Your Gift – Pastor Ekpenyong

Proverbs 18:16 A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men. 

While pondering on the world events and post Covid - 19 realities and the changes that might be, one thing the Spirit kept impressing on my heart is MY GIFT.

Yes, YOUR GIFT!

Will this sudden interruption cut off all that was going on for you - your expectations, your faith, your excitement that things are working in your favor?

The word of God to us:

You may be wondering how you may fit in the post Covid era. 

Hearing all the postulations, predictions and projections; amidst all the uncertainty that looms, one thing stands out and it's this that YOUR GIFT WILL MAKE ROOM FOR YOU!

There is always something about faith in the word that creates rivers in the deserts.

That makes Mountains to leap into the sea. 

That creates a smooth path across the red sea or Jordan.

Hallelujah!

The LORD says YOUR GIFT will make room for you even where all the spaces have been taken.

He also says YOUR GIFT will lead, guide and transport you to where it will have maximum impact and returns.

He says have faith in YOUR GIFT because it's My fixed deposit in you and it is enough to get you through life.

It doesn't even matter that up until now all your gift has gotten you is trouble or a few ‘thank you's ' and ‘small change'.  That gift is your ticket!

A question about gift is 'do I have to change my location before my gift will be valued and appreciated?’ You may have to. However, your gift has everything in it as you deploy it where you are currently to announce you and transport you to where it will be valued.

Genesis 45: 5-8. Now, don’t be sad or angry with yourselves that you sold me. God sent me ahead of you to save lives. The famine has been in the land for two years. There will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. God sent me ahead of you to make sure that you would have descendants on the earth and to save your lives in an amazing way. It wasn’t you who sent me here, but God. He has made me ⌊like⌋ a father to Pharaoh, Lord over his entire household, and ruler of Egypt.

Take note of V8 -  It was not you but God!

Brothers and sisters, please, have faith in the gift in you. You can only be defined in the context of the gift.

Remember your gift will lead, guide and transport you.

See 2 Corinthians 4:7. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Note in all our different renderings, this treasure/gift is already in you.

It's dynamic ability is beyond comprehension, extraordinary, grandeur. Can you  begin to comprehend the import of the gift that we so often despise?

Your gift may look ordinary to you because it has always been in you and the familiarity syndrome may be clouding your sense of appreciation.

Nevertheless, willingly deploy it.

DEPLOY IT!

WILLINGLY DEPLOY IT!

Start from your immediate sphere of influence. Joseph deployed it everywhere he was.

Let's begin to pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to the gift!

In closing, let's read 2 Kings 4:1-7 A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord . And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the  vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “ There  is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

II Kings 4:1‮-‬7 That thing that we consider as nothing may be the change maker. He uses the foolish things to confound the wise.

Prayer:

Dear Father, we thank you for Your love that you have shown us in various ways. 

We are grateful for the comfort we receive constantly from your word and the Holy Spirit.

Father, as you have revealed to us through your word today that in the gifts you have given us lies answer to our world’s problems, we ask that you enlighten our eyes to see the problems you have preordained us to solve in Jesus name!

In the name of Jesus we receive inner strength by the spirit of God.

I declare that we are courageous and bold in deploying our gifts when the need arises in the name of Jesus.

We are shinning as bright lights in our world, bringing hope in place of the hopelessness that is prevailing in the heart of many in the name of Jesus.

Thank you Lord because you hear us always. In Jesus name we have prayed! Amen!

Celebrate The Simple - Pastor Ekpenyong

1 TIM. 2:2 Msg "Pray especially for rulers  and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation."

Celebrate the simple. If you can't, you'll be in trouble because you'll need the artificial to keep you satisfied.

Your ability to celebrate the simple says a lot about the depth within you. Unfortunately, for the most, they learn this at the twilight of their days on earth.

Simplicity is the most expensive possession of a luxurious life; only a few own it. 

From our opening text, the target of everyone is a quiet and simple life.

People have more issues with who they are not, than with who they are and the irony of this is that satisfaction and contentment comes from enjoying who you are.

