For some time now, we have been receiving teachings on how to access God’s presence and prosperity. Today, we will learn, as God helps us, the enemies of God’s presence and prosperity, and how to deal with them.

We have already established that, it is God’s will for His children to prosper and that; we can access God’s order of prosperity when we dwell in God’s presence. However, the devil does not want you to enjoy God’s will for you and as such, he will always try to stop you from accessing God’s presence and prosperity.

What are these enemies?

1. The enemy of spiritual intimidation and low self-esteem (Numbers 13:30-33). Don’t be surprised to see ‘low self-esteem’ here, indeed, as it is applicable in the physical, so it is in the spiritual. Your access to God’s presence and prosperity answers to your spiritual, physical and mental self esteem. In order to stop you from accessing God’s benefits for you, the devil tries to intimidate you into thinking that you are not qualified to receive God’s blessings. On the other hand, when you fail to see your glorious destiny and continually belittle yourself, you will find yourself missing out on God’s plan. The devil harasses you easily when you look down on yourself and fail to build your spirit man.
2. The Spirit of spontaneous fear (2 Timothy 1:7, Luke 1:13, 30, 2:10). Fear has the capacity to enslave you and keep you stagnated. If you are afraid to climb spiritual heights, you might not enjoy the peak of God’s presence. If you are afraid to take risks needed to succeed in your career or business, you will not progress. If you are afraid to offer help to strangers or meet new people or you claim to be an introvert, you will miss so many wonderful opportunities. Fear is one tool the devil uses to cripple your destiny. Note also that the spirit of fear is associated with the spirit of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). You are delivered from fear in Jesus name. Amen!
3. Railing accusation and conspiracy of satan (Revelation 12:10, Job 1:9-11, Zechariah 3:1, 2Peter 2:11, Isaiah 54:17). This has been the business of satan from the onset. He will always try to make you look bad before God and unqualified for God’s blessings. Beyond that, he could influence individuals to black mail you and thereby stop you from receiving favour. These accusations though false, have the capacity to change the mind of a person who wishes to faour you. Every accuser of your soul is crushed forever in Jesus name. Amen!

How do you deal with these enemies?

You rebuke them (Jude 1:8-9, Zechariah 3:2). If you keep quiet and watch the devil ruin you, then you have yourself to blame. Your future is your tongue. Rise up now and call forth your glorious destiny.

Prayer Line:  Father in the name of Jesus, I rebuke every enemy of my advancement in life and destiny. Amen!

Study Scripture:

Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste ­­­­­­__ nothing escapes them. – Joel 2:3 (NIV)

I was in a luxurious bus one day en-route Lagos and while I was yet putting myself together to lead worship songs and minister to the passengers, a lady in the bus started preaching. Her ministration was so hot that everybody in the bus was tremendously blessed. A time came in the course of our journey when the lights in the bus were turned off and in the midst of the darkness, this same lady was making out with a guy (a stranger) in the bus. By the time the bus stopped at Benin, the two lovebirds located a hotel and lodged there. Very disappointing, not so? This lady fell victim of this immoral act because she was not on fire. She was a Christian but she lacked fire.

Why must you subscribe to fresh fire?

1. To fight against unprepared temptation (James 1:12, Luke 4:13, Psalms 95:8, Hebrews 3:8). As Christian, there are always times when you will find yourself in the wilderness (difficult situations) and it will seem as if you are not making progress. And it may be one wilderness after the other for you; nevertheless, God is still God, so, be encouraged. It is in the wilderness that the devil will come to minister to you and make suggestions that will not profit your Christian walk. This wilderness may come in the form of unanswered prayers, loss of loved ones, lack and want, delay in marriage, unemployment, misbehaviour of a spiritual authority etc. but whatever the case, don’t fall into the devil’s trap. It is in the wilderness that temptations come on a high scale, and if you are not fire, you will fall prey to the devil. Being on fire helps you to stand strong in the midst of temptations and come out victorious.
2. It is the purchasing power of oil in the midnight (Matthew 25:1-10). Don’t be like the foolish virgins who failed to buy extra oil and as a result, they couldn’t power their lanterns in the midnight; and eventually they missed the bridegroom. In the absence of light, you can’t see. In the absence of light, you will experience fear. Jesus baptized his disciples with fire but Simon Peter did not maintain the fire, and when he sought heat from a physical fire, he denied his master. You need to always be on fire so that you will always have access to the oil. You purchase this oil in the place of prayers (Matthew 26:41).

