May God Renew Your Whole Being, by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye

May God Renew Your Whole Being, by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye

What is renew?

The act of starting again or starting to do something again; an arrangement for something to continue for a longer period of time; or a process of improving, repairing or making something more successful”;

 

In Environmental Science, we learnt that certain natural resources in life are renewable and some are not renewable. The quest for man is to know how to utilise these resources in a way that is sustainable, especially the non-renewable ones, so that the future generations will also be able to benefit from them. Otherwise, when a particular resource is used up, then that is it.

 

In Human Resource Management or Manpower Management, students are taught and trained on how to utilise human resources under them in a way that will be sustainable, the conditions of service must be such that will aid the staffs to do work and not burn out; otherwise, they may be overstretched and the whole system will crash.

 

The same can be said of us as individuals, we have been blessed by God with strength in our being to do work and to live well. The human being, however, has three parts: we are made as a spirit, having a soul, that lives in a body. Each of these three parts requires targeted strength to keep functioning. Each part needs continuous renewal, otherwise, the whole being can collapse and shut down.

 

I Thes 5: 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

3 John 2 – 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper (spiritually) and be in health (body), even as thy soul prospereth.

 

It is very important to know that any problem with the renewal of just one aspect of these three beings that constitute man will affect the other two. That is why we must seek the face of God to enjoy renewal in every area of our being.

 

Mt. 26: 41-43 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

 

Jesus was renewing His spirit spiritually with prayers; His soul was getting empowered; His flesh was becoming more submissive. The disciples had collapsed because their flesh had overpowered the rest of their being.

 

In Mk. 9: 18-27, the bible talks about a boy that had challenge with his spirit man; such that his troubled spirit was always seeking to end his life altogether.

17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Thank God, the father was able to meet with Jesus, who helped them. That same Jesus is here today to help anyone who their spirit is troubled in any way. The Lord Jesus shall set you free.

 

The same thing happened to the man in Mk. 5: 15-20; his spirit was in huge trouble, to the extent that he was harming his body and soul. Again, Jesus came to his rescue.

And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

 

In the past eleven months or so, every one of us has gone through unprecedented times we have never witnessed before. Everyone younger than 95 years would never have witnessed this kind of season we are going through now in their lives.

 

The prevailing situation has put immense pressure on most of us: individuals, families, societies, organisations, establishments, cities, nations and even churches. This pressure can affect our spirit, soul and body in a negative way.

 

If anyone feels unwell, by all means, please go and speak to your GP. The bible makes us to know in Mk. 12: 13-17, that as the Pharisee were trying to catch Jesus with His words; they asked if they should pay tribute to Roman Emperor, who was an invading power.

Jesus asked them to bring a coin; and asked which photograph was on it. They said that of Caesar. Jesus then asked them to give to God what belongs to Him; and to Caesar what belong to him.

Mk 12: 13-17 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. 14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. 16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s. 17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

 

In James 3: 13-18, I figured out that any wisdom that seeks to alleviate the problem of man and do good is Divine. While those that aimed at confusion, destruction or taking God’s glory is either earthly, sensual or devilish. As God’s children, we can seek proper medical help. There is however a limit to where medicine can help us; beyond that limit; only God can help. So, therefore, we must involve God all the way through.

 

Today’s message is a prayer for all of us that God will renew our whole being. That whatever we have gone through; are currently going through or will even go through will not affect any part of our being in Jesus name.

 

Let’s look at Body strength

  1. In Isaiah 40: 28-31, the bible makes us to know that physical strength can dissipate. Young and old alike can found themselves lacking in strength.

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

 

For those that need physical strength renewal, God has done it before, He will do it for you today in Jesus name. You will not be weary, you will not faint, you will not fall in Jesus mighty name.

 

Twice God renewed the strength of Samson. In Judges 15: 1-19, when he fought with thousands of Philistines and became tired and thirsty, God provided water for him and strengthened him.

18 And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? 19 But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.

 

Again, when the locks of his head were shaven and his enemies began to humiliate him; he prayed to God and his physical strength came back to him again, that gave him victory.

Judges 16: 26-30  And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. 27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.

28 And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. 29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

 

Do you need physical strength renewal? Do you feel you are lacking in energy? Call upon the Lord God. May God boost your strength to a higher level today in Jesus name.

 

In 2 Cor. 12: 7-10, apostle Paul mentioned that there was a time in his life that he had a physical challenge that he had to pray to God to remove from him. God by His Divine providence made sufficient grace available to him to bear the challenge, without affecting his destiny fulfilment.

 

Are you experiencing any ‘thorn’ in your flesh? May God extract that thorn from your flesh now in Jesus name. Every pain been inflicted upon your flesh come to and end right now in Jesus mighty name.

 

The bible makes us to know that Moses lived for 120 years and his physical strength was still intact. The same grace was experienced by Caleb, such that at 85 years, he was still physically strong to go to war with young men.