Realize that if you accomplish everything you desired, but you are uncomfortable being alone, you have missed something.

Strive for simplicity and celebrate it because simplicity is what life is made of. Glory!

Check: 2 Peter 1:3-10, Eccl. 2:24-25 TLB,   

1 Peter 3:4

#WavesOfGlory 

#WholeCitiesTaken

The Approved Diet 2 - Pastor Ekpenyong

Col.2:2 “[For my concern is] that their hearts may be braced (comforted, cheered, and encouraged) as they are knit together in love, that they may come to have all the abounding wealth and blessings of assured conviction of understanding, and that they may become progressively more intimately acquainted with and may know more definitely and accurately and thoroughly that mystic secret of God, [which is] Christ (the Anointed One).”

The right diet will birth an unshakable assurance in you about the mystery of Christ. You’ll be at peace that Christ in you, is the hope of glory.

It will eliminate the uncertainties that have become the nightmare of many.

Does the growth of one’s assurance excuse you from the challenges that we all so ever often face? Certainly not!

However, you are poised to face life’s uncertainties from the advantage and victory that we are and have in Christ and not as a victim. Halleluyah!

The effect of the right diet will produce quietness and assurance forever.

It will eliminate fear, breed faith and stir confidence. Glory!

Check: Gal.1:6-8, 2Cor.11:1-4, 1Thess.1:5

#WavesofGlory 

#WholeCitiesTaken

The Approved Diet - Pastor Ekpenyong

1 Peter 2:2-3 “Be full of desire for the true milk of the word, as babies at their mothers' breasts, so that you may go on to salvation; if you have had a taste of the grace of the Lord.”_ 

It is an established fact that you are what you eat, for what you eat could either be killing you or building you. This is also applicable to spiritual matters.

Many believers have had stunted growth because of the teachings they have continually received despite being believers for many years.

That is why Hebrews 5:12 says, “You have had enough time that by now you should be teachers. But you need someone to teach you again the first lessons of God's teaching. You still need the teaching that is like milk. You are not ready for solid food.”_ 

What therefore is the approved diet? You see that in our opening text: “…if you have had a taste of the grace of the LORD.”

For some it is as though they have been bewitched to forget the significance of the death, burial and resurrection of our LORD Jesus and have begun to attribute every ‘spiritual attainment’ to something they did. 

As you study the Pauline Epistles you will see that we are offsprings and products of the finished works of Christ and not people who are trying to be anything in Christ by human efforts. 

Col 2:10 “And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power].”

Get yourself fed with the word of His grace that builds up your consciousness of the realities of the New Creation and gives you your inheritance with all the Saints. 

We are what we are by the grace of God. Glory!

Check: Gal.3:1-14, Heb.5:12-14, Acts 20:32

#WavesofGlory 

#WholeCitiesTaken

Free From Love of Money - Pastor Ekpenyong

Heb.13:5 Wuest "Let your manner of life be without love of money, being satisfied with your present circumstances. For He Himself has said, and the statement is on record, I will not, I will not cease to sustain and uphold you. I will not, I will not, I will not let you down."

When you decide to live by faith, it is a decision to live free from the love of money. A system controlled and regulated by the word and Spirit of God.

Here you are being weaned from the emotional rollercoaster associated with needs and availability of monies to sort them out.

In this regime you are trained by Father God to live your life absolutely dependent on Him and not your job or business.

It's a range where you live by every spoken word from God. Where you can boldly say "the LORD is my Helper." Halleluyah!

Don't be wondering when sources that yielded for you before you made this decision close up. It is simply because you're hooked up to a new system where like Father Abraham you will say "No one can say he made Abraham rich." It is strictly by the grace of our LORD Jesus Christ.

You are free from the fear of disappointments and hurts by men, for the LORD will never leave you nor forsake you. Glory! 

Check: Gen.14:21-23, Deut.8:3-18, Heb.13:5-6amp

#WavesofGlory

#WholeCitiesTaken