House On The Rock

With a friend like Jonathan, your passage to the throne is secured but with a friend like Jonadab, you ticket to destruction is guaranteed!

“But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man”
2 Samuel 13:3.

There are many definitions for the word “friend”.  It means associate, companion, fellow or neighbour. This is a person you give your attention to in a special way.
This is a person you share your heart with. This is someone you receive counsel from and the point here is that some of us are where we are today as a result of either Jonathan or Jonadab!

With a friend like Jonathan, your future is secured and you are protected from the enemy. You have someone who will even risk their own life, destiny and even position for you because he or she recognised that you are the set person from God.

We all need a friend.

The word of God teaches us that “a man who has friends must himself be friendly” Proverb 18:24b.

There is something about friendship. It is vital in your progress in life. A tree never makes a forest.  In our making in life, the good Lord always use our friends to sharpen us. “Iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” Proverb 27:17.

I will like to inform you that all your friends will never be nice! They will never be sweet and even be a person of understanding BUT the responsibility is on you to find out who they are and why they are your friend in every season and time of your life.

Remember,” wealth makes many friends but the poor is separated from his from his friends” Proverb 19:4. Your circle of friendship may I say also is a reflection of your person. So with a friend like Jonathan, who is committed and loyal, you are sure of their friendship all year round. Such person is ready to stand for you. Not that you are an angel who had no sin but even when you fall, through loyalty, they walk you through your season of restoration.

May we be blessed with such friends in Jesus name.

Friends like Jonathan are divinely connected. They cannot be picked among crowd because they are always there for you.

You need to be careful of chosen a friend because he/she is always there for you. Wicked friends who takes husband and possess them are always there for us and we trusted them because of their readiness to help us (babysit, run errand and be goody goody) BUT they are doing so with wrong motive! I pray that the gift of  discernment not be far from you.

The soul of Jonathan was knitted to David. “Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” 1 Samuel 18:1.

With a friend like Jonadab, a crafty man, may the Lord deliever us.

Amnon planned to commit incest with his sister and who encouraged him to do so? Jonadab!

Look at where you are today and ask yourself a question. Who among your friend gave you the advice heeded to before you fell into sin? Who told you it was alright to date a man secretly and your brethren in church did not have to know after all “it is your life”? It is your life alright until the man dump you for another and the counselling goes on for years because you secretly bought a house together and he left you in financial ruin, a child you never wanted because he reminded you of him! Etc…

Be careful of Jonadab.

Live pure and with a heart that yearns for Jesus Christ and He will give you a friend that will help you succeed in your walk with God and in your life endeavour.

We all need Jonathans not Jonadab in our circle of influence.
“Do not trust in a friend; do not put your confidence in a companion; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bossom” Micah 7:5. This is like Jonadab.

There are some words you are not to share with Jonadab. (Jonadab also represent close relation)

A friend with a crafty character is dangerous to communicate your heart to in the time you need advice concerning a matter that will have eternal consequence.

Finally, remember that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

May you be connected to such!

Like and Love

I have heard these two words used constantly like never before and these words have been plaguing my mind constantly of late. I have to correct the abuse of these words – ‘Love’ replaced with ‘Like’.

We often use the phrase “I like you” and “I love you” but never fully realise its implication and these implications have more of an effect on the way we relate with people.

Beloved, we are commanded to love but liking is your choice.

You cannot choose to love! You must love. It is not your preference or on your terms, neither is it conditional.  It is a command!

Likeness is a matter of preference. I am writing this message to you my reader, in order for you to look into your life. See the way you have understood the scripture through your vocabulary and the fruit it has produced in your life so far.

“And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment” 1 John 3:23.

We live at a time when men are not kind to being given orders! We are living in a generation that reminds us of the book of Judges 21 verse 25 “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” What a sad picture. The era of confusion, era of pride and ego, era of great disorder and anarchy until the generation of Ruth came that chose to follow, regardless of the price to pay. No wonder she produced the lineage of the Messiah.

Christ never manifested in disorderliness but first created order and then manifested His purpose.

Especially for most of us in the Western Church, we must understand that the greatest enemy to the move of God in our lives and society is our independent attitude.

