Looking Forward 2

This is a transcription of the audio using "Clean Verbatim" standards with enhanced annotation. Churches and fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home for everyone. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Song playing] [Speaker 1] Praise the Lord. Our Father, we are grateful unto you. We thank you for diverse mercies Lord enjoyed. We thank you for your faithfulness over our lives. We thank you for your mercies. We thank you for your goodness. Lord our God, all through the 52 weeks of 2020, you kept the discipleship class going. How, honestly we cannot tell. You kept renewing us. You kept instructing us. You kept bringing our way light, direction, and instruction. Lord, you kept us through the challenges of 2020. Baba, very wonderful is the truth that you saw the COVID situation ahead when December of 2019, you began to tell us, you began to instruct us, you began to lead us in the path of going online for our meetings. The need to get instruments, the need to put things in place. We never saw anything, but you just began to lead us in that direction. Instruments were bought, things were bought, things went and we were just doing everything, thinking that it was just to make the time of worship better. We never knew that you were preparing us by the time the lockdown came. We were just as good as if we were set for the turn of things. But we know it was not because we were so intelligent and smart. It was because you led us. Lord, we appreciate you. What of our lives? What of provision? What of how we survived months without salaries? Lord, in all of this, Lord, you showed up for us. Lord, you kept us at different trying times. What we experienced was that at when the matter gets to its critical point, as if it is going to break, at that point, you will just spring up. Something will just spring up somewhere and change the whole situation. Lord, we thank you. You never fail. You were there all through. You saw us through it all and you have brought us into 2021. Lord, the hymn writer said, "Your faithfulness in the past forbids me to think that you will leave me at last." Oh Lord, the faithfulness we enjoyed in 2020 forbids us to think that in 2021 you will leave us. We are confident, we are sure that it has been you, and even in 2021 it is still you, and beyond 2021 it will yet be you. Blessed be your name, our Father, in the name of Jesus. [Speaker 2] Unto you, oh Lord, who is able to carry us, who is able to keep us, who is able to sustain us. Our source, our sustenance, and also our sustainability. Lord our God, unto you again we gather this first Monday of the year to say, "Lord, thank you." And Lord, to commit into your hands, every Monday of 2021, to say, "Baba, they are all in your hand." Lord, carry us through them again in the name of Jesus. [Speaker 1] Lord our God, we believe in you, we trust in you, that the instruction again for the moment, for the season, for now, Lord, you will continue to bring our way so that Lord, we will not walk in darkness but in the light of the Lord and in the light of life in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray for all of us connected to Family Tent Ministry, those of us physically present here and all our brethren that are joining us online, and all those who could not even join for this particular meeting. Lord, I pray that God Almighty, through 2021, Lord, in your mercy, cause our lives to constantly experience your direction and instruction in the name of Jesus. Grant unto us that none of us will walk in darkness. None of us will live in confusion. Lord, none of us will lack direction. Rather, Lord, individuals, singles, families, everyone, Lord, there will be sufficient light Lord to walk in life in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, everlasting Father. And as we move on to this evening, Lord, we pray, let your spirit work within us. Grant us instruction in our hearts. Meet with us individually. Come to us collectively as a group. Cause your name to be glorified. Cause your church to be edified in Jesus' most holy name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah! Oh, there is this popular song among us. "My eyes have seen, my ears have heard, my mouth will talk about the goodness of God." I just have a kind of inner impression or inner witness within me that by the mercies of God, that song will be our experience through this 2021 because what the Lord began to raise with us, today I just, like I said during the last meeting in the month of December, some of us were not here then, but I guess maybe you connected online, but if you did not, what I said then, because it was the last Monday and it was a Monday of prayer, so we prayed. But the prayer was also a prayer looking into 2021. We did not continue with our reflection on the book of Ephesians. Rather, we took certain things to pray with. And the Lord helped us. We were able to see something very clearly, which will form the basis of how we are going to journey again today. Something became very clear to us that it is not going to be by power, it is not going to be by might. The mighty man will not be saved by the multitude of his strength. The horse will be a vain thing for victory in the day of battle, but safety will be of the Lord. That it doesn't matter how dark things will get, it doesn't matter how it will go. What we saw at the Red Sea, what God did at that Red Sea was something that science and technology cannot explain. They cannot explain it. Till date, we have still not evolved that science and technology. They have not been invented. That in such a case of an emergency, there could just be a particular tractor that can part the sea, turn it into wall, dry the ground, make it dry land. That tractor again will give light to Israelites, give darkness to the Egyptians, keep them from going, from coming close to the Israelites. That science, that technology will also go on to begin to remove the wheel of— I said, "Which science? Is there a science? Those of you in the sciences, you are looking at me. Have anything evolved? Have man invented anything that can work within such hours and produce it?" And I said, "If as at that time, God have what is more than science and technology to save us, then what of now? If God too is evolving new ones since that time? Since man too is bringing out new ones, if God too is already evolving new ones for now, which type will be available now for our safety? Will it not be something better than what he did then?" That's what I'm trying to say. And that is why you notice that in Malachi, the Lord said something. He said, "Look, oh house of Jacob, the reason why you have not been consumed is because I the Lord, I change not. I change not." That's why you are not consumed. And it is a thing we must appreciate. So we made it clear that what brought that deliverance was the hand of the Lord. And it is so important for us to know that it is that same hand of the Lord that will be carrying us