Today's Word For You

STOP RE-VISITING YOUR PAST RATHER OUTDO IT

By Pastor Emma Bril Opanyi (Pastor/Author & Psychotherapist)

Philippians 3:14” I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” 

Many people fail in Life not because they are incapable, but because they are running a wrong race. And this is simply because most of the people are busy comparing themselves with others.

In life, you must never compare yourself with others, rather fight to be the best in your own race. In life you are only permitted to compete with yourself not others. Competition of coveting another man’s race has caused many people to be discouraged, especially when those around them seems to be making more progress than they are.

Listen that someone else is succeeding doesn’t mean you are failing. Success depends on individual set objectives.

I will give you an example, while I was constructing a four roomed house, my cousin sister was constructing a one storey building. Both of us finished yet each of us spent different time frames, volume of construction materials and we were both having different targets and in a different race. Had I concentrated on her I would be a wisher.

Paul says in : Philippians  3:13 “ 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,” 

Hebrews 12:1-2  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Friend, there is a cloud of witnesses that so our days and they are cheering us. Saying brother, sister press on, look ahead the crown is in front not at your neighbor’s side, not to the left are right it’s in front.

Finally, my brethren in this new month of May 2020, you are destined to succeed, on look forward and out ran and outdo your past.

How to Respond to the Prophetic Word- part 1

1. HAVING THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

Our perspective towards prophecy should be that of a biblical attitude and the biblical attitude towards prophecy is thoroughly positive. Not only are we told to avoid despising prophecy—that is, assigning to it a lesser role than is proper; we are also exhorted to prove all prophecies, and hold fast to what is good and accurate in them (I Thess. 5:20,21). Even more importantly, God commands us to desire earnestly and covet the prophetic ministry (I Cor. 12:39; 14:1, 39). It is, in fact, the only ministry that the scriptures tell Christians to covet.

A truly inspired personal prophecy is God's specific word to an individual. So the same scriptural principles for the proper attitudes toward the written Logos Word should apply equally to the prophetically spoken rhema word.

Several attitudes are critical for receiving a personal prophecy properly:

FAITH—the basic proper attitude and response towards prophets and personal prophecy is to know and believe that it is scriptural and then receive God’s prophetic ministry with faith. Hebrews 11:6 states that without faith it is impossible to please God. If we receiver intend to receive a personal prophecy from a prophet, we should evaluate fully those who might minister prophetically to us. If we conclude that they are qualified, competent men and women of God, then the prophecies should be received in confidence, believing that word to be true and factual. Hence, the attitude of faith is imperative to bring fulfillment. Hebrews 4:2 tells us about the Israelites in the wilderness that "the word preached (prophesied) did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it" (Ex. 6 & Heb. 3:17-19). In contrast to the children of Israel, we see Jehoshaphat properly responding with an attitude of faith to the prophetic word delivered by Jahaziel (II Chron. 20). His proper response of faith to his personal prophecy brought his proclamation for God’s people to, "Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper."Jehoshaphat's attitude of faith towards the prophetic word brought great victory (II Chron. 20:22).

If a prophetic word is received with an attitude of acceptance and faith, then the rhema that is heard will create faith for the fulfilling of that word: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word [rhema] of God" (Rom. 10:17).

OBEDIENCE—True faith will always be accompanied by the works of obedience. James 1:22 tells us "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." If our hearing doesn't progress to the point of doing, then we become a candidate for deception. When the Lord chooses to speak a word to us, it isn’t just to tickle our intellect, but to bring the understanding necessary to do the will of God (Duet.29:29 and Rom.2:13). Therefore, it is actually better not to receive a word at all than to receive one and then not do what the word says to do. "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). If we obey the word and do what the word says, then we deliver ourselves from deception and open our spirit and mind to know the will of God. Jesus said, "If any man will do God's will, he shall know...whether it be of God..."(John 7:17). So if we believe and do what we know to do, Christ will speak and reveal more concerning His will for our lives.

As a biblical example of this attitude, we see Noah receiving one prophetic word about building an Ark and because of his obedience; his entire family was saved (Gen. 6). On the other hand, we see King Saul who disobeyed the prophetic word from Samuel (I Sam. 15:24 ) and reaped the results of losing the kingship for his lineage.

Thus, the proper attitude of response to personal prophecy requires obedience, a co-operation with the word that allows it to have room in our lives for the fulfillment of God's will: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom" (Col.3:16).

PATIENCE—Hebrews 6:12 reminds us that it not only takes faith to inherit God's promises but it also takes Patience. These two qualities enable us to appropriate the prophetic word received until the promise is secured.

After we have received a personal prophecy, and proven it to be a true word from the Lord, we must maintain a constant faith and confidence that it will come to pass regardless of the time required—and that requires patiently pursuing God's will. Once we are convinced that a word is a true word quickened by the Holy Spirit, we must allow no one to rob us of it.

