 
 THE MAN LIKE GOD

####

#### By

#### Adeolu Adegbemi

#### Copyright 2014

#### Smashwords Edition

#### Smashwords Edition, License Notes

#### thank you for downloading this ebook. you are welcome to share it with your friends. this book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. if you enjoyed this book, please return to your favorite ebook retailer to discover other works by this author. thank you for your support.

# Dedication

This work is dedicated to The Father, The Word, and The Holy Ghost

# Table of Contents

Dedication

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

PART 1: HOW GOD SEES MAN

Chapter 1: Why Man?

Chapter 2: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Chapter 3: Perfection

Chapter 4: Man: An "Intelligence" Being

Chapter 5: The Works of God and the Performance of Men

Chapter 6: Faith-- A Requisite of Results

Chapter 7: The Word of God-- The Force of Faith

PART 2: THE ORIGINAL MAN

Chapter 8: God's Preparation and Provision for the Man

Chapter 9: Man and God's Authority

Chapter 10: Man and God's Nature

Chapter 11: Man and God's Power

Chapter 12: Fellowship with God

Chapter 13: Man and God's Assignment

Chapter 14: Grasshopper Mentality

Chapter 15: Solomon's Wife Mentality

Chapter 16: Goliath Mentality

Chapter 17: David Mentality

About The Author

# Acknowledgements

I'd like to thank my Dad, Patrick, who taught me to live and my mom, Florence, who inspired me to believe that excellence is my birthright. To Doyin, Dayo, Ronke and Deola, who believe in me and have stood by me.

Thank you to Olamide, without you the world would be colorless.

A child is made to see like a man when he is privileged to stand on the shoulders of men. I have been blessed to have a shoulder to stand on. I want to say a big thank you to Pastor Toyin Shalom, the shoulder I have stood on.

To my wonderful brotherhood; my brothers in Christ, who have bled with and for me; Emmanuel Alabi, Samson Olanrewaju, Dele Opadoja and Dare Ogunfowokan.

Finally, I'd like to say a big thank you to the Lord who makes all things possible.

# PART 1

# HOW GOD SEES MAN
# Chapter 1

# Why Man?

26 "God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."

27 God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female" (Gen 1:26-27) THE MESSAGE

26 Then God said, "Let us make a man -someone like ourselves, to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas."

27 So God made man like his Maker. Like God did God make man; Man and maid did he make them. TLB7

Man exists to be God-like. God made man like himself because he wanted man to act like him, and manage the earth like him. God made man with this great intention of having someone who would be like him in every way—having his nature, possessing his abilities and bearing God-like responsibilities.

God made man responsible for all his works and is going to ask man how responsible he was. There is a great power of influence in man which God has given him in order to take responsibility for all the works of God, but this power cannot be experienced until man actually takes responsibility. There is nothing in the vast universe too great for man to conquer; only he does not think he can conquer. Man was created to be like God himself and God put man over all the works of his hands. The only thing impossible for the ideal man that God created in you is that which is impossible for God himself.

God gave power to man because he gave man his own nature. The message bible says man is to reflect the nature of God. Only the man who reflects the nature of God can be responsible for the works of God. The living bible says God made man like his maker—possessing the power, nature, ability, love and strength of his maker. However, these traits die in man if he does not have the perspective of the God who made him the way he is. Man will be unfulfilled unless he sees himself as God sees him.

When God created the heavens and the earth, there arose the need to have someone in charge of all he had created; someone who would not misuse them; who had the mind of God and understood the purpose of God for those things. So he built someone who would be exactly like him so he can have exactly his mind and abilities. He created Adam in his own image and just like himself.

Adam had the mind of God and understood the purpose of God for each of the creation. He named all the things that God had made and God was satisfied with all that he said. He never made any mistake because he possessed the nature and the power of God. He knew the purpose of God for all he had made. The bible says that whatsoever Adam called anything, that was its name.

"And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought _them_ unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that _was_ the name thereof. "(Gen 2:19)

God made the man like himself, put the man in charge and gave the man responsibility for all his creation. You must see your humanity from this dimension. You are a manager of God's work. You are a steward of God's business and you will account to God whether you are profitable or not.

"And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." (Gen 2:15)

God rested on the day he created man because man was a representation of his person on earth. He rested because he had replicated himself in man and if there was any other work to be done, it had to be done by man. Thus, God brought all the animals to Adam, so that he could finish the work that He had started.

The bible says that God rested from all his works because the man whom he had formed in his image and likeness would continue what was left to be done. God deposited himself in man. He breathed into man the breath of life. That breath was not just any kind of breath but the breath of the life of God himself. This breath is the life force of God himself, the power that sustains him, and he poured it out into man so that man could live God's life and continue his work.

God had to rest after he had made the one who would continue the work. This is why man can advance the earth; bring change, growth and new things. It is not by the ability of man but by the ability of the nature, intelligence and power of God in man.

Though we see man behind every achievement on earth, yet the hand of God is the true power behind those feats. These feats are actually a continuation of the works of God from which He rested because he had made man who would carry it on. Thus, every great invention is a work in the mind of God, which man, who has his mind, can now create. This is how God continues all his works—through man.

The Hidden Wisdom of God

Everything we see right now have been settled right from the foundations of the world. And there are yet many things which the mind of man has not conceived that God has reserved for those who love him.

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, _even_ the hidden _wisdom,_ which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Cor 2:7, 9)

God ordained these great things before the world was, to our glory, dominion and greatness. These things that are yet unseen have been in the mind of God for ages unknown.

An irony however, is that man, seeing these age-long hidden wonders in manifestation, begins to think of himself as God. He believes he is the creator. This is an error under the sun. Thus, men are driven away from God because of the works that God himself empowered man to do. They leave the Creator and worship the creatures. Their sight of the creatures assures them that God is a myth. This is the great irony of man's existence and a sad irony at that.

But in these last days, God's real man will rise up and self-made men will fall. This will happen because those unimagined things, those unseen feats and those awesome inventions are reserved for only those who love God and not those who live independently of him. God will shut the door of real wisdom (of witty inventions) from all men who live independently of him. That door will only be accessible to those who love God and who are loaded with his Spirit.

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

But God hath revealed _them_ unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." (1 Cor 2:9-12)

This is the season of wisdom, which God did not hide in man at creation, but of the wisdom, which God hid in himself for his end-time plan and for his end-time man. That wisdom is God's plan to carry on his work through man—His own end-time man.

God's End-time Man

God's end-time man is the man whom God has ordained to carry on his work. God will not do a thing on earth without man. Thus, he himself had to become man in order to save humankind. So in the agenda and work-plan of God, man is always involved. In every generation, God will always find a man who would continue his works. This is simply because God rested from his works on earth and man took his place in the work.

The times we live in is a time that many men rebel against God and is also a time where those who love God are the only ones who would carry out God's purpose of absolute dominion on the earth. Just look at the world! All that is done now is a mere rebranding of old books, old teachings and old ideas. The world has come to a point where there is nothing more to tap out of the well of its wisdom. The world has simply run out of ideas.

God has shut the wisdom of the world. There is a new wave of wisdom; a wisdom in God which he is breathing out upon his end-time man—those who love him.

"Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, _even_ the hidden _wisdom,_ which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known _it,_ they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Cor 2:6-8)

The Mayan calendar ends 2012 because the demons that wrote it will run out of ideas in 2012. This wisdom is that which belongs to the end-time man, to whom belongs the dominion written and the exploits promised.

"...the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do _exploits."_ (Dan 11:32)

This end-time God-man is the Church. This is where the ideas are flowing now.

"To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly _places_ might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him." (Eph 3:10-12)

The church is the end-time man and is the relevant man. He is the relevant man because he is loaded with the Spirit of the Creator and because he loves the creator, he exists on earth just like the creator exists in heaven.

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1Jn 4:17)

The end-time man of God is this man whose love for the Father is perfect and for him has this treasure of life been reserved.

"O LORD, how MANIFOLD are thy WORKS! in WISDOM hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches." (Psa 104:24)

The Church

The church of the Living God is not a building no matter how beautifully decorated it could be. The real church of God is made up of men who are saved by the blood of the Lamb and whose souls have become the habitation of the Spirit of God who is the force of the wisdom of the end-time man.

"Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

Heaven _is_ my throne, and earth _is_ my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what _is_ the place of my rest?" (Act 7:48-49)

"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;" (Act 17:24-25)

God dwells in men to continue his works on the earth. He is a Spirit and only those who approach him as such experience the reality of him. God's end-time man is more than just a man who goes into a building called church every few days but one in whom the Spirit of God dwells.

"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God _is_ a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship _him_ in spirit and in truth." (Joh 4:23-24)

About such men, the world will say:

"...Can we find _such a one_ as this _is,_ a man in whom the Spirit of God _is?_

...Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, _there is_ none so discreet and wise as thou _art:"_ (Gen 41:38-39)

This is the real church, men of the inner court. They are not men who worship God afar off but men who draw near to the inner court of God's presence.

"And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles..." (Rev 11:1-2)

This is the end-time man—the man to which I call you to be a part of. For this is the purpose of God for man. This is the reason for the existence of man.

# Chapter 2
# Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Ps 139:14 "I will praise You, because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well." HCSB

14 "I confess Thee, because that [with] wonders I have been distinguished. Wonderful [are] Thy works, And my soul is knowing [it] well." YLT

The King James Version of the scripture says _"... I am fearfully and wonderfully made"_. The word fearfully is the Hebrew word _yaw'ray_ , which in literal English means, _"to revere"._ Longman dictionary of contemporary English says to revere means _"to respect and admire something or someone_ ". The same dictionary says that respect is to admire somebody because of their personal qualities and what they are loaded with.

When God made man, he made us admiringly. Anything that would be admired will be that thing that is counted as genius creation. God made man fearfully and to be admired. Man is the greatest wonder of the genius of God. Man, like God, cannot be completely fathomed. He cannot be held in a cage because he is as vast as God his maker is. Man is complex and that not just in his physical structure but also in his spiritual. Man can never be fully discovered. This is because man only discovers himself in God. So, he only has the hope of discovering himself as he discovers God. The more he discovers God, the more he can discover the works of God (of which he is a part), which are known to him alone since the world, began.

"Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." (Act 15:18)

Man is made to be a wonder to all of God's creation. However, this honour was lost in Adam when he fell. And because men are short-sighted, they trade the great opportunity to be the greatest of God's creation. Just like Adam, many men have lost their wonderfulness to controlling powers. Adam lost his to the controlling power of the devil on the grounds of his belly—he sought to satisfy his belly. Esau sought the same satisfaction and lost his dignity.

There are men today who are made wonderfully and with great admiration and respect by God, but have lost their dignity. Some have traded their wonderfulness with the bed of sex. Some have lost theirs to their belly; alcoholism has made a mess of many, wrong diet has sent many to early graves all for a trade of destiny with controlling forces.

God made man as distinguished creations because he is himself distinguished. To be distinguished is to be made with a difference and uniqueness. We do not need to talk about physical uniqueness. Everyone knows there are things peculiar to each human being. As vast as the world is, containing about 7 billion people, no two persons are exactly alike. There is that uniqueness—a difference that distinguishes each person from the rest of the world.

Coming to abilities and talents, no two persons can have the same abilities or perform at the same level of intelligence. This is the one singular most powerful attribute of humanity. We are not robots. We can think, we have a soul and we don't need to be programmed before we function. Nothing can replicate man because he stands distinguished. He stands with a unique difference that cannot be searched out. No one can come boldly and say he has discovered man. We only know a fragment of who we are. There is one who knows us, as we really are— God Almighty. We can only know ourselves when we become exactly like him, for then we will be ourselves; our true selves which is his image and his likeness.

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1Jn 3:2)

"Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." NLT (1 Cor 13:12)

We cannot fully see ourselves until we fully see God because we are merely the reflection of his image and the express image of his likeness. Thus, we cannot see ourselves by looking at ourselves but by looking at the source of the reflection of which we are.

God made Adam in his image, but that image was corrupted after the fall. Therefore, no one who comes to the world through Adam would look at Adam to see his true image but to God.

"So God created man in his _own_ image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Gen 1:27)

"And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat _a son_ in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:" (Gen 5:3)

The fall made men to inherit the corruption in Adam. For after the fall, he beget a child that was not in the image of God that he himself formerly was, but in his own defeated and corrupted image. God's own man is that man that reflects his image. The image of God is the true identity of man for if man would be man (the real man), then he would be the image of God because man was defined in the beginning based on the image of God.

In His Image

Jesus, the perfect image and likeness of God, made an expression that gives us a picture of what the real man looks like. It shows us the model for humanity. Adam is not, neither is it any other great man, but the perfect man Jesus.

"Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou _then,_ Shew us the Father?" (Joh 14:9)

"I and _my_ Father are one." (Joh 10:30)

"2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by _his_ Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

3 Who being the brightness of _his_ glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power," (Heb 1: 2-3)

Man is supposed to be a reflection of the God of heaven and an extension of the power and wisdom of God on earth. He is supposed to have dominion and the man Jesus is the perfect figure of that image. He fully represented God on earth. When he walked the earth, he was in charge. Even when they came to arrest him, he spoke and his arresters fell to the ground like leaves. When he needed money, all he needed was tell Peter to go catch a fish. When the storm arose against him, all he needed to do was speak stillness. He was always in charge.

Jesus is the express image of the person of God and of his power. He is the perfect model of what the image of God looks like. Men, at their best, are imperfect just as Adam lost his perfection. And everyone who comes as the seed of Adam comes with the weaknesses of Adam. When you plant a seed that has an abnormal bulge, the fruit that will come out of it will carry that same abnormality. Adam, being our source, makes us also possess automatically all his weaknesses. But when the second Adam (Jesus) came, he becomes an incorruptible source and those who are reborn through him will have put on incorruption.

Jesus said to his disciples that he that had seen him had seen the Father. So he became the perfect model and representation of the Father to humanity. And after the disciples received the new life force of God's real man in the person of the Holy Spirit, the people took knowledge of them that they had been with Christ. They became God's real men.

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." (Act 4:13)

"and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. They met with the congregation there for a whole year and taught a sizeable crowd. Also it was in Antioch that the talmidim (disciples) for the first time were called "Messianic." (Christ-like)" CJB (Acts 11:26)

Thus, the real man became the ambassador of Christ representing the person of God, as true reflections of God Almighty on earth.

"20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ...

21 For he hath made him _to be_ sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2Co 5: 20-21)

The real men become a representation of God's character and power. They become the expression of the righteousness of God. They become a model of his person because they are re-made in his image and so automatically reflect his image.

The things that men battle with all through their lifetime are anomalies that were so not so from the beginning. Sicknesses, sin, sorrow, hunger, a lifetime of struggles and never-enough, were not so in the beginning. These anomalies are a reflection, not of the image of God, but of the defeated Adam. This is why many are defeated in life. There is no defeat in the image of God.

You might ask; if there is no defeat in the image of God, why then was Adam defeated while he still bore the image of God? The simple answer is that one of the greatest powers that God gave man is the power of free will. If man wanted so, he could choose God or choose Adam (defeat). Adam made a conscious choice, of which he knew the consequence. God had told him he would die the very day he ate the fruit, and he still went ahead, ate it, and tragically died.

It was impossible for God to die, so when Adam ate the fruit of death, God had to leave him alone because Adam had to die. So, the image of God thrives in an atmosphere that is true to the existence of God. Fishes swim in water. Birds do not fly in water but in the air. So, God in man thrives in the atmosphere of the word of God. Any man that will live in the habitat of the word of God will reflect the image of God for the word of God is God himself.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (Joh 1:1)

Like Adam, when men come out of the confines of the word of God, it becomes impossible to reflect God for the word is the mould of the image of God. The man that lives absolutely in the mould of the word is the God-made man and is the real man that God wants to find in everyone that comes into the world. God's perfect man is his worded man. This is what makes man fearfully and wonderfully made.

The Perfection of His Perfection

I like to call man the perfection of God's perfection. God is a perfect God. All that he does are perfect. The bible says that in him there are no variables. In him, there are no options in quality; all that he does is best quality.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (Jas 1:17)

God is the embodiment of perfection, and his perfection commands that everything he makes is perfect. A perfect artist makes a perfect painting and a perfect God makes a perfect creation. Anything established in perfection is from the perfect God. And man is the sum-total of all his perfect work.

"Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." (Jas 1:18)

We are a product of the perfection of his perfect will and we find existence by his word. Like stated before, the God-made man is the worded man. He made us by the will of his word and made us a special kind—a special species, a kind that is superior to all else; a first fruit of a special kind of species.

Man does not exist after the order of animals or through the force of evolution, but is a kind, a distinct kind from all of creation. This is why he possesses what the rest of creation does not possess—a mind and an intelligence that puts him in charge. The bible says _"...that we should be a kind..."_ and not just the norm.

Thus, after God had finished all of His works, and before finally taking his rest, he did one last work that is perhaps a lifetime of lessons for man. He took one last look at all he had made without man and said it was all _"...good"._ When he took the same gaze at all of creation with man, he said _"...very good"_. Between the word good and very good is this great figure standing—man. This should teach us that truth that man is the salt of the earth—the sweetness of the universe and the factor that makes the works of God perfect. It is the existence of man that gives birth to the _"very good"_ state of the universe.

But to which man did God look before he said that? He looked to the man in his image and not the corrupted man. The corrupted man is a story of decadence and not of betterness. It was the corrupted man that brought the curse; which made thorns to grow out of the ground; that made the land a desert; that brought the experience of pain. And if not for men who were in the image of God, the world would have been completely destroyed. Noah was one man like that. But for him, the earth would be but a no story, for there would not be earth not to even talk of someone to tell its story. Noah was a man who was different in his generation, for he bore the image of the Living God.

"...Noah was a just man _and_ perfect in his generations, _and_ Noah walked with God." (Gen 6:9)

He had dominion as a result of the image of God which he bore and all things were subject to him; even all violent animals.

"Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that _are_ not clean by two, the male and his female.

Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

Of clean beasts, and of beasts that _are_ not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah." (Gen 7:2-3, 8-9)

God wanted to preserve life. That was a work that he wanted done and he needed a man in his image to carry it out, for only the man in his image can do his work. Adam was disqualified from carrying it on the day he fell. Noah was that man and he did as God commanded him. He became the extension of God's genius on earth—creating the first ship and controlling all animals. Noah became a representation of God on earth because he was perfect in his generation. And Jesus compares the end-time to the time of Noah. This is the time for Noahs who will be the perfection of God in their generation and a representation of God's purpose for humanity.

"And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all." (Luk 17:26)

These are the days of the Son of Man. It is the time when men abuse their true personality and turn to animalistic instinctive living. However, it is also a day of Noahs, who are the perfection of God's image; a reflection of his will. For Noah was _"...perfect in his generations"._

Living life as ordinary beings is abusing our "goodness". Waking up, eating and drinking, partying and merrying, without taking responsibility of the vineyard that God has put us over, will make us mere men. This also opens the door of destruction, not just of ourselves, but also of our vineyard except that God would raise up His Noahs—perfect men in their generation reflecting the perfection of God.

These perfect men are the God-made men and never self-made men. They are men of the word and not of the world. Noah was perfect in his generations because _"...Noah walked with God"._ Because he walked with God, he became like God—perfect.

# Chapter 3
# Perfection

God is perfect and he made man perfect. He said, _"let us make man in our own image, after our likeness"_. When God had made the first man, he was pleased with himself and with what he had made because he was perfectly like him. So God made man to look exactly like him and that was what he did.

After he moulded man, the clay looked exactly like him but the clay could not perform like him for it was lifeless. And for the clay to perform exactly like him, it had to receive the very life flowing through him. Thus, God breathed into man the breath of life, and then he became a living soul—possessing the very life of God, and the very power and wisdom of God. This was the perfect man and his perfection was entirely through God. The man had nothing to do with his perfection. As long as the man remained what God had made him, he remained perfect. When he sought more, he destroyed himself.

When Man sought More

The man whom God had made then sought for something more than God had made him, he got it and that which he got was the corruption of his perfection. When he got this addition (or rather subtraction), he no longer looked like his maker, and could no longer perform like his maker. Because of that seed of corruption, the work of man became imperfect and corrupt.

What did man seek that brought him corruption?

"4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

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." (Gen 3: 4-5)

The extra that man sought to know was evil. The serpent said they would know good and evil. What they had known in the garden all the while was good. But they wanted to know evil (which is a very evil desire), and they got it.

"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, _it was_ very good." (Gen 1:31)

They had always known good, beauty and abundance. They had always known peace, safety and love. But they wanted to know evil. In the garden, God gave man the ability to know what to do. He gave them the ability to know good and to know how to do it. He asked Adam to name the animals. He did. He asked him to tend the garden. He did. So Adam already had wired into him, the mind of God and his ability to do good without being taught by anyone. When they ate the fruit, they got another ability—to know evil and to know how to do evil. Thus, man became a double-personality being, having ability to do both good and evil. But God does not do evil. Thus, man got what was not in the image and likeness of God, and was corrupted from perfection.

"...for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:" (Jas 1:13)

So God cannot do evil because it is not in his nature. He does not have the ability to do it.

The word perfection means completeness. The extra ability that man got which we know as _"the fall"_ , made man, from that day, incomplete. What made them to look like God was removed. Absolute power was taken away and man was driven out from the garden of possibilities into impossibilities. He was driven out from limitlessness into limitations.

The Perfection of Jesus and what it Worked

Jesus authored the redemption of man through the cross of his death. He died to restore us into the position that we lost in Adam. His death brought restoration.

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1Co 15:22)

In Adam, we lost the breath of the power and nature of God, thus, we lost the dominion promised of God and we lost the original intention of the Most High for us. It became impossible, because of what Adam did, for man to completely become what God wanted him to become. Then Jesus came on, and purchased eternal redemption for us.

Redemption is restoration in another light. It is restoration because we are brought back into the original perfection that we had in God in the beginning. It is redemption because someone paid for the restoration. All those who die in Adam can now be made alive in Jesus. As we automatically get the curse of the cross of Adam because we are his seed, we also automatically get the blessings of the cross of Jesus, not because of anything we have done, but because we are his seed. We did not have to do anything to inherit the imperfection of Adam, so we do not have to do anything to get the perfection of Jesus.

"4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, _even_ our faith.

