ONE

I want to teach a subject in my heart, first things first. The Lord began to tell me, if you put first things first, you will be a guaranteed success.

Mathew 6:31:-

“Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? Or, what shall we drink? Or, wherewithal shall we be clothed? ”

These are things that men think about, they are legitimate things. But the Lord said don’t think about them.

Verse 32,

“For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”

He knows the dept of your pain, He knows that you need a husband; He knows that you need a wife and He knows that you need health in your body.

Listen God knows. And let me tell you something, just as He created Adam in the book of beginning , put him in Eden in an already prepared place, it wasn’t Adam that spent time in intercession telling Him to do that, on His own will He created that garden of abundance and put Adam there, Adam came and met it there. That is God’s mind for us; all things have already been prepared for us.

You cannot desire a better life than what God has for you. Many of us sometimes we kind think, does God really know the kind of wife or husband I want? Does God really know the kind of clothes I want to wear? Does God really I want a romantic man, a man that will understand me? Does God really know the kind of ministry I want? He knows He created you; infact the only reason why you’re desiring that is because He put the desire there.

So He said He knows that we need all of these things, but He is given us an advise there. He said,

Verse 3,

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Seek ye first the establishment of Gods kingdom upon the earth, God’s dominion, let that be your primary priority in life. He didn’t say seek a car, bigger business first, but the kingdom of God. In other words let that be your focus, let that be the reason why you want promotion, let that be the reason why you want enlargement, let that be the reason why you want blinding glory, not just with your mouth but in your heart.

Seek ye first; is the priority of issue. Any manifested blessing with these becomes confusion and it becomes a curse. Number one priority should be God’s kingdom and its establishment. How God does these things, God’s dominion upon the earth and His righteousness and He said all these things shall be added to you. I am not sure we believe these things, because if we believe these things, then we’ll be seeking the kingdom of God. That is why we need teachers in the body of Christ, so that they can give you facts from scriptures while you go and search it out for yourself, not the ones that will tie you down with scriptural delusions saying, if you’re not connected to me you’ve no future and destiny. We teach people the principles of God’s word. He say all; if the revelation of ‘All’ hits us, God will not have problem with people serving in the kingdom. All, which includes shoes, clothes, wife, children, husband, material and social, everything.

If you want to climb the glory, you must abandon yourself to serving God. When you know the principles, you just take your eyes off men, you just work the principles and get yourself bless. But the problem is that many times, we put our eyes on men, maybe because we’re not properly taught or maybe because some ministers like to enter a superstar status. We need to come down to His level; He said all these things shall be added. There is addition factor in God; you can’t deny that if you are doing it right and you persist in it He will add to you. Listen God in His character is extravagant, He will start adding to you, let Him be the one that will add. We must be seekers after God so that our heads can be correct and when the enlargement comes we can use it properly. I have seen too many people when enlargement comes, you will not see them in church or see them when people are sharing the grace. That kind of enlargement is a curse; enlargement that keeps you too busy for God is not enlargement. That is not the kind of enlargement I want.

For it said seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added ti you. Now when I see things being added, that means they are following me; not me following them. And if they are following me, I am their master. I like good things, you can’t be a child of God if you don’t like good things but you don’t follow it. I want to live a life that these things are not attach to it. Recently God blessed me with so much perfume, I packaged some to people and I said “God these things are not going to control me, I am their master, and I control them”. That is true prosperity. You control things, things don’t control you. And if you think that it is the circumstance or things around you that define God’s love then you have miss the whole gospel.

He says all, I believe the bible that is why I have given my life to it. All means all, so I am seeking and I am making it the first priority of my life. My first priority in life is to see to it that Gods’ kingdom and His priority are established upon the earth. That is my first priority in life and He says that when that is done all other things will be added. And he said, “Therefore take no anxious thought for the morrow, for the morrow will take care of it self, sufficient unto the day is the evil there of.” Do you know what this means my brothers and sisters, don’t live your life without seed on ground, no farmer has the right to expect harvest if he does not have seed on ground. My faithfulness to seek God is my seed on ground.

Why I know that my future is bright is not just because somebody have said it; thank God the word of God has said it, but there are corresponding principles that I am working with my seed of service on the ground. My financial seed is on the ground, my obedience seed is on the ground, so when I look to the future I know I have a harvest. Do you have seed on the ground? Have you sown any seed unto the fertile soil of Gods kingdom? That is what makes you know you have a future, what is the seed you have in the ground? I want to encourage you to sow the seed of seeking him first. Sow the seed of making Him your priority in life, I can guarantee you the scorners will not be able to scorn you too much longer. You’ve made Him first in your life He will show up for you.

” Therefore take no anxious thought for the morrow, for the morrow will take care of it self”.

You see, He is saying that if you have sown this seed in the ground by seeking Him first, you don’t need to be anxious about tomorrow, you have seed in the ground, and you can rest. Do you know why I am going to drive new cars? Because many have seed have gone unto the ground. Do you know why I’m going to be a billionaire in giving and receiving? Because millions have gone unto the ground, and there is an eternal law of seed time and harvest. So when I look at my future I know that it is bright, I put my seed in Gods hands and it shall not fail.

