Monday, 14 August 2023

GET AWAY WITH ME 2022: THE WAITING ROOM

August 14, 2022

I was in church and while my pastor was preaching, I heard 3 things clearly, (totally unrelated to the preaching at hand):

The Waiting Room

The Day of the Spirit 

The Call

I quickly went to the back of my note and scribbled it down to avoid distraction.

We had begun praying about the Retreat at this point but it didn't even drop in my mind that the word was for the Retreat. 



We headed to Ibadan the next morning with a couple of friends and then on the 16th we went to Ori Oke Ikoyi, Osun state to pray and get a clearer direction concerning 2022's Retreat.

As we prayed, we began to get words and see certain things in the spirit, and suddenly I heard again THE WAITING ROOM

I remembered I had heard that before so I quickly checked my book and the word I got in church 2 days earlier made sense. 

As we continued to press in the spirit, the Lord showed me the church building close to the foot of the mountain and He said to me "That is the waiting room". This is where it will happen. Gather men here and wait.


Now, this is the church Baba Ori Oke had given to us to use in previous years for our vigil so the word felt normal, but as I progress in this story, we'd come to understand exactly why God emphasized on it being the waiting room.

As we continued to pray towards the Retreat, we recorded some of the words we got;

CLICK HERE TO READ

Now, I will need you to read it carefully. Don't rush this part because when we get to testimonies on the retreat, you will see these exact words play out. You will literally see God do exactly everything He promised and even beyond; the graphic manner in which these things played out.

God truly amazes me

He keeps me in awe every time.


PLANNING THE RETREAT

Thinking about it now, I don't know how we planned 2022's Retreat. 

I know we went back to Lagos from the mountain and set up a team. We called for volunteers and we started praying. 

One thing I have learned is this: Every move of the spirit is sustained by prayer. In fact, it doesn't start without praying men. Men who are ready to know God's agenda and birth it from the place of prayer.

Prayer has always been my go-to.

Not the scout for a venue,

Not the finances,

Not the people coming,

Prayer!

So we started here.

This Retreat was also quite different from previous ones. Before now, we had an admin member in Ibadan. We would stay at his place and plan together there. Some members of the main team would also be in Ibadan 3 to 5 days before the Retreat to seal up planning and ensure all goes well.

We were also using his car to move supplies and for market runs, so that had made planning so easy for us over the years.

This admin member (Ayodele) left Nigeria in August 2022. In fact, 2 days after we got a direction concerning the Retreat.

So here we were, planning a Retreat to Osun state, a city we knew no one, with no money also. 

But I had something, it was God's word.

We put out the registration form and over half of the 70 people that registered at that point were not members of Word Alive (God had told us that many new people will come with hunger). 

The instruction was also to make the Retreat completely FREE.

Food, accommodation and transportation down to the Retreat ground was to be free for every camper. 

How we were going to feed and accommodate over 70 people in Buhari's economy, I didn't know. The only thing I knew was that I had God's word.

Oh! How I rested on the word (I didn't have a  choice by the way πŸ˜‚)

A few days before the Retreat, we had over 80 people registered with a budget of about #3,000,000. 

We didn't have up to a million naira at this point. 

I remember some of the people on the planning team constantly calling because they were worried and I had to jokingly tell one of them to not call me until after the Retreat.

God always funds His project!

I have seen Him come through different times, this wasn't going to be any different.

How God would come through, I sincerely didn't know. But I knew for sure that He would.

The Journey to Ikoyi

A day before the Retreat, we set out for Ibadan from Lagos so we could get major supplies.

A friend of mine had helped us with a driver that agreed to take the main team and stay with us in Ibadan for running around and throughout the retreat as well at a subsidized rate.

At that time, the money we had at hand was just a little over a million naira with about a hundred registered attendees. Out of what we had, we paid the private driver, general transportation for everyone coming (to alone) and 60% of the accommodation fee. 

I had nothing left in my pocket.

I remember the driver asking for #7000 to get fuel on the road, I looked at him blankly and called my friend to the side and told him:

"Guy, I don't have any money on me. There is nothing left"

He asked "And you are travelling to Ibadan? What of feeding and all?"

I just looked at him as I had no words.

He smiled and told me God will come through, then sent the money to the driver.

I probably looked like a fool at that point because here I was, heading to Ibadan without a "plan" πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚.

But that is just it! 

Those who will see the wonders of God will have to learn to follow Him blindly, even when it doesn't make sense.

The disciples literally had tiny cuts of bread in their hands but moved towards thousands of people to share, at the word of God!

Back to my story...

We heard that morning that there was a tanker explosion on the road, it was still burning and you know what that means in this our Lagos abi? Traffic!

People started calling us to turn back and take Ikorodu. I just quietly prayed and told God I didn't want to be stressed. I needed my strength intact for the Retreat.



So I just told the driver to take the normal route, the same one the tanker exploded on and was blocked because that was how I was led.

For the first time in my life, I travelled to Ibadan for less than 2 hours. There was no stop whatsoever on the road, it was completely free! Considering the explosion that had happened (we passed the burning tanker), one would expect to get to Ibadan really late but somehow the traffic had cleared up before we got there.

God had gone ahead!

Ibadan, Our Multiplication Story

We got into Ibadan and reworked our budget seeing as we barely had any money left. We reduced things from the budget as much as possible as we waited for "provision" (almost 2 million Naira) from God.

Provision eventually came and it was a little above #200,000.

We had to go to the market and at least buy supplies for Friday and Saturday morning. God would sort the remaining days till the end of the retreat.

I transferred #150,000 to one of the People with me (Wale). We were able to withdraw just #100,000, leaving #50,000 in his account.

