THE SWORD OF THY EXCELLENCY

8/14/2019 THE SWORD OF THY EXCELLENCY

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THE SWORD OF THY EXCELLENCY

AN OLD TESTAMENT TESTIMONY OF GODS VICTORIES

REV. FESTUS ASOPURUCHUKWU EKENYERE

Copyright 2007 FESTUS A.EKENYERETHE SWORD OF THY EXCELLENCY

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the King JamesVersion of the Holy Bible.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic,mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other without the written prior

permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978-33875-8-8

DEDICATION

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO EVERY MEMBER OF

FAITH RECONCILIATION CHAPTEL INTLFOR THEIR STEADFASTNESSAND TRUST IN GOD.


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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I want to first and foremost appreciate the Lord God Almighty for His immeasurablegrace upon my life. This is a burden that only HIM could lift; an insight HIMalone can give. Therefore to HIM be glory and honour forever and ever.

The fatherly counsel of Professor Frank C. Carew of the Department ofEducation, University of Maiduguri, added the needed impetus, which made this worka reality. I so much cherish the professional touch you put to my works especiallythis one. The good Lord will take you to higher grounds. Amen.

I appreciate the support of every member of our Church FAITHRECONCILIATION CHAPEL INTL, Maiduguri. Your presence in the ministry has kept mealways on my feet. I feel elated pastoring you. Thanks for your prayers.

Now to my nucleus family, which I owe a great deal of gratitude for their

understanding. I have to sit on the computers for virtually all the hours of eachday paying little or no attention to the home. The work became so tedious as Iworked on six other books at the same time. I appreciate the patience of my wife,Pastor Mrs. Glad, my son K. C. and my daughter Peace. You are special to me. Godwill reward your patience.

I so much appreciate all my friends and admirers for their numerouscontributions in cash and in words of encouragement. Your association hastremendously strengthened me. We will reign together with CHRIST!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION ...iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT..ivINTRODUCTION ..4CHAPTER ONE:O ISRAEL: WHO IS LIKE UNTO THEE..7CHAPTER TWO:THE SEVEN TRUMPETS OF RAMSHORN ...22CHAPTER THREE:THE SWORD OF THE LORD AND OFGIDEON ..32CHAPTER FOUR:


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THE SLING OF DAVID..43CHAPTER FIVE:KING JEHOSHAPHATS CHOIR..57CHAPTER SIX:THE WIDOWS POT OF OIL..66CONCLUSION80LIST OF OTHER BOOKS BYREV. FESTUS ASO. EKENYERE. ..82

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the world of victories. Testimonies of the goodness of God andHis marvelous works towards mankind are meant to glorify His name; encourage thediscouraged; give hope to the hopeless; put the devil to perpetual shame and aboveall, open doors for more miracles. It is one of the deadliest weapons of war in

the mouth of the believer. The devil is easily defeated by the words of ourtestimonies. The Scripture says, And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Nowis come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of hisChrist: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them beforeour God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by theword of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:10,11.

Most of the Psalms of David tell of the goodness of the Lord. David was oneman who knew the secret of praise. Praising God for His wonderful works formedpart of Davids lifestyle. Therefore he admonished us thus Praise ye the LORD forit is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise iscomely. Psalm 147:1. By praises in this context, David meanttestimonies of Gods goodness. The rest of the verses outline some of the

wonderful works of God that call for such praises. David learnt the secret ofsuccessful living and it could be seen in his praises.

The testimony of your salvation is a powerful took that draws more of suchmiracles closer to you day by day. As you refuse to meditate on your failures inlife. As you refuse to meditate on the attacks of the devil on your life. As yourefuse to confess negativity. If you can remember one thing the Lord has done inyour life and meditate on it. Testify and rejoice in it. Then you are sure of atriumphant tomorrow.

The primary aim of this book is to share with you some (amidst many) ofGods victories, which He handed over to people like you on a platter of gold.These few Old Testament testimonies of the goodness, faithfulness and love of godare meant to encourage the discouraged give hope to the hopeless and cause you torejoice in your present day condition no matter what.

The God of miracles will soon give you a wonderful testimony. Do notwithhold it, share it with others, and share it with me. Your testimony can helpchange lives to the glory of God.

Be rest assured of my prayers today for an outstanding miracle in your life,family, job and business. God is a wonder Worker!


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CHAPTER ONE

O ISRAEL: WHO IS LIKE UNTO THEE

Shall a nation be born in a night? Shall a people be liberated in a nightwithout struggle? Yes! It is possible with God. This is the beginning of thetestimony of the people of Israel whose 430 years of slavery in Egypt was

terminated by the finger of the Most High God. As we go through the life story ofthese people together, consider the faithfulness of God and His love. It is atestimony of deliverance meant for you upliftment.

Have you ever imagined being trapped for so long? Will you blame theIsraelites if they feel discouraged and neglected? They felt exactly that way.They felt that the God of their fathers had forgotten them in a strange land.Friend, God is not that wicked. He knows your needs. Nothing happens to youwithout His knowledge. Jesus says, Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings,and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very heirs of your headare all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than the sparrows. Luke 12:6,7.

God said to Jeremiah, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; andbefore thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a

prophet unto the nations.- Jeremiah 1:5. So many years earlier God had spoken toAbraham concerning the Egyptian captivity and the deliverance of Israel. Genesis15 puts it this way, And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shallbe a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shallafflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, willI judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.- vv13, 14. It isobvious that God knew everything even the labour of the Israelites in Egypt andaccording to His programme of activities, He set apart a night for theirdeliverance. I would like you to know that you are in Gods programme ofactivities. He will never forget you.

As we open our Bibles to the book of Exodus, we shall see God as a MasterStrategist who executes His plans at its appropriate time without mistakes. Canyou imagine how God used the resources of Pharaoh to train Moses? Moses was

knowledgeable in all the wisdom of Egypt Acts 7:22. Moses knew all the secretsof Pharaoh. For forty years he lived his life in the palace. Only God could dothat! Do you feel trapped? Do not worry; God knows the best way out. God hasmanifold resources.