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1Jn 5: 4-5)

It is that man who is born of God that overcomes the world. In the beginning, God said _, "Subdue it"._ This is authority to bring the world under our control. This also means to overcome, to dominate and to reign over. It is that man that is born of God that overcomes. Every man born of man is born a loser; he becomes a winner when he is born of God. Every man is born a slave; he becomes a king when he is born of God.

But who is the man that is born of God? It is the man that believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This is the man who would receive the new life force of the breath of God into him. The life of God is the Spirit of His Son and those who believe that he is the Son can share in his sonship.

"4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Gal 4: 4-7)

God released the lost life into those who have believed in his son. He breathes into them the breath of life and they begin to live the original life of God. And after the spirit comes into them, they become an heir of God's possessions through Jesus. This is the restoration. Those who have received the spirit of God become the heirs of his works. They become God's real men having right to the work from which God disqualified Adam, because they have been made perfect by Christ. And perfection is the standard of God for qualifying for his work. So that which is lacking in man, God supplies through the door that Jesus opened and man's perfection is restored. The bible says _"...ye are complete in him" (Col 2:10)_. It means we are perfect in him. Jesus, after he had completed the redemption sacrifice, gave the Spirit to the disciples and there, he commissioned them into the work of the Father.

"And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:" (Col 2:10)

"21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace _be_ unto you: as _my_ Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on _them,_ and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; _and_ whose soever _sins_ ye retain, they are retained." (Joh 20: 21-23)

Jesus died, resurrected, came to his disciples, breathed on them and released the spirit into them, commissioned them to do the work of the Father, and gave them authority to have dominion on the earth. This is the wonderful restoration that He brought humankind but which can only be accessed by those who believe in his sonship and sacrifice.

The authorship of our eternal salvation by Jesus was possible through his perfection.

"8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;" (Heb 5: 8-9)

This perfection was wrought in him through his suffering on the cross. On the cross of his suffering, he perfected us, and having finished the work of our perfection, he said IT IS FINISHED. He that is born of God is a new creation. Jesus recreates us to the original creation in the beginning. So he finished every work left in us and qualified us for the original intention of God for humankind. And because of what he has done, he has restored those who believe in his sonship to their original class in God. So he is not afraid to call them brethren for God originally made them to operate in his class—having dominion over all his works.

"10 For it became him, for whom _are_ all things, and by whom _are_ all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified _are_ all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren," (Heb 2: 10-11)

The Greek word translated perfection in this text is _"teli'oo"_ which means _"to be complete by being supplied what is lacking"_. So what Jesus did was to supply what is lacking in man for the man to fulfil his God-ordained purpose and assignment.

"Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?" (1 Th 3:10)

"Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of _this_ calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of _his_ goodness, and the work of faith with power:" (2 Th 1:11)

The perfection of Jesus brought us eternal perfection and released us into the eternal purpose of God, a purpose which God designed to be fulfilled by those in Christ alone. And through Christ we have access to the treasure of that purpose—the operation of the class of wisdom that is beyond earth and hell; the wisdom pure and fresh from God and unknown to generations past.

"10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly _places_ might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him." (Eph 3: 10-12)

Be Thou Perfect

Sin is more than an act. It is a nature. It is the element in man that makes him imperfect and unfit for the purpose of God. Anyone still ruled by the nature of sin, cannot bring out the nature of God in him. And by the nature of sin can no man have dominion or fulfil the original intention of God for humankind. He cannot possess his place in God.

God never told Adam to be perfect before the fall because he already was. Man needed the call to perfection after the fall. Adam was made perfectly in the image and in the likeness of God. He was complete in God, but then he sinned and all men sinned in him. He was corrupted and the human race was corrupted in him. It was after the fall that men began to be made in the image of man and no longer in the image of God. The bible says after the fall, _"Adam begat a son in his own image and after his own likeness"._ Men were born in imperfection and bore the image of defeat and servitude.

When God picked up Abraham for the divine purpose, he gave Abraham two vital instructions. The first was, _"Get thee out",_ and the second _"Walk before me and be thou perfect"_. God demanded perfection from Abraham if they would be able to work together. God's covenant and blessing depended on Abraham's response to perfection. God was interested in working with him and handed the mantle of Adam to him, but also gave him a condition on which the mantle would produce—on the grounds of perfection.

"1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I _am_ the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly." (Gen 17: 1-2)

The establishment of the covenant of God with Abraham was dependent on the demand God placed on his faith—perfection. Only perfection could establish the covenant. Until now, Abraham had tried to fulfil God's purpose with his own corrupt wisdom, and his error is still speaking today. But when God would establish the covenant and the purpose, he demanded nothing but perfection from him.

When God says be thou perfect, it means he wants us remolded into his image and likeness and strip the garments of imperfection so that we could be clothed with his perfection, which is his glory, nature and power.

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Mat 5:48)

Like before said, this perfection eliminates the nature of sin, and not just the act. It was the nature of sin that evicted the first man from the garden. His eviction was more than just the consequence of an act, but a consequence of what he has become. The bible says

"22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man IS BECOME as one of us, TO KNOW GOOD AND EVIL: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken." (Gen 3: 22-23)

Man was evicted because of what he had become—having ability to do both good and evil. The ability for evil was what corrupted him out of the will and the garden of God. Man could not be allowed to live forever given the evil nature he had just developed, so he was given a short time to live, lest he destroy the whole earth with his knowledge of evil. So he was sent out because of what he had become, and not just for what he had done.

The perfection that God demands is the perfection where the nature of sin is dead, where the knowledge of evil in a man is dead. It is by perfection that a man gains the rule.

"For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it." (Pro 2:21)

It is the perfect that will remain in the land. They are those that will rule. Dominion belongs to them.

Perfection is a function of followership and discipleship. The man who would be perfect must destroy every distraction and follow Jesus with a single eye like the one Elisha did. He burnt his distractions, followed after Elijah, and eventually got double of the glory of Elijah.

"Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go _and_ sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come _and_ follow me." (Mat 19:21)

The perfection belongs to the End-time man of God; the man to whom the treasure of divine wisdom has been opened or would be opened. The wisdom of the ages to come can only be understood by the perfect.

"Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:" (1Co 2:6)

This perfection is a demand of completion of man in God. As long as man is seeking his own wisdom and strength, his own power and knowledge, he is termed imperfect before God. And if the bible asks us to be perfect like our Father in heaven, then it means perfection is a sign of true sonship. Therefore, be thou perfect, for it is the key to your destiny.

# Chapter 4
# Man: An "Intelligence" Being

Man is a being of intelligence. He is not a being of irrational thoughts and actions. The power that makes man more than a mere animal is the power of reason and thought. Man, from the beginning, has been a rational being, basing his life and actions on reason and thought.

A gorilla looks like man but it does not have the instincts of man, so when a man behaves like a gorilla, then he abuses his humanity by making himself a mere animal. It is like casting a jewel of great price in the mire. A pig does not care what kind of jewel you put around its neck, it will, with the jewel, play in the mud without a glitch of feeling. Because pigs do not understand treasures of value, they behave the way they do. But man is different. Man is intelligent and God made us so.

Man is an intelligent being and not an animal. Yet, many a man lives unintelligently like mere animals. They have a daily routine; wake up, eat, go to work, eat, sleep and die. They do these daily until life wears them out or they themselves wear life out. Until they die they never draw from the well of genius in them—the genius that separates them from animals. Without this spiritual genius man is merely a higher animal—one of them and not reflecting the image of God. They pass through without leaving the mark of a man, only the acts of an animal. They go to the grave with so much intelligence, with so much unexplored possibilities. They die without realizing that the world has greater need of them than what they have given. They become mere tools like a mule that is ridden upon all its life, like a cow that is milked all its life, and like a dog that sleeps outside the house every night all through its life.

There is a power in man that makes him master of life. But many men are too busy with life that they fail to see what real life is. When a man fails to see that there lies within him divine power and ability to bring children out of stones, to open rivers in the deserts, and to move the highest mountains before him, he would live his life from the valley and perpetually look up at the tiniest flies in life as giants upon the mountains. For all that man sees, who does not see himself in the light of God, are giants in the world—giants that he feels are sent to stop no one else but him.

God said to the original man to subdue the earth. To subdue is to conquer. It means there would be mountains to move, valleys to fill up, and storms to face. But God put all these there for the intelligence of man to be unleashed. Life always threatens to tame the intelligent reasoning of man, his God-breathed thought and the creative ability in man to create his own reality when there are no external forces acting against man. It is in the midst of the challenges that divine genius in man is revealed. Songs 4:16 says _"Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden,_ _that_ _the spices thereof may flow out..."_ It is the wind and the storms that God designed to bring out the genie in man.

When an animal wakes up in the morning, it goes hunting for its food. He hunts all day until it is sleep time. It simply lives for its belly. The man who wakes up daily hunting for food is simply living for his belly. But life is more than just living for the belly. Life is more than eating and drinking. Life is more than a hunting trip to the world to find food and money. The treasures of intelligence, power, strength, and authority that man carries are beyond the ability to make money or to find food. Within man lies the potent power of God himself—an unlimited ability to be all that God breathed into man to be; a dominion on earth.

This chapter is vitally important in this book. If man would realize who he is, then he would stop abusing himself. He would stop making himself look like an animal. He would not need an instructor or guide to tell him what is right or wrong; what dishonors his humanity. Many men don't know who they are so they struggle through life trying to become who they are not. Like the great duck, that did one thing all through its life. It lived admiring the speed of the hare and decided to become like the hare. He spent the rest of its life trying to run. It worked harder than the hare. In fact the hare seldom practiced running, yet the older they both grew, the faster the hare became. The duck died frustrated.

Little did this duck think and little did he do to observe and see that the hare was made for running. Its body was designed to run; its feet and eyes were designed for that purpose. The duck failed to look at itself. It made the hare its mirror and only saw itself in the picture of the hare and not in the picture of its maker.

God made you the way you are for an intelligent purpose and that purpose can only be realised when you see yourself as your Maker sees you. Purpose can only be achieved as you apply yourself intelligently to the wisdom that God breathed into you—a wisdom unique to you alone for the fulfillment of your purpose and the creation of your work. This wisdom created the earth.

"19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.

20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew." (Pro 3: 19-20)

"O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches." (Psa 104:24)

There is something you are on earth to create. You are not an animal that comes and takes from what others have created, you are a man that creates what others have not created. God made this man you.

The Triunity of Man

Man is a triune being. He is a spirit that has a soul and lives in a body. The intangible and unseen Spirit of man is the real man. Thus, men are men by the state of their spirits. God is a Spirit and he contacts man by the spirit. So when the spirit of a man fuses with God's, there is an endless stream of possibilities that will flow through such a man.

Man has a soul. The spirit of man that is spiritually alive through Christ has infinite intelligence, unlimited power and absolute perfection. Exploits in life springs from the spirit, but the extent of manifestation depends on the soul or the mind of man. For when a revelation proceeds from God as a pure stream of life, it enters the spirit of the man connected with God as purely as it came out of the Spirit of God. This pure flow is interpreted in the realm of things where we are by the soul or the mind of the receiver. The purity, clarity, and perfection of the interpretation depend on the purity and perfection of the mind interpreting it.

The mind is the seat of the intelligence of man. The intelligence of man is a fragment of the infinite intelligence of God extended to the spirit of the man who is spiritually alive. Thus, man is limited, not by God or life, but by his own mind. For as soon as a man receives spiritual life through Jesus, he has access to the fullness of God. The manifestation of this fullness is limited to the capacity of the mind of the man. The mind thus becomes the seat of the success of man.

The body is the third part of the triune man. This is merely a conduit that connects the spiritual man to a physical world. The earth is physical, so the body is the contact between man and his world. The body is only useful for the execution of spiritual revelation as ordered by the mind. The mind is the connector between the Infinite Spirit of God and the finite world of men. The body is finite, confined and restricted, but the mind of man is only limited by the man while his spirit is totally unlimited.

The spirit is the real man. Men who live from the physical realm never become what God wants them to become. The body is merely a tool of execution of the desire of the spirit of man as understood by the mind. McClintock says the mind is not a monarch of the life and existence of the man but a marshal. It is not the force of control but a marshal that carries out the will of the monarch.

Building a Strong Spirit

The spirit of man is the link between the man and God. This link must be strengthened. For you to access the power of God and his glory, you must build up your spirit. To build a strong spirit can be summarised in one statement, praying in the Holy Ghost.

"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost," (Jud 1:20)

To build a strong spirit is to connect constantly to the Spirit of God. There is always a fountain flowing from the throne of God that makes a man bud and that refreshes his spirit. To build up your spirit is to pray continually in the Holy Ghost.

Praying in the Holy Ghost transcends the realm of earth. It speaks of mysteries hidden in God alone. As you speak of those mysteries that are hidden in God, your spirit begins to know those mysteries. They become revealed to your spirit.

"For he that speaketh in an _unknown_ tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth _him;_ howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries." (1Co 14:2)

When you pray in the Holy Ghost, no one understands you because what you are saying is beyond the realm of the understanding of man. The highest level of understanding cannot fathom what you are saying. The only intelligence that understands is the Highest intelligence himself—God. Power beyond understanding, wisdom beyond the comprehension of man is hidden in this great spiritual exercise. Tongues are given for exploits. It brings revelation of wonders. When the Holy Ghost fell upon the disciples, the bible says they spoke in tongues and then people began to hear what they had never heard before. The bible says they had them speak of the wonderful works of God.

"4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

11...we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God." (Act 2: 4, 11)

The Spirit came upon them and all he did was giving them utterance to declare the wonderful works of God. Wonder means an amazing and unexpected happening. It means a manifestation that surpasses human ability. So the Spirit gave them a revelation of the work of God which can only be accomplished with wisdom beyond human wisdom. The works of God can only be done by wisdom—that hidden wisdom of God himself. This wisdom is a mystery to any natural man; it is beyond the highest understanding of man but is revealed to men of the Spirit.

"7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, _even_ the hidden _wisdom,_ which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8 Which none of the princes of this world knew..." (1Co 2: 7-8)

This mysterious wisdom of God that births mysterious wonders is spoken forth. We speak the wisdom in a mystery. We speak in tongues the wisdom of God in a mystery. It is the kind of wisdom that the authorities of hell do not know because the Holy Ghost alone inspires it. It is wisdom unknown to the world because the Spirit that inspires it, the world cannot receive him.

"...the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him..." (Joh 14:17)

The world cannot receive or know this wisdom because those who speak in tongues alone know it. This mystery is a mystery that had been sealed up in the ages past but now revealed by the Holy Ghost.

"3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now.... by the Spirit;" (Eph 3: 3-5)

These revealed mysteries are a perfection of God's works. They reveal the perfect work of God. And the scriptures express it that speaking in tongues is the perfection of communication and access. The bible says

"...when thou shalt bless with the spirit...thou verily givest thanks well..." (1Co 14:16, 17)

It expresses the perfection of the Spirit in the execution of the works of God by man. The Holy Spirit is the breath of God that makes man a living soul, possessing the power of the Infinite God for infinite manifestations and endless possibilities. Without the Spirit, as it was in the beginning, man would just be a bunch of clay work possessing only the ability to do nothing. Without the Spirit all we can do God calls _"nothing"_ (John 15). It is when the spirit of the Highest power (God) comes upon you that you can birth the works of God. How God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost and he went about doing good (Acts 10:38). So tune in to the Spirit of God by praying in the Holy Ghost and release the mysteries of God upon your generation.

"35... The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy _(perfect)_ thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son _(the work)_ of God.

37 For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luk 1: 35, 37)

Building an Unlimited Mind

The success of any man depends largely on the size of his mind. The mind of man is the portal of knowledge that in turn is the fountain from which every ability flows. Without a great mind, man would be destroyed. The mind that preserves life and that grows humanity is the mind with the capacity of God in it. Revelation flows from the spirit but the information contained in the revelation for the realm of man always has to flow through the mind of man. Any revelation that will be relevant and useful for man will pass through the mind.

The mind operates by capacity. Whatever your mind cannot conceive, your hand cannot receive. The mind of man is the door to every achievement and invention. God said his own people filled with his Spirit are still destroyed, not because they are not children, but because they lack a mind trained with knowledge. Weak minds will not be able to access the great treasures of God's wisdom in their spirit man because they have not trained their minds to access the spirit.

The mind must be trained to access the spirit for the mind to become limitless like the spirit. Spirits cannot be caged, it cannot be restricted or confined, cannot be stopped and is practically unlimited. The goal of man is to be transformed in his mind that he operates in the class of spirits. God is a Spirit, and they that will access God must approach him in spirit and in truth. To operate in the class of God as co-workers with Him, we must develop a spiritual mind. And to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Life, therefore, is contained in the mind that is spiritual. The spiritual mind is the mind that connects with the unlimited Spirit of God through his own spirit man.

The mind is the source of the life of man in the realm of things. The bible says

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it _are_ the issues of life." (Pro 4:23)

Everything about your life has its source in your mind. What we call genius is just a mind that has been hyper-developed. And because of its development, it can achieve things beyond the present reality. Such minds are developed beyond present reality, so they can build the future in the present. For every future is built in the present. The mind that will do the work of God is the mind that receives source from Him.

The mind of man is the seat of thought and imagination of man. And as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Man is made of his thoughts. What a man will achieve or will not achieve is dependent on his thoughts, which in turn, depends on his mind.

The mind of man must be made to think like God, reason like God, talk like God and coordinate the human system as God would. This can only be achieved when man knows what God thinks, how he thinks, what are his reasons and purposes, what are his desires and goals. What does he want and how does he want it? These questions are of paramount importance if man is going to ever be able to work the works of God.

The word of God is the secret of this fusing between the mind and the Spirit. The words of God are spirit. The word of God is spiritual and when it enters your heart, your mind also steps into spirituality.

"Thy word _is_ a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psa 119:105)

The word of God is the illumination that the mind of man needs to be able to do the works of God. As said earlier, God is Spirit, and to approach him in spirit and truth will take the spirit. His words are Spirit.

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, _they_ are spirit, and _they_ are life." (Joh 6:63)

When a pure stream of wisdom is flowing from the throne of God, for the man to understand it, it has to be processed in his mind. The purity of the understanding of man is dependent on how the man has trained his mind to be receptive to God. Transformation happens through mind renewal. Transformation is always a result of revelation, but revelation is understood in the mind of man. This is why it is possible that you have a burden in your spirit, which you do not understand. But as you pray, your mind receives illumination. Your spirit man has always known it, but it is just being made bear to your mind. This is when you understand it.

The spirit of man is the receptor of divine wisdom, but it is the mind that interprets what your spirit has received. Thus, it is important to train your mind to receive from the Lord. The mind is the key that unlocks the treasures of God inside you, treasures which could not be yours without your spirit connecting with God's.

"21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart." (Job 22: 21-22)

The law of life is in him. For good to come to you and for it to come through you, you must lay up his words in your heart. To lay up his words in your heart is to saturate your mind with the word so that you can understand God when he speaks to you. The tone of the voice of God is the tone of his written word. His spoken voice is also his written voice. Some may ask how they can know the voice of God. The answer is if they know his word, they already know his voice. It is when you lay up his words in your heart that you can receive the good word when it is flowing forth into your spirit.

God gave Joshua a rather sobering secret for the majority of today's Christians who think their prosperity is in the hands of God, who think it is God who decides their success. God is unchangeable and without bias or preference. The same perfect God that made me perfectly is the same God that made you perfectly. Therefore, he sees you and me as perfect. He does not prefer one of us to another. Yet, we do not all weigh equally in the hands of God. This is simply because the way we approach God is the way we experience God. God said to Joshua that

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Jos 1:8)

God said Joshua himself would determine his own success and prosperity. God only gave him the key to them. God tied his prosperity in the work that God gave him to do to his relationship with the word. God had said to Joshua _that "every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you..." (Jos 1:3)_ Joshua knew the work of God, he knew he was born for dominion. That was a settled case in the spirit. But God had to warn Joshua to depend on the word for the exploits promised. God said to the Israelites

"6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." (Deut 6: 6-9)

The word therefore, is meant to be an inseparable companion of the man who would fulfill the works of God because the bible further says that

"For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth _cometh_ knowledge and understanding." (Pro 2:6)

It s the Lord that gives the wisdom man needs to fulfill his destiny on earth of doing the works of God. And this wisdom proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. It pours forth from his great treasure of life. And because of his wisdom, man will have the ability to detect false ways to achieve his destiny. He will also discover the right ways.

"Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way." (Psa 119:104)

When a man saturates his mind with the word of God, he has saturated his mind with God himself. For in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It was by this same word that the earth was created. So it was the word that did the works of God. The heavens and the earth were formed from the word. The word is the source and they answer to the word. Unless the word is released, the works of God cannot be accomplished.

"1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." (Joh 1: 1-3)

The word made everything without exception. And in the beginning, the Spirit of God first moved, and then God spoke the word. So the first step is a step in the Spirit, and then the next in the word.

"1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness _was_ upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." (Gen 1: 1-3)

The word is inescapable in the quest for fulfillment of destiny. So build a strong mind by loading yourself to overflowing with the word of God.

Training the Physical Body

The physical body is the link between the spirit-world of the Spirit of God and the physical-world of men. A man that would do the works of God must train his physical body to yield to the spirit. The great fault of the first man was that he did not train his physical body enough to abide in the will of the Lord. Adam and Eve were deceived on physical grounds. What their eyes saw, what their ears heard, what their belly and ego desired.

The physical body is wild and must be tamed if man is going to be perfect. Physical defilements lead to corruptions of the gifts of God in man for manifestation. As physical fault did Adam, so it does every man (even those who are God's children). A man whose physical body is not submitted to the Holy Spirit cannot fulfil God's work on the earth. It is what men do with their bodies that either drive them out of their own Eden or keep them there. The things we do with our bodies either corrupt us or purifies us. When a man gives himself to pleasures and defilements, he becomes corrupted and loses the ability to be what God wants him to become.

One very important thing every man who would be God's man must do is bring his body under subjection.

"But I keep under my body, and bring _it_ into subjection..." (1Co 9:27)

The body must be brought under subjection because the flesh has its own way; a way which is contrary to the spirit. And the body is the vehicle that the flesh uses to perpetrate its desires. So if the body is not tamed, it will naturally do the works of the flesh which are contrary to the spirit. And we know that it is the spirit that has the right answer to the question of how we ought to live to fulfil God's purposes.