We got to the market and started buying things from the #150,000

Note that the list we took to the market had prices attached to every item, so for items whose prices had gone up or were less, we wrote them down as we paid.

We started moving from shop to shop until we had bought general supplies and food ingredients to last us till Sunday evening (save a few items) before it dawned on me that the money we initially had couldn't cover supplies for more than 24 hours. 

I checked my purse, I still had money.

I called Wale, and he still had part of the #50,000 left.

I had to calculate from what I wrote down as I paid 

I had made payments around #500,000 from #150,000 and still had over #50,000 left 😭😭😭😭

It looked like a film trick.

I kept calculating yet it didn't add up.

I couldn't keep it to myself so I called everyone that went with me to see what was going on.

God literally did a multiplication of the money in our hands.

We were buying and paying for stuff, but the money in our purse wasn't going down 😭😭😭

We calculated what was left in the bag in awe (this was when the money started going down sha πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚). 

I have seen God provide so many times but in this manner? I was shaken.

Today, I bless God that we didn't get provision.

If we had gotten provision the usual way, how would we have had this kind of testimony?

Plot twist, God actually told us this while we were preparing for the Retreat but we didn't understand it then (Read Here). He said: "E ma bu, ko ni tan" (you will just keep taking and it will not finish)

This was exactly what happened.

We were taking but the money in the purse never went down.

What a God!!!



Friday, Oct 21, 2022

The Retreat Begins....

We had the first batch of Retreat attendees come in same time as we did. While registration was going on, I got word that Baba Ori Oke was around so I quickly excused myself. 

If you read the words gotten concerning the retreat posted earlier, you will remember that God had shown me the church and told me it was the waiting room right?

So I went to Baba Ori Oke (Prophet Odewole) to get the keys to the church so we could clean ahead. 

Back Story

The church was built by the former prophet in charge of the mountain who is now late. No one uses the church anymore (there is another church used by everyone at the mountain). 

It's basically just an abandoned building now. However, baba had given us access to it in previous years so we could have our meetings uninterrupted.

I met with baba and to my shock, he mentioned I didn't tell him we wanted to use the church. Note that I had seen him that week and mentioned it all through the months of planning.

According to him, the family of the late prophet had come around, changed the lock and handed it to someone else. 

I just knew the devil was at play.

I asked if we could speak with the new person in charge of the key but he said the key was with someone else and he wasn't someone they could call. He didn't live in Osogbo too.

I begged that he be called.

They called and everyone spoke with him but he told them he couldn't drop the key as he had strict instructions.

A couple of people in the community also called and begged him, same result. 

After a while, Baba offered me another church Closer to the hostels. Immediately I told him no. God had specifically showed me the church we are to use, "Look, that is the waiting room" 

At this point, the ploy of the devil was just so glaringly obvious. 

I told them to call the man with the key again but no one was willing to because he had blatantly said no, was angry already and stopped picking calls. They also couldn't give me his number to avoid provoking him further.

I told them to please just call him and give me the phone. We will use the church and he will release the key to me.

I remember someone in that gathering asking who I was to speak with such confidence. "Do you know who the man is ? He is very strict and fearful..."

At that point, all I knew was that the man had the key to where God had shown me and except he is not created by God, he will release the key to me. I don't care where he was at that time, I will access the church. That was all I knew strongly.

After some time, baba eventually agreed to call the man, he gave me the phone and the funniest thing happened.

Follow our conversation:

Me: Good evening sir. I'm Olúrèmí. I'm calling about the church.

Him: Oh yes, I know. When do you need to use the church because I'm not in town right now.

Me: Immediately

Him: Okay, get a carpenter to break the lock. Then tell him to replace the lock with the exact type of lock when you are done. Your program will go well. prayers

This was same the man that had outrightly said no, refused to pick up calls, and kept me waiting on the spot for over 2 hours.

He did not ask me a single question nor was there any sign of anger.

He even came around the next day to check on us.

I just laughed because God is a keeper of His word. 

The enemy will always try to frustrate what God has said, he will tell you it is impossible, it is your job at all times to insist on what you've seen.

No other outcome should be acceptable.

No other outcome!

Note that while all of this was going on, we still didn't have money to sort transportation back to Lagos, accommodation had only been paid halfway, and instead of the 70-plus people that had pre-registered, we had around 120 in attendance.

A whole lot of new faces at that.

Who told them about the Retreat?

How did they travel outside of Lagos with someone they've never met just to find God?

How?

We got back to the hostel and realized the accommodation available couldn't take everyone so we got a new place which was still not enough.

Campers had to put up with each other. We got mats for people to join in rooms. Everyone was content with the arrangement and there were no grumblings about space.

After settling in and eating, we gathered together at the hostel to fellowship. 

As we started worshipping, it felt like water was waiting to just break. People were eager for the experience. Eager for God Himself! There was such a heavy air of expectation. I knew at that point that we were about to have an experience we would never forget.

At some point, I looked at everyone and I just told God: We are in Your hands. Do with us as You wish. Make a name for Yourself with this crowd. They've all come for You. Just look at this hunger; all for You. 

Saturday, Oct 22, 2022

We woke up very early and headed to the church to clean up and prepare for our meeting at night.

Getting there, the church was a mess.

Apparently, it had not been used for a year (since the last time we came for the Retreat in 2021). 

There was bird poo everywhere,

The electricity connections we made had gone bad,

The floors were dirty, etc.

The most challenging part of this for us was finding that a large portion had been ripped open (about 4 large rows )

It had apparently come off some months before we came for the Retreat and it was really bad.

We got in and started cleaning. 

We went to the village stream to fetch water and were having prayer walks inside the church even while cleaning up. We literally scrubbed the church till it was looking brand new. A number of people volunteered happily to help with this process which helped reduce our work hours.