through 2021. But we related that scripture to what happened when Jesus was walking on the sea to meet in Matthew, to meet the disciples. And when they saw him, they thought he was a ghost. So they were afraid. And then Jesus said, "It is I, don't be afraid." But Peter said, "Lord, if it is you, tell me to come." And then Peter got instruction, "Come," and he went. And one thing we were able to establish also in that meeting is this aspect of faith. That faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. That God must help us to hear God so that because Peter heard God, that was why he could move beyond the limitation of others. Others could not leave the boat, but Peter went ahead. Peter went ahead of them. And I said, "For men who will go ahead this year, they will be men who can hear instruction, who can hear 'Come,' 'Jump,' 'Don't do this,' 'Do that,' 'Take no,' 'Go this way.' Those men will be walking on the sea that the dread of their contemporaries." I hope you get the point I'm making. So the year too will be full of adventure, but adventure for men who can hear the Lord. Today, what I want to add to that, because we will still take the B part of that prayer today, even though we will look at the word of God, but we still need to also pray into the year a little, just do a little prayer being the first Monday. But I want us to look at something very crucial, which is a kind of impression that keeps coming. The impression kept coming, and I know that when it keeps coming like that for it is to give direction and the way we need to go. If you look at something, let me take your mind back to something we shared in one of our meetings about the righteous versus the unrighteous. You know, I said something very clear. If you go through scripture, there is something the Bible mentions consistently, particularly in the time of adversity. In the days of Isaiah, the land was in great trouble. God said the land is in trouble because of its iniquity. But he said, "Say unto the righteous, it shall be well with thee." What I'm drawing your attention to is that godliness is an antidote for the day of trouble. Do you understand me? Godly living. In the day of trouble, when I say trouble, I mean when the going, when things get difficult, when things get tough, when things get— when the times and the seasons, when things are changing. One time it was peaceful in Israel. In the days of David, all the battles he fought, what were we told? All the battles he won all the battles. There was no battle David went to that he did not win. He won. And so in the days of David, there was peace throughout the land. So everybody was having a time of enjoyment. In the days of Solomon, what do you see again? You see, "And the Lord gave the king rest on every side." Solomon did not fight any war. Somebody said because David fought all the war. Anyway, but the scripture says the Lord gave Solomon rest. That's what— but at a time things began to change. What was changing? It began with Solomon gradually. The Bible says, "And Solomon loved foreign women," and began to marry from where God had said you should not marry. That's where the thing started from. So God raised some adversity against Solomon towards the end of his days, you remember. So adversity began to come. Then Israel too joined together with their kings, they went into idolatry. They did so many things. Then God gave them up, and the land, oppression, all kinds of things. So it was now in the midst of that that God said, "Say unto the righteous, it shall be well with thee." But tell the wicked, it will be ill with— what I'm trying to say is this. Do you know we were closing last year, we were saying something? Do you know one thing that is very interesting to me about God? Even though we count times and season, we count days, 2020 has ended, 2021 is coming, but for God, everything is now. There is no today or tomorrow. So for God, it's just one now in which God keeps doing the things that he is doing. But for us, it will be coming to us as morning, night, year in, year out. You remember when we were closing last year, we were talking about perilous time, difficult times, all of that, because of the evil of men. It is in response to that that I'm telling you something, that one way to live well in the days of evil is to be godly. If you want to enjoy life when there is so much wickedness in the land, when there is so much evil in the land, when there is so much— violation, corruption, destruction, and all of these things, don't forget, they will be making times more and more difficult. When one man, for instance, look at the case COVID for instance, things were brought as palliative for families and somebody stole it somewhere. You see, it will make things difficult. You see, the wickedness of man also makes things difficult, make times too to be difficult. Do you understand what I'm trying to say? What I'm saying is that at such times when the wickedness— what is making times to be more and more difficult, when you say things are drying, things are going up. The earth itself is depleting, I hope you know. Do you know, even naturally, the earth itself is depleting? The global warming, the sea level is increasing because the cold area, water is melting from ice, the glaciers are becoming water. The earth itself is depleting. Everything is moving somewhere. Do you get it? Everything is moving towards difficult time. Do you understand me? But what I'm trying to say is that how do we live at such time? What is the way forward at such time? What guarantees that I will not be disgraced, I will not be stranded, and I will not be embarrassed? What guarantees that is that God must make a distinction between those who fear him and those who does not fear him. That was what happened at the Red Sea. God made a distinction between those who feared him and those who are the enemies of God. What I'm trying to say, we'll be experiencing distinction by the hand of the Lord as things get tough, tougher and tougher. It is the hand of the Lord that bring the distinction, and that distinction is for the godly. That's what I'm saying. So what I'm saying is that, yes, in fact, what some people have said about 2021, if you are not even careful, you will start having hypertension. "Ha! Look, there will be famine, there will be that, yeah, where in fact, the price of things, ordinary person won't be able to live again. The price of corn—" and people say, "Ah! You say corn is expensive? It's not expensive yet, oh. We are still going to see times 10 of that price." And you begin to hear all of this news. If you are getting afraid, can I tell you a good news? You be godly, you will not lack. Be godly. Just be sure that you are consistently godly. Look at the scripture we want to make reference to. Two scriptures. The first one is Jeremiah, then the second one will be Psalm 37, then Psalm 34. Jeremiah chapter 17. Are you there? I want to read from the NLT translation. I read from verse 1. Look at how the Bible puts