There are two kinds of failures in life:
* people that don't know; and
* people that are lazy to do what they know.
Today, I want to deal with the first problem ― ignorance. If you are in that category, I want you to meditate on this message continually until you internalize it. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" John 8:32.
The height to which you can grow to in life, depends on what you know. Ignorance is what will hinder you from getting whatever you have desired in life. Knowledge is what separates the weak from the mighty; the rich from the poor; and winners from losers. The highest level of knowledge you have will determine the kind of results you will get from life.
THREE LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE
1. SENSE KNOWLEDGE:
Any human being that has their five senses working can access this first level. Most of the knowledge that form and govern human life, operates at this realm. People that operate in this realm are natural men. If all you can see is with your physical eye, then you are blind. If your ear is the only instrument you have for hearing, then you are really deaf. Discussions are going on now around the world but once you have the right receiver (cable TV, satellite decoder, mobile phone, etc.) you can decode it and give your ear mind-boggling abilities. We live in a world full of limitations.
I have done several intensive studies on men that have shaped the world. Several of them were inventors or were notable for some great accomplishment. What amazes me about these men are that they usually have the ability to look beyond the senses into a higher dimension ― REVELATION.
2. REVELATION KNOWLEDGE:
Revelation is hearing, touching, and seeing the intangible. In the Bible, when Jesus says "Let him that has an ear hear , ", He's referring to this level of insight. If you can see the invisible, you can do the impossible. It is perceiving what is not obvious. The realm of creativity, inventions, prophesy, etc. operates beyond the physical level. The spiritual world is more real than the physical world.
If you cannot step beyond your head, reasoning or emotion, you will not go far in life. When you wake up on Sunday morning and your emotion tells you that you cannot make it to church, forget it, it’s a lie. Why do things like this happen? Because in the physical world there is a lot of deception.
For example, If you see someone shivering at room temperature, there is something wrong. But with your natural eye even if the person is cut open, you won't see anything. Yet over time, doctors who have believed in the invisible, trust that if they can inject something into the person's blood that will exercise dominion over the sickness. That invisible thing causing the sickness, they now call pathogens.
The brain is divided into compartments. There is the right brain that operates in the level of revelation knowledge. This is the part of the brain inventors develop. While the left brain is what deals with the sense knowledge. This is what formal education develops.
People that become wealthy are people that can tap into the intangible. This is what people like the Jews have discovered. Real wealth is portable. The spiritual world controls this physical realm. And for any invisible phenomenon that men decode, they give it a name e.g. radio waves, bacteria, etc. The parts of the invisible they haven't yet decoded remains a mystery to them. In the past, such mysteries were revered as gods e.g. thunder, rain, giant trees, etc.
If Africa will develop, we have to move more of our people to this level of knowledge. Africa is still at the bottom of the world economic chart because for ages Africans have operated at the level of the things they can see. E.g. Congo DRC signed agreements during their struggle for independence, that everything below six feet was for the Belgians while things above that level were for the indigenes. Fifty years later, DRC Congo which for decades has been the world's richest producer of diamonds and other important natural resources in the world yet her indigenes still living in squalor. A big regret for generations to come.
A lot of things happen to people whose spiritual eyes are blind. The eye that sees the invisible is on your inside. In the realm of the spirit, your physical eyes are like a mere decoration. It takes people that can tap into the unseen to create products,
There are a lot of things hanging in the spiritual realm but many of us don’t know how to download it.
The reason for the entrance of the Holy Spirit in your life is to give you the ability to ascend on high.
3. SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE:
This is the third and highest level. This is the level where people's lives are changed totally. This level occurs at the Throne Room, at the Mercy Seat, in the Presence of God. This is the form of knowledge that feels like eating in the spiritual realm not just learning.
Moses' Tabernacle had three levels of light:
1. Outer court: - the illumination here is the sunlight, this symbolizes the natural realm/senses.
2. Holy Place: the illumination here is from the seven lamp-stands, this symbolizes the illumination that comes from the spirit of man ignited by God's spirit.
3. Holy of Holies: the illumination here is the Shekinah glory, this symbolizes knowledge through intimacy with God. The only compares of this kind of communion in our physical world is sex.