We finished up and left it to dry then headed to the hostel to freshen up for the day.

Our First Mountain Session

We had gotten an instruction earlier to read Psalms 24 at the foot of the mountain, pray with it then process up the mountain right after.

We did this and climbed the mountain.

We started worshipping as soon we got to the mountaintop.

The program of the event was literally scrapped by the spirit. God demanded worship and that was exactly what we stayed on.

Right there on the mountain, while worshipping, people were baptized with the Holy Ghost, and new tongues broke out.

A complete atmosphere shift.



I could literally see fire pouring out on everyone as Heaven opened up.

The Glory of God stood still and covered us on that mountain.

And I just heard these words:

- I have not even started. 

- These people don't know what I am set to do. They don't know. 

- Their lives are about to change. 

- I am showing myself anew

- Revealing myself in a new way

- Open up

- Open yourselves up!

People were literally drunk in the spirit. 

I have seen God move a lot o, but every time is a whole new experience.

I'm literally left with my mouth open every time.

We had to carry people down from the mountain when it was time to leave (we had a time allowance from the mountain management for personal meetings)






We also could not go to the church because it wasn't dry yet, so everyone went back to the hostel where we proceeded with the word.

The rest of the day was mostly used to bond (This happened in 2021's retreat also)

It came as an instruction.

The Holy Spirit tends to have us bond before the vigil.

This time it seemed we had even more time.

We played

 Oh, we played, all sorts of card and board games; ludo, monopoly, whot, Scrabble, Jenga, etc.







One would look at us as unserious, after all retreat is supposed to be a time of being completely solemn and serious with God.

But at our retreats, I have found there is no rule book, the Holy Spirit wants us to play? We will play!

At first, some people were hesitant; why should we be playing? Aren't we playing too much? Shouldn't we be praying? πŸ˜‚

But the Holy Spirit was not having it, whether you like it or not you will play. In time everyone joined in to have fun.

I've found it's also an intentional thing.

There's so much going on in the Spirit in the course of our playing and bonding; a lot of heart and spirit alignment for what God is set to do at the vigil goes on while we play.

Our Roof Miracle

On Saturday evening while the campers were having lunch and general conversations, the clouds changed.

That completely changed my mood because the first place my mind went to was the open roof in the church. If it rained, we would definitely not be able to use the church and the instruction was clear: That church over there is your waiting room.  Gather everyone there

I started praying to God to hold the rain.

I kept saying "This rain must not fall"

The rain did not listen to me of course, it fell πŸ˜‚. It rained heavily and for long.

I just walked to the kitchen area where I saw Omotola, Omolola and Bolu, and with a straight face, said these exact words:

I told God to hold the rain but He did not. He should send His angels to stand on the ground and receive the rain so water doesn't enter the church

Then I just went into my room to prepare and sleep before our night session at the church.

I woke up later and the first thing I heard was that the electrician is not available. No way we were holding the vigil in a church located inside a bush, with an open roof and no light.

At that point, I just laughed because it looked like even the devil was scared of what was about to happen in the church.

God so good, we had a lady at the Retreat who was quite knowledgeable about electrical connections. 

I asked to follow them for the electrical fittings just so I could check the church as

I didn't even know what to expect.

We obviously couldn't use the church considering the rain. 

But my faith was up there,

God had said it.

We got to the church and immediately the light came on, I saw a miracle: The roof was completely closed and there was not a drop of water on the floor

😭😭😭😭

I'm not sure I can explain this with words.



The roof that was open for months until that afternoon was now completely closed with no leakages whatsoever.

Someone was with us that didn't see the open roof in the afternoon because he had just come in, he couldn't believe the roof was once opened.

Even if it was fixed, it couldn't have looked like that. The rusted part would have holes and the fixing could never have been that perfect.

God literally fixed the roof for us

Gave us a new roof

I cried, laughed, jumped

I couldn't explain how I felt

Now this is a lesson that was reiterated during the Retreat:

Sometimes, God doesn't answer certain prayers because He wants to give us a new name to call Him. A new perspective to Him

If God had answered our prayers and the rain stopped, I had seen that happen before (a lot), how would I have known that He could fix new roofs?

How?

If He had answered our prayers for provision, how could we have known that He could multiply money in our hands?

 I'm also reminded of the death of Lazarus.

If Jesus had come early and healed Lazarus, how would they have known that He could raise a dead of 4 days?

How?

The Vigil!!!

I'm not sure I can think or talk about the Vigil without having goosebumps.



Actually, thinking about it makes me start praying.

You see, at previous Retreats, we've had the most miraculous and wondrous things happen at this session so I wasn't shocked when I noticed that expectations had built up towards it.

I didn't even know what we were expecting,

Or what will happen exactly (I think people assume that I know these things beforehand)

I was as blank and expectant as everyone else.

We went in, shut the doors behind us and it began.

Before I start..

I need you to understand that everything you are about to read from here does not fully capture all that happened that night. I doubt any of us will ever have the right words to describe what we experienced.

Back to the vigil

We got in and as I walked round the auditorium, I saw a people ready for God.

I saw petrol/fuel everywhere and in my head I knew it will take just one match for the whole room to go up in fire.

We started worshipping.

If there is one thing we don't joke with on Word Alive, it is Worship.

Everyone was lost in reckless abandon, focused on nothing else except The Lord of Hosts Himself

I saw a spirit of worship that I had never seen before.

At some point, God told me some people wanted to move to the "dramatic" part of the night, the jumps, shouts and prayers,

"Tell them, in this moment all I delight in is their worship."

We quickly redirected all hearts, and I saw the most beautiful vision.

I saw all of Heaven

Angels

The elders

I saw animals of different kinds, all gathering in that room with us

Everyone worshipping 

I was shocked because who would have thought animals could worship.