this thing. It says, "The sin of Judah is inscribed with an iron chisel, engraved with a diamond point on their stony heart and on the corners of their altar. Even their children go to worship at their pagan altars and Asherah poles beneath every green tree on every high hill." Are you following something? What's the level of corruption? What's the level of corruption as at this time? What's the level of wickedness? What's the level of sinfulness? It was so high, isn't it? Now, so, verse 3, "I will hand over my holy mountain along with all their wealth and treasures and your pagan shrines as plunder to your enemies, for sin run rampant in your land." So please, what does sin do to a land? What does sin do to a land? And we are looking at when he says their wealth, everything will be given to their enemy. What will happen to provision and support? So there will be lack, there will be starvation. Do you understand me? Like we experience so much lack and starvation in 2020 because of a particular virus. But can I also tell you that in that 2020, some of you will have testimony of people who said that was the best year for them? Am I not correct? People who said, "Wow! Thank God for coronavirus." It was the day, it was that year that the Lord made a distinction with my life. I thank God for this thing that happened. It was when my business took another dimension. I want to— somebody like Zoom and Misler, what would they be doing about coronavirus? They are rejoicing. Businesses like that, social media, are they not rejoicing? In some other quarter, there will be weeping and crying. Do you understand me? Something was said yesterday in the church where I worship that, you know, even though it was just a statement, but it made a lot of— I went back home and I was really meditating on it. The minister just said, "You see, you know in the classroom when they change period? If you are doing English before, some people will be answering questions and they will be talking, they will be talking. By the time you change to physics, some of the boys that were shouting before will go down, other boys will come up. But some people, they may be good in that subject and also good in this subject. By the time you move to chemistry, some other voices again will change." You know when I got home I began to meditate on that thing. That it means if you apply that to life, at some season why your gift and your calling may be relevant, in some other season, those people who seem to be shining, they no be able to shine. They will need another kind of people with another kind of gift and skill to shine. Then when the season changes again, what will happen again? Some other people will start shining again. Do you understand me? Then I now began to meditate. When the minister said, "Except you have somebody who is good both in mathematics, in English, in physics, in chemistry, and then when you move to heart again, he can still handle heart. That is when he will have a consistent voice speaking." And I said, "What can be this consistent apart from the fear of God?" What is it that can take a man through all season? I will show you. Because I really went— I was really thinking that no matter the skill you acquire, except God work around your skill, except there is a divine working around your skill, as times and season change, as they keep changing like that, it is possible you get you come to your waterloo in terms of what you are and what you are doing. But look at something that the Bible says about the fear of God and the trust in the Lord. In that Jeremiah that we are reading. Look at what the Bible says. Verse 5, "This is what the Lord says: Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their heart away from the Lord." Are you seeing something? Are you seeing something? So if a man is good in physics and he trust in physics, he become cursed. Because when the day mathematics will come, God will not help him. If the man is good in chemistry and he trust in chemistry, when God change the season, God will not help him because he's a cursed man. He will not see the help of God. Have you understood what I'm trying to bring out? You know I was just meditating, the thing was just expanding in my heart. I was looking at different scenarios, different situation. It says, "Cursed is that man." If you read it in the KJV, "Thus saith the Lord: Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, whose heart departeth from the Lord." Amplified: "Thus saith the Lord: Cursed with great evil is the strong man who trusts in and rely on frail men, making weak human flesh his arm, whose minds and heart turn aside from the Lord." What I want to draw your attention to there is the word "mind." What does mind connote? Faith and imagination. Faith and imagination. What does mind connote? Your thinking. Your thinking. Your thinking. Your thinking. And I give a very good example. It should be around '89, '90. '89, '90. Somehow I gained admission to Federal Polytechnic Ado. I have to read accounting, but in the polytechnic they call it accountancy. University calls it accounting. But even though they are doing virtually the same thing. Although one has more theoretically based, the other one is more practical based. So I was there in the Federal Polytechnic Ado. And do you know one thing? I don't know how it happens. Accounting is the only course I don't read but I understand. I'm serious. I'm not exaggerating. We are before the Lord. Once we enter class and the lecturer comes, once he finish teaching, as he's teaching like this, beyond what he's teaching I'm understanding it. Such that there was no night I went to class to read. There was no— once he's through, I've understood it. Do you know what happened? People will go and read overnight. Me, I've gone because normally I don't read with my night because I must rise for four. I sleep with my night. It is deliberate for me. I must sleep 11:00 so I can wake up for 4:00. 4:00 to 6:00 I must do my devotion. So I don't read, throughout my— throughout all university I went to, I don't read in the night because I want to rise for four. People will go, when they come back, they will be coming back around 6:30, 7:00 when I'm through with my devotion. They will say, "Ah, Wale, this thing— the principle is still not very clear. Oyo Wale, do you understand this?" I'll say, "Which one?" Do you know that what they went to do all night and they caught nothing, I will just take the thing— honestly, I will tell you the reason behind it anyway, I don't know how it works. I'll just take the thing, see this thing like this, like this, like this, like this, and I will explain the whole thing. As a result, I was among the first five students in class when it comes to performance, our grading. Just about five of us were ahead of the class. I was among that five, the best five in the class. And I don't read account. I read all the other subjects, but all the other course but I don't read it. I just understand it. It was something that