WHO IS INCREASING? YOU OR JESUS?

Dear Folks,

I have been in ministry for a TINY BIT OF YEARS. Smiles! And in my years I have been dazed at the level of commitment, passion, knowledge driven zeal of many ministers and believers. I love it when I see a man given to God. For me, we are saved to serve, not as full time ministers – because how many pulpits can we really make from all the trees in the world? 

We are ultimately saved to give back to the kingdom. This is the ministry of every believer. This is what we are called to – to be the Light of the World, to be as salt influencing our world for Christ. By and by therefore our ministry is supposed to be all about the Lord.

But I have seen a serious ploy by the devil that we all must resist – it is the PURSUE OF FAME AND GLORIFICATION OF SELF. I have seen many people crave for platforms, to the end that people may know they have anointing – I hear folks say, ‘wan a gba’ (meaning dem go take, I will show them). Apologies to those who don’t understand Yoruba. Self-aggrandizement, Self-publicity is the order of the day. Men who drapes of the anointing with their different shades of glory – smh!  Men who are encumbered with the evil holy trinity of man – me, myself and I. 

BUT MAN OF GOD, ARE YOU PURSUING YOUR INCREASE – ‘YOUR NAME’ OR THAT OF JESUS CHRIST?

The outlook to ministry should be as John puts it when He was told concerning the increase in the ministry of Christ, John said in 3:30, ‘HE MUST BECOME GREATER; I MUST BECOME LESS’ (NIV). This should be the outlook of every minister of God. We seek the glory of Christ. He must be projected higher than us. We must consciously seek to get out of the scene and let Him have the preeminence. It should forever be about the increase of the kingdom and not the increase of your name. He died for all – we didn’t die for all. His blood saved, not ours. He wasn’t a martyr, He was the savior.

When Christ was walking and working on earth in the days of His flesh He also had this disposition – ‘I AM NOT SEEKING GLORY FOR MYSELF; BUT THERE IS ONE WHO SEEKS IT, AND HE IS THE JUDGE’ NIV John 8:50. Jesus wasn’t seeking His glory, and dear folks you must not seek your glory. Let God glorify you, as He wishes and pleases. Your task is to glorify Him – He, and not you must take the glory, because He doesn’t share His glory with any man.

Again Jesus said in John 7:18, words which I think will suffice here, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS ON HIS OWN DOES SO TO GAIN HONOR FOR HIMSELF, BUT HE WHO WORKS FOR THE HONOR OF THE ONE WHO SENT HIM IS A MAN OF TRUTH; THERE IS NOTHING FALSE ABOUT HIM’. This simple statement again proves to us that there are many people who do the work of ministry to gain honour for themselves. But we know men of truth because they work for the honour of the God that sent them.

Seek the honour of God. Glorify Christ in all that you do. For He must continually increase and we must decrease.

Your Greatness is Assured!

FA

Fisayo Adeniyi

Pursuing Purpose...

Twitter: @fisayospeaks

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THE DAY GOD TOLD ME, ‘STOP PRAYING IN TONGUES’

Dear Folks,

Like many Pentecostals, I was a tongue talking, chewing and praying Christian. That is a good thing. I have read and experienced the benefits of praying in tongues. I believe and still believe there is nothing as powerful and potent as praying in tongues. So let me clarify from start, THIS POST IS NOT AGAINST PRAYING IN TONGUES.

So imagine my amazement, when years ago I heard ‘stop praying in tongues’, I mustn’t be hearing well. No! I must be hearing crazy. Stop what? But then, the hearing lingers in my spirit. I knew it was God but then I didn’t understand it. How can God say, ‘stop praying in tongues’? I began to remember scriptures, I said common, how about Romans 8:26, Jude 1:20, Acts 2:4, Mark 16:17. But then I argued with the WORD HIMSELF. I wanted to begin to banish the devil, but I knew it wasn’t the devil.

Herein was the dilemma. It wasn’t a problem that He said. It was why he would say it. I was stunned at the oddity of it. Notice He wasn’t telling me PRAYING IN TONGUES WAS WRONG, He said to stop.

There and then he led me to these two verses 1Cor. 14:14-15 ‘FOR IF I PRAY IN AN UNKNOWN TONGUE, MY SPIRIT PRAYETH, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS UNFRUITFUL. WHAT IS IT THEN? I WILL PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT, AND I WILL PRAY WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO: I WILL SING WITH THE SPIRIT, AND I WILL SING WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO’. 