Then as we worshipped, I saw all of our collective worship go up and formed into a horse.

 Then I saw the Lord

I saw the Lord sit on this Horse of Worship and ride on it round the room

I have seen the Lord a number of times but the Joy on His face this time?

I didn't want to stop worshipping 

How could we stop?

When our king was delighting in us and the worship we brought?

When even all things created and the hosts of heaven had to join us in worship of this King

We worshipped for hours nonstop (Note that we didn't have any instruments, a set choir or musical aide, just our voices and shekere)

We stayed here in reckless abandon. I didn't even know for how long, what others were doing or who was leading.

I sha knew we were all goneeeee in the spirit.

After some time, I heard the Lord say to me: Before the fire comes the deliverance 

Then I began to see chains all round, bound people who were walking freely but I could still see the chains connected to them, and because they were walking freely they had no idea there were chains tied to them.

Ancestral chains

Chains that had been passed down from generation to generation

I literally saw God destroy them all

I saw people loosened and set free,

Demonic influences coming to an end,

People brought out from systemic oppression of the devil,

And it happened exactly as I saw,

In fact, not too long after, the deliverance broke out all over the room

In different magnitudes, God was attending to everyone individually.

As I was praying for a group, I would hear shouts from another group praying for someone else

All over the room

I just knew the leaders had gotten the same instruction because they knew what to do 

I cannot explain the heavy weights and burdens that were dropped at the vigil

The cobwebs cleaned off people completely

Healing from long-standing emotional hurts and disappointments

Physical healings

My God 😭😭😭

Every time I remember how light people became after this session, it humbles me and makes me teary-eyed

God was intentional

God is intentional 

I saw the weights and chains lying on the floor and I just kept asking myself how these people would have left with things heavy as this if God had not been Gracious.

My God!!!

After the deliverance, we began to worship again. I mean, how could we not worship considering everything we had seen. As we worshipped this time, I saw the roof go out and I saw a huge fire covering the entire roof being fanned.

Coals of it began to drop in the church auditorium and on people.

As it dropped, they began to manifest in the spirit.

Nobody could keep calm

All of a sudden, the weight of that fire from the roof started coming towards me.

I remember shouting and telling God I couldn't possibly have all of that.

That was too much fire even for us collectively, how much more one person.

Something happened when the fire dropped on me

I can't explain it with words

I really wish I could

My whole body went up in fire, yet unburnt

I know I just kept shouting that this was too much.

I got out of that trance and landed on someone's legs (Wale). 

I opened my eyes to see him flying to only God knows where.

According to the people in the room, they actually heard my conversation with God and I grabbed Wale's leg after

I knew exactly what to do with that fire

I knew it was for everyone

It was time to share food and impart

I think the next person I touched was Bukky

And it began there

It felt like the laying of hands ignited something inside everyone even while depositing.

I knew all that happened from there wasn't me

God had taken possession of my body completely 

I was speaking as Him

I laid hands on 120 people in that hall (I didn't know where that strength came from)

Child to Mother

My mum attended the Retreat for the first time too.

I remember getting to her and as I ministered, she prophesied for the first time!

It was such a Joy to behold 

I have prayed for my mum a lot of times before, but that night was different πŸ˜ͺ

I saw a side of my mum I had never seen.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting it too

The fierceness

The fire

The eruption

I am absolutely grateful to God for the privilege/honor. Even more grateful that He withholds not Himself from neither young nor old.

PS. My mum recounts the retreat story to everyone she has met since the Retreat and has so many people on her invite list for this year's Retreat.

I could go on and on about the vigil but words still won't be enough.

We finished the vigil at past 8am

Over 8 hours of just worshipping, praying, prophesying and birthing in the spirit.

No sermon in between (I didn't even know where I threw my notes with the message in it the minute God took over)

No special number or activity to keep people awake,

No instruments to aide our worship,

Just men with a hunger for their God and a burning fire they couldn't explain.

We got back to the hostel and even as I tried to sleep, I kept hearing people praying.

I woke up and thought it was people around.

I asked but no one was praying and I was the only one hearing the voices.

It later dawned on me that it was in the spirit.

Up to date, I still hear prayers

When I'm in my room worshipping alone, I hear voices that are not mine CLEARLY worshipping with me

Even when I'm in public, the same thing and I know the voices are not from here on Earth.

We rested after the vigil and spent the rest of the day retrospecting, meditating, gisting, etc.

Next, we had the Spiritual Pool scheduled for that evening.

PS. The spiritual pool is a meeting where we gather to just sit and hear from God. Each person, one on one with God. We sit calmly, listen and write down whatever the spirit reveals. We hear the will of God concerning our lives; what to do, when to do and How to do

We are not praying or jumping or anything. Just stillness but this time with ears and eyes opened, ready to hear God share immediate and long-term plans and instructions with us

We were meant to just sit still and write all through o, but what is a word alive meeting without Worship? 

We started from the only place we know and I heard God say: Did you think I was done? I am just starting 

😭😭😭

Before we knew it, The Spirit of God started moving

He finished what He started the previous night

I saw people leave their usual temperaments and go off in spirit!

Gifts!

Heaven came bearing gifts

New tongues

Interpretation 

A breakout in the prophetic

Residual birthings from the night before

God made sure nobody left the same way. None came as spectators.

The Spiritual Pool

We commenced the spiritual pool proper and one testimony that stands for us is that nobody attends this meeting without hearing God.

Nobody!

Everyone got direction

Everyone got answers

We had moved from the jumping and filling to the still voice of the Lord saying:

This is the way to go, walk in it.

We had older people in our midst and even though the practice was strange (because who comes to church and just sits for hours writing), they also heard God and wrote down.