"16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Gal 5: 16-18)

Thus, the body must be brought under subjection. You cannot escape the desires of your body that are contrary to your spirit's. No holy man ever did it. What they did was train their physical body to respond to the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:18 says if you are led of the spirit, you are not under the law. It means when the Spirit of God is in charge of your life, you operate in a class above natural laws. Natural laws will answer to you. Natural laws will not be a limitation. Jesus operated in the Spirit and the law of gravity gave way as he ascended up into heaven. He operated in the Spirit again and walked on water. Peter also operated in the Spirit and walked on water, but when he yielded to what his physical eyes saw (he saw the sea boisterous), he became subjected to physical laws. Jesus indeed operated in the Spirit because when the disciples saw him the bible says they thought he was a spirit. They thought so because only spirits are not bound by natural laws.

"25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear." (Mat 14: 25-26)

This is why the bible says that

"13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Rom 8: 13-14)

Only those led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God and only the sons of God have power on the earth. They are the people who would do the works of God. They are the ones that will prevent the earth from decadence. They are the ones the world is waiting for. _"For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestations of the sons of God."_ The world is waiting for men who are led by the Spirit of God because they are the sons of God. And when such men appear, the world answers to God in them.

When you allow the flesh to overcome the spirit, you are being led of your flesh and there is nothing for you in God's agenda for the preservation of humanity. Righteousness and holiness, which are vital keys in possessing your possession on the earth, are by choice. Obadiah 1: 17 says upon mount Zion there shall be deliverance and holiness and then man would be able to possess his possessions. Without holiness there is no possession for any man in God's agenda. God would never force anyone to choose to do what is right. It is man that will choose what he would do.

The power of choice has been in force since the beginning. Adam was not a dummy in the garden; he was not a robot that had no sense of its own. He was a being fully aware of himself because he was made in the image and likeness of God. And God is not a dummy, neither is he a robot. Adam had the power of choice, for God had told him that he should not eat of a tree but could freely eat of others. But he freely chose to eat of the one he was told not to eat. So choice is not a result of sin. Choice has always been in man from the beginning. Holiness and righteousness is by choice and not by force. God cannot force a man to choose good. He can help your weaknesses when you choose to do good, but he will not impose good on you.

The choices of man either corrupts him and casts him out of his inheritance or it will purify and establish his destiny. As it was in the beginning, so is it now. The devil is still using the flesh to destroy man from doing God's works. This is why the flesh must be dealt with. As they say that the body is a destructive master, but a highly profitable servant. If you dictate from the spirit, the actions your body should take, you are going to fulfill, beyond every doubt, the purpose of God for your life.

"So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." (Rom 8:8)

The flesh is only effectively subdued through fasting. When you fast, your body is weak but your spirit is alive and so it can be in charge of the affairs of your life. Paul gave the secret when he said

"...in fastings often..." (2 Cor 11:27)

The Carnal Mind

"5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded _is_ death; but to be spiritually minded _is_ life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind _is_ enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Rom 8: 5-7)

The carnal mind is the enemy of God and so is the carnal man. It is the enemy of everything that God stands for and it opposes God, even to the point of opposing the man that has it, from fulfilling God's calling. The carnal mind is the mind that approaches life from the dimension of men. It is the mind that looks for logical reasons for everything. It is a mind that is loyal to natural laws and believes nothing can change them. It is the mind that limits itself by the laws of nature. The bible says this mind is not subject to the law of God. It is not because it is already subject to the law of nature and the laws of God are superior to natural laws because God cannot be caged by nature.

The carnal mind wants to find a logical explanation for the parting of the red sea. It wants to find logical explanations for the burning bush, the felling of the walls of Jericho. It wants to find explanation for the sensibleness of the virgin birth. This is so true because it does not understand spiritual laws or at least the power that operates the laws. God does not break the law. He operates spiritual laws. So we should ask what the law of the Spirit of life contains. To know this we must look at God and see what he is permitted to do and what he is not permitted to do. Then we will discover the spiritual laws that God operates. And these are the laws of God that the carnally minded man rejects.

The carnal man receives instruction from the imperfect and decaying world and then enters into imperfection and decadence himself. The pure stream of life flowing from the throne of God is what is meant for man. Therefore, I urge you to begin to operate in the class of God. The only evidence that you will wield the power of God is if you operate the law of God.

To conclude I say

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things _are_ honest, whatsoever things _are_ just, whatsoever things _are_ pure, whatsoever things _are_ lovely, whatsoever things _are_ of good report; if _there be_ any virtue, and if _there be_ any praise, think on these things." (Ph'p 4:8)

# Chapter 5
# The Works of God and the Performance of Man

God measures the life of every man by His own standards. God himself measures the works of every man and he measures us according to his own works. Every man carried away in his own works will have lived a wasted life on earth when he dies. Every morning when we wake up and prepare ourselves for work, we should consider whose work we are preparing ourselves to do. God has worked and is working, but God's end-time man works the works of God. If we stop here alone, most men who are working have disqualified themselves from being God's end-time man, because they are not working the works of God. Jesus said in John 5:17 _,_ _"...My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."_ Any work that man does which is not the works of God is a waste of time, energy and resources.

The effect of the work of man is determined in the light of the works of God. God never stops working; and he works through man. He never stops moving; but the instruction is given to man and for man. God is not dormant; he is ever active, executing his will on the earth. However, when man acts not in accordance with the work that God is doing, he makes himself an opposer of God, but when he acts in accordance with the work of God, he becomes a co-laborer with God. At Babel, men worked a great work, which was against the works of God, and after a very long labor, their effort was thwarted because it was not the work of God. God personally frustrated them until they abandoned their quest.

When man moves opposite of God, he abuses the purpose for his humanity and is ungrateful for being looked upon by God as being able to carry on his works on the earth. This then becomes a betrayal of trust. You see, God personally created you not to live your life looking for money and worrying how to get it. He created you to be an extension of his hands for the execution of his works, an extension of his thoughts for the revelation of his genius. This is how you bring God pleasure; when he sees you being who he made you to be. But you see, God never attends to man's act of worry because worry and chasing after mammon irritates God. When a man understands like men, he seeks after riches, but when a man understands like God, he seeks after the works of God (the works of his kingdom and righteousness).

The greatest distraction of man from the works of God is the desire of man to build his own kingdom and not the kingdom of God. He wants to have his own money, have his own company and have his own estate. God calls such men fools because if they had an inkling of wisdom; if they had a glimpse of God's plans, they would instantly abandon their quests and serve God. Money, companies, estates and much more will God give you if you need to have them. Many men destined for gold have gone looking for brass. Brass may look like gold but it will never be gold.

Man attributes so much significance to work and it ought to be so for God himself does likewise. From the moment that we are born, we start going through preparations for work. We go from kindergarten up to the university so we can learn enough to be useful for work. The society hates idleness and laziness but God hates the works that oppose his works much more. The truth is any man who works for himself is trying to build his own kingdom and I'm afraid is the brother of satan who sought the sacred heights of God. Satan worked the works of God once. He was the choirmaster of heaven. He lived daily for serving God in music, but then he sought to build his own kingdom. From then on, all he does are for himself and himself alone. So whatever God does, satan does contrariwise in order to build his own kingdom. And every one who works to build his own kingdom, by working for himself, will be accounted as Satan's brother in heaven because when a man builds his own kingdom, he opposes God's.

The Greatness of the Works of God

To understand the great honor that God has bestowed upon man, we must first realize the greatness of the works of God. Knowing how great His works are will make us realize that to be called of God into his work is a great privilege. We are so privileged that the bible says that some of the things we are given to know, the angels desire to look into.

"Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." (1Pe 1:12)

When a man is freely given that thing that even celestial beings have a desire to look into, then the man should know he is really privileged. Angels in heaven have seen God, they live with him, and they have known him for countless years, yet they have not seen the greatest part of God. The greatest part of God is that thing in God, which even the angels desire to look into, but which is despised by most men because of ignorance on what God is offering them.

What the angels desire to look into is the mystery of the gospel, a mystery that was hidden in God but revealed in these last days unto us. This mystery, God ordained it to our glory—a wisdom that no one but God knows except the man to whom he reveals it.

"7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, _even_ the hidden _wisdom,_ which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8 Which none of the princes of this world knew:" (1Co 2:7-8)

This gospel is a herald of good news and of good things. The good news offered by the gospel is the restoration of the goodness of Eden, the removal of the curse and its consequence. In the beginning, everything God created was good. The earth was good until the poison of sin came in and infected the goodness, turning it into sourness. But the gospel is the good news bringing the good back. The gospel is more than words; it is power. The bible says it is the power of God. It is the revealer of the righteousness of God. And righteousness is every right thing. The gospel is the key to the restoration of humanity from decadence into goodness. Everywhere the gospel flows, there is life, peace and restoration of all that was destroyed in the beginning through sin.

Angels are ministering spirits sent to minister to the heirs of salvation. We are the ones who are made to oversee the works of God. Adam was made to till the ground. God put the man in the garden to tend it and to protect it. He was made to preserve the earth by working the earth, by tapping into the treasure of wisdom that God had given him to multiply the earth.

"And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." (Gen 2:15)

The word dress is the Hebrew _"aw-bad"_ which means to work with the aim of enslaving what is worked. This is in accordance with the blessing of God upon man when he said, _"...subdue it"._ God was saying there, take charge and tame the earth. The word keep is the Hebrew _"Shaw-mar"_ which means to hedge about or to guard and protect, keep from danger and exhume potential harm to the garden. Man was given the responsibility of working his own garden where God puts him and watching over his garden against corruption and decadence. This is the great and solemn work to which the Lord has called us.

To consider the greatness of the works of God is to consider its vastness. The works of God is ageless, vast, great and unsearchable. David said

"The works of the LORD _are_ great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." (Psa 111:2)

The works of God are marvelous. They are works that make men marvel; works that amaze men, because they are done with great wisdom, power, accuracy, and precision; and are great in size.

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully _and_ wonderfully made: marvellous _are_ thy works; and _that_ my soul knoweth right well." (Psa 139:14)

The works of God are unsearchable. No man can understand it and no one can find it out

"Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:" (Job 5:9)

"Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number" (Job 9:10)

"12 He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.

13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

14 Lo, these _are_ parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?" (Job 26:12-14)

The works of God are great and the man that does them becomes great.

Co-laborers with God

God created the heavens and the earth and made man to carry on his works upon the earth. God himself has not stopped working, so the working person is a co-worker with God. Every man that works in harmony with God becomes a partner with God in carrying out his agenda for humanity and the earth. God resides in heaven, and has given man the place of laboring on earth. He instructed Adam to work the ground—his garden. In the same way, he instructs every man to tend his own garden.

The garden of man is the place where God puts man. The area where God programmed each man to serve is his own garden. The bible says that God put the man whom he had formed in the garden that he had made for that man. And in the garden, he commanded the man to be fruitful and multiply, to subdue it and to have dominion over it. This shows that God has an agenda for the earth, which is his own garden, and he has an agenda for every man who comes into the world. His agenda for the earth and for the wellbeing of humanity is for the man to work the works of God. God puts every man whom he has formed in his own garden, for the man to work the works of God, and there, experience all the promises of God to man.

We have established that God works and the expectation for the optimal use of the potential of man is for man to discover and work the works of God. The Jews asked Jesus,

"...What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" (Joh 6:28)

There are works that are of God, and there are works that are of men, while there are others which are of the devil. But to work the works of God is to align ourselves with God. The reply of Jesus was

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent" (Joh 6:29)

To believe is to have faith. Faith is an agreement with the object of the faith. So to work the works of God, we must be in agreement with the work that God is doing at that point in time. At that time, all that God was doing was what Jesus was doing, yet the Jews failed to believe. Thus, they were setting themselves against the work that God was doing at that time. No man serves himself that serves God. No man builds his kingdom that builds God's. No man can serve God and oppose him. The work of God is the work of faith.

Being a co-laborer with God is being a co-creator with him. Because God is a creator, therefore all that work with him are only viable workers when they create something too. God is an eternal creator; therefore, whoever claims to be working for God, whose works die with time, is not a co-worker with God. This means God will not ask a man to do a work that has no eternal value. The works that God makes are forever. The scripture says that whatever God does shall be forever. This is the standard for the co-laborer of God; you can test your works whether they have anything of eternal value, whether your works can survive eternity.

"For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, _ye are_ God's building." (1Co 3:9)

God has a building he is raising, he has a vineyard he is tending and every man that works the works of God is equally building what God is building and is tending what God is tending. These are the men who are God's co-workers—men who build with God, men who plant with God, men who sow with God, men who water with God. They are the men that God recognizes as his co-workers.

The sad thing is that, there are many men, who are busy with many things in which God has no interest. There are many visions and missions that God is not the source. And many people are tirelessly laboring and even praying and fasting, doing a work that God did not send them, and yet asking God to bless it. This is a great deception and illusion. Such men think because they are busy, they are accepted of God. No man becomes a co-worker of God just because he is busy or even praying and fasting. We are only accepted as his co-workers when we work the works that he has called us to work.

Therefore, we can boldly say that no man can work for God; we can only work with him. If you have been trying to help God by working for him, it is time to stop and help yourself by working with him.

The Hidden Works and the Searching Workers

"The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." (Psa 111:2)

We have established the greatness of the works of God. But here, we want to look at God's end-time man and his approach to the work. What makes a thing great or precious is how rare it is. Gold is precious not just because of its beauty, but also because of the difficulty associated with getting it. A lot of digging has to be done to find it. And those who dig for gold do it for different reasons, but primarily to create wealth. They take pleasure in it because of what they can create through it. So it is with the works of God; it creates greatness for humanity and for the worker.

The works of God are hidden and only the searching worker can access them. The bible says;

" _It is_ the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings _is_ to search out a matter." (Pro 25:2)

God's glory is contained inside the things that he hides. The glory of God is inside those uncommon and rare things. But those who search them out are regarded as kings. Kings are temperate. They are men who are strong and who do not give their strength to the things that destroy kings. They are men who eat for strength and not for pleasure.

"Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings." (Pro 31:3)

"16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king _is_ a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

17 Blessed _art_ thou, O land, when thy king _is_ the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!" (Ecc 10: 16-17)

The kings are the men who search, who are disciplined and who take pleasure in conquest. The reason why some people will not fulfill their destinies is that they do not even desire what the kings desire. Kings desire dominion, they desire the conquest of other kingdoms. Though the children of God have the promise of kingship on earth, yet many will not manifest this kingship when they do not live the life of kings. They don't have the desire of kings; the discipline of kings; and don't know the way of kings.

The kingship of every man is tied to himself. How much we reign in life is not dependent on God, but is dependent on each person's depth of desire, discipline and obedience to God.

The works of God can only be known and done by men who take pleasure in serving his purpose for their lives. These are the kings who will reign on the earth. Because the works of God are precious and hidden, only the man who will do it for pleasure will be able to give what it takes to dig it out. The bible says those that have pleasure in it alone search out the great works of God. Doing God's work is impossible for the man who has no pleasure in God and his work. God does not work with forced laborers. The man, in the parable of the two sons, simply asked the sons to go and work in his vineyard; he never forced them. They freely chose to either obey or disobey him.

A king is adjudged wicked or righteous by how much he upholds the constitution of the land. Kings who reign have a code of conduct and a code of living. They honor the constitution of their land. The constitution of the kingdom of God is the bible. So, those who will search out the great works of God are those who search the word. Everything that God did in the beginning, he did with his word, and everything he is doing right now is by his word. To work the works of God, we have to know the word of God. For the work of God is the word of God. All that God has done, all that he is doing and all that he will still do, have been written in the word. The first hunger of the end-time man of God is for the word, because the word is the key to the works of God.

Until you understand the word of God, you cannot understand the works of God. And until you take pleasure in his word, you cannot understand the word because the honey of the word is for those who are desperately hungry for the word. The hidden work is for the searching workers. The gold and the precious things that God is building this end-time is for those men who would set themselves to search out the things that God has hidden—the only precious things. For every one that searcheth findeth.

# Chapter 6
# Faith—A Requisite of Results

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb 11:1)

In other words, we can define faith to be the assurance that what we expect will happen because we have evidence that it must happen. Faith is requisite to getting results in our work and walk of faith. Without faith, nothing gets created because it is faith that translates the thing desired from the realm of the invisible to the visible, from the realm of hope to the realm of manifestation.

By faith God created the heavens and the earth. God did not create the earth by "power" but by faith. The power of God was his faith in action—a faith that sees the desired thing as done. It does not see otherwise. Such faith cannot imagine otherwise. Not done is simply not in the dictionary of this kind of faith.

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." (Heb 11:3)

God created his work by faith. We cannot do otherwise. The works of God in our hands will not be created by "power" but by faith because full power is available to the man who believes. But the man who does not believe, though he has all power, will still not be able to create anything, because he has no faith.

On one of those days when Jesus was on earth, his disciples tried to cast out a devil but could not. When Jesus came, the first thing he questioned was their faith and then went to tell them the secret of obtaining such faith—by prayer and fasting.

"14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a _certain_ man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (Mat 17: 14-21)

In this scripture you will see that Jesus indirectly stated when he said; how long shall be with you, that he wanted people to do the works that he was doing. He wanted men who would work the works of God as he did and he did not have to be with us forever for humanity to experience the works of God. He also stated what hindered them from doing the works of God as seen in this scripture. And the reason was their faithlessness. And Jesus associated faithlessness with perversion. He said, _"...O faithless and perverse generation"._ This is because faithlessness is a perversion of the purpose of man. Man was made to be a co-creator with God, but he cannot create unless he has faith. So when he does not operate by the required faith, it means he has perverted his purpose.

Then the disciples took him aside to ask why they could not cast the demon out of the child and he told them the same thing he had told the crowd—faithlessness. He then gave them an addition which was the reason why they could not operate that kind of faith because that kind of faith comes by great self denial where man consciously makes effort to become like God. So he told them that prayer and fasting was key to that kind of faith.

It would be surprising that the disciples were doing a work they did not have faith to do. They tried to cast out the devil even though they did not believe that they could. It is amazing how many people fall into this category of disciples. They know the work that God is calling them to do, and they are doing it but they cannot produce results because they do not have faith. Working alone would not produce when we work the works of God. The simple mustard-seed mountain-moving faith is required to create the desired result in the works of God.

Probably the disciples thought Jesus was going to give them one mysterious reason for their not being able to cast the demon out, but he gave them that simple reason. Many people who are working the works of God always do not consider this basic truth when they encounter failure in the work that God has given them to do. They begin to cast and bind and loose when all they needed was to engage the seed of faith.

The moment God gives you a work, failure is no longer an option. God will not send you to do a work he has not equipped you for success and exploits and he will not send you to do a work for the purpose of failing. So you must know it that when God sends you, he plans for you to succeed. When he sent the disciples out two by two he gave them power to succeed and they came back with success.

"1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way." (Luk 10: 1, 3-4)

Then later he asked them this question:

"And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing." (Luk 22:35)

In chapter 10, he told them:

"8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:

9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." (Luk 10: 8-9)

And all of them without exception came back with this report:

"And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name." (Luk 10:17)

So you see, God equips every man he sends to do his works. Therefore, it is no longer a question of power but of the activator of power—faith.

When Jesus was about to go, he told his disciples to wait before they went. He wanted them to be equipped before they would go into all the earth to fulfill the great commission, so he told them to wait for the sign of the Holy Spirit. God would never pressurize the man he has not adequately equipped into his work. Si if God asks you to go, you should know that he has already equipped you to succeed in the work to which he is sending you. After Paul and Barnabas had been adequately equipped for the work, then the Holy Ghost spoke to them to go out and as they went, success rapidly followed their work. Peter was shaky before he was equipped, but after he was equipped, quick success followed him that in one day the church grew from 120 to 3120 just after a fifteen-minute sermon. So never question whether God has equipped you or not, once he asks you to go, then you are equipped. All you need to do is to activate the power that God has filled you with by the key of faith.

Have the Faith of God

The faith of God is the faith that creates something out of nothing. The faith of God is a paradigm that cannot see impossibility. That is what makes God powerful. God cannot see "it cannot be done". It is impossible for God to see impossibility. Thus, he can speak and see it as good as done. It is not just because of his power but because of his faith. God's confidence is not based on his power but on himself and that means whatever he believes, he receives. So when it seems to you like you do not have the power to create a thing, if you have faith, you will get it done. Your confidence should not rest in the power you think you have, but in the faith you have. When you have the faith of God, then you begin to operate in the class of God.

"22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

Mar 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (Mar 11:22-24)

This is how the faith of God operates. Mark 11:22 originally means to have the faith of God. Jesus was giving his disciples a secret that God wanted them to operate in his class. If they did not grasp that, they would not have been able to be co-labourers with God. God wants the worker to operate the same kind of faith that said let there be light and there was light—not a begging faith, but a commanding faith.

Look at the scripture above, Jesus did not say they should plead with the mountain to go, he did not say they should scare the mountain to go, but to speak to the mountain to go. The condition was that they must have seen the mountain gone in their minds because Jesus said _, "...and shall not doubt in his heart"_ because _"...he that doubteth is danmned" (Rom 14:23)_ and cannot _"...receive anything from the Lord" (Jam 1:7)._

God saw the light before he called for the light and he did not waiver in his mind concerning what he saw. You must have the faith inside you first. Let the thing desired be created in you first. God knew exactly what he wanted when he said let there be light. It was formed within his belly and was formed in the physical the moment he spoke forth. The result you expect must equally be formed in your belly before it can be formed in the physical.

The power of creation is the power of faith. The bible says by faith God created the earth, not by power or by strength but by faith. Faith answers to the man that believes. The bible says _"...whosoever shall say"_ and not just a set of people but whosoever, anyone and everyone, not the powerful or the strong but also anyone and everyone; who would not doubt in his heart like God would not doubt in his heart; and those who would believe that the things which they desire would come to pass just like God would. Therefore, _"whosoever"_ is capable of having _"whatsoever",_ no categories of persons and no categories of benefits. Whosoever can obtain whatsoever. This is the faith of God—a faith that obtains whatsoever he desires.

The bible says in God, there is no shadow or variableness. I like to put it thus, that in God, there are no variables. He is a go-getter. If he wants it, then he has it. You cannot create the works of God without this class of faith—a faith that gets whatsoever it wants.

