Biblical Concept of Faith (25) (prayers)

[Choral Music] Church fellowships can't be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God will desire the godly family. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 1] The Holy Spirit, I will obey. I will live for Jesus day after day. Day after day, I will live for Jesus. Day after day, I will live for Jesus. Let's come what may. The Holy Spirit, I will obey. I will live for Jesus day after day. Two more times. I will live for Jesus day after day. Day after day, I will live for Jesus. Day after day, I will live for Jesus. Let's come what may. The Holy Spirit, I will obey. I will live for Jesus day after day. Everlasting Father, we are grateful unto you. We thank you for the privilege to be here again today. We bless your holy name. We lift you high our God. We appreciate you for your mercies and for your love. We thank you for your goodness. We thank you for grace. We thank you, our Father. We say Lord be exalted in the name of Jesus. Thank you, our Father, as we gather unto you again this evening. We who are here physically, our brethren who are connecting with us online, joining us on Telegram, brethren who are connecting with us on Mixlr, our Father, we thank you. As we all gather unto you this evening, Lord we pray. Let your Spirit work within us in the name of Jesus Christ. Our Father, we pray that your presence will permeate our meeting this evening. You will meet with us who are here physically, you will meet with our brethren on Telegram, you will meet with our brethren on Mixlr. Lord, you will reach to every one of us as we are round up the first quarter, the first half of the year. By tomorrow we'll be starting the second half of the year. Today is our last Monday, a time to pray unto you, a time to cry unto you, a time to exhort ourselves and to pray. Lord we pray that Lord, the Bible says Paul plants, Apollos waters, but it is God that gives increase. Lord give increase to our gathering this evening in the name of Jesus. Thank you our Father. Blessed be your holy name, our God. In Jesus' name we pray. We have been looking at Biblical Concept of Faith in the last many weeks and today we are in episode 25. Today's episode is also coinciding with our last Monday. Every last Monday is a time of prayer, a time to take time to pray, to cry unto the Lord. So what I will be doing today will be a kind of exhortation around the topic we have been considering, Biblical Concept of Faith. And I will be going to the book of Exodus. I will be sharing with us a few things there and then we'll be taking time to pray, particularly over the matters that we have been discussing in most part of the first half of the year. The first half of the year, Biblical Concept of Faith took most part of the year. So many things to call our attention to and to pray about as we round up this first half. Today being the last day in the month of June and the last day that we round up the first half of the year. And my prayer is that as we round up this first half and we move to the second half of the year, I trust in the Lord that it will be a time of God going ahead of us to give us rest in the name of Jesus Christ. Please let's turn our Bible to the book of Exodus. Let's look at something in the book of Exodus, Exodus 13 thereabouts. Let's look at Exodus 13, something that happened between the Israelites and how God took them out of the land of Egypt. I read Exodus 13 from verse 17. Exodus 13:17-22: "Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, 'Lest the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.' So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly rank out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, 'God will surely visit you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.' So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from the people." This is where we want to exhort ourselves from this evening and in exhorting ourselves we want to learn one or two things from this scripture as a basis for prayer. Under Biblical Concept of Faith, in the first half of the year, we have been able to look at what faith is. We have been able to look at how God use ordinary people in extraordinary ways. We have looked at the reality of God's shepherding. We finally came back to the book of Hebrews where we are trying to round up the topic, Biblical Concept of Faith, taking our journey to look at the heroes of faith. And at some point in our learning, we have talked about the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day. You remember when we look at the children of Israel by the Red Sea? That was at the early part of Biblical Concept of Faith where the Bible says the pillar of fire that was in the front of them came between them and the Egyptians so that to the people it gave them light, to the Egyptians it gave them darkness, so they could not invade into the location where the Israelites were. So we are trying to look at something here very important. The Bible says first and foremost in verse 17 that it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the land of the Philistines, although that way was near. We are looking at something about God's shepherding. God's shepherding took us about six or seven