This is the experience. When you move into the holy place, away from the distractions of the would you can be able to see the glory of God. This is the Shekinah glory of God. In this level, spiritual energy is infused into you and without the natural way of assimilating knowledge. This level fixes the truth into your spirit.
Any area of your life where you are deficient in, do a fast in that area. E.g. There is what is called a Jesus fast. Cut off all distractions and start searching for Jesus. You can go to the Old Testament and search for all occurrences of Him. As you do this, you will discover Christ in a new dimension. You can do a Holy Spirit fast, a wisdom fast, or whatever. What fasting does is to remove the tares for the seed to grow. It is like preparing a forest for a fresh planting season.
Do you want to know Jesus, then feast on Him. This is more than hearing a sermon or reading a book.
The key to the third level is COMMUNION. This is what we demonstrate when we come to the communion table. It is similar to what mosquitoes and witches do ― suck blood. But this time, we are sucking the life of the Father into your spirit. What happens is that this thing flows into your being like waves, radiation. When it enters you, your life changes. This is the same thing that Paul meant in 2nd Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
This was what Moses experienced when he was with the Principal not just the principles for 40 days. The Word is a person. Feasting on Him is how you produced men that know God (men that are carriers of God's presence) not men that know about God.
Dan 11:32 " … but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits."
PRAYER
Holy Spirit, I want to know you. I want to be one with you. The scripture says that if I'm joined with the Lord, I shall be one Spirit with you. I want intercourse and union with you. I want to experience you feeling my being. Take me to that realm of fellowship, friendship, oneness, koinonia and communion with you. To know you is the greatest treasure of life. Open my eyes to know you, to know my savior and to know my father.
Open my eyes that I might see. Open the eyes of my understanding. Give me the illumination that comes from inside, that eye that can discover and create things. Give me that eye that can discern and understand . Give me that inner eye that can see beyond what is obvious and key into opportunities. Anoint me with the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Father, break the bread of life. Let all of us experience communion by feeding from the substance of your being. Cause us to rise to the realm where we live by you and your life manifests in our whole being and world. I want more of you and none of me, in Jesus' name.
SEVEN THINGS I LEARNT IN THE LAST 50 YEARS --
PASTOR DAVID OGBUELI'S GOLDEN JUBILEE SPEECH
1. THERE'S SOMETHING GREATER THAN SUCCESS: Success is not the ultimate thing in life. What matters most is the success of the people you've helped. The Legacy you leave behind is the Ultimate.
2. LIFE IS VERY SIMPLE; HUMAN BEINGS MAKE IT COMPLICATED: Think about this: There are only four seasons in the year, we only have ten fingers, there are only ten digits (every other number is a combination of the ten digits), there are three persons in Trinity, Ten Commandments, etc. Every other thing is a combination of the fundamentals. You do not need to master many things to be successful. Master the essentials and you can build on the rest.
FIVE THINGS EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND HAPPY
a. Everybody needs something to do [Work] or something to live for [Purpose]. Those who get the best out of life are those whose work is their passion because they are paid for doing what they love. If your own work is your purpose, you've found something better than someone who only works a job.
b. Everybody needs someone to believe in [Faith]. For me, that person is Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. Everybody needs faith.
Apart from the Almighty God, we also need human beings to believe in. People need someone to inspire them to be better than themselves.
This is one of the responsibilities of people in leadership which include pastors, parents, mentors, political leaders etc.
c. Everybody needs someone to love and to cherish [Family & Friends]. Love is one of the most beautiful things to find in life. You can start this journey with your closest relationships like your spouse, your family and your friends. Like a nursing mother whose breast is full, when your heart is filled with compassion and love, and there is no one to give it to, it will start causing pain. If you miss love, you miss life.
d. Everybody needs something to look forward to [Hope]. You need to have an expectation in life. Hope is so important in living. Hopelessness is one of the leading causes of suicide and premature death.
e. Everybody needs principles to live by [Values]. That is why you need to get knowledge, education and self-development. But beyond knowledge, you need values and convictions to help govern your life. A life without values is – like a car without steering – heading for destruction.