was just clear. Now, what am I trying to say? Because of that capacity, people marveled at me. Even fellowship executive, they marveled. But one day the Lord said, "Drop accounting and go for sociology." Look, everybody stood against me, up to my president. Said, "Brother Wale, this is a waste of God-given talent. Ha! You can't waste this talent! This is clear, this is the might of— this is the power of God. Ah! How will you now drop this thing and go and take another thing to start?" I said, "See, I am clear about this matter." But because of too many pressure, you know when pressure comes too much around your life. When I finished the first year, I came again to register for the second year. But I am convinced that, look— do you know when I came to school to register for the second one? I was on the queue with the registration form. As we were going, you know, those days it is hard copy. There is nothing like e— there is no internet or anything. So you carry— the line will be as long from here, everybody will be on that line. So you— you would understand what I mean, those of us that were there at that time. Now we are on the queue, we were waiting. But I didn't know how I got into a meditation. I was just meditating on scriptures. I was meditating on scriptures. When it was about getting to my time, about six or seven people to the lecturer that is signing— it's those lecturers of those days that really did registration, not the ones of today that people just go "pim, pim, pim," they sign everything digitally and they say you have done registration. He will be signing, signing, signing for— so as I was getting close to the man, it was a clear voice of God. He said, "Wale, you want to continue the registration, abi? No problem. Go. But know for certain, you will perish." From that line, I just went back to the hostel. I packed all my load. I came back to the house. My parents were confused. "Ah, what is it?" I said, "Admission ti mo gba nibi yen, ibun mo lo. I am not continuing with this thing." My elder brothers, people spoke. What I'm trying to bring out of this thing is this. I'm good in accounting, but my trust was in the Lord. Can you get what I'm trying to bring out? You see what can take a man through all season? It's not really the skill per se, it is the Lord. That's what I'm trying to make you understand. It is the Lord. It is the Lord! The Lord can take you through! He can take you through whatever season! Of course, the long and short was, of course, the accounting did not continue. I went for sociology today, and that is what— but the point I'm trying to bring out is that where is your trust? But I want to imagine another scenario where I could not hear God. Do you understand me? Imagine another scenario where I could not hear God. The reason why I know that there will be problem, definitely there will be problem. But at least God made me to see some of the problem later when I got married. You know when I got married, you know your mindset that the man, the money, the man is in charge. Do you know that when I tried to manage the accounting of the family, we ran into problem. I had to hand over the accounting of money to my wife. So I now began to imagine, what if I had read the accounting? Do you understand me? Do you understand what I'm trying to bring out? If to manage the accounting of family income, everything, the whole account was just running this way, running that way, despite the skill in accounting. I'm just trying to explain something to you. I'm trying to get something clear to you. That what would have happened, I don't know. What would have happened? Maybe I will have managed one company— I'm not somebody, I'm not somebody— you see, I'm somebody who is more detailed when it comes to you are dealing with the things of scriptures. When it comes to the things of money, the things of this, I'm not a detailed person. "Wo, ti n ba yo yen, kini mo se na o? Oun na niyen. E je a sa ti lo eleyi, a ti lo—" and you can't do that in accounting! "Wo, t'o ba t'o ba je okay, is that what— is that what you will be explaining? You say, "How did you use—" I say, "We used it at home! We used it at home! After all we bought kerosene—" you say, "No, how was this?" I said, "Maybe we spent it there, and it was there, and it was—" my wife would say, "No, can you give—" I say, "Ah! Be a— I don't have time for such things! How will I be writing? It does not make sense to me!" But you know that when she began to do it, it made a lot of sense to us. We could plan it. You know I don't know whether you are getting the point I'm making. I don't know what that would have even resulted into much more later. I'm only trying to let you get something. The changing of times and season, one man that can stay through all season is the man I'm showing you. Look at the man. Look at the man. Look at what the Bible says about the first man. It says, "They are like stunted shrubs in the desert," verse 6, "with no hope for—" note, these are strong men, oh. Strong men, but there is no hope for their future. That will not be our portion. Look at what the Bible says. "They will live in barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land." Look at the second man. It says, "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, whose hope the Lord is. Hallelujah!" Are you seeing something? What is the nature of this man? "He shall be like a tree planted by waters. Hallelujah!" I don't know whether you understand that. If you don't understand it, just turn and look at all those banana by that water. If you turn and look at all those plants that is close to that stream, compare it with their contemporaries that are here. When dry season came, look at all these ones, they are dried up. But go and check all those ones by that river. What are they doing? They are still green. I want to ask you, is it because they have longer root than these ones? Is it because they have sharper root or more— you know it is nothing about them. It is nothing about them! What I'm trying to make you understand is that what takes you through difficult time is not so much something about you, it's something about God. It's not so much something about you. It's something about God! Do you notice something? That the reason why those men were by land that is not convenient for their growth is because of the Lord. It says, "They will be like shrub in the wilderness." So what is making them be like that? Is it their having skill or not having skill? It is because God is not a factor in their skill. God is not a factor in their ability. God is not a factor in their business. The reason why your business will die is because God is not a factor in it. It's not because the times are changing. And we can still give a good example from what happened with us. We have been running programs for years. We can use our— our case as a very good example, as a ministry. We have been running everything for the past how many years. We move to— we move to this place, that's around 2017, and