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INTRODUCTION

Injury time is the time added after regulation time before time is called to a game. It is the extra time added to compensate for time spent attending to injured players and moments not used for the specific purpose of playing during a match. It is called stoppage time! As we look at the world that we are in, we are convinced that we are in the added time of our events here on earth. The signs of the times seem to suggest that we are living on ‘borrowed time’. We are without doubt on a final stretch in our journey of life.

Romans 13:12-14

-               TWO THINGS WE MUST KNOW

V12a. The night is far gone; the day is at hand.

The night is far gone;...

-               We are definitely not in the early moments of the night but in the final moments of the night- The night is far gone.

-               For every night, there is the early night, mid night and late nights. The times we are in, is the late night!

-               This night has been spoken of since the days of the New Testament. It has been long spoken of that the kingdom of God is at hand.

-               The unfolding of the fulfilment of last day prophesies in Matthew 24 is highly suggestive that the night is far gone.

...the day is at hand. (John 9:4)

-               The day can represent so many things to different people. It could imply and truly so be:

-               The end to this global Pandemic- Isaiah 26:20

-               End to personal struggles, sorrow & sufferings- Genesis 35:17-18, 1 Samuel 4:19-21

-               The day of accountability- Genesis 49:1-33

-               Our final days here on earth- 2 Corinthians 5:10

-               Rapture is at hand- Matthew 24

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INTRODUCTION 

Life is full of promises, hopes and expectations. Often times, these anticipated glorious manifestations are challenged with battles, struggles and contentions. So, while we live in anticipation of the promises made and lofty heights envisioned we are careful not to be deterred by the strains of disappointments we face as things are apparently not turning out as envisioned. It is important I let you know that God is not slack concerning His promises- if He has said it, then He will do it, if He has promised to show up, then He will show up, if He has assured you of His glory regardless of the time delay (as measured by man)- God will definitely show up in that room both in power and glory!

 UNDERSTANDING GLORY

1.        Glory is used to describe the manifestation of God's Presence. God's glory is a reference to the visible manifestation of God. You cannot separate the Presence of God from His glory. (Exodus 33:11-23) This speaks of His Attributes.

2.       In the Old Testament, Glory is derived from the Hebrew word ‘Kabod’. (1 Samuel 4:14-22) This speaks of His holiness and weightiness, which is, His significance. (Leviticus 10:1–3, 2 Corinthians 4:17)

3.       In the New Testament, Glory is derived from the Greek word ‘doxa’. Meaning The honour, praise, to appear, appearance that commands respect, excellence, and magnificence. This describes God's nature and actions in His Self-manifestation.

4.      Glory is an indescribable and incomprehensible light (Revelation 21:22–25), an overwhelming experience (Exodus 3:1-4), unquantifiable greatness (Ezekiel 1), limitless splendour and impressiveness (Ezekiel 1) and an unusual delight and terror all at the same time (Exodus 20:19-21; 34:27-35) (Exodus 3, (Ezekiel 1, Luke 2)

5.       Glory is ‘Substance’. (Exodus 16:6-8, 10, 24:15-18; 33:18, 40:34-35, Leviticus 9:4, 6, 23) 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

 Verse 1 

THE SETTLED CASE!

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. v1

- To Arise Means to get up, braze up, wake up, take your place, emerge, become apparent, come to light. No more time and room for story, the glory has come!

- To Shine Means to emit light, to give out a bright light.

Manifesting Glory in Varying Dimensions: 1 Corinthians 15:41

Those who have decided not to make you enter into the fullness of your purpose. Some of these challenges can be personal battles of life, natural phenomena, government regulations, work place politics, societal deprivation, gender bias, social stratification, whatsoever it is, I would like you to know that all you need to do is Arise, Shine!

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Our God is a promise Maker and a promise Keeper. He never lies to any man. He keeps everyone of His promise. We can all attest to the truth that all God said was going to happen this year are already happening. If He said to us that “...darkness will cover the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples” and it is currently happening, then we should believe Him to show us His glory as well.

We have actually experienced His glory in a measure as promised in Isa. 60:1b & 2b. This explains why nothing is missing in our camp. I encourage us to remain under the glory cloud. I am only praying that none of us who have seen the Corona darkness ravaging the world will miss out on the Glory of God that is about to break forth on us this second part of the year!

I pray that there will be no other “darkness” again the second half of the year, in Jesus’ Name.

A. The Certainty of the Coming Glory

1.       The reason why Christ came - Rom.3:23.

·            Adam lost the glory in Adam and became naked.

·            Every sinner is naked until they give their lives to Christ.

·            That is why the first thing God gives to a man when he gives is life to Christ is a garment, popularly called in scripture the garment of righteousness.

·            So, Adam lost the glory in Eden, but Christ came to restore it at the cross!

·            If you want to experience the glory of God during this season, give your life to Christ and continue to abide in Him - Jn. 15:4

2.    The revelation of the indwelling Christ - Col. 1:28.

·        Christ is in every believer!

·        This happened at conversion; when we invited him into our lives as savior and Lord.

·        A revelation of the indwelling Christ is however required for every believer to enjoy the benefits of our redemption in Christ.

·        That Christ is in you means a lot!