The great men of old who did great exploits did by faith. Kingdoms were subdued by faith and not by power. Lions were silenced by faith and not by strength. The violence of fire was quenched by faith and not by power. Go through Hebrews 11 and you would see that all the exploits that they did were by faith and not by power. The power was always there, but faith is the activator of the power and the word of God is the catalyst of that power.

Calling those things which be not as though they were

The God-kind of faith we are talking about is a speaking faith. The bible says

"We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;" (2Co 4:13)

This faith is a speaking faith. God believed in the beginning and he spoke the earth into existence. We also must believe that the work we are called to create will be created and then we must speak it. God would not create a thing without speaking it forth. The bible confirms it when it said

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)

So we see, whatever God would do, he will speak it forth. In fact, in a place, God said

"Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them." (Isa 42:9)

Before they spring forth, he speaks forth. And once he speaks forth, then they spring forth. In the same way, we must have confidence in our calling and in the God that called us that we are bold enough to declare what we will create before they get created. Without this kind of faith, we stand no chance of success.

" (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, _even_ God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were." (Rom 4:17)

God is a God that calls things that are non-existent into existence. He calls things into creation. Let there be and there was. If he says let there be, then there will be. This is the kind of faith the worker that will work the works of God must possess.

# Chapter 7
# The Word of God— The Force of Faith

Faith answers to whosoever has it, but the word of God is the force of faith. Faith is established upon truth and the truth is the word of God. Every other word other than the word of God is a lie. It may be a fact, but it is still a lie if it is not of God. Every fact outside the word of God is sin because the bible says that _"...whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom 14:23)._ Therefore, faith answers to truth and truth is a person. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life". Truth has personality in Jesus and the word of God is truth.

Jesus said

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (Joh 17:17)

This proves that the word of God alone is the truth.

Truth is a force of manifestations. Whatever work will manifest by faith must be by truth because only the truth manifests in the atmosphere of faith. Faith kills lies and facts but it exalts and manifests the truth. The bible says

"But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." (Joh 3:21)

The works of truth are wrought in God, thus the force of faith can bring them into manifestation. And God reigns and rules by his word. Faith operates by the word of God.

"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, _even_ in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;" (Rom 10:8)

The word is in your heart _—"...and shall not doubt in his heart"_ and in your mouth _—"whosoever shall SAY unto..."_ The word of faith is not just in the mouth, it is also in the heart. It is the basis of faith in the heart. And a man has doubted when he waivers from the truth of the word to believing the facts and the lies.

Faith is the evidence of things not seen. The evidence of faith is the word. Without the word, faith is dead. Faith takes flight when the word of God is released. The word is the force that empowers faith. Because faith is the evidence of things not seen, faith being evidence, therefore, means it is tangible and the word of God is that evidence.

"1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (Joh 1:1-5)

The word forms the beginning or the foundation of anything that will be created. Any vision that will be created will come out of the word. For you to be able to create what you are put on earth to create, the word must be the foundation. Real word has its source in God and God himself is the word.

The word has creative power because it made all things and nothing can be made without it.

In the word was life. The bible also says the word of God is spirit and life. In the beginning, the Spirit moved before the earth was created and when man was created, God breathed into him the breath of life. The breath of life is the word. In the same way, your work will need the breath of life to be able to create the work you are put on earth to create. The life in the word is the life that must flow into your work. The spirit manifestation of the word creates things— babies, healings, and visions.

The life part of the word gives man spiritual existence and imparts the understanding of God into man. Adam did not need any lecture to know his purpose; he did not need any lecture to discover how to go about his purpose. He did not need any schooling to name all the animals. This was because the word or breath of life that entered him was God and that word gave him the understanding of God, the ability, dominion, wisdom and the power of God. In the word is life and this life is light for men— revelation, understanding, vision, deliverance, knowledge and wisdom.

The word reigns in the midst of darkness— impossibilities, sin, sickness and the darkness cannot overcome it. The only force that darkness cannot understand and overcome is the force of the word. The faith of the worker operates by the word.

# PART 2
# THE ORIGINAL MAN

# Chapter 8
# God's Preparation and Provision for the Man

Everything that God made was in preparation for His ultimate creation—man. And the things, which he has prepared, are his provisions for man to succeed in the assignment he has been given. Everything God made—the light, the fish, the birds, trees and all things were made for man and are the instruments for the success of man. He made the earth for man to explore and exploit for his divine assignment.

Before God created man, he had created everything that man needed for living and for the fulfillment of his assignment and for the accomplishment of his purpose. After he made man, he never made anything again, because man was the peak of his creation; the completion of all his works. So man has not been created to come to the earth to be stranded and grounded. There is provision available for all you need, the first man knew it and you must equally know it to fulfill your assignment. The original man was born into abundance. It may seem like there is dryness around you, you may think of yourself as limited because of your poverty, but you must know that none of your limitations is God's fault. The problem is with the way you see. If you would see like the man that God created in the beginning, you would see God's provision for your destiny.

Adam had full provision for his assignment, but that did not mean that he had everything ready on a platter of gold. God told him to tend and take care of the garden, but God did not give him hoes and spades to do it. He gave him an assignment. Though Adam would need hoes and cutlasses to tend the garden, but God did not give him those. All that God gave him was an instruction as to what assignment he was to do and God appropriately located him where he would do the work.

God, by every standard, had given Adam all he needed for his assignment. No man can be stranded who does the works of God. They cannot because God has provided everything they need. You cannot be sent by God and be begging men for help. God's assignments do not require the help of men to survive. The destiny of God's work does not rest on the decision of men to help or not to help the work. Any work that depends on the choice of men before it can survive is inspired by the will of man; therefore, it will be subject to the will of men.

All that God gave to Adam was sufficient for him. God gave Adam the genius to create the hoes and the cutlasses that he needed for the work. And everything that Adam needed to make the instruments were already available. If Adam would not see as God was seeing, he would not see the provision of God for his needs. God provides for man everything he needs for the accomplishment of his purpose. God's provision for man is absolute and we will examine some of these provisions which the ideal man must enjoy and from which the original man, Adam enjoyed.

God's Provision for Life and Godliness

"3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that _pertain_ unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2Pe 1: 3-4)

God's provisions for life and godliness are meant for man to partake in the divine nature. This was the nature that Adam had—the divine nature of God. We can partake of that divine nature because we have escaped the corruption in the world. The corruption that came to man in Adam caused man to lose that divine nature element of God in man. But through the calling that we have in Jesus—a calling which is to glory and virtue, that nature is restored to us.

The provision of God for life and godliness is for the purpose of glory and virtue. God's provision for life brings glory to man and his provision for godliness brings virtue in man. In life, man is meant to be glorified and in his journey for godliness, he is supposed to become virtuous. These are natures of God. He is a God of glory, He is holy, and he wants to share that nature with man.

God's divine nature that gives man all things that pertains to life and godliness is accessed by the knowledge of God. Knowledge releases power and that power releases all things that pertain to life and godliness. Life sustains your living and godliness sustains your faith. God has provided a portion of his divine nature for that purpose; therefore, it is left to us to tap into it through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue.

Provision for Feeding

One of the most basic needs of man is the need to feed, to be clothed and to have shelter. These basic needs have driven many from pursuing their God-given assignment. And as long as any man chases after these things, he cannot fulfil the assignment God has for him. Jesus made this very clear to the disciples whom he had called for the work of the ministry. He made them know that it was impossible to try to serve God while also seeking money. But he did not just tell them not to serve money, he told them that God had provided and would provide all they needed for their own comfort and living.

For food, he told them they would be filled. He assured them with how God feeds the birds of the air who were not as important to God as they were. For clothing, he told them God would clothe them as the lilies of the field that do not work, yet wear more beautiful clothes than the expensive clothes of rich Solomon. Jesus assured them that God had proactively anticipated all their needs and had made provision for meeting them.

One of the most important reasons why he told his disciples this was because they were different from the world, they were God's end-time men, and what qualified them was the life they had chosen to live—the God-kind of life. Jesus said

"31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." (Mat 6: 31-32)

The gentiles are seeking those things! What makes a man a gentile is his choice of life and that choice is largely the choice of what to seek. The gentiles seek more clothes, bigger houses, more food; that is what they are living for. To be different from the gentiles, you must seek something different. If you seek what the gentiles are seeking, then you are a gentile. Jesus told them what to seek—the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is in the work the Lord has given you. That is what you should seek and in the place of your assignment, God will give you abundance.

It is in your assigned work that you find your assigned provision. It is in the place of your assigned work that your assigned worth will manifest. Jesus said to them

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Mat 6:33)

All the things that the gentiles are looking for will be added to you if you do your assignment. Adam had abundant provisions. He had everything he needed, because he was where his work was. When you are where your work is, you will have abundance. The bible says

"8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden," (Gen 2: 8-9)

I want to paraphrase that scripture as God put the man whom he had formed in the garden, which he has planted, for the man to work his abundance in the garden while also serving the purpose of God. Thus, man serves himself while he is serving God. God gives the seed to be sown. He uses that same seed to give bread to the eater and seed to the sower. In other words, he gives the man a work to do, which will serve God's purpose for humanity, and equally give bread to the man from the work to serve his own destiny.

God did not put the man's food outside his work. He made food to grow for the man in the place where he had planted the man. We will not see the provisions until we work the works of God, because the provision is in the work. Adam never saw his food until he went where it was—in the garden of his work. God has prepared all you need but you cannot see them let alone have them until you go where he has put them.

Those who are located in their own work (garden) will always not have any cause to lack. Anywhere God puts you has capacity for abundance. David was planted where God put him and he has this to say

"1 The LORD _is_ my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psa 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." (Psa 23: 1-2)

He was where God put him; in his garden and in his work and had all he needed. He was in the midst of green pastures; a pasture beside still waters. When others were experiencing drought, he stayed fresh and green. He served God's purpose and his needs were served on golden tables. Later in his life, David said

"The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good _thing"_ (Psa 34:10)

They cannot lack good things because they are planted in a good land and because they sow upon their land, therefore, they always and perpetually have good. This is how God has planned to provide and to supply all your needs.

Elijah was planted where God wanted him to be and he never lacked food. At a time, a raven brought him food. Ravens are very stingy birds, so stingy that they do not feed their young; yet, God used them to feed his servant. At another time, an angel brought him food. At another time, a widow sustained him. So God always has a ready provision for the sustenance of his servants who are positioned where God wants them to be.

Provision for Wealth

God never made any man to come to the world and be a beggar. He did not create anyone for poverty. He made man for pleasures and for prosperity. God put Adam in the midst of great wealth. He put him in abundance: in the midst of a garden whose river flowed with gold. His gold was like a river flowing, constantly and abundantly.

"10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

11 The name of the first _is_ Pison: that _is_ it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where _there is_ gold;

12 And the gold of that land _is_ good: there _is_ bdellium and the onyx stone." (Gen 2: 10-12)

The river of gold watered the garden. It means the land was flowing with gold. Solomon asked God for wisdom, and because he asked what God desired to put in kings, gold and silver flowed in the kingdom of Solomon like dust. The bible says

"And the king made silver _to be_ in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he _to be_ as the sycomore trees that _are_ in the vale, for abundance." (1Ki 10:27)

Things that were uncommon with others became common with Solomon because he found himself in the centre of God's purpose. For Adam in the garden, he did not just have gold, but he had good gold. He had the best quality gold. His gold was best!

Wealth, which God provides for man, is only accessible to those who serve God's purpose for their lives, because, like the original man, they are God's men, made in his image and likeness, and serving his purpose for their lives. The bible says

"21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.

23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the _gold_ of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver." (Job 22: 21-25)

The journey to this kind of wealth begins with a relationship with God that cannot be broken and between which no other desire comes. You must be acquainted with God through his will. You must be in total agreement with God. It says to receive the law from the mouth of God. This is to listen to instructions from him, to enter his service and to stay where he plants us. Then, it says, shall you lay up gold as dust and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. This is also to say that there shall you lay up gold as dust. This is because it is until you obey him that you are blessed, and that means it is where you obey him, where his instructions carry you that you will find your wealth. It is there and then that you will access the wealth that God has for you.

A scripture that amazes me is Proverbs 23:4 which says

"Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom."

It is human wisdom to be working to make money. It is human wisdom to decide what work to do based on the perceived financial rewards. And we have settled it that the wisdom of man cannot build the kingdom of God. The man that works for money is operating in human wisdom and such cannot be the end-time man of God because God's man is God's man because of the wisdom of God at work in him. So you see; human mind seeks money because of human wisdom. But divine mind seeks to work the works of God because of divine wisdom and such divine wisdom leads to abundance without struggles and without stained hands. It is the blessing of the Lord that makes a man rich without adding sorrow.

Provision of Companionship and Relationships

Every purpose is accomplished by people. Jesus had twelve disciples. Moses chose seventy elders. Aaron and Hur helped lift his hands when he was getting tired, and because of their help, Israel won the battle that day. Relationships establish purpose. It fulfils prophesy. It had been prophesied about Jesus that he would be like the rich in his death. Jesus, after his death, was buried in the tomb of a rich man called Joseph of Arimathea. This same man was the one who went to request for the body of Jesus and through his influence, obtained permission to remove him from the cross. In those days, criminals were left on the cross to make an example to people, but because of Joseph, Jesus was not treated like that. But for that relationship, the prophecy (God's plan) might not have been fulfilled.

God provides the relationships that every destiny needs to be fulfilled. He does not raise men you need to beg or please. He raises men for you whom, as they are helping you, are also fulfilling their God-given assignment. Peter was created to head the church, and he helped Jesus fulfill his ministry. Elisha was chosen to be prophet in the place of Elijah, but he poured water on the hands of Elijah. Joshua was created to take the children of Israel to the Promised Land, but he was the steward or personal servant of Moses. There are relationships that have been established by God to take you to your promised land, that without them, no matter how great the prophecy of your work is, the work will not be fulfilled.

God provides helpers for the work just as he raised Eve to help Adam. The bible says

"And the LORD God said, _It is_ not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Gen 2:18)

God himself decided to raise a helper for Adam. And God raised for him a helper that was fitting for him. Eve was not a misfit; she perfectly fit in as the solution to the problem of Adam. But the helper was raised out of Adam himself. You cannot expect the world to serve you when you do not serve anyone. If you are self seeking, no helper will be raised for you. This is why it is only as you serve God's purpose for your life that the helpers will be raised. The original man was busy serving the purpose of God when God himself raised help for him. Out of the seed of selflessness came help for Eve came out of Adam. You must be ready to serve to access the help the original man accessed. Adam was busy serving; he had just named all the animals when God decided he himself should not be alone.

"20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man." (Gen 2: 20-22)

It was after Adam had helped chart a course of destiny for some people (the animals) that himself got help in ordering his own life. He had made life easy for the animals and because of that, God made his own life easy also.

Relationships are vital and the seed of service releases them. David would never have gotten the relationship he had with Jonathan if he had not stepped into his journey of destiny by killing Goliath. His service for Israel, which was also his destiny journey, made him meet Jonathan, who was his lifesaver.

It was the relationship that Joseph had with the chief butler that got him to the throne. But that relationship was birthed when he interpreted the dream of the chief butler. He had helped the destiny of the chief butler. Having sown this seed of help, in time, he also reaped help. Ruth had the relationship with Naomi that released her own destiny. It was the relationship that Rahab had with the spies that secured her own destiny. She helped hide the spies and her destiny was preserved from destruction. She was helping Israel fulfill their purpose and help was raised for her own. In all of Jericho, only this prostitute was saved all because she helped someone achieve their purpose.

You qualify for help only when you help others. And God has made that provision for help to be raised for you at every point of need in your destiny-journey. The original man had it and you can have it too. Without it you cannot fulfil your original purpose.

Elijah was referred to as the solo prophet who did it all alone. That is inaccurate. At a time, God raised three helpers for him to accomplish his purpose. God told him to anoint Jehu, Hazael and Elisha. These men had their destinies unlocked when they were anointed by Elijah, and that destiny was to accomplish the purpose of Elijah. The bible even says that Elisha poured water on the hands of Elijah. Thus, we see, that Elijah's destiny received help by helping others become what God created them to be. This is how it works. You must help others to receive help.

Provision for Health

No man is useful to God in sickness. Sickness knocks down, it ties down and it slows down the progress of a man. Sickness does not exist in the original plan of God for man to fulfil his purpose. God does not teach a lesson with sickness. He does not plan to include sickness in your life's journey. Every sickness you go through is designed by the devil to slow you down in the journey of destiny. Nevertheless, God has made a provision to give you a clean bill of health. God does not punish with sickness unless you are stiff-necked.

Adam never had any medicine in the garden because he did not need to. He had a perfectly clean bill of health. And like the original man, God has made a provision for you also to have a perfectly clean bill of health. First you must know it that sickness was not designed to punish you, or to teach you a lesson but rather to slow you down or to even stop you completely. The doctors will tell some people that they should not try to do some things because if they did, they could die. Such a sickness has come to stop you completely. Some people would be told to reduce certain profitable activities because their body could not bear it.

Aging is a form of sickness. Some people because of age would not be able to do the things they would have wished to do. The original man never grew old. Moses was old, yet his eyes were not dim. He did not need glasses. Caleb was, at eighty, how he was at forty. In the quest to fulfilling his purpose, his strength played a key role. He said

"10 And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while _the children of_ Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I _am_ this day fourscore and five years old.

11 As yet I _am as_ strong this day as _I was_ in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength _was_ then, even so _is_ my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.

12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims _were_ there, and _that_ the cities _were_ great _and_ fenced: if so be the LORD _will be_ with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said." (Jos 14: 10-12)

So we see here that Caleb's strength was important for his assignment. And because of that strength, he fulfilled his purpose. Nothing physical that limits your functionality is in God's plan for you. The original man had his physical body in perfect shape; you too must to fulfil your purpose.

God has planned for your old age. He did when he said

"Who satisfieth thy mouth with good _things; so that_ thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." (Psa 103:5)

"Thy shoes _shall be_ iron and brass; and as thy days, _so shall_ thy strength _be"_ (Deut 33:25)

When Israel came out of Egypt to enter the promise land, the bible says they all had a clean bill of health.

"He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and _there was_ not one feeble _person_ among their tribes." (Psa 105:37)

When one of them got sick, she stopped their journey for seven days. The sickness slowed them down.

"10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam _became_ leprous, _white_ as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, _she was_ leprous.

15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in _again"_ (Num 12: 10, 15)

But God has made adequate provision for your health

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." (1Pe 2:24)

"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall." (Mal 4:2)

The healing that is available can only be accessed by the fear of the Lord. And if you are in the centre of God's will and assignment for your life, then it must mean that you fear God. The fear of God leads to obedience to him. And because you fear him, you have access to this healing and through this healing; you receive strength to fulfill your destiny. The bible says that then you will go forth and grow up, strong as calves of the stall.

God even ensured that the sicknesses that are common to all men would not come near you. The fact that the average person gets a particular sickness does not mean you should have it too. God said

"And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I _am_ the LORD that healeth thee." (Exo 15:26)

"And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee." (Exo 23:25)

Demand It

Are you poor? Are you hungry and naked? Are you alone and helpless? Are you sick? But are you in your divine assignment? If you are, you have a "right" to demand your wealth, your food, your helpers and your health. All you need do is ask and it shall be given you. God has made the provision, and if you do not see them in your life while you are faithfully working the works that God gave you to work in the way he told you to work it and if you are where He put you to work it, then you can cry to the Lord to give you your own portion of meat, wealth, help and health.

It is not the season of rain that guarantees the presence of rain in your life. It is asking for rain in the season of rain. It is asking for what you need when you are already where God wants you to be. The bible says

"Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; _so_ the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field." (Zec 10:1)

It is when the time comes that you qualify to receive and your qualifying does not imply automatic receiving. You must ask. However, God who weighs every man and who knows the thoughts and the intents of the hearts of every man determines the time. He will determine whether your time has come and you must weigh yourself by asking yourself one big question: _"Am I in the centre of God's plan for my life?"_

# Chapter 9
# Man and God's Authority

Authority is the power that the author of a thing has over that thing. By virtue of design and ownership, the author has power over his creation. This authority, if the author so chooses could be designated to others, but that would be only as the author chooses. The authority of God with man is the key to becoming what man was created to become.

God said let them have dominion over all the earth. The authority of God with man is over all the earth because man needs the whole earth to accomplish his divine purpose. The authority is there but it belongs to those who belong to God. It belongs to those who express the image and the likeness of God in themselves. God's nature propels God's power.

What is Authority

According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Authority is the power you have because of your official position. Thus, the power you get in authority is not your power, but is the power of the author of a system, in which you are a part of and where you have been assigned an official position. The power is the power of a position and not your power. It is not a power you obtain by works but by appointment. It is a power you obtain by virtue of what you have been made and by virtue of where you have been placed by God.

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." (Joh 15:16)

This kind of authority you receive because you are chosen and ordained of God. God is the author of the system where you have authority and you have been appointed with God's own power. Authority puts at your disposal, the power of the architect of the system within the boundary of your appointed position.

God is the architect of the system of earth. He is the author of the whole universe. He has appointed man into the position of taking care of the garden. This is a position. And every man's garden is unique to him. Every man's assignment is his own garden, which he was specifically designed and created to take care of. And God puts power, via authority, in the hands of man, over the jurisdiction of his position. So we have the very and same power of God at our disposal, not because we have worked for it, but because we have been positioned for it. Thus, we have the authority over our jurisdiction.

A king has authority over the domain of his kingdom. If he tries to issue decrees in domains that are not his, he would largely be ignored. But when he issues decrees in his domain, his words would be executed speedily. Before this man was appointed king, he could not issue any decree that commanded attention. His authority to issue decrees is a virtue of the power of the throne to which he has been appointed. The throne carries the power, and the king has the authority to use the power of the throne in the domain of the throne. Without the throne, there could be no king and there would be no dominion. The king does not need to become powerful, he only needs to be appointed and positioned upon the throne.

In the beginning, the original man had the authority to use the power of God for the achievement of his purpose. God gave him the right to that power not because the man had done anything to deserve it, but because God had chosen the man for that purpose. Man was created from the dust, but was exalted through the power that God made available to him. God said

"26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

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." (Gen 1:26-28)

Verse 26 says _"...God said....Let them have dominion....Over all the earth..."_ The jurisdiction of the authority of man is the whole earth. God has given man authority over the whole earth.