we have been running the— running the platform on and on and on. Until suddenly, suddenly around 2019, end of 2019, we just felt "Ah, brethren that are everywhere, is it not good to be able to reach out to them?" We were not— we were not even thinking of whether there is COVID or no COVID. And somebody said in the action committee, "Heh, the thing is not too costly. What we just need, we need an amplifier, we do this, we do that." And somebody said, "Heh, there is even this particular thing, Misler. With Misler, you can just connect with them." We said, "How much will that cost?" He said, "No, there is even a trial version. Let's just try it and see what will happen before we pay." So we used trial version for 14 days and then we began to— as we tried the thing, brethren everywhere, those in UK, those in Spain just called in. "Ah! That thing you used, please don't stop it, oh! We want to be listening!" He said, "Oh, oh, it was profitable. Oya, let's start paying." We started paying in January. By the time we got to February, March, there was lockdown. I want to ask you, what made the business not to close? The God factor. What I'm trying to say is that there is a science and technology that knows tomorrow. And there is a science and technology that cannot discern tomorrow. If science and technology could discern tomorrow, man have done so many things. I made this statement last week. Man can tell you by tomorrow there is going to be rainfall or there will not be rainfall, isn't it? They can tell you the weather will be hot or cold. Won't they tell you? They can tell you. In some other countries they can tell you that, "Look, earthquake is coming from this direction. It's going to pass through this town. It will destroy this village. So everybody move like this." It has gotten to that level in some countries. Of course, we know what happened in the US. And it is with precision. Am I not correct? It's with precision. But there are still some things about life that is beyond science and technology. That except God prepares you, prepares you for those situations, you are finished. And a good example is the first wave of corona— because they are talking about second wave now, so I'm saying first wave. I'm praying there will not be second wave, oh. We are all praying there will not be second wave. But that first wave, it has become a first wave now, and— my son was talking about they said COVID-19, I think they are now talking about COVID-20. I don't know. I don't know. But the point I'm making is this. Do you see that everything about science and technology could not handle that? It could not tell us, "It will start in China, then it will go like this, go like this, go like this. It will enter into US, it will kill many in Italy, and then it will now come like this. This is what they should do." Would it tell us that? And let me announce to you, there are several matters of life that are still coming that are beyond science and technology. Matters, when I say matters, I mean matters of dry season. Matters of difficult times. Matters that— matters that will cause serious somersaulting. Because if you read scriptures, the Bible says, "The earth shall stagger like a man that is drunk." Jesus himself said something. He said, "The heart of men will be failing them," looking like what is coming upon the earth. "Ah yes," he said, "you, you don't need to be afraid. All these things need be." Are you seeing a distinction? Are you seeing a distinction between those who are his own and those who are not his own? If the heart of men are failing them because of what is happening, and he said, "You, you don't need to be afraid. All these things need be. Just lift up your head for your redemption draweth near." Are you seeing a contradiction? Things need to be uneasy, uneasy, and some are just mounting on wings as eagles. They are just renewing their strength and they are just going, and they are all— do you understand me? What makes that possible for them is the Lord. What I'm trying to say, those of us who have— we ran at a point, or who are running, or who are in, whichever place you put it, to take refuge in the Lord, we have great consolation. If you don't know it, please know it. If you don't know that we have great consolation, what makes us to have great consolation is that go and check all times in history, there have not been time that God fail those who trust in him and those who fear him. People who trusted in the Lord, those who trusted in the Lord, those who feared the Lord. Go and check. All season, there have been diverse season. Do you think calamity is just happening for the first time now? Is there anything new under the sun? There is nothing new! But go and check men who go through all of these things and still come out strong. Check Bible history. Check contemporary history. Go and check all of these things. It says, "They shall be like tree planted by waters." Look at something. It says, verse 8, "that spread out her roots—" I'm reading the KJV version— "spread out her roots by the river." Look at what it says. "And shall not see when heat cometh." Have you seen something? It shall not see when heat cometh. Let me take that in amplified. It says, "He spread out its roots by the river. It shall not see and fear when heat comes." Are you seeing two things? One, it will not see. Let me explain it to you. Just look at the weeds that are by the river there. Do they know that there is dry season? They don't know! They don't know that there is dry season. They are not aware that the times have changed. No! Because water that was there during rainy season is there during dry season. So they will not see it. Now what I want you to get clear is this. Please get something clear. Do you notice that the Bible did not say dry season will not come to them? What did the Bible say? It said, "They will not see or fear when it comes." I don't know whether you are getting the difference. So that trust in the Lord and the fear of the Lord does not immune us from the different things that will be happening, but it only guarantees that inside it, we will be victorious. It guarantees that inside it, we will be victorious. It says, "He will not see when it come." Look at the next thing. "But its leaf shall be green." Look at the next thing that follows. It says, "It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought." So do you see that as far as God is concerned, in the life span of things, there will be drought? So when people are— when people are saying that "He n' koro mo'le, he n' koro mo'wa," it's not as if everything is about God. There are different— there will be different— there will be year of drought, there will be year there will be no drought, there will be— do you understand me? Those are not the matter. What is the real matter is what is the position, where is the location of the individual in this season? That is the matter. As these things are changing, there will always be a year of drought. But what is the location? Where