·        Who is Christ? The Anointed One; the Savior; the Healer; the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit; the Miracle Worker; the Resurrection and the Life; the Light of the World; the teacher; the Helper; God Incarnate! Wow!

·        May the Lord grant you a revelation of the indwelling Christ!

·        Christ in me, the hope of Glory!

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TEXT -  2 Corinthians 3:15-18 Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. NLT.

 GLORY
(Heb. kabhod; Gr. doxa). (1.) Abundance, wealth, treasure, and hence honour (Ps. 49:12); glory (Gen. 31:1; Matt. 4:8; Rev. 21:24, 26 .

(2.) Honour, dignity (1 Kings 3:13; Heb. 2:7 1 Pet. 1:24; of God (Ps. 19:1; 29:1 ; of the mind or heart (Gen. 49:6; Ps. 7:5; Acts 2:46 .

(3.) Splendour, brightness, majesty (Gen. 45:13; Isa. 4:5; Acts 22:11; 2 Cor. 3:7 ; of Jehovah (Isa. 59:19; 60:1; 2 Thess. 1:9 .

(4.) The glorious moral attributes, the infinite perfections of God (Isa. 40:5; Acts 7:2; Rom. 1:23; 9:23; Eph. 1:12 (refs5)). Jesus is the "brightness of the Father's glory" (Heb. 1:3; John 1:14; 2:11 (refs3)).

(5.) The bliss of heaven (Rom. 2:7, 10; 5:2; 8:18; Heb. 2:10; 1 Pet. 5:1, 10 (refs7)).

Glory means honor or excellent reputation. God's glory is the created brightness that surrounds God's revelation of himself, it is the outward expression of his excellence. Such revelation is more than just an exhibition of overpowering brightness; it is the revelation of the nature of God. God’s glory is an expression of his character – his goodness, love, justice, power and holiness (Exo 33:18-19; 34:6-7; Psa 29:3; Isa 6:3; Joh 12:41).

 Why the Need to Behold His Glory
Man that was created in Genesis was clothed and covered with the Glory of God. Sin came to make man to fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23. God's image and likeness in man was corrupted and defaced. God repackaged the lost glory in a person called Jesus Christ (John 1:14) and gave him to us as our pattern to whose image we must be conformed. Roman 8:29. He being the brightness of the glory of God and the express image of his person. Hebrews 1:3. There is the glory of God that radiates on the face of Jesus, (2 Corinthians 4:6) and it is only as we behold this glory that we can be transformed to be like him.

When you behold the glory of God, the dazzling glory of this world loses their alluring power over your life, such that the desire for the glory of this world will never made you to sin against God or bow to the devil. Matthew 4:8-10; John 17:5.

 We can only behold his glory with open face. Open face is a face that is not covered with veils. Luke 24:31,45. There are veils that God must remove if we are going to behold his glory. 2 Corinthians 4:4. These includes:

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TEXT -  2 Corinthians 3:15-18 Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. NLT.

 GLORY
(Heb. kabhod; Gr. doxa). (1.) Abundance, wealth, treasure, and hence honour (Ps. 49:12); glory (Gen. 31:1; Matt. 4:8; Rev. 21:24, 26 .

(2.) Honour, dignity (1 Kings 3:13; Heb. 2:7 1 Pet. 1:24; of God (Ps. 19:1; 29:1 ; of the mind or heart (Gen. 49:6; Ps. 7:5; Acts 2:46 .

(3.) Splendour, brightness, majesty (Gen. 45:13; Isa. 4:5; Acts 22:11; 2 Cor. 3:7 ; of Jehovah (Isa. 59:19; 60:1; 2 Thess. 1:9 .

(4.) The glorious moral attributes, the infinite perfections of God (Isa. 40:5; Acts 7:2; Rom. 1:23; 9:23; Eph. 1:12 (refs5)). Jesus is the "brightness of the Father's glory" (Heb. 1:3; John 1:14; 2:11 (refs3)).

(5.) The bliss of heaven (Rom. 2:7, 10; 5:2; 8:18; Heb. 2:10; 1 Pet. 5:1, 10 (refs7)).

Glory means honor or excellent reputation. God's glory is the created brightness that surrounds God's revelation of himself, it is the outward expression of his excellence. Such revelation is more than just an exhibition of overpowering brightness; it is the revelation of the nature of God. God’s glory is an expression of his character – his goodness, love, justice, power and holiness (Exo 33:18-19; 34:6-7; Psa 29:3; Isa 6:3; Joh 12:41).

 Why the Need to Behold His Glory
Man that was created in Genesis was clothed and covered with the Glory of God. Sin came to make man to fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23. God's image and likeness in man was corrupted and defaced. God repackaged the lost glory in a person called Jesus Christ (John 1:14) and gave him to us as our pattern to whose image we must be conformed. Roman 8:29. He being the brightness of the glory of God and the express image of his person. Hebrews 1:3. There is the glory of God that radiates on the face of Jesus, (2 Corinthians 4:6) and it is only as we behold this glory that we can be transformed to be like him.

When you behold the glory of God, the dazzling glory of this world loses their alluring power over your life, such that the desire for the glory of this world will never made you to sin against God or bow to the devil. Matthew 4:8-10; John 17:5.

