Power is something that everyone wants. The first creatures (Adam & Eve) inclusive. That was why Eve agreed to eat the forbidden fruit.
Genesis 3:5 – For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Before this, at the creation of Man, God blessed him and released 5 powers to them (fruitfulness; multiplication; replenishment; subdue; and dominion).
Genesis 1:28 – And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
When Man fell, he lost these powers to Satan; he became a slave to his new master the Devil whom he obeyed.
Jesus coming was to release these powers back unto those that believe in Him and have accepted Him as their Lord and personal Saviour.
Mark 16:17-18 – And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Sadly though, for some believers who are ignorant of the availability of these powers in the name of Jesus; the enemy may still cheat on them.
With all the achievement of Man in science and technology, Man now thinks we are so powerful to the extent that we are been taught never to put our trust and faith in any Being we cannot see. In essence, Man has become god for himself.
However, while the power of Man is limited; the power of God is unlimited and incomprehensible.
This message is to renew the hope of someone that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above what you may have asked or you have imagined.
In Ephesians 3:20, Apostle Paul told the church at Ephesus that the God we serve has the power to surpass all human expectations.
Ephesians 3:20 – Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
That is the God I have come to remind you of today. I know we all believe in this God, but the situation has a way of dealing with us such that at times, doubt and unbelief can set in. When that happens, the hand of God may not save.
In Mk. 6:1-6, Jesus is said not to be able to do any miracle in His hometown because of the people’s unbelief.
May God exceed, surpass and overshoot your imagination for 2019.
I am not sure what you have asked God to do for you in 2019; or what you have imagined that God should do. But I will give you a brief testimonial of what God has done and what He can do, so as to birth a new hope in you.
God is able to save the lost.
In Luke 19:1-10, the Bible tells us that Zacchaeus was a lost Israelite. Jesus was concerned about his soul. He was saved.
In Luke 23: 39-43, the thief crucified on the right-hand side of Jesus was saved at the tail end of his life. If you were lost in sin in 2018, God is able to redeem your life this year. All you need to do us invite Him as Zacchaeus and the thief did.
God is able to save to the end.
Not only is God able to save; He can also save to the very end of life.
Hebrews 7:25 – Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
In 2 Tim. 4:6-8, Apostle Paul was kept saved to the end by the power of God. If this is your request, God is able to do it. Just make sure you keep your focus on Him.
God is able to deliver from temptation.
At different times in our lives, we do go through temptation. As you pass one, another will come. They also occur in levels. The good news is God doesn’t leave us alone at such times, He is there to help us.
Hebrews 2:18 – For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
Jude 1:24 – Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
1 Corinthians 10:13 – There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Joseph left his coat and ran away. If the door was shut and the key with the woman. How more difficult would it have been for him on the day?
– You are going through a period of temptation; God will deliver you in Jesus name. Don’t do what the enemy is luring you to do.
God can save from storm.
It’s not an easy thing to go through the storm. It can turn someone who is well experienced into a perplexed being.
In Luke 8:22-25, Jesus told His disciples that they should go across the Sea of Galilee. They entered a ship and set off; Jesus, however, went to lie down and rest. As they continued can on the journey, storm and wave became contrary to them. The disciples tried to keep the ship afloat to no avail; they had to cry to Jesus to save them. Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea and all became calm.
– If 2018 was filled with a storm for you; 2019 shall be to you a year of great calm and peace. The ill wind shall be quietened, the raging seas shall be silenced in Jesus name.
God can save from the fire.
Nothing is as destructive as fire. Whenever firefights, the result is disheartening. Fire occurs in degrees. The higher the degree, the more destructive it is. There is however no level or intensity of fire God cannot save from.
In Dan. 3: 10-27, King Nebuchadnezzar instructed Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego be thrown into the fiery burning furnace; before they were thrown inside, he commanded that the fire intensity be increased seven times hotter.
The people that threw these men inside fire were slain by coming too close, but the men themselves were saved by God.
– Did you walk into a fire in 2018? Or maybe you were thrown inside a fire. The year 2019 shall be cool for you. The smell of fire shall not be on you in Jesus name.
God can save from lions.
Naturally, it is said that the lion in the king of the jungle. In the spiritual sense, there are those that can be likened to lions. The Bible says Satan is like a roaring lion, roaming about, looking for whom to devour. There are people like that in life. Pretending to be lifeless, but waiting for an opportunity to strike.
My father told me that as he grew up in their village, there were human beings who had turned themselves into lions. All kinds of tricks just to terrorise with people. Elderly people will come out with mucus running down their nose, if a child laughs, that laughter would continue permanently.
In Dan. 6: 1-28, God saved Daniel from the den of lions. If 2018 was like a den of lions for you or you presently in anything like that, I decree your freedom in Jesus name. May God remove the teeth and the claw of such ‘lions’.
May they only live at your goodwill in Jesus name.