God promise us enlargement but listen to me, in Gods’ order, spiritual things comes first. If you will see enlargement outside, you must see it inside first and these are some of the thing that enlarge you, seeking out Gods’ kingdom and making it a real priority in your life, making up your mind that as far as God is concern, God and His matters are not going to take second place in your life. This is how you expand yourself. Paul the apostle was talking in 2 Corinthians 6:11,

“O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged”.

This is our enlargement season, what is our response? Our response is to be bigger than how I was, and this is not talking about physical bigness but spiritual. I am hindered because of the size of my spiritual capacity. If you catch a glimpse of Go, you can’t have a small vision. When you have at taste of God, you will want the good life. Paul said, if you are hindered, it is not because of our ministry but because of your bowels. He said, be ye enlarged and I am saying to you, be ye enlarged. You need to expand your capacity. I was reading a book several years ago and the writer trying to express the nature of God and he said, “The nature of God is extremely goodness, every fiber of God is goodness. The only limit on any of Gods creature is the limit the place on themselves, by the capacity to receive”. Ephesians 1: 3 says,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”.

I believe that you can walk with the Lord where everything will be in place. If God has bless us with all, then it is on us to receive. If I go before a gigantic ocean like the Atlantic, and I go there with a size 32 bucket and I pull it out and say, oh thank God this is the largest size I an find or this is all the water that I need, and somebody else comes with a tanker, then another person else comes and put a pipe straight to his house, and you sit there and say it is not fair, if you don’t want a size 32 bucket then go put in a pipe and draw it to your house. You can have as much of God as you want; there is no shortage in God. The only limit that God has with His people that they place in Him is the capacity to receive. Paul said be ye enlarged, you don’t have to be jealous, be enlarged. There is a place for you. That is the key, don’t be angry, and don’t be upset with the scorners, be enlarged. You don’t have to let someone talk you out, be enlarged. If you come to God with a size 32 bucket that is what he will give you, if you give him a size infinity that is what you’ll get because God is infinite. 2 Corinthians 10: 12-15,

“12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves among themselves by

themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

13 We will not boast of things without our measure but according to the measure of the rule which

God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

14 For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are

come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ

15 not boasting of things without our measure that is, of other men’s labour; but having hope, when your

Faith is increased that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly”.

Paul the apostle, he is the one that write most of the epistles but yet he has a measure. I know that it is not the anointing upon me that can grow the ministry, if every one does to take their place we’ll be stunted.

All of us have a measure, and a good one and a valuable one. So I will not try to b what I am not because of what people are saying. I will not come and hold deliverance service here because I want to attract the whole world. I will do what God has ask me to do, and I know that God will cause those that are connected to me to hear my voice and can I can tell you they are in their billions in this world. Don’t stretch yourself beyond yourself, beyond your measure; celebrate every stage you are in now.

The proof of a real anointing in a church is when people come to church (it is good for you to ride on second hand revelation) but its only good as far as that service is concern. God may use a minister to bless you in anyway but listen if it is going to change your life; it must change from being second to first class revelation. Go find out what God says; don’t keep boasting in somebody else’s labour, when are you going to write your own book? When are you going to prepare your own tape? Some people say if certain book of a certain man of God comes to your house, its like the man himself. Well I don’t want him in my house; it is Jesus I want in my house, the ministry of that man is to bring Jesus not himself.

My ministry is to be like a donkey that he will ride and come to your house, and if it is not doing so, stop listening to my voice. I am not saying we should not quote men of God, but not like that.

”not boasting of things beyond our measure that is another man’s labour but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged”. Paul is saying here that when your faith is increased, you’ll receive an enlargement. Build your faith, your spiritual capacity is your faith. The word of God is man’s spiritual food, Jesus Himself says in Mathew 4:4” man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceed out of God”. The amplified version said “the life of a man shall not be sustain by physical food (bread) alone seeking God first and His kingdom in practical terms”. Number one is putting the word of God first in your life. If you have to get up early in the mourning and get into it, something has to die so that Gods’ word can reign in your life.

If you want to be enlarged then some things must change with your habit about Gods word, if not, you are joking. It is Gods’ word that will enlarge you and you must make time for it, you must put it first place. Your spiritual diet must be your number one. The day that the body of Christ begins to make numerical increase in church number the number one issue, that day we move from spirituality to carnality. Now do I love numbers, of cause I do, but I understand one thing that number is not pursuit after but they are added, if not you start doing tribal days just to get numbers and the will come truly with their unrenowned minds, and as a pastor you don’t have a voice over them because you just want them, so you come to church and demons are terbanacling in your church. Any day you start praying for children to grow something is wrong with you, if they are healthy, they will grow. The issue is not growth but health, if you are getting the right diet and exercise, you will grow. As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual. If number is increasing and spirituality is not increasing, that is cancerous growth.

How do you increase your capacity? Simply increase your faith, and how do you increase your faith? Spend time on Gods word. You must make up your mind and priority to grow spiritually. Listen, when you grow spiritually all other things grow and follow you that is Gods’ way. Be ye enlarged. The primary way to be enlarged is by given attention to the word of God. Every believer must have regular time with the word of God everyday. Start in the flesh if you have to, put time to it, and study what will help you build your faith. If you need healing, gather healing scriptures, tapes and books, what are do you need enlargement? Put the word of God there first.