 We can only behold his glory with open face. Open face is a face that is not covered with veils. Luke 24:31,45. There are veils that God must remove if we are going to behold his glory. 2 Corinthians 4:4. These includes:

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The Almighty God has been merciful to us. Against all odds, He has led us thus far in the long dark days of this year. The Lord has preserved our lives, provided for us, strengthened and blessed us despite the challenges around. May His great name be exalted.

As we press on in our journey of life this year, the Lord is assuring us of not just recovering all our lost grounds, but is also going to help us break the new grounds He has promised us. It is my prayer that you will trust the Lord to do this in your life and family. May we also break new grounds as a church in the rest of this year despite the Corona Pandemic slowdown.

From our text, the following are required to break new grounds:

1.     The Right and of God - V.1-3.

The right hand of God guarantees divine help, divine protection, divine favours, divine strengthening, divine encouragements, divine blessing, divine power; etc.

May the Lord renew His right hand on your life in Jesus' name.

2.       The Arm of God - V.3; Deut. 33:26-29.

The Arm of the Lord is symbolic of God’s mighty strength to uphold, carry and sustain.

3.       The Light of God’s face - V.3.

This refers to the two-sided dimension of God’s favour. To one group, it is an experience of God’s uncommon favour.

To the other group it is a blinding and judging experience (MSG).

4.       The Love of God - V.3;

The Love of God is sweet.

The love of God is enduring; it is everlasting.

God’s love is beyond human comprehension.

It is the kind of love that transforms a sinner to a saint.

It is the kind of love that turns a rebel to a redeemed child of God.

5.       Submission to the Lordship of Christ - V.4.

The path of submission to God opens you to enjoy the very best of God.

You may not be able to go too far in life until you submit yourself to the Almighty God.

6.    Readiness to fight the good fight - V.5

Believers in Jesus Christ are engaged in the good fight.

What makes this fight good is because Jesus Christ has already won the victory for us on the cross at Calvary.

He has made us more than conquerors - Rom. 8:37.

He has made us over-comers - I Jn. 4:4; 5:4.

7.   Total dependence on God - V.6-7.

The time we live in calls for total dependence on the Lord.

Without that, all you think you have gathered over the years may just fizzle away before your eyes.

To break new grounds in the post Covid period, you need to depend on the Lord totally or else you may be disappointed - Prov. 3:5-6.

As we enter this uncertain times, I want you to be encouraged by the word of the Lord. Against all odds, you will break new grounds for the Lord. You will enter your promised land. You will eat the good of the land. God will displace nations for your sake. You will fulfil purpose in Jesus' Name.

The God of heaven has been so good to the house of IBC. By His grace, IBC turned 53 three days ago - Thursday, May 28.

Thank God for our founding fathers. Thank God for those men, women, youths and children who took the step of faith to come and break a new ground by starting this church 53 years ago. Thank God for the succeeding generations who built on their labors. Thank God for giving great increase to the labours of our fathers over the years and for the many great legacies they left behind. It is my prayer that God will use our generation to move His purpose forward in IBC. We pray this local church will begin, not just to recover her lost opportunities, but to also seize other new opportunities the Lord brings our way in Jesus' Name. Amen.

A.     Some Lost Grounds IBC Needs to Recover, and New Opportunities.

• In the area of education. It is time to put into action the thoughts we have cherished over the years, to have a Crèche, Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools. We can do all of these by the grace of God on our lives. We can conquer many nations (Children) through education. This is the time to arise and shine in this area. May the Lord give us success in Jesus' Name.
• Hospital Ministries: We also need to trust God to build hospitals. This would not just help to complement government efforts, but help to fulfil our purpose as Salt and Light in reaching out to many lives with the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Welfare Ministries: It will be good also to plan to have orphanages, shelter for the homeless, etc. These are avenues to take care of the needy, most of whom are often neglected by Government. We can recover this ground and do exploits for the kingdom in this area.
• Church Planting: The Lord has no doubt helped us to do greatly in the area of church planting over the years. We can however do more. We should in fact do more. May the Lord help us to do more in Jesus' Name.
• Studio: Our need for a standard studio has become apparent with the coming of Covid - 19. We need to urgently recover this lost ground as soon as possible.
• Investments in farming and other laudable projects.
• In our relationships: Especially with Our Cooperate bodies - Association, Conference and Convention. The same goes with our mother church and daughter churches.

B.     The Urgency of Our Assignment

The truth is that we don’t have all the time on our hands again! One of the things Corona Virus Pandemic has taught us is to "make hay while the sun shines." Whatever we need to do must be done NOW! Night is already gradually closing in on us. We must not delay in doing all of the foregoing.

If the Lord is laying on your heart to give towards any of the aforementioned, please kindly contact us.

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I have been pondering the issues of the changes the world will likely see when we emerge from the corona virus pandemic for these past few weeks.  And then I received the note from our Pastor Dr. Segun Adeleke requesting me to minster in the conversations on a post Covid19 recovery. I immediately knew the Lord is at work. I accepted and I am honoured and privileged to stand before you all to talk about the promises of the Lord to restore us and provide recovery for His servants and His people.