topics under Biblical Concept of Faith and that is really what we want to pray about today. That is the focus of today's prayer, the shepherding of God. Now we are looking at something here very important. The Bible says when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the land of the Philistines, although that was near, for God said, lest the people change their mind when they see war and return to Egypt. So something very important. God don't just lead his people. God don't just shepherd his people. God shepherds his people in that path that is most profitable for them. God shepherds his people in that path that is most profitable for them. Wherever you are and you are listening to me this evening, that is our first prayer point. God help me to realize, God help me to realize. We have been talking about the concept of faith. Let me to realize by faith that you don't just shepherd me. You shepherd me in the path that is most profitable for me. Lord, let this be a deep realization in me. Lord, help me to deeply realize that some things may look good, some things may look better, but God is not interested in what is just good and what is better. God is interested in the best for me. Lord, help me to have a deep sense of understanding that you lead me in the path that is most profitable for me. There is a path that is most profitable. Some paths may look as if they are more convenient. The Bible says God did not lead them in the path of the Philistines, even though that path was near. There are some things that looks more convenient. There are some things that looks relatively better. There are some things that looks as if why not just take this one. But God, help me to realize deep down in me that as a father, as a shepherd, you are not just shepherding me for what is good. You are not just shepherding me for what is better. You are shepherding me for what is best. Lord, help me to have this deep sense of realization that God seek the best for me. It is the best in every situation. Some things may look more convenient, some things may look shorter, some things may look straight, some things may look let me just take it. But God, when you realize that ultimately the matter is how will that thing end. The matter about anything is how will it end. There was a shorter road, but you saw that that shorter road, the end will not be well. When the people see war, they will return. When the people see war, they will return. And so that path that looks shorter, that path that looks more convenient, that path that looks as if why not let us go like this. Lord, help me to realize that as a shepherd, you are not just interested in what is convenient. You are not interested in what I look at as good. You are not interested in what looks shorter. You are not interested in what looks okay. You are interested in what is best. You are interested in the ultimate for my life. You are interested in how will I end. Your concern is that as the scripture says, 'Mark the perfect man, behold the upright, the end of that man is peace.' Now help me to have this deep sense of realization that God, your shepherding is about that which is the most profitable for me. Lord, as we round up the first part of the year, the first half of the year, we are starting the second half in few hours from now. It will be July 1st. Lord, I pray into the second half of the year. Lord, in your wisdom, in your sovereignty, lead me in that path that is most profitable for me. Lord, take me in that way that is most profitable for me. Bring me into that path spiritually, maritally, financially, career-wise, academic-wise, health-wise, that path that is most profitable. Lord, the second half of 2025 will be getting into the best for my life, will be getting into that which is not just convenient but which is most profitable. I will go in the path that is most profitable. I will set on courses that is most profitable. Spiritually most profitable, physically most profitable, maritally most profitable, financially most profitable, academically most profitable. Lord, for my business I beg you, your shepherding is about the best. Lord, the second half of 2025, for my business, for my family, for my marriage, for my academic life, for my career life, for my financial life, Lord, I yield myself to you as we round up this first half of the year and we look into the second half. I say Lord, have your way. Lord, have your way. Lord, have your way. Oh Lord, Lord, let me not walk in those paths that look merely convenient. Lord, I don't want in this second as I move to the second half of the year, I don't just want what is convenient. I want to go beyond convenience. I don't just want what is okay. Lord, take me beyond what is okay. I don't just want it seems good. Lord, take me beyond it seems good. Lord, bring me into most profitable. I enter by grace divine. The Bible says it's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth. I'm quoting KJV translation. He says it's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Lord, your mercy will avail for me the second half of the year. It will not just be what is okay. It will not just be what looks convenient. It will not just be what seems good. Baba, it will be what is most profitable. You