Why God Sends Showers of Blessings, by Revd George Adegboye

One of the phrases you and I are used too often is “God bless you”, even today you have said it to someone or before the end of today you will say it. Many times when someone says “God bless you, we do not answer the way we are supposed to.

Proverbs 16:22a- “Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it…”

The reason we do not answer the way we are supposed to is because we don’t understand it. For many that use it, we use it like a “Good morning” message; like our everyday word of greeting. We are too familiar with the word that we lose the effects.

James 1:25- “But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard”

We need an understanding of the word “God bless you” so we can receive what it contains. Words we say are containers, the bible says the word of God is spirit and they are life. When someone says “God bless you “what does he/ she mean? Many times when the pastor says “God bless you”, you do not even respond anymore. I like to tell you today, the best thing any Christian can say to you is “God bless you”.

Heb. 4: 12- “God’s word[a] is alive and working. It is sharper than the sharpest sword and cuts all the way into us. It cuts deep to the place where the soul and the spirit are joined. God’s word cuts to the centre of our joints and our bones. It judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts”.

Gods’ word is powerful”.  In Numbers 6: 22-28, God specifically told Moses and Aaron to bless the children of Israel.  This is because of the importance of the word.

The word bless in Greek is the word “Makarios”- meaning happy, In Hebrew termed “Berakha”- meaning praise or gift.

There are 7 different meaning of “God bless you” from the Hebrew and Greek meaning of bless.

When someone says God bless you; they are wishing and praying God will grant you supreme happiness. The source of happiness is happenings around you. The person is therefore wishing that happenings around you will be favourable and make you happy. Psalm 40:16- “But may those who come to you be happy and rejoice. May those who love being saved by you always be able to say, “Praise the Lord!”

Note that happiness is different from joy. Joy is what God gives. Happiness is based on what is happening around you. When someone is wishing you Gods’ blessing, they are simply saying, it is my prayer that happenings around, your circumstances, events around you makes you happy.

When someone says “God bless you”; they are saying, may you experience the warmth of Gods’ good pleasure. There are 2 things you can experience from God. The heat of God’ wrath and the warmth of Gods’ good pleasure. When someone is pleased with you; something warmth come from them. Prov. 16: 7- “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. When you understand the meaning of the words you respond differently with an understanding.

When someone says “God bless you”, they are saying; may the lord make you large. It is a beautiful thing to be enlarged by God.  They are saying may you be magnified.

Joshua 3: 7- “And the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.”

When God blesses a man, he becomes larger than life.

God bless you also means, may God connect you to sources that are in exhaustible. Some of you, your business is where it is because you haven’t been connected to an inexhaustible source.   With an inexhaustible source, wherever you go there will be a need for the gift you carry. All you need is to be connected by God. The reason we have a human body is not because of the skeleton but the connection (i.e. the joints) to help the locomotive force, makes up the human body. At times all you need is to obey just one person who has the Master key.

God bless you also mean that the footprints of God and finger prints of God be transparent in your life. A man of God  I used to  know,  doesn’t pray too much  he just says  “ Be blessed” .  He believes in that phrase is everything and all you need.  I pray for you today “God bless you”, that your life be a reflection of Gods’ glory. In some peoples life is the finger prints of the devil such as unemployment, trouble, barrenness, brokenness, and lack of progress.

John 10: 10- “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”.

The fingerprint of God is evident and should be evident in every Child of God. He says in Isaiah 60:1 “arise and shine for your light has come and the glory of God is risen upon you”.  When people look at you, they should know you are serving a living God –

Psalm 5: 12- “For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield”.

When some says God bless you, they are saying may you be empowered to prosper. For many years, we have been told prosperity means money but blessing in the Hebrew word means YOLO – to enjoy life. God wants us to be empowered in order to enjoy life. To be free from problems and be able to handle challenges. Most of us need to be empowered; we need help with our jobs, our career, our finances, our relationships and homes.

Psalm 108:12- “Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless”.  Everyone needs help one way or another.