 Let us pray: O Lord God who keeps his covenant of love with those who love and obey His commands, we ask O Lord that you hear our prayers and see our conditions, and that you will not harbor your anger at us forever and that you will not treat us as our sins deserve.  We pray O Lord that you remember your great and precious promises of restoration and in your unfailing kindness and mercy help us rebuild our broken walls and ruins.  Strengthen our feeble limbs and weak hands and enable us recover all we have lost and transform us to become your true servants purposed to worship and serve you all the days of our lives.  Father grant us this in the name of your only Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 Brethren, we will recover our lost grounds. I am confident of this because the Lord has promised this to us.  These promises are the foundation for King David recovering his lost possessions as recorded in 1 Sam 30:18.  This verse tells us that “David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken including his two wives”.

In this conversation, we will:

 1.   Examine our reality today.  What is the state of the world regarding this pandemic?

2.  We will examine what are the likely losses we may have suffered as a result of this pandemic

3.  We will make observations of some general trends that are emerging from the pandemic

4.   We will examine the implication of the emerging trends from the pandemic on our nation, businesses and on us as individuals

5.  We will examine some of the promises of recovery in scripture and brief examples of a few of God’s people who have recovered possessions in scripture

6. We will briefly examine David’s character to discover some of the attributes of God’s people who recover their lost possessions

7. We will finish this conversation with a few principles God’s people must abide in to recover their possessions.

 
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INTRODUCTION:

It is no news again that the human race has been undergoing global crisis for at least three months now. This is due to the outbreak of Corona Virus that started like a spark in the city of Wuhan in China but has turned to a wild fire which has engulfed all the countries of the world. COVID-19 pandemic is considered as the most crucial global health calamity of the century and the greatest challenge that the humankind faced since the 2nd World War. It has rapidly spread around the world without religious, ethnic, racial, territorial and language restrictions. It has posed enormous health, economic, environmental and social challenges to the entire human population. Millions of people have been infected and hundreds of thousands have been killed across the globe while several thousands too have recovered from it. Global economy has been severely disrupted. Our religious life has also been adversely impacted due to the social distancing, partial and total lockdown measures adopted to prevent the further spread of the virus.

However, Covid-19 pandemic just like every other adversity has also come with some positive sides. One thing that is very sure is that there is a shift globally. Status quo can no longer remain in every area of our human existence. The dark moment this pandemic brought us into has also given us the following opportunities:

1.          Opportunity for a deep REFLECTION. There is an adage in Yoruba that says, “When a child stumbles and falls to the ground, he looks ahead but when an adult falls he looks behind himself.” Covid-19 pandemic had forced each of us to ask ourselves the following questions:

l  What happened?

l  How did we get here?

l  What did we suppose to have done that we did not do or done well?etc.

2.        Opportunity for REFOCUSING (Revelation 2:5). As we look behind, we are bound to discover certain mistakes or significant omissions we must repent from in order to forge ahead with hope into the brighter future and greater tomorrow.

3.        Opportunity for REDISCOVERY (Revelation 3:1-3). As long as there’s still life, there’s usually another chance, another opportunity and another possibility for recovery. However, if there will be recovery of all lost ground, there must first and foremost be a rediscovery. A rediscovery of purpose, passion and plans...

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INTRODUCTION

As we continue to trust God to recover our lost ground, it is important for us to consider the miraculous recovery God granted Samaria when they were besieged by the Army of Aram. 3 Major features in 2 Kings 6:24-31 characterized the season before their miraculous recovery:

1. Samaria was locked in, just like a great part of our world is on a lockdown.

-          Every attempt to go out to make a living was denied them. They were hedged in on all sides and refused every opportunity to break forth. They were besieged by the whole army of the Arameans. No one was coming in or going out. A total lockdown!

-          They could not travel from their country to another country, all international engagements, conferences and meetings cancelled. Their economy was grounded and everyone was hopelessly left to ultimately die of starvation.

1. The king was hopeless, helpless and hapless, just like our leaders are clueless.

-          Even when the woman demanded help from the king, he shouted back, ‘how can I help you if the LORD does not help you?’. He was particularly disturbed that the threshing floor (grain) and the wine-press (wine) had nothing to offer.

-          I can imagine the moment of respite the woman must have felt, when the king walked by, she must have said to herself- thank God, redemption has finally come. Painfully, the man she thought was a redeemer, himself needed redemption.

1. The people started eating their children,...

-          The level of hunger was unimaginably unexplainable. I cannot imagine what level of deprivation can bring a man to a point of mortgaging the destinies of his children, just to keep hopes alive. Unfortunately, this was the case of these women. They needed to be alive and the way out was to kill their children and eat them.

-          I don’t know what represents ‘eating the children’ in your life? Maybe you have started selling your property or about to, losing your property by making distress sales. What was meant to be an inheritance and outlive you- you now eat it. Things you cherished have now become the exact opposite for you, I declare, that siege shall be broken and you will recover your lost ground.

-          Ask me, how did it taste, as they ate the child? It must have been the worst days of their lives.

If we must BREAK THIS SIEGE and RECOVER OUR LOST GROUND, what must we do?

1. The Principle of The Word of God verse 1

Ref: Genesis 1:1-3, Psalm 30:5, 107:20, 118:17, Isaiah 3:10, Ezekiel 37:1-10

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The story about the rescue of Noah, his family and all that were with him in the ark is a testament to the fact that when God begins a journey with a man, He will not abandon him either half way or at any point in the course of the journey. God will surely remember you where He has kept you! (Genesis 7:1, 16). 

God’s ‘remembrance’ is not an indication that He has forgotten. “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me” (Isaiah 49:15-16). 

“God remembered Noah” is an expression rendered as, “God turned His attention to Noah……” (Genesis 8:1 MSG). This also indicates, God was faithful to His promises to Noah (Genesis 6:17-18). Our God is not a covenant breaker. He is a constant covenant keeper. Since He started the journey with us this year, He will keep us till the end of this pandemic and beyond.

A. What God Can Do
I believe it will never take God hours, weeks or months to give the world solution to Covid-19, when the appointed time comes. Just the way He did with the flood, God can:

• Send a wind to blow Coronavirus away -V.1. Cf. Exodus 10:19
• Stop the virus from spreading or multiplying- V.2
• Flatten the curve steadily- V. 3
• Bring us to a complete rest from Covid-19- V.4
• Bring us to a fresh start, where opportunities will be visible again-V.5

B. It Seems Like Lost Opportunities
There were great expectations and excitement when the year 2020 started. We didn’t see the pandemic coming. We didn’t know there will be lockdown. We never saw that there will be restriction of movement. We didn’t know wearing nose mask will be part of our dress code. It’s unbelievable that churches have not been able to gather for worship as usual, in their beautiful Cathedrals. 

There are divergent opinions as to the exact total number of days Noah and his family spent in the ark and their period of waiting before resuming normal activities again. But most Biblical scholars proposed nothing less than 370 days, (about a year by Jewish calendar). If we are to go just by textual account:

• 40 days and 40 nights of rain (Genesis 7:4, 17)
• 150 days of flood (Genesis 7: 24; 8:8)
• Another 40 days before Noah opened the window (Genesis 8:6)
• 7 days of waiting before sending another dove from the ark (Genesis 8:10)
• Another 7 days of waiting before sending the dove out again (Genesis 8:12)
• If we include the first 40days as part of the 150days, we have a total number of 204 days (about 6 or 7 months of uncertainties, restricted movement, no economic activities e.t.c)
• It was an experience of beginning life all over again when Noah disembarked from the ark.
• In all these, God has recovery plans for His children, which is predicated on meeting His requirements. 

C. Requirements for the Recovery of Your Lost Opportunities:

1. You Must Be Rightly Positioned to Hear the Voice of God-V. 15

-There is tendency to continue to focus on lost opportunities in retrospect and not rightly positioned to hear what God is saying about opportunities ahead.

-Some of us can’t hear God because there is so much noise around us.

-God must be saying something to you now, if you will listen.

-God will give you “very great insight” if you will listen (1 Kings 4:29).

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INTRODUCTION

-          Praise God it is another Sunday, the second Sunday in the month of May.

-          Praise God it is another Mother’s Day.

-          Praise God we are all surviving Covid-19 and we shall all see the end of it in Jesus name.

-          The fact that we are on lockdown does not mean we cannot celebrate Mother’s Day.

-          Father’s and children make sure you do something special for her today. 

The Lord will be speaking to us from our theme text for the year- Isaiah 60:1 and Judges 4:4-9 as we relate the passages to Mother’s Day. Though the focus is on the women, the message is for all because we have all been called to bear His light and shine His glory. 

Our focus is on the life of Mrs Deborah Lapidoth. She was first a lady, then a wife and a prophetess and judge. Being a woman should be a thing of joy and pride. Bearing the title “Mrs” is God’s desire so you should cherish it. It is part of projecting what God has created you for. The following are some of the lessons the Lord will like us to see from the life of this great woman.

1.        Mrs. Lapidoth was a woman of God. Verse 4- “Now Deborah, a prophetess...”

-          She knew God.

-          She had personal encounter with God.

-          She had a genuine relationship with God. 

-          It is not an easy thing in a Jewish culture for a woman to serve as a prophetess and also a judge. 

-          You cannot be a prophetess without knowing God.

-          A prophetess is one who hears from God, speaks for God and for the people of God. 

-          If you do not know God, you cannot shine His glory in this area. 

-          Real women have genuine relationship with God.

-          Real women are serious in their walk with God irrespective of their position or cadre.

-          Real women know that they came from Him and shall return to Him, hence their seriousness in serving and walking with Him.

-          It is the light that you have that you can bear and show forth. 

-          Mrs. Lapidoth’s relationship with God was what made a difference in her service to Him and the people.

-          It is honourable to bear the glory of God and shine His light. It is sweet to serve Him.

2.      The Bible Called her the wife of Lapidoth- “...the wife of Lapidoth.”

-          The wife is a home maker.

-          The wife is a support to her husband and vice-versa.

-          Lapidoth was blessed to have her as his wife.

-          She bore the name of her husband well. 

-          She did not lose her home because she was serving as a prophetess and a judge.

-          Your career must not affect your home negatively.

-          Your light must first shine in your home before it can be seen in the society. 

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The story of the floating ax-head attests to the Biblical truth in Lk. 1:37, that “With God nothing shall be impossible.” It remains a mystery how iron can be made to float with just a stick. Our God indeed is the Almighty, the All Powerful and ever Dependable.

While it is true that many have lost a lot due to Corona virus Pandemic, we are assured of recovery from this passage and encouraged. You will surely recover in Jesus' Name. Your recovery may look impossible to the natural mind, but if you will trust God and follow the instructions in this passage, you will surely recover whatever you have lost in Jesus' Name.

A.   Definition

Axe Head = “A cutting tool that consists of a heavy edged head fixed to a handle with the edge parallel to the handle and that is used especially for felling trees and chopping and splitting wood.”

Your axe head = Your spiritual gift.

= Your weapon

= Your tool.

= What gives you a cutting edge.

= What makes you sharp and effective

= Your means of livelihood, 

= Etc

B.   Requirements for the recovery of Your Lost Ground:

1.    You need to be discontent with your present situation- V.1.

The truth of life is that, it can always be better. No matter the height attained or the situation you find yourself in life, it can always be better. So many people have not been blessed or blessed the more because they are soon-satisfied.

Some others have accepted where life has placed them as their fate. They never think it could be better than it is with them.

The company of the prophets became dissatisfied with their living condition and requested for something better from their Master. This was the beginning of their miracle. Until you are dissatisfied with your present condition, you will never see the need to recover the lost ground in your life. You will just be managing - patching and patching life, when God is ready to give you something better.

2.    You need initiative - V.1.

The idea of building a bigger meeting place came from the sons of the prophets. They initiated it. We all must be full of initiative at this time.

We should not wait for people to push us around. This is time to initiate the process of recovering your lost ground (ax-head).

3.   You need a vision - V.1-2.

The next thing you need is vision. Vision is the revelation of a preferred future.

Personal vision is required for the recovery of your lost ground. Collective vision is required for the recovery of the lost ground in our Organization. The company of the Prophets had a collective vision.

They were not just dissatisfied with their state, they had a clear vision of what they wanted and pursued it. What is your post-Covid vision?

If you don’t have any vision to run with after Covid 19, you can be sure you will recover nothing.

4.  You need a team spirit/work - V.1-2.

Recovery of some lost ground will not be accomplished by your singular effort.

Recovery of a God-sized vision would require both team spirit and team work.

The company of the prophets had both and were divinely helped to fulfill their vision.

5.   You need the spirit of agreement - V.1-2.

The necessity of agreement in recovering lost ground especially in a group setting can never be over emphasized. A house divided against itself cannot stand says the Lord – Lk 11:17 But one shall chase a thousand and ... two, ten thousand – Deut. 32:30.  The company of the prophets were in agreement with respect to their vision, strategy, etc. They were all headed in the same direction.

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The story of Naaman is perhaps a very popular story to an average church goer. Most people know at least two things about Naaman: he is remembered as a great commander in the army who had a “but” in his life despite his great achievements. Many preachers have often used this at evangelistic rallies to hammer on the “but” of sin in the lives of their hearers.

It is however interesting to note that there were so many wonderful things about Naaman. A closer look at our text reveals many vital information about this character that are worthy of emulation.

While it is true that the Bible didn’t talk much about Naaman again, except for a single reference by our Lord Jesus Christ in Lk. 4:27, it is important to know that Naaman’s story leaves us with unchanging and tested principles from the word of God on how we can recover our lost grounds.

It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will help you and I to understand these principles and use them as we make effort to recover all we have lost at the personal, family or organizational levels, in Jesus' Name.

A.                Who was Naaman?

• The name - Naaman is a Syrian name that means Pleasant. Who does this remind you of? Naomi! Ruth 1-4.

• An Army Commander - V.1

Some other translations used the word General (MSG), Captain (KJV), etc. whichever, these titles suggest that Naaman was not a mean man.

• A Great Man - V.1.

Naaman was a great man by all standards. His status, his position, his accomplishments, etc. attest to his greatness.

• Highly Regarded/admired for the great victories wrought through him - V.1

As a result of his accomplishments, Naaman was reputable in the palace. The king of Aram particularly “had great admiration for him" (MSG).

• A Valiant Soldier (mighty warrior -NLT; a truly great man, MSG; a mighty man of valor, NKJV- V.1)

To be valiant is to be courageous and determined. This, no doubt, is required of a soldier of Naaman’s status. Naaman possessed these attributes. His rising to the position was not based on ethnic consideration, political manipulation and such like.

• A Married Man - V.2.

It is clear from our story that Naaman had a wife. It seems to me that this man had a good marriage and a good home where everybody was free to express themselves. I think there must have been a good atmosphere in Naaman’s home.

• A Compassionate and Caring Husband - V.2

No doubt, Naaman was a compassionate and caring husband. That he would allow his wife have a helper at home is noteworthy. Some men won’t permit this. They would tell you that the woman is being lazy for asking for a house help.

If that was the case, you can imagine how Naaman’s wife would have coped with her husband’s status. I want to assume that they must have always had visitors of great standing coming to their home from time to time. How would she have coped all alone. Naaman was a good husband.

Some wives are actually afraid of having house helps because their husbands are yet to be delivered from promiscuity. Some men can sleep with anything and anybody anywhere and at anytime. It may therefore not be safe to have female helpers especially.

• A good-hearted man - V.3, 4.

This young girl from Israel could have gotten into serious trouble for daring to talk to her mistress about her husband’s health condition. Naaman’s reaction however shows how good-hearted he was. Though a Commander, he was still open to suggestions, even from a slave girl. He was not a know-it-all master. He was approachable.

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INTRODUCTION - The events of the recent past has been sudden, terrible and challenging. When issues of life are getting tough, man easily give up as a result of confusion and the inability to see beyond the present situation. Only a few can forge ahead in faith and in trust that the future will be better and glorious.

 A.   David’s Situation-In Psalm 27, David expressed his trust in the Lord and also asked to be delivered from his many troubles. 

-          David faced the wicked- 2a

-          David faced enemies and foes-2b

-           David faced an army and war- verse 3

-          David faced trouble- verse 5

-           David faced adversaries and false witnesses –verse 12

-          David faced violent men- Verse 12

 B.   David’s Response- 

-          In all of these, David did not give up. 

-           David saw beyond the present

-          David saw that it did not matter what the enemy did, he was going to stay strong- verse 3. 

-          David expressed his trust in the Lord- verses 1-6. 

-          David made his petition known to God- verses 7-12

-          David reaffirmed his trust in the Lord- verses 13 to 14  

-          In verse 13 David said “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” KJV 

-          “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” NKJV

 C.   Why It Is Difficult for Some to See Beyond Now- 

-          They have lost hope

-          They have been disappointed.

-          Age is no longer on their side.

-          They are in bondage. 

-          They have refused to push further

-          They have been praying for the same thing for so long.

 D.   Seeing Beyond Now Demands That- 

1.        You see with the eyes of faith- Ephesians 1:18-19; Hebrews 11:1

-          It demands that you see beyond problems, fear and anxiety.

-          It demands that you see yourself as one that is not hopeless.

-          It demands that you see that the challenges will melt away in the light of God’s glory.

-          It demands that you see the great God and what He can do. 

2.      You see beyond yourself- Psalm 139:13-17 

-          You are more than who you think you are.

-            God is not limited by your strength or weaknesses.

3.      You see beyond the situation- Job 14:7-9; Romans 8:18 

-          The situation has a beginning and it will end one day. 

-          The situation is not the issue but what you do with the situation.

-          There is light at the end of the tunnel.

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INTRODUCTION: The passage before us is a perfect example of individuals who refused to lose hope, depressed, give in or give up in their ‘lockdown’ period. Paul and Silas suddenly found themselves in a period of ‘lock in’ and ‘lockdown’ after faithfully doing the work of ministry (Acts 16:16-18). They were severely flogged and thrown into prison (v.23). The jailer kept them in the inner cell and clamped their feet in the stocks (v.24). Instead of complaining, weeping, crying or being afraid, Paul and Silas engaged the supernatural. About midnight, Paul and Silas decided to allow God into their ‘lockdown’ period by praying and singing hymns to God.  One of the Greek words for singing, humneo from where we get the word Hymn: is an expression for singing the praise of God, singing paschal hymns (Psalms 113-118) or songs of praise directed to God and not to humans or any other object.

Some motivational speakers have suggested many brilliant ways to maximize this lockdown period and make things to work for our advantage. One of the Biblical ways I want to suggest to every believer is to spend quality time in God-focused Worship. A lifestyle of praise significantly made David to survive his ‘lockdown’ period in the wilderness, when king Saul was after his life (as recorded in many chapters in the book of Psalms).  Study the Word, give thanks, praise, and exalt God in the midst of this lockdown and Covid-19. And as we continue to do these, the supernatural will begin to happen. 

7 BENEFITS OF SINGING PRAISE TO GOD THROUGH THE LOCKDOWN PERIOD

1. Atmosphere Shift (v.26). When we praise God, suddenly things begin to happen both in the spiritual and physical realms. The devil can’t dwell in the atmosphere of praise offered by genuine children of God (Psalm 22:3; 2 Chronicles 20:20-22; Psalm 43:5).

2. Foundational Issues Are Addressed (v.26)

3. Open Doors (v.26)

4. Deliverance and Breakthrough (v.26)

5. Divine Honour (v.27-29). A moment for divine exchange (Isaiah 61:3).

6. Divine Freedom (v.30)

7. Undeniable Testimonies (v.30-34). After this lockdown period, there will be undeniable testimonies of deliverance, breakthrough, healings, salvation of souls…….

CONCLUSION: Yes, we have been going through the lockdown period. In the wisdom of the health professionals, the State and the Federal Government, this is to curtail the spread of COVID-19. But we thank God, it is ‘lockdown’ and not ‘lock out’, for thousands have died as a result of this pandemic. We have to thank and praise God in line with 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9 [The Message]  “We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken.” LET HIS PRAISE BEGIN!

THE STORM...

Life is full of all kind of storms! In the context of today’s message, it is a violent disturbance of life and well-being. When these storms happen, they do not come with sweet experiences, rather they bring fear and anxiety. Amazingly, there is always calm before the storm. Ref: Acts 27:13-14. So often times, we are at a loss on the swift change of event. Some of these storms can be personal battles, some are battles that spread across family ties and some sweep across a people, community, country, even the entire world. It is interesting to note that these storms have categories.

CATEGORIES OF STORMS

Isaiah 43:2a

1. General Storms (Psalm 34:19, Ecclesiastes 9:11)

Storms are common to all human. It is only a matter of time, we will all go through one storm or the other. Our relationship with God does not immune us from storms. However, the good news is as it is in verse 1 of our text- Fear Not, I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are Mine. This storm may be the reason for that sickness, endless battles at your place of work, poverty, barrenness, failures, unemployment, financial struggles, spiritual attack, depression. For some, it is life threatening and they cannot tell anyone. In the name of Jesus, that storm is over!

• Sickness: Luke 8:43-48
• Recurring Death: Ruth 1:3-5, Luke 7:11-17
• Oppression: Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39
• Age-Long Affliction: John 5:1-9

2. Generational storms (Genesis 9:22-25, Genesis 49:3-4, Deuteronomy 33:6)

These are the kind of storms that have assumed permanent residency in the lives of some. Not because of what they did but because of what others did, it is called the grandfather’s bill (Jeremiah 31:29-30, Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32). Their children have been engulfed in unfortunate evil cycle running through family lineage- Everyone born into the family automatically enters into it. Ham sinned, Canaan (one of his children) got the curse and generations after him followed. It is in the same way that Adam sinned and all of us became sinners, but in Christ- everything written ordinance against us, He has taken to the cross (Colossians 2:14-15)

3. Global Storms (2 Chronicles 7:12-14)

When global storms come (like it has come), it does not take into cognizance the person, his personality, achievement, background, position of influence or affluence. It is a leveler for both the high and mighty, north or south. Everyone on the path of the storm, are swept along.

AFTER THE STORM

Isaiah 43:2b

No storm lasts forever! Every storm leaves in its wake, certain wreckage. Ranging from displacing of people from their settlements, untold loss of property and lives, destabilizing of process(es). The good news is that after every storm there is respite. Beyond and above the respite, we are sure that:

• We Shall See Rain. 1 Kings 18:41-46

The rain is coming. Abundance of rain! Both the former and the latter rain. The rain of blessing, rain of deliverance, rain of hope, rain of breakthrough. That rain will fall!

• We Shall Experience Peace. Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25

Suddenly, there shall be peace, the kind of peace associated with the end to a storm is visiting someone today. Very soon, there shall be a great calm. That storm is over.

• We Shall Be Victorious. Numbers 31:48-49

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The year 2019 is no doubt going to be an exciting year for all of us. It is also very clear to me from the infallible word of God that the God of heaven will give us success this year; He will level every mountain before us; He will help us to complete both our old and new projects; He will cause us to overflow with prosperity and comfort us again - 1:17. 

Yet, all these will happen how? Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty.

There are however conditions to be fulfilled if the aforementioned blessings would be delivered to us. And it is my prayer that the Lord will help us to fulfill these conditions in Jesus’ Name.

Foremost of the instructions in the book of Zechariah that we must obey, is the instruction to return to God - V.3. This has to do with repentance.

WHY MUST WE RETURN TO GOD?

Some of the reasons why we all must return to the Lord include:

1. It is a command from the Lord Himself - V.3; Mal. 3:6ff.
2. To be free from God’s anger - V.2
3. For the LORD to return to you - 3
4. To avoid parental pitfall - V.4 - 6a
5. To escape divine judgment - V.6b.
6. The truth is that all men will repent but it will be too late for some - Rev.6:12 - 17.
7. God’s word will overtake some like it did our forefathers.
8. God is not interested in your downfall - Ezekiel 18:30 - 32.
9. God is not interested in your death - Ezekiel 18:30 - 32.
10. To enjying a time of refreshing from the Lord- Acts 3:19

HOW MUST WE REPENT?

The scripture is not silent on acceptable ways to repent of our sins. Notable scripture in this regard are: Joel 2:12 - 18; Hos. 14:1 - 5; cf. 1 Kg. 21:25 - 29; Jonah 3:6 - 10.

1.     First by acknowledging our sins and the sins of our forefathers - Psa. 51:

1. With fasting, weeping and mourning - Joel 2:12.
2. With a broken and contrite heart - Joel 2:13
3. Etc

WHEN ARE WE TO REPENT?

The scripture also reveals the “when” of our repentance. It must be NOW.

In other words, you don’t postpone repentance. You don’t defer it. Now is the time to repent of every evil way and receive God’s mercies.

WHAT ARE WE TO REPENT OF?

Knowing the things to repent of is primarily the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the one to reveal our sins to us and convict us of the same. No man can do it better than the Holy Spirit. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is already placing His finger on certain areas of our lives about which we need to bring repentance to the Lord. Amongst others, you and I need to bring repentance to God on the ff:

1.     We need to bring repentance for the sins of our forefathers - V.2

1. We need to repent of being far away from God - V.3
2. We need to repent of our sins against the “earlier prophets” that have proclaimed the word of God to us - V.4
3. We need to repent of our own sins of stubbornness - V.4
4. We need to repent of our negative attitude to the word of God - V.4
5. We need to repent of our unfaithfulness in our giving - Mal. 3:6ff.
6. Etc.

It is my prayer that the Lord will greatly help us to thoroughly deal with the issues He has raised and would be raising before us in the course of this week’s solemn assembly. May the Holy Spirit reveal to us every faulty foundation in our lives and help us to correct them in Jesus’ Name.