If I do not like you, I will not bother to give even a second of my time to listen to what you have to say, even if it is from God for me.

If you are not from my church background, I do not like the way you run your services. It has to be what I like for me to accept it!

The devil is a Liar!

Our Western culture is a culture that is ridged in independence and we have lost respect for order. So, to hear the word “command” is seen as control and we are not for that.

Ladies and gentlemen, whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not, you are being ordered every day – wilfully or unwilfully.

Please at this point I will even remind you again that God is not a politician, He is God whose word is a command. He speaks in military language, He speaks as the Father with firmness and love in His voice and He speaks with authority because He is the Authority both in Heaven and on Earth.

Love has a language in firmness, calmness, command, gentleness, discipline, faith, grace, correction and rebuke.

You cannot say you love and not rebuke, you cannot say you love and not be firm on decisions that will affect others around you for Christ’s sake.

The reason why we like a person is because they do things that we like, that we approve of, what about when they disapprove our counsel? We do not like them again. Love says, whether you heed my counsel or not, I am here for you.

If you miss my counsel, you will realise it and I will be waiting for you like the Prodigal son’s father waited for his son to return.

Beloved, let us not chose to like above love!

Stand up and Stand Out

“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches, But let him who glories, glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth. For these I delight, says the Lord” Jeremiah 9:23-24. 

Firstly, I will like to thank you for sparing your precious God given gift of time to open this site and to read this message. I count it as a great honour from you and priviledge given to you by God.

I love the book of Prophet Jeremiah as it teaches us that God is the One who ordains us to be who He wants us to be in ministry and age is not relevant as far as His ministry is concerned. Jeremiah in his days stood up for God in the midst of a pervert and crooked generation. You may argue that he did so because he was called to be a Prophet to the nation. Yes that is true but many were also called to be priests and leaders over the house of Israel, BUT by CHOICE, they sold themselves to do much evil than you can imagine.

You see, beloved, whatever you are in your present walk with God is the making of your CHOICE!

You are a product of your decision by choices you made to either STAND UP for Christ or STAND DOWN for Him! Jeremiah stood up for God and he suffered the consequence of such decision.

This is June 2011! You and I are priviledged to be alive today as many did not make it. Not that we are better but only by the grace of God that kept us. I encourage you to stand up for Jesus and be counted now. Some of us see ministry as a place to be popular, with anointing to deliver people from oppression and to see them prosperous.

What if your ministry is not so?

Jeremiah’s ministry was UNPOPULAR! Anytime he opened his mouth, all that came from his mouth was warnings of impending judgment on the rebellious nation yet he stood up for God regardless. He remembered that God had already told him what they would do to him and the assurance he had from Him. Jeremiah 1:18-19
Men schemed against him yet he stood up for God, they used their tongues to plan evil against him, spread rumours about him and no one dared to investigate (including his so called colleagues in ministry). No one took out time to investigate the matter (after all it was time for Jeremiah’s protégées to switch over to their school of discipleship). It is about who wins the most support against Jeremiah! “Let us destroy his testimony so that by the time he speak again no one will listen”

“Then they said, “Come and let devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest nor counsel from the wise or the word from the prophet. Come and let us attack him with tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his word” Jeremiah 18:18.

Does this sound familiar to you?

If you have never gone through this, do not worry you will soon be given the first class ticket on the flight to have such experience if your heart is to OBEY God as someone called to the Office of Christ according to Ephesians 4:11. Even as a disciple of Christ outside the Office of Christ (as not all of us are called into such Office). Rather than compromise his calling, he stood up for God!

Oh I remember, there was a time he wanted to shut up his mouth after all what use is it speaking to a generation that has made up their mind to live in the permissive will of God rather than His perfect will. A generation that refuse to change regardless of impending judgement! “O Lord, are not Your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, But they have not grieved, You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction, they have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to return. Jeremiah 5:3. Rather than for them to repent their transgression became many and backslidden increased! Jeremiah 5:6.

With the attitude of the people towards God and Jeremiah himself, he felt like what is the use of preaching and obeying God’s call to ministry? But at the crossroad of decision, he stood up for God and said “Then I said I will not make mention of Him nor speak of Him, nor speak anymore in His name but His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones”. Jeremiah 20:9

Beloved as we embark on the journey to victory and greatness this month of June, let us all take a stand for God through our faith in Jesus Christ our Risen Lord regardless of challenges.