 

There is someone listening to me now, you are just about 40 years, but it seems you are carrying a body of an 80 years old. What you need is physical strength, I pray that God will grant you physical power and might right now in Jesus name.

 

Let us examine Soul strength

  1. The soul of a man can be overwhelmed by life issues and become famished and exhausted. When this happens, the spirit and body may equally suffer.

For this not to happen, the soul has to be renewed continually.

 

In John 8: 31-32, Jesus told those who believed on Him to continue in the renewal of their souls; so that they can enjoy total freedom.

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

 

Again, in Rom. 12: 2, apostle Paul told the church at Rome that renewal of soul is crucial to every believer; so as to be in tune with the perfect will of God.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God

 

In Luke 15: 11-31, the bible tells us about the life of the prodigal son. He was greedy. He was wayward. He sinned against his father. While his father was still alive; he demanded his inheritance. He went and squandered it through riotous living and became destitute.

Thank God he had a renewal of soul. He would have ended his life in a bad way. He came home hoping to be accepted as a servant; his father however still received him as a son!

 

There is someone listening to me now, you don’t know what is wrong with you. Something seem not to just be in place. What I hear is that your soul is starving. You need to feed your soul with spiritual nutrients and vitamins from the word of God.

Read, meditate and digest the word into your personal life.

Once your soul is fine, you will surprisingly be fine too.

 

In Acts 8: 26-39, the Holy Spirit prompted Deacon Phillips to meet up with the Ethiopian eunuch on the way to Africa. He was reading the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 53, which he did not understand. God used Phillip to renew his soul, his eyes of understanding was opened; and he went back to Africa with rejoicing.

He also brought the good news of salvation back to Africa.

 

In John 3: 1-21, the bible tells us how the soul of Nicodemus got renewed. He was a Pharisee, teacher of the law and a ruler; yet he did not know how a man’s soul has to be reborn in order make peace with God and become heaven bound. Jesus had to explain to him.

 

Also, in Lk. 19: 1-10, the bible talks of Zacchaeus whose soul was renewed by Jesus. He was a chief tax collector. He was very rich. But he was a sinner. He was extorting money from people unjustly. Jesus ministered salvation to him. His soul received renewal.

 

If you are listening to this, and are indulging in any sin or wrongdoing. Your soul needs to first experience renewal; so that other aspects of your life can follow suit.

 

Let us consider Spirit strength

  1. The spirit of man can become overpowered with events and life issues to the extent that it can begin to affect the soul and the body as well.

The reason why Apostle Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus to overcome such a challenge.

 

Ephesians 3: 14-16 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

May God strengthen your spirit according to the riches of His glory in Jesus name.

 

In I Sam. 30: 1-21, the bible tells us how the spirit of David and his men became traumatised to the extent that they wanted to kill David because their wives and children had been taken captives by Amalekite raiders.

David, however, encouraged himself in God; and when he got confirmation that he would be able to recover all that was lost, his spirit came back to him.

 

There is someone listening to this message, your spirit is experiencing trauma as touching a recent loss. God will encourage you. Jehovah will renew your vigour. God will grant you surprise restoration in Jesus name.

 

The bible tells us how Jacob’s spirit came alive at the news that Joseph who he thought was dead about 20 years earlier was now alive! He could not wait to see his favourite child. That euphoria made him to live for another 17 years.

25 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father. 26 And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not. 27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: 28 And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

 

There is someone listening to me now; a big glad tiding is coming to you soon that will greatly revive your spirit. It will be something you could not have expected or imagined.

 

It was also said of Mary Magdalene that her spirit received a renewal when she met Jesus Christ. Before then, she was suffering oppression from the hands of 7 demonic powers. Jesus set her free. She became a frontline witness and financier for the gospel, and one of the first people to see Jesus Christ after the resurrection.

Lk. 8: 1-3 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

 

If you are listening to this; and you are been troubled by any evil powers; I decree your freedom right now in Jesus name. I command every demon troubling you to come out of you in Jesus name. I command such demons to leave you alone. I decree that they go back to hell and wait for their judgement day in Jesus mighty name.

Be free in Jesus name!

 

The promise of God to us today is that He is renewing our whole being right now. The angels of God are going round to effect this in our lives in Jesus name.

Your body shall enjoy renewal of strength.

Your soul shall enjoy renewal of might.

Your spirit shall enjoy renewal of power in Jesus mighty name.

 

How to maintain wholeness

The story of the 10 lepers in Luke 17: 11-19 gives us an indication.

Live a life of thanksgiving; gratitude; appreciation to God for what He has done. He will do the rest.

Also, eat well; sleep well; and do physical exercise.

 

 

Prayers

Psalm 34: 17-20 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

 

Rev. 21: 4-5  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Sermon delivered on February 7, 2021.