will shepherd me, not in shortcuts. I will not enter shortcuts that will lead me to nowhere. Spiritually, I will not enter shortcut that leads to nowhere. Financially, I will not enter shortcut that leads to nowhere. Academic, career-wise, I will not enter shortcut that leads to nowhere. Educationally, I will not enter shortcut that leads to nowhere. Maritally, I will not make choices that leads to nowhere. In my home, in my family, in my marriage, in my making a choice for a marital partner, in my making a choice for career, in my making a choice for location where to settle. You remember our discussion on Isaac. Isaac must be at Gerar, Isaac must not go to Egypt. Hey, I want you to pray. Lord, in terms of my location, I will not enter shortcuts, location that leads to nowhere. Lord, I will enter location where my life will multiply. I will enter connections where my life will multiply. I will enter friendship that will make my life to multiply. I will enter into courtship that will make my life to multiply. I will enter into business partnership that will make my life to multiply. I will enter into academic partnership that will make my life to multiply. I will enter into family partnership that will make my life to multiply. Lord, I will not enter shortcuts that leads to nowhere. As we move into the second half of the year, Lord, I release my life to you. I release my life to you. I release my life to you. Lord, shepherd me into that path that is most profitable for me. I will not enter shortcuts that leads to nowhere. I will not enter shortcuts that leads to nowhere. Oh, I will not enter shortcuts that leads to nowhere. I will not enter shortcuts that leads to nowhere. I am going in the path that is profitable for me. Not by power. Brethren, talk to the Lord. Lord, not by power, not by might, but by your Spirit, but by your Spirit, but by your Spirit. Your Spirit will carry me through July to December 2025. By December, when I look back, I will say wow, I've entered into profitable path. I've entered into profitable path. Path that are profitable for my life. Things that are profitable for my life. Path that are profitable for my life. Things that are profitable for my life. Lord, I release myself afresh as we round up this first half of the year. For the second half of the year, I release my life afresh again into your shepherding, in your shepherding. When you led the Israelites out of Egypt, you did not allow them to go the way of the Philistines. You did not allow them. Lord, oh, you will not allow me. You will not allow me. You will not allow me Jesus to go empty-handed. You will not allow me Lord Jesus. You will not allow me Lord Jesus to go empty-handed. Spiritually you will not allow me. Lord Jesus, maritally you will not allow me. Academically you will not allow me. Financially you will not allow me in my marriage. You will not allow me Lord Jesus. You will not allow me in my business. You will not allow me Lord Jesus. You will not allow me. Lord in my undertaking, in what I will set my hand upon, you will not allow me Lord Jesus. You will not allow me. Oh, in terms of where I want to settle down, my location, the city I want to settle. Lord God Almighty, you will not allow me Lord Jesus. You will not allow me. You will not allow me Jesus to go empty-handed. I will not become empty. I will not become empty. Oh, you will not allow me Jesus to go empty-handed. You will not allow me Lord Jesus. You will not allow me. Oh, you will not allow me Jesus to go empty-handed. Brethren, talk to Jesus. Jesus, I submit to you. Jesus, I yield my life to you. Jesus, I yield my path, I yield my way. I yield everything as we move into July, the second half of the year. As we enter the second half of the year Lord, Baba, you are the great shepherd. You are the one who laid down your life for the sheep. You are the one who insisted, no, my sheep will not be lost. My sheep will not die. I will rather die for my sheep to live. Lord Jesus, you will not allow me. You will hold me. You are the one who is able to keep us from falling. Don't forget when we were talking about faith, that it is not how much we can hold God. It is much more important how much God can hold us. Yes, we must hold to God, but also the reality is that it is also how much God is holding us. The fundamental part of it is how much God is holding us. We want to say Jesus, Jesus, you are the one who is able to keep me from falling. You are the one who is able to keep me. You are the one who is able to keep me. My journey in the second half of the year, it will be in profitable path, in the path that is most profitable, in the path that when I look at at 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, I will look back at 2025 and say God laid the foundation in 2025. I will say hey, a foundation for profitability, a foundation for profitability, a foundation for greater upborne was laid, was laid in my life, was laid in my life. It was laid. It was laid in the second half. Lord, we have seen that when you lead your people, you don't allow them to go the way of the Philistines. Those ways that look short but they are shortcuts to losses. Those paths that look short, they may be short, they may look very short, they may look very