

A lot of us are in a hurry. We want the limelight, but God wants us to Himself.

He remained there in the wilderness for forty days, enduring the ordeals of Satan’s tests. He encountered wild animals, but also angels who appeared and ministered to his needs.

Mark 1:13 TPT

"enduring the ordeals of satan's tests"

Kai! Kai!

There are some tests God wants you to pass in private. 

God will not leave you to public spectacle. 

Please stay and allow yourself to be cooked.

...Back to that verse 13

Nothing we are going through that Christ didn't go through o.

He endured satan’s test. 

I like the balance to this perspective also: though Jesus encountered various tests from the enemy,

He had angels who appeared and ministered to His needs in that period also.

How bad is the test?

How much is it shaking you?

Are you feeling like this is the end, or you will never get out of it?

I pray your eyes are opened to the angels surrounding you in such a time as this, to minister to your needs.

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”

Mark 1:35 NKJV

Mark 1 is so packed! 

Jesus’ life was a full one.

Healing the sick, casting out demons, preaching back to back. 

But the little time he had? 

He did not miss fellowship. In fact, He departed from others to have that time. 

If there is anything you pick here today, it is to not negotiate your time alone with God. 

Honour it! Keep to it!

It didn’t matter that Jesus had been working for God all day and should be tired; He still went to be with God. 

This is your cue if you haven’t been with God alone today.

Please drop your phone and meet with Him. 

Make it a habit.

What we enter is the season of intimacy. You will do nothing outside of it in the coming year.

Please pause and go meet God. Then let this become a way of life for you.

I pray for you that even as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we do not lose sight of why He came and the joy of fellowship with the Father. We stay in intimacy with the Lord all of the days of our lives. Amen.