Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry (EGFM)
Programme: Believers' Convention 2022 (Day 5 Evening Session)
Date: Thursday, 11th August 2022
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10). All that is in God’s heart is to bring us to His life, and much more, life more abundantly. Eternal Life is a realm where we come into an overflow of God’s life. Jesus made it clear that the reason He came was to give us life. What we are doing in this Convention is to receive wisdom on how to make and add to our life.
We need to be vigilant enough because the enemy is also here with us (1 Pet. 5:8) to steal from us. What Satan steals is not our finances, health or physical properties but the life God has intended to give man. If he finds out that touching one’s health or finances will cause such a person to make progress in life (righteousness), then he will not touch those aspects of such person’s life. Based on Jesus’ knowledge about our frame, He knows what to give to us and what to withhold. When we know this, we are sure that whatever happens in our lives is for us to gain God’s life.
No matter what it is we are doing in this life, we are either gaining life or losing life. The real blessing of God is to supply life to us. The reason God will delay things from coming to us is so that we gain life instead of losing it. The privilege of natural life is an opportunity to gain (spiritual/divine) life. Yet, Satan can turn such opportunities and make us lose life by them. Death is a life of Satan and the wisdom of that life is sin. Satan brings what seems good to us based on our lack of sight and knowledge, all in a bid to take life from us.
Death is not about us dying physically. Apostle Paul declared that for him to die is gain (Philipp. 1:21). Satan wants to keep some alive to see if he will have the privilege to steal from the life we have gained. Sometimes, the Lord takes some saints early when He has seen into their future, how they will eventually lose the life they have gained in the past. These are all part of the wisdom of God.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jer. 29:11). Every activity and situation we find ourselves in is an opportunity to transact with life. We should therefore guard our hearts with all diligence because out of it flows the issues of life (Prov. 4:23).
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour…” (1 Peter 5:8). The enemy devours (steals life) by selling his own thoughts to one. As such, one who is not quick to add life should make sure he is not losing the one he already has. Any exhortation that does not supply you with the wisdom of how life can be gained is not from the Lord, no matter how it is conveyed. God is only concerned about what can convey life.
“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” (1 Tim. 4:15). The major interest of a businessman is first and foremost, not to lose in that business and the second is to make sure that he makes a profit. However, a lot of Christians are passive about the investments of the Lord. We do not have enough understanding to transact with the talents (revelation and light that comes via teaching) and profit with them.
Life is all about business. Jesus made it clear that He must be about His Father’s business (Luke 2:49). This business Jesus had was to trade with life and increase in it. Whatever you see in the Scriptures is a material for profiting with life.
“After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. [20] And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.” (Matt. 25:19-20). A talent is a knowledge and an understanding that shows us how to walk to gain life. For every portion of revelation which the Lord has brought, there is a maximum amount of profit it should bring to us. If we are not growing in understanding, then we should check what we have been doing with what we have heard previously. The most important thing is what you have done with what you have received (Matt. 25:16-18). What God has given is not yours until one has done it, then such a person can inherit it.
“Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.” (James 3:13). It is by your fruits you know who is wise. What is being shown in a person’s life depicts the person's understanding. We should not bury materials of trade (talents/revelations) we receive. Our souls are not meant to be burial grounds of revelations.
We either serve mammon or God (Matt. 6:24). Mammon is a god that stands for us to serve his life. Mammon is not just about physical money. If we tie mammon to physical money, we will be cheated as a result of not knowing the doctrine of mammon. Satan lost life by trafficking and merchandise (Ezek. 28:5). It takes wisdom to ship out what God has installed. There is also no life we gain that does not come by reason of wisdom.
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Josh. 1:8). Before we can increase with the wisdom of profiting with life, we must carefully observe it. Obedience is to do exactly what God has instructed and this is different from sacrifice. Sacrifice gives what God has not instructed. To obey, we need to observe what we ought to do. Every word spoken to us has the potential to give a full-blown profit if we observe well before we do. The season of everlasting is where God expects us to do well in every instruction given to us.
When obedience is fulfilled, one is empowered with better sight. The reward for one who has done obedience well is greater sight. Scriptures will open more to you when you have done well with previous understanding.
Each time we argue with God’s instructions, we tell God that He is wicked to demand those things from us. This is the wisdom of the enemy to pitch us as enemies of God. For every obedience, there is a fruit of life God wants to harvest. So, not obeying is denying God of harvesting those fruits. The life of righteousness is the fruit of God and it has a reward. This reward is that God will bless us more with judgment and wisdom in order to get a greater life.
“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15). Satan can deceive us to labour to have the abundance of what he defined as life. God has His riches. We are to seek first these riches and other things will be added (Matt. 6:33).
Jesus was so rich that no one could dictate where His riches came from to meet His natural needs. Once the need of man corresponds to the need of God, God provides the need effortlessly. Whatever the needs of God are, they will be provided. The need of God is that His will be done on earth (Matt. 6:10). Thus, God wants us to come to a place where what we see as need is His will.
Blessings!
Gladness - 2 years ago