The Three Spheres of the Earth

God gave man authority to have dominion in all the three spheres of the earth. This means there is no place in the earth where man is not capable of dominion. The three spheres are

The sea and all that are in it. This signifies levels below ground level. God has given man authority over everything beneath the earth.

The ground or earth and all that are in it. He said _"over the cattle....and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth"._ We have authority on land.

The air and all that are in it. We have authority in spheres above ground level—in the air

There is no realm of existence where man does not possess the authority to dominate. Power is available to rule in the realm of the stars and planets, in the realm of earth and beneath the earth.

Jesus was exalted and given power in these realms and he has given the authority of these realms to the church—his end-time man. The bible says

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;" (Ph'p 2:9-10)

Jesus in turn gave authority to the church to be in charge in these realms. He has been given a name above every name and he in turn gave us that name when he said

"....Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you" (Joh 16:23)

In a place he said

"18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore..." (Mat 28:18-19)

He sent them forth in the power, which had been given unto him. It is as if he said, "I have all power and because I do, I am sending you with that power, so do not be afraid. Therefore go". He sent them forth with his authority to go in his power.

The power of God means the capacity of God. And when God sends you in his power, he is sending you in his capacity. This capacity talks about his ability to provide—his capacity for provision. It is only if God does not have it that you cannot have it. If he has it, then you can have it too. This is his capacity. Whatever he is capable of, you are also capable of it if he sent you to go in his power. This is the power available to the man that God sends. Therefore, if God sends you, your capacity is no longer your capacity, his own capacity then becomes your capacity. It is only what is impossible for him that will be impossible for you. Whatever bows before him bows before you. Whatever responds to him responds to you. Whatever flees before him flees before you. Whatever he is capable of achieving, then you are capable of achieving too, all because of his power and authority with you.

Designated authority does not require struggle to exercise. As natural as breathing is, so is the exercise of authority. We only struggle when God does not send us. Authority does not require effort to exercise it. It is not of works, but of the choosing of the Lord.

Dominion Defined

In verse 26 of Genesis chapter 1, the word dominion is the Hebrew word _"raw-daw_ " which literally means to tread down or to subjugate. The word "subjugate" in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English means to gain rule over people or a group by influence or by force. Dominion is gaining rule over people or things. This rule can be obtained either by force or by influence. Whether it is obtained by force or influence, it must result in rule. A ruler has the power to decide the course of life of his subjects.

God gave man the authority to have dominion over all the earth. Without this God-kind of dominion, the earth would decay. The earth is perishable and only man has been given the wisdom to preserve it, but because man has failed woefully, God would have to create a new earth and put in it a new set of people who would not fail. This authority for dominion is given to man for the singular purpose of shaping the earth to God's taste. God gave man a raw earth, which man must mould by the wisdom of God, to God's taste.

Everything on earth is raw. You dig before you get gold. Even after digging, you have to refine it to get good gold. Even with refinement, there are different categories of gold. Crude oil is rigged raw. It is refined before it can be put to any use. Even man was born raw; without knowledge and without ability to do even the easiest of things. But he learns how to tell lies with time and he learns how to become what God created him to become with time. Dominion therefore, is to bring the whole earth under the power of God through the authority that the Lord has given us. It is to form and reform everything there is on earth to God's taste through the effectual working of his mighty power in us.

Authority to be Fruitful

In Genesis 1:28, God said to man, _"...be fruitful..."_ This statement is a command. God spoke it into man and gave him the authority to be what he spoke him to be. To be fruitful is to increase; it is to grow. And because God said it, then there followed a natural order of increase and growth. You would see a natural order in the bible. Men took wives to themselves and they had children. Men grew and died. Thus, the order of growth and increase became established. In fact, when God made a covenant with Noah, he said

"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." (Gen 8:22)

Seedtime and harvestime connotes an order of increase. You plant a seed and you harvest a cub. There is that order of increase at work, and God said these shall not cease, as long as the earth stands. Whom did God make the covenant of increase with? Whom did he give the promise of "shall not cease"? Man. And because this covenant is with man, whenever man plants; he reaps a greater harvest than he planted. Whenever you invest in stocks or any business, if you are God's Noah, with whom this covenant operates, even in the midst of economic depression, you will have a harvest. For example, if you sow a seed of maize, you would harvest about two or three cubs of maize each containing hundreds of seeds. This is the kind of covenant that God made with man and for which he gave man authority to achieve.

God said BE! It means fruitfulness is going to happen, as you "be," that is, as you become the man that he made you to be. It means you will increase, as you become God's covenant man. Who is this kind of God's man? It is the man found in the first psalm. The bible says

"1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away." (Psa 1:1-4)

This man bears fruits in his season. Bearing fruit in your season is bearing fruit in your lifetime. Your lifetime is your season and that is the only time you have to bear all the fruits you can bear. You cannot grow in the grave. You cannot increase in the grave. Your talents and gifting cannot be utilized in the grave. This man knows his season and he brings forth fruits in his season.

The bible says his leaves also shall not wither. Leaves are what are left after fruit has been harvested. Leaves are also fruits of some kind. It means what this man leaves behind shall not wither because they are of heavenly quality—of the same quality as what God makes. In fact, it is God that makes both the fruits and the leaves. The fruits are for the present generation and the leaves are for the coming generation. He shall be fruitful in his lifetime and after his lifetime; his leaves (his legacy) shall not wither.

Paul the apostle was extremely fruitful in his season. He ran the race, finished his course and kept the faith. He bore fruits that fed the hungry, healed the sick, raised the dead and that saved sinners. What about his leaves? We still have them with us. The epistles! They have become the canon of the church. They are leaves that cannot wither. John the apostle left us leaves that cannot wither and he was fruitful in his season. Solomon left us leaves that cannot wither and he was fruitful in his generation. Many more were fruitful in their generation and left us leaves that cannot wither.

Men who are such are men who bring out the genius of God in them for the genius of God cannot wither. Thomas Edison was fruitful in his generation and we have his leaves that cannot wither (the light bulb). The Wright brothers gave us their own leaves that cannot wither (the airplane). So many men were fruitful in their generation and gave humanity leaves that cannot wither. Whatever God does abides forever. They are leaves that cannot wither.

But when we examine the life of the fruitful man whose leaves cannot wither, we would see that he is God's man. He is fruitful because of where he is planted. He is planted beside the rivers. He is there beside the river of wisdom, of ideas and of power. Therefore, when others are dry he can be fruitful because of where he is planted. The bible says

"Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God." (Psa 92:13)

They are men that are planted where God is and because they are planted where God is, then they can flourish where God is working. God works wherever he goes and he goes wherever he would work. So he plants men wherever he would go and wherever he plants men, there he does his works through the men, which he has planted. This man is planted, rooted and grounded in God.

"17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;" (Eph 3:17-18)

Because this man is rooted and grounded in Christ, he can understand everything about the length, breadth, height and depth of the earth. Such a man becomes master in the earth. And because he is master, he can create things and even have leaves that cannot wither.

The rooting of this man is a result of where he sits, where he stands and where he walks. So every man's planting depends on his state of comfort and satisfaction. Sitting position is a position of satisfaction, pleasure and complacency. It is a position of a man who feels he has arrived. Such men cannot be fruitful because fruitfulness does not happen in the seats, it happens on the move. Fruitfulness is for men who are dissatisfied with their level of achievements and becoming. They are always aiming higher, conquering new grounds. You must know it that man was not created to sit down but to work. He was not created to seek pleasure and fun, but to be fruitful in the land by working the land.

This man's fruitfulness is also a result of where he stands. He does not stand in the way of fools and sinners. He stands in the presence of God where he obtains wisdom and all the strength he needs to bear fruits. His fruitfulness is also a function of where he walks. It is a function of the pattern of life that he chose for himself to live. He walks in the purpose of God for his life. He walks the path of life and in the path of fruitfulness.

The authority for fruitfulness will be activated in this man. If a man lives thus, then he shall be like a tree that is planted by the rivers of waters. He will bring forth fruits in his season and what he leaves shall not wither.

Authority to Multiply

In Genesis 1:28, God again said unto man, _"...multiply"._ To multiply is to excel and to exceed. It is the authority to be abundant for the earth. It is when you become abundant in the earth. It denotes two things.

First, it is the ability for you to become so important in the earth that you have exceeded the present reality in the earth. It is the power to realize the future and make it happen in the present. That means you have exceeded the present reality to creating a future reality. This is exactly what Jesus did. Even the disciples did not understand the death of the cross that he had to say to two of them on the road to Emmaus that, _"ought not Christ to have suffered?"_ They did not understand until he was resurrected. He knew the future; a future where all men could come to God without guilt of sin, and he made it happen in the present. Thus, he exceeded the present reality to make the future happen.

But for men who exceeded present realities in their time to make the future happen, the earth would have been completely gone. In the time of the Wright brothers, the present reality was that it was impossible for metal to fly. This was a law of science but these boys broke the law and changed the law. They exceeded the present reality to create a future. In this way, you have multiplied wisdom. And God gave man to multiply not just in wisdom but also in all facets of his life.

Secondly, multiplying is the ability to reproduce yourself through excellence. If you cannot excel above people's ability, they cannot desire to be like you. You multiply when you reproduce yourself in the earth. Reproducing yourself is not getting men to talk like you, or to wear the dresses you wear, but to get men to become what you have seen in the vision of your purpose. It is transforming men into your own ideal God-given paradigm of life. For example, if God gives you an ideal picture of human health. You have reproduced yourself when men attain that level of health.

The power to reproduce is vital to your attaining the purpose of God for your life. It will determine whether you are successful or not. And this authority is available to the man who exceeds the earth and who excels the earth. Those who will multiply are those who do what others cannot do. They grow to a level that others cannot grow to. They walk with God to a level that others cannot walk. They make themselves of superior spirit, mind and body than others.

Isaac was a man like that. In the time of famine when everybody was trying to survive, he did something that no one else did—he sowed in the land. And because he did what no one could do, he became the man everyone wanted to become. And the king and the philistines went to him to make a covenant with him. He had multiplied his influence to the whole nation, because he did what no one else could do. The bible says

"26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

28 And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;

29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD." (Gen 26:26-29)

Before this time, Isaac had done something and had become something.

"12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:" (Gen 26:12-13)

He had multiplied and become a desire or envy of all men because of what he had become. And he became what he was because of what he did. And all men wanted to be like him, so they envied him.

"For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him." (Gen 26:14)

God has given man the authority to multiply, but this authority can also be shown forth by those who are planted in God, where the light of God can shine upon them. It is by virtue of this positioning, where others have not positioned themselves that he becomes a voice and a glory to which kings and nations come.

"1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." (Isa 60:1-3)

Authority to Replenish the Earth

God gave man the authority to, by his power and wisdom, _"...._ replenish the earth". To replenish is to furnish, refine, beautify and to shape to the taste of the Author of the universe. Without the operation of this authority, though man is like God, yet he will not be able to fulfil and achieve his purpose on the earth. God created man to tend the earth. The earth of every man is his own area of calling. He is responsible for that portion of the earth. Adam was planted in the garden that God had planted eastward in Eden. His earth was not even the whole of Eden, but a garden in Eden. In the same way, you are apportioned a garden in the earth, which you must tend, dress and keep fresh and beautiful.

The world is full of many voids and many decays caused by men who laboured in other men's gardens while theirs were overgrown with thorns. There are many books not written, many sermons not preached and many inventions not created, because the man whom God created to be responsible for it did not attend to it.

Every man has the responsibility of replenishing, renewing, and beautifying his own garden as the Lord shall appoint to him. And with this responsibility comes the authority to use God's power to accomplish it.

To replenish is to fill up. This means you have an assignment to fill up your garden. If God has given you the ability to obtain knowledge and impart it to your generation, then if you do not impart it, you are not filling up your garden. Because of you, ignorance would increase and limitation will result. Knowledge is power, and when necessary knowledge is not imparted, then humanity would be vastly limited, because of your negligence.

All the violence in our streets, the hunger and the sicknesses, the sin and human limitations, are the result of somebody's failure to do the work he was assigned to do on earth. This negligence creates a void on the earth. Something would be missing in the lives of men and they would want to fill that void the best "foolish" way they know to.

To operate in your garden, you have God's full authority to reach the ends of the earth with your gift to humanity. No man was created to just take from humanity, but also to contribute to humanity. One of the problems in the earth today is that there is scarcity of real godly stuffs because many have taken without giving anything back. There are many in the churches, who for all their lifetime, take from the church without giving anything back. They are always prayed for, they never pray for others. Hands are always laid on them, they never lay hands on anyone. They are always receiving miracles; they never work any. They are always fed with the word; they never feed any. This predicament is not just in the church, but also in all facets of life. There are multitudes who take everything without giving anything.

You are created for a specific contribution to humanity. God is specific with your life. The authority to spread to the ends of the earth is only exercisable in the hands of those who are as specific as God is specific with their lives. This authority is activated in the lives of those who face an undiluted assignment; who do work to accomplish what they are sent. Ezekiel prophesied as he was commanded and God worked as the man obeyed. You do not have to struggle to spread out; your only struggle is to fulfil your assignment. If you fulfil your assignment, then you are guaranteed a quick announcement of your personality to the world. The world does not want to recognise you, but they sure want to recognise your work. If you are struggling for recognition, you are struggling for a wrong cause. The world will not recognise you. But when you struggle to fulfil your work, then even if you run away to the deepest holes, they will look for you and crown you.

Authority to Subdue the Earth

"And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth." (Gen 1:28) AMP

"God blessed them and said, "Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master." (Gen 1:28) GOD'S WORD

To subdue is to be master over the earth. The world should not determine what you should become, but you should determine what it would become. The world should not mould your life but you molding it. If you are in the centre of God's assignment for you, you possess the authority to bring everything under your control. This authority will not work for selfish desires, but it works when you are exercising it for the fulfillment of your assignment.

Jesus told Peter to go to the sea, cast a hook and get money in the mouth of a fish. He fed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fishes. He gained authority over the sea, commanding it to be still. He gained authority over the laws of nature when he walked on the water and when he ascended up into heaven.

Phillip gained authority over distance and he was transported to the wilderness from the city within the twinkling of an eye. That authority is available for you to become master of the earth when you stand in the place of your assignment. The earth is bound to obey you as you obey God. But you must exercise the authority yourself. The bible says

"19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." (Mat 17:19-20)

You see, Jesus did not tell them they could not cast the devil out because it was not their assignment. It was their assignment but they could not cast it out because they did not understand the authority that God had given them. Thus, they acted in unbelief. For those who understand this authority, Jesus said _"...and nothing shall be impossible unto you"._ It means in your assignment, you will have mountains to remove, red seas that won't let you go, walls of Jericho, battles with Amalek and many forces that would want to negate your assignment. All these, you have authority to deal with.

This authority works as you fulfill the assignment that God has given you to do. If you do not exercise the power, it will not be exercised. If you do not move the mountains, they will not be moved. If you do not part the red seas, they will not be parted.

Man's Position Determines Authority

Authority can only be experienced when you are positioned where God wants you positioned. We settled in the beginning of this chapter that authority is appointed power by virtue of an appointed position. It suffices to say that authority cannot be experienced until position is ascertained. You cannot access God's power until God positions you or rather until you are positioned where God wants you to be positioned.

You cannot choose it...

You cannot choose the position or the purpose you will accomplish on earth. God chooses it. Jesus said, _"Ye have not chosen... but I have chosen..."_ So God chooses. The choice is not yours but God's. You are only required to obey God.

You are chosen and ordained to bring something forth...

You must understand purpose before you can understand authority.

An un-understood authority is an un-used authority.

There is something you are chosen to bring forth. You cannot bring it forth until you understand that thing. Your understanding it will initiate your ordination or positioning into the power to accomplishing it. Therefore, _"...with all thy getting get understanding" (Pr 4:7)_

# Chapter 10
# Man and God's Nature

The original man was made possessing the nature of the Living God. The bible says

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Gen 1:27)

This nature enabled man to operate in the class of God. It says God made man in his own image. As long as Adam retained the nature (image) of God, everything that saw him saw God and responded to him as they would God. The moment Adam lost it, everything turned against him. The ground began to grow thorns; wild animals began to prey on him. Because the nature was gone, so were the power and the authority.

Man without the nature of God will be a prey in the earth. Only the man that carries the nature of God subdues nature because nature responds to its author—God. And when nature sees a man that is like God, then it responds to that man also. Though this divine nature was lost in Adam, but it is restored in man through Jesus Christ. The bible says

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2Pe 1:4)

We are made partakers of the divine nature of God by the promises he has given us and revealed in his word. When we bring out the reality of these promises into our lives, we would be operating in the divine nature of God where all things are possible. We are not just made to benefit from the divine nature, but to partake and to share in it. Many people see themselves at the level of beneficiary, where they believe that God is blessing them because of his power. They have never thought of it that God wants to share his nature with them. This partaking is God coming inside you and not just coming to bless you.

But you cannot partake until you search the scriptures and receive the revelation and the understanding of these promises that God is talking about. For example, when you realise that the nature of God is in you, it becomes impossible and unthinkable for sickness to afflict you. Because the nature of God remains in you, sickness cannot come near you. You will realise that only the power that can afflict God can afflict you. This is when you start knowing you are a partaker of the divine nature and not just of the physical nature, which is subject to sickness, tiredness and hunger.

That word partake is the Greek word koinōnos which is from a root word that means common. The nature that God is giving to man is the same nature that he has. So the man that has that nature of the Lord has the same and very nature that flows through him. The nature is not just a nature that God designed but the very nature in him; the very thing that he is. He pours out of his own nature into us.

A perfect illustration of this truth is given in the bible.

"I am the vine, ye are the branches..." (Joh 15:5)

Jesus is the vine, man (the children of God and not all men) are the branches. The vine has nourishment flowing in it. This nourishment flows into the branches. The nourishment that flows from the vine to the branches does not change. It is the same nourishment. It does not change in quality. It flows to the branches as purely as it flows from the vine. The only difference is in the quantity flowing. The vine has a larger quantity than the branch because the vine serves a bigger purpose than the branches. So we share in God's nature as the vine supplies nourishment to the branches.

It is the same substance that is in God that we have in us— the same nature, the same wisdom, the same life. We do not possess an inferior life to God, but the very same life that sustains him. This life, this nature, this wisdom and this power belongs only to those who are connected to the vine. Without the vine, we can do nothing—nothing will respond to us. This is because the nature of God is not there to compel all things to submit themselves to us. Unless the branch of a tree is connected to the vine, it cannot receive nourishment from the vine and neither can it manufacture nourishment by itself. The best it can become is wood for fire. It will simply wither off and become useless for fruit bearing, which is the purpose of human life.

Nature is something that is natural, so when you possess natural nature, you will only accomplish natural things. But when you possess the supernatural nature of God, you will accomplish the same supernatural things that God himself is capable of achieving. Jesus operated this supernatural nature and ruled above the forces of nature. When you operate this supernatural nature, the forces of natural nature will bow to you.

Being Born of God

This nature began in Adam when he was born and it was lost when he sinned against God. In the same way, this nature is born in man when he is born of God as was with Adam. Adam was born of God and not from the womb of a woman. It makes a difference to know that nothing that is born of a woman from the beginning until now was born with the nature of God. The only one born with the nature of God is that which is born of God directly.

Jesus was the second Adam, born of God through a woman. The angel said unto Mary

"31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luk 1:31, 34-35)

Mary asked how it would be possible seeing she was a virgin. The angel showed her that God himself would fill her and cause her to bring forth a holy thing. Thus, Jesus came forth possessing everything that was lost through Adam and restoring them to us.

The bible says

"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1Jn 3:9)

The word seed actually means nature. There is a God-part in everyone that is born of God. There is the supernatural part that makes him like God. Adam had it because God breathed into him the breath of life. We have it too because we are born again of God and his seed (nature) remains in us. The bible also says

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world..." (1Jn 5:4)

Anyone born of God overcomes the world. They subdue the world; they gain the dominion given to the first man. They are never defeated because the world sees something in them that makes it subject to them. The world sees the nature or the seed of God in them.

That word seed in 1John 3:9 is the Greek word "sperma" which is the same word for the male chromosome. We know that it is the male chromosome that contains the DNA that a father passes to his child. Every child is identified with his father through this seed passed across to him. The child is actually formed by this seed. So everyone that is born of God is formed by his seed, he is shaped by that seed and man becomes what he becomes by that seed.

The seed contains hereditary traits that the child inherits.

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." (1Pe 1:23)

The seed of our new birth is the seed of the word of God. We are a product of the word of God, which is God himself. Therefore, we are everything the word says we are because we are made by that word. That means we are the word. The reality of our lives (those born of God) is that we have become something that others cannot become—the word of God. This is what it means to be born of God. It is to be born of the word of God and we are to be transformed to the reality of the word of God by filling ourselves with the written word.

"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." (Rom 12:2)

It is when we are transformed that we can be able to manifest the will of God for our lives and for the earth.

Four Dimensions of the Word

In our quest for the transformation that the bible talks about, we must have a relationship with the word. It is this relationship with the word that will determine our being shaped into the word, our being conformed to the word. First, the word of God is living and powerful, and Jesus said the word is Spirit. So the word is a living spirit. Therefore, we must approach it as such. There are four dimensions of the word and is stated in 1John 1:1

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;" (1Jn 1:1)

The four stages according to this scripture are

  1. He said, _"...which we have heard..."_ This stage is the hearing stage. At this level you get information

  2. "... _which we have seen..."_ This is the revelation stage where you get understanding and where the word becomes personal for you.

  3. "... _which we have looked upon..."_ This stage is the stage I call fellowship with the word. It is when you muse upon the word. It is when you give your time and life to the word. It is when you concentrate upon the word. It is the stage where the word enters into you in order to bring something forth in you. It is when you have become conformed to the word.

  4. "... _and our hands have handled..."_ This is the manifestation stage when the word becomes a reality in your life. The word becomes flesh in your life and the glory and reality of that word manifests in your life at this stage.

The same word, as said in this scripture, has been from the beginning. God spoke the same word that created the heaven and the earth, to bring man forth. Man has had his existence, from the beginning, in the word. Before God created Adam, he spoke Adam. Man finds expression of his true self and of his true nature in God through his word.