are you located? Where are you found? Nor shall cease doing what? They will not cease! And that shall be our portion. They will not cease! Esoso won yen, won ma yo e sunwon lo. They will keep bringing out, they will keep producing it, they will keep— every year. They will keep producing it, producing it, producing it, producing it, on and on and on like that. I'm telling you, and that's the truth. They will not cease! But what am I asking you? What guarantees they not ceasing? Because it said, "Blessed is the man who trusts." Are you seeing the matter? Are you seeing the matter? Who trusts in the Lord. Who trusts in the Lord. As we try to come to a close, I want you to see something very, very important again in I want us to read read that Psalm, that Psalm 37 quickly. I want us to read it. And I want to read it from the NLT translation. I just want you to follow it with your mind. I'm reading through all. I'm taking it from the verse 1. What did the Bible say from verse 1? "Don't worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong." That's I'm telling you what should be our attitude and our lifestyle in this season. What should be your attitude? What should be your lifestyle? And I want you to get home and meditate again on this Psalm 37 over and over because honestly it is the scripture of our direction. It is the scripture of our direction. Don't fret about wicked, don't envy— there will be a lot of people as drought is coming, people will doing a lot of sharp things, a lot of shady things, all kinds of things will be going on. But don't don't— don't fret yourself. Don't get yourself agitated. Don't get yourself agitated! Don't envy, don't want to be like them, and don't let what they do get you angry. Two things: don't envy, don't fret. For what does the Bible say? "For like grass, they shall soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they will soon wither." What should you do? "Trust in the Lord and do good." Do you see the word again "trust" coming? I hope you are seeing where the trust is coming from now. That's why I first went to Jeremiah. Do you get it now? What should be your own attitude? Trust in the Lord. So you can— we have discussed the trust already, so I don't need to expand that here again. Trust in the Lord, you know the consequence of that. And what is the next thing? Do good. Please, brethren, I want to beg you. Make 2021 not only a year of trusting the Lord, make it a year of doing good. No matter what, no matter the situation, no matter what anybody do to you, don't pay evil for evil. Don't try to— don't bother yourself. Trust God and do good. Trust God, pay back good for evil. Be consistently true about this matter. And what did the Bible say will happen to you? "Then you will live safely in the land and what will happen to you? And you will prosper." That is the secret of prosperity this season. It is the secret of prosperity. Trust God, do good. You will live safely in the land and what will happen to you? You will prosper. Trust God, do good. You will dwell safely, you will prosper. "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you." Do you see the word "trust" again coming? "Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord." I hope you get that. Be a woman of what? Be a man of what? God's presence. Please be noting all those clear instruction. Be a man, be a woman of God's presence. And learn to do what? Wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people. We have spoken about them, perilous times. Do you get it? Don't worry about them! Don't let them be a problem to you! Don't let it pain you about the governor that want to steal all Nigeria money for only his own family. Don't let it pain you about the the president who is concerned about only his tribe or only some people, only some category of people. Don't bother about the vice-chancellor who is not concerned about you, only those who are close to him. Don't let their evil— don't bother about evil people. Just let them continue with their evil. Don't let them be a problem to you! Don't let them be a problem to you! Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper. It will only lead to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. Do you get that? Soon the wicked will disappear. Because the seasons are changing. God want to make a distinction between the good and the wicked. Those who fear God and those who does not fear him. God want to make a distinction. Though you look for them, what will happen? They will be gone. They will be gone. The lowly will possess the land and live in peace and prosperity. Do you see it again coming to us? The wicked plot against the godly. They snarl at them in defiance. But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming. The wicked draw their sword and string their bow to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do what? Do you get that? Continue to do right. Don't fear anybody. Do good. Doing the right thing. Don't try to join them. Don't try to tell lies. Don't try to pay evil for evil. Don't try to— don't try all those things. Don't go into any of them. For that reason, the wicked will want to plot to kill you. When you refuse to join, they say, "Okay, this person will not make this thing to work." I was talking about this in our own family altar, and I remember a brother who had to run away from NNPC because he said, "If you don't cooperate with this thing, we will kill you." Because if he does not cooperate, then they will be afraid that he may report. He left his job and ran for his life because he was not ready to cooperate with what they wanted to do. So sometimes that you will refuse to even join evil people, inu won a tun ma— "Ha! Iwo yi, a pa e da!" They still want to kill you for doing right. Imagine your boss telling the accountant, "Add one figure there. Okay, what is there? 10 million. Add one more figure make it 100 million. Just add a zero. No, just add one zero. It's—" "Ah! No, sir!" "Heh? Do you still want to enjoy favor in this place? Just take to my instruction." He said, "But sir, this thing—" I said, "Put one zero!" He said, "No, I'm sorry." We'll see. So what has happened? Elemi ni mi ti o— that's what he's trying to say. That they plot to do you evil. I remember sometimes back in school when my classmate would be expecting that you will see, you will see. You that you refuse to cooperate with us. You see, something will happen in this exam, you will not know the question, and then you will see. None of us will— they will be wishing that you too something will happen. They'll be wishing you evil because you are right. Now it says, "They string their bow to slaughter those who do right, but their sword will stab their own heart." Hey! Their sword will stab their own heart! Their bows will be broken. It is better to be godly and have little than to do evil and rich. For the strength of the wicked shall be scattered, shall be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly. Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I should round up now. That's instruction. I would, I would. It says— so let me just quickly please be noting this thing. You can please later meditate on it. If the Lord bring us back to this next Monday, I may tell one or two things about it. You know, it says, "Day by day—" oh, look at that scripture. "Day by day, the Lord takes care of the innocent. Hallelujah!" Are you seeing something? There will be daily provision! There will be daily provision! Day by day, the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced. Look at the word. "They will not be disgraced in what? In hard times." The times are hard, but you will not be disgraced. I'm showing you the way out of hard times. Are you seeing the way out of hard times? Godliness and goodness. Be godly, be good. You will not be disgraced in hard times. Look at what the Bible says again. "Even in famine, they will have more than enough. Hallelujah!" Even in famine, in famine! Igbayi na won a ma so pe, "Oh, kini yi ti po ju nile wa. E je a wo awon ti a ma fun." And these are things the hand of the Lord can do. That's why I said, "Blessed is the man." That's why I said, please don't trade away. Look, those of us who have run into the Lord to take refuge, we have a great consolation, and particularly at a this time. We have great consolation! We are blessed people! It's not about some money or some car. We are blessed people because we will not be stranded. We will not be disgraced. The mighty and the strong, they will be stranded. That's why the Bible says even the son of a lion, they will lack and suffer hunger. Awon alagbara ninu igbo, even the king of the jungle will not get food to eat. But those who fear the Lord, they will not lack anything good. So even the king of the jungle will not get food to eat, but those that fear the Lord, "Eleyin o le meke, mo lo fe gbe yin mo lo—" and they will be going. They will be going and they will not cease from bearing fruit. And the king of the jungle, they will not have what to eat. So it says, you know, they will not be disgraced. I'm— it says, "But the wicked will die. The Lord's enemies are like flowers in a field. They will disappear like smoke. The wicked borrows and never repay," because they will not have enough to eat. They will call themselves rich men, they will call themselves— yet they will borrow, they will not be able to repay what they borrow. "But the godly are generous givers." You see the matter of doing good? Please make up your mind. I will be— I will trust in the Lord and I will do good. "Those the Lord blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die." Do you see it again? "Cursed is the man." Are you seeing the relationship between where we are coming from and where we are? So those who possess the land are those the Lord bless. Those he curses, they will die because there will be starvation, there will be this, there will be that. Death may not be physical death, I hope you understand me. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. Not physical death, but in different ways they will die. In different ways they will die. Man, "The Lord direct the step of the godly. He delights in every details of their lives." I want you to note that. All details of your life God is delighted in it. "Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord hold them by its hand. I was once young, now I'm old. Yet I've never seen the godly abandoned or their seed begging for bread. The godly always give generous loan to others, and their children are a blessing." Are you seeing something? I will not cease. Even in the famine, I will still have enough to be giving loan. Ah, o ko ye eniyan! I will still have— look, this thing is a mindset. Awon t'ori won o mo'ni, won a ma so pe, "Ha! Eyi ko ma ba tan!" Me, I will still be giving out loan generously. Generous loan, oh! Not stringent loan. "When will you pay? When it's convenient for you." Ah! You know those kind of loan. That will be my portion, that will be your portion, in the name of Jesus. Generous loan even in famine. You'll be giving generous loan. Igbayi na won a ni kan san bayi, won a ni, "O se convenient fun e, o to so bayi?" "Ah, mo n wo osu keta to bo, bi three months time." "Oh, okay. Fi se four months. Fi se four months, ko n san n'gba yen." Those are generous loan. Why can you do that? Because the Lord has comforted you. Though I'm saying so that you get the direction of things. "And they're just—" 27, "Turn from evil and do good. You will live in the land forever." Turn from evil. Don't join evildoers! Don't join them! Turn from evil, do good. You will dwell in the land. Orile-ede Nigeria le, kini kan, ko le da, kini kan kini kan. For me, oh, it will be good for me. And if the Lord says I should leave the country, then no problem. But as long as the Lord says, "Stay here," you remember Isaac was a farmer in famine. Where he asks you to stay, stay there. "For the Lord loves justice, and he will never— and he will—" oh, maybe I should stop. Let let us stop here. The time is completely over now. I— but I want you to take this verse home. Take this verse home. 37:37. I like to take that in KJV. It says, "Mark the perfect man, behold the upright. The end of that man is peace." It shall be peaceful at the end of 2021. It shall be peaceful for you. He said the end of that man. By the time we are ending 2021, you will look around, you say, "Ah! It has been so peaceful!" It has been so peaceful. Despite all the storms, all the calamities, everything, you will look and say, "Ah, it has been so peaceful!" I'm telling you. Let us go ahead to pray. Let's pray for today. Let's pray for today. Just direction. I want you to talk to the Lord. Just talk to the Lord very briefly. Talk to the Lord. Talk to the Lord. Eternal Father, as I look into the year, help me to trust in you and do good. As I look into the year, we don't know what the year holds. I've not come here with one prophet to say that, "This is going to happen." That's not what I've come here to discuss with you. But I'm telling you, I'm just telling you that no matter how it turns, what happens to men who trust God and do good? No matter how it will turn. We don't know what is going to come. Maybe as there's going to be a COVID-20 or there will not be COVID-20. Maybe for this year, salary will not be paid at all, January to December. We don't know. Maybe we don't— you see, we can't begin to— don't concern yourself with looking for one prophet to tell you the details. You don't need all of that. What you need is to be the correct man for all season. The correct man for all season is that man who trust God and do good. That man who trust in the Lord and consistently do good is a man of all season. As they change the period from physics to chemistry, you will still see him talking. When they change again to mathematics, you will still see him talking. When they change to CRK, you will find him there. Let them change again, let them change again to geography, he will