Stand up and stand out!

Today many of us are down. Down in ministry, down in marriage, down in business, down in our careers etc… because we have lost focus and our vision of God has become deem.

Why are we down?

Gideon our example said to the angel of God, “if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about saying “did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord has forsaken and delivered us into the hand of the Midianites” Judges 6:13. It is easy to blame God than to look in the mirror and see areas of your life that is not in alignment with His word for you to repent!

This was the sin of Israel as they wanted a king to rule them like all the other nations! 1 Samuel 8:4-7.

The dangers of being in that position are too real. You become a victim of Joneses when you are down beloved and your vision is limited to the angle of your spiritual posture and you cannot even see the rain coming to take out your bucket to gather water. You become emotionally bankrupt and a tool of destruction of other people’s lives like Prophet Jonah who went down to Tarshish instead of Nineveh and the goods in ship had to be thrown into the Sea!

Don’t blame God. Stand Up from the state of despondency, from the state of unbelief, from the state of discouragement knowing that delay is not denial!
We also remain down because we fail to be responsible for our action after all it is easy to shift it on someone else. Blame culture, background, lack of education, race, sexual gender etc…. It is easy to give excuse! But while doing all that remember you will be down! But when you take a stand to Stand, you become a different person within and without.

Make up your mind to leave the house of permissive will. You have lived there too long. There is abundant life to enjoy in the house of perfect will.
The opening scripture tells us of the things the Lord delight in and that differential essential lifestyle from significant living! Yes if all you ever seek for are your essentials, you will never make an impact in your generation! Jesus told His disciples not to rejoice that they were able to cast out devils, but to rejoice that their names are written in the Book of Life! Luke 10:17-20.

Stand Up and Stand Out!

“But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings; partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him” Hebrew 10:32-38 NKJ

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are approaching the middle of the year and thank God you are alive to witness the greatness of our God as we draw closer to the Day of our Redemption!

By the way this message is to encourage you my brethren in the most Holy Faith.

I am reminding us all (including myself) that not all that glitters is gold and not all things that are called gold are of the devil either.

We are at a time and again in the western world that believes that if you do not have material substance to your name, your faith is not valid and especially if you are not a homeowner with beautiful car, flat screen tv etc… and during offering in church your offering must be in the league of thousands and get the attention of both the Pastors and the entire congregation or “you have not arrived”.

Beloved, if you are not in this category, I want to cheer you up with the scripture above which teaches us that “some brethren endure a great struggle with sufferings, partly while they were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations”.

It is sad that we no longer teach saints of God through Christ that the promises of God have both time and season and until then you will be made a spectacle like Sarah was with Hagar, like Hannah was with Peninnah.

I have learnt in my walk with Jesus Christ that being made a spectacle is part of the “discipline” we experience along the journey of faith. If you receive a promise from God (if the promise is indeed from God) men will laugh at you BUT those who laugh at you will eventually laugh with you (without choice). The word of God teaches us that scoffers and mockers are the instruments of our being made as spectacles.

The promise of God is not contained in the mind but your spirit – though processed in your mind. That is why your mind must be renewed daily to believe that God is not a man to lie, neither the son of man to repent.

Hold on to God’s promise. He who is coming will come and will not tarry. The time of manifestation of the promise is never late.

You know beloved, the problem is not with the promise but the interpretation of God’s promise to us.

1: Some of us believe that the promise of God is for now. Sometimes yes and sometimes it is for the future. You can only know which is now or the future through your walk with God.

In your waiting time, be careful not to be a victim of D.O.G.S.

Beware of D.O.G.S!

Dangerous
Opportunities which
Generate
Shame

Not all that glitters is gold! Wait as God is never late.

Thank God for taking us through the past months marked with harsh winter season. For those of us who experienced the winter for the first time, it was as if the sun will never shine again. But to God be the glory.

No season is permanent. After winter, there will always be spring.

I love the spring season because it marks the beginning of new life. Flowers are out in the fields, grass comes out green and leaves are out to cover the trees again.