That scripture says "...of the word of life" This word is the source of real life in man. God breathed this word upon man in the garden and he became a living soul.

Born: Not Of...

Men who are born of God are born of the word. They are born of a superior element that came out of God himself. They are not born of the inferior elements of the world, thus, they have a superior life to the world. Peter said, they are not born of a corruptible seed. The corruptible seed is that seed that is capable of decadence. It is a seed that withers and the man who lives by it withers the earth. The man that is born of this corruptible seed lives by the corruptible seed and the man that is born of God lives by God.

The corruptible seed is contained in the bible.

"12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (Joh 1:12-13)

The first element of the corruptible seed is blood. They are men who are born of the blood of man. They are subject to flesh and blood. Flesh and blood are called seeds of corruption in the bible. And the bible says blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." (1Co 15:50)

The kingdom of God is that realm of manifestation where man experiences the reality of God. It is that realm where man manifests God. And flesh and blood cannot do it. It is the man who is born of God that can get it done. Jesus said

"3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (Joh 3:3, 5-6)

It is the man who is born again of God by being born of water (the word according to Ephesians 5:26) and of the Spirit, that can enter the kingdom of God—a realm of manifestation of God—a realm where man manifests the power, wisdom and genie of God. Only that which is born of the Spirit will bring forth the things of the Spirit. God is a Spirit and they that will operate with God will operate as spirits.

Thus, they that are born by the blood of ordinary man are mere corruptible men. Nothing incorruptible can come out of them. Their leaves always wither.

They are not born of the will of the flesh. They are not born after the order of the flesh. They are born after the order of the spirit. Men who are born after the will of the flesh are limited to the ability of the flesh—every natural law cages them. Because they are natural, they cannot bring the supernatural to pass. But the man that is born of the supernatural nature of God lives above all the laws of nature and is able to do what fleshly men cannot do.

These men are born of the will of men; therefore, they are subject to all the woes and limitations of men. They are subject to the level at which men are operating—subject to the strength and wisdom of man. They are merely natural men. but the man that is born of God is no longer a natural man, he has become a supernatural man.

Those who are born of God therefore, are not born of blood. You must begin to see yourself beyond blood, beyond the flesh and beyond the limitations of man. You are born of God. Being born of God puts you in the class of God.

"Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." (Joh 5:18)

When God is your Father, you are equal with God. The word equal as used in the passage is the Greek word "ee'-sos" which literally means similar. Thus, being born of God makes you similar to God. You are a god after the order of God the Father. You carry the same power that God carries, the same life that he has. You have the same nature and the same authority that God has as long as you are born of the Father and as long as he is your Father. This is what it means to be born of God.

Born: According To...

"And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:" (Rom 1:4)

The Message Bible and Bible in Basic English render it this way respectively

"His unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead, setting him apart as the Messiah, our Master." THE MESSAGE

"‎But was marked out as Son of God in power by the Holy Spirit through the coming to life again of the dead; Jesus Christ our Lord" BBE

The Holy Spirit in him evidenced the unique identity of Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus was made son according to the Holy Spirit who had filled him up. Therefore, everyone that is born of God is born according to the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was baptised and the Spirit coming upon him, God said; this is my beloved son. The Holy Spirit coming upon him was the seal of his sonship in God, and through his sonship, he reigned with God.

The Holy Spirit is the breath that God breathed into man, which made him a living soul. The original man became all that he became when the spirit entered him. Before this, he was just beautiful clay-work capable of doing nothing. The breath sealed his humanity, which is complete manifestation of all that God called him. In the same way, the Holy Spirit seals our sonship and humanity. He sets us up with power and ability to become all that God has said concerning us.

The fact that you are born into the world does not guarantee an automatic fulfilment of purpose. Adam, when he was made, could be said to be born into the world. Then when the breath came into him, he could be said to be born into God. It was after the breath that he was able to fulfil his purpose in the world. The same goes today. It was after the Spirit came upon Jesus, and his sonship sealed, that he entered into purpose. We equally must be made, according to the Holy Spirit, before we can fulfil the purpose of God for our lives.

This is the nature of God in the God-man we are talking about. This nature was in Adam and now in us. And those who bear this image and likeness will fulfil their purpose in life. Everything bows to them and they bow to nothing.

# Chapter 11
# Man and God's Power

The concept of power has been much discussed in this book, so here; we will be brief to avoid vain repetitions. The power of God is responsible for the authority that man has over all the works of God. Like has been discussed, God gave man the authority over all the earth. It is the power of God that is responsible for the authority of man. And it is only that thing that God does not have power to do that man has not got the authority to accomplish.

The concept of power is the concept of the sovereignty of God. It expresses the supremacy of God. It shows the deity of God. God is the God of all flesh and is infinitely supreme and he reigns eternally.

The Power of the Highest: The Highest Power

The highest power is the power of the highest. There may be powers, principalities and dominions, kingdoms and rulers, but the highest power is the power of the Highest, and the highest authority is the authority received from the Highest God himself. The bible says

"And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luk 1:35)

See, the power of the Highest brings possibilities out of impossibilities. The power of the Highest brought forth the highest thing. Look at what the angel said of what would result from the power of the Highest.

"31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest..." (Luk 1:31-32)

The product of the power of the Highest is always the highest thing. What comes out of the power of God is superior to things that come out of other powers. And it is by that highest power that you get to the highest place, where you can walk upon the high places of the earth.

The first part of Psalms 18 talks about the power and supremacy of God and in its expression of the Almightiness of God, it called God the Highest.

"The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire." (Psa 18:13)

You can see Psalms 18 from the first verse for details. The Highest's voice commands the highest obedience. So when the highest power is at work in a man, he becomes a force to be perpetually obeyed.

The Holy Spirit: The Power of God

The angel said to Mary

"And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luk 1:35)

The angel said, "...the Holy Ghost..." The Holy Ghost is the power of God. Jesus said

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Act 1:8)

Power comes when the Holy Ghost comes. The word power is the Greek word "dunamis" which means a force or breath that gives ability for performance. The Holy Ghost is the force of God in man. He is the breath of God blown forcefully into man. And he gives man the ability of the breather. He gives man the very and same ability that God possesses and it is only that thing that God cannot do that the man that has this breath cannot do.

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost came in his usual self—in his usual character. He is the force of God. The bible says

"2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Act 2:2-4)

He came as a sound from heaven and as a rushing mighty wind. He is forceful in his approach and no force can stand against his force. He came from heaven. Everything that comes from above is above all. The word of God says it

"He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all." (Joh 3:31)

The Holy Ghost that came from above is above all ghosts because he came from the Highest. The force that came from above is above all forces. The power that came from above is above all powers. It is the power of the Highest. So he came as a rushing wind.

The wind blew and the doors were forcefully opened, and the whole house was filled with the wind. The power of God fills all things. When a man carries that power, nothing he comes across will escape the power. The power fills all things and changes all things. It is the ability of God in man in all its fullness that the Holy Ghost pumps into the believer.

The Great Trinity were united in the creation. The Spirit moved, the Father spoke, the Word (the Son—Jesus) jumped out and formed all things. Anywhere God's creative power will operate, the Trinity unite for performance but it is the Spirit that moves first. In the creation, the Spirit moved before the Father spoke and before the Word acted. So anywhere and in anyone you see the Spirit, you will see creativity and manifestation. You will see the power and the finger of God.

The Holy Ghost is fire and he is the force that provokes the word. Smith Wigglesworth said that without the fire, the water couldn't boil. The water is the word of God. It is the fire that makes the water to boil and the boiling produces an overflow that results in utterance. There are men who want the power who are not interested in the utterance. The utterance is the proof that the fire is there for without the fire, the water cannot boil to overflowing. But when the fire falls, the water boils and overflows in utterance. So the men spoke as the Spirit gave them utterance. You cannot be interested in the power and not be interested in the utterance. The utterance is the evidence of the power.

The dunamis was what God breathed into Adam in the beginning that gave him the ability of God. He operated as co-creator with God. The breath launched him into the realm of purpose. The Holy Ghost is the full power of God and he alone can make you fulfil your purpose. Without the Holy Ghost, you stand no chance in life.

With God

"For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luk 1:37)

With God, nothing shall be impossible, but without God, some things are impossible. Those things that require supernatural attention cannot be possible without God. When you are with God and God with you, nothing and nothing shall be impossible for you. Why? Because the power that bows to nothing is in you, because the power that creates all things is in you. Thus, impossibility is not an option.

Mary had a "with God" experience—a union with God that made the impossible possible. A virgin, by all natural standards, cannot bring forth a child. Because childbearing without union with a man is impossible, so Mary bringing forth without meeting a man surpassed the natural to the supernatural. And this supernatural resulted from the union between her and God.

Without God, you can do nothing, but with God you can do all things. Jesus said

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (Joh 15:5)

And Paul said

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Php 4:13)

And John said

"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1Jn 4:4)

Therefore, union with God and His power guarantee ability to do all things. This is the power of the original man and yours too if you belong to Jesus.

# Chapter 12
#  Fellowship with God

Fellowship Defined

Fellowship is a habitual interaction between a minimum of two persons. In this case, it is an interaction between man and God. The door into the presence of God was open for Adam. He had access to the presence of God. He had access to the fullness of God. He saw God as he really is. He saw his face; he talked with him. Thus, we can say that the original man had full and unreserved access to God. This access brought about the contact the man had with God and the contact resulted in an impartation of God into the man.

When a man is denied access into the presence of God, the result is death. This death is the death of all the God-element in man. God said

"But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die." (Exo 21:14)

The implication of being removed from the presence of God is death. Any man who withdraws himself from the presence of God dies. He is disconnected from the source of all life. He is cut off from the very force that sustains him. And he is disconnected from destiny. Only the living can give life. Only the living can work. When a man is removed from the presence of God, it becomes impossible for him to understand destiny, let alone, fulfil it.

Fellowship with the Father is one of the greatest desires of God, and one of the greatest privileges of man. When God's desire meets with the desire of man, then we have an explosion of the supernatural. God is supernatural; man is natural. God is unseen; man can be seen. When the visible man connects with the invisible God, invisible and infeasible things become visible and feasible. There is manifestation of the invisible and performance of the impossible.

God yearns for fellowship and deep inside man, God has planted that yearning also. Fellowship is the only avenue through which man can be connected to God his source. There is no other way to the Father, but by fellowship.

The bible says; let us come before his presence with singing. So fellowship is the only avenue for coming into his presence. What that means is that fellowship is the only avenue by which man has access to the power he needs for the execution of his destiny. The disciples were in the temple (in Solomon's porch—in his presence) fasting and praying when the Holy Ghost came at Pentecost. And disciples that were not there did not partake. It was only the 120 out of the 500 he told to wait, that waited, that received the gift. The others rot away in obscurity.

The pages of the bible are stained with men and women who had fellowship with God. If you check, they were the men and women who became great. They were the same people who achieved their purpose and shook their generations. Then it suffices us to say that, the strength of your fellowship with God is the strength of your impact on earth.

God said of David

"And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will." (Act 13:22)

God testified of David that he sought his heart. God's heartbeat met with David's heartbeat and the result was not just the fulfilment of purpose but also the establishment of an everlasting covenant. Because David loved fellowship with God, he got a covenant that will last forever in God.

In the place of fellowship, exchange takes place. Man exchanges his weaknesses for the strength of God. Jesus said

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Rev 3:20)

When you fellowship with God, you get a taste of what Jesus eats. You get to share in his glory. You get to share his table and he takes or eats up all your troubles. The reason many people have big mountains is because they are not fellowshipping with God. The reason why many people only see giants in their journey of life is because they are living in the valley. If they would go to the highest heights in the presence of God, they would discover that those skyscrapers are just like ants. The higher you go in fellowship with God, the smaller all your mountains become. You can go so high with God that you don't see mountains again. At this level, everything is plain ground to you. Because you have fellowship with God, all your mountains are swallowed up.

Fellowship with man is God's desire. He stands at the door and knock. It is what God himself is earnestly seeking. He is searching for those who are interested in fellowship. He wants those who are not just looking for blessing, but fellowship. The bible says

"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars." (2Ch 16:9)

God is looking for those whose hearts are seeking him. And when he finds them, he defends them. But when they retreat from the altar of fellowship, he moves on to those whose hearts are stayed on him.

Fellowship is habitual. It is not seasonal. It is water to fish, air to man and is daily bread to those who are established in it. Fellowship is God's avenue to connect with man. No matter the promise of God upon your life, the extent of its manifestation is determined by the extent of your fellowship with God.

Fellowship with the Father

There is fellowship with the Father, fellowship with the son and fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship _is_ with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." (1Jn 1:3)

So we have fellowship with the Father and with the Son. Fellowship with the Father is also through the Son. For it is through the Son that we have access to the Father.

Moses had great fellowship with the Father. Moses talked with God and his face shone. God talked face to face with Moses because Moses had made God more important than all other things. In fact, he made God himself more important than the assignment that God had given him. That is the error some people have made. They magnify their assignment than the God who gave them the assignment. They believe that by giving all your time doing the assignment, you will be pleasing God. Before God gave you the assignment, you first knew him. It was in the place of fellowship that you contacted the assignment. It was in the place of fellowship that you got the fire. Now retreating from the altar of fellowship, your assignment will also be dying gradually.

The bible says of the apostles, that they were appointed first for fellowship, then for assignment. So doing the assignment without fellowship amounts to not fulfilling your purpose. The purpose is for you to, first of all, have fellowship with him, then to go and do his bidding.

Moses made the presence of God his topmost priority. He went up into the mountain to be with God for forty days and forty nights. And when he came down from the mountain, his face shone like the sun, and the people were afraid of him. The presence of God that commands the obedience of all forces of nature comes only by personal fellowship with the Father. For when you contact him, you become contagious. When you say move, things move. When you say stop, they stop.

The people were afraid of him. We are talking about a stiff-necked set of people. We are talking about people who were so volatile that they explode easily with anger. Men who were so selfish, that they would stone their brother for lack of food and water. These same people; a whole nation of thousands, if not millions, were afraid of one man. Why? Because that one man had something they did not have, because he did something they did not do, because he had glorious fellowship with God.

God said of Moses;

"7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" (Num 12:7-8)

Moses had great access to God. Because his desire was great, his access was also great

The elders of Israel ate before God and saw the God of Israel. To see is to receive a revelation of God. To eat before the Lord is to contact the substance of God. Like Moses, they saw God and they contacted God.

"9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness." (Exo 24:9-10)

To see God, you must go up. They went up before they saw God. Fellowship will give you access to the face of God. After that encounter, they did not need anybody to tell them how God looked like. They had firsthand experience and firsthand revelation of God. This is vitally important to destiny fulfilment. Those who achieve destiny see God firsthand. Moses had it in the backside of the desert.

"1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt." (Exo 3:1-3)

Moses had it because he decided to turn aside and see. In his turning aside, he turned from the sheep he was taking care of. He turned aside from his business. He turned aside to see God. He gave his attention and time to see God, and he saw God. Something striking that the bible says is

"Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God." (Exo 3:6)

See, God said to Moses, I AM. He did not say I was. God is a God of the present. This is what firsthand revelation of God is. It is not according to history or another man's experience. It is personal and present. It is a now thing. He said I am. All those who had firsthand encounter with God always receive the God of the present.

Jacob had it. God said to Jacob

"10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed" (Gen 28:10-13)

Jacob also encountered God as the I AM. These great men did not encounter God as I was. God is always moving in the present. You need to have that firsthand encounter with God. All the generals and great men in scripture became great after this encounter. David had it. Abraham had it. Noah had it. Samuel had it. Jesus had it. God said this is my beloved son, and not this was.

Fellowship with God leading to this kind of encounter is central to success in destiny.

The people saw God. They had a revelation of God. They equally ate in the presence of God.

"And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink." (Exo 24:11)

They saw the God of Israel and ate with him. This is divine impartation. What you eat in the presence of God is the best meat that can be eaten. This is the impartation that is needed for destiny fulfilment. Without this meal, without this impartation, there cannot be divine execution of the will of God.

Food gives strength and strength gives power. It is what we eat in God that can be useful for God when we attempt to do his work. Fellowship with the Father is the key to this dimension of impartation.

None who fellowshipped with God the Father needed anybody to tell them who God was. They knew God and God became their God. Abraham knew God and God became the God of Abraham. Isaac and Jacob knew God and God became the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.

Without this kind of fellowship, no matter how great is the promise upon your destiny, no matter how important is the assignment you are called to carry, you will not possess the power to be able to execute the assignment.

This fellowship is vitally important for your work. Jesus told 500 disciples to wait for the promise of the Father. These 500 men were the men who were to carry the power of God to the nations in order to effectively witness for Jesus. But only 120 obeyed and waited in fellowship. They were together in the temple, in his presence, in Solomon's porch, praying and fasting. Then suddenly, there came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind and the Holy Ghost was gloriously given to the waiting disciples. The 120 became heroes because they had contacted the force of destiny and the others got lost in the crowd of mediocre. They were useless for the work of the Lord.

Certain prophets and teachers were together in one accord, and while they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, "separate unto me Paul and Barnabas for the work to which I have called them". Fellowship with God releases destiny into manifestation. The only legal ground that God has to contact man is through fellowship.

The only way that man can connect with the power and ability he needs for his work is through fellowship. The more you fellowship with God, the more you are changed to look like God. This is because we are always changed to the thing we behold constantly. And when we constantly behold God, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory. When we are changed to God's image, then we can begin to reign for God on the earth.

Four Stages of the Word

Before we look at fellowship with the Word, we will see the stages of the word. It is important to know the stages because it will determine where we are in fellowship with the word.

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life" (1Jn 1:1)

We have examined the stages in chapter 10 of this book. But what we did not mention is that the stages are progressive and each stage depends on the depth of the believer in the word and how much attention he gives to the word.

Fellowship with the word will enhance our fellowship with the Father and fellowship with the Father will enhance our fellowship with the word. Moses was privy to God's ways through fellowship with the Father. He came to know the word through the Father. He came to know the law through knowing the Father. And because he knew the ways of God, he was able also to work the acts of God. He had fellowship with God, knew the ways of God but the children of Israel knew only the acts of God and those acts were wrought by Moses. So we conclude that only those who know the ways of God can work the works of God.

Many people will keep struggling to fulfil destiny because they don't value the word. The bible says

"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." (Psa 2:12)

Jesus is the Son. Kiss the son. Jesus is the word. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Then the word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is the Son. The Son is the word. So we can say, kiss the Word lest ye perish from the way. Those who refuse to love the word eventually perish from the way that leads to destiny. The word says, "...blessed are all they that put their trust in him". Many put their trust in their knowledge or experience. Only they are blessed who put their trust in the word.

Many people only spend their lives trying to pray, but you can't build a prayer life without the word. Prayer is about getting the will of God done and all that is to be known about God, and his precious will, have been written. When we despise the word, we have despised God for God is the word. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the WORD WAS GOD. Despising the word is despising God.

The blueprint for destiny fulfilment is already given in the word. Without that blueprint, we cannot work the works of God. Moses worked the works of God because he received instruction from God. God told him

"And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount." (Exo 25:40)

"42 According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work.

43 And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them." (Exo 39:42-43)

God commanded Moses. Moses yielding perfectly to the instructions of God led to the manifestation of God before Israel. Therefore came the saying that Moses knew the ways of God that brought the acts of God to Israel.

David, the man after God's own heart had an unusual fellowship with the word. He said

"161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.

162 I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.

163 I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love." (Psa 119:161-163)

"The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver." (Psa 119:72)

See how this man valued the word of God greatly. He became the man after God's heart through the word. He discovered what moved God through the word and because he discovered God, he discovered his destiny and obtained power to fulfil the destiny. You cannot know God without knowing his word. You cannot serve God without knowing the word. You cannot see yourself in God as God sees you except through the word. The bible says

"For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light." (Psa 36:9)

What is that light? It is the word.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psa 119:105)

The word is light that lights the path of your destiny. Without the word, you are walking in darkness because the word is the light and is the only light.

Without the word, you cannot see yourself. The word is a mirror that shows you who you are and who you are supposed to be. When you look in a mirror, it shows you where your tie is and where it should be. It shows you how your hair looks and how it should look. The word shows you yourself, shows you the image of God, and helps you adjust yourself to the image of God.

"23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (Jas 1:23-25)

Remember the four stages of the word—the hearing stage, the revelation stage, the fellowship stage and the manifestation stage. These are the four stages of the word. Now let us look at the fellowship stage more closely.

Fellowship with the Word

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life" (1Jn 1:1)

We have established the importance of the word. Now we want to examine the looking upon aspect of fellowship with the word.

First, the picture the bible is giving us with that statement of scripture is that of dependence. We depend upon the word for survival and for fruitfulness. When you look upon something, it means there is something that you need which the object you are looking upon possesses. God's word contains all that you need for the success of your work and is the only something that has it. Without me, you can do nothing, Jesus said. He is the word. Thus, we can say, without the word, we can do nothing. Those who build their lives and work around the word never fail.

Jehoshaphat was in trouble. Three kings had come against him to battle. He was outnumbered and the ambush was sudden. He did not know what to do. But he did something. He looked upon the Lord and in looking upon the Lord, he received the word that liberated him and that gave him the victory. The bible says

"O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee." (2Ch 20:12)

He looked upon the Lord and was lightened and his face was not ashamed. Everyone that looks upon God receives the Light. The Light is the word.

"They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed." (Psa 34:5)

So Jehoshaphat looked and was lightened. When he looked, then God spoke

"14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;

15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten." (2Ch 20:14-22)

So he received light through the word of God and got the victory. Without the word, he would not have known what to do. But he received the word, received instruction and got the victory because he looked upon the Lord.

So looking upon the word is a sign of dependence on the word. Now, let us dissect those two words. First to look is to gaze at. It involves attention. It involves concentration. It involves a shift of focus. Many people focus on many things, but the man that looks into the word prevails over the world.

You see, God created man to be conformed to the image of the son. This means the image of the son is the mould to which man is to be conformed. The bible says

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Rom 8:29)

So the purpose of God for each person and the whole of humankind is to be conformed to the image of the Son. People who are looking for prophecy on how their lives should be run, those looking for zodiac predictions, those trying to know the future should look in the Son. The Son is the sum total of what God wants man to become. If you look at the Son, you will get a perfect image of God's purpose for you.