quick, they may look very fast, but Lord, you know that they are not profitable and you will not allow your people to go. Lord, you will not allow me to enter. No matter how much I want to rush, Lord Jesus, you will not allow me. No matter how much I want to jump, you will not allow me. No matter how much I want to go, Lord Jesus you will hold me. You will say no, you cannot go this path. You cannot go this path. Lord Jesus, I lean on you. Lord Jesus, I lean on you. Lord Jesus, I lean on you. Lord Jesus, I lean on you. I lean on you, Lord Jesus. I lean on you, Lord Jesus. I lean on you, Lord Jesus. I lean on you, Lord Jesus. I lean on you. I lean on you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We move to the concluding part of our scripture today. He says and the Lord went before them, verse 21 and 22, the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and by night. Whether by day, whether by night, there is no circumstance in which God cannot make your life to travel. There is no limitation with God. God turned the night to day for them. There was light in the night. There is no circumstance, there is no situation, there is no, there is nothing under which God cannot make your life to move forward. God can make your life to journey under any circumstance. Your life can travel. But more importantly I want to show you something. He said the Lord, the Lord went before them by day in the pillar of cloud to lead the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light. He did not take away the pillar of cloud. He didn't take it away by day or the pillar of fire by night. He did not take it away. I just want to call your attention to something about by day. By day, everywhere will be dark. At another talk, I'll be talking about by night. By night. Because night too come with its own challenges. In the night that is when fear comes. False appearances appearing real. That is when banana tree will look like gorilla because it is dark. A lot of things will be appearing the night has its own challenges. There was pillar of cloud by night. But I don't want to deal with the matter of the night now. I want to deal with the matter of day. Now, in the day, there is a pillar of cloud. But you know during the day, there's also the sunlight. There's also the daylight. In the day, it is possible to go to several other direction. Unlike in the night where everywhere is dark, where you are afraid. In the day, it is possible to ignore the pillar of cloud because of the radiation of the sun. It is possible to ignore the pillar of cloud because you can see other direction because of the daylight. I'm talking about there is a pillar of cloud by day. There is a pillar of cloud by day. But the day comes with several alternatives. It comes with several alternatives. But while there are alternatives, daylight, sunlight, things to give light apart from the cloud that you are supposed to follow, there are now several direction that you can go. There is a cloud. There is a cloud to follow. You cannot just walk in any direction during the day. You cannot just go because there is light everywhere. There is a cloud. There is a cloud to follow. And when you follow that cloud, you'll be following God. You know one thing about the cloud? It's that anywhere the cloud goes, that is where the manna goes. The manna follows the cloud. Once the cloud move, like they said they travel from Succoth to Etham, the manna too will move because if it's still falling in Succoth, there'll be nobody there to eat it. It has to move again to Etham and be falling there. So the cloud and the manna, they move together. When a man misses the cloud, he misses divine provision. When a man misses the cloud, he misses divine direction. When a man misses the cloud, he misses divine allocation. And I want to tell you this. When you miss your allocation, when you miss your provision, when you miss your direction, you will lose your honor. You will lose your dignity. You will lose your power. Mark my word. When you miss those three things, you will also lose your honor. You may come to serious poverty. You may beg throughout your life. Are you understanding me? You may live in lack and struggle throughout your life. You will lose your honor. You will lose your dignity. You will lose your power. You will lose your glory. Because it is Christ in us the hope of glory. I want you to pray as we go to the second half of the year. Lord, no matter, no matter what happens in the day, whether daylight, whether sunlight, Lord, keep me focused on the cloud. Keep me focused on the cloud. I don't need the daylight to go in any direction. I don't need sunlight to go in another direction. What I need is the cloud. Lord, I will, I will not alternate the cloud. I will not alternate the cloud. I will not alternate the cloud. There is a cloud to follow. There is a cloud to follow. Lord God Almighty, I will not alternate the cloud. I will not alternate the cloud. I will not alternate the cloud. I will not alternate the cloud. The cloud is my direction. The cloud is the way to go. The daylight is not important. No matter how bright the daylight, no matter the direction it is offering, no matter the alternatives that are coming. Lord help me to see the cloud