God took Moses out of Egypt unceremoniously to teach him the faith of theGod of his fathers. For another forty years Moses was with Jethro in Midian. Afterthat Moses was sent back to Egypt as an instrument of liberation. God used him tojudge the gods of Egypt in every plague He wrought in the land. Every plague inEgypt was meant to defile a particular god. God is executing judgment on every godthat has held you captive as you go through this book. Remember, the battle is notyours; it is Gods.


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Finally the day of independence has come. Note that all the years thechildren of Israel served Pharaoh, they did not depend on God with all theirheart. Now their independence leads to dependence on God. The celebration of thisindependence was unique. An innocent lamb laid down his life for each family (fordetailed analysis of the Passover Lamb, read my book titled Christ Our PassoverLamb). The account of the Passover is recorded in Exodus chapter twelve. The angelof God passed over the house of the Israelites as he sees the blood of the lamb onthe door posts and killed all the firstborn of Egypt whether man or animal from

the house of Pharaoh to the least of the Egyptians. When it became real to Pharaohthat God had arisen against him, he called for Moses and Aaron by night, andsaid, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children ofIsrael; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and yourherds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. vv31, 32. The samenight a nation was born without tears. That is what God is about to do to youradversaries for Christ our Passover Lamb was slain for this purpose.

No sooner than they left for the Promised Land they discovered theinsurmountable red sea before them. Behind them were Pharaoh and his soldierscoming to exterminate them. By their left and right were the mountains and desertrespectively. It was a moment of anxiety, hopelessness, but also a moment to lookupwards. Sometimes when we are faced with difficulties like this we forget to lookupwards. We look for help around us but forget to look above. The Psalmist says,

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My helpcometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.- Psalm 121:2.

Friend, I do not know what you are passing through right now. One thing iscertain; the blood of the innocent Lamb is not shed in vain. And Moses said untothe people, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which hewill shew to you to day; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall seethem again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold yourpeace.- Exodus 14:13,14. The hostility and threat of Pharaoh will soon be over.Do not be afraid. Look at how it happened: And the LORD said unto Moses,wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that hey goforward: v15. Despite the obstacle, despite the adversaries, God wants you tomove forward. Do not give up. Remember, winners never quit and quitters never win.

God commanded Moses and said, lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine

hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dryground through the midst of the sea.- v16. I strongly believe that every child ofGod has all it takes to overcome the adversary. You can speak to the mountain inJesus name and watch it remove. You must learn how to believe and trust in theWord of God even against your logic. Moses had never seen the sea divided beforeyet he believed God. Even if it does not appeal to your senses, just do what theword of God asks you to do. Obedience is the key to victory.

And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shallfollow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, uponhis chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am theLORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots and upon hismen. Do you see that God wants to liberate you so that His name will beglorified? Every circumstance that comes your way is an opportunity for God to

prove that He is God. He is looking for an opportunity to show forth His majestythrough you. King Asa of Judah denied God this opportunity by joining affinitywith Benhadad king of Syria. He paid dearly for that. The Bible says, And at thattime Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thouhast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore isthe host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopiansand the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, becausethou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes ofthe LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in thebehalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly:therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. II Chronicles 16:7-9. The truth


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again they provoked Him to anger. God gave them victories on platters of goldbecause on innocent Lamb was slain and the blood shed for their deliverance andprotection.

In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 8, Moses rehearsed some of theexperiences of the children of Israel in the wilderness to prove the faithfulnessof God. He admonished them not to forget God when it is well with them. He says,And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold ismultiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up,

and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land ofEgypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terriblewilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where therewas no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; who fed theein the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humblethee, to do thee good at thy latter end; And thou say in thine heart, My power andthe might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember theLORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he mayestablish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. vv13-18. This admonition is also very important in to us today. I have always saidto my people that there is nothing a man has today that somebody has not gottenbefore. No position you find yourself today that somebody has not been before. Infact there is nothing you have that is not given to you. John the Baptist said,

And man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.- John 3:27.Theapostle Paul puts it this way For who make thee to differ from another? Andwhat hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dostthou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? I Corinthians 4:7.

Jesus shed His blood for us to have life more abundantly. Weeping mayendure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 30:5. Definitely youwill rejoice one of these days but in your prosperity, do not forget God. Many whodid not understand the sovereignty of God have paid dearly for it. You are Godssteward and property. I have seen some people who were beaten hands down bypoverty when they first met with me prospering. But unfortunately, in theirprosperity they forgot where they begun and who made them what they were. God isnot pleased with such attitude.

Moses made it clear to Israel that their battles were fought and won by God

alone. Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possessnations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven, Apeople great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whomthou has heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak! Understandtherefore this day, that the LORD thy god is he which goeth over before thee; as aconsuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them before thy face: soshalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said untothee. Deuteronomy 9:1-3.

When you consider the kindness of God towards Israel, you will agree withthe fact that they are enviable. But do you know that you are more fortunate thanthey? This is because we have a better covenant. We are spiritual Israelites asmany as have haven their lives to God through His Son Jesus Christ. The apostlePaul says, For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that

circumcision, which is outwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in thespirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Romans2:28,29. He expatiates further as he says, For in Christ Jesus neithercircumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And asmany as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon theIsrael of God.- Galatians 6:15,16.

The blood-washed Christian is therefore spiritual Israelite and partakes inGods divine favour. It is from this enviable point Moses saw you as the Israel ofGod and said, Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved bythe LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is THE SWORD OF THY EXCELLENCY! And thyenemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high


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places.- Deuteronomy 33:29.A comprehensive survey of the battles God won for the children of Israel

enroute the promise land revealed the Excellency of Gods sword. That sword isstill at work today. Allow God to fight your battles; allow Him to begin byconquering YOU. Cast your cares upon Him. Then, hold your peace, all the Egyptiansyou see today, you shall see them no more.

CHAPTER TWO

THE SEVEN TRUMPETS OF RAMS HORN

Moses ministry has just come to an end and the mantle of leadership fallenon Joshua the son of Nun. Joshua must take the children of Israel (who did nothave a good record of obedience) across the Jordan river. For him, there wasnothing to be afraid of as long as God is on the throne. Joshuas faith in God hadbeen proved. Remember his positive report of the land and his readiness to possessit. He and Caleb were the only survivors of their generation. The others perishedin the wilderness because of unbelief. So, how is Joshua going to cope with theleadership of these people?