This is a season that represents new life.

During this season, we also remind ourselves of the death burial and resurrection our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not that we forget but just as the Church celebrates the birth of Jesus at Christmas so also we celebrate His death and resurrection.

Beloved as it is impossible for winter to stop the spring season so I want you to rest assured that nothing can stop your season of manifestation as a son of God. The word son is used for both male and female in the Bible so sisters bear this in mind. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ” Galatians 3:26.

You cannot be hidden and if God is for you, who can be against you.

The word of God remind us that “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32.

Remember, each one of us has his or her appointed time and season. I pray that you will not miss yours now.

Let this season of life bring you into newness of the Spirit. “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:18-19.

With this knowledge beloved, rise above discouragement, rise above mediocrity, and rise above every challenge that is before you. See yourself seated above your enemies.  As it was impossible to stop Jesus from resurrecting on the third day, so it is impossible to stop you becoming the man or woman God ordained you to be. Be determined in your spirit to live constructively in this new season and experience His life afresh.

You see brethren, the same tree that has new leaves, was planted on the same soil it has always been before. The soil did not change. It only receives the necessary nutrients that produce leaves. The necessary nutrients you need for productivity is released to you now. Let the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead quicken your mortal body and empower you to be fruitful now.

Through that power, the bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. Matthew 27:52.

I pray that this season that we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, will be your season of fresh encounter.

May you blossom, be filled with new life, freshness in your spirit, good health and be fruitful in Jesus name.

Once again, Happy Easter!

The word of God teaches us that “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He said and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Numbers 23:19.

I am amazed at the manner with which we have and are presenting God to the world as if He was a man.

Humanity is different from Divinity.

God is sovereign and His counsel stand Supreme over the counsel of man.

As an African by birth, our tradition taught us about that power of divinity.

No true African can deny the fact that spirits are real. Their world is real, there assignment is real. John 10:10

Some of us were delivered from their hands through the death and resurrection power of Jesus Christ to good works which God ordained before the foundation of the world and so coming out of that background, we know that spirit realm is real.

I have also come to know that this is true of other culture in the continent of the world but I will build my case on my African root.

Spirits speak.

Now in Christ we know their testimony is not true but back then, before we believe and accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord of our lives, the words of these spirits and their priests were taken serious and never questions.

Now in Christ, (glory be to God,) those of us who have made Jesus Christ Saviour and Lord should not forget that God is the God of all the spirits of all flesh and the creator of all spirits. His word is held Supreme over all the words of all spirits. Numbers 27:16

We read in the Book of 2 Chronicles 18:18-22, the account of Micaiah before Ahab king of Israel.

“I saw in Heaven the Lord sitting on His throne and all the Host of Heaven standing on His right hand and His left. And the Lord said, “Who will persuade Ahab the king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead? So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will persuade him’ The Lord said to him, in what way? So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, you shall persuade him and also prevail, go out and do so. Therefore look, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours and the Lord has declared disaster against you.’

Ladies and Gentlemen, I come to inform you through this message that God is not a man that he should lie. If He says peace there is peace, but right now what is the point of saying peace when there is no peace and we have deceived many “in the name of the Lord” saying “the Lord told me to tell you that you are to go in peace, you shall prosper and all our messages have centred on physical blessings when you yourself know that your work right now will definitely not give birth to peace!

I am of opinion that many of us are under the influence of lying spirits from Heaven. As it was in the day of Ahab, so it is today.

Ahab was a weak king who submitted himself to the wicked counsel of his wife Jezebel and as a result of this, God pronounced His judgement on his entire household including his wife Jezebel.

As God is not a man, what He said came to pass.

Let us look into our lives now.

What made us to believe that we will live a covetous “Jones” lifestyle and not pay the price of such lifestyle if we refuse to repent?

Is it because we know how to pray, fast and associate ourselves with certain men and women of God?

Is it because we tithe and give so call offerings to our churches or because we run charity work to cover our wickedness?

Who has bewitched us like Paul said to the Galatians! To think that we can be as canal as we can be, and expect the Spirit of Christ to empower us is unbelievable. Ok I get it, we are empowered alright especially us who are supposed to be custodian of the Truth but not by the Holy Spirit but by lying spirit to cause many to stumble from faith!