There is a difference between eating and nutrition, you can eat a plate of what ever is your favorite by chewing and mixing it with saliva, and then it goes right into your stomach, but that is not nutrition. Nutrition begins when enzymes catalysis on it and food is absorb into the cells, and that is when growth starts. The problem with many people in the church is that they just come and hear, then they close their book, no absorption takes place. Absorption and digestion takes place when you alone take the book, open the scriptures and you think, that is when absorption takes place that is when spiritual impact comes. Many believers don’t have these as part of their life, they just come, hear and shout, then go to their houses. You must sit with the word think, engage your mind (meditate) that is when the word of God is becoming spirit and life to you. When the word of God becomes like that manifestation has come, that is what it means to feed on God’s word by thinking about it consistently.

In the light of what I’ve heard now, what am I going to do? How does it affect my schedule? How am I going to get more study time? How am I going to position my self in prayer? How am I going to pay more attention to spiritual things? Some things have to go for all of these. That is what brings change, because the people have taken ownership of the thing. Pastor is not a super star anymore; he’s just a co-labourer with them. Yes the recognize the anointing upon his head, he has thought well and they see him as who he is and everybody gets bless. You can come to the place where you say I am no longer boasting on some one else’s revelation, I have receive it, I have practice it, so here is the result. I can guarantee you the result will always be there.

First things first and become a guaranteed success. Joshua 1:8, when I look at the pastors under our ministry, how God is flourishing them and they are not paid, I say, God I thank you. This thing is working. Gods’ promises are already out on air; our responsibility is to become enlarged. You must put a structure round about yourself for spiritual development.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

TWO

Mathew 6: 24-34

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 ¶ Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? Or, what shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek 🙂 for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

I know we may have known this, but may it come afresh to us again, because there are many things we are pursuing that only God make them happen. For He said in verse 24: “no man can serve two masters, for either he hates one and love the other, or he will hold unto one and despise the other… “. You cannot serve both God and mammon (God of materialism), it is impossible, He said you only hold unto one and despise the other, and this is the mystery to how God want His people so bless above all the people of the earth. Yet free from covetousness; like a mystery because the natural mind cannot understand how this can happen, but can happen if you’ll allow God to circumcise your heart and fellowship with God; not by decision because it is the Spirit of God that can kill that thing in you. Your decision is the open door, but only the Spirit can do it. So you have to make up your mind; child of God, about what you are serving, whether you are serving God or things, whether you’re serving miracles or the God of miracles. It is like a paradox, because in the natural it can happen; it is a supernatural thing that will take place in you if you’ll stay in God’s presence; of cause you have to make up your mind first. If you stay in God’s presence, he can bring you to a place that you are so empowered in life yet you are in charge, those things are not on charge. “Therefore I say unto you, don’t take thoughts for what you shall eat, what you shall wear…” Yes all of these are legitimate but, He says, is not your life more than meat? How much did you pay to breathe? How much did you pay to be here? Who did you pay to make your parents to decide to come together and give birth to you? In whom council chambers was that decision made? You are here, instead of factoring that great power that brought you here, you are here wondering how things will be. He said,

“Is not your life; that which you cannot do for yourself, more than meat? Is your body not worth more than raiment? The body that you even want to cloth, who gave it to you? Can you tell how or when you eat food? How the cells multiply in the body? Jesus is actually challenging us to think a little deeper. Many times, the difference between failure and success is a bid to think further, many times the difference between peace that passes all understanding and worrying is thinking a step further.

He said, “ behold the fowls of the air do not sow, neither did they reap, neither do they gather unto barns, yet your Heavenly father feedeth them, are you not much more better than they”. He says which of you by worrying can add one cubit to your stature? All your worry cannot add one cubit to your height (stature).

Verse 25-27

25 ¶ Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

The word toil means struggle, they don’t struggle, they don’t toil but they work. I heard some teaches before, they say that God has delivered man from labour, but no, God has not delivered man from labour. Labour is a good word. Work and labour means the same thing, but it is toil that God has delivered us from. If you read the bible properly you will see that God uses the word work and labour. But it is toil (struggle) He is against.

Verse 29-31

29 And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? Or, what shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Don’t let this to be the consuming factor in your life. This is how the world live, this is what is called the rat race. He is trying to teach us priority of life. I’m I saying we should not believe God for good things, no, I am trying to talk about priority in life. God wants us to have mastery in life. Until we have mastery over material things, we can’t abound in material things. We must gain mastery over it, it shouldn’t be the priority of our life.

Verse 31-32

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? Or, what shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek 🙂 for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Gentiles where those that have no covenant with God, because that covenant makes you one with God. It is people who have no covenant that live like that. It is the next business deal that determines their next move in life; People with no covenant, no direction, no priority in life. There life goes with the flow of money, with the flow of open doors, but covenant people lives goes with the flow of God because they know that where ever God is they can’t starve. Jesus is trying to teach us priority and we must learn this if we want to rule and reign where we are suppose to.

He said it is the gentiles that live like this; People of no covenant that live like this. There

Life is powered by something, powered by the sense of this. I must take, I must grab and become, that is what powers their life. But our life is suppose to be powered by something else if we are truly covenant people.