Joshua was a good strategist whose secret was obedience to Gods words. Hehad a wonderful plan of divide-and-conquer but that has to be after the conquest

of Jericho. As soon as they crossed the river Jordan, the formidable wall ofJericho emerged. If they must get to the promise land, this fenced city whoseinhabitants were determined to protect at all cost must be destroyed. Jericho waslike another red sea except for the absence of Pharaoh and his horsemen. Have youever come face to face with such tough problems before? If so, you are just likeme and of course Joshua. I could easily remember how the devil tried to stop mefrom preaching the gospel in 1994and 1995. Those two years were so frustrating butagain, heaven intervened. The devil attacked my ministry badly. The churchbuilding was blown down by terrible wind. Before we could gather the debris, theMuslims in the neighbourhood instigated the landlord who finally threw us out byrevoking the agreement.

At home I was having it tough. Sicknesses and diseases were the order ofeach day that passed by. We were moving from one hospital to another. The brethren

were holding vigils from one night to another on our behalf and finally deathstruck. I lost two precious souls within that period. It was like hell!

The good news is that God knows what is ahead of us. He understands ourtomorrow and above all, He understands that we are mortal human beings in weakenclay vessels. So God takes some times off to equip His soldiers. Friend, Godcares! (Get my book God of All Comforts and read more about the loving, caringand compassionate God). He did that for Joshua by assuring him of His presencealways. He promised He would not fail nor forsake him. All He required from Joshuawas obedience, courage and fearless attitude. Joshua 1:1-9. God is a covenantkeeping God. Joshua knew that very well. So having heard from God before they cameto river Jordan, he walked across the river miraculously with confidence to go and


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possess the land.Prior to their onslaught on Jericho, God made known to Joshua that He is the

Sword of his Excellence therefore Joshua must cooperate. The Bible says, And itcame to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho that he lifted up his eyes and looked,and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand:and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him Art thou for us, or for ouradversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I nowcome. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto

him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the Captain of the LORDS host saidunto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place where on thoustandest is holy. And Joshua did no. Joshua 5:13-15. Oh, how pleasant it is toknow that God is nearer to us than we had ever imagined. Especially when we arefaced with the walls of Jericho.

In the above text, we see a clear picture of a submissive and humble mind.Joshua was the Captain of the host of Israel yet he humbled himself before theCaptain of the LORDS host. He consecrated himself before the Lord and preparedhis mind to fight the enemy according to the Lords plan of war not according tohis military expertise. This is the secret of Joshuas success. Consecration!

Joshua saw the wall of Jericho through God and not the other way round. Hesaw God taller and thicker than the wall of Jericho therefore the wall was noproblem. But to the man who sees his God through the wall of Jericho, the wall

becomes formidable. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego saw their God hotter than theburning fiery furnace. That was why they had no regard for the kings decree Daniel chapter 3. Even Jonah in his disobedience still saw God as the God ofheaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. That was why he confidentlysaid to the shipmasters, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall thesea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. Jonah 1:9,12. When you see God as the Lord over (not of) your problems, you willhave a deep sleep like Jonah.

All that we need to understand is that victories belong to God and He givesthem to us as bread so that we can give Him the glory. He is the Sword of ourExcellency!

In Joshua 6, God handed down His plan of war against Jericho whose gates hadbeen locked against the Israelites. And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have

given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men ofvalour. v2. This is the way God sees the problems that face His children daily.He calleth those things which be not as though they were. Romans 4:17. Godsees the solution before it surfaces in the physical. He expects His children tosee the problems of this life with the same attitude.

The plan of war And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and goround about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shallbear before the ark seven trumpets of rams horns: and the seventh day ye shallcompass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And itshall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the rams born, and whenye hear the sound of the trumpets, all the people shall shout with a great shout;and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend upevery man straight before him. vv3-5. Is that all? The Israeli soldiers

seemed to have asked. Yes! That was Gods own plan of war. The seven trumpets oframs horns will do the miracle. To the natural man, it looked foolish, it isimpossible, but to god all things are possible.

In the ministry I have seen God done the same kind of miracle from differentgame plans. Sometimes He says to me pray and another time He says, Son, justspeak some words of prophecy to the situation. Some other times, I have seeninsurmountable problems vanished by one prophetic sign or the other. Hallelujah!God is a wonder!

Joshua relayed the plans of God to the children of Israel who carried it outto the last detail. On the seventh day as they compassed the city seven times, theBible says, the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people,


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Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. v16. This is a clear affirmationof faith. Before the first day, God saw the wall as already fallen and the city asgood as taken and He said to Joshua, I have given into thine hand Jericho, andthe king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. So, as soon as the trumpets oframs horns were sounded, Joshua saw the wall (though standing) as fallen and thecity (though intact) as taken. He therefore commanded the people to shout for joyand claim their victory. This is calling those things, which are not as thoughthey were. This is speaking out faith. This is positive confession and expression

of trust in Gods promises and total dependence on Gods ability.So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came

to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shoutedwith a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up intothe city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. v20. At lastthe formidable wall of Jericho crumbled. But the inhabitants felt secured insidebefore then. Of a truth, Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vainthat build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Psalm 127:1.

It does not matter how big and tall the mountain before you is. Remember,God uses heaven as His throne and earth as His footstool Isaiah 66:1. At leastno mountain has grown too tall to reach heaven so, God is above all. Yourconfidence in God is seen in your response to problems like Joshuas. Gods desire

is to give His children victories on platter of gold but the problem has been lackof cooperation from His children. Imagine what would have happened if the childrenof Israel refused to carry out the plans of God because it did not appeal to humanlogic. They would have remained there and possessing the promise land could havebeen an impossible task. So many times we remain in a particular situation so longnot because God does not want us out of it but because we deliberately refused tofollow Gods plan.

My definition of faith and its rules of action can be seen in the testimonyof Joshuas victory over Jericho. Faith is visualizing your desire, pursuing itvigorously according to Gods plan until it is achieved. Faith does not give up.Faith does not fail. Faith sees the mountain as good as already removed with itstelescopic eye. When its rules of action are carefully observed, victory becomesso simple.

