PREPARATION FOR GREATNESS - PART 4

PREPARATION FOR GREATNESS – PART 4
Psalm 105:16-22

Greatness sometimes starts in an insignificant way! Great things start small. God has placed within a seed, the capacity to produce a humongous tree. It’s a kingdom order (Matt. 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-20).

Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will increase greatly (Job 8:7).
The seed can only release the great potentials that lie within it, when it has been subjected to a process of preparation (John 12:20-24).
God is the One who determines the schedule (timeframe) of the preparation. Don’t move ahead of your time lest you short-change the process.
Likewise, He determines the manner and the location of the preparation.

In Genesis 18, God gave a testimony concerning Abraham that he would train and command his children and household to walk in the way of the Lord and to keep His righteousness and justice.
This was passed on to subsequent generations and Joseph also, was responsible enough to allow God to prepare him thoroughly for a glorious future.

Let’s examine Psalm 105:16-22, as we profile the life of Joseph.

He (God) called for a famine in the land and broke the supply (provision) of bread…
Sometimes, God calls for temporal famine (lack) in your life and cuts off the provision of human bread (assistance), just to show you that, vain is the help of man…
God will sometimes take away the bread that cannot sustain you in your spiritual journey, in order to introduce to you, the Bread of Life!

He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold as a slave…
Joseph was probably seventeen years old at the time he was sold, yet, God saw him as a man. He was a responsible man at the age of seventeen (to say the least).

Moreover, he was a foremost ‘apostle’, sent ahead of his people by God, just like his great-grand father, Abraham, who was sent out of his country by the same God.

Even as a slave in a strange land, he was a responsible man. He was a man of character, competence, courage and charisma…
He feared God greatly and delighted in His commandments. He embraced righteousness and eschewed evil (Gen. 39:9).

Furthermore, God will not call for a famine in any land without empowering and raising a Joseph generation who would proffer Godly solutions to existing challenges.
 
They hurt his feet with fetters…
Joseph was seriously hurt, he was bruised, maltreated. He was persecuted and wrongly accused for the sake of righteousness, yet he sinned not.
Men will hurt your feelings and bruise your ego sometimes, always know that it’s God that is at work in you, both to do and to will, according to His good pleasure…

Until the time that his word came to pass, the Word of the Lord tested him…
God will sometimes keep your dreams in view in order to test and prove your character. He will subject you to series of tests and training in order to rid you of character defects.

The king sent for him and released him…
Do you see a man diligent with his work, he will stand before kings… (Prov. 22:29). It’s a time of release! You’re being released into a new level of greatness, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, he was made a ruler over the whole country... He became a force to reckon with, he instructed the elders and taught the senators. These and many more are the dividends of adequate presentation.

PASTOR NATHANIEL SADELA

Resident  Pastor

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PREPARATION FOR GREATNESS – PART 3

Psalm 105:16-22

As a man who had understood divine processing, Joseph said the words to his brothers:

‘And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt’ (Gen. 45:7-8).

‘But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive’ (Gen. 50:20).

Whatever unpleasant situation you’re experiencing right now, it’s not God’s desire that you end up in it, you might choose to stay there permanently but as far as God is concerned, it’s a passage (wilderness experience) or a spiritual journey.

Why does God take us through preparation?

To present us blameless and faultless before Him, as vessels unto honour.
They that bear the vessels of the Lord must be clean. He purifies us through the process He takes us through (Mal. 3:3).
Furthermore, as children of the light, we shine forth and manifest His glory in the midst of a crooked and perverse (perverted) generation (Phil. 2:15; Jude 24; 1 Peter 1:5-7).

To raise an eternal order of kingship and priesthood after the similitude of Christ in us.
Just as Christ was made a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, we are being raised after the order of Christ (Psalm 110:4).

Jacob made reference to this in his prophetic declaration upon Judah... (Gen. 49:10).
He has made us kings and priests unto our God, and we shall reign on earth. Through this, we bring glory, dominion and honour to Christ. However, we need training for reigning! (Rev. 1:6; 5:10).

To strengthen us ahead of the day of battle (persecution).
God does not want us to chicken out of every unpleasant situation. He would rather allow us to go through them sometimes, in order to establish us thoroughly in Him (Judges 3:1-4).

To ensure total brokenness in us.
Putting to death, the desires and influences of the flesh (self) in us through the power of the Cross.

Through the Cross, we become crucified to the value system of the world and vice versa (Gal. 6:14; Jeremiah 9:23-24). 

God deliberately takes us through these series of trainings, tests and preparations to ensure that we come forth as gold (Job 23:10).