Verse 32-33

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek 🙂 for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Seek; this is the answer, this is how you are suppose to do it. If God does not take back His number one position in our lives, we will continue to struggle because when we are born again we become covenant people; there is a way we live. Jesus is teaching it here. We can’t try and prosper the world’s way; there is a way we do our own. For some people some things come first, God just takes second place. Can I tell you something, no matter how much people have misuse this revelation, people in leadership in the christain world has misused it, it still remains the truth. So overcome your hurt and get connected. You can’t afford to play around this year.

When God begins to speak profound words under the spirit of prophesy, if you believe it you will not play around anymore. He said ‘seek first the kingdom of God’ meaning at least two things,

Firstly, God’s kingdom is God’s dominion. The domain where God is king. In other words, god wants this whole world, all the nations of the earth, to worship Him. He wants the nations of the earth under His rule, and the primary way that’s going to happen is through the preaching of the gospel. So seeking first the kingdom of God means that you position your life in such a way that your life becomes advantageous to promoting the expansion of God’s kingdom on the earth. Where you are now you must be a kingdom promoter. Your life, your breath, your positioning, your sitting or sleeping must in some way promote the expansion of God’s kingdom. Whether it is in a school, business, small locality setting, from wherever you are, you start. Your life must contribute to God’s dominion; His desire is to have the nations worship Him. Your life must contribute to that, your rising, your down sitting, your breathing, must contribute to that, that’s seeking first the kingdom.

Secondly, the kingdom of God is also God’s way of doing things. You make up your mind that your life is going to contribute to God’s expansion of His kingdom upon the faceoff the earth, starting from where you are, and then you set your heart to find out how does God do these things. You don’t live your life guessing, you have the word. We can find out how God does things in this book. We make up our minds that we are not going to live our lives by guessing anymore, we find out what pleases God. For example the bible says without faith it is impossible to God. What does it mean to work by faith? What does it mean to operate by faith? That is where your journey begins to start, you getting books and tapes; you are coming to a good church that teaches the word of God without compromise. There are many things you think you know about God but when you study the bible, you discover that you knew nothing at all, but now you see it in the word and then you bring your life into alignment with it; you’re seeking the kingdom, His way of doing things. These is basically what Jesus was talking about, He said when you make that your priority (His righteousness is simply what He is talking about, His life style) and He said ‘All’, do you really believe it? What does all really mean to you? Does it mean husband, wife or children etc? He said, if you will seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, if you will put Him first, then all; this word means things, cars, houses, businesses etc.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you”. You don’t know that this God is a first class God. He is not a mediocre. He’s given us the key here; these are things we must settle.

Psalms 11:3 says, “If the foundation be faulty, what can a righteous man do”.

Foundation means first, it also means that which everything is based upon. Pastor why are you preaching? Is it because you want to pastor 1000 people one day? Is that why you are pasturing? You see, when we correct certain things, struggles will begin to go because God will start showing u, and the primary thing to correct is here, God wants to put His super upon your natural so that little will become much. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. You are seeking and God is just adding. I am telling you, one of these days, I will look into my gaurage and pick one of the cars and sow it in someone that has the need for it in church.

All these things shall be added…. That means it is a continual process; addition. The key to addition is putting Him first. The key to addition is that God must practically become the number one priority in your life. When was the last time you gave God your tithes without differing it? I heard an ignorant believer saying, we don’t believe in given tithe, but God owns everything yet if you see how much they have given God this pass three months; they give less than ten percent. God is smarter than men, just obey Him, as far as I’m concern, if everybody will obey with his finances, we’ll carry out every programme without making out any financial appeal in our local churches; because at every stage of a ministry, God has provision for it. Now either the ministry is over spending the money or the people are not faithful with their finances. Abraham proof that God is first, that is why I don’t believe in services that I can tell you come and give sacrificial offering. If you listen to the spirit of the message, you will hear God for yourself; we don’t need to get you to give sacrificial offering.

It said, “All these things shall be added unto you, therefore take no thoughts for tomorrow, for the morrow shall take care of itself”. It didn’t say don’t strategies but it says don’t take anxious thoughts. You said ok, if I don’t take anxious thoughts, what am I suppose to do? Seeking first the kingdom is what I am suppose to do, making myself relevant for the expansion of God’s kingdom upon the earth where I am. And number two is making it out as my priority to find out how God does things, finding out how God meets my needs, and how he operates. Thank God for my wife, because if not for her, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

Proverbs 3:9-10

9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

It is not what we want? We want our barns to be filled with plenty. The implication of this scripture is that, if you honour (worship) God with your first fruit, He will bring you to a place that you’ll need places to keep your increase; not only will you have the place to keep your increase, there will be increase there and you will know the next place to channel increase when it comes.

You know what? We’re going to know whether or not God has the first place in your life. When money comes into your hand and you know that you must tithe it; there are one thousand and one demand, that is how were going to know. Are you going to trust God to meet those needs or are you not going to obey Him? How much is that money going to go anyway? Because it is nothing compared to what you need.

So I am telling you, you brought it like a burnt offering before the Lord. Obeying God is not always a pleasant thing, but it brings rest.

