Pastor introduced the theme for the month and said that Supernatural Interventions are meant to be our daily experience. This is because there is so much more in God when we press into him.. God gave us the whole of his spirit and If we truly embrace the fact that there are so many unlimited possibilities in God, then we’d make supernatural possibilities a daily experience.
While we look forward to experiencing supernatural interventions, we still hold onto God in prayers.
Pastor then began teaching us from Mark 10:27
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.
He explained to us that when we say all things, it means all areas of life. Christiantinity as a matter of fact is meant to be a supernatural life. Like Paul who said, the life he lives, he lives by the son of God. Galatians 2:20.
From salvation to any point you live, the supernatural is available for you and it is not limited to any area of life. So there is no segmentation of your life, like social, family e.t.c. God captures it as one. You need the supernatural in your life and you are not expected to limit it to head knowledge and principles you have read from other books.
Our skills can fail us, so they are not sufficient. We need to allow the supernatural to find expression in our lives.
We must desire and trust God for the supernatural. He knows our deepest needs and wants to move on our behalf. While we grow in faith, God wants us to grow as well. He doesn’t want a lopsided excellence.
God can do all things. He is a performing God.
Mark 9:14-27, Luke 5:4, 1-11. Luke 5:4-9
Pastor taught on the topic “Supernatural Intervention”.
Supernatural intervention means God stepping in, into the affairs of men and things that look impossible/difficult becomes possible and begins to give way. Things give way when men declare that it is impossible. They are acts of the Father, which are a display of mercy and love towards a man. They are displays of his splendour and mightiness. God can do exceedingly and abundantly. He can do it! Call forth things by the power of God at work in your life and within you such that things you are believing God for manifests.
Jesus said “if you can believe, all things are possible”. With man, it may be impossible but not with God. However, the context of this scripture talks about salvation. Man was helpless and couldn’t save himself. He didn’t have anything within his power and reach to get saved. Hence, in the context of that scripture, Christ meant that salvation will not be by what man can do. For with God all things are possible: Salvation will not be by what man can do for himself, God will have to do it.
Pastor further explained that even salvation was on the premise of supernatural intervention. God stepped in for man to be saved. Our salvation is a product of supernatural intervention. The Father stepped in when we were lost, dead and helpless. Our lives as believers start with the supernatural and will end by the supernatural.
Our lives, salvation and journey in God is a product of supernatural intervention.There is nothing we will be able to do by ourselves. Yes, we pray and fast but it is not to appease God. Until we come to a place where we understand that God is God and he is able to do exceedingly and abundantly.
He said that it is not by what we do or do not. We must have confidence in God more even than in our prayers. Confidence in the power and act of God, in the supernatural much more. Having confidence in any other thing like your prayers and fastings is a terrible place the devil can make you get to. You are first a believer in God before another thing.
“Unto the God that heareth prayers to him shall all flesh come to”, the confidence is unto the God that hears prayers not in the prayer we pray to him. There are people praying but do not have faith in the God they are praying to. There’s a place a man gets to that if he doesn’t take heed, he may have more confidence in the principles and rituals and forget about the acts of God.
Pastor went on to say that there is a possibility of a man not even believing in the power and the efficacy of God. Principles can be broken for your sake. Things can be rearranged just for you.
We have to come to a place where we have so much confidence in the power of God. He can do all things. In Luke chapter 5, Peter went out to fish, he was a professional fisherman who knew the techniques of fishing including the right time to fish. He had a good understanding and expertise in fishing. He went out in the night to fish which means he had been there several times to fish at that hour. He knew what to do: however, this particular day, everything he knew how to do including his techniques, understanding, and expertise failed him. He got frustrated and disappointed. He knew what to do but what he knew was not bringing results and was fruitless.
Do not believe in your own efforts or in everything you have invested in yourself. That is not what will bring you where you want to get to. Put your trust in God like you know nothing. Trust in him to do what only he can do.
Peter knew what to do but what he knew was not bringing results. It failed before his very eyes. When the training, expertise, skills and certifications are not bringing desired results, cry unto God, the higher power to step in. Peter stopped fishing after trying so hard. Jesus met him there washing his net to go back with nothing to show forth for all the night’s effort.
Your lowest moments are moments when you should be very sensitive and discerning. Moments that look as if nothing is happening in your life can be the time that God can choose to visit a man and turn his life around. However, if you are not sensitive and discerning, what you are going through at that time can frustrate you to a point where you are not sensitive to the instructions and dealings of God around your life.
Jesus came and asked Peter to give him his boat, when he and the other fishermen were washing their nets. He said they should prepare a point where he can do ministry. He made use of Peter’s ship because of the large multitude pressing on Him.
Have we wondered how Peter sat down and heard Jesus preaching on his boat? If we are being put into that condition will we give Jesus our boat? Will we not be hesitant to give Jesus our boat while in frustration.
Many of us it was our lowest moment that Jesus wanted to help us. However, many of us have blown it up. The test was not passed.
Peter passed the test. He gave Him a boat. He was sensitive to knowing despite his hopelessness. Despite Jesus’ long preaching, Peter was still waiting on Him. He waited after Jesus was done.
Peter waited on Him, regardless of how the Lord met Him. This is why our Father does not leave a man the way He met him.