First rule Hear the Word of God. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing bythe word of God. Romans 10:17. Find out what God says about the problem. Joshuareceived instructions from the Lord concerning Jericho.

Second rule Obedience to the Word of God is essential to your victory.Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will likenhim unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended,and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fellnot: for it was founded upon a rock. Matthew 7:24, 25. Joshua and his peopledid not only hear the word of God but they obeyed.

Third rule Acting out the plans of God or the words you heard is themachinery that pulls and displays all the rules. What good is obedience withoutaction? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. James 2:17.How would the wall of Jericho have fallen if Joshua and the children of Israel sat

down by the river bank thanking God for His words every day and night? But that isthe attitude of so many Christians today. Oh how the preacher preached today.Thank God for his life. The word of God came out powerfully today and so on and soforth. These are the kind of things you hear from Christians after one churchservice or the other. Yet the same people will go home remaining the same all yearround. Until you begin to live out the reality in Gods word, it will not profityou. You must act on Gods word daily. Joshua and the soldiers defiled theirmilitary know-how and played the fool by following Gods plan of war. The priestsdefiled their usual sacrificial obligation and carried the trumpets of ramshorns. The people defiled their usual DOUBT and followed behind. Everybody actedout the word of God in one-way or the other. Is it therefore surprising that they


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rejoiced at last?Today, as you follow diligently His plans for your life, you will rejoice

over your Jericho in Jesus name. Amen!

CHAPTER THREE

THE SWORD OF THE LORD AND OF GIDEON

It was not long after the children of Israel occupied the promise land theybecame entangled with detestable practices. They forsook the God of their fathers,which led them out of the land of slavery. It happened just as Moses warned, Andit shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods,and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shallsurely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shallye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 8:19,20. But how could God have allowed the people He brought out ofthe land of captivity to perish without a remnant. He is God of mercy whoremembers His covenant with Abraham. So even in their suffering, when they callupon God with repentant heart, He answers and delivers.

Many heathen nations have ruled over the Israelites because of theirdisobedience. They lost so many battles as a result of their iniquities. So Godgave them up as He said. They suffered terribly in the hands of heathen kings.

In one of such times when the children of Israel were oppressed by theMidianites, God raised Gideon the son of Joash the Abiezrite to deliver them Judges 6:11-14. Gideon felt inadequate as he says. Oh my LORD, wherewith shall Isave Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in myfathers house. v15. Gideon imagined the magnitude of the Midianites incomparison with his low estate. He imagined the wealth of the Midianites incontrast to his familys penury. He imagined the wisdom of the Midianites asagainst the foolishness of Israel, which kept them under such oppression. He couldnot see the possibility of him saving Israel from the hands of the Midianites. Itcannot be me, he thought, Lord, may be you made a mistake, why not try the other

man over there. Have you ever felt inadequate before? If so, you are just likeGideon and me. At times I feel as though the burden is too heavy I cannot bear.But God cares and loves, He will not allow us to carry something we cannot bear.And the LORD said unto him, SURELY I WILL BE WITH THEE, and thou shalt smite theMidianites as one man. v16 (Emphasis mine). In the midst of your inadequacylisten very will, you will hear the small still voice saying, Not by might, norby power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6.

God always call the weak so as to make His might known to the world. Healways chose the poor to reveal His riches. He always uses the foolish things ofthis world to confound the wise. If God be with you, the Midianites cannot beagainst you. Gideon was convinced of the presence of God after series of signsthen he began to act accordingly.

His first step was to purge his fathers household of all idols. This is

very important if we must defeat our Midianites. We must sanctify our household.There is no fellowship between Christ and Satan. II Corinthians 6:14-18 says, Beye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hathrighteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth withan infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are thetemple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk inthem; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Gideons father was the priest of Baal and that was the foundation on whichhe built his family. For Gideon to succeed in the same environment, the altar ofBaal must give way for the altar of the Lord. Therefore God asked him to throw


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down the altar of Baal, which his father had and build in its place an altar ofGod. Gideon did no by night. The Bible says, And it came to pass the same night,that the LORD said unto him, Take thy fathers young bullock, even the secondbullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath,and cut down the grove that is by it: And build an altar unto the LORD thy Godupon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, andoffer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. ThenGideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so

it was, because he feared his fathers household, and the men of the city, that hecould not do it by day, that he did it by night. Judges 6:25-27

The battle of self has to be won first before any other. The idol at homemust be thrown down else the anointing of God will not be appreciated. So manypeople in the church today want God to intervene in their circumstances yet theyhave idols of Baal in their household. You must defeat the devil from yourhousehold. No wonder you are always oppressed. It is time you destroy the altar ofBaal within you and proclaim your faith to the world. Let everybody in your familyand in fact in your community know that you are a believer in Christ. Then, Godwill take you to another height.

Gideon did exactly what the Lord asked him to do. Then the men of the citysaid unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down thealtar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. v30. This

is what I call the contest of the gods. And Joash said unto all that stoodagainst him, will ye plead for Baal? Will ye save him? He that will plead for him,let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him pleadfor himself, because one has cast down his altar. v31

A man cannot be above his god. When a mortal man begins to fight for his godthen something is wrong with that god. When a man begins to protect the interestof his god then he is vulnerable. We should therefore check the teaching of whatwe believe in. Peradventure we are fighting for our God instead of God fightingfor us. If Baal be god, let him plead for himself. So Gideon succeeded incleansing his fathers household of idols. If you have not tried to do somethingbefore, do not say it cannot work out. Gideon did not die after all and Baal wasgone.

Your success and victories do not depend on the multitude of people around

you. It depends on God! So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him thatrunneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. Romans 9:16. For the testimony ofGideons victory over Midian to glorify God, the LORD said to Gideon, The peoplethat are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands,lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Nowtherefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearfuland afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returnedof the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. Judges7:2,3. Yet the number of people did not satisfy God so He subjected them to test.And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down untothe water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I sayunto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee, and of whomsoeverI say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought

down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one thatlappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set byhimself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And thenumber of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundredmen: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. vv4-6. After the test, only three hundred qualified according to Gods setstandard. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I saveyou, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people goevery man unto his place. So the people took victuals in their hands, and theirtrumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained


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those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.-vv7, 8. By now it must have dawned on Gideon that God alone could win this battle.

