by lighthouse | Oct 31, 2020 | Fasting & Prayers, News & Announcements
FIGHT WITH PURPOSE
Scripture For Meditation — 1Cor 9:24-27; Prov 20:18; Pro 24:3-6
The Lord is returning us once again to one of the scriptures that we read on Day 1 of our fasting and prayers – 1 Cor 9:24—27
A few years ago, I was going through a time of fasting and prayers “engaging the enemy in spiritual warfare”. It was one of those times of prayer when you feel so connected and anointed and feel that you can take on the world. In the midst of my smugness and bravado, God spoke a word to me, that promptly punctured my bubble —
Weapons don’t win wars, strategies do!
Yesterday, we talked about how with all the superior armament of the American and Allied forces, they were being outwitted by an enemy that was significantly less equipped, but very strategic in their approach to warfare. To win the war, the allied forces had to review their strategies and come up with the appropriate plans to outwit the enemy.
The core of the text that we will be focusing on today is verse 26, and the salient point of our mediation today is very simple.
Before the statement that he made in verse 26, Paul had been talking about the need to be intentional and focussed in the pursuit of purpose — Aiming to run in order to get the prize; training with discipline in order to compete well.
And in verse 26, Paul declares:
So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. (NLT)
The New International Version puts it slightly differently —
Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.
There are too many of us Christians praying what I like to call “Machine Gun Prayers”; swinging and spraying and hoping something hits. The Lord is calling on us today, to be strategic in our prayers, to be purposeful in our warfare.
In Pro 20:18 the bible tells us that—
Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice.
And again in Prov 24:3-6 the Bible says:
Pro 24:3 A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense.
Pro 24:4 Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.
Pro 24:5 The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.
Pro 24:6 So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisers.
Prayer Focus
Let’s take a break from our “warfare” today, and seek the face and counsel of the Lord, first to understand what our real warfare is, and then to understand what appropriate weapons He has put at our disposal to fight the war.
Let’s pray to understand the wiles or strategies that the enemy has been using to hinder us or is deploying against us in this season that we are in.
Let’s ask God to show us the strategies that we must apply to gain the victory over the enemy in order to fulfil the divine purpose for our lives!
Let’s pray for the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit to confront the enemy and appropriate the victory that God secured for us through the finished works of Christ on Calvary’s Cross. Hallelujah!
Let’s thank God for the victory that is inevitably ours, and go forth in faith and confidence as we regain lost ground and take new territories in the power of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’s Name.
Amen.
Pastor Wale Ola
Prayer & Fasting Corporate Prayers
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by lighthouse | Oct 30, 2020 | Fasting & Prayers, News & Announcements
NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER
Scriptures For Meditation: Heb 10:35-39; Isa 40:27-31
A few years ago at the peak of the Gulf War, I remember listening to a US Army General give an interview after his forces had suffered some casualties in the hands of the insurgents.
The interviewer had wondered why the allied forces in spite of their superior numerical, tactical and weaponry advantages, were still finding it difficult to contain the enemy forces.
The answer that he gave the interviewer in response to the question had stuck in my mind ever since that day.
He said:
“The most dangerous enemy that you can face is an enemy that has no escape plans or an exit strategy.”
He explained that one of the core elements of warfare strategy and planning is to ensure the safe return of the forces from any course of action that is pursued. So the overall consideration of viability of a plan would not just be based on what you are able to achieve, but was oftentimes, also assessed with an eye on the potential loss of lives necessary to achieve that objective —You want to be able to lead your men into battle but also, to bring them safely back home.
He went on to make the point that there is an inherent weakness in every battle plan, when you also have to keep an eye on the exit strategy; and when you encounter an enemy on the battle ground who has come on a one-way suicide mission and has no distractions about thinking of escaping, you really are up against it!
He would take risks that you wouldn’t consider, go places that you won’t go and do things that many “right thinking” people would not even countenance.
What’s Your Exit Strategy?
As this came to my mind again today, I realise that perhaps one of the reasons that many believers face an uphill battle against the enemy is because some of us are fighting with an eye on an exit strategy!
In our relationships, careers, marriages, ministry engagements, and different areas of our lives, we may have unwittingly programmed failure into our endeavours because we have made room for an “if this doesn’t work I’ll try that” or maybe “if this doesn’t work , I’m out of here” attitude in our planning. We have a built-in exit strategy ready to go!
