“So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed” (Acts 19:20)
 
What is your thinking when you observe needs and challenges in your city? Do you see them as a problem or as an opportunity? When you become conscious of the fact that you’re God’s change-agent, and you possess a Gospel that can change anything and anyone, all you’ll see will be opportunities!

God has sent you into the world as His agent of change, and that’s one of the reasons for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus preached in Israel, the ministry of the Holy Spirit had not taken full force, so even with the mighty miracles and powerful sermons, some did not believe. After three years of remarkable ministry, and massive crusades, He had only 120 disciples left.

But when the dispensation of the Spirit came, Peter, full of the Spirit, preached once, and 3000 were impacted in their hearts! The next time he spoke, 5000 believed, and in a few days Jerusalem was turned upside down. That's the Holy Spirit that has been granted us!
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You are influential; never think you don't have what it takes. Naturally you might not, but that's why He sent the Holy Spirit. Now you have all ability available to you through the Spirit to change anything. Be even more confident in the ability of the Spirit through you today.

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea 10:12
A fallow ground refers to a piece of land that has been left uncultivated for a period of time. To reuse this piece of land for planting, it has to be broken up and softened so that it can receive seed for a harvest. This is akin to the state of the heart of men and one reason why as a soul winner, your prayer is important, because it ‘breaks up the fallow ground’ and creates a suitable environment for the Word to be sown.
Remember, God’s Word is seed. And for a good seed to germinate and bear fruits, it must be planted in the right environment where it can grow. In the same way, when you minister the Word, it must fall on good soil of the hearts of those that listen to you. This is why you must pray, so that the hearts of your listeners are made receptive to the Word.
Zechariah 10:1 says “Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.” Glory! He says ask, as you ask in prayers, intercessions, and supplications for the lost, He will make the bright clouds available and give the showers of rain. Then when you go out, and the souls are prepared to hear you; the Word comes on good soil, broken up and softened by prayer, and it produces the desired results. Hallelujah!


Put these principles to work as you win souls for the Lord!

Pastor Chris points out four important areas of preparation:Effusive moments sprang across the auditorium at the magnificent LoveWorld Crusade Grounds and widespread viewing centers with participants from around the world, as LoveWorld President, Reverend (Dr.) Chris Oyakhilome released the timely prophetic word of the new year, 2021. He declared 2021 to be 'the Year of Preparation' at the Global New Year's Eve Service. The global audience received God's Word to them with palpable joy and unprecedented celebration with readiness to act on the Word. 
Expounding further, Pastor Chris heralded that God is building His Church through His people and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Reading from Amos 4:10-12, the man of God charged the global participants to prepare their hearts to serve the Lord and to make preparations for the house of the Lord. 'Prepare with the gospel' was the third point spelt out by Pastor Chris as he read from Ephesians 6:15; "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." LoveWorld President finally urged participants to prepare to meet God emphasizing that the Church has entered a time of preparation. 'We are in the last days, the closing moments of the world', he remarked.

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).

Some have asked if Christians who never won souls to Christ would go to heaven. Their question is based on what the Lord said in Ezekiel 33:2-6 (read entire text). There’re three important reasons you must preach the Gospel and win souls as a Christian. First is your faith in the Lord Jesus and His glorious Gospel. The second reason is your love for Him and hope of His soon return. The third reason is His instruction for us to win souls. These three reasons should compel you to win souls.

If you don’t win souls, then your love for the Lord is questionable. Also, your hope of heaven is called to question, as well as your obedience to the Master’s instruction. So if you’re not a soul winner, it means you really don’t believe, and heaven isn’t a place for the “unbelieving,” as it isn’t for murderers, idolaters, etc. Revelation 21:8 says, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

God has determined that souls be won to His Kingdom, and He’s given us the responsibility to locate the lost in our world and share the Gospel with them. Therefore, you MUST reach the unreached and bring them to Christ; it’s your primary and solemn responsibility as a child of God.

The Apostle Paul, recognizing this, writes, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ…” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20). Be fully committed to the Gospel and its furtherance around the world.

PRAYER:
Dear Father, I thank you for making me an able minister of the New Testament, to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. I fulfil my calling with boldness, faith, courage and conviction. The light of your glorious Gospel shines brightly through me today, bringing men out of darkness, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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FURTHER STUDY: Romans 1:16; Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 3:6

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

When we say, “Jesus is Lord,” it’s much more than a religious expression; it means He’s One with supreme authority. He’s Master and Ruler; He’s the One to be reverenced and adored! That’s what “Lord” means.
Some have only been acquainted with Him as Saviour, but He’s more than a Saviour. He’s the One that has the pre-eminence, and to whom service and obedience are due. You must know Jesus in this light and walk in this consciousness every day. In your family, business, academics, job, finances and everything that has to do with your life, relate to Him as Lord! In other words, let Him have supremacy and ascendancy. Let Him have the final say in all that concerns you.

Remember, He’s the only wise God; therefore, submit to the supremacy of His will, counsel and wisdom. And if you’ve never been born again, if you haven’t yet made Jesus the Lord of your life, say this prayer and mean it with all your heart: “O Lord God, I believe with all my heart in Jesus Christ, Son of the living God. I believe He died for me and God raised Him from the dead. I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life. Through Him and in His Name, I have eternal life; I’m born again. Thank you Lord, for saving my soul! I’m now a child of God. Hallelujah!”