Have you been depending on any body in the recent past for your victories?Is there anything you hope will facilitate your success in life? You are bound tobe disappointed. God will intervene in your case only when you allow Him to. Then,your testimony will glorify His name. Also in this testimony we see trumpets (aninstrument of praise) as instruments of war. This helps us to understand the powerin holy praise. We will appreciate it better in chapter five.

Gods plan of war And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD saidunto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thinehand.- Judges 7:9. Here again we see the attitude of calling those things whichare not as though they were. The cultivation of this attitude is a sure way ofvictory. Before releasing His plans, God sees the problem as good as solved.Verses 10-14 are an account of how God sent Gideon and his servant to spy the campof the Midianites so as to strengthen his faith. When they got there, theydiscovered that God had revealed (in a dream) the fall of Midian into the hands ofGideon to one of the Midianites. This was to instill fear in their hearts.

And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and theinterpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and retuned into the host of Israel,and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. v15. When you join affinity with God, you defeat the devil easily. Gideon spoke

the language of God to express his trust in the ability of God to do what Hepromised.

Now the plan of action And he divided the three hundred men into threecompanies, and he put a trumpet in every mans hand, with empty pitchers, andlamps within the pitchers. And he said unto them, look on me, and do likewise:and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, soshall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow yethe trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, THE SWORD OF THE LORD,AND OF GIDEON. vv16, 17 (Emphasis mine). Can you imagine going to war withoutweapons of warfare? It is only God who can do that. Before we go further, let ussee the result of this amazing plan of war.

So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside ofthe camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the

watch: and he blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held thelamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal:and they cried, THE SWORD OF THE LORD, AND OF GIDEON. And they stood every man inhis place round about the camp: and the host ran, and cried, and fled. And thethree hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every mans sword against hisfellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth-shittah inZererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath. And the men of Israelgathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of allManasseh, and pursued after the Midianites. vv19-23. Only God could win abattle with trumpets. Victories won by God are always distinct. He made sure thateverything, which would have made Gideon to look on self, was removed from him sothat he could concentrate on God.

Sometimes it is painful to let things we lay hold on to go. But God issaying if we do not let them go, we will not enjoy victories such as Gideons. Wedesire to have success and victories on platters of gold yet some of us do notwant to sacrifice our will for Gods will to be done even in our lives. It defileshuman military intelligence to go to battle with trumpets. You have to play thefool to be involved in such a battalion. No wonder God chose only three hundredmen out of thirty-two thousand who were enlisted initially. I believe these threehundred men must have been men of low esteem, people who were looked down as foolsin the society. God picked them up and made heroes out of them just as Jesus chosepoor, illiterate fishermen and made them men of outstanding integrity and honour.The Apostle Paul says, For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise


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men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hathchosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosenthe weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty: And basethings of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, andthings which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh shouldglory in his presence. I Corinthians 1:26-29.

God changed the sound of the trumpets to the sound of chariots of war andcaused confusion in the enemys camp. They killed themselves in a thing that

seemed to be a mass suicide. The trumpets supernaturally became battle swords andthe lamps became their searchlights. God is ever ready to deliver your Midianitesinto your hands if you will carefully observe His rules. Gideon could boldly saythat God was his SWORD OF EXCELLENCY. He is yours also!

Let us consider some principles for victory found in the life story ofGideon. You know that his background was not pleasant at all. Israel was underbondage and the Midianites, Amalekites and the children of the east were againstthem. They suffered pain, agony and shame for a long time. Gideon wished otherwiseand desired that Israel be delivered. God granted his desires. It is my prayerthat God will grant you the desires of your heart as you observe these divineprinciples

Principle One YOU MUST HAVE A VISION: Judges 6:11-16.

The beginning of your victory in life depends on how you see your tomorrow. Thevision of your heart is your motivator. Remember, a goalless man is a futurelessman.

Principle Two YOU MUST NOT GO WITH THE COWARDS: Judges 7:1-3.If you must be great on earth, you must not move with the fearful. They willdiscourage you. They will kill your vision.

Principle Three WITHDRAW FROM THE CARELESS:Judges 7:4,5:

For you to be victorious on earth, you must withdraw yourself from thecompany of the careless individuals. They will ruin your career.

Principle Four CLEAVE UNTO THE PRUDENT: Judges 7:6-8.By walking and working with the wise you become wiser. With the prudent your

victory is assured.

Principle Five DO NOT DOUBT THE WORD OF GOD: Judges 7:9-15.Obey every word of God even if it is against your will or wish. Your victory

is life is based on your level of obedience.

SOME TIPS FOR THOUGHT

Your success, victory or greatness in life is not determined by-(a) Your scholarship but by your RELATIONSHIP(b) Who you are but by WHOSE you are

(c) Fear but by FAITH and(d) Your ability but by your AVAILABILITY


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CHAPTER FOUR

THE SLING OF DAVID

Like so many people today, the first king of Israel, Saul was living onexpired glory and anointing. God rejected him because of his disobedience andstubbornness. Souls problems started at Gilgal when he was not patient enough towait for Samuel to offer the burnt offering to the LORD. Soul made that offeringagainst Samuels orders and it displeased the Lord. As a result, Samuel said toSaul, Thou has done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thyGod, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom

upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath soughthim a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain overhis people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee. ISamuel 13:13,14.

King Saul went ahead in his disobedience and violated the strict commandmentof the Lord to destroy the Amalekites. God said to him, Now go and smite Amalek,and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man andwoman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, carmel and ass. 15:3. Instead of Saulto obey implicitly the voice of God, he did as he pleased. He took Agag the kingof the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of thesword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of theoxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would notutterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they

destroyed utterly. Vv 8,9.Saul was excited at his achievement. But unknown to him was the fact that

God is not pleased with partial obedience. God, who knows the secret things of aman, saw all that king Saul did and reported to Samuel who wept all night for thesins of Saul vv 10,11. When Samuel went to see Saul the following day, Saulsaid, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. v13. But Samuel knew what he did. How true is this today. So many Christians arewalking in partial obedience and are excited at their achievements. Samuel rebukedSaul whose excuse was that he spared the animals for a burnt offering to the Lord.Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, asin obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and tohearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft andstubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of

the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. vv 22,23. The straw thatbroke the Carmels back was as Samuel turned about to go away, he (Saul) laidhold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, The LORDhath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to aneighbour of thine, that is better than thou. vv 27,28. So Saul lost thekingdom even though he was still on the throne but the power of God was departedfrom him.

