Word Practitioners Ministry, 29, Helpeston Road (2024)

30/08/2024

30.08.24

30/08/2024

30.06.24

29/08/2024

DATE: FRIDAY 29TH AUGUST 2024
TOPIC: SEND DOWN FIRE (PT.5)
SUB-TOPIC: CUT THE BULLOCK
BIBLE TEXT: 1KG.18v30-35
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
Prior to the coming of the Lord Jesus with the sacred mission to perform the ultimate sacrifice for sin, bullock represented about the biggest sacrificial object to the Lord. In the book of Jdg.6v26 the bible says:
And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
It is clear from the scripture above and many more that bullock have in them sacrificial value of no mean worth. However, when Jesus came, He ended the cycle of sacrificing bullocks and other animals by being sacrificed on the cross of Calvary where He announced that “it is finished” (Jn.19v30). The secret behind this once and for all sacrifice was found in the book of Heb.10v5 which reads as follows:
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
That of course involved the cutting (wounding) of His body beyond recognition as spoken of in prophecy in Is.53v5. As a sacrificial animal, Jesus died completely in surrender for the will of God to be done. In like manner the bible admonishes us to present our body as living sacrifice unto the Lord as our reasonable service (Rm.12v1).
The above then will require us to die as every sacrificial object has to die. Hence the bible says in 1Pet.2v24 as follows:
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Apostle Paul said in Gal.6v14 as follows:
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
In other words, the world was crucified unto him, and he unto the world. To this extent therefore, what is expected of all Christians is as shown in Rm.6v11 where we are admonished to reckon ourselves as being dead to sin. Living the Christian life involves the following in the barest minimum:
a. Tit.2v12- Denying Ungodliness
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world denying worldly lust by living soberly
b. Gal.5v24 crucifying the flesh and its affection
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
c. 2Tim.2v22 fleeing youthful lust
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
The fire only comes on dead sacrificial animal (1Kg.18v38) immersed in the water of the word of God. Are you still alive to your world or alive to our God?
PRAYERS:
FATHER IN THE NAME OF JESUS I DECLARE THAT I AM DEAD TO LUST BUT FULLY ALIVE TO GOD-RM.6v11
BRO. TOBI ARIKAWE

29/08/2024

29.08.24

29/08/2024

29.08.24

28/08/2024

DATE: THURSDAY 29TH AUGUST 2024
TOPIC: SEND DOWN FIRE (PT.4)
SUB-TOPIC: WOOD IN ORDER
BIBLE TEXT: 1KG.18v30-35
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
Every fireplace like the altar needs the wood or similar object in place to sustain the fire when ignited and we must not forget that the fire must keep burning on the altar and must never go out according to Lev.6v19.
Wood according to dictionary is the main substance of trunk or a tree used for fuel. It is interesting to know that Jesus prophetically was described as being a rod in Is.11v1-2 that says as follows:
1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
In other words, Jesus the one who has the seven spirits of God (Rev.3v1) is the Wood of the trunk of Jesse. Equally interesting to note is that the same Jesus addressed as the wood in Is.11v1-2 wears another identity in Jn.1v1 as seen below:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same personality prophetically declared Wood was called the Word of God.
Brethren, having identified the altar as a descriptive figure for our hearts and now the wood as the word of God, it is imperative to see what the bible says about laying the word in the chambers of our hearts. This simply means putting the wood on the altar to generate fire:
Job 22v22.
Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
Pr.7v1
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
Deut.11v18
Therefore, shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
WHY LAY UP THE WORD IN OUR HEARTS
i. Job 22v24 Blessing
Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
Brethren, we need to understand that one of the effects of the Holy Spirit in the lives of a people is the outpouring of blessing of God over such a people as revealed by Is.44v3. It is also important to note that the blessing of Abraham is a spiritual code for the Holy Spirit (Gal.3v14).
ii. Job 22v25 Protection
Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
The raw and practical effect of carrying the blessing (Holy Spirit) is protection (Is.65v8). Never forget that the wood being the word of God also doubles in spiritual warfare as the sword of the Spirit (Eph.6v17) sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb.4v12).
iii. Job 22v26 Love for God
For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
The Holy Spirit helps not only in our communication with God (Rm.8v26) but also helps to spread the love of God abroad in our hearts (Rm.5v5). We must always remember that the fruit of the Spirit is love (Gal.5v22).
iv. Job 22v27-28 Answer
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
The whole dynamics of prayers changes when the wood is laid on the altar. This is because the Holy Ghost takes over and helps our infirmity in that regard by praying for us (Rm.8v26). We must equally not forget that the prayer that would be answered is that prayer that has element of engagement of the heart (Jer.30v21 & 1Sam.1v13) and also in accordance with the will or word of God (1Jn.5v14).
PRAYERS:
FATHER IN THE NAME OF JESUS I DECLARE THAT MY HEART RETAINS ALL OF YOUR WORDS AND MY MOUTH DECLARES YOUR COUNSEL –PR.4v4
BRO. TOBI ARIKAWE