Beloved God is never moved by polluted offerings from heart that is corrupt and wicked. Please read what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 50:7-15.

We have become a generation that refuse listen to the word of God especially because we live in a civilised society. We have become so civilised that we made ourselves to become pals with God of Heaven.

In the African religions no one dare made the gods their pals. The words of the gods through their priests are final authorities.

Our daughters are marrying pagans just to be seen to marry, even some are marrying heathen for right to live in UK, afterwards they dump them and we smile all the way to the altar. Our sons are on the altar of Jezebel and with women who are turning their hearts away from the living God and no one is saying anything. Have we forgotten the story of Solomon so soon?
All that we do now is partying every Saturday and go to church on Sunday to fulfil our religious duty. Oh I forget, Friday night of prayer, Saturday party (for some after choir practice) Sunday Service and we drop the dollar from last night party in the basket (in a country where Sterling is the currency) and we Pastors smile that we have heard a great service today! Is there no one who will cry out to God for TRUE AND FRESH FIRE TO START FROM SUCH PULPIT OF BAAL?

Remember, God is not a man.

I want you to consider for a minute what He allowed His Son to go through on the Cross in order for my sins and yours to be judged.

What do you think will happen to those who continue to walk in an ungodly manner without repentance?

A man was given opportunity to repent but he said he was not ready. He said he will do so when he is ready. Unfortunately he was never ready till he met his “Waterloo”.

Time is running out beloved. Remember God is not a man. Purpose in your heart to change before change is enforced on you.

It is with sincere love that I communicate this message to you as I do not want you to miss the greatest event of the ages.

RAPTURE!

I have been told that according to the scripture some will be tribulation saints. Yes this is true but you should not live your life to be one.

You see beloved, I believe we are product of our choices after Salvation. You did not choose Jesus, He chose you before the foundation of the world and since your Salvation is not of your making but by His grace, the choice you made after that is yours. You become what you believe by choice and what you believe is shaped by what you hear, read or see. These are all ancient truth that modernisation cannot take away from us.

When was the last time you listen to the news about the political events happening around the world lately? Some of us take it as if it is not your business after all “the press never tell us the truth anyway”

There is element of truth in that approach to the press but to ignore what they say in the news is to live deliberately as a blind man at the edge of a cliff.

My advice is to hear and look into the matter yourself (am not talking about rape and murder cases; even with that, it is often proved that the culprit is a close person known to its victim etc.)
Political stories often hold the clue to end time prophecy.

Beloved, let us not live our lives with settlement mentality. We are going Home very soon!

You may say where is Home?

Home is Heaven.
By the way, Heaven is not for moral people. The best of our morality cannot take us through the Gate. It is only accessed by accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. All our righteousness are like filthy rags. No man can stand in the Presence of Holy God in their morality. We must be born again. That which is born of the flesh is the flesh but that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.

To be born again is to acknowledge that in you there is nothing good and you need the saving grace of Jesus Christ into your life.

You may not kill but that does not mean that if exposed to someone with attempt to kill you, your “wife” “husband”, your children, you will want to defend yourself or even your loved ones. The tendency and potential is in all of us to do so. Sinful Adamic nature is unpredictable.

The followings are important at this point.

If you have not made Jesus your Saviour and Lord please see the following steps to take:

• Acknowledge that you are a sinner

• Admit and confess your sins

• Ask God through Jesus to forgive you of your sins

• Invite Jesus Christ to come into your life to be your Saviour and your Lord

• Ask the Holy Spirit to come and help you live the life of Christ in and through you.

Find someone straight away to testify to that you are now a Child of God through Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord! If you have done this, please contact me on pastorlola@hotric.org.uk or call our office number on +44 (0)207 231 6685.

I want to hear your testimony

Now if you are my paddy (for the people with such language) or brethren through the Redeeming Blood of Jesus Christ the good news is that we are going Home soon!

Our redemption drew near! I am not saying you should resign from your job that will be an act of irresponsibility, neither walk away from your family, do not stop living. Get busy living His life in you to the fullest! Occupy till we are called.

