by lighthouse | Feb 29, 2020 | Fasting & Prayers
Empowered To Prosper
Scriptures For Meditation: 1Chr 4:9-10; Gen 1:26-28
What does it mean to be blessed?
Very often when we think about the word “blessing”, many of us have been conditioned to think about it from the perspective of “things”; things being material possessions, or tangible tokens that we can identify as advantageous additions to our lives.
However, that is a very limited way of thinking about blessings — A blessing is not really what you have; it is a mantle that God puts on you to accomplish a purpose; a divine enablement that He bestows upon you to position you to possess what you need to accomplish your assignment.
The tangible “things” that you see are actually just the manifestation of the blessing of God upon your life.
In the Beginning
In the book of Genesis, we are told that the first pronouncement that God made over man was a blessing. God first blessed man and then He gave him an assignment to do. It was the initial blessing that enabled man to accomplish / fulfil that mandate.
In our other scripture today (1Chr 4:9-10) Jabez understood that the way out of the limitations and agonies of his life was not in things, but first in him experiencing an “indeed blessing” from God!
He probably suffered from low self-esteem caused by the label his own mother gave him, but he broke through the wrong identity given to him by calling on the God who made all of mankind to change the story of his life.
And the bible records that God granted him his request!
Dear friend, I prophesy into your life in Jesus’s Name, that God is about to change the story of your life as He grants you your request and favourably answers your petitions.
Prayer Focus
Let’s also pray as Jabez prayed:
• In his prayer, Jabez asked God to undo and nullify the label that was given to him and which had been a yoke around his destiny.
• He prayed to God to have the negative prophetic declaration on his life to be countered — that the ungodly and negative declarations over his life pronounced in his name to be negated and canceled.
• He prayed to God to “Bless me indeed” — Not just a request for God to bless him with things, but rather, with an empowerment to prosper.
• Then he petitioned God to manifest the tokens of blessings in his life
• He prayed for enlargement of his territory — a prayer against limitations, restrictions and stagnation
• He asked for God’s abiding presence — a prayer for favour and grace
• He asked God to “Keep me from all trouble and pain” — a prayer for protection, change and restoration.
• Pray these also concerning the church, and prophetically into the month of March in Jesus’s Name.
Shalom,
Pastor Wale Ola
by lighthouse | Feb 28, 2020 | Fasting & Prayers
More Than Conquerors
Scriptures For Meditation: 2Cor 4:8-18; Rom 8:31-37
As we said in yesterday’s meditation, the reality of life for many believers, is that there is a warfare that we are engaged in, fighting for the fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives.
That being said however, there is a greater reality that tells the story of the victory that Christ has already won for us on Calvary’s cross.
Even though we may be getting buffeted and suffering in many ways on the battlefield, rather than being casualties of war, we are meant to be more than conquerors as the word of the Lord has declared us to be.
We are going to stand strong today in spite of the disappointments, and the delays; we are going to defy our struggles and declare as Paul did:
This one thing I do:
• I will not let the story of my past define my present.
• I will not let my history define my future!
• I will speak up and change the narrative of my story!
•I am not who my history says I am
•I am not who my circumstances say I am!
•I am a victor and not a victim; I am blessed and not cursed.
Prayer Focus:
Dear Lord, I pray that every area of my life will align with the declarations that I have made today.
I pray that church and every area of my life, will be removed from the power and influence of whatever satanic strongholds that may have limited us in any way.
I pray that every plan of the enemy concerning the church, myself and my household in the month of March will be frustrated and aborted in Jesus’s Name.
I pray dear Lord, that your counsel concerning us for the month of March will be fully realised.
I pray that the story of my life will change to agree with what you have written concerning my destiny.
Amen.
Pastor Wale Ola
by lighthouse | Feb 27, 2020 | Fasting & Prayers
Breaking Free From Demonic Strongholds
Scriptures For Meditation: Cor 10:3-6; Luke 11:21-22; Mark 3:27
Our mediation for today will be a follow on from the theme of the message that we heard in church last Sunday.
Excerpts of some of the points that were made in the sermon are highlighted below, to help us pray today as we wait on the Lord.
What’s Your Warfare?
As was said in the sermon, there are many Christians whose lives seem to be locked in a perpetual warfare mode; they are always in one battle or the other, trying hard to keep their head above water as they strive for a semblance of peace or that rest that is proving elusive, in their lives.
It seems like no matter how hard they try, the enemy always has a kind of hook on them that he engages to pull them back several steps, as soon as they take one step forward —The enemy has them locked in a kind of demonic stronghold, from which he exerts his disabling influence over their lives and destinies.
These strongholds have such demonic holds over their lives, that are preventing their stories from changing as God has declared over them in this season.
What Are These Strongholds?
A disabling spirit or a situation that prevents us from moving forward in our walk with God; it hinders our progress into the fullness of what God has for us, or limits us from being fully free to worship and serve Him.
For some people, it can be
• That one prevailing problem that persistently stalks your life — Where Satan seems to have a hook in you.
• Strongholds are those old, difficult, discouraging challenges.
• The various obstacles resembling a fortress which exist, and which are designed and adapted to oppose the knowledge of the truth and the triumph of the Christian’s cause.
Fighting the good fight of faith
Strongholds will keep people from being delivered — to read the word, to understand the word, to pray, to believe what you have read, or to even see that you need deliverance. (It limits or prevents consistency in the Christian walk).
Strongholds exert spiritual influences over the life of a person and hinder the work of God in the life of that person, preventing the power of God from manifesting as it should.
What Freedom Looks Like
When you walk free of strongholds, you will walk free of consistent interruptions in your life — You will walk in the consistent favour of God manifesting in your life and His anointing becomes even more evident in your life.
Prayer Focus
Demonic Strongholds are established and entrenched in a believer’s life, wherever there is darkness. Unconfessed Sin and ignorance of the truth of God’s word, are the two main grounds of darkness that enable these strongholds in the life of a believer!
Go through the lists below, and confront the ones that God will minister to you specifically, with confession and repentance.
He may also bring some other things not mentioned here to your notice.
Checklist
SIN — manifests in different ways; some of these are:
• Anger – a powerful stronghold in many Christians’ lives.
• Malice and unforgiveness are also powerful strongholds that need to be confronted in the life of the believer.
• Lust
• Doubt and unbelief
• Rebellion and disobedience (James 4:17)
• Addictions
IGNORANCE
Lies of the enemy that are contrary to the truth of God’s word concerning your life; things that the enemy has used to attack and limit you.
Some Examples of these are:
• Poverty — lack of resources you need to fulfil purpose
• Sickness
• Grief
• Fear
• Barrenness and Stagnation
• Strife and Contention
• Low self-esteem
• Depression
• Rejection
• Persistent Failure or Fear of Failure
Pray that God will destroy every stronghold that may be in your mind, that has prevented the truth of God’s word from taking root and prospering in your life.
Pray that the light of God’s glory will expose and chase out the darkness that may be in your life through sin or ignorance.
Pray to God to demolish these strongholds from your life and bring you out from under the influence of their disabling power. (Eph 1:15-23; Col 1:9-14)
Ask that God will establish His own stronghold in and over your life, that will make your life an inaccessible fortress, safe and secure from the attacks and wiles of the enemy. (Ps 18:2)
Pray this prayer for your family / household, your business, ministry, career.
Pray the same prayer for this church and for the church family.
Shalom,
Pastor Wale Ola
