The word will not deliver its blessing without your obedience of faith – David Oyedepo
By reason of redemption, we have a rich inheritance in God through Christ Jesus. The psalmist made us to understand that the lines are fallen unto us in pleasant places and we have goodly heritage (Ps 16:6)
This implies we have a goodly heritage in Christ
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. (Rev 5:12)
This same truth was validated in Eph 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Eph 1:3)
It is important to state at this point that these blessings are not just reservedd for us when we get to heaven, as many has been led to believe, instead these blessings are also available for to us now.
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that NOW IS, AND OF THAT WHICH IS TO COME. (1Ti 4:8)
Despite the amazing blessings packaged for us by God, it can only be accessed by the revelation of the Word. In Act 20:32, the scriptures made us to understand that it is the Word that builds us up and grant us access to our inheritance.
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. (Act 20:32)According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (2Pe 1:3)
This is further validated in Deu 28:1-2
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. (Deu 28:1-2)
The Nature Of The Word Of God
If you examine the scriptures, you will understand that the bible is full of promises, that we can confess over our lives but saying it alone is not enough (most people believe that bible faith is all about claiming it, but that is a part of it but not the entirety of it)
I want to share an insight that the Holy Spirit showed me from the Word many years ago that has changed my life and word experience.
I believe God that His Spirit will breathe upon you and grant you deeper insight into this truth than He granted me in Jesus Name.
We have established that our blessings are delivered principally via the Word of God, but how do we take delivery of these blessings from the Word of God. In order to take delivery, we must understand the two sided nature of God’s Word.
God is a covenant God, He relate with man base on covenant, everything He does is based on His covenant- that is what makes Him God, He keep His part of the deal (as the scriptures as said, even if we don’t believe, He still remaineth faithful) Therefore His Word is not just a common word but an expression of His covenant
My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. (Psa 89:34)
This means that God’s Word is a covenant Word. At this point, it is important to understand what a covenant is : a covenant is a contract or agreement between two or more parties.
In a lay man language, covenant is simply a deal between two parties, in this case between God and man. Just like in every covenant, every party has its responsibility, so it is with God’s covenant.
In the kingdom, the bible is not just a book, but God’s covenant book for His people. The bible is categorized into testaments and the word testament simply means covenant. The Israelites operated in the old covenant that God made with their fore father - Abraham (Deu 8:18) but we walk in the new covenant established by Jesus Christ, that is far better than the old (Heb 11:39-40)
By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. (Heb 7:22)
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. (Heb 8:6)
Today’s Christians are still operating in a covenant (but a better one) with God, so we still have our part to play if we are to actualize the promises of God’s Word.
Every promise you see in the Word of God, has what you must do to commit God to perform what He has promised.
Every since the Holy Spirit showed me this, my faith life has bloomed and my word experience has increased. I can say with all assurance that God is faithful and I am a product of that faithfulness. Since the Holy Spirit showed me this principle, anytime I see a promise, what I normally ask God “Father what must I do to take hold of this blessing?”
Note: Don’t get me wrong, these blessings are free, but you there is something you must do to lay hold on them, in other words it wouldn’t drop on your lap. In scriptures, when God rained manna from heaven for the children of Israel, they still had to go out and gather it if they are to enjoy it.
Salvation is free but if a man refuse to repent and believe in Jesus Christ, such a person would never enjoy the free gift of salvation.
The Principal Requirement
The principal requirement needed to access the blessings in the Word of God is what I call obedience of faith – it is believing God and acting on (obey) what God said in His Word to prove that you believe Him, this in turn commit God to make good His promise.
Obedience of faith is the authentic proof of true faith and not just talk. In John 2 (in the wedding in Cana), After Mary the mother of Jesus asked Jesus to intervene in the situation, although Jesus gave her a kind of "no-answer" response, but she step out in faith and said to the servants
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. (Joh 2:5)
So it is the doing that provoke the manifestation, also in Deu 28:1-2
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. (Deu 28:1-2)
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. (Jas 1:22-24)
A man that recieves the word without doing what the word says, such a person is cheat himself from the gain and the blessing of the Word he has received.