It was not Peter that told Jesus his trouble. Peter did not do anything transactional. There was no transactional mindset in there. There is no previous discussion on the effort being put in. We do not have a high priest who is not touched by our infirmities. When He is preaching and teaching, he says this guy should not walk home the same way he met him.
Peter is telling Jesus based on his expertise in fishing, that fishes do not show up at a particular period. It has not failed. Jesus said, “launch into the deep.”
He said, “nevertheless at thy word.”
God’s word will take the pre-eminence despite our failed effort and techniques. We will trust the Lord above our techniques. Peter says His word is the dictator at that matter. The voice of good reasoning and our logic should not hinder God’s power towards us.
The voice of good reasoning is not realistic compared to His word. His words are true. In obeisance to the Lord’s word, the fishes assembled up in the net.
Launch to the deep is one statement but has so much in it. Where the word of the King is, there is power.
Launch to the deep connotes power. Jesus did not have to say many things.
We have played safe for too long. We must launch into the deep. Peter had nothing to lose for launching. He has been launching before Jesus.
Peter knew this launching was a supernatural order. It is an order given at the peak of man’s frustration. It is the power of God unto salvation. This happened in that they had to pull the net and beckoned to their partners. The Bible recorded that their net was broken and the ship sinking. This is the supernatural and not methodology.
That is nothing but supernatural intervention in the affairs of men. It was a great catch.
The characteristics of supernatural intervention is that it was divinely initiated. Peter was not in a transactional relationship with Jesus.
Jesus knows us by name. He knows where we are. He knows how we are being seated. This is why we must come to the point where we have so much assurance in Him when we pray. We must come to the point that He knows all about us and He is mindful of us.
Peter did not ask for fish. It was Jesus after preaching thought of it that Peter while in his low moment he still identified with Him. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6
It was about God and not about Peter.
We should come to a place where He is mindful of us. Why was He interested in the business of Peter and Peter himself? This is because we have a high priest that is touched by our infirmities.
Hebrews 4:15
He is touched. Peter may not grumble to give Him his ship. However, he knows that his countenance was not bright.
He did not argue but gave Jesus his ship.
Pastor explained that the devil wants to cheat us to the point where we ask for just the revelation of Jesus to us without the benefits. People say words like “Jesus revealed himself to me and I am satisfied.”
He encouraged us not to have this mentality. He made us understand that the devil wants to rob this endtime church such that we have deep revelation but our life will be at a standstill.
It’s a good thing that we are growing spiritually, but we should also grow financially.
We can’t play down on the goodness of the Lord. We want to grow in the word of his grace but we also want to share testimonies of his goodness.
Pastor pointed to the fact that God does not only want to raise people who are stable, people who understand what God has called us but people who also enjoy the tokens of walking with God. It was Jesus that initiated the intervention. It was not Peter. Peter was not bargaining with him.
The second lesson to learn is Peter’s obedience. He was obedient to divine instruction regardless of what he was going through. It is at this moment of our lives that we should be more sensitive and discerning to the workings of God. Your giving strength, nature and character is well tested when there is no money. That was why scriptures gave us an example of the widow’s mite.
Luke 21:1-4
Scriptures are filled with templates and patterns to work with. Let God be proud of you in the days of your widow’s mite. It’s not about the size but about the heart. God will demand something from you that you don’t have.
It’s not millionaires or billionaires that give, it’s givers that give.
Pastor went on to say that the lowest moment of Peter was his breaking point, it was also a moment of breakthrough for Peter. Peter got to a breaking point and it also became his breakthrough point. God showed up for him. Doors were opened to him. He had partners in business, and his operation expanded. He has much more than he could handle so he needed more hands. He had a Net breaking, shipping sinking experience.
Supernatural open doors mostly rides on
- OBEDIENCE,
- SENSITIVITY
- DISCERNMENT
- and LEADING
The woman that had just one meal to eat obeyed the prophet.
Pastor also explained that what is wrong with us in this generation is that we are too smart for God. That we should have a walk with God to a degree that God can speak to us. We should be trained to a point where God can demand a thing from us. We have heard everything but we have never heard God demanding from us.
Pastor instructed us not to give when we have in abundance only, we should also give when things are not together. God initiating supernatural Intervention reminds us that God is mindful of us. Sometimes there are burdens/requests in our heart that we haven’t even altered, just in thoughts but God can pick our thoughts. That is why the scriptures say he can do exceedingly, abundantly, more than what we can ask or think. God can capture our thinking.
When we are desperate for a miracle, listen well, instructions may be around the corner. Don’t get lost with yourself.
He encouraged us to always remember to bless our parents, siblings, uncles, aunties and also the Pastor that got us born again. He said we should be kind to them, we should stretch our hands to them, don’t be too smart, leave myopic mindset, it is limiting you. Don’t have a mindset of lack, scarcity or poverty. Break out and walk with God.
He then asked these questions: Can you let Jesus board your boat when you are frustrated? Can you thrust your boat into the same water that frustrated you?
Important things to also see in Luke 5: 1-7 also included
2) Abundance mindset: “At thy word of God” We should reconfigure our mind. If we don’t have the mindset of scarcity and poverty, we can’t see the miracles of God.
3) Humility: Coming to a place where you can embrace your limitations against the awesome power of God. Peter summited, he bowed, he said he is sinful. The word sinful in that passage is not sinner, it means Peter embraced the reality of God.