“……A man once got home and lifted up his wife unto God, the wife asked why, he said Pastor says when we get home we should lift our problems unto God…”.

Finally, when someone says God bless you, they are saying may you fortunate. It means may you not be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I know what it means to be fortunate. Remember the 9 /11 incident of the world trade centre; I flew that same aircraft to New York 2 days before. When you hear about people dying under certain conditions but it could have been you, you know you are fortunate.

Psalm 37:33- “The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged”.

Psalm 91:16 – “With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”.

Mark 11:23- “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith”.

Today I say “God bless you “.

Now that you know what it means to be blessed? Why do you think God wants to bless you?

So that he can show you his love, goodness and concerns for us, there is a song we used to sing. “I have seen the Lords ‘goodness is mercies and compassion….”. He wants to show us He is a good God. Some people when something bad happens, they think God has left them or doesn’t love them anymore.  Isa. 49: 14-16- “But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.”

Note: Psalm 45: 9, Psalm 199:16

God intends to bless us because of the state of the world – 2 Timothy 3:1- “….that in the last day’s perilous times shall come…” Since I became a Christian I have never known what is happening in Egypt, this is because God shows himself. In the midst of drought that is when we need the rain.  Massive droplets cannot keep you during draught. You need showers of blessings. The economy of the world will never improve, there was a time £1 = $2 as at yesterday £1=$1.2.  Don’t be afraid of  famine, remember  what happened  to Isaac  in the midst of  famine  Genesis 27 .. “And the Lord blessed Isaac…”

Also, He blesses to make you recover from your wasted years. When you look at your background, you have suffered a lot. You know what you have gone through. God will and wants to compensate you. Some of you have been in this country and you have been doing one job or the other that does not equate to your degree because of your immigration status, some of you have been waiting for years to have kids.  God says He will bless you; He will restore your wasted years.

God intends to bless you so that your life will get the attention of people.  Showers of blessing   bring about thunderous noise. It makes sounds. Nobody noticed Joseph until he was blessed by God.

Finally, God blesses so we could end up the way He wants. . Today I pray for you “God bless you”

So anytime someone says God bless you answer with an understanding and receive the blessing.

God Bless You.

The sermon, Why God Sends Showers of Blessings, by Revd George Adegboye, Founder of RHEMA Chapel Worldwide, was delivered on July 16th, 2017 on the occasion of the 11th Annual Conference.

What is glory?

Glory can be said to be fame and admiration that you gain by doing something impressive.

The glory of Solomon was rose till it got to Africa. So that Queen Sheba of Ethiopia planned a visit to Jerusalem.

In 2 Chro. 9:1-9, the bible says after Queen Sheba had heard Solomon spoke, saw how ordered his administration was, got answers to all her questions and saw all Solomon had built, there was no more spirit in her!

She gave Solomon lots and lots of presents and went back home spreading Solomon glory everywhere.

I pray for someone here, may your fame rise higher.

May your admiration from people increase.

May God grant you the power to do something more impressive in life in Jesus name.

May people stand in awe of your presence.

May the glory of God upon your life attract gold, silver, precious stones and expensive spices in Jesus name.

May special dignitaries come looking for you from far and near.

Glory can be said to be a state of high honour.

In Gen. 26: 12-14, the bible tells us that Isaac had been a man of honour before, but after the famine that hit Gerar, Isaac became a man of high and great honour. A whole nation became envious of him and the king of that nation professed that one man’s household was greater than his kingdom.

In Jesus name, may your honour rise higher.

May nations take notice of you.

May God make you greater than a kingdom.

Glory can be said to be a brilliant radiant beauty. The bible tells us that Jacob loved Joseph so that he made him a coat of many colours. Joseph enjoyed special honours from his father.

However, when his brothers came to Egypt to buy corn, Joseph was standing in front of them and they couldn’t recognised him, because he was clothed in garments of brilliant radiant beauty.