I am still living out the things the Lord shared at that meeting today.


Monday, 24th October 2023

Final Retreat day before everyone left:

We gathered on the mountain where we began.

And oh! I finally got to share the word πŸ˜‚

My sermon note was completely shut for other sessions.

God imprinted His words in people's hearts and they confirmed it.



Everything He had shared with me, people received directly.

Who am I to teach when the Lord had done the teaching?

So this final day was my first sermon and it was the one I actually didn't prepare a note for.

The instruction came during the Spiritual Pool.

God has a huge sense of humor

The Lord gave us direction on what next after such an experience because it felt like people were wondering that.

Would they go back to the lives they lived?

What do they do with all of that fire?

How do they move from here?

But God was very clear with us:

There was no normal to return to!

Our lives had changed!


Answers

While ministering to the people, we were led to lift up our requests before God

This was the first time we were bringing out requests for a 4 day meeting on a mountain 😭

This didn't happen until the last day while preparing to leave.

Again, God has a huge sense of humor.

As we prayed

Jummy spoke from the crowd that Answers are here

Immediately the Holy Spirit told me, "Yes, they are."

I shared with everyone that as we climbed down the mountain, people will receive physical manifestations of these answers.

Lo and behold, the testimonies started pouring in as we left the mountain.

Up until this moment, the testimonies haven't stopped!!


Overflow  

The retreat ended with us having leftovers

We had money left

We had foodstuff left

So many things that we had to share with the planning team

How all the money came in, I still don't know

We literally didn't have transportation fee back to Lagos (this was hundreds of thousands), the balance of the accommodation fee, and some other money as of Saturday (Day 2)

Yet, here we were having leftovers.

One thing I keep learning in this walk with God is that He funds His own projects.

For every time and everywhere I have ever been sent my testimony after it is all over is always that God showed up completely.

When God guides, He provides.


Post Retreat

You never have this kind of meeting and think it is over.

The experiences never end, instead, they flow from here.

I am grateful to Abba really.

We had 120 people travel with us to Osun state from all around Nigeria.

Half of them were people I was meeting for the first time.

Some even heard about the Retreat a day before but knew they had to be there in person.

120 men

120 lives changed forever!

It dawned on me after the Retreat that there were 120 disciples at the Waiting Room also.

Lol. God has the best sense of humor!

Writing this, I am grateful to God for the experience,

For the manifestation of His power,

For always gracing us with Himself

I have seen God move before now

I have seen the hand of God,

but this last Retreat topped every experience of God I had.

God blew our minds!

Again, everything shared here does not even do justice to what God did.

We took down some words and recorded prophecies from the retreat. You can find them attached to this testimonial.

Although we are unable to share all that happened at the retreat here as words can’t properly express all, I am hopeful that even as you read through all we shared, you will experience a revival in your corner/home. 

You will encounter God as we did.

Your own testimony is birth too.

The breath of God is upon these words of testimonies and they birth your own encounter.

My heart is full.

On behalf of the planning team and Word Alive’s Admin, I say thank you to everyone.

Thank you for attending the retreat

Thank you for giving towards it

This fire that has begun,

It doesn’t stop 

We continue to fan the flames

You spread it to your immediate sphere of influence and they continue to pass the torch too.

Keep the fire burning, till we gather again at our next Retreat: Oct 13 - 16, 2023



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

If you read this and you are yet to accept Christ or you received your own testimony, kindly reach out to us on these numbers: 07035953059 or 07031123361.

We are also open to answering your questions about faith. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

Thank you once again.

God bless you.

Love eternally

Your sister, friend and Pastor,

Olúrèmí Akinfaderin

Founder | Word Alive Ministry


READ PERSONAL TESTIMONIALS OF THOSE THAT ATTENDED THE RETREAT

LISTEN TO THE PROPHECIES HERE

SEE GENERAL PICTURES HERE 

WATCH GENERAL VIDEOS HERE 



Wednesday, 2 August 2023

WAITING ON GOD 3: JOY WHILE WAITING

Joy While Waiting

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 KJV

We must first not assume that we've been promised a life without troubles

So your waiting seasons should not be filled with;

 "God why me?"

"God why do you hate me so much?"

"God you've forgotten me" etc 


I mentioned in an earlier part of this series that we need to see waiting seasons as hallways leading to new seasons/doors of our lives.

You know when you are about to board a plane and you wait in the boarding area after check-in, you don't see it as suffering. You understand it to be a standard procedure as the plane is packed properly at your boarding gate. So first, see waiting seasons especially the difficult ones as standard procedures.

You cannot escape life's difficulties. If any preacher tells you there is a way to live without it, they lie. Being a believer doesn't shield you from the difficulties of life too.

Look at what the man with the red ink said: In this world, you would have many troubles

Not may. It will happen, whether you like it or not.

But what did He say again? Be of good cheer!

Rejoice!

Don't squeeze your face!

Do you know why? Joy is a keeper in the waiting seasons.

Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. James 1:2 AMPC

I love this translation. Consider it wholly Joyful

Not forced or partial joy. Or Joy because your pastor said it is Joy that will help you get out of this difficult season.

Consider it wholly Joyful!

Every part of the trouble,

Every part of the wait,

Count it all Joy!

Troubled times,

Waiting periods,

They are occasions for Joy. Not a time to sulk or be bitter about waiting. Not a time to get impatient or complain about what you are facing. It is a call for Joy!

We were meant to have covered this particular teaching a while back but I also got into a waiting period that I totally understood o, but I did not count it Joy one bit.