But the Son is the Word because Jesus is the Son and He is the Word. So when you look into the word, you get the picture of who you are to be. The bible says

"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." (2Co 3:18)

To be changed into the image of the Son is to behold the word. This is the true fellowship with the word that we are supposed to have. Paul said

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;" (Php 3:10)

Paul was trying to say, "That I may know the son". The "him" there is Jesus who is also the word. The word "know" in that scripture is the same as the one used to speak of the intimacy between Adam and his wife that brought forth fruits of children. It is the highest level of intimacy—the highest level of union between man and the word. This is also the same as was spoken by Jesus in John 8:32. He said

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Joh 8:32)

It is the truth you are united with, that you are intimate with that has impact in your life. So looking upon the word conforms you to the image of the Son. And this is why the bible says transformation is dependent on looking at the word (Rom 12:2).

If you don't look, you can't see the truth. It is this looking that determines what you get. It is your look that determines your loot. Your looking will determine what you get out of God.

"1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,

2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:" (Zec 4:1-2)

The prophet looked before he saw. He came out of his state of sleep, cleared his eyes, looked and he saw. He looked before he beheld. To look is to turn aside by paying attention. To behold is to see what is looked upon. Moses, when he encountered the burning bush, said

"And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt." (Exo 3:3)

Moses turned aside. This was his looking; his decision to lay everything else aside to look at the sight. He looked with the intention of understanding why the bush was not burnt. He did not just turn aside; he also turned aside to see. This seeing is conditioned on his decision to turn aside. So when he had turned aside, he saw and encountered God. He looked and he did behold.

The prophet Zechariah also looked, then he beheld. To behold is to discern what the Lord has hidden behind the burning bush. It is to understand what the prophet sees. Behind the burning bush, God had hidden the revelation of the deliverance of Israel and the call of Moses to undertake it. Behind the look of the prophet, God had hidden the victory secret for Zerubbabel. What the prophet saw was physical, what he beheld was spiritual. The angel gave him understanding of what he had looked upon.

"5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts." (Zec 4:5-6)

He received understanding and a glimpse into the plan of God through his look. Jeremiah was taught great lessons by looking. The bible says

"11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.

12 Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it." (Jer 1:11-12)

It is important to look well to see well. Jeremiah looked, he saw and he beheld. He saw an almond tree. What did he behold? The beholding came in the statement "...I will hasten my word to perform it". That was the revelation in what he saw. But without his looking, he could not have beheld.

This is the fellowship of the word. This is the fellowship that will release the will of God. All those who looked and who beheld, saw the plan of God, not just for them, but also for the whole world. So when you look, you will be privy to God's plan. It is this fellowship with the word that guarantees your place in the world today.

Paul talks of the fellowship of the mystery. This mystery is the same that is revealed to us and that is ordained unto our glory. Without this fellowship, we cannot understand the mystery of God's end-time plan.

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:" (Eph 3:9)

Fellowship with the Spirit or the Fellowship of the Spirit

There is the fellowship of the Father, and fellowship of the Son. Here we would see the fellowship of the Spirit. Man needs a vibrant relationship with the Holy Spirit. He is the source of life. God breathed into man the breath of life, and man became a living soul. So the breath, the Spirit is vital to man's existence and also for his assignment. He is key to both the life of man and the life of his assignment.

Paul said

"If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies," (Php 2:1)

So if there be any fellowship of the Spirit. The fellowship of the Spirit is the partnership with the Holy Spirit. He is here on a mission. Thus, we can only fellowship with him when we join him on the mission. This is why the bible says

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Gal 5:25)

We have been made alive by the Spirit. He is the breath that God sent into us to give us life. He is the proof of the nature or the seed of God in us. He is the ability and power of God within us. Yes, we have been made alive by the Spirit. Now that we are alive, we have one more duty of walking in the same Spirit that has made us alive. We must, as it were, walk with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Enoch walked with God. A walk is the highest level of fellowship. Walking involves talking together and working together. So when a man walks with the Holy Spirit, he talks with the Holy Spirit and he walks works with him. The Holy Spirit came to the earth to work and he goes about working. So a walk in the Spirit will carry us where the Spirit is going.

Fellowship in the Spirit is uniting with the Holy Spirit in all he does. He came to comfort us, so when we fellowship with him, we receive his comfort and not another's. He is called the Comforter. He is also the helper. He came to help us. This means when we need help, we should always turn to him. Turning to something or someone else means our denial of his hand of fellowship.

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (Joh 14:26)

As comforter, he is also the Teacher. He reveals and teaches us all things. To fellowship with him is to learn from him—to learn at his feet.

He is also our reminder. Therefore, to fellowship with him, we must depend on him to remind us all things by not worrying what to remember and what not to after we have been taught of him. His work is to remind us what we are taught. To deny him this is to deny him the fellowship we are talking about.

He has come to glorify Jesus. So we fellowship with him when we unite with him in glorifying Jesus through our words, and through our lifestyle.

"He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (Joh 16:14)

He also works to testify of Jesus. When we unite with him in this great work of witnessing for Jesus by testifying of him to the world, we are fellowshipping with him.

"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:" (Joh 15:26)

He prays for us. So when we unite with him in the work of intercession, we are fellowshipping with him.

"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." (Rom 8:26)

His assignment is to address sin and expel it from people's lives. He came to give and establish the righteousness of God in man and to visit every judgment in man with the judgment of God—to judge every devil in people's bodies, souls and spirits. When we unite with him in this work, we are fellowshipping with him.

He can be grieved and he can be quenched. When we don't unite with him in his works, he will be grieved and if we don't repent, he will be quenched out of us. So we must work with him.

As we said, fellowship with the Holy Spirit is both a talk with him and a work with him. We have seen some of the work with him. But we can and should also talk with him.

"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost," (Jud 1:20)

He also talks to us. So when he talks and we listen and respond, we are fellowshipping with him.

"But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." (1Co 2:10)

We are not just to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit, we are also to know that the fellowship we have with him is the avenue he uses to equip us for the work to which we have been called. For example, the Holy Spirit teaches us and we fellowship with him by learning at his feet. What does he teach? He teaches the wisdom necessary for the fulfilment of our purpose. He teaches the kind of wisdom that none of the princes of this world know; a wisdom vital for creating the works of God on earth.

"Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." (1Co 2:13)

So we see the importance of fellowship with the Holy Spirit. It is not just for the Spirit's sake but most importantly for our sake and the work we are given. This fellowship is so important that Jesus told his disciples not to do a thing until they had received the Holy Spirit. This is because he is central to the work of God on the earth.

Therefore, we must endeavour to keep the fellowship of the Spirit. We must not lose sight of it. He is right inside us. God has put him in the place that is closest to us—inside us. It is one of the most important lessons we could ever learn. If we understand it, then we are blessed and we would become unstoppable. We would realize that the fullness of the power of God is inside us. We would know all that needs be done to taste the full power of Almighty God through the Spirit in us, is to strengthen our fellowship with the Holy Spirit. The more we are grounded in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, the more we experience the power in our work.

Fellowship through Worship

Fellowship is the easiest, fastest and best way to bring God around you. If you want your environment to be saturated with God, then fellowship through worship is the key. This is a secret of champions. Champions know that God is attracted to where he is being praised. When praises go up, God "unhides" himself, as it were.

Worship is an art of giving where a man begins to admire the many sides of God in his heart and with his words. This is worship. David, the man after God's heart excelled in worship. No wonder he was the man after God's heart. God was always near him. He never murmured. He never burdened God; he just kept on loving God through his worship.

"Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments." (Psa 119:164)

Seven times?! That is excellent praise. For such a man, God will be committed to ensure that he does not see tears. God knows them, that they will render praises to him, so he jealously preserves them so that they can come before his presence with singing.

You must desire God to the extent that songs flow from your heart to him.

"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;" (Eph 5:19)

David desired God so much. He was glad when they told him it was church time. He appointed hundreds of priests just to praise God. He danced before God with all his might. That should teach us a lesson in dancing today. He danced with everything inside him, because he loved to worship the Lord.

He desired God so much as the desert hart desires water. David could not do without praising God. Even when trouble rose up against him, he still sang. Even when war rose up against him, yet he praised God. He desired one thing: to behold the beauty of the Lord. He wanted to see God so he can admire him more. This was his desire. That's what he sought all through his life.

Look at his life, he was one king too many. He never lost a single battle. Because he knew how to bring God near to him, he excelled in his destiny work.

Fellowship with God is key to destiny fulfilment. It is air to us. Without this fellowship, our spiritual life and all its substance would flicker out. And when the life flickers out, we would be good for nothing. So fellowship is vital. There, we are changed, refreshed, and empowered. There, we would mount up with wings as eagles, we will run and not be weary, and walk and not faint.

Elijah had this unusual fellowship with God, and he commanded nations. If he did not have this fellowship, he would not have succeeded in his work. But thank God he did and thank God we do too.

# Chapter 13
# Man and God's Assignment

Man's assignment is the work he is assigned to accomplish while he is on earth. And it is in your assigned work that you find your assigned worth. God's assignment for man is his own garden and every man's assignment is linked to purpose and is determined by purpose. There are two kinds of purposes in God. We have the general purpose, which is the general reason why man exists. It is the grand desire of God for creating man. This purpose is stated clearly for us in the scriptures.

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (Gen 1:26)

This grand purpose is God's grand design for the existence of man. It is also his design for the existence of the earth. The earth exists basically for man. It is not primarily for man. The earth was made for man because man is a choice creation of God's great genius. The earth is a proving ground for man to display all that God has wired into him. The earth exists because man exists. The earth was made for man and not man for the earth. We need to have this understanding to fulfil our purpose on earth.

The earth was made for man and not man for the earth. Many people do not realise this, so they keep living life as if they were servants of life. But God made man to be a master of life, to command life at will; to have dominion over all of life. Unless you understand your place in creation as the master, you will die serving life. This is the grand purpose of God. The earth was made for you and not you for the earth. The earth was made to take orders from you and not you from the earth. The sea, the sun, the stars were created to obey you as you serve the purpose of God on the earth. All the elements on earth are messengers of God's purpose in your life. Stop treating life like master, it is servant.

Having understood this, you will be able to approach life with a good sense of responsibility because the responsibility of management is always bigger than the responsibility of servants. Managers are burdened with what happens to the whole organisation while servants are only burdened with what they are told to do. When you think like a manager on earth, you tend to embrace the real responsibility you need to excel. Without this kind of responsibility, you stand no chance of fulfilling destiny and pleasing God.

Look through the bible, the sun stood still for Joshua when he spoke to it to stand still. The red sea parted for Moses when he told it to part. The wind blew when they needed meat; water came out of the rock when they were thirsty. The earth was made to serve you as you serve God's purpose for you. This sense of responsibility was developed in highly successful men. One of them was Paul who said

"For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" (1Co 9:16)

Necessity, responsibility and a woe was upon him if he did not preach the gospel. Because of this great sense of responsibility, at the end of his life, he said

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:" (2Ti 4:7)

He possessed a sense of purpose that helped him to stay focused all through his life. This same sense of purpose must be in us to fulfil the assignment of God for us. That sense of the general, global purpose of God for man must be alive and living in us.

Then there is the specific purpose. This is specific to every man born. Specific purposes also always fulfil the general purpose. A specific purpose that does not fit into the general purpose of God is not from God. It is sensual and evil. God always gives an assignment that will fit into his grand scheme and design. The specific purpose is your purpose in the grand design of God, your little place in the big scheme of God. It is the place where you fit into in the gigantic puzzle of God. It is your own Eden in the vast universe.

God created the earth but put Adam in just a fraction of the earth. He put Adam in the garden of Eden. That was the assignment of Adam. That was where the genius that God had wired into him found relevance. Outside of the garden where God planted him, he was an ordinary man subject to hard labour, sweat and toiling with little results. He was chased out of the garden into troubles because he was made for the garden, he could only excel in the garden. In the garden, the ground cooperated with him. Outside the garden, the ground only grew thorns. In the garden, all the animals were subject to him, but outside the garden, he became a prey.

5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." (Gen 2: 5-8)

Adam was a god only in his garden, outside it he was just another ordinary man bound to struggle.

Every man is created because of a need and for him to be a solution to that need. He is specifically designed for that need. He is rigorously wired for that assignment. And he cannot prosper in any other assignment apart from that for which he was designed.

Look at the scripture above, there was need for a man who would till the ground. Before God made the man, there was a need and he formed the man specifically to meet that need. The bible says

"And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." (Gen 2:15)

That was the reason why God put the man in the garden. He did not just put him there for the fun of it, but for that which he specifically made the man for. This is why no man is an accident on the earth. No man was created just for the fun of it. God has never, and will never, create any one for the fun of it. When a child is born, know it that a solution has been born for one of the needs of humanity. God makes calculated moves. He does not just move because he feels like it. He moves for a purpose. This is why for every soul the Lord makes, there is a readymade assignment for him in the earth.

God does not create and then try to fix up into a space. He creates the space before he creates the man that would fill the space. This is a sobering truth. It is sobering because multitudes are living for themselves but in truth, God measures life by how much we live it for him by living it for others. This is because every need on earth, for which God created men, involves and affects all men. So when we leave those needs and go on to meet our own selfish needs, we rob humanity and ourselves of treasures of joy, peace and happiness. We rob ourselves because outside that God-made garden of ours, we are vulnerable to pain, and undue labour and struggles. We rob humanity because a need is there unmet. And for these God would ask us on the judgement day.

There are people who were never involved that God would hold responsible for many wars that happened on the earth. There are many that God would hold responsible for deaths they never thought they were connected to. There are people whom God would accuse of being the cause of famines, malnourishments and civil unrest, economic crises on the earth even when those people never even got themselves involved. The truth is those things happened because they did not get themselves involved. What about you? What would God hold you responsible and accountable for on the day of judgement. This is how important the assignment of man is.

We were not put on earth for merry-making and pleasurable partyings and revelling. We were put on earth for an assignment. God help the man that fails to discover his' and perform it! You must know the importance of your existence and stop wallowing in self-pity. You must take responsibility for humanity and God will commit himself to your success. You must realize the weight of this matter before God and position yourself to access the assignment that God has for you. You must run with patience the race that is set before you, commit yourself diligently to accomplishing it and then gloriously go home to heaven confident that you have finished your course of the race, fixed your part of the puzzle, being a blessing to humanity. Then God would smile on you and welcome you home to glory. You deserve it because you have proved yourself worthy.

Accessing God's Assignment for Man

To access the assignment that God has for you, you must position yourself where God can access you. God is always looking for the willing. His purposes are never forced on man. We each must choose whether to align ourselves with our purpose for existence (which is God's purpose). It is a personal choice. It is an individual decision that must be taken personally. Your wife cannot take the decision for you. Your president or your father cannot decide for you. You are the architect of your own fate, and the driver of your own life.

There are three main divisions of accessing this divinely breathed and created purpose. They are vision, preparation and mission. Your vision should lead you to great preparation and your preparation should fire you up for the mission to accomplish the vision. Now let us look at them one by one.

Vision

Vision is a divinely inspired thought, a divine opening of the eyes to see. It is the conception of an idea contained in vivid imaginations of a desirable and godly future which is absent in the present reality. It is the conception of an ideology, the thought about an ideal of life, which is presently countered by the real. It is usually termed as an impossible occurrence or achievement. It is often ridiculed as a fantasy because nothing like it exists on earth and there is nothing on earth that may be used to compare with it.

Vision is so important to our mission on the earth. Without vision, people perish. This is because problems, which the vision should solve, persists, thus, people are destroyed. Without solutions to the persistent problems, solutions that hang on somebody's specific assignment, the problem would result in chaos and evil and destruction.

The original man Adam had access to vision. In simple language, vision is seeing something the way God sees it and mission is working to make the present reality into what is conceived both by God and you. This is why any living that is not challenging is fake living. Anything you do that does not attack a present reality is not visionary. Visionaries leave the world a better place when they die. They do not leave it the same way they met it. There are many today and many who have gone, that the world has not felt their passage. A visionary always impresses a new thing upon the earth.

Enlarge your territory. I know deep within my spirit that someone is reading this book, you have not seen yourself as a global personality, but I tell you that God did not make you to only affect your town but the whole world. Are you ready for it? And I hear God saying to you to enlarge you vision! Come out of your tent of mediocrity and smallness! There is a treasure within you; latent power that can set the whole world on fire! There is something inside you that the world needs and for which the whole of humanity is waiting and looking for—you are the answer!

For you to have read this book to this point, you should already know that you are not ordinary, you are not empty, and you are a loaded gun ready to explode! All you need do now is to pull the trigger. Pull the trigger of you mind! Pull the trigger of your vision! This is the beginning of astonishments for you. If you do this, what will come out of you to the whole world will even amaze you. So pull the trigger!

Accessing God's assignment begins with vision. It is vision that gives you a peep into the mind of God for your life. It is what gives you access to the manufacturer's purpose for your invention. You are a unique invention of the Most High. You are patented in the heavenly patent. Your patency is superior and more expensive than any patent in the whole world. There is no better version of you! You exist in a class of your own! That is the meaning of your uniqueness.

Vision is what gives you a peep into the plan of God for humanity as it concerns you. I want you to understand this. Vision is not about you, will not talk about you; will not aim at impressing you. Vision is for humanity. Any vision that God gives you is always for the good of man and not just you. When God gives you a vision, he talks about nations, men. He talks about people. He talks about his purpose for people. That is vision. This is the main difference between ambition and vision. Ambition is always selfish while vision is always selfless.

Adam's assignment was to take care of the garden. It was not about him but the garden. God put the care of the garden in his heart and that vision taught him how to accomplish the vision.

Vision is the mind of man rubbing with the divine mind. It is the finiteness of man being stretch by the infiniteness of God to achieve something supernatural in the natural. This stretching is not ordinarily, possibly conceived by man's tiny mind. It is conceived by the inspiration of the Divine mind of God. The bible says

"But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." (Job 32:8)

This was what happened to the original man. He was dead until he received that inspiration. Man remains dead until he receives the inspiration of the vision of divine assignment. This is how important vision is. This is because the things that God planted in the man when he was being created, would not be activated until that inspiration is received. Until the breath came, Adam was dead, the treasures within him notwithstanding. This is the Excellency of vision and without vision, people perish, people remain dead. It is when they start seeing that they start living.

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Gen 2:7)

It was after man lived that he could possess the garden of his life. Until the Almighty with the vision of destiny inspires a man, he cannot enter into his Eden. He cannot enter his rest. This is because only those who have ceased from their own personal works enter into his rest.

"For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." (Heb 4:10)

It was then that Adam entered into the garden. It was then that he could be planted in the place of his rest and bliss. It was then he was located in the natural habitiat of his destiny. It was then he was put where he could reign as king. The bible says

"And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." (Gen 2:8)

The man was not put there when he was dead. And he was driven out again when he died—when he died through sin. The garden is always for the living, for the visionary, for the inspired.

Indeed, we would see that the inspiration of the Almighty gives man understanding. This inspiration is an inspiration to think like God, look at things like God and do things like God. It was after this great inspiration that Adam could name all the animals without being corrected by God. Every name he gave was the name God had given. He did not miss it because of the inspiration, because of that vision.

"And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof." (Gen 2:19)

How do we access this inspiration? How do we conceive this vision since it is not a self-inflicted assignment? Vision is the result of divine visitation. If you are going to not have a self-inflicted vision, you must crave divine visitation since it is the inspiration of the Almighty that brings this divine understanding to mortal man. It follows therefore, that, you must either go where the Almighty is or be visited by the Almighty to receive the breath. When you go where the Almighty is, you receive this understanding. David did not understand some things until he went to the house of God. It was a matter he sought to know but could not understand until he went into the sanctuary.

"16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;

17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end." (Psa 73: 16-17)

On the other hand, God himself can visit you. When he does he gives you inspiration and imparts you the vision of your assignment on the earth. Jeremiah was a regular priest, a religious man who did not know his purpose until God visited him. The bible says

"1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

2 To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child." (Jer 1: 1-6)

He was a regular priest, performing all the rituals and probably even sleeping in the temple. But for God's visitation, he would have died as a regular man. He would have wasted away in the temple because God made him to be more than he was. He made him to be more than a priest. He was ordained to be a prophet unto the nations. When he heard this from the mouth of God, he was filled with amazement. It was unbelievable! He thought he was to die as a regular priest. I don't care how much spiritual you think you are and I don't care how much people honour you and love you, if you have not received this inspiration, you are still joking.

This inspiration comes through our ears and eyes and it comes forth out of the mouth of the Lord. You see, the word of God can both be heard and seen. To encounter God, you must encounter his word. The word can both be heard and seen. Jezebel sent word to Elijah and when the word had reached him, the bible says that Elijah saw the word. Jeremiah in his own case heard the word. So you can both hear and see the word. Vision is both heard and seen.

Because vision can both be heard and seen, then it follows that you must love the word of God because it is the completion of all that God wants man to both hear and see. It is a compilation of the plans and purposes of God and as vast as the words of the bible are, there are some specifically written for you. They are God's signal to your destiny-garden. The word of the Living God is the inspiration that man needs. Every time the word enters you, it picks you up and makes you truly live.

"1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.

2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me." (Eze 2: 1-2)

Vision is the indispensable factor in destiny fulfilment and it happens by divine touch of God's hands on man. It comes to the man who desires the presence of God. It comes to the man who is a man of altar because altar is meeting point between the spiritual and the physical. If you so desire, God would give you a vision today that will change your history forever.

Preparation

This is the stage where you get ready for the assignment you are called to carry out. I love a statement I saw in a book by Orisson Marden Swett, which said, "first, be a man". This statement has since stuck with me and made a tremendous impact on my life and approach to preparation. It is still pushing and influencing me today. Are you called to be a preacher? Then be a man-preacher and not a baby-preacher. Are you called to be a singer? Then be a man-singer and not a baby-singer. This is the great secret of excellence. Life is simple! A good formula for life is; be a man, find problems, find solutions and give the solutions as quickly as possible. If you live your life in this way, you cannot escape greatness even if you don't desire it.

Vision is the stage when you see your work. Preparation is the stage where you get ready for performance. Preparation involves two major things—building and stretching. Someone once said, "We build for performance and we stretch for endurance". These two— endurance and performance, you will need in the pursuit of your mission. You need to be able to perform and while you perform, you need to be able to stretch yourself to achieve the vision you have seen. It is not possible to achieve your vision-goals without the ability to stretch.