I did not understand this principle when I received my first prophecies from a prophetess at the age of eighteen. After leaving High school discouragement came because nothing was happening as quickly as I had expected. I showed the prophecy to a couple of ministers and a friend. They all said they did not witness to it and believed it was a bondage to me.

In a moment of confusion and discouragement I was ready to cast the prophecies into the flames and destroy all record of their contents. But thank God they were not destroyed, for every one of them has come to pass. They have been a constant source of inspiration, encouragement, and motivation for more than thirteen years.

Personal prophecies can be likened to precious pearls! When Jesus said not to cast pearls before swine,

He was referring to the Pharisees. He was telling us not to take something God has given us and expose it to religious leaders who do not believe God speaks in personal prophecy today. The devil can and does use well meaning ministers and Christian friends to rob us of our word from the Lord, but we must not let them. Even if our prophecies are causing us confusion, frustration, or discouragement due to the lack of immediate fulfillment, we must nevertheless wait patiently upon the Lord. He will fulfill His prophetic word, changing both us and our circumstances.

I have learned the need and importance of an attitude of patience for persevering during God's prophetic process. When I got saved I expected all those glowing words about being "a leader of leaders" to become an instant reality and I was full of zeal, vision, dedication, and determination. My wrong perception brought pressure and impatience.

I, like many other ministers of that time, was convinced that Jesus was coming any moment. We had no time to waste and I definitely believed that Jesus was going to return before I turned thirty. We could only think in terms of months, not years. Waiting and patience was not part of our vocabulary then; everything had to be done today because there was not going to be any tomorrow. God heard all my prayers to rush the process, but He knew His own timetable and the growing process that

Would be necessary before all of those prophecies could become manifest in their full demonstration. God is never in a hurry but He is always on time. He is not motivated by intimidation or by our frustration.

In Psalm 37:7-11 we have a clear biblical admonition for the proper response to personal prophecy, especially those areas that speak of our ministry and the things to be accomplished.

In a paraphrased format it could be interpreted to say:

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Commit your way [the way for your

personal prophecies to be fulfilled] unto the Lord; trust also in Him and He shall bring it [your personal prophecy] to pass. Fret not thyself because of him who prosper thin his way [the person whose ministry is already being fully manifested], because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass [the minister who is prosperous and successful, yet not righteous in all his ways, doing things his way rather than God's].Cease from anger [at God for not coming through when you wanted Him to], and forsake wrath [release your frustrations and self-imposed pressure to perform before God’s time]...but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth... .And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."

Other scriptures which clarify this divine principle are Heb. 10:35, 36; Ps. 27:14; and Is. 40:31. As biblical examples of this attitude, we see Joseph who received a vision at 17 yet patiently waited for God's timetable to come to pass (Gen. 37-42) versus Abraham's impatience with his prophetic promise for an heir and his subsequent production of Ishmael (Gen. 15:4; 16:2).

HUMILITY/MEEKNESS AND SUBMISSION—Responding properly to a prophetic word requires that the believer receive the prophetic utterance in a spirit of humility, meekness and submission. If we choose to receive a true word of prophecy and respond with pride, anger, doubt, resentment, criticism, self-justification, or arrogance; we reveal immaturity or a wrong spirit. We must be aware that a wrong attitude neutralizes much of what God wants to accomplish by the prophetic words spoken.

Sometimes we have preconceptions about a great ministry we believe God will confirm and describe through the prophet. When God does not confirm our ideas of great self-importance, then we may become disillusioned, depressed and angry at God and the one prophesying. We insist that the prophet has missed the mind of God.

Many times, the words which the Lord speaks to us through prophecy require adjustments in actions and attitudes. James 1:21 states: "Receive with meekness the engrafted word." We must be willing to respond in wisdom. The Bible says that if we rebuke a wise man, he will be wiser, and if we rebuke a fool, he will hate us. A mature person with the right attitude will respond to personal prophecy—even if it is corrective—with the attributes of heavenly wisdom: "The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17). Even if the prophetic word is inaccurate, the righteous and mature person will not respond with carnal or childish behavior.

Finally, pride can hinder personal prophecy from coming to pass. A good biblical example is found in II Kings 5 when Captain Naaman of Syria fell ill with leprosy and requested that prophet Elisha heal him. Elisha sent a messenger to Naaman telling him to go to the river Jordan and dip seven times to be healed. Naaman's response was one of anger and outrage for his personal pride was hurt because Elisha had not come to meet him personally and his sense of national pride was hurt because the Jordan River was in Israel rather than in Syria. As the account progressed, Naaman eventually humbled himself to obey Elisha's instructions and his obedience caused the prophetic word of healing to manifest. Again, his willingness to swallow his pride and act with an attitude of obedience activated his prophecy to its fulfillment.

I pray for you that you follow the above. When you activate the above principles then you will surely see the things that looked shuttered come to pass.

I prophesy upon your life, may you succeed, may God’s abundance come your way this season. May you see uncountable victories this year in Jesus name.