28/08/2024

28.08.4

28/08/2024

DATE: WEDNESDAY 28TH AUGUST 2024
TOPIC: SEND DOWN FIRE (PT.3)
SUB-TOPIC: FIXING REQUIREMENTS
BIBLE TEXT: 1KG.18v30-35
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
The need to repair the altar being our hearts have been stressed and can never be overemphasized. However, the unanswered question is how can we repair this altar? If we must experience the flood of the fire of the Holy Ghost in our hearts, some refurbishment must take place as seen done by Elijah in verse 30-32 herein again reproduced:
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
He repaired and used a 12 stone as the major raw material of reconstruction of our hearts. We shall be looking at some of the essential of repair and the 12 stones.
HOW TO REPAIR THE ALTAR (HEART)
i. Jer.4v3-4 Breaking and Cutting
3 For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Every builder needs to ensure that certain fixtures on the building sites are completely cut off or broken depending on their nature. The bible says that we should break fallow ground or cut off the foreskins of our hearts. This simply means that we cannot hold previous attitudes, company, beliefs, traditions and mentality and expect the fire of the Holy Ghost in our lives. Imaginations and thoughts contrary to the Holy Ghost order would have to be completely dismantled (2Cor.10v5).
ii. Ez.36v25-26 Clean Water
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Anyone that has ever visited a construction site would notice that the role of water cannot be overemphasized. The same applies to heart reconstruction that will facilitate the fireplace for the Holy Ghost. The water here according to Eph.5v26 is the word of God for cleansing our lives. The same truth was shared by David in Ps.119v9 that the word is cleansing agent. This was also the averment of the Lord Jesus in Jn.15v3 which says as follows:
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
iii. Deut.30v2 Obedience
And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
Listening or reading the word would not build a new heart but it would take obedience to the word to bring out a new heart in us that has the ability to ignite and contain Holy Ghost fire. According to Zech.6v15 building is predicated upon obedience to the word of God. This is how the scripture quoted presents it:
And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.
Jesus said in Lk.6v47-48 that doing His word is the raw material for building house on the rock. One of the things the word requires us to do is in Mt.18v34-35 that requires forgiveness as a must.
iv. 1Pet.2v4-5 Unity
4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
It is important for us to understand that no single altar is made up of just one stone but by stones (Deut.27v5 &1Kg.18v32) connected to the chief corner stone (1Pet.2v6). This talks more about being united with other brethren in Christ. The fire came in the upper room when there was proof of unity (Act.2v1-3). You can’t be an effective altar independent of other stones.
PRAYERS:
FATHER IN THE NAME OF JESUS WE DESTROY MENTALITY OF DENOMINATIONALISM IN THE BODY OF CHRIST AND BREAK EVERY ROCK OF DISOBEDIENCE AND UNFORGIVENESS-1COR.3v4
BRO. TOBI ARIKAWE