CONFESSION:
Lord Jesus, I recognize you as my Lord, Master and Ruler, the One to whom I belong and that has the final say in my life. I believe with all my heart and declare with my mouth that you’re Lord over everything in heaven, in the earth, and under the earth. I walk in the consciousness and revelation of your greatness, dominion and lordship today. Amen.
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FURTHER STUDY:1 Timothy 6:15-16; Acts 10:36;

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves… (2 Corinthians 13:5).
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There’re those who think the Lord permits calamities or is responsible for misfortunes that people suffer. It’s like the fellow who lamented, “I’m out serving God, working for Him every day; yet, He allowed the devil to kill my baby.” But that can’t be true! The Lord isn’t responsible for evil or the mishaps that people experience; it’s not consistent with His nature. He is love personified; there’s no darkness in Him.

Whatever you may have suffered that’s inconsistent with the provisions of Christ in His Gospel, didn’t come from God. Life is spiritual and you’re responsible for your life—the things that happen with you. It’s about your faith and how you use it. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, “…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” This is a sovereign declaration; the question is, what are you doing with your faith? How are you putting your faith to work?

The Bible says, “Now the just shall live by faith…” (Hebrews 10:38). Using your faith to deal with the crises of life every day is your responsibility. James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” That’s the key; doing the Word. You act your faith by “doing” the Word; we’re Word practitioners.

If things aren’t working out as you expect them to, the fault isn’t with God, for He is perfect. Since He’s perfect, then you have to check elsewhere for what might have gone wrong. It could be that you didn’t
understand Him or His Word well enough. Perhaps you didn’t do exactly what He said; or maybe your timing was wrong. Therefore, the right thing to do will be to examine your own faith as read in our theme verse.

The life of faith given to us isn’t a deception. The Lord isn’t hiding behind faith so He wouldn’t do what He said He’d do. Faith always works. If it didn’t work, then it wasn’t faith. Keep growing your faith by
increasing your knowledge of the Word.


PRAYER

Dear Father, you’re perfect and in you there’s no variableness, neither shadow of turning. I take charge of my life, growing my faith through the Word and strengthening it by use. I thus produce victories and
triumphs in every situation and circumstance, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:
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Psalm 18:30; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Hebrews 13:8
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Romans 6:15-7:1-6 & Psalms 60-63
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Ephesians 5:9-16 & Isaiah 53

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows) (John 10:10 AMPC).

I’ve always loved the window sitting on a flight. A window seat offers great views; it affords one the unique opportunity to be inspired by the things you see from such a high altitude: the icy expanse of the Arctic, the glistening peaks of the Alps, the Andes, the clouds, etc. Every so often, as I look out and savour the beauty and wonder of God’s creation, I say, “Blessed Father, you’re amazing! There’s so much beauty!”

Thus, before arriving at my destination, I enjoy the journey. Life is that way too; a journey to be enjoyed. Between now and when the Master comes back, there’s a lot to enjoy; therefore, no one should live a
frustrated life. If you’d learn to pay attention to all the beautiful things and people around you, to enjoy them, you’d live happy every day.

It’s a wise choice when you make up your mind to enjoy your life and yourself even in simple things. Some don’t even enjoy their meals; they always rush it angrily. Others wake up angry; even while driving or commuting to their place of work, business or school, they’re angry, unhappy and frustrated. They ignore all the love and beauty around them.

Read our theme verse again: Jesus came that we may have and also enjoy life! Enjoying your life isn’t only about going for a game show, or watching a comedy, or engaging in some adventure. Rather, it means enjoying every moment of life’s journey; enjoying everything you do, as long as it’s consistent with a godly life, because you’re a child of God and you know God is fulfilling His dream through you.

God has given you a life of joy, but you have the responsibility to express it. Let the joy of the Lord be evident in your life with such radiance that fully expresses the peace of God in you. Make a conscious choice to enjoy the moments of your life.
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CONFESSION
The Lord has given me all things richly to enjoy. He’s brought me into a life of rest, full of joy and glory. Nothing is too good for me. I’m full of joy today, living the great life of righteousness, health, wealth,
prosperity, and success that I have in Christ. Glory to God!

But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame (1 Corinthians 1:27 CEV).


God’s Word is so simple. His instructions may sound or seem trifling, but when carried out, they always produce the supernatural. Imagine that while in Church on a service day the Pastor says, “Tell three people, ‘I’m blessed and victorious.’” You might say to yourself, “I don’t have to do that.” Why? It sounds too simple to mean anything. But that’s where many have missed it. Our theme verse says God confounds the mighty with simple, little things.

Think about this: when God delivered the children of Israel from the hands of their oppressors, the Egyptians, He didn’t lead them on the road that made the most sense. The Bible says, “Instead, he led them in a roundabout way through the desert toward the Red Sea…” (Exodus 13:18 GNB). Then, trapped between the Red sea and an invading army, Moses began to “pray” to God for intervention. But God interrupted him and said, “Lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it…” (Exodus 14:16 AMPC).

Consider the simple instruction given to Moses for a problem of such magnitude! It didn’t make “common sense.” How could stretching forth your rod over the sea make any difference at such a critical time? But it did! Moses obeyed the instruction, the sea parted and the children of Israel walked through on dry ground. Hallelujah! God is still that way today. He gives simple instructions.

Also see the example of the Master: He said to a man with a withered arm, “...Stretch forth thine hand…” (Matthew 12:13). How could the man stretch forth the same hand that was withered? He could have complained, “Sir, can’t you see it’s withered?” But he didn’t; rather, he acted on that simple instruction and the Bible says the hand “was restored whole, like as the other.”

An instruction from the Lord, however simple, is for your benefit. When you’re in church for example, a consciousness of the presence of the Holy Spirit is so important. When instructions are given, comply. God always seeks opportunities to bless and improve our lives from glory to glory and many of such blessings are packaged in simple instructions of the Spirit

PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for the counsel I receive from your Word. My heart is attentive to the instructions from your Word and the Holy Spirit. Your guidance puts me over circumstances and challenges of life, to lead me in the path of success, victory, excellence and glory, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.