I was literally in a God I see what you are doing, I totally get it, I have now accepted it, but I'm not smiling about it too. If you give me the chance to have my way, I will choose differently. So I somehow delayed the teaching (circumstances worked together for "my good" too πŸ˜‚). I mean, how will I be teaching what I'm not accepting in a present situation. I should be subbing myself with teaching 😭

The funny part is, these words are not alien to us, it is not today we've heard this scripture. In fact, I've been in many count it all Joy situations where I counted the Joy very well. However, I learned something in this season, that every time the enemy comes, he is trying to prove the same thing (in greater measures and different perspectives). But if you just pause and look deep, you will see that you've been here before. It is not your first life trouble and it won't be the last. The enemy is just banking on you to magnify this particular situation and tell yourself you are suffering.

One of the things I got in this period was: Your case is not special.

In my head, I was like na wa o. There is really nothing you are going through or have gone through that heaven has not seen before.

That urge to magnify the problem is not from God. The enemy wants you to stay in a "This is suffering" outlook. Note this, I am not denying that waiting seasons are painful, I am saying instead that our focus is not on the pain.

Every time we step into a waiting room,  we do a happy dance for that waiting season. The happy dance is not to get out of the waiting season o, it is for that waiting period.

Rejoice in it.

There is a translation of that verse that says Consider it pure Joy

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” James 1:2 NLT

Consider it a great opportunity for Joy!

Consider your waiting a great opportunity for Joy.

Consider your painful wait a great opportunity for Joy.

I'm putting this in perspective so you know that the Joy is not for the days when you are not feeling the pain of waiting, it is while you feel the pain.

Your response to the pain is that you are a great opportunity for me to rejoice.

God's design is that Joy is there in the process, in the waiting and not just the fulfilled promise or what we are waiting for.

You know why? Joy is strength in waiting seasons. It is also a waiting quickener.

When you have strength, you walk faster, you move faster.

The enemy is banking on you not trading Joy as a currency so you can be delayed in waiting seasons.

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV

Do not sorrow, for the Joy of the Lord, is your strength. For every time we trade in anything other than Joy, we are losing our strength battery.

Again, you need that battery full to enter the season ahead, and the charger for that battery is Joy.

So now we know that Joy is an important part of the waiting seasons and it determines how long we wait.

This moves us to Joy Busters.

What are the things that actively fight against our Joy in waiting seasons? It is important you recognize them and see them as the enemy they are.

1. Worry and Anxiety 

The Holy Spirit had to point this out to me. Like it's okay, drop it. I will watch my word to perform myself. Stop worrying and being anxious.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; Philippians 4:6 NKJV

Be anxious for nothing

Don't worry about it. Stop overthinking it. That overthinking is stealing your joy.

2. Resentment

You can't resent a waiting season and expect to be joyous in it still. Stop hating that season you are in and the process.

Pray about it if you are here.

Ask God to take out the resentment and give you a new perspective.

3. Control and wanting to have every detail

These things are here to steal your joy. You are not in control.

Leave the rein for God. You won't have every detail too. Pray for grace to be fine with whatever God has shown and to move with it in Joy.

4. Comparison

Stop looking at other people's process and using it to judge yours. You are reducing your battery doing this and you need all the strength you can get to move forward. One thing I'll advise to do in waiting seasons is to never lose sight of the promise/word of God, stay rejoicing in it.

For those that fly often, your boarding gate leads to where the plane is packed. You are advised to go somewhere around the boarding gate to wait.

Do you know why? So you don't miss your flight.

Don't lose sight of God's promise.

Keep it close even in waiting seasons.

And most importantly, rejoice in them.

 

Personal tip:

Spend time just dancing daily;

With or without a beat,

Just dance to God  and watch the weight of waiting removed.

Also, see how clarity comes and things begin to shape up.

Monday, 31 July 2023

WORDS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2023


Prophetic Watchword for the Month of August

> Of New Beginnings and a Chance to Restart 

> Of Restoration and Life

> Of Breakthrough, Achievements and Accomplishments

> Of Rejoicing 

> Of Success, Additions and Gains 

> Of Speedy Answers

> Of the Direction and Leading of the Lord

> Of the divine timing of God



I will make a way in the wilderness

Breakthroughs

Doors that will appear from nowhere

Parted ways from nowhere

From seemingly closed doors

Every dry place becomes well watered

Help is on the way

Help is heavily on the way

You are thrown into a season of rejoicing

Though the sorrow may have endured for a night

The divine timing of the Lord is seen at play

Divine orchestrations

This is the appointed time of the Lord

You will see the hand of the Lord

Every missing pieces suddenly begins to appear

Everything that needs to show up for things to work out, we begin to see them

We receive from the Lord in this month of August

Everything will speed up

Riches stored in secret places, we receive

New all round

The window is open

There is a window open for manifestation

For the hand of the Lord to move

For everything we have lost, this is the season of restoration

The enemy never even stole it in the first place

I see things being returned back to people's hands

I see graces that we stopped enjoying beginning to flow back

I just keep hearing, "take it back, it is yours"

It is yours, take it back

New achievements

Things that we have struggled to achieve before now

Grace is released now

Because it is the divine timing of God

We have entered into the time of the Lord

Breakthroughs and a marching forward

Gushing water begins to flow

Where you've been seeing emptiness go back and look again

Overflowing

The blessings will be so much that there will be leftovers, like the 12 baskets left

Losses are replaced with gains

All round

I am giving you a chance to restart

I sense prophecies that have tarried, the Lord says, "August is that appointed time"

I see fresh visions

The direction and the leading of the Lord

"Go there and you will meet water"

Things will happen so fast, with speed

Accurate speed

You will not need to look for long before you see

It is the month of success

All round success

It is the month where the Lord makes things to happen for us

Where the Lord Himself is giving us success, quickly

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.” Genesis 27:20 NKJV

This is exactly what I see, God delivering it Himself

We are lifted this month

The Lord Himself delivers to us

Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, And nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the Lord your God, And the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.” Isaiah 55:5 NKJV

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:10-‬12 NKJV

Speedy answers

The timing of the Lord.