28/08/2024

28.8,24

27/08/2024

27.08.24

27/08/2024

27.08.24

27/08/2024

DATE: TUESDAY 27TH AUGUST 2024
TOPIC: SEND DOWN FIRE (PT.2)
SUB-TOPIC: FIX THE ALTAR
BIBLE TEXT: 1KG.18v30-35
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
As seen in our previous teaching, the Fire (Holy Ghost) is the answer to all of the drought affecting the destiny of any land or any man. From the bible text above however, it is quite clear that the Holy Spirit does not answer everyone but answers only those who have made adequate preparation for Him. As seen in the text, one very important thing that Elijah did was to fix the altar as a matter of priority (1Kg.18v30). The altar is the place where the heaven will always meet the earth in the lives of any people. By revelation we know that the altar represent for each and every one of us our hearts. You will recall that the altar according to Ex.27v1, 37v25 and 38v1 and other scriptures shall be foursquare. Biology reveals also that the hearts of men is made up of 4 chambers.
The significance of the altar cannot be overemphasized and in all areas, there is an intrinsic link between our hearts and the altar and I will set out a few significance of what altar stands for in the next few lines:
a. Gen.12v7 Place of encounter
And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.
Every genuine encounter proceeds from the altar of our hearts as Deut.4v29 says as follows:
But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
We must never forget that God relates with us not on the basis of our facial look but on the basis of our heart. In the counsel of David to his Solomon when the latter was about to succeed him as the king of Israel in 1Chr.28v9 the bible says as follows:
And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
Similar expression is found in 1Sam.16v7 where it is established that God does not look at our faces but our hearts. This happened when Samuel was about to anoint Eliab as a King based on his facial and physical qualities.
b. Lev.4v26 Place of forgiveness
And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.
The forgiveness of God is freely given at the altar and as such God expects us to forgive others from our hearts as seen in Mt.18v35 that says:
So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
c. Deut.11v16 Place of worship
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them.
The words of our Lord Jesus in Jn.4v21 to the effect that acceptable worship of the Lord is not primarily a function of any physical mountain. One cannot but conclude that it is something of the heart. The altar is a place of worship and the same applies to our hearts. Until the heart of Solomon was turned away, he was a God worshipper but immediately it was turned away he became a worshipper of other gods according to 1Kg.11v3-8.
d. 1Chr.22v19 Place of covenant
Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the Lord.
Every place a covenant is enacted becomes an altar because of the issue of blood and it requires the hearts of the parties to drive at fulfilment of the terms therein according to 2Chr.15v12 which says as follows:
And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;
e. Rev.8v3-4 Place of prayer
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Wherever prayer is said is a holy altar where there is meeting between the mortal man and the immortal prayer answering God. However, the truth is no prayer is reckoned with in the courts of our God if they do not proceed from the hearts based on the revelation of the truth of the case of Hannah’s prayer protocol that delivered instant answer in 1Sam.1v13 that says as follows:
Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
Similarly, the bible says in 2Sam.7v27 as follows:
For thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.
f. Gen.8v20 Place of sacrifice
And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Altar of sacrifice is one that God honours so greatly. However, we are made to understand that the most respected of all the altars of sacrifice God honours is premised on what we have written in Ps.51v17 which says that:
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
From the above, we see that the only sacrifice that God cannot ignore is that of the broken heart.
PRAYERS:
FATHER IN THE NAME OF JESUS I DECLARE MY HEART IS FIXED AND PERFECT BEFORE YOU FOR YOU TO SHOW YOURSELF STRONG ON MY BEHALF-2CHR.16v9
BRO. TOBI ARIKAWE

26/08/2024

26.08.24

26/08/2024

26.08.24

25/08/2024

DATE: MONDAY 26TH AUGUST 2024
TOPIC: SEND DOWN FIRE (PT.1)
SUB-TOPIC: FIRE DIAGNOSIS
BIBLE TEXT: 1KG.18v36-39
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
The truth is we serve a very loving God who has the best plan for us as revealed in Jer.29v11. However, we often miss out on the goodness of God not because of His inability to deliver but largely because of our unwillingness to receive by faith what He has promised. Oftentimes this is occasioned by our sinful lives as seen in Is.59v1-2 that says as follows:
1Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
In the preceding verses and chapters leading to our text above, we understand that the whole of the nation of Israel had been without rain for over three years and this undoubtedly had very negative impact on the lives of the people. In answer to the quest of the people for rain Elijah was seen calling for fire. Could this have been a mistake or insensitivity on the part of Elijah? The truth is all the blessings we can ever receive here on earth are originally made and reserved for us in heavenly places in the realm of the spirit according to Eph.1v3. The real issue is not in the physical but more in the spiritual. For instance, in Is.44v3 the bible makes it clear that what precedes the blessing desired on our offspring is the Holy Spirit. We also understand by revelation that the real blessing of Abraham is the Holy Spirit (Gal.3v14).
Brethren, when our physical, financial, marital and academics health are compromised, the real issue to be resolved is not the symptom but the root cause which is the health of our spirit. Elijah understood the need for the nation of Israel to be fixed spiritually hence his call for fire of the Lord. In the days of David, when there was a devastating plague, we are told in 1Chr.21v26 that God answered by fire and that terminated the killer plague that had claimed the lives of thousands. It is instructive to remind us that the fire represents the Holy Spirit of God according to Mt.3v11-12 which says as follows:
11I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
It is therefore clear that it will take the help of the Holy Spirit to get out of our lives and systems anything that contaminates our destiny, ensure our harvest and also destroy every chaff of the enemies in any area of our lives. In fact, without the Holy Spirit we would remain ever vulnerable to the wicked ones who afflict with all manner of evils but the dynamics of authority changes when the Holy Spirit indwells us (Act.1v8 & Ps.66v3).
PRAYERS:
FATHER IN THE NAME OF JESUS I CONFESS I AM EMPTY AND ALSO THIRSTY, FILL ME WITH THE HOLY GHOST WITHOUT MEASURE-ACT.2v4
BRO. TOBI ARIKAWE