of my direction, the cloud of your provision, the cloud of my allocation from you. Lord, that cloud of my direction, that cloud of my allocation, that cloud of my provision. Please mark those three words. That cloud of my direction, that cloud of my allocation, that cloud of my provision. The manna follows the cloud. The cloud of my direction, the cloud of my allocation, the cloud of my provision. Lord keep my eyes focused on them. Keep my eyes focused on it. Keep my eyes focused on it. Keep my eyes focused oh God. As I march through the second half of the year, let the cloud be brighter to me than daylight. Let the cloud be clearer to me than sunlight. Let the cloud be clearer to me than the sunlight. Let the cloud be clearer to me than the daylight. Let the cloud be brighter than daylight. No matter how bright the day, let the cloud be brighter. in the name of Jesus. Lord, no matter how bright the day, the cloud will be brighter for me. The cloud of my direction will be brighter. The cloud of my direction will be brighter. It will be brighter than daylight. I will not alternate the cloud for any light, for any other light. I will not alternate the cloud. Oh God, for any other light. That cloud of my direction, that cloud of my allocation from God, my direction from God, my provision from God. Oh for every area of my life, for my spiritual walk with God, for my for my marital life, for my family, for my career, for my business, for my academics. Oh God Almighty, the cloud of direction, the cloud of allocation, the cloud of provision, I will not miss it. I will not miss it. It will be brighter, it will be clearer, it will be brighter, it will be clearer, it will be brighter. And as we round up this evening, lift up your voice for Nigeria. Oh Lord our God, be magnified over this nation. Can you pray for Nigeria? Wherever you are pray for Nigeria. Brethren wherever you are. People who are not Nigerians listening to us, please help us to pray for our nation. Nigerians who are everywhere listening to me, whether you are in the US, whether you are in the UK, wherever you are, please remember home. Let's pray for Nigeria. That God we beg you, be magnified over our land. Be magnified over our land. Be magnified over our land. Be magnified over our land. Be magnified over our land. Be magnified over our land. Oh Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, let it be well with them that fear the Lord. Oh Lord, let the wickedness of the wicked overtake the wicked. Lord turn the table around. Like you freed the children of Israel from the captivity of Pharaoh, free Nigeria from her Pharaoh. Free Nigeria from her Pharaoh. Free Nigeria from her Pharaoh. Free Nigerians from their Pharaoh. Free Nigeria from her Pharaoh. Free Nigerians from their Pharaoh. Free our land from the Pharaoh. Free our land Lord. Free our land Lord. Free our land Lord. Free our land. We beg you. Baba visit our land like you visit the Israelite and you led them away from their Pharaoh. Visit our land oh God. Lead Nigerians out of the hand of their Pharaoh. Deliver us from the hand of every oppressor. Free our land. Free our land. Thank you Lord Jesus. Thank you Lord Jesus. In Jesus' name we pray. Almighty God we thank you again for a time in your presence this evening. A time of prayer to pray, a time to call upon your name, the last Monday of the month, to look into your word and also to pray. Lord our eyes on you. You are the one who said, 'while you are here speaking I will hear. Before you call I will answer.' You are the one who say, 'I am the Lord who answers prayer.' Let all my people cry to me. You are the one who say, 'will a people not seek their God?' That is why we have come to seek you. You are the one who said, 'call upon me and I will answer you and I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know.' That is why we have called upon you. Your word also say that if we ask according to your will that you will hear us. Oh Lord, oh Lord, grant us the testimony of answer to prayers. Grant us the testimony of answer to prayers. Grant us the testimony of answer to prayers. Let us see our brethren testify that prayers was answered. Let us testify that prayers was answered. God grant us testimony of answer to prayers. Lord, let us see you fighting our battles. Let us see you working in our favor. Let us see you bringing in our miracles in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you Eternal Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Let's share the grace together in fellowship. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen. This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development, and mission health. Our regular activities are: Discipleship class every Monday, 5:00 p.m.; Adolescents and Singles Club every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 a.m.; Marriage Forum, second Saturday of every month at 10:00 a.m.; Family life seminars; Regular school outreaches; and everyday counseling. For further counseling you can reach us at our location, Life Camp by the first bridge, Ilekun community, opposite Very Joy filling station along Ijeun road, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are: 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all.