“But I do not want you to be ignorant brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no home. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

When was the last time you hear this type of passage read out to you in your church assembly?

Some claim it is only those who want to escape the world that teaches such message, some claim it is for those who are not productive. If you are productive you will not even think about such because you are busy.

I ask you this question? If you are made an Ambassador of your nation to a foreign nation and at the back of your mind you will not be in foreign land permanently, will you not consciously remind yourself of the day you will go back to your Home country and with that mind-set knowing that you will return to give account to your Head of State, will you not do all in your power to serve your nation to the best of your ability with the resources at your disposal? The resources at your disposal include:

Free accommodation, financial security, security and secret service agents who watch to protect you and your family till you fulfil your charge, the diplomat building which is under the jurisdiction of your sending nation. Opportunity to be invited to key functions in your host nations where the interest of your Home nation will be presented, the list is endless and in case of major crisis arising in the host nation, you will be recall back to your Home nation!

We are in such situation now. We have been enjoying all these resources (only our greed and the fact that we lost focus of who we are and our assignment has robbed us of abundance of the above resources).

Crisis is mounting up in our Host nations and the people in our Host nations are tired of their governments. They are crying for self-rule. Those under self-rule are also tired of the government they voted into power. I am glad I am an elect child of God without human election so no man need be tired to vote me out of government.

Democracy is the rule of the people by the people.

Beloved our Head of State will soon recall us Home. Re-align yourself with His agenda in your Host nation wherever you are in the world that He sent you to and be expectant.

We are going pretty soon!

Maranatha. Come Lord Jesus!

Who is Isaiah?

Isaiah was a young man whose name means Jehovah saves or Jehovah is Salvation in other word, he was born to believe and have confident reliance on Jehovah.

He was an Old Testament Prophet who lived through the reign of 4 kings in the Southern Kingdom of Israel. (Uzziah, Jothan, Ahaz, Hezekiah)

Young Isaiah regularly enjoyed visit to the royal house as a Prophet and he had access to who was who in the time of King Uzziah who by the way was an outstanding king after David and Solomon.

Even though a prophet he was limited in his prophetic because of distractions due to the achievements of his hero.

Beloved be careful of associating with Achievers of great things that you forget there is greatness in you too. Elisha was close to Elijha but he did not lose his vision of God. Joshua was close to Moses but he did not become his friend! As a matter of fact whenever Moses left the Tabernacle, Joshua stayed behind to seek the same God his master sought after. (Exodus 33:11)

No wonder God appointed him successor. While you idolise achievers, you forget your purpose in life.

NEVER BE COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR UZZIAH THAT YOU FORGET THERE IS A WELL WAITING TO BE DUG IN YOU TOO.

DIG YOUR WELL FOR MANY ARE WAITING TO DRINK WATER FROM IT.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the story of Isaiah was an example of us all.

Isaiah was comfortable as long as his hero was achieving success and everyone was talking about him. The success of his king took hold of him and he forgot he had a higher calling. His prophetic ministry was greatly affected by lack of pursuit of God because of what he focused on.

• Let us ask ourselves this question.

WHAT AND WHO YOU FOCUS ON RIGHT NOW DETERMINE HOW YOU END UP IN LIFE.

Isaiah never asked himself those questions until the day God took his hero away.

Direct or indirect idolisation of your hero will cause God to remove him or her in your life.

Our God is a Jealous God! Exodus 20:4-5.

We are a generation that is raised in comfort so why do you need to pray beyond the comfort zone? Why seek God when you can even buy your way through after all “money is a defence and it answers all things”. Ecclesiastes 7:12

While focusing on your Uzziah, your heart is not fully exalting the Lord but man and his achievements.

The result is to develop ungodly confident in man and Jeremiah 17:5 declares “Thus says the Lord, cursed is the man who trusts in man, (have confidence in man) and makes flesh his strength whose heart departs from the Lord”.

Beloved, we all need the Holy Spirit to help shift our attention from hero worship in this age. Everyone has his or her favourite Bishop, Pastors, Apostles etc… While we pick and chose our hero preachers, we are stuck in our own pursuit of God and the calling of God on our lives become irrelevant to those we are sent to.