25/08/2024

25.08.24

24/08/2024

24/08/24

23/08/2024

23.08.24

23/08/2024

23/08/24

23/08/2024

DATE: FRIDAY 23RD AUGUST 2024
TOPIC: COMPROMISE: PEOPLE FACTOR (Pt.6b)
SUB-TOPIC: BENEFITS OF NOT COMPROMISING
BIBLE TEXT: EST.6v6-10
6 So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?
7 And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,
8 Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:
9 And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
10 Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.
Yesterday we looked at the eternity side of the blessing of being steadfast but today we shall conclude the series by looking at life of Mordecai who did not compromise his faith and what he got in return on this side of life.
NON-COMPROMISE BENEFITS
i. Honour-Est.6v9
As seen in our text for the day, we saw that Mordecai became a recipient of royal honour without begging for it. We see this also being the case for Joseph and Daniel among others in the bible.
ii. Victory-Est.6v13
Though Mordecai was not even fighting with Haman, it was the former that ended up prevailing at all times. This is because having stood up for God in an uncompromising posture, God is committed to defend them even in the midst of fiery furnace or the den of lion (Dan.3 and Dan.6). You remember that the brothers of Joseph who hated him also came bowing for him in Egypt. The fear of Mordecai propelled the Jews to victory against all their enemies (Est.9v3-5 &10).
iii. Promotion-Est.10v3
The quest for change of level has made many to compromise. Real promotion does not come from compromise it comes from God (Ps.75v6).From prison Joseph ended his journey in the palace and the same was the case with Daniel who reigned in Babylon for about 65 years with 4 different kings. Here we see Mordecai that started as a slave Gateman got promoted to highest office in the land after the king’s.
PRAYER:
FATHER IN THE NAME OF JESUS, LET SHAME, DEFEAT AND DEMOTION BECOME A THING OF THE PAST IN MY LIFE AND FAMILY-PS.25v2
BRO. TOBI ARIKAWE

22/08/2024

22/08/24

22/08/2024

22.08.24

16/08/2024

DATE: FRIDAY 16TH AUGUST 2024
TOPIC: COMPROMISE: PEOPLE FACTOR (Pt.4)
SUB-TOPIC: DANGERS OF COMPROMISE
BIBLE TEXT: 1SAM.15v21-26
21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.
22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.
26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
Having looked at the various factors leading to compromise, we shall be looking at some of the repercussions of compromise to further our resolve not to compromise.
DANGERS OF COMPROMISE
i. Rejection/Replacement-1Sam.15v23&28
It is true that the calling and gift of God are without repentance (Rm.11v29) and this should not be taken as liberty to compromise because God reserves the right to do what He has called you to do through another person. Saul was called and anointed to be a king but was rejected and replaced because of compromise. When Judas compromised the bible says let another take his office (Act.1v20). According to LK.19v40 it does not cost God anything to get replacement of compromising children with stones (God forbid).
ii. Loss/Calamity-Jonah 1v3-5
Compromise may bring temporary material gains but ultimately it will always lead to loss and calamity. Judas initially gained 30 pieces of silver but the loss of his life made his compromise a regrettable calamity. The compromise of Jonah led to calamity and loss of everything on the sea. Gehazi lost the opportunity of becoming the Prophet of the land and gained hereditary leprosy at the expense of his compromise in 2Kg.5v27. The only gain of Samson from the laps of Delilah was loss of eyes, dignity and life.
iii. Curse-Gen.3v17
According to Deut.11v26 the choice is always between blessings and curse. Compromise is a trigger for curse regardless efforts taken to receive the blessing. Esau who had compromised his birth right for a morsel of meat worked hard to receive the blessing but missed it (Heb.12v16-17). The world system was cursed by God because of the compromise of Adam.
iv. Vanity/Emptiness-2Kg.17v15
Solomon talked about vanity 32 out of 79 mention in the bible. He was stupendously blessed but compromise created a feeling of emptiness and could not see any fulfilment (Ecc.2v11 & 5v10). The bible says they shall eat and yet not be satisfied (Mic.6v14). Wealth gotten by compromise is akin to partridge sitting on eggs but won’t ever hatch them and ultimately untimely death (Jer.17v11).
PRAYER:
FATHER IN THE NAME OF JESUS, HELP ME NOT TO RUN AFTER MONEY AND END UP MISSING THE BLESSING-2KG.5v26-27
BRO. TOBI ARIKAWE