Prince Emma Opanyi

+256 775 585176

How to Respond to the Prophetic Word- part 2

RECORD, READ AND MEDITATE

One of the greatest principles in properly responding to your personal prophecy is to record what was said and write it out so that it may be read and meditated upon. The Apostle Paul told Timothy: "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the prophets. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all" (I Tim. 4:14, 15). Here Paul reminds Timothy that he had been given a gift by prophecy when he was prophesied over by the prophet. Besides telling him to neglect not the gift within him, Paul also told him to meditate over his personal prophecies so that everything spoken would be made manifest and become profitable to the whole Body of Christ.

This leads to one main question. How could Timothy properly meditate upon those things spoken over him by the prophecy unless they were written down for him? Obviously, those around Timothy had an understanding of the biblical precedent for recording and meditating upon what God spoke. Such scriptures as Hab.2:2; Rev. 2:1; Is. 8:1; II Chron. 16:4; Jer. 36:2; Ez. 2:10,3:1-3; Zech. 5:1-4; Joshua 1:8; Ps. 1:2,19:14,39:3,63:6 validate the importance of recording, writing out and meditating upon God's prophetic word.

In the early days of my ministry many of the prophecies I received were not recorded.

If we choose not to record prophecy, the prophecy actually becomes of little value to us because the important details of the prophetic word are soon forgotten. This is especially true if the prophecy is lengthy because the human mind can only remember a little of the exact wording. I know this from personal experience; of the thousands of words that were spoken over me prophetically but never recorded, I can only recall two or three phrases. We simply cannot expect to respond properly to a personal prophecy unless all the words are recorded, read and understood clearly.

For this reason, all personal prophecies should be recorded. When an experienced prophetic minister is ministering, they will normally make arrangements to record everything.

Another benefit of recording a prophetic word is that after receiving several prophecies, they can then be compared for agreement. When comparing, you will usually notice that some of the same thoughts and words appear from the messages of different individuals who were not familiar with what was said to you previously. This agreement helps us realize that they must really be the word of the Lord, because they are being confirmed in the mouth of several witnesses.

Besides benefitting the person who receives a prophetic word, recording also provides personal protection for the prophet. People have a way of misapplying, twisting and reinterpreting what they hear and what they think they hear in a prophecy; so that what they remember conforms to their selfish desires instead of God's will.

Another advantage of recording, writing it out and meditating upon personal prophecies is that it reveals that several interpretations may be possible for the same word. Many times, our first interpretation is not always a true and proper application.

Last, knowing we must record, read and meditate upon the prophetic word helps restrain us from making any major decisions or drawing any final conclusions about what it means, while it is being given. When receiving a prophetic word, it is best to just listen attentively and prayerfully, reserving all final judgments for later when we have the prophecy before us in written form. At the actual time of receiving a prophetic word, our spirit is best engaged in witnessing actively to the spirit of the person prophesying and the divine inspiration which is motivating him or her, rather than judging and evaluating the prophecy. Proper evaluations can be hindered due to our emotional, mental, and physical posture while receiving a prophecy.

God bless you greatly

Prince Emma Opanyi

How to attain success in Life

1.      DEVELOP THE SPIRITUAL MAN

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.

—1 Thessalonians 5:23

We get a picture of the threefold man—body, soul, and spirit—from this text. We will study the spirit man—the real you—in this message.

Millions of dollars and shillings are spent every year to develop the physical man—and there's nothing wrong with that. I myself spend a certain amount every year on a health club membership to keep my physical body in shape.

Paul said, "Bodily exercise profiteth little" (1 Tim. 4:8), but he didn't say it didn't profit. I have found that a physical body that is in shape produces a spirit that is more finely tuned. If you discipline the outward (or physical) man to run or work out, you can apply the same discipline on the spirit man, and he'll become just as much in shape as the natural man.

Millions of dollars also are spent every year to develop the intellect—and you should be spending money to develop your intellect. You may argue, "But I've already gone to school." Fine, but the bookstores are full of good materials you could purchase to read up on what is happening in the world. To be successful, you should be learning continually.

You should be involved in getting your physical man developed; your intellect educated; and your spirit trained.

I won't go into the development of the physical and intellectual man here, because most of you already have been taught that in school and elsewhere.

There are four steps in the development of the spiritual man:

The way to feed information to the intellect is by studying books and other materials. The way to feed information into the spirit is by studying the Bible.

I don't mean grabbing it for five minutes and turning to the Proverbs and Psalms, either. That's what some people call reading and studying the Word. They think five minutes' reading and a quick prayer is all they need to do each day.

(You'll find they are very weak spiritually. They have a very weak spirit man. He follows every wind of doctrine that comes along instead of settling down in a good church somewhere and becoming part of the family of God.)

Yes, we're born into the family of God, but we need to be part of a local body, fellowship, and reach out to those who need to be helped.

Sometimes I get a little tired of preaching to those who are running after "the fire." It's good to preach to the sheep—the stable ones.