Divine promises and the demands for fulfilment
We know that God answers prayers. He promised to. Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: [8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” We know that God answers prayers that in line with His will, stated in His promises. 1John 5:14-15, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: [15] And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” But praying the promise alone is not enough to give you the breakthrough you desire. There are other demands for obtaining what desire.
Claiming the promise alone, saying, I claim the promise, I am the head and not the tail, will not make you the head. The Bible tells us how to get to the top. It says in Deuteronomy 28:13, “And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them…” There are scriptural steps you need to take, there are conditions you must fulfill to get to the top. There is no promise in scripture that does not carry a condition for its fulfilment. Bishop Oyedepo said it is not enough to believe the promise but it is equally important to believe in the condition. It is faith in the condition that qualifies you to receive the promise.
So to enjoy any promise in the Word, find out the demand and enthusiastically fulfil it. This is the law of the Kingdom. Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
The key here is carrying out the demand: “…that thou mayest observe to do…”
Until you become a doer, you cannot become a receiver. There is something to do in order to have access to what you want. There is a condition to fulfil to qualify for what you desire. I wanted to become a doctor so I asked a doctor the requirements for becoming a doctor. He told me and I threw myself into it with zeal and dedication. I had to qualify to enter medical school where I would be trained to become a doctor. It’s not automatic!
To take a flight you must possess a valid ticket for that flight. It has nothing to do with your size, height, tribe or colour of skin. All you need is a valid ticket. If it’s an international flight, you will need a passport and a valid visa in addition.
I met a young man in London some time ago who approached me for a little money to feed. He is a Nigerian stranded in London. I asked him why he would not just return home and he said he had no air ticket and could not take up a job to sustain himself since he had no valid papers to reside in the UK.
To be stranded in life ,all you need is to ignore God’s conditions for getting on in life even though you are born again.
If you want God to prosper you, find out what you need to do to qualify for it.
To have your prayers answered, there are Scriptural demands you must fulfil to qualify.
1. Faith. Mark 11:24. Faith in the promise as well as the conditions.
2. Forgiveness.
3. Fruitfulness. John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” A couple that had issues with bearing children after 10 years of marriage heard their pastor preach on this verse; it dawned on them that this was the missing link. They knew they had not fulfilled this condition, so they decided to hit the streets to start witnessing and winning souls. The woman became pregnant in the third month!
THE GAME CHANGER
The game changer is to prioritize the Kingdom of God in your life.
Let us look at the example of Hannah’s famous prayer.
1Samuel 1:11, “And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.”
Hannah was barren but she prayed a prayer that I consider a deal breaker. I believe Hannah was familiar with the story of Samson and what it took to be a Nazarite. She desperately wanted a child but she decided to pledge him to God if he (God) would give her one. She no longer wanted a child for herself, she wanted one for God! She prioritized God’s Kingdom and years of barrenness came to an end!
Those who seek to benefit the Kingdom never lack personal breakthrough and blessing (Matthew 6:33). A life dedicated to Kingdom growth and service can never be fruitless or defeated. She ended up with five children!
Whose interest is your marriage serving? Whose interest is your business serving? Why do you want a husband, wife, a child, money, etc.? God increases those who seek to increase his Kingdom. Become a Kingdom addict and lack will end in your life! Give generously to Kingdom expansion and become an addicted soul-winner and wonders will begin to happen in your life! Are you praying for healing, financial intervention, etc.? Begin to witness and win souls.
Receive the father’s compassion to seek and to save the lost! Receive grace to seek and serve Kingdom interest, in Jesus Name! Barrenness ends in your life today! Lack ends in your life today! Every reproach in your life becomes history today, in the Name of Jesus!!!
Happy New Month!!