“So shall your barns be filled with plenty and your vats with new wine”. The blessing of honouring God by putting Him first with your finances is that not only will He meet your needs abundantly, but He will always add a fresh unction upon your life. I want a fresh unction upon my ministry and my family. You see, giving God is not a matter of money but priority; you can’t buy God’s blessing. When you make God the first thing in your life, he will give you what money can buy and cannot buy but life demands. Money is a poor master, the bible says money answereth to all things, but its answer is not always right; I am not saying that money is bad but that it does not have answers to everything but God does, when you put Him first, He puts you first. There are some covenant things that you do and when you look at your future it is not a prayer point. You don’t need to go binding and loosing, all you need to do is to obey. When that burnt offering enters the nostrils of your Father, you don’t worry about your life because you have demonstrated to God that He is your source and life. You may say, why is pastor talking about money now? You see, Jesus said no man can serve two masters, either he’ll hate one and love the other, or despise one and hold on to the other, you cannot serve both God and Mammon.

Let me tell you that the truth, some of you will always say I love you God during worship; they may be even crying, but after God spoke to you to empty your bank account, we will know whether you meant it because money is what shows whether or not you love God. In this world, the things that rank next to God is money, and that is the truth; at least 90% of your troubles can be solve with money, only the remaining 10% that you need God’s intervention to solve it, it can partially get you a husband or wife, the only reason you will not enjoy it is because the reason why the came is the reason why they’ll go.

No man can serve two masters; you can only have one and love the other, or despise one and hold on to the other. So you better make up your mind concerning whom to serve, this is the foundation for all things; it is the foundation for blinding glory. You must go back and settle that.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

THREE

Mathew 6

I am trusting the Lord for His Spirit to inoculate us with something that by the time we are through with this subject His word will be performed in our lives, that He will open us up to His blessings. I believe God wants His people to flow in the river of his blessing. We always start up every year by talking about vision but some how God tells us to talk about seeking Him first. God has given me the privilege to pastor a lot of people who may have been more anointed than me spiritually speaking, but you see, we all go through some things in life that makes us loose our first love. Know beyond the shadow of doubt that for us to be able to access God’s best, we must get back to our first love.

It is unfortunate that many times we fall into the hands of false shepherds and people who talk the talk but they don’t walk the walk. You know what? Let God be God and let every man be a liar. Don’t use your experience, don’t use even man’s presentation of God; the best of men is still men, so if we are going to walk with God, we must have a personal connection with Him. You must come to this place; that is why you do things for God not for men. If a man will make you stumble in serving God you’re still a baby and you can’t handle the weight of glory, because you’ll definitely be offended (hurt) but must know what your focus is. Satan arranges these things so that he’ll shut the door of God’s best. The secret to us having God’s best; yes there are many ways and principles, it is not as simple as that but all of these come under this caption. You’ll become a guaranteed success in this life when you put first things first and the first things that must be first must be God. I am not talking about lips service now, I am talking about is practical, get this into your spirit, there’ll never be a greater key than this in your life.

You cannot put God and His things as second place and enjoy God’s best, anybody that seems to have any kind of progress in their lives; putting God second, is false prosperity, it is balloon, it is not real. The only way true prosperity can come; and of cause prosperity is not money alone, money is just a small part of prosperity, is that God must be first. This is God’s heart for us; He wants to be first in our lives without negotiation. Listen, we’re over ripe to walk in God’s best. God doesn’t want handling small money; it doesn’t serve God any purpose. God’s purposes on this earth are handled by finances. It is not in God’s best interest for you to have struggling money, that may be your level now, God may be dealing with you concerning certain things but you know you don’t have to stay forty years in the wilderness; God’s plan for Israel was not to spend forty years in the wilderness. Some bible scholars said that the short route was forty days some said twenty days, what ever it was, let’s take the highest which is forty days. Can you compare forty days with forty years? God doesn’t want anybody spending forty years in the wilderness and listen; your wilderness days are gone. If God can find a fruit of a tender heart in you, your heaven is already open. I believe in this open heaven prayer but technically speaking heaven is already open through Jesus’s redemption sacrifice, the problem is that men’s heart are not open , no special miracle service can open heaven, it has been open when Jesus resurrected. Men’s heart is not yet open, how much of God can you take; it is how much you can handle to no limits; blank cheque. The bible says “Seeking thou to be great, seeketh it not”. God does not say we should seek to be great, He told Abraham follow me, I will make you great, and it was His own idea.

Listen, God’s plan for you is greatness, forget religion; It is for you and it is a big place, you don’t have to fight. Look at the sky; have you ever seen the birds colliding in the sky with another bird? Some one said, oh make me great, it is His plan to make you great, aren’t you connected with Jesus? The bible says “He shall be great and be called the son of the most High” If we are for greatness, our prayer is not oh God enlarge my cause, that was ok for Jabes but we’ve gone beyond that in the New Testament we’re accepted I the beloved, it is already in His plan to enlarge our cause but the issue is that, is our heart open?

One Jewish Rabbi was talking on the goodness of God; you know that is God’s nature, He is good and His mercies endureth forever. He said, the only limit to the enjoyment of God’s goodness by any of His creature is their capacity to connect to it. As you give God space, He is filling it, you give Him more, and He’ll fill it. He said, “Open your mouth wide, I will fill it.” But we need to get the key and for many of us; believers especially, we have to get pass this stage of being used and get abuse, we have to get a fresh revelation of the fact that what ever we do, we do for God. If you cannot see beyond the man, you’ll never get to God’s best. When you put first things first, you become a guaranteed success. We got to get it back, if you’re partitioning for any that should be your heart because I believe God wants us to start strong. You got to have what to ask for. There is one prayer point that you’ll pray that will get all things done.