Further Scriptures: Luke 12:49, 1 Corinthians 7:32-34

Prayer Line: Father in the name of Jesus, I receive grace to remain on fire for you. Amen!

Study Scripture:

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

• 3 John 1:2

It is God’s will for every believer to be prosperous and you cannot access God’s level of prosperity outside God’s presence. In order for you to dwell in God’s presence as well as enjoy His order of prosperity, there are certain laws you must obey. These laws include:

1. The Law of The Spirit of Diligence

God rewards everyone that seeks Him diligently. On the other hand, you cannot expect financial success if you are not diligent in your business. You see, for you to experience God’s presence and His prosperity, you must be diligent both in your dedication to God and in whatever work you are doing to make earnings.

(Proverbs 22:29, 4:23, 2 Peter 1:5, Hebrews 11:2, 3 John 1:2)

2. The Law of The Spirit of Knowledge

This means knowing what God is saying per second per second. It also refers to knowing what to do in order to improve on your business to earn more. It refers to revelation, insight, and ideas.

(Proverbs 24:3-5, 14, Daniel 11:32, Philippians 3:10)

3. The Law of The Spirit of Faith

This gives you access to unimaginable solutions. It turns captivity. It commands strength. It commands courage in the midst of opposition. It crushes fear and intimidation. It makes all things possible. You access God’s presence and hear His voice by faith. In God’s presence; healings take place, miracles happen, evil chains are broken and divine ideas are released. The more you draw close to God, the more your faith increases. The greater your faith, the greater prosperity you will command in all spheres of life.

(Luke 1:37, 45, Mark 4:40, Matthew 8:6-10, Romans 4: 16-17, Acts 3:16, 2 Corinthians 4:13)

Further Scriptures: Romans 8:1-2, Isaiah 11:1-2, Exodus 23:25-26, Isaiah 38:1-5, Genesis 39:21

Prayer Line: Father in the name of Jesus, I receive access to the Spirit of Diligence, Knowledge, and Faith in Jesus name. Amen!

Study Scripture

Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing.

• Romans 8:7 (MSG)

The role of fresh fire and consistent worship in the life of a believer cannot be over-emphasized. Consistency in the place of worship is required of every believer that desires success in his personal walk with God. Being on fire delivers the believer from the predicaments of carnality.

A carnal Christian is one without fire, lacks spiritual sensitivity and cannot comprehend the voice of the Holy Ghost. A carnal Christian is one who will never accept instructions or rebuke from God or spiritual authority. He would rather explain away his shortcomings; and as such, he cannot out grow them.

Predicaments of Carnality

1. Carnality makes you an enemy of God (Romans 8:7). A carnal Christian can neither please nor hear God.
2. It keeps you in the baby level of Christianity thereby frustrating your Christian walk (1 Corinthians 3:1).
3. It limits your dedication to God and His work.

As a believer who desires to be victorious in his walk with God, you must be committed to resisting every agenda of the enemy to drag you into carnality. One way to know that you are becoming carnal is when you are doing things for yourself more than you are doing for God. When you start paying more attention to yourself, your physical appearance and your comfort; more than you pay attention to the things of God; watch it, carnality is knocking on your door.

When you spend more hours watching movies than you spend praying; when you visit cinemas more than you visit God’s presence; when you spend more hours on phone calls than the hours you spend praying; when you can’t compare your church offering to the amount you spend on junks; when you miss church services for no tangible reason; watch it, carnality is calling your name.

Receive grace today to love God more and resist carnality in Jesus name. Amen

Further Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 2:10, Romans 8:27, 2 Peter 2:15, 1:5

Prayer Line: Father in the name of Jesus, I receive grace to love you more and be more dedicated to you and my service to you in Jesus name. Amen