It was under this spiritual condition that he went to war against thePhilistines. Meanwhile unknown to Saul, God had sent Samuel to anoint David theson of Jesse, king over Israel while he was still a shepherd boy. So David wentabout attending to his fathers flock under the anointing of God. No wonder he was


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forth again and repeated his words of challenge and insult. David heard him andsaw the attitude of the Israeli army towards the challenge. The Bible says, Andall men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. Andthe men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? Surely to defyIsrael is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the kingshall enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make hisfathers house free in Israel. vv 24,25.

To the boy David it was a reproach to Israel and he desired to take it away.

He did not see Goliath as a threat but as an uncircumcised Philistine who desiredto be killed. So David expressed his willingness to fight Goliath. His zeal metwith discouragement from his eldest brother Eliab v 27. But David refused to bediscouraged as he turned from him toward another, and spake after the samemanner: and the people answered him again after the former manner. And when thewords were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sentfor him. vv 30,31.

When your genuine desire and aspiration in life meet sudden discouragement,do you succumb and give it up? The boy David pressed harder in his enquiry untilthe king heard about it and sent for him. When he got to the king, he encouragedhim. The Bible says, And David said to Saul, let no mans heart fail because ofhim; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. v 32. Probably KingSaul has not heard such sweet words of encouragement for the past forty days. That

is the difference a man of faith can make in your life. Let not your heart fail.His aspiration to fight with Goliath met with another discouragement. This

time on a very subtle ground. It was not as harsh as Eliabs. It is the type thatone could easily accept to be the reality. It sounds like this, And Saul said toDavid, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thouart but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. v 33. This seems to bespoken in love as against Eliabs harsh words. But did David accept it? Of coursenot! Discouragement is anti faith no matter how subtle.

In verses 34 to 37, David gave an outstanding testimony of how he was ableto kill the lion and bear that attacked his fathers sheep in the jungle. He said,Moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of thepaw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saulsaid unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. Every testimony you share makes

room for another. Apart from that, your testimony builds up confidence in you andyour hearers. The problem with Saul was that he could not remember what the Lorddid for him in the past because the Spirit of the Lord was no longer with him. Hasthe Lord done something for you recently? The God that healed you of headache isable to heal you of any other disease. The God that provided one naira for youyesterday is able to provide one thousand naira for you today. God meets youaccording to your immediate need. David said, Moreover, the Lord that deliveredme out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver meout of the hand of this Philistine. Glory to God!

King Saul was challenged by the boys testimony hence he allowed him to gobut not until he armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass uponhis head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. v 38. This is the arm of fleshand that is what Saul trusted. So many Christians who are blaming their failure on

God today have not taken time to look inwardly. What type of armour are youfighting with? This is very important in our warfare.

David girded up the sword of Saul with all his armour but could not movewith it. He was not used to such heavy military outfit. So, David said unto Saul,I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. v 39. David knew he would fail should he go with such armour. He put them off andput on the ones he was used to.

The Scripture says, And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him fivesmooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherds bag which he had,even in scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. v 40. I could hear David saying to Saul, oh king, this is what I am used to in


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the forest, and God had been helping me. I do not need to change my outfit becauseof this uncircumcised Philistine. Have you ever relied on the arms of the fleshbecause of the magnitude of your problems? Some people at times change in the faceof circumstances forgetting that God never change. He is able to give you victoryon platter of gold. All you need to do is, trust in Him and be your normal self.

Davids approach to the battle was so simple that the Philistine thought hewould tear the boy apart and share his flesh to the birds of the field. Heridiculed and cursed David by his gods. To him, it was embarrassing for a small

boy like David to come against a man of more than nine feet tall, fully armed withstaves. He boasted in his strength and gods but the boy David said to him, Thoucomest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I COME TO THEEIN THE NAME OF THE LORD OF HOST, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hastdefied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will give thecarcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, andto the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a Godin Israel. And all this assembly shall now that the LORD saveth not with sword andspear: for the battle is the LORDS, and he will give you into our hands. vv45-47. Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither letthe mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: Butlet him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that Iam the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the

earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. Jeremiah 9:23,24.Goliath came in the name of this gods and David in the name of his God; so,

the battle became the Lords. Goliath boasted in his gods and David in his so, theglory became the Lords. In the physical, the battle was between Goliath andDavid. That was why he despised David. But in the spiritual (which is mostimportant), it was between Goliaths gods and Davids God. That was why David wasnot afraid. He knew as a person, he could do nothing, but the battle was not his.

At the moment of execution, David put his hand in his bag, and took thencea stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stonesunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailedover the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, andslew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran, andstood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath

thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistinessaw their champion was dead, they fled. I Samuel 17:49-51.

Nobody despises FAITH and goes scot-free. Any thing in the hands of a man offaith is a potential weapon of warfare. As long as the Lord is involved, you cankill your Goliath as well with a sling and a smooth stone. Somebody said the fivesmooth stones David chose represent J E S U S, others said they represent F A I TH. Whichever one, the most important thing is that God used it to glorify Himself.In Judges 15:14, 15 is a record of how Samson killed one thousand Philistines witha new jawbone of an ass. There is also a testimony of how a man of God killed aleopard some years ago with a screwdriver in the southeast region of Nigeria.There are so many testimonies of how irrelevant things in the hands of believerswere used for Gods glory and honour. Stop complaining and make use of that thingin your hands. God will glorify Himself by it. Something you have not tried

before, do not say it cannot work out. Even when you tried and fail, try again andagain. A SLING CAN DO THE MIRACLE!

CHAPTER FIVE

KING JEHOSHAPHATS CHOIR


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In the second and third chapter we saw the trumpets important role in thetestimonies of both Joshua and Gideon. Musical instruments going to war front andcausing havoc in the enemys camp can make a good news headline. The interestingthing is that the people that go to war with such instruments are men of likepassion as we are. Yes! You can engage the enemy in warfare with your praises.