Now I saw, what God was saying, yes my spirit may have been growing, my understanding – my mind wasn’t; it was unfruitful – the Greek word for unfruitful is ‘akarpos’ – meaning barren, not bearing fruit, and unproductive. My soul had zero connection to God. I was not connecting with God in my soul (mind). Yes you worship God in Spirit – but understanding comes in your soul, my soul was barren and unproductive when it comes to prayer.

I didn’t get it but God wanted to have the whole of me. He wanted me to know Him – to be able to express my love to Him in words. To grow my understanding also. SPIRITUAL MEN ARE THOSE WHO HAVE A SPIRIT AND SOUL CONNECTION TO GOD.

Tracking back, let me inform you that prior to that, I did all my prayers in tongues. I didn’t even say a word in understanding. I had problem in stringing words together in understanding in public prayer. I was an executive in a campus fellowship, and I would be stammering words in understanding in prayer, because what I didn’t do in secret I couldn’t do in public. I bet, God got tired of me and He wanted to get me out of it.

Last week, I wrote about SPIRITUAL SNAG and a friend reached out to me – she could relate with it. I told her to pray more but in understanding because I deciphered the problem was with her soul - her soul wasn’t connecting with God, her spirit was saved. So I said stop praying in tongues for two weeks, she said she was going to die --- I laughed, the truth is IT GETS TO A TIME THAT YOUR SOUL FOR LACK OF UNDERSTANDING GETS TIRED AND DISCONNECTED – THAT IS WHY YOU NEED RENEWAL BY THE WORD, AND PRAYERS IN UNDERSTANDING. 

Paul said, ‘WHAT IS IT THEN? I WILL PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT, AND I WILL PRAY WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO: I WILL SING WITH THE SPIRIT, AND I WILL SING WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO’. 1 Cor 14:15. Like Paul of old, I want to encourage you to pray in tongues, but neglect not praying in understanding.

The Pauline prayers are in truth one of the most potent and powerful prayers for the believer, and yet they were not written in tongues, or do we think it was an interpretation of Paul’s tongues. It therefore shows that the Apostles prayed in understanding and we should to. 

Let’s get out of this mental belief that believers don’t have to pray in understanding. Yes I pray more in tongues than understanding, but dear folks I don’t ever neglect PRAYING IN UNDERSTANDING and you shouldn’t. Let your understanding be carried along in your spiritual journey. 

So back to my story, God didn’t let me pray in tongues for like a month. Then He allowed me, no more restraint, and this time I was trained and ready to do both. I had to stop the tongue converse, to get my soul and understanding going. Let me round off with Christ words in Mark 12:30, 33;

‘AND THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND, AND WITH ALL THY STRENGTH: THIS IS THE FIRST COMMANDMENT’. Mark 12:30

‘AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART, AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING, AND WITH ALL THE SOUL, AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE HIS NEIGHBOUR AS HIMSELF, IS MORE THAN ALL WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES’. Mark 12:33

You see even your soul is important.

Your Greatness is Assured!

FA

Fisayo Adeniyi

Pursuing Purpose...

Twitter: @fisayospeaks

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Whatsapp: +234-909-0518-35

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SPIRITUAL SNAG - OF SPIRIT AND RULES

Dear Folks,

Some years ago, I experienced a barrier in my spiritual walk. It was like I was walking endlessly in an arid land. No spring, no water, no avalanche. Praying in tongues was no longer refreshing, bible reading became a real struggle. Folks, I was only 2 years in the Christian walk, yet I was in a snag. I couldn’t understand it. And I had no clue how to get out of it.

I don’t know whether you have been in a spiritual snag before, if you have or you are in one right now. Praise God, that only means you are human and much more, you are sincere. But God doesn’t want us in snags. He wants us progressing, increasing in knowledge, and refreshed at all times.

In the midst of my experience, grew an awakening to the person of the Holy Spirit. I wanted to know why I was in a snag, and much more, I wanted to get out of it – I discovered it was because of my rules and routines. I got bored! I got tired! Yes, I was spiritual but I was also human. And every human get tired of routine. So I learnt of new ways to do spiritual things.  In Isaiah 29:13, ‘the Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. THEIR WORSHIP OF ME IS BASED ON MERELY HUMAN RULES THEY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT’. (Emphasis mine). Absolute truism!

Sometimes we get into a snag like I did, because of rules, either self-imposed or taught. So, I tossed the rules (you must do the same), because my relationship and fellowship with God is a life I am called to live and not rules I must obey. The moment I did, the shackles were broken, freedom came, and instead of pressure I had joy. Learn to live and walk by the Spirit. Follow His leading, even in fellowship. So I junked my boring routines and rules and I followed the Spirit.