We are in that season, the divine timing of the Lord

Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again be adorned with your tambourines, And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. Jeremiah 31:4 NKJV

Word of Instruction

- The places you have been seeing emptiness, go and look again

- Abandoned fields, look again

Water flows again in Goshen

The Lord says, "I dare you to look again. Just look"

Wednesday, 12 July 2023

WORD FOR JULY AND THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

Word for the July and this Half

The better half of the year:

> Of answers

> Of fulfillment

> Of speed and flight

> Of testimonies

> Of ease and rest

> Of an overflowing barn 



There is a release of fresh water

All things work out for our good

It rains heavily upon us

No delays

Things begin to happen with speed and accuracy, with precision according to the word of the Lord

We receive grace to excel and succeed

The things we have failed at before now but we know we received a conviction, this is the season

Channels open up in the spirit that activates the words of the Lord

 With ease, accuracy and precision

According to the word of the Lord, exactly as I have spoken

I saw a dam completely shut and all of a sudden it was torn open and water began to gush out

Testimonies abound

Starting July 1st

We receive this as a sign from the Lord

Exceedingly, abundantly above what we have imagined for this year.

This is what is delivered to us in this 2nd half

There is a coming together

An ingathering

We experience the favor, goodness, and blessings of the Lord every day

Open doors

 Channels are opened.

Of blessings

Of favor

Of grace

Off opportunities

I saw a truck filled with goodies inside of it, it got to a roadblock and I saw someone that has been waiting for a long time.

And the person just stayed expecting what was not coming. Then I saw the roadblocks being removed.

 All of a sudden, I saw the truck develop wings and instead of taking the road, it began to fly.

I'm relieving heavy hearts

Speedy answers

The waiting seasons are over

Because the Lord Himself delivers that which He has promised

You will not need to go for it, I deliver it Myself to you.

No more delays

Answers are here

Testimonies are here

Speed like never before

 You have not seen this, you have not seen this

It is like the speed of light

New jobs, new opportunities

Opportunities you think you are not qualified for

I see God giving some people visibility

Men see you and you will wonder who told them

The Lord is making you visible

I see an olive pressing

New wine is here

Steady answers

Victory

I am clothing my own

I spread love

Ease has come

The Lord says I will hold your hand and I will give your inheritance

No limitations

I myself will make it easy

The help for the Lord is here

The Lord raises help for you

I see an assistance of the Angel army

Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:9 NKJV

I remove pain

 Give, give to those in need

I saw for someone trouble may arise at your workplace, the Lord Himself will speak for you.

When records are checked, they will see excellence

Overflowing in our barns

New opportunities are here

I keep hearing it

Go all out

Don't be scared

I heard this in Yoruba, Mo ti e leyin

I am behind you

New opportunities are here

I keep hearing it

Go all out

Don’t be scared

I hear this in Yoruba Mo ti e leyin

I am behind you

Move with it

Try them out

Don’t think you are not ready for it

Don’t think it is not time

I keep hearing new opportunities and it may look like this opportunity cannot be for me, the Lord is saying go all out.

Do not think you are too small for what the Lord is doing.

Stay in the leading of the Spirit this season.

Showers of blessings

Heavy downpour

All things work together for our good

Answers are here

For someone I hear forgiveness, it is time to let go

Burdens are lifted

Heavy burdens

They are lifted

We walk inside of the goodness of God

Worries are cast out

There is a new level of grace activated

A grace that commands immediate result

The Lord has made a way

The Lord has gone ahead to clear paths

Increase like never before

Accuracy in decision asking

You know exactly what to do

Exactly what to invest in at the right time

No regrets in this season

Fruitfulness

I heard this as we were praying:

As much as it is a receiving season, it is also a giving season.

As the Lord leads you to give in this season, even to the most random person (parents, pastors, strangers friends, etc), do so with all cheerfulness.

What you are giving out is old stock.

As the Lord lays it in your heart to give, do not hold back


Tuesday, 13 June 2023

WAITING ON GOD 2: HOW TO ENGAGE GOD'S SILENCE IN SEASONS OF WAITING

How many of us have been in a place where we are waiting on God concerning something and it's just silence through it? Or God is even speaking to you but He is not addressing that exact situation?



I have been in this place too.

Where I am waiting on God for a thing, I am praying and to the best of my knowledge I have checked everything that needs to be checked, yet I am still in the waiting room

It is not even being in the waiting room that is the problem. It is the deafening silence in such times. In moments like this, we start wondering what is happening. "Has God abandoned me? Or maybe I didn't hear Him well the first time?"

God's silence, while we wait, can make us feel a type of spiritual abandonment. You will almost doubt everything you know to be true.

About three o’clock Jesus cried out loudly, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” This means “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?” Matthew 27:46 ERV

At about three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?” Matthew 27:46 GNT

And at three o’clock Jesus shouted with a mighty voice in Aramaic, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” —that is, “My God, My God, why have you deserted me?” Matthew 27:46 TPT

From noon to three, the whole earth was dark. Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Matthew 27:45-46 MSG

At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Matthew 27:46 NLT

Why have you abandoned me?

This was Jesus asking God 

This was God asking God!

Read that again.

Whatever we are feeling, I need us to know this: Christ has been there.

Be comforted in this knowledge, that you do not have a high priest that doesn't understand your plight or is disjointed from your pain. God understands how you feel. (hold this somewhere)

Jesus groaned out from the depth of his heart.

It wasn't a silent "God why you allow this thing happen." He cried out loudly from a place of pain.

His pain wasn't  "My God, why did you allow Judas betray me.", "Peter is going to betray me, why?"

Christ's pain was in the silence of God.

Why have you turned away?

Why have I been abandoned?

Why have you forsaken me?

What an alarming question. And coming from Jesus that never for once complained, that was always doing the will of the Father.

And guess what? The part that actually humbles me is that, though Christ cried out. Heaven gave no response. God maintained silence!

No miracle. No word of comfort. No "don't worry, it is almost over. This is for a good cause" blah blah, not even a sign to show that I am here

This really paused me. Like this is your best soldier God, this is you, Christ is God.

For everyone feeling abandoned or forsaken by God, I want you to know that you have a high priest that can relate. Of course, we will never suffer the way Christ did but in His suffering of the silence of God, He has demonstrated to us that we may not hear a word but God's plan is still in the works. At that moment when Christ was crying out, it was definitely a bad Friday from the level of pain.

But today, what do we say? Good Friday!

There are moments in our lives when we wonder where God is, but He is right there walking alongside us. 

And this brings me right here:

God's silence is a matter of perspective

It depends on the angle you are looking from.

We will start with the case of Jesus.

Christ felt abandoned and forsaken. But was God really silent? He had already spoken.

What Christ was going through at that point was really the pain of a process. God had spoken.

His speech was His love for humanity. His word given as a covenant that Christ would come and die. He would die in our stead.

While God may be silent, know that He is in a constant state of communication with us. So it means that you may be fixated on hearing a particular thing but what God is speaking to you is strength and courage.

Again, silence is no indication that God is not working or has stopped working, or God doesn't care.

Look at Lazarus. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill, he didn't move. He stayed where he was for 2 more days. This could have been interpreted as neglect, as Christ neglecting His close friends. But guess what, if Christ had come immediately Lazarus would have been healed and men may never know that it is possible for people to be raised back from the dead.

In the silence of Christ, Mary, Martha, and even we are drawn into a new dimension of God.

So what do we do when we are faced with the silence of God? How do we respond?

1. Draw Near

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you James 4:8a NKJV

So many times, in seasons like this, what we tend to do is stay away from God;

We stop going to church

We stop fellowshipping 

Or we are just doing it absent-mindedly

On days when silence is what you are met with, move closer. Stay even deeper in fellowship. When the bible says to draw near to God and He will draw near to you. It doesn't mean that God is waiting for you to come close before He moves also. As we draw closer, we get to see exactly how near He is to you. Our eyes are opened to His proximity to us. We begin to see His love revealed all the while we were thinking He was silent. We come to a better understanding of His purpose.

Our patience is built

Our strength is increased 

Our hope is renewed

It is in this place of drawing near that we begin to count it all Joy. We are filled with Joy despite the frustration.

It changes our countenance completely

It changes our frustration about the situation

Sometimes, we even get to find out that He was speaking, we just couldn't hear because we weren't standing close enough.

Also know that it is okay to ask God questions. He is your father, lay your heart bare before Him.

 

2. Stop fixating on the silence. Instead, engage God in prayers

Look at Habakkuk

He didn't stop speaking to God. He kept asking and praying and guess what?

God responded to him;

Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:2-3 NKJV

God's response was probably not what he wanted. It wasn't a quick fix, but it came with assurance and instruction.

"Though it tarries, wait for it"

For some of us, this is what we will hear as we wait.

I'm actually in a season such as this, I don't want what it is and I have told God but He is not minding me.

At some point, He stopped speaking altogether and now the only thing I hear is "Though it tarries, wait."

It truly doesn't answer the full questions I have but it carries an assurance from God that it will happen. So, back to the waiting room.

 

3. Don't make your own quick fixes

Some of us go ahead to do when God is silent. We do what we think is reasonable/right.

Reminds me of the Israelites when Moses had not come down from the mountain and they went to build idols. Silence is not a pass for you to step in, God doesn't need your wisdom. Again, we must learn patience while waiting.

I purposely made that appear in the first part of our series. Don't conjure answers for yourself.

 

 4. Accept God's sovereignty

I've been singing this song since last week:

Sovereign God

You do as it pleases you

Sovereign God

 

But am I really happy about how He does these things? Am I satisfied in them? We must first accept that God is sovereign. And when we say He does as it pleases Him, we must recognize that it pleases God to make all things work out in our favor.

That He can do and undo doesn't mean He is set out to frustrate our lives.

God delights in you

He has the best plan for you

And this too is etched inside of His sovereignty 

So when you don't know or understand what is happening, hold on to the knowledge that whatever is happening, it is God in charge of it and God's plans for you are always good!

 

5. Remind yourself whom you are waiting on

Nothing is difficult for God. His silence doesn't mean that He is stuck and does not know what to do. Far from it. Say it to your innermost being.

Remind yourself constantly who your God is, do not lose sight of this revelation of Him;

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27 NIV

 

6. Rejoice

Don't be so fixated and worried about the silence. Instead, rejoice! You are probably wondering why you should be rejoicing right?

Well, rejoice because your God is working. The problem is our shouts go up based on what we see.

We are not of this world, our reactions are not tied to the happenings around us.

If you cannot hear His spoken voice, go to His written word.

Encourage yourself in it

Rejoice in it

Let the word stand above your situation

 

7. Continue to Wait

What to do when God is silent? Don't stop waiting.

Remember what I said last week about the tiny strands being joined together?

Don't interrupt the process. You just keep waiting on the Lord.

 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. Lamentations 3:24-25 NKJV

This was written inside of Jeremiah's cries. This period was a time when Jerusalem was going through despair. This was after they had been captured by Babylon.

Yet, what did Jeremiah write? The Lord is my portion!

I will not stop hoping

I will not stop believing that He will come through

I will wait!

This should be our disposition also.