The bible said that Solomon asked God for wisdom, isn’t that right, but if you study carefully in the Hebrew rendition, you’ll see that what he asked God for was a hearing heart or it was also translated a wise and understanding heart. That is really different from saying that he asked God for wisdom. He didn’t just ask God to give him wisdom but a wise and understanding heart so that he can do right judgment and guarantee him every thing else. It is okay to ask God for things but it limits you.

There is something you can ask God for that will guarantee you all other things.

Mathew 6:31:

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

This is talking about the legitimate things of life; the greatest contest in life of any individual seeking God. These are the legitimate things in life. Listen, no matter how anybody wants to say I, they are only two competitions in this earth for the soul of man God and the spirit of materialism (mammon). Most of what men do and the root of all sin if we must look at it is in man’s quest for self preservation. Most sin has its root in selfishness and the reason why men will go out of their way to try and preserve there own life is because they don’t know that there is one who is suppose to own our lives. We are suppose to trust somebody to preserve our lives, that is the contest in the heart of men and Jesus was trying to address this when He said “take no anxious thought saying what shall we eat, what shall we drink, wherewithal shall we cloth.” These are legitimate things in life He knows; He said “Your Heavenly Father knoweth that you have needs of these things.”

So in verse 32 gentiles here were people outside of covenant in Jesus days. He said the gentiles seek something; that means they are many believers who have the gentile spirit in them, they live to seek these things. We are not to live to seek these things as legitimate as they are every believer is suppose to have a definitive line, we say, I live to seek God and things follow me. If that is not your pattern, you’ll be limited. All these glory we’ve been talking about you won’t touch it. You see, most believers are enjoying the crumbs, you can have three or more brand of cars in your gaurage but as far as God is concern you are living on crumbs. He doesn’t just want you to pack them but to give them out; and consistently. Believers have been living in the realm of crumbs, because too many believers live a terminus lives; give me, give me. We are not to live a terminus life. The bible says He openeth forth His hand and He satisfies the desire of every living thing. We are to live with our hands open; you know if your hands are open healing power flows out, you give joy to other people. You don’t have to have one million naira in your account to carry the spirit of prosperity. The spirit of prosperity is a liberal spirit; you may have a pair of shoe and one shirt that you wash and iron every day but you carry a spirit of prosperity, you are a liberal person. Where ever you go or make a contact with some one you put a lift there, that kind of person will never go broke for long. When ever we talk about liberality people will say I don’t have anything to give, you don’t understand what we are talking about, the spirit of liberality starts from within. So Jesus was saying this when He said this what the gentiles seek (diligently pursue). They are many people who are suppose to be here but are not because of one excuse or the other; where are the days that people will walk to church. The slightest excuse can get you out of God’s plan. He knows whose heart is with Him, it is not about pleasing any pastor anywhere, He knows whose heart is with Him.

In other word, He said the gentiles live for these things, which is why they don’t mind whose toes they step on to get whatever it is they want because they live for these things, that is what their value system is all about. I believe this ministry is going to be the largest in town but nobody will be given a seat because of what he wears, no body is going to be treated specially. This is the gentile spirit we are talking about, this value system thing got to change, and God must practically come first in our lives. If this thing is not address we’re just going to be eating the crumbs. When God wants use to sit at the table and eat; let me tell you what the typical christain attitude is in the 21^st century, most believers want to eat their cake and have it; if you eat your cake it is gone, you can’t eat your cake and still have it, at least not in the form that you eat it. Let me tell you the second disease of the 21^st century, you want to serve God on your own terms, God is not your friend; even when He called Abraham friend that word is a strong covenant term of dual responsibility, God is not your buddy. Yes it is true He is our God, He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, it is true He listen, He is still God. He said, it is Him that made us not we ourselves. We are the sheep of His pasture so we come to Hm. Thank God for the privilege of fellowship but just like Bazooka Joe say familiarity brings contempt in one of his popular cartoons. Like what is just going on in Christianity now, they say when you are talking with God be yourself, that is true but understand His word, don’t be a fool. When you stand in front of a king that can change your life, are you yourself? You know that you have manners when you are invited in front of a great man who can change your life. The bible says let the word of God dwell in you richly and in all wisdom. And the primary proof of wisdom is meekness. You carry new creation reality in your head but there is no meekness in you, you carry new creation reality in your head and you think that you are a spiritual elite, we’re all God’s children, yes some know more than others but we are all the same by the same blood and you’ll be surprise that all of us will enter the same heaven. Listen folk, there are some things that make peoples lives not to produce, you cannot serve God on your terms, you can only serve Him on His terms. You say, I don’t know how your relationship with God is but I am just free with Him so I can tell Him I am not coming to church today because You didn’t answer my prayer; very soon you will tell Him (God) I’m going to hell today because you didn’t answer my prayer. God is not our friend, He is our heavenly Father or our Maker, our Creator, our God, when we establish that then we can enter into friendship because I know that this is God’s heart for now at least for this ministry and I know that God wants to release terence of blessings. It is not to mange things, He wants us around now but it’s some adjustment we need to make; we need to address this, we need to seat down beyond the sermon and really ask ourselves is God really first in our lives?