God can save from affliction and oppression.
It is possible that the enemy might get wind of what one will become in the future and as such began to afflict and oppress the person so that their mind will be messed up.
The Egyptians saw that the Israelites were multiplying in number and were becoming a great force, so they began to kill their male children; and made them to do rigorous work.
There is a woman in my wife office that has turned herself into an oppressor to us…
– If you have been subjected to any affliction or oppression in 2018, God will deliver you completely in 2019.
God can save from death.
It is all appointed to all men to die once, but death that is not approved by God can be withdrawn by Him.
In John 11:1-44, the death of Lazarus was withdrawn.
In Acts 14: 19-20, at Lystra, the death of Apostle Paul was withdrawn.
Supposing there is a sentence of death looming over anyone here, it is hereby cancelled in Jesus name. I cancel every appointment of untimely death in Jesus name.
God can save from ridicule and shame.
It is not good to suffer shame. It kills one’s morale and self-esteem; and also limit one’s potential.
As an adult Jew, Jesus and His disciples ought to pay the temple tax. But when this was due, Jesus had no money to pay, neither did Peter who was with him. Jesus had to raise the money supernaturally and to pay their tax (Mt. 17:24-27).
– You are here, the enemy has prepared ridicule and shame for you, you will escape it. In 2019, you will not suffer shame. You will not be a candidate of ridicule in 2019.
God can save from sickness.
Sickness found its initial route into human life through Adamic sin. One does not need to commit sin now however to become sick. Several things can result in sickness (ignorance of what we consume, lack or rest, the weather, our inherited genes, etc.). Whichever sickness though, God can save from them all.
In Lk. 4:38-40, Jesus saved Peter’s mother-in-law from fever. He also saved the multitude from all kinds of sickness.
– In 2019, your health shall be sound. Little or big sickness, God will save you from them.
God can save from fruitlessness and barrenness.
The first blessing God release unto Man is to be fruitful. Where that is not in existence, there is a problem to that first command. But God is able to save from it.
In I Sam. 1:1-20, the Bible tells us that Hannah was barren. God, however, opened the womb of Hannah, such that she had six children and the first one became the High Priest.
– If 2018 had not been fruitful to you; 2019 shall be very fruitful in Jesus name.
God can save from loneliness.
When God created the first man; despite the fact that all that He made was good, God soon discovered that it was not good for man to be alone. So God made him a help meet.
Ruth lost her husband very young. Under the circumstances which the husband died, she could have been single all her life; but God gave her the best husband that could be.
– You were lonely in 2018; may the help meet that God has made for you by showing up this year in Jesus name. May God also demonstrates that He is always with you. You will never walk alone in Jesus name.
God can save from demonic oppression.
It is not possible for a child of God to be possessed by the devil. But it is possible to the suppressed and oppressed. Whichever, God can rescue.
In Luke 8:1-2, Jesus rescued Mary Magdalene from seven demons.
In Mk. 5:1-13, Jesus rescued the mad man of Gadarene from 6,000 demons.
– If demons have disturbed your life in 2018, I decree your freedom now in Jesus name.
God can save from poverty/lack.
It’s not good to be poor. It’s not a godly virtue. Nothing good associated with poverty. You can’t help yourself, your family, your neighbour, your community, your church, etc.
In I Kings 17:1-16, the widow of Zarephath was so poor due to the famine that they were about to eat their last meal and die afterwards.
God stepped into the scene and she became the sustainer of many throughout the famine.
– You indeed suffer lack in 2018, this year shall be a year of abundance to you.
God can save from failure.
Every one of us may have experienced a kind of failure at some point before. It’s not a nice place to be. No matter how big the failure might be, God can save from it.
In Luke 5: 1-8, Peter and Andrew went fishing all through the night and caught nothing. As experienced and professional they were, they failed on the night.
Jesus stepped into their case and blessed them with a great draught.
– The Almighty God will wipe off all your failures of before with a huge success in 2019.
God can save from already passed judgement.
Judgement is like decrees that cannot be changed, but God can still avert it.
In John 8:1-11, the lady caught in the act of adultery has already been condemned by the law. By the special mercies of God, she was freed.
– You have been judged and found guilty of some kind; may God show you mercy and overturn the sentence.
What should I do?
– Identify and make a list of those things that seem impossible. Nothing is too difficult for God. (Gen. 18:14; Luke 1:35,37).
– Trust and have faith in God that they will be done – Heb. 11:6 “For without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he that must come to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him”.
– Fulfil your part of the condition – Abraham knew His wife.
– Learn to endure and be patient.
– Watch God do His own part.
Prayers
Father, please surpass my expectations for this year.
Father, make things that have so far been impossible to me be made possible this year.
Father, let my circumstance be very easy for you.
Father, do not allow any of my righteous expectations to be cut off.
The sermon was delivered at the Thanksgiving Service on January 6, 2019.