Pastor NATHANIEL SADELA

Resident  Pastor

for more details on pictures and proceedures of the service: check our posts on www.facebook.com/gacikeja and our tweets on www.twitter.com/gacikeja.

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PREPARATION FOR GREATNESS (CONT’D)

As we already know, preparation sets the pace for promotion (exaltation) in life. Success in marriage, business, career and ministry is a by-product of adequate preparation.

Was David a lucky man? What about Joseph, was he lucky? What about Saul, the first king of Israel, was he unlucky?

In 1 Samuel 10:1-8, we saw the set of divine instructions given to Saul by Samuel, the man of God. These divinely inspired instructions were meant to prepare him for days and years ahead, in the kingdom, yet he blew up this God-given opportunity by his lack of preparation, unwillingness to yield and persistent insensitivity to the things of God (1 Samuel 12:20-25).

In the day of battle, there was no smith found to deploy the raw materials needed for the production of swords and spears in Israel, neither was there sword nor was any spear found in the land, under the reign of Saul, except with Saul and his son, Jonathan (1 Samuel 13:19-22; Judges 5:8).

All he could produce were men of ease, vain surface men, who lacked spiritual substance, mighty in words and appearance, but bereft of Godly character (lacking the spiritual sword, the Word of God).

They might be sharp looking, well outspoken, having a great command of speech… Having a form of goodliness, but denying the power thereof… (2 Timothy 3:5).

Brother Saul, you have just been commissioned for a heavenly assignment and guess what? You have the necessary raw materials needed to carry out the assignment successfully (1 Samuel 9:15-17; 10:3-4).

May we never fail God in the delivery of our assignment...

David on the other hand, was able to train the feeble and obscure men who came to him. They were about four hundred men, with additional two hundred men who later joined his team. They later became mighty and valiant men (1 Samuel 22:1-2; 25:13).

WHY WOULD GOD PREPARE US AHEAD FOR GREATNESS/MANIFESTATION?

God takes no pleasure in the squandering of heavenly resources. He will not give that which is holy to the dogs, nor will He cast His pearls (of great price) before the swine… (Matt. 7:6). Furthermore, God's chosen vessels must remain pure and holy...

The Lord resists the proud and engraces/uplifts the humble. Hence, through spiritual grooming and adequate preparation, the vessel can develop a Godly patterned lifestyle, such that they remain simple, God fearing, modest and level headed, in spite of their achievements and the level of greatness they experience in life…

Pastor NATHANIEL SADELA

Resident  Pastor

for more details on pictures and proceedures of the service: check our posts on www.facebook.com/gacikeja and our tweets on www.twitter.com/gacikeja.

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PREPARATION FOR GREATNESS

Greatness in life is not a product of wishful thinking. It doesn’t come by mere happenstance.

Greatness is God’s desire for everyone. He has placed within us all, the seed of greatness.

However, not everyone ends up being great or successful in life. Not everyone recognizes or appreciates the importance of preparation in life. For every level of greatness that one attains in life, there must have been a corresponding process of preparation, else the ‘greatness’ will be short-lived.

There is no substitute for preparation. When preparation meets with opportunities, success is inevitable.

When you fail to prepare today, you have already prepared to fail tomorrow. Preparation is one of the key factors that distinguish the wise from the foolish (Matt. 25:1-13).

If you don’t appreciate process, you can’t experience progress. You must endure the process of adequate preparation in order to enjoy progress in life (Hebrews 12:2).

The process precedes the progress! Adequate preparation leads to manifestation; that’s the divine order (Luke 1:80).

 For God to use a man greatly, He must engage the man in the process of preparation by testing and proving him thoroughly. Effective (impactful) living is a by-product of preparation.

The Teacher became a learner. He had to subject Himself to series of preparation… (Hebrews 2:9-10; 5:8-10).

Some of the things that God uses to prepare us for greatness:

1. Adversity
Some elements of adversity which you (may) suffer even from relatives, friend and associates, include, but are not limited to – rejection, hostility, coldness, envy, jealousy, etc.
It comes in different dimensions, from people within and outside.
The purpose of adversity is to toughen you spiritually and position you rightly for what lies ahead… (Psalm. 105:16-22).

2. Milestone achievements
Some of these include the success, breakthroughs and victories that God gives you at strategic points in life. Some of these are experienced in the ‘wilderness journey’.
However, the important thing is never to allow any of these little successful achievements to becloud your sense of reasoning. The truth is that, in God, there is always more, even much more to reach out for! (1 Samuel 17:34-37).

