Pastor Mary Fayemi @ Sunday first service
Speaking from the theme for the month, supernatural turnaround, Pastor Mary Fayemi said at the August 6 Sunday first service that for supernatural turnaround to happen in the life of a believer, there must be the God factor involved, and it changes everything. “When we are talking about supernatural turnaround, we are talking about the impact, intervention, and move of God in your situations. It means it cannot be ordinary,” she stated.
Speaking from Psalm 126:1-3, the clergy said that when supernatural turnaround is limited to the physical eyes, it would look impossible, but when it is subjected to the spiritual eyes, it becomes easy for a believer.
She further spoke to the timeliness of God’s intervention in the life of a believer. According to her, God is the doer of turnarounds. “It is God that decides the end of captivity,” she noted.
According to the preacher, God makes His children experience supernatural turnarounds to show that He loves them, that He is merciful, to express His faithfulness, to let them know He is all powerful, to put humanity in its place, to show that He has no equal and that He can still break and overthrow protocols. “Some situations may make you think God can’t handle things, but when God comes through big, then you will know that He is indeed all powerful. He still has a hundred percent power over situations,” she said.
She therefore urged her listeners to first turn back to God, forsake their wicked ways, and focus on God, trusting Him so as to experience a supernatural turnaround. “The supernatural turnaround will start with the spirit,” she said.
The full message is available on the Church’s Youtube channel, The Fountain TV) and TOM TV (Taiwo Odukoya Ministry). https://www.youtube.com/live/zu_79mE9rWM?feature=share It is also available on CDs and DVDs at The Fountain of Life Church Digital Media Store.
ACTIVATING THE HELP OF GOD
Pastor Kunle Osunkunle @ Sunday second service
Reading from the theme scripture of the month, Psalm 126:1-3, Pastor Kunle Osunkunle at the August 6 Sunday second service expounding the chronos “when” in the starting text of the scripture described it as a definite timing of God to show up in every captive-looking situation of life. Considering captivity as a myriad of challenges that could be financial, business, health, and more, he stated that however hopeless it may be, God is a specialist in transforming situations. “Every challenge we have works out God’s purposes in our lives, and we must not miss it’, he added.
Titling his exhortation as activating the help of God with reference to Psalm 121:1-4, Pastor Osunkunle affirmed that in some way or another, everyone needs help, and God is expecting us as believers to submit to Him to help us. Citing Psalm 127:1 and Matthew 11:28–30, he stated that our aspirations need the help of God to fulfil their purpose. He hinted that God is not only willing to help us but also has the capacity to do so, as His promises cover all the challenges we may face. “God is good”, he said, “and whatever circumstances we may be facing, seeking out His goodness amidst them is a necessity.”
The clergy also made it clear that God gives believers insight when they choose to walk closely with Him. Recognising that the help of God is always adequate, available, and appropriate, he maintained that believers must be able to wait on God, however long it may seem. He expressed further that God’s intention is not for the believer to suffer but to grow into maturity, as many of their requests can be self-destructive and could fail to fulfil the purposes of God.
Pastor Osunkunle, citing Hebrews 5:8–9, commented that when going through a crisis, believers must learn to listen and obey. He explained that the place of listening is a place of being quiet and engaging the word and prayers. Underscoring the importance of God’s insight above the encouragement of men in every crisis, he pointed out the essence of faith and believing as contained in Isaiah 41:10 and Hebrews 11:6.
Bringing his charge to a close, he proposed that in order to activate the help of God, we must first realise that, as men, we are insufficient of ourselves; hence, we need to seek the face of God and not man. “God is ready to do for us what we cannot do ourselves”, he added. Shedding light on Psalm 121:7, Pastor Osunkunle highlighted that “the hill” in that verse is a place we approach personally in prayer and worship and cannot be done by proxy.
In closing, he proposed the need to pray, and most importantly, pray in the spirit as contained in Romans 8:26, for an optimised outcome. In his concluding words, “Take out time to pray, and as you do, you will get to a point of worship, and then God will show up. When we patiently wait, we learn, and surely God’s help will come through. Like Psalm 34:5, our faces would be radiant, and we would not be put to shame.”
The full message is available on the Church’s Youtube channel, The Fountain TV) and TOM TV (Taiwo Odukoya Ministry). https://www.youtube.com/live/zu_79mE9rWM?feature=share It is also available on CDs and DVDs at The Fountain of Life Church Digital Media Store.
THE WAITING PROCESS
Pastor Bisoye Okwoli @Thursday Showers
Pastor Bisoye Okwoli, while ministering at the August 3 Thursday Showers, emphasised the importance of Christians waiting on God and trusting His process. According to her, it is sometimes difficult to explain why believers have to wait on God for some things, but if they believe and trust God and His word, they will understand that their waiting period will soon be over. “Our gestation period in God’s promise for our lives may differ, but His “when” is an assurance. For some people, that miracle can happen immediately you step out of this hall; for another person, it could be the next one week; for another person, it might be the next one month; for another person, it can be nine months or even a year, but the assurance is, it is not ‘if’, it is ‘when’,” she said.
Citing Psalms 126:1; Isaiah 49:23 and 40:31; Habakkuk 2:3; Jeremiah 29:10–14; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; and Matthew 24:35, the clergy noted that some Christians sometimes look for shortcuts when God is taking them through that waiting process, adding that such an attitude always boomerangs. “Don’t look for short fixes. God is committed to the result of your process—the sanctification and glorification of Christ in your process—rather than your comfort,” she said.
She continued, “For someone, just maybe the result of your wait is the glorification of Christ. And the reason you have not gotten out of that waiting period is because you have not yet submitted to the glorification of Christ. The prayers that get answered are those that are according to His will, not your desire. It is not your will, but the will of God. God is about His glory because His glory carries weight.”
Speaking on the promises of God, Pastor Okwoli admonished her listeners to hold on to God’s promises because, at the end, they will speak, and not lie. “The situation might look impossible, but the promise of God will speak, and it will not lie. But we have a responsibility to wait for the fulfilment of that promise. For the Children of God in Zion, it took them 70 years,” she stated.
According to Pastor Bisoye, four tips that would help believers remain trusting as they wait on the Lord include finding the word of God in that situation and holding unto it, staying in the place of prayer, fasting, and being sensitive to the vessels God would use.
She therefore encouraged the congregation to begin to practise their victory songs again and to start laughing at the situations that make them cry. “The reason you are waiting sometimes is because there is a blessing in disguise. God will do it again. He will cause the rain to fall on your drought. You will return bearing your sheaves with you,” she urged.
The full message is available on the Church’s Youtube channel, The Fountain TV) and TOM TV (Taiwo Odukoya Ministry). https://www.youtube.com/live/zu_79mE9rWM?feature=share It is also available on CDs and DVDs at The Fountain of Life Church Digital Media Store.