If we look at the original man, we would see that the process of formation precedes the time of manifestation. The bible says that God put the man whom he had formed in the garden. It was the formed man that was put in the garden. And the beauty also is that, it said the man and not the boy or the baby. Adam did not enter the garden as a baby.

"And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." (Gen 2:8)

Man always has to pass through the process of preparation because no man was born ready for life. We grow into life. When a baby is born, it first knows nothing but to eat, sleep and cry. But as it grew, it became aware that it had to prepare for life because a time would come when nobody would respond to his cry. Thus, it was imperative for him to start preparing himself for the life ahead. Because he has seen the vision of a future where he would be totally responsible for himself, he learns through the years to get ready for that time of responsibility and independence. Thus, he prepares himself exactly for that. It is the same with this dimension of life. You start to prepare only when you have seen the vision of the future.

Preparation is specific just as vision is specific. The preparation of one man is not enough for another because assignments differ. This is why the bible says

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." (2Co 10:12)

It is foolishness to compare yourself with another man because the other man is completely different from you. He is completely another man. You must get ready alone. You must prepare alone. When people tell you to slow down, you must understand that they cannot see what you see, so they cannot possibly advise you on how to live. They only qualify to advise you if they see what you see.

There are many things to say about preparation, but because preparation is specific, you must discover the specifics yourself and prepare accordingly. But basically preparation is for building and stretching. You must build up your mind, enlarge your spirit and prepare your body for the work you are called to.

The time of preparation is the time of focus. You must focus on the assignment you are called to do. It is not a time to loaf around. I just finished my university education, and two days ago, I met a friend who was asking why I was growing leaner than before. She said I ought to be growing bigger since the stress of school was out of the picture. I told her this was the time to grow leaner because this time is the time to really face life and be diligent at life and not just diligent at book. I was not growing leaner because of hunger or worry and anxiety, but because of labour and hardwork. I cannot afford to be wasting my life on trivialities. I must face my assignment squarely. Like Jesus who said, "wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" my father has given me a business with which I must be occupied till he comes.

Preparation is non-negotiable in the school of destiny. First, be a man. Build yourself up. Learn to stretch. Find how you need to get ready for your specific assignment. Bishop David Oyedepo highlighted three areas where we need to be prepared—we must prepare Spiritually, Mentally and Socially. These are broad generalizations. Inside these three are specifics to your own assignment. Find them, be a man and change your world.

Only a formed man can form the earth. Only a conformed man can conform the earth to God's ideal for it. Preparation is simply conformity to a particular lifestyle. It is becoming an expert in the field of your calling. It is adjusting, reshaping yourself in the mould of the perfect man for the perfect job that God has given you. Without preparation, you cannot achieve purpose. So go and make yourself ready.

Hadassah who is also called Esther was in preparation for three solid years before she emerged as the then queen of the world. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in preparation for three years before they were called forth to stand before the king. Without preparation, there is no manifestation. Only the prepared live out their vision. The unprepared will die in nothingness, the gravity and clearness of the vision notwithstanding.

First, be a man. Manhood is what qualifies and guarantees your fruitfulness. If you are not a man you cannot produce anything. So be a man and your manifestation and accomplishments will be mind-blowing. He who has a strong will moulds the world unto himself. Go and do that and change the world.

Mission

This is when the vision becomes your life pursuit. It is when the assignment becomes all that you live for. Mission drives accomplishment. Without a sense of mission in the pursuit of your assignment, you will not get anything done. Mission is about getting things done. It does not stop until it is done.

It is in the midst of the pursuit of the vision that you find available and abundant resources for the work. All the resources and tools you need to accomplish vision have been provided for by God but you only access them in the pursuit.

Mission, simply put, is the pursuit of vision. Mission involves diligent and meticulous planning and strategy, diligent and tireless pursuit and execution of the plan and a never-giving-up attitude to match. You must, in the pursuit of your assignment, know that the word impossibility does not exist. It is only a term of human weakness and limitation. But you are not doing man's work, so you cannot put yourself in the mould and limitations of men. Whatever God shows you, you are capable of accomplishing. You can be sure of that.

# Chapter 14
#  Grasshopper Mentality

In this part of the book, we will be addressing our thinking. Our mentality determines who we are and who we will become. Mentality is mental picture, so your mentality is the mental picture you have of yourself. This mental picture is determined by our thinking and belief system. Your mentality is what you are in your own eyes. It is how you see yourself. The ideal mentality is to see yourself exactly as God sees you. Every other kind of thinking that overestimates or underestimates you must be brushed out of your life by consciously purging yourself of every old leaven.

Mentality is like leaven. It affects every aspect of our lives. There is no part of life that escapes its effect! It has turned powerful men into preys in battle and it has made small men into great men. No matter how small and hidden your mentality may be, it will determine the course of your life. It is important for you to see yourself in the light of God if you will be like God on the earth. I know you still remember the scripture that says as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. So if he thinks like God, he will become like God. If he thinks like the devil, that is what he will become and if he thinks like men, he would remain like ordinary men all through his life. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.

The thought only has to be little because it is only a little leaven that leaveneth the whole lump. It is only a little of that fear that you need to be defeated, only a little of that anger that you need to become a fool. It is only a little faith that you need to move the mountains before you. Why? A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine, which he drank. Why? Because what the king ate and what he drank, were not what God ate and drank. Daniel knew the God of Israel, so he could not fill himself with something the God of Israel hated. He did not nourish himself with nutrition from the devil.

Guard your heart with all diligence, stand at the doorway of your heart always like a vigilante and ensure you watch the seeds that drop on the altar of your heart, because whether you like it or not, they will germinate and when they do, they will come out. When the seed is planted, it stays buried, but germination means it will come out of its hiding place. The truth is seedtime and harvest still abides today. Whatever is sown must be reaped. This is why you must guard what goes into your mind because you may have little or no control on what will come out of it. We are a product of our thoughts.

What you think is what you turn out to be. I believe this is why Jesus said if you have done it in your heart; you have done it. Because you have sown that seed in your heart, it will germinate and bring forth fruits, whether good or bad according to the seed sown. You cannot sow apple and reap carrot.

Grasshopper Mentality

"And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." (Num 13:33)

You have a grasshopper mentality the moment you see giants in things. The giant poverty you are afraid of, the giant problem you think is secretly haunting your sleep, the giant labour market that has a job for everybody but you. All the giants you see make you a grasshopper.

A giant is something you consider to be bigger than you. If you think it is bigger than you are, then you are a grasshopper. If you look in the garden of your life and see giants, you make yourself a grasshopper. It does not take a second for a giant to crush the grasshopper. He would do it without even feeling it. In the same way, life has crushed so many a great destinies because they saw life as a giant running after them.

To see giants or mountains, it depends on where you are looking from. If you are looking from the valley of depression and unbelief, everything you see will be giants. But if you were to look from an aeroplane, you would discover that the largest oceans are like a drop of water, the highest mountains are no different from the valleys. When you look from the direction of God, you will see the mountains as God is seeing them.

Being a grasshopper is a self-inflicted mentality. The ten spies said, "...and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers..." It is not the way the governor looked at you that made you a grasshopper; it is not what your wife said to you. It is not because of the school you attended or the family you were born into, but because of you. You are a grasshopper because of you! You are because that is what you chose to believe about yourself in respect of life.

The amazing thing there is that it was until these people saw themselves as grasshoppers that the inhabitants of the land started seeing them as grasshoppers. Look at what the bible says there again

"... _and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight"._

First, they saw the giants, then they saw themselves, and then the enemy saw them. The sons of Anak did not see them as grasshoppers until they saw themselves as such. Life will treat you the way you treat yourself. Life cannot treat you better than you treat yourself. When you see yourself as a grasshopper, life will see you as a grasshopper and treat you as such.

Another scary thing is that God sees you the way you see yourself. When you see yourself as a grasshopper, God will see you as such and deal with you as such. God said to the grasshoppers that because they saw themselves as grasshoppers, they would be trampled in the wilderness. None of those who rebelled escaped death by accident. All their carcases fell in the wilderness.

How it Comes

Grasshopper mentality comes when a man loses sight of his assignment. The spies were sent to go and spy the land and bring some of the fruit. They were not asked to give military advice as regards the next step to take. They decided to go over their boundary and once we step outside our boundary, we step out into the grave. Once we step outside our boundary, we make mistakes because it is outside our Eden.

When God says go forward, yours is to go forward. You need not tell him that the sea is still there. That is his' to handle. Stay within the boundary that you are put. But how can you do that?

The Way Out

Joshua and Caleb came immediately to still the people for their evil report. The men who brought evil report were looking from the valley, but Joshua and Caleb were looking from the topmost top beside God. So they stilled the people and assured them that the people of the land were bread for them. To them they did not see giants; they only saw people who were as soft as bread. They saw what God was seeing. To overcome the grasshopper mentality, you must consciously get on the right side. Look from the right side. Look from the perspective of God and do not exceed your jurisdiction and boundary.

How can you look from the perspective of God? When you rub your little mind with God's great mind. The bible said that Joshua and Caleb had another Spirit in them. It was the Spirit of Faith, which speaks, as it believes. They also believed and they spoke that God was able to do it and they spoke it forth. This spirit of faith is actually the Spirit of the Word, which entered into them when they allowed their little minds to rub with God's great mind.

Like Ezekiel, the word entered them when he spoke to them and they received strength, which carried them on in the midst of the trial of their faith. They had suffocated their minds with the word of God that fear and doubt could not enter. And as they believed, so did God for them.

God said to every one of them, even as he is saying to every human being without exception, that as they had spoken in his ears, so would he do to them. And for every man, God did as the man said in his ears. Nevertheless, God does not hear only words. He hears every thought as loudly as he hears us when we speak. He knows our mentality as surely as he knows us, and he will deal with us according to our mentality. For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

# Chapter 15
# Solomon's Wife Mentality

Our mentality is what moulds us into what we become. It shapes our lives and dictates in what direction we have a tendency to move. Once your mentality is wrong, there is nothing God can do to help you except to help you pay attention to your mentality.

God had a very big plan for Joshua. We saw God promising Joshua once but he addressed his mental state several times. God knew that no matter the gravity of the vision, no matter the impartation of anointing he gives you, if your mentality is not right, you cannot achieve anything. In fact, every human being is loaded with enough treasures to make them a treasured gem on the earth. But it is our mentality that will determine whether we will discover those treasures while we live. Equally, our mentality will determine whether we will have enough confidence to launch out with those treasures in life. Mentality sustains us when we have launched out in life, assuring us of success in that which we have given our lives to pursuing.

God had to address the mentality of Joshua many times before Joshua could believe in himself. The kind of mentality we have determines the extent of our achievement because it determines the extent to which we believe we can achieve. It is this faith that determines in what direction we paddle our lives.

God's power available for Joshua could not be accessed until Joshua believed he had a right to access them. If everybody on earth realized the extent to which they are capable of achievements, the world would literally be made of champions.

There are three kinds of mentalities. They determine the way we act, the way we talk and where we go and ultimately determine where we will get to in life. They are a mentality underestimating who we are, a mentality of overestimation of who we are and what we are capable of achieving and the right estimation of who we are and what we are able to do.

Overestimation and underestimation both come from the devil. As a matter of fact, the devil overestimated his ability and taught man to underestimate his ability. The devil overestimated his ability when he thought in his heart to become God. This is the only overestimation that man can exercise. When we begin to cross the line and think ourselves to be God or take credit for what God alone is responsible for, or when we try to do that which belongs alone to God to do.

The devil taught man to underestimate his ability when he deceived man into eating the forbidden fruit. He told man what he was not. He told them they were inferior to what they thought they were. They agreed with the devil and truly became inferior. This underestimation chased man out of the garden where he had absolute dominion into the place of sorrow, toiling and struggles. It was the overestimation of the devil that cast him out of heaven and down into the bottom of hellfire. So when you overestimate yourself or underestimate yourself, you go down. You are reduced to nothing. Ignorance is not an excuse.

However, you will remain in your garden and dominion when you stay put in God's conception of you. When you think about yourself as God thinks of you, you occupy your place in life. The moment you lower the standard or raise it higher than God has placed it, you quickly go down.

Solomon's Wife

Solomon's wife's mentality is that of underestimation. Have you ever seen people who live their lives to impress others? They live their lives to please others or to make others pleased with them. These are people who have an inferiority mindset. They believe the world is better than them, so they had to labour to impress it. The major problem they have is that they are not trying to make themselves better, but are only trying to impress the world. Look at this

"Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept." (Son 1:6)

Such a person possessing this kind of mentality leaves his own vineyard unkept to keep the vineyards of others. Why? To please men! The bible says we should not be men-pleasers. If you will be a man-pleaser, you cannot fulfil God's purpose for your life.

"Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;" (Eph 6:6)

Pleasing men displeases God. In your quest to please men, you undo your destiny and despise your purpose. Pleasing men is the great disease afflicting many today. Their thought is filled with how they are going to please men. With this kind of mentality, God cannot have control over you. It is the things you seek to impress that will have the authority over you. They are indirectly the things that are moulding your life. They are the things that take the place of God in your life.

They impress people all their lives, they help accomplish other people's assignments and their own field is overgrown with thorns. This mentality has brought many people into debt. It has destroyed many a teenager's life. It has destroyed many people's health and cut their lives short. Some people, because they feel inferior in their skin and stature, they undergo all forms of surgery; they bleach their skins and destroy themselves. See, it is a life of trying to impress people. Some old people, to avoid wrinkles, botox their faces, and in the process paralyse all the muscles on their faces. They become practically dead while living, all so they could avoid the reality of old age. Some dye their grey hair to avoid the reality of old age.

Check the statistics of debt, credit card use—living affluently on debt. This lifestyle abounds and is the result of this Solomon's wife's mentality.

Solomon's wife said, "Look not upon me..." She felt so inferior that she did not want people to look upon her. That word look denotes the opinion of people. These kinds of people are always thinking about the opinion of other people about them. They live their lives for people to have a "right" opinion of them. They are mindful of the way people look at them. They feel inferior to everyone else.

The people who have this mentality never get better than they are. They only become worse. Solomon's wife became what she became because her mother's children were angry with her. If you look at Songs 1:5, you would see that she was beautiful. Probably because of her beauty, her mother's children hated her and were angry with her. But she became black because she respected the opinion of her sisters. Because of the opinion of her mother's children of her, she subjected herself to them and they made her what they wanted. They made her keep their vineyard because she had respect for the opinion of her siblings. She kept their vineyard but her own vineyard she left unkept.

What did she get for this mentality? She got a scorch. She was scorched by the sun! Those who subject themselves to this mentality of man-pleasing only end up being scorched by life. They are defeated in life. They never become what God wants them to become. The reason they end up being prey in life is that they are always outside. They are never in their garden; they are always outside their garden labouring to please others. They are always outside their territory of authority; they are always where they have no dominion. They are always where they will struggle and never where they are strong.

Maybe I should say this here; there are two ways to be admired by people. Either you make yourself relevant in life and be celebrated or you take the easy way by trying to please them and by so doing get their endorsement and approval. In one case, you are working to be needed in life. In the other one, you are working to be approved. You don't need to be approved; you only need to be relevant and needed. If you are loaded, you will be needed. So load yourself up rather than loathe yourself and die as servant of men by trying to please them. When you are not loaded, you will loathe yourself and seek to please men.

When men view themselves in the light of the seeming disadvantages of life as the world defines disadvantage, they have this mentality. A good example is viewing oneself according to the colour of the skin. Some people view black as a disadvantage. And as someone has said that black is not synonymous with lack, we are each what we are because of the life we chose to live. God did not destine the black race to be behind in anything. He measures everyone individually according to the measure of his treasures in us. Lack is not a treasure, so God did not put lack in anybody's life.

Every man is what he is according to how he has applied himself to wisdom. A dog is a dog. A black dog is not inferior to a white dog. Their superiority is determined by how much they each master the art of being a dog. A man is a man whether black, white, yellow, or green. They only become superior to one another as they learn to differently apply their hearts to wisdom. What you need to go for is wisdom and not looks. Beauty is vain, good looks is deceitful. It is the substance in man that distinguishes him and not his impression. It is what God has put within you that will create a dear need in people's heart for you. It is the treasures of God inside you that will make you treasured on the earth and not the treasures of things.

The Way Out

The way out is to pay attention to the treasures of God inside you. Until you treasure yourself, you will not be treasured by humanity. You truly treasure yourself when you know who you are and are working to fulfil your assignment in life. Explore and exploit the things that God has put within to the end for which God created you. Get busy with your vineyard and give no attention to the opinions of men about you. God has a high opinion of you, so do not belittle yourself to the opinions of men in their little understanding. Do not seek to please men, for in doing that you will lose your vineyard, and your comeliness. Great examples of men who did abound around us.

# Chapter 16
# Goliath Mentality

Mentality is powerful. It determines the outcome of any endeavour. It determines the result of all pursuits. Mentality determines how weighty a man is before God. The king Belshazzar was weighed by God and was found too light for God, so God took the kingdom from him. Because he was too light, he was not fit to be king talk less of being the king of the then greatest kingdom on earth. His father Nebuchadnezzar was sent to live with animals for seven full years because of his mindset. He thought he was responsible for his exploits, and to change his mentality, God sent him to the bush. Afterwards he said

"And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:" (Dan 4:34)

When his mentality changed, his throne was restored and his honour came back to him. Honour or shame, glory or defeat, these are all determined by our mentality. Our mentality must align with God's to reap the harvests that God wants our existence to reap.

Goliath Mentality

Goliath mentality is a mentality that defies God. It is a mentality that opposes God. And what that mentality does is to set God against man. Everyone who has set himself against God has also set God against himself. Goliath set himself against God and God in turn set himself against him. The very day he set himself against God was the day he signed his death warrant. This kind of mentality leads to the death of all that is good in man. It destroys the ability that God originally put within the man.

Goliath set himself against God with the ability God gave him and God used that ability against him. Haman set himself against God by setting himself against the children of God and the position that God gave him was what God used against him to destroy him. God resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble. Only God will lift the man who is meek but the proud in heart is an abomination unto him.

Goliaths look at themselves as self-sufficient. And because they think they are self-sufficient, they believe nothing can stand against them, not even God. They are people who believe their gift is their own. They believe God had nothing to do with their intelligence, or wealth and lifting. They are men who are too full of themselves that they are empty of God.

What happened to Goliath? He fell and was reduced to meat for the birds. That is what happens to every Goliath. No matter how high they go, they end up on the ground. No matter how tall they are, they end up being torn apart. They are men who go from limelight to obscurity. They do because they don't consider God who created them. What can the axe that fells a tree boast against the man that used it to fell the tree? The axe is useless without the man that uses it. And if the axe would boast of its sharpness, let the axe consider this, that it did not sharpen itself. Someone sharpened it.

What is man that he compares himself with the living God? The breath he has is from God, the gifts he has came from God! So why should he boast as if he were not given? Whatever a man has, he received it, so why should he boast as if he did not receive it?

"Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood." (Isa 10:15)

"For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" (1Co 4:7)

This self-sufficient mindset is what disqualifies many from becoming what God wants them to become. They simply short-change their own destinies on the altar of greatness for pride. When a man takes himself too high, his fall will be disastrous. The higher he goes, the more disastrous is his fall. And no matter the height to which you lift yourself, you will still meet God at a height higher than you and even if you take yourself high up like a rocket, God will be waiting for you with a single goal—to throw you back down because He resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble.

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Pro 16:18)

"Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility." (Pro 18:12)

So you see that it is a mentality problem that leads to destruction, for before destruction, the heart of man is haughty. He meets with destruction because of what he is on the inside. Goliath was regarded as a man that defied the armies of the living God. By defying the armies of the living God, he had defied God himself and he had God to contend with in battle.

"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." (1Sa 17:45)

Goliath was in all wise better than David, but David defeated him because God had settled his defeat.

The Way Out

The only way out of such a mentality is to give glory to God. Nebuchadnezzar did not get out of ill favour with God until he gave glory to God. All that you are and all that you have must be credited to God. You must give all the credit. All your gain must be consecrated to the Lord. All your fame and glory, your talents and abilities must be credited to God. There are no two ways to it. Unless you do this, you become the enemy of God, you make him your enemy, and if you have God to contend with, then you are done for.

"5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:" (1Pe 5:5-6)

"Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth." (Mic 4:13)

Your gain belongs to God. All the substance of your life belongs to him. The stuff that you are made of that has made you great was manufactured by God. So you belong to God and you must live your life as such. Unless you do this, you cannot fully manifest your potential in God.

# Chapter 17
# David Mentality

This is the ideal mentality, which results in maximum impact on the earth. It is a mentality where a man views himself, not according to his own size but according to the size of God. David saw himself, not according to his ability but according to the ability of the Most High God.

"37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. (1Sa 17:37, 45-46)

It is a mentality that depends on God and that lives for God. This is the mentality of the man who would do exploits. Exploits is dependent upon knowing God.

"And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." (Dan 11:32)

Knowing God is dependent upon seeking God and desiring to be in his presence. This desire David both had and exhibited. He said

"One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple." (Psa 27:4)

He sought the Lord, so God in turn sought for him and said I have found David my servant. Because David sought the Lord, he was sought out by God for dominion, for kingship and for honour. He became a man like God in his generation. He fought many battles and never lost a single one.

You will fight many battles, but if you are like David, a man like God, you will always come out victorious. This is your heritage. This is what you were created for. This is the purpose of God for you. Get up out of defeat, shake off the dust, locate your Eden and possess your place on the earth. You are a man like God. It is time to rise up and occupy your place on the earth. The whole world is waiting for your manifestation.

# About the Author

The whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea. This is one of the driving scriptures of my life. I believe every human being on earth can come to know God and live for him. I am an author, a reader, and a management consultant.

I have two angles to my life; the business angle and the ministry angle. In the business angle, I run a management consulting business. You can connect with me on www.duroti.com. In the ministry angle, I run LifePoint, a strategic platform for saving the lost and bringing people into the heart of God's purpose for their lives, and I serve as a trained worker in The Redeemed Christian Church of God.

There are many more books yet to be written. So watch out for the next one.