This testimony is an embodiment of lessons that can change your perceptionof the struggles of this life or what some people call lifes unending warfare.

In II Chronicles 20:1-30 is recorded the encounter of Judah with thechildren of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir and how God gave King Jehoshaphat victoryover that great multitude. If you will diligently observe and follow theprinciples as King Jehoshaphat did, you will have the same outstanding victoryover the multitude of your enemies no matter their greatness.

The news of the allied invasion is broken to King Jehoshaphat in verses 1,2thus, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on thisside Syria; Note that Judah was only two tribes; the southern kingdom of Israel.How could they have faced this great multitude? Have you found yourself in asituation that seemed like this great three-nation allied and you like a smalltwo-tribe part of a nation? Then you will understand the tension King Jehoshaphafound himself when he heard about it.

But alas! What was Jehoshaphats reaction? And Jehoshaphat feared, and set

himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judahgathered themselves together, to ask of the LORD: even out of all the cities ofJudah they came to seek the LORD. vv 3,4. Jehoshaphats fear was short-lived ashe overcame it with boldness. Such fear is common to human at the instance of suchnews. It is an initial shock but you do not allow it to sink deep down in youelse, it will destroy your faith. He immediately resolved to ask help from theonly One greater than all the nations put together. He called for fasting andinterestingly, all Judah responded. The question therefore is whom do you ask forhelp in times like this? The Scripture says, Thus said the LORD; cursed be theman that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth fromthe LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see whengood cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a saltland and not inhabited. Jeremiah 17:5,6. Who you run to in times of trouble

determines your victory.The next step the king took was to call on God in prayer. Again, the

contents of your prayer in times like this matters a lot. Your talk in prayer canaffect your walk in life. A careful study of his prayer from verses 5-12 shows anexpression of total trust and dependence on God. He started by identifying himselfand his subjects with God. O LORD God of our fathers, he said. This is veryimportant even in the praying life of the Christian. Jesus says, After thismanner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Matthew 6:9. God has to be your Father if He must answer your prayers else yourprayers will be abomination in His ears see Proverbs 28:9. Knowledge of God isvery important in the prayer life of the Christian. This is true because whom wepray to is more important than how or where we pray.

Having called on the God of his fathers who he professed to be his God Art

not thou our God. He worshipped God by ascribing greatness to Him Art not thouGod in heaven? And rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? And inthine hand is there not power and might so that none is able to withstand thee?In other words, not even Jehoshaphats enemies could be able to withstand his God.

Jehoshaphat went further to remind God of His covenant with Israel in verses7-9. This does not mean that God forgets things. Not at all! God wants us toidentify our problems and the only sure way of doing that is to let Him know aboutit in prayer. Jesus says, for your Father knoweth what things ye have need ofbefore ye ask him. Matthew 6:8. God knows all our needs yet he expects us toask see Matthew 7:7-11. One thing is clear, if you do not identify yourproblems, you will not give God the glory when the problem is solved.


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After reminding God of His covenant and promises, Jehoshaphat presented hiscase before God And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir,whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt,but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; Behold, I say, how they rewardus, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us toinherit. vv 10,11. That was the problem of the hour and the king and all Judahcould not face the multitude that was determined to cast them out. The king wasconfused; he did not know what to do but to do the only thing a child of God

should know how to do best. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have nomight against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what todo: but our eyes are upon thee. v12. You must know how to fix your eyes uponthe Lord at times when you do not know what next to do. When Prophet Jeremiah wasthrown into prison, in confused state, he received this assurance from God Thussaith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; theLORD is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great andmighty things which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:2,3.

In his humility and simplicity, king Jehoshaphat displayed a unique exampleof how to handle an overwhelming problem. He was neither proud nor ashamed in hisexpression before God and his people. He did not try to escape nor was he cynic.He did not turn to any other king nor adopt spiritualism. These are empty crutchessome people lean on today. Rather he set his eyes on God.

The answer to such prayers is always instantaneous. The apostle John says,And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anythingaccording to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoeverwe ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. I John5:14,15. God responded to the kings plight and took over the battle. As theSpirit of the Lord came upon Jahazi in the midst of the congregation, he said,Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou kingJehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason ofthis great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but Gods. v 15. In thefollowing two verses, God instructed the king to go down against his enemiestomorrow but he had no need to fight. God assured the king of His presence. TheLord Jesus Christ gives the same assurance as He says, lo, I am with youalways, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:20.

Jehoshaphat believed the word of God and bowed his head with his face tothe ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD,worshipping the LORD. v18. He became relaxed and his mind began to enjoyimmeasurable peace even though the problem was physically there. God has spoken sothe problem is as good as solved. This is a right attitude but unfortunately somepeople will cast their problems upon the Lord and still bother about them.Jehoshaphat regarded the problem as already solved and began a wonderful sermon onfaith Faith in God leads to establishment; faith in the man of God leads toprosperity in the establishment. So he saw himself as an established andprosperous king.

His confidence in God is further seen in the war strategy he adopted. Notethat God did not tell him to go to the war with his choir. But what else could avictorious and happy king do if not to praise and thank God who gave him the

victory. Verses 21-24 recorded how Jehashaphat appointed singers unto the Lord tolead the army with praises. As they praised the beauty of Gods holiness, the Lordstirred confusion in the enemys camp. The children of Ammon and Moad rose upagainst the children of Mount Seir and destroyed them. After which, they utterlydestroyed themselves without an escape. Thus God prevailed against the enemies ofJudah. God is looking for such an opportunity to do the same for you as you praiseHim in times of difficulties.

To crown it all, Jehoshaphat and all his people came to take away the spoilof them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, andprecious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they couldcarry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil; it was so much.-


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v25. This is amazing! For three days, the children of Judah were gathering theriches of the heathen. They became richer as a result, contrary to theexpectations of their enemies. The Bible says, And we know that all things worktogether for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according tohis purpose, Romans 8:28. Be patient, wait and see the end of the battle, asyou trust God completely.