To someone here, may your coat of many colours be upgraded to garment of brilliance, garment of radiance, and garment of beauty.

May your glory and honour rise to the level at which those who had none you before will not recognise you again.

The Hebrew word for glory is ‘kabod’, which means ‘heavy or weighty’. So that glory can readily mean the weightiness of God’s presence.

In 2 Chro. 5:11-14, at the dedication of Solomon Temple, the glory of God filled the Temple to the extent that the priest could not move around!

May the glory of God be heavy upon your destiny.

In Greek, the word glory is translated from the work ‘doxa’, which means ‘good reputation or an appearance that commands respect and honour’.

May God grant your appearance to command respect and honour.

May you never beg for honour from men.

May even your photograph in whichever form begins to receive respect and honour in Jesus name.

In Latin, glory comes from the word ‘gloria’, which means ‘fame, renown’.

In Luke 4:14, the bible says after Jesus passed his temptations, he returned in the power of the Holy Spirit, and His fame spread throughout the region.

There is someone listening to me, in this region and beyond, your fame shall spread. God shall make you a man or a woman of great renown.

Glory essentially emanate from God. It is one of His special attributes (Zech. 2:8; Ps. 24:10; Heb. 1:1-3). However, because God made man in His image and likeness, the glory of God does rub on man (Psalm 85:5).

Even though, God is a Spirit and cannot be seen, His presence, power and goodness can be seen through His manifested glory. Both in the Old and New Testament, God had manifested His glory in many ways, e.g. Pillar of fire and cloven tongues of fire.

So that it is possible to see God’s glory.

In Exodus 33:18, Moses asked God to show him His glory. God did.

In Isaiah 40:5, God told Prophet Isaiah that He will reveal His glory to all flesh. It will happen.

May God reveal His glory to you.

May God reveal His glory through you.

The glory of God upon a man can be very visible.

Genesis 45:13 – And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.

May the glory of God upon your life be very vivid.

May you enjoy indisputable and unquestionable glory.

As God’s children, God wants our glory to shine for two reasons:

1. So that Mankind will see and glorify God.

Matthew 5:16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

2. So that the fear of God can come upon the earth.

Psalms 67:7 – God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

What must I do to enjoy a rising glory?

1. Acknowledge the present glory of God upon your life and be grateful for it.

Numbers 14:22-23 – Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:

2. Inquire from God and seize every opportunity that can make your glory rise.

I Sam. 17:22-58. – The king was there, Goliath had boasted for 40 days, no one could face him, reward was waiting, no better opportunity in life than this for David.

3. Don’t dwell on the glories of the past. Thank God for them and expect more.

Isaiah 43:18-19 – Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Philippians 3:13-14 – Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

There are more glorious years ahead of you.

Many a times you hear people say, “Those good old days”.

The old days may be good, but your present day shall be better.

Better days lie ahead of you in Jesus name.

4. Command the spirit of Uzziah that might be affecting the rising of your glory to ‘die’.

Isaiah 6:1 – In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

– It could be a calendar reference point or spiritual reference point.

– Other prophets had testified of seeing The Lord, but not Isaiah.

– This was in chapter 6, from chapter 1-6, he was prophesying without seeing God.

– But from chapter 7, he kept saying “the Lord said to me”.

Every Uzziah disturbing your rising glory, receive their death sentencing right now in Jesus name.

Prayers

1. Almighty Father, let every opposition to my rising glory be destroyed.

2. Genesis 31:1 – And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory. – Almighty Father, let no man be able to swap my glory.

3. Almighty Father, take pride and boast of Your glory upon my life.

4. Almighty Father, let Your glory upon my life be eternal and not temporal.

The sermon, Your Glory Will Rise Higher, by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye, was delivered on July 2, 2017

What Are You Giving To God? by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye

The God we serve is One that gives. Before He created man, God had made sure that all man would need was ready, so that He gave them everything free of charge. The man was only to maintain that which was given.

God however always demand that the man give Him back something in return for all He must have done. For Adam and Eve, God wanted their heart, their trust, their loyalty, their devotion and their fellowship. They however failed God.