Some of us are even in a church where you cannot even say you are chosen for a specific assignment because the set man is the man of the hour! We dress like our heroes, talk like them, walk like them….

As important as our Pastoral ministry is, STOP IDOLISING US! FIND YOUR MINISTRY AND LET US EQUIP YOU TO FULFIL IT BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE FOR YOU.

The PURPOSE OF A LOCAL CHURCH IS TO EQUIP BELIEVERS FOR THE WORK OF THEIR MINISTRY HENCE A PASTOR IS GIVEN ACCORDING TO EPHESIANS 4: 11.

THOSE IN FIVEFOLD MINISTRY ARE TO EQUIP YOU FOR THE WORK OF YOUR OWN MINISTRY.

NOT ALL OF US WILL STEP OUT OF THE LOCAL CHURCH TO PIONEER MINISTRY BUT YOU HAVE A MINISTRY!

Saved for 5years, 10years etc and you are still hooked by hero syndrome and not seeking God for why He took hold of your life.

If your attention is on your Uzziah, and not God, what happen when God remove your hero from you what do you have left?

Beloved, to be an effective believer, your vision must change from today. May your vision of God be renewed.

When you see the Lord, the following will happen to you as it did to Isaiah.

• Vision of God’s Awesomeness & Holiness.

Isaiah 6:1-3. God is bigger than Uzziah. He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all Lord!

When you focus your attention on mortal man, your vision is limited as he is limited. The bigness of our God enables us to live beyond limitation.

Also God is Holy.

You and I cannot serve God until you catch the revelation of His Holy nature.

How can you profess to be a worshipper and servant of Holy God and still be leaving in sin?

How can you profess to be a worshipper and servant of Holy God and be involved in all kind of unfruitful work of darkness that is destroying the progress of your local church?

Beloved the Holiness of God revealed to us causes us to abstain from evil and all unfruitful work of darkness. It is this Holy nature of God that should enable us to focus and run from evil because in His is no darkness at all.

Be ye Holy as Am Holy 1Peter 1:13-16.

• VISION OF YOURSELF.

Until you see the Lord, you will never see yourself as a sinner saved by grace. You will be seeing other people as unclean and deal with them arrogantly.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are all sinners but the Redeemed of the Lord has been saved by His grace. Stop behaving as if you are above the shoulder of other people.

You are not all that yet!

When Isaiah saw the Lord, his statement changed to “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts” Isaiah 6:5.

He also later wrote “ But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like a filthy rags. We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind have taken us away” Isaiah 64:6

While you are busy chasing your hero Bishop, hero Apostle, hero designer, hero Pastor, hero footballer, hero R&B singer etc.. with the intention of dressing like them, talking like them, ministering like them and you believe that their achievement is IT. Beloved what God has in store for you, “eyes has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it enter into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” 1 Corinthians 2:9.

See yourself as a workman in progress and allow the Holy Spirit to clean you and grace you for the journey of greatness.

• VISION OF GOD’S ENABLING POWER TO CLEANSE US WAS REVEALED.

“And he touched my mouth with it, and said: behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged. Isaiah 6:7

Ladies and gentlemen, when your eyes are turned from your Uzziah to the Lord, you will receive the revelation of the cleansing power of the Blood of Jesus. You are now a new creation old things have passed away behold they have become new! 2 Corinthians 5:17.

You cannot be effective in your walk with God with weight of sin hanging on your shoulder. The guilt of sin is unbearable. You must know that your old life is under the Blood of Jesus!

When you also turn to seek the living God with the same passion you use in pursuing your heroes and heroines, you will experience the grace to live a new life.

• VISION OF BEING SENT & HIS MESSAGE FOR THE PEOPLE HE SENT YOU TO: Isaiah 6:8-10

Finally, when Isaiah had the encounter with the Lord, he was able to receive a fresh mandate from God.

There was a call in Heaven as it was in Revelation requesting for a messenger to go with a message to God’s people. Who responded?

A man who had seen the Lord and is no longer afraid, no longer intimidated by human success but Heaven’s Victory!

Isaiah became a man with a different mission on earth after he saw the Lord

Where are you in all these?

It is my prayer that you too will change focus and see the Lord.

It truly makes a difference!