3. ALL THE BLESSINGS OF LIFE COME THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS.
Prosperity, opportunities, success, promotion, etc. come as a result of relationships. Apart from God, human beings are our greatest assets on Earth. When God wants to bless you, He sends someone into your life. Every success is tied to people.
Human beings are also the greatest liability. When the devil wants to destroy you, he sends someone into your life.
It then follows that the subject of relationship requires discernment. Any scar you have, people gave it to you. Every joy you have, someone brought it into your life. Relationship carries the potential for the greatest blessing or curse. If you remove God, people will be your greatest assets in life. Even if you don't have any other thing in life, never be poor in relationships. Relationships like flowers need nurturing. They flourish when they are given attention and they wither when they are not. Value relationships!
4. THE KEY TO LIFE IS BALANCE. God Almighty is Holy and Righteous yet at the same time He is Merciful and Gracious. The nature of God is the balance between Grace and Truth. Like Jesus, it is a balance between being a lion and being a lamb. So, while you pursue God's highest ideals, be compassionate to people who are weak and falling. If your Christianity has virtues and values but lacks compassion, you are pursuing religious bigotry.
Jesus taught the highest standards, but He always went after the lost, to pick him up, cleaned him up and showed him the way. This is how we can change our country. Let’s all get into the business of recovery; recovering the nation’s decaying human resources, restoring and showing them the way. Try your best to model a balanced Christian life. While you have the best expectation of your fellow human beings (especially your spouse), make room for human frailty and weaknesses.
5. SUCCESS IN MINISTRY IS GROWING DISCIPLES AND RAISING LEADERS. NOT PREACHING TO MULTITUDES.
Genuine success is the evidence of transformed lives. Let's set this as our goal in ministry. Let the leaders we've raised become who God wants them to be.
6. CHRISTIANITY HAS TWO SIDES. THE LEGAL SIDE AND THE EXPERIENTIAL SIDE OF REDEMPTION. It has the Professing side and the Practicing side of Christianity. The key to transiting from Professing Christianity to Practicing Christianity is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to us to make us Partakers of the divine nature. The Holy Spirit within is the key to living a successful victorious Christian life while the Holy Spirit upon is the key to doing effective ministry. This is the difference between walking in the spirit and flowing in the anointing. It is the difference between being an authentic Christian and being an effective Minister.
7. NOTHING IN NATURE LIVES FOR ITSELF. Everything created is created for something else. For example vegetation was not created for itself but for humans and animals. The sun doesn't absorb its own light or heat. The river does not drink its own water. The tree does not eat its own fruit. The flower does not spread its fragrance for itself. Cows do not eat beef. In the same way, you are created, not for yourself, but for others. Living for others is the role of nature. Therein lies the secret of living. Life is not measured by how much you own. Life isn't given to us for consumption, but for contribution. This is the essence of life. I'm created not for myself, but for God, and for others.
There are only two kinds of life: an invested life and a wasted life. An invested life is a life of service and purpose. A wasted life is a life that is lived only for oneself. If the sun decides to absorb its own light and not give out, it turns into a black hole. Everything invested in you is for you to serve your generation. Only a portion is meant for you.
If God gives you more than what you need, what's it for? What's the purpose of having Money, Influence, Beauty, Power, Anointing, etc.? They are given to solve problems for others and for rendering service. If you live an invested life, at the end, The One that created you will tell you "Well done, good and faithful servant". If you live a wasted life, God has a dustbin where He will throw such people in the end. It is called Hell fire.
TEN AREAS I HAVE INVESTED MY LIFE OVER THE YEARS AND I’M STILL INVESTING.
1. In walking with God and seeking to know Him and His ways. That has paid off and that is why I am able to help people today.
2. In personal growth and development.
3. In loving my wife and raising my children well; placing premium on their education and moral upbringing.
4. In developing an army of priests and spiritual leaders.
5. In developing an army of transformational leaders in every sphere of society.
6. In the pursuit of the National Youth Development and Empowerment Project.
7. In pursuit of the Dominion Mandate and the development of Dominion City.
8. In the growth and well-being of the body of Christ in Nigeria.
9. In the pursuit of the Eastern Mandate and the transformation/development of my country Nigeria.
10. In the pursuit of World Missions especially in reaching the continent of Africa.