When Esther faced the king on behalf of her nation, she went in without an exit strategy. When Jesus was confronted with the cross, He had no exit strategy. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced the fiery furnace, they had no exit strategy.
My dear friend, it is time for you to let the enemy know that you have no exit strategy in pursuit of God’s call on your life and your God-given vision. There will be no retreat, there will be no surrender!
May God bless, refresh and strengthen you as wait on Him in Jesus’s Name.
Shalom!
Pastor Wale Ola
Prayer Focus
Following on from yesterday, God is calling us to a place of enduring commitment to the advancement of His purposes.
Make a declaration of your faith in God by recommitting yourself to the fulfilment of His plans concerning your life.
Confess and repent of any doubts or slackening of your faith or commitment to the assignment that God has given you or generally in your walk with Him.
Let’s pray for grace to hold on firmly to the promises of God concerning our lives.
Let’s pray for the release of a fresh anointing for breakthrough in the season that we are in.
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by lighthouse | Oct 29, 2020 | Fasting & Prayers, News & Announcements
RUN TO WIN
Scriptures For Meditation: 2Tim 2:1-4; 1Cor 9:24-27
2Ti 2:1 Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 2:2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
2Ti 2:3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
2Ti 2:4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.
2Ti 2:5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules.

The theme of this month’s fasting and prayers is Standing Strong In The Lord and Finishing The Race.
More than at any other time that most people can remember especially over the last century, the events of the few months have shaken the foundation of their faith.
People’s faith in humanity has seen a battering with the evil tendencies of man against his fellow man being exposed in despicable acts of racism and wanton violence all across the globe.
Many are finding and lending their voice in protest and social action to try and address the situation, and many are turning the searchlight on the church, finding faults and cracks, and then questioning the reason or even the need for its existence, or for their continued affiliation with it.
Friend, this sentiment may be closer home than you think. The struggles and pressures that the events of 2020 have wreaked on people emotionally, financially, physically and socially, have had great spiritual consequences that are beginning to take a toll on their faith or walk with God. Many are simply exhausted and overwhelmed!
We will do well to remember Paul’s charge to his protege and son in the Lord, Timothy, in our scripture reading for today.
Stay Strong In His Grace
First, Paul admonishes Timothy to continue with the work the Lord had commissioned him to do. That my friend, is also God’s first charge to you in these times that we are in. You must continue diligently and steadfastly in the work that God has put in your hands to do —
Be strong in the Lord through the grace that you have in Christ Jesus.
Endure Hardship
Then Paul encourages him to endure the hardship that was inevitable in his walk with God. He uses the analogy of the attitude of a model soldier to put his charge across.
We must also remember this as believers —
Hardship is part and parcel of our Christian walk which we must endure and push through, as we serve in the Lord’s vineyard.
Disentangle Yourself, Stay Focused
Next, Paul cautions Timothy that as a soldier of Christ, he must not be so entangled or immersed in worldly affairs and sentiments, that he loses focus on his core assignment. This is so that he may please the Lord who has called and enlisted him into His army.
Compete To Win
And finally, Paul drives home his point by reminding him that he must compete to win. You don’t get any prizes for just showing up and participating —
You must endure to the end and compete in accordance to the rules to win the prize!
Change Your Clothes
My dear friend, you’ve come too far to give up or draw back now.
It’s time to take off your civilian attire and put your war clothes back on! There’s a battle to be fought and a victory to be claimed. The war has already been won for us on the cross of Calvary. Hallelujah!
The Captain of the Lord’s Host is leading you into battle; Jehovah Sabbaoth is raising His standard over you —
You will not die on the battle field neither will you be vanquished By the enemy.
Stay The Course!
Just stay strong and endure and you will experience the victory that is yours in Christ Jesus!
Shalom,
Pastor Wale Ola
PRAYER FOCUS
Ask God for a fresh supply of His grace to walk the walk and to do the work He has commissioned you to do.
Ask Him to show you the areas of your life where you may have become entangled or distracted by the “affairs of the world”.
Dedicate those areas and those things to Him, and ask Him to give you the grace to fully yield them up to Him.
Pray for the help of the Holy Spirit to bring the necessary changes and implement the adjustments to address and correct the lapses.
Pray for the grace not just to participate and show up, but to run in alignment with the demands of your calling and His assignment, for your life, and to complete the race and win the prize in Jesus’s Name.
Amen.
Prayer & Fasting Corporate Prayers
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