I learnt to write a Psalm. I thought if David wrote one, then I could.

I sang new songs to God - Yes, my voice will not pass any earthly test, but in the heavens and to my Father, it was sonorous.

I began to fellowship with other believers. Truly Iron sharpens Iron. I listened and I learned.

I wrote Him many poems. To right about Him, you must think deeply about Him. That made Him real to me. I connected with Him in my soul and mind.

I began to dance without music. It brought some needed energy to my paleness in fellowship.

I began to meditate while walking. I couldn’t limit God to my room and I shouldn’t box him up in a flat. He is everywhere!

I began to pray everywhere. I didn’t have to face the yellow painted wall every time.

I want to encourage you to let the Spirit lead you endlessly to new frontiers and greater heights. The answer many times is not in the complicated and complex, it is in simple things. 

Remember, ‘For even young people tire and drop out, young folks in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind’. Isaiah 40:31 (The Message).

Get fresh strength as you depend on the Spirit and not rules.

Your Greatness is Assured!

FA

Fisayo Adeniyi

Pursuing Purpose...

Twitter: @fisayospeaks

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SHARPEN YOUR SKILL 3

One of the things you are solely responsible for is the development of your gifts, talents and skills. You must take charge of the development of these areas of your life. The skill may have been given by God, or you may have acquired it, but the growth, maturity and increase of the gift and ability is your responsibility.

Today, I want to write about ways we can whet the edge, what we must do to sharpen the skill and to ensure that the ax head (ability, skills, talents and gifts) do not become blunt. If you must stay ahead of the pack, then you must keep the following principles close to your heart:

1.       STAY INFORMED: Information is the bedrock of the society we live in; you must seek to know. Get all the information you can get concerning your area of interest. Don’t ever get to a point, where you begin to think that you know all you need to know about a thing. There are always things to learn. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 8:2, ‘Those who think they know something really don't know as they ought to know’ (GNB).

There is a guy in my office who works in the video editing department, I remember five years ago when an uneventful happening necessitated his move into that department, he knew nothing about video editing, but his craving for excellence led him to purchase many video tutorials, and he spent endless hours on the internet surfing for information to make him better. Today he stands tall amongst his peers, and he has bettered those he met in the field.

Truly knowledge puffs up, but you can’t allow yourself to be puffed up to your damnation. You are made for eminently bigger things. Stay informed! Attend conferences, read books, watch seminar and tutorial videos, buy audio messages. Do all you can to be informed! Don’t let ignorance kill you.

Break the addiction to television programs and series that consume too much time, and get back the habit of reading for the sake of personal growth. Subscribe to major news magazines in order to stay current and be able to interpret your work in the context of contemporary society.

We live in a world of loads of information, yet too little or no benefit. The problem may be because we do not seek any specific information. Next time you hold your tablet, smart phones and gadgets, make sure you are searching and surfing for things that will benefit and further improve you. Solomon, that old sage and prophet said, ‘Get wisdom, get understanding…’ Proverb 4:5.

STAY FRESH:

Stay on the edge; don’t ever get to a point of contentment, for contentment is the true bane of greatness. You must therefore be on the lookout for fresh ideas, new ways and methods of doing things. A man is limited who believes there are no new methods to doing the things he does. Don’t have a close mind, stay open and be receptive to new ideas.

Do not be a yesterday’s man, you are made for today, you are made for something bigger than what you have achieved. Paul said, ‘My friends, I don't feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead.’ (CEV, Philippians 3:13). This was a great achiever speaking, you never rest on your oars, you keep on keeping on. Remember, those who do the things that count never stop to count them.

If you will sharpen your edge, then you must stay fresh. You must be a man hungry for more; someone who is on to something greater. Renowned brands in the world like Milo, KFC, Apple, HP etc. always seek to reinvent their product, they don’t stay content with their present output level and efficiency; they seek for more. You need to challenge yourself; you need to ensure you give more. Stay fresh, always, always reinvent yourself.

“If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he apply more strength; but wisdom is profitable to give success.”

                                                                                      Eccelestiates 10:10(Darby Bible Translation)

Fisayo Adeniyi

Pursuing Purpose...

Twitter: @fisayospeaks

Facebook: Fisayo.Adeniyi

Whatsapp: +234-805-8432-300

fisayoadeniyi@gmail.com

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