When man fell from grace. To restore man to Himself, God again had to give His only begotten Son, so that anyone that believes in this provision will be saved.

From that time on, even though God has universal blessings for all the works of His hands, He still looks for people who are willing to give certain things to Him, so that He can bless them even the more.

The tendency of man is usually to seek, receive and be blessed. But those who are knowledgeable in life know too well that those who give are those who are blessed the most.

– For example, in secular life, experience shows us that those employers who give more to their workers and customers tend to have more and more.

God is the Giver, Provider, and Sustainer of good and great things. The way to receive from Him is by giving to Him and giving to things He approve of.

We had a guest minister last week, we were taught certain areas of our lives as Christians that we will render account unto Jesus when we see Him:

– How we spend Our life (creation & redemption)

– How we use Our time (judiciously or anyhow)

– How we use Our talents (gain more or hide it)

– How we spend Our money (stingy or liberal)

– How we use Our possessions (selfish or charitable)

– How we treat the Gospel of Christ (not bothered or witnessing)

In Ephesians 2:10, the Bible says we are created for good works which were ordained before we were born. The question is, are we walking in those works?

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

In I Cor. 7: 23-24, the bible again tells us that we are bought with a price. The precious blood of His dear Son. When you buy something, you expect it to serve you. If it doesn’t, you try and return it to the seller, if the seller refused to have it back, it’s discarded.

1 Corinthians 7:23-24 – Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.

The God we serve is a jealous God. Been a Spirit, we cannot hide anything from Him.

We may claim that we love Him, whether we do or not, He knows.

God demands love that is greater than all other loves we may have.

If the percentage is less than that, He again knows.

The example of Peter readily comes to mind. We all know that Peter loved Jesus. Peter also expressed that to Jesus, which Jesus did not deny.

But Jesus was measuring the love Peter had for Him in relation to the love he had for his stomach and his business.

John 21:15-17 – So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Apostle James, the brother of Jesus gave us a crucial statement in James 2:14-17, that faith without works is dead.

We are all here today, because of our faith in God, which is good. But what or which work are we combining with our faith? And how well are we doing the work?

James 2:14-17 – What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Jesus said to His disciples, to whom much is given, much also is required. Most times we concentrate on what God is yet to do for us. But God has given us a lot of things:

– The breath of life comes from Him (Job 33:4)

– Good health comes from Him (3 John 2)

– Power to make wealth comes from Him (Deut. 8:18)

– Power over serpent and scorpion comes from Him (Luke 10:19)

What do you give unto Him in return?

There are various examples of men in the bible who gave their all unto God:

– David facing Goliath was offering his life. Esther gave her life to God. Take my life…

– Abraham gave his only son. Hannah gave her first child. What is the best thing in your life? That Isaac or laughter? If God put His finger on it, can you give it?

– ObedEdom gave his property and the life of his entire household.

– Joseph Arimathea gave his tomb. Easy to give used thing. Something you haven’t used.

– The boy that gave his lunch to feed the multitude.

Even though God demand things from us. It is actually to find an avenue to bless us the more. There is usually a huge reward attached to such giving from us when it’s done willingly.

Apostle Peter asked Jesus a question that what will be the reward for all that they have given to God through Christ, the answer Jesus gave was very assuring.

Luke 18:28-30 – Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

As I conclude, I can only say that no matter what your age is today, time will not wait for you. Whatever you think you can do for God and humanity must be done now.

The reason been that your night and my night is fast approaching, and when the night comes, no one can work any longer.

John 9:4 – I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

On your way home this afternoon, continue to meditate on this sentence: ‘What am I giving to God?’ Is it the best you can? If you deceive yourself, remember God cannot be mocked. Let us pray.

Prayers

Father tell me exactly what to give to you

Father help me to obey you to give what you require of me

Father, help me to give the very best of what you require.

The sermon, What Are You Giving To God? by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye was delivered on June 18, 2017.