He said, “All these things do the gentiles seek, your heavenly father knows that you have need of all those things”. He says, “But you that is not the way to go, seek ye first”.

There is something you ought to be seeking; He says His kingdom, His righteousness, all these things shall be added to you. And we establish that His kingdom is His dominion. You know God wants control of this entire universe, it belongs to Him anyway, if you want to know God’s original plan for mankind go and look at Adam in Eden, God wants all of that for mankind, He Is a good God. He really wants people to be subject to Him so He can release his blessings upon their lives.

Secondly, the kingdom of God also means knowing how God operate; God’s way of doing things, that is what our primary pursuit suppose to be, our valued system is suppose to be an investment in seeing to it that God’s desire are made upon the earth and how He does things. When you learn how God does things, you’ll walk with Him and enjoy His power and benefits that is where our primary investment should be. The fathers number one desire is to be sought after, He wants to be the object of your affection, He is a jealous God, He doesn’t want anything to compete with Him in your life; not your husband, not your wife, not your ministry, not your children, not your money, not your career and not yourself. You say why, because He is God. But in as much as God wants to be an object of man’s affection and desire, I notice something at creation when He made Adam and put him in the garden, and we notice He gave Adam a will. God doesn’t just want to be needed, He want to be wanted, do you see the difference, God being needed means He is our head, our financer, He’s the one that clothes us, He provides shelter and preserves our lives. That is God being needed because of the service He can provide; God the service provider and he make Himself available to the human race is His joy. He openeth forth His hand and He satisfies the desire of every living thing. But why is it that some places enjoy some services more than the others? Why is it that some in places the services are interrupted? I tell you the truth God doesn’t just want to be needed but He want to be wanted and you cannot come to that place until He put that desire in you, only God can put it in you. I’m talking about our priority in seeking Him. If it is God that walketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure; the amplified version says He is the one that create in us even that desire… when God create that desire in you, He is opening His treasure to you. For many believers they have not yet gone past that place because they still see Him as service provider that is why your service is always interrupted. It is easy for you to cool down, it is your service, some people say there was a time that I was hot but now I am facing my life because some men of God have dealt with me. What you are saying is that you are given God your crumbs now that is why you keep living in the crumbs and even the blessing that you have will be corrupted. Don’t give God the crumbs, God is always taken the left over in our time, in our money, in our affection. He wants people to seek Him; He wants us not just to need Him but to want Him.

That was the choice God gave Adam; Adam demonstrated that he needed God but he wanted satan and his enticement and he lost everything. God is still calling men not just to need but to want Him. For some people God has blessed them with children, wife and husband but they are the reason why they are always late to church now. The blessing of God is not a curse. Ask God for strength, wake up earlier; some of them respond differently because of the little God gave them, they became big boys, Gods uncles and aunts.

Palms 14:2

“He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.

Let’s translate that ‘seek’ as want not need. We must understand that they need God that’s why our miracle services are packed up; nothing is wrong with miracle service but our local service is not packed up, there is nothing wrong with miracle service but our local service should also be packed up like that. I’m trusting God that by the reason of this message a fire is going to burn in our hearts, lets do it again the way it use to be, where are those impediments in our hearts again? Where are those excuses? The fire of God can burn it out. When was the last time you were in God’s presence; just weeping and inlove with Him? If you have never gotten there, you’ll get there. When your heart opens, your life opens. We talk about prosperity, we talk about laying up gold like dust, we talk about mastering; being in control. Look at our covenant fathers that is what God found in them, he made them masters (controllers) over things, coming into a place where people envy them but you know what, it was nothing to them, it was some thing to the people but nothing to them. Some people don’t believe that you can come to church with the best car and still clean the toilet because it is nothing to you, you can still usher the smallest child into the church that is nothing to you. Masters that is what God wants us to be. All these things belong to us but our hearts are not open yet, they need to open up.

Psalms 27:8

“When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

I just want to show us scriptures about seeking God, I want this thing to enter our heart. We cannot continue to live like this, God cannot keep taking second place in our lives, and God cannot keep having the crumbs in our lives, there is too much of God to enjoy. I’m not just talking about the spiritual feeling; I’m talking about money, health and expansion. I’m talking about seeking God, I’m not talking about seeking a pastor of a church, and I’m talking about seeking God. When you seek God, He’ll lead you to your pastor, He’ll lead you to your local church, He’ll lead you but you have to seek Him first.

Psalms 137:5

“If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning”.

When God is in your heart, you’ll not know who the choir leader is, you’ll not know who the ushering leader is, you will not know whether you are 70 and they are 13 yrs old. When your heart is centered on God, you become free from offence. When you know where your heart is, you’ll not come and be telling your leader to adjust time for your convenience, you will follow; you’ll conform, and when your heart is right, God makes a way for you and when you heart is wrong, you keep being frustrated. That is what happened when Elisha sent Gehazi with his staff to go lay on the child of that great woman that God used, when he laid the staff and did what he was ask to do he came back and said ‘master nothing happened’ Elisha went and he (the son) responded and we later see the reason why he did not respond to Gehazi; his heart was not right, he had a leprous heart.

These are hearts matters; let our hearts be right, we are trying to fix so many things outside. Let us go before God, let Him fix our hearts again. Some of us have measured out commitment to God; some of say let us be wise now since I have family. The bible says ‘let him who think he is wise, let him be a fool so that he’ll be wise’. I have three daughters now and I want the best for them that’s why I’m becoming a fool for Jesus. There is no such thing as heart free Christianity because we all have this treasure in earthen vessels, you must connect somewhere.