still be talking. Let them change again to agric, you will see him he's still there. As the season is changing and the time are changing, you will see this man, he keeps going. He keeps going. He never ceases from bearing fruit. He keeps going. He keeps marching on. He keeps moving on. In all the season, he keeps going. He keeps going! The Bible says he does not cease from bearing fruit. He does not. He does not. He does not cease! In famine, he will have more than enough. In difficult times, he will not be disgraced. When it become difficult, something will just happen again. He will not be disgraced. He will just escape. That is the man of all season. That's the man of all season! That's the man that can handle all the subjects. All the subjects! And I'm telling you, subjects will be changing anyhow. Subject will just be changing, changing, changing, changing! Because honestly you cannot predict the time. Things are happening very, very fast. Things are happening very, very fast. Very, very fast! Very, very fast! You'll be thinking that because I read— I did medicine, I did this course, that is what I will feed with. Mind you, God may tell you, "Okay, leave that course there. Don't do that. Just go and start selling this liquid soap." And as you are selling that thing, you become a millionaire. I'm telling you, look, it is the man that can hear God, like we said in last week, and the man who trust God and can do good. I'm telling you, all seasons, they will survive it. They will survive all season! They will survive! They will not cease from bearing fruit. They don't cease from bearing fruit! They don't cease! Keep changing, let things keep changing, they are there. I want you to pray, "Oh Lord my God, help me to be a man of all season. Oh, that I may fear you, that I may trust you, that I may do good. That I may fear you, that I may trust you, that I may do good. Fear you, trust you, do good. Fear you, trust you, do good. Fear you, trust you, do good." Thank you, Father. Thank you, Father. And lastly I want you to pray, "Oh Lord, as I fear you, as I trust you, as I do good, by the end of 2021, it shall be peace." He said the end of that man is peace. Although the end there is talking about so many other ends, but we are just trying to look at 2021. By the end, by the time we are ending December 31st, when I will look back, oh, it would have been a journey of peace. Peace on every side for me. Peace in my home, peace in my family, peace in my life, peace in my career, peace in my business. Peace! Peace! It would have been peace for me. It would have been peace! The end of that man is peace. The end of that man, the man who fears God, the man who trusts God, the man who does good, the man who does not join the— who does not join the wicked, who does not envy them, who does not go their way, who reframes himself from being revengeful, who hold the way of the Lord. That man, he said the end of that man, by the time you'll be ending 2021, you say, "Oh, it has been a peaceful journey. This year was a fantastic year for me." That is what you will be saying! He is the man of all season. We don't know what tomorrow holds, but we have a God who knows tomorrow. And he's telling us this is the subject you can handle. Once you have this kind of skill in your hand, once you have the fear of God, you have the trust in God, and you do good, that is the skill you need for all season. That is the skill you need for all the seasons of the subject! That is what you need. Thank you, heavenly Father. Thank you, heavenly Father. Oh Lord our God! Oh Lord our God! Oh Lord our God! We will we will— we will dwell in the land and we will prosper. Lord, I pray for us, I pray for your people. I pray for everyone connected with Family Tent Ministry. Oh God, all our partners, the board of trustees. We pray for everyone listening to us. We pray for all of us, oh God Almighty. We pray, we are saying, oh Lord our God Almighty, we pray by your hand, oh God, by your help, by your mercy, by the working of your spirit, Jehovah God. Lord our God, we will dwell in the land and we will prosper. We will dwell securely in the land and we will prosper. We will dwell securely in the land and we will prosper! And at the end of 2021, we will look back and we will say it has been a peaceful journey. In the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, blessed Father. Thank you, Almighty God. Our eyes are on you, oh Lord. Let nothing prevail against us. Let nothing bring the real purpose of our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Let me ask Comfort to close the meeting. Please come and pray and close up this meeting. Let's share the grace. Comfort, please come and close. [Speaker 2] Eternal Father, we are grateful to you for your word to us again this evening. Thank you for making it so clear. Lord, you did not hide anything from us. You didn't pamper us to say, "Oh, all shall be well. Just keep going. Everything will be smooth." But Lord God Almighty, you are telling us that in spite of whatever heat can come, that you are there for us if only we can trust in you. Father, we are asking, oh God, the grace to release our trust on you absolutely. Release upon us in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, help our eyes to be on you at all times irrespective of situation and circumstances in the name of Jesus Christ. Father, we are asking, oh Lord, let the truth be our guiding principles in the name of Jesus Christ. Even when situation and circumstances want to run contrary to the truth, help us to stand upon the truth unshaken in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, everlasting Father. For your son you have used again tonight, we are asking that Lord you will bless him. You will enlarge him. You will increase him on every side. You will cause the lines to fall on him in pleasant places. You will cause him and his entire family to enjoy your goodly heritage this year in the name of Jesus Christ. His eyes shall not be dim. His ears shall not be blocked. But clearly he will see and hear you speaking, saying, "This is the way to go." Thank you, Lord, for hearing us pray. As we go, please let your presence abide with us and help us to abide in you. For it is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's share the grace together. [All] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen. [Narrator] 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 heat. Our regular activities are: Discipleship Class every Monday, 5:00 PM; Adolescent and Singles Club, every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; Marriage Forum, second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; family life seminars, regular school out-reaches, and everyday counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location: Life Camp by the first bridge, Inere community, opposite Very-Joy filling station along Ijera 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: 080-3386-1136, 070-3361-3848. God bless you all. Amen.