Time and strength will fail me to start going through the ministry of Jesus to show you how the people received their healings; they all acted on an instruction given to them by the Lord.
The core lesson in this message can be summarized in what I refer to as the “IP” of the Word, where I is Instruction and P is Promise. Behind the promise is the instruction. I admonish you to go for the instruction and your life will be enriched by the blessings of God's Word.
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. (Jos 1:8)
It is the doing that triggers the blessing, when you do your part, God is fully committed to perform His part (1 Thel 5:24, Ps 89:34).
I normally pity people that pray for prosperity “God prosper me, make me rich” that prayer is not bad in itself but we must ensure that we do what God commands in that area. Prosperity doesn’t answer to prayer and fasting. What provoke God’s blessing of prosperity is our giving and the work of our hands.
So it is a joke to claim Phil 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. But fail to do what triggers that prophetic blessing – seed sowing (Phil 4:10-18)
Some pray for success, but fail to work, success answer among other things to our labor (Josh 1:8, Ps 1:3b)
It is important for us to stop deceiving ourselves and do ourselves a favor by acting on what we claim to believe.
It is what you do that authenticates what you claim to believe and say. Anything outside that makes you a hypocrite.
Cutting A Covenant With God
The promise of God’s Word is not just a promise but an covenant invitation. It is God telling you “My son, my daughter, do you want this? Then do what I say” (Deu 28:1, Isa 1:19)
Until you believe and obey the demands of the word, it remains a promise. but when the demands are met, it graduates from a general promise to a personal covenant between you and God.
It is the obeying part of faith that commits God to perform. The saying part of faith commits God’s attention but it is your action that provokes Him to perform.
Do you want to be successful, prosperous, anything, then stop wasting your time and stop behaving like child “give me, give me” take responsibility as a son and start asking “what must I do to be successful”, “Lord, what must I do to be prosperous?” and as the Spirit of the Lord reveal it to you, then start practicing and doing what He tell you to do and God is 100% committed to make good His promise in your life. Jesus is Lord
One of my mentors (David O. Oyedepo) once said “that obedience of faith is the weapon, we engage in cutting a covenant with God”
How Valid Is This Covenant?
I have showed you from God’s word that obedience of faith is what moves us from the promise of the Word to the covenant which actually commits God to perform, but how valid is this covenant?
Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. (Jer 33:20-21)
This means that God’s covenant is still in force as long as the earth remaineth. Also not only does God’s covenant speak now but it also speaks for eternity.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. (Isa 40:8)
This is because of two reasons:
The first reason is that the Author is faithful: God is too big to fail and He is forever faithful.
If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. (2Ti 2:13)
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. (1Th 5:24)
Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. (Psa 89:33)
The second reason is that God is eternal, the beginning and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, He is alive forever (Rev 1:18) Therefore His Word and covenant are eternal and valid for eternity.
These facts should strengthen your faith in entering into this covenant with God in any area that God reveals to you per time being fully assured that He will fulfill His part of the covenant
But The Word Must First Come To You
It is important to mention at this point that the things of the Spirit are spiritually discerned, the sciptures made us to understand, that carnal men cant access the things of the spirit, either can they know them.
Jesus speaking about the knowledge of the kingdom said that unto you is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but to them that are without, they are parables.
This implies that the demands of the covenant of God's Word are communicated via the revelation of His Spirit, therefore there a need for us to pray for access to revelation, until you catch the revelation of the word in a particular area, you can’t operate in that covenant. It is by revelation of the Holy Spirit that you access the requirement of this covenant and what God is saying to you.
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the VOICE OF THE LORD THY GOD, TO OBSERVE AND TO DO ALL HIS COMMANDMENTS WHICH I COMMAND THEE THIS DAY, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: (Deu 28:1)
This means the word- what the Lord tell you to do- what He ministered to your heart via His Word or His Spirit. Until the Word comes to you, it is not yet your word. Later in this publication, I will be showing you the biblical channels of accessing revelation. Until your light (revelation) comes, your rising is not view (Isa 60:1)