Psalms 105:4

Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.

This I our passport out of the rat race in this life. We must become seekers of God at heart not church attendance only. There is no how you are sold out to God that you will not be sold out to the work because God does not work through vacuum, He work through men and do you know that it is God’s plan for every body to become core? God’s desire is to be the subject of our desire and affection, He don’t just want to be needed but to be wanted.

Psalms 27:1-4

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

Your strategy is just to hide in God “In Him I live, I move and have my being”. My life is hid in Christ, in God. I am seated with Christ at the right hand of God. You say ‘pastor I know all of that but you don’t understand’ may God open your heart to understand who you are and where you are. If you are rightly positioned, which arrow will get you? I didn’t say the won’t try or the don’t exist, I said they will be in trouble because of where you are….. it say one thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; not that I am running after those things that the gentiles seek, when something happens I will start running back to God to find help. That is what some believers are doing, running here, running back, when God just wants you to come and patch. We have a decision in our hands, God is attracted to those that seek Him, don’t ever be ashamed to be a seeker of God.

John 4:23

But the hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

No big revelation about it. “In Spirit and in truth”. First of all, we are coming to Him not base on the wo0rks of the flesh but on the finished works of Jesus, knowing that of ourselves no amount of sacrifice can please Him. Eternal sacrifice has been made; that’s Jesus Christ. Then we come to Him and we praise Him out of a sincere heart because we love Him and want to know Him, we want to walk with Him. He said He seeketh such so not only does God want us to need Him, He is looking for people to seek Him

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

We got to come to the Lord, cry before Him, and let Him do a work in our hearts. I’m not trying to put some one in bondage but simply talking about what should be our consistent priority; the priority that you consistently demonstrate in your life that is what I’m talking about. What is the priority that you consistently demonstrate in your heart? God needs people that He can rely upon, God cannot send people to a place where there is no one to rely upon, when people are always excusing themselves; we don’t pray and fast, people who call themselves church workers are not there, some people come to church behind schedule, some things need to change, God cannot take second place in your life and you want the river of His blessing when He cannot even trust you with the small one.

“…. And you shall seek me and find me not, maybe when you seek me with all your heart.”

I am a New Testament preacher and want to tell you that there is a reason why God allowed the sixty six books. Many people especially in our generation carry the New Testament realities in their head to other places and they carry it without balancing it. You see arrogance, you don’t see humility; they don’t carry the fruit of the Spirit and in many cases you don’t even see the word of God working in their lives, they’re just carrying balloon revelation. Any revelation that has not affected your conduct is not a genuine revelation. The scripture says the sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite heart in the Old Testament but the rendition in the New Testament is simply longsuffering, patience, these are the fruits that come out of a broken spirit. So I wonder when I see an individual operating in a great anointing and I don’t see brokenness. It may be a genuine anointing but if that person continues that way, the Spirit of God will leave and evil spirit will take the place. God is to be our greatest treasure in life.

Mark 1:37

“And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee”.

Why are we in church? Let’s seek Jesus first, it’s not old fashion.

Mathew 13:44-46

4Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

There is something that can be found in you that can make you soar in life, when we look at you is it evident in your life that God is the centre? Jesus said when the son of man come shall he find faith in the earth? He was not talking about the ability to believe Him for ten million naira, He was talking a heart reaching out for Him. Many peoples faith does not work for them because that is not right, the genesis of bible faith is the heart that is reaching for Him and this takes care of so many people things; It will take care of so many things when the heart is fix (positioned) right. The greatest blessing God can put in you is an insatiable, hungry and thirst graving, yearning after God. God must put it in you, you can’t put it yourself. It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure but many have not yet known the value of these so it is not included among their prayer request. Some are saying, is it not a New Testament prayer request? That’s ignorance; as if it is not the same God. God does not come to a place until He is limited and the strength of imitation determines the strength of visitation. Bless are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be dilled. When you see God breaking forth upon an individual life, there was a persistent, consistent and continued strength of invitation; let me tell you this, strength of invitation determines strength of visitation.

Can you see that you can call God; can you see that you can have your own miracle service in your own house? You can structure your life in a way that God can be attending to you, do you know that God can be bigger in your life than your pastors life because the pastor functions under an anointing and gifting from heaven. If he does not does not cultivate his own personal walk with God, he’ll dry up. The anointing can be there so he can bless people; but he can dry up.

Job 10: 10-12

10 Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?

11 Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews.

12 Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.

Psalms 42:1

1. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

You know God can put these in us if you ask Him today, He’ll put it in you and it will continue to grow. Just keep feeding it. And you know what? As your heart reaches unto Him and open up things around you will just begin to start unfolding. When your heart is open, God will begin to tell you about the issues of life, when your heart is set on course, your life will open up. Don’t be satisfied with vain religion, don’t be satisfied with anything less a vital connection to God, and don’t be satisfied with that; that is not christianty.

Psalms 63:1-11

1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

I believe this was David greatest strength; that heart. God couldn’t get away from it. That heart was always panting for God.

Isaiah 4:1-4

1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:

4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

When your bowels start to open, your life starts to open up.