Unlike some ungrateful people who grab miracles and run away like the ninelepers of Luke 17:17, King Jehoshaphat gathered all his people on the fourth day

to give thanks to God for their victory. God who made them to rejoice over theirenemies gave him rest round about. v 30. You shall also have rest! Adopt theseprinciples and relax in the face of troubles, trials and persecutions.

CHAPTER SIX

THE WIDOWS POT OF OIL

Have you ever been indebted to the point of bankruptcy? As a Pastor,sometimes I feel pain in my heart as I listen to people (children of God as well)narrate day by day their ordeals as they struggle to free themselves from thepangs of debt. Nothing can be more embarrassing!

This chapter is designed to bring you out of debt. God does not wish thatHis children be debtors. Owe no man anything, but to love one another: Romans13:8. The book of Proverbs says that the borrower is servant to the lender Proverbs 22:7. Besides your position should be an exalted one including yourfinancial position. The Bible says, The LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods,in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thyground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. The LORDshall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy landin his season, and to bless all the works of thine hand: and thou shalt lend untomany nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And he LORD shall make thee the head, andnot the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thatthou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee thisday, to observe and to do them: Deuteronomy 28:11-13. Some of you have never

experienced the reality of these scriptures in your lives before. The good Lordwill fulfill His words in your life this day.

There are people who wake up daily with a sense of defeat and frustration.They organize the lies they will tell each day because of the confrontation oftheir creditors. This group of people teaches their children and wards how to telllies because of debts. What an embarrassment! Debt cannot be separated frompoverty. It is the same demon that controls the two and God desires to deliver youfrom it. It is also my prayer that you are delivered from debt in Jesus name.

Let us look closely at II Kings 4:1-7.Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets

unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy


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servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sonsto be bondmen.

Can you sense the embarrassment God wants to deliver you from? What else canbe embarrassing and devastating as this? Her late husband was one of the sons ofthe prophet. A faithful man for that matter. One that feared the Lord yet he dieda debtor. Some theologians say that the late man fed the sons of the prophet withthe borrowed money. But whatever he did with the money, the truth still remains he died a debtor. The creditor has come for his money, and the poor widow could

not pay so, he demands for her two sons as slaves. If that had happened, the widowwould not only have been hypertensive but would have died prematurely. It was apossibility the man would have taken her two sons for his money. Remember, theborrower is a slave to the lender. In the course of His parable of the kingdom,Jesus said, And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owedhim ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commandedhim to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to bemade. Matthew 18:24,25. Job said, They drive away the ass of the fatherless,they take the widows ox for a pledge. Job 24:3. Who do you think Job wascriticizing? The creditors of course! This is what bankruptcy is all about. Thewidow cried bitterly to the man of God because she knew it was a possibility. Butthen ---

And Elisha said unto her, what shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou

in the house? And she said, thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save apot of oil. v 2 of II Kings 4. May I quickly tell you that, that insignificantthing in your hands now may be the Sword of thy excellency. Every child of Godhas gotten a seed in him/her. You have an ability that can distinguish you amongyour compatriots. You might not need all the money in this world to be rich, whatyou need is ideas, wisdom from above. Are you a child of God? What do you have?Delivering the parable of the talents, Jesus said, For the kingdom of God is as aman traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered untothem his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to anotherone; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took hisjourney. Matthew 25:14,15. Note that he gave to every man according to hisseveral ability. Therefore how you respond to your God-given ability makes thewhole difference in your life. There is no child of God that has not gotten a

potential for prosperity. The difference may be how you harness the potentials.Some people prefer begging to working for their living. It is sad and

unfortunate that this evil has found its way into the church. The apostle Paulsays, For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any wouldnot work, neither should he eat. II Thessalonians 3:10. Look around and ask theHoly Spirit, He will show you what to do. Obey Him and move ahead to make millionsout of it. As you read this today, God is dropping some wonderful ideas in yourspirit right now. Cultivate it, nurture it now and He will establish you in it. Atfirst it might be so insignificant like a pot of oil but when the blessings of Godrests upon it, you will be known all over the world. What do you have in yourhouse? Look inwardly! I believe in the miracle of cancellation of debts but Ibelieve also that God prefers providing you with enough resources to pay off yourdebt and live the rest of your life debt-free.

Consider some of the instrumentalities the Lord used from Genesis toRevelation to do remarkable things; they were weak, insignificant things

He used the shepherds rod of Moses extensively in the land of Egypt andfinally destroyed Pharaoh and his horsemen in the red sea see Exodus 4:2

He used a new jawbone of an ass to slay a thousand Philistines. Before thisonslaught, the Bible made this remark and the Spirit of the LORD came mightlyupon him (Samson), see Judges 15:14,15.

In chapter four we read of how God used one out of five smooth stones tobring down mighty Goliath see I Samuel 17:40.

He used an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse to


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sustain the prophet Elijah and the widow of Zarepheth during the drought see IKings 17:8.

He used a little cloud out of the sea, like a mans hand to release agreat rain. see I Kings 18:44-48.

He said, If he have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say untothis mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothingshall be impossible unto you. see Matthew 17:20.

He used five barley loaves, and two small fishes to feed five thousand men.

See John 6:9-14.

There is nothing God cannot use to bless you if your relationship with Him iscordial. Consider His instrument case: - But God hath chosen the foolish thingsof the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of theworld to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, andthings which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, tobring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. ICorinthians 1:27-29. Again, what do you have?Let us continue in our discoveries Then he (Elisha) said, Go, borrow theevessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. Andwhen thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, andshalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is

full. - II Kings 4:3,4.The Scripture allows borrowing that will make you greater when occasion warrants,not the one that will make you poorer each day that passes by. In our church weborrow pots, plates and spoons for occasions such as thanksgiving services, etc.After the service we return them back to the owners. There is nothing wrong inthat but where possible, buy your own. It is better.So, Elisha knew that the widow would not have enough vessels for the miracle hencehe asked her to borrow vessels from her neighbours and in fact, emphasized thatshe should not borrow a few. By this Elisha wanted her to prepare for herblessings. I have always said to people that there is virtually nothing that couldbe done and done perfectly without adequate preparation. You must be preparedalways!When Israel under King Jehoram was going to fight against Moab, there was no water

for the soldiers and for the cattle that followed them. They consulted withElisha, and he said, Thus saith the LORD, make this valley full of ditches. