Archives 2025

THEME:
OBEDIENCE: PATHWAY FOR GROWTH

Father’s Day Seminar holds on sunday the 15th of June 2025 at the church auditorium, 745 middle country road, ST James, NY 11780

Last week, we stated that to experience the Power of God’s Presence, we must first be aware of His Presence.

This awareness should not be fleeting, it must be cultivated, which means to  (develop, acquire, devote oneself to, sought, seek friendship with).

One may ask, but Pastor, why do we need to be aware of—and cultivate God’s presence, when we often use the big word, omnipresent, to say that God is present everywhere? This is even buttressed by the Psalmist in 139:7-12 which states that God is everywhere; and, also, why do we sometimes feel God is far away?

To answer these very relevant questions, it is helpful to know and understand the difference between God’s Omnipresence and the Manifest Presence of God.

God’s omnipresence means He is always there, everywhere, as indicated by the Psalmist, even when our awareness is not there; the Holy Spirit, for instance, scriptures say always indwells believers, Rom 8:11.

God’s Manifest Presence, on the other hand, is something that occurs in our lives whenever God Almighty chooses to reveal Himself to us. It’s something that is experienced, though not frequently.

Examples: Jacob at Bethel, Gen 28:15-16—Moses at the burning bush, Ex 3:2-6—-Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, Dan 3:24-25—The Disciples, Matthew 14:22-27 when Jesus walked on water amongst may other instances.

Brethren, the take home info here is that we should work to cultivate the Manifest Presence of God, so as to have an experiential knowledge of His Power.

HOW?  

By Quieting Your Soul: We really need to create time and space to hear God clearly (reason for Shillow, Conventions, Cruise Evangelism, WIM program etc)…                     The essence is that when we are always on the go, moving to and from work, task to task, dealing with tons of emails, the TV blasting with our favorite shows, hands firmly on social media, etc, we tend to leave God in the background.

Remember, last Sunday, we pointed out that we cannot find God with putting in casual interest, scanning through His words—“Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual.” God does not want to be treated as a last resort.

Even Jesus, had to seek for a place to quiet His soul, Mark 1:35-37—-He had to remove Himself from distractions, so that He could focus on His God—once in a while, you and I need to do the same, so as to cultivate His Presence, remember, they that seek their God shall do exploits.

Norman Vncent in his book, “The Power of Positive Thinking,” advised that we should read the bible at least twice in a workday, we should look for a quiet place and prayerfully meditate on the word. Jesus did so severally, if nothing else, it purifies the soul, James 1:21 AMP.

Go outside: Gen 1, story of creation, God created everything, not just human being, nature as well, — and they help us to be more aware of God and cultivate His presence. Ps 19:1-2, His creation is always speaking to us about who He is and how glorious and powerful and creative God is, (Ants, Prov 6:6, Lion, Eagle etc)

Obedience:  Last week we considered studying the word to know Him, today, we go a step further to say, obey what you study. Obedience is a key spiritual principle to cultivate God’s Presence, because God reveals Himself to those who CHOOSE to obey His word, John 14:21. God’s friends, for example, Abraham believed God like a fool. Believe precedes obedience.

Converse with God: Turn your inner conversations, self-talk into a conversation with God (prayer).  When we turn our inner conversations into a conversation with God, we cultivate His Presence, cos it brings God into our lives like nothing else.

Know that you can literally talk to God about everything and anything that is going on with you, and as you get better at this, you begin to hear Him speak back to you—brethren God is still speaking, but you need to cultivate His Presence to hear from Him.

Rise up now and speak to Him concerning you

Brethren, we are always quick to talk about the Power of God’s Presence, however, one can only experience that power when one knows Him more.
The truth is you can’t know someone very well at a distance, you need to be close to the person, aware and cognizant of his likes/dislikes. Even more so with God, one has to be conscious of His Presence by being watchful, listening, hearing Him and obeying Him.
James 4:8 says it better, “draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you…”
When we surrender our lives to God and place our faith/trust in Jesus Christ as our redeemer; this initial act of being born again does not really guarantee a very strong awareness/knowledge of God’s presence because know God is a continuous process, as we know in part, according to 1 Corinth 13:9.
Brethren, having a strong awareness/knowledge of God’s Presence does not come automatically, it has to be cultivated, Is 28:10 states that it is precept by precept—it’s a step by step approach, and cultivating His Presence is a precondition to experience the power of His Presence.
God does not want you to make Him an after-thought—to only seeking Him when you got your fingers burnt with sinful desires—greed, immorality, theft, disobedience, driving drunk, etc
In other words, God doesn’t want to be taken as a last resort, hence Math 6:33 which says seek Him first;——- first thing in the morning, at job/school, with your plans/aspiration, check out Prov 16:3, 9.
Simply put brethren, God wants you to consciously seek Him, Jer 29:13 tells us that this verse emphasizes that God will be found when we actively and wholeheartedly seek Him.
Note that God will not be found by someone who is merely/casually interested in Him, a scanner/browser of His words. God will be found by someone who diligently, sincerely and deliberately wants to find/know Him.
This what scriptures like Philp 3:10, Duet 4:29, Heb 11:6 instills in us.
Brethren, if God is to be found and we enjoy the Power of His Presence, we must seek Him with clear determination, focus, energy, with all our heart, strength and might, persistent, etc and I pray God gives us the grace to do just that, especially at a time like now.
EXAMPLES of the Power of God’s Presence to stir/encourage us to seek Him, especially if we know Him as the Alpha and Omega.
Exodus 15:22-25—As Alpha/Omega—God is already far ahead of us whatever future date Dec, 2025, 2030, 2101 and beyond.
Long before the Israelites got to Marah, at one of their stop overs, I call it bus stop, there was a tree growing by the pool of the bitter, undrinkable water, the tree became a solution to turn the taste of the bitter water. As a God of providence, He makes the provision far ahead of us.
IMPLICATION—before anything you go through this year and beyond, God has already provided a solution—-all you need is guidance/direction from God on exactly what the solution is and how to use it, no wonder His words says in Psalm 32:8, “I will show you the way to go…”
And how can you have that if you are far away from God, or following Him at a distance or use Him as a last resort?
Look at Ps 90:2, Is 45:2, why do you think Paul wrote 1 Corinth 10:13? This is a classical example of the Power of His Presence.
As I close, God in His infinite mercies has already put in you, all that you need to overcome, to succeed this year and beyond.
How do I know this, you may ask, It is because before Goliath started terrorizing Israel, the stone that will kill him had been formed and David had been prepared for the battle, Hallelujah!
It is because before the Philistines came for Sampson, the jawbone of the ass was already there.
It is because before Christ was crucified, those that will HELP carry the cross, and tomb were there already.
Please know and note that before this year, the things/people you will need to succeed/overcome were already made available—the tree that will turn your bitter water, situation to testimonies are already in place, hence John 16:33.
BUT to have experiential knowledge of these provisions, you must seek to cultivate the knowledge/awareness of He who will make it possible, God almighty.
In Ex 15:22, Moses did not start crying, God is not moved by our tears, but by our prayers, faith/trust in Him—-Let Him see your faith—-CALL on Him NOW to know Him more, WAIT on Him to renew your strength so that you too can DO EXPLOITS In the mighty name of Jesus Christ!

Mother’s Day hold on May 11th, 2025.

Genesis 12 1-9
Everything in life has an element of risk: food, drinks, clothes, transportation, relationship, job etc—at every moment, its either we take the risk and expect results or don’t and expect nothing—–no venture, no success.
What is Risk? An activity, course that involves uncertain danger. The possibility of suffering harm or loss. Risks are often dangerous, unpleasant, daring and likely to result in suffering.
Where then is the dignity? But first, what is dignity? Esteemed, respectful, honorable, importance, majesty etc
The dignity of risk is in the truth that God is always very interested in people who are willing to take risks.
Brethren, people who take risk, become an instrument for God’s use. God use those who get out of their comfort zone, reminds me of prophet Isaiah, “whom shall I send,”
Our text is a classical example of one who took a risk,— journey to the unknown,=== my return trip to the USA. ELABORATE
What risk are you taking today or willing to take brother, sister—-in every aspect of your life.
It is also called radical faith, like those exhibited again, by Abraham in Gen 22, look at the reward of the risk in v.15-18.
There is an inseparable relationship between risk/faith.—substance of things HOPED FOR, evidence of things NOT SEEN. I hoped for better things in the US, that I can with God on my side have my children school here, and better future for us all.
Then what did I do, I put my faith into action, James 2:20, trusting God took the risk of still coming over—it was dangerous, unpleasant and we suffered for a while, but today.
Risk taking is putting your faith to action, knowing that the Lord is with you, believing God’s word, I will not leave you or forsake you. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

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Caveat: Don’t go to steal, dupe, tell lies, commit immorality, stand in front of a moving train in the name of risk, 1 Peter 4:15-16.
Christ calls us to take risk for kingdom purposes, not for your selfish ambition, Mathew 16:25.
Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations, when we don’t take risk we miss out on what God can do for us—waiting for God, while God is actually waiting for you to take a step of faith.
God will not reveal the second step, until you take the first step.
Lessons from the Shunamite woman 2 Kings 4
Let Him In: Like Elisha, Jesus is always passing by, all you need to do is like the Shunamite woman did, open the door of your heart and let Him in. Rev 3:20.
Just as Peter also did, when you let Jesus into your heart, remember He is the light, He will destroy every work of darkness in your life, if you are sick Jesus will heal you like He healed the many. When you allow Jesus into your life, He will bring to live every seemingly dead situation like He did to Jarius daughter—when you let Him in, it doesn’t matter how long you have been in that situation, he will lift you out as He did to blind Barthemus. Tell you’re the person by you—LET HIM IN.
Our Confession Matters: She was sorrowful, but refused to confess negatively. Was bereaved, but refused to confess death—–so what is your confession?

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Know that the confession from your mouth can change your situation, that of your spouse, child, parent, ministry, finance, health, relationship etc. Phip 2:9-10, Mark 5:39.
What you believe is what you confess, so believe that God can do it, will do it, believe that your career is not dead, that you have not lost that job, that child, that opportunity IJN.
Faith must go with Work: James 2:20—it is well is a confession of faith. It is faith-talk—-but she didn’t go to sleep, weep, form a pity party for sympathizers to gather.
Rather, scriptures say, she got up, saddle her donkey and put her faith to work. We must put our faith to work everyday of our lives.
Prayer is key: Elisha, 2 Kings 4: 32-33. The man of God didn’t go into any gymnastics, instead, he decreed, prayed and the child was revived.
As you pray and decree this year, I see your breakthrough, I see your miracle baby, I see your seemingly dead situation coming back to life. Job 22:27-28.
Today, you must decree a quit notice to satan, to failure, to sickness, to backwardness, to bad habits. Rise to your feet!
SONG—–prayer is the key!!!!

Habakuk 2: 2-3

God bless you specially for taking time out to go through this message.

I hope we all know that today is the future we talked about yesterday and that our future depends on what we see and do today,

If you see a glorious future today, you can have it if you work towards it, Gen 13:14-15.

Brethren, God has put so much power in our vision that it attracts whatever it is focused on.

For example: Pastor Adeboye once said that “ when we acquired the Redemption City in Texas, God told me ‘as far as you can see, it is yours’. I walked as far as I could that day and today everything I saw has become ours, I wish I had walked farther.”

Now, if that sounds distant, how about our own experience here as a parish; though we do not currently own this church space, but you would remember the specification we have now is all we have been talking about since we started Building Fund, Hallelujah!

CHARACTERISTICS OF A VISION

Brethren, our text instructs that you must have a vision, write it down, remember the popular saying that, if it is not written, it did not happen. There is usually no vacuum in life,  if you don’t have a vision/plan, you end up running  someone’s vision/plan. Lack of vision kills.

Note that your vision can look crazy, ridiculous, laughable to others, but the fact is that God did not give it to them, God gave it to you. For example—-when David had the vision of going after Goliath, others around him thought he was crazy. His eldest brother, in particular, rebuked him very strongly, call him names, see 2 Sam 17:25-28.

Just as people thought Pastor Adeboye  was crazy when he resigned as a professor to lead a small church and then moved from the heart of the city to a forest—just like growing up,  I insisted I want to go to the university, based on our family income, my mom thought I want to expose our poverty as they would not be able to afford the cost involved.

That brings us to another characteristic of a vision: the God-factor must be there, Col 3:2, now God factor doesn’t mean it must be related to the church, (why not if so), but it actually means, how does your vision help humanity, the people around you, community, nation, mankind.

It means laying  up your treasure towards God, not just yourself.

So, your vision this year must be glued to things above!!—–Pastor, what about those who plan to  steal, plan to kill to prosper? Well, Ps 73: 12-20 has the answer, check it out.

Another characteristic of vision is that it is usually starts very little, almost insignificant, then it blossoms, Heb 11:8-10 says Abraham was living in tents because he saw a city whose maker and builder is God. Zach 4: 10 warns against despising the days of little beginnings.

Yet another characteristic of a vision is that it is for an appointed time, not necessarily when you want, but at due time,  Hab 2:3, so wait for it?

So, how do you wait for it? 1 Corinth 9:24-27, strict training, focus, temperate, etc, remember that the world is competitive, Paul said he had an end-goal, kept his body under control.

Now, in this new year, what is your plan, what is your vision, what are you seeing? How are you living your life today, so that you can achieve your dreams tomorrow? Does your lifestyle reflect or show that you have a great vision for your life?

Remember that lack of vision kills, in Luke 12:15-21, the rich fool died because he told his soul to rest and pursue nothing.

In this New Year, your vision should drive you to be awake while others are sleeping, keep going while others are giving up.

NEVER lose sight of your vision, keep your focus on God for God is the author and finisher of our faith, our vision, the one that creates something out of nothing.

Get up and go for it, you can do, make it, you can get there and accomplish that goal, go for it in Jesus Christ name.

NEXT SUNDAY, WHAT DO YOU DO AFTER HAVING THE VISION?

Easter Sunday Service with Pastor Williams and Esther Ekanem. Sunday April 20th 2025 at 10:00AM. Locate us at 745 Middle Country Road St, James, NY 11780

For More Inquiries, Contact 631-704-1210