3. Cultivation and development of intuitive abilities
In the secret place, God sharpens your skillsets such that your senses are exercised unto godliness, in order to discern both good and evil.
Joseph started receiving divine revelation (dreams) at an early stage in life. Even in the midst of hatred, he kept dreaming… (Gen. 37:5-9).
David was sensitive enough to have raised a shepherd to look after the sheep while he was sent on another assignment (1 Samuel 17:20).

Preparation was one of the factors that distinguished between Saul and David (Acts 13:21-22).

Godly preparation ensures that your life is God-governed.
Receive the grace to discern, endure and to stay through the time of preparation, in the name of Jesus Christ!

Pastor NATHANIEL SADELA

Resident  Pastor

for more details on pictures and proceedures of the service: check our posts on www.facebook.com/gacikeja and our tweets on www.twitter.com/gacikeja.

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KEEP YOUR ALTAR BURNING

What does the Altar represent in our lives today?

An altar is a sacred place where sacrifices are made unto a supreme being in order to appease or entreat Him either to seek for His kindness, favor or to stay His hand from evil wrath. An altar is bedrock for sacrifices; without an altar sacrifices itself cannot be made. It takes an altar to make a sacrifice. An altar is a place of offerings unto the Lord. A constant or perpetual place appointed for sacrifices to be made. A new sacrifice requires a new altar because an altar is to be burnt out. But as long as sacrifices are always demanded the altar must be kept burning. The commandment that God gave to the Israelites of old is still very much valid today. The fire on the altar must go out (Lev. 6:13, 1Sam. 3:2-3).

Today moreover, rather than keeping a perishable sacrifice, a living sacrifice is requested from you and me, which also mean we have duties to ensure that our altar is kept perpetually burning if we must be able to make ourselves living sacrifices – Rom. 12:1. The altar of the Lord Jesus Christ today is our place of fellowship with Him, our place of worship and our place prayers to Him. Jesus Christ established this in Matt. 5:23 – 24, 6:14 – 15, when He talked about some of the things that can undermine the efficacy of our altar. So this morning, we are looking at the symbolic representative of the altar and how to keep it burning.

The components of an altar

As already established, altar to the New Testament and Holy Spirit controlled church, is a symbolic sacred place where our lives is offered perpetually as a living sacrifice unto God on daily basis. We are being process with fire as refiner refines his gold for the best output – Mal. 3:2-3.  The following therefore are the necessary components for an acceptable altar:

Ø  An appointed place for sacrifice (the right place to meet with God). There is always an appointed place and time to meet with the Lord – Gen. 22:1-2. Where exactly are you right now? Are you where He expects you to be spiritually?

Ø  Wood for the sacrifice which is the fueling force for the fire. This is a true representative of our prayer lives. Prayer is an essential part of our Christina race. Jesus, our perfect example demonstrated this when He taught His disciples that men ought always to pray and not faint – Luke. 18:1, 11:1-4.  Jesus Himself could not do anything in His earthly ministry without prayers (Matt. 14:23, Mark 1:35).

Ø  Fire to kindle the altar. The fire can be likening to the Holy Spirit in our lives. We need the Holy Spirit if our altar must keep burning. The Holy Spirit helps our infirmity and quicken us to pray (Rom. 8:26, John 6:63)

Ø  Water is also an element for sacrifice making. It takes a Spirit filled like Elijah to proof the foolishness of the prophets of bar in 1kings 18:33-35. Water stands for the word of God. For an acceptable offering, the word of God has a prominent role to play. Even though, what Prophet Elijah did seem odd to common believe that water is the fire extinguisher, it proved that whenever the word of God watered the ground, there will be a perfect altar and consequently an acceptable sacrifice.

Ø  Finally, the lamb or animal for the sacrifice. The bible, through the inspiration of Holy Spirit by the mouth of Paul says that, we should present our body as a living sacrifice. This means for our altar to keep burning, our heart must be wholly yielded unto God. God does not require any longer for animal sacrifice but that our entire being, live or dead be totally committed unto Him

Conclusion

Remember the anchor text above request us that fire must always be burnt on the altar, but let me also say by means of conclusion that take care that you are not kindling a wrong fire on the altar of the Lord. It is very dangerous to do so. God killed two sons of Aaron for this reason (Lev. 10:1-2). The earnest warning of the Lord to this New Testament church is that we should not quench the Spirit of the Lord (1Thess. 5:19), and that we should no grieve the Holy Spirit of God (Eph. 4:30), as this is like putting up strange fire on the altar of the Lord.

PST. FEMI ATODE

      Beloved  Pastor

for more details on pictures and proceedures of the service: check our posts on www.facebook.com/gacikeja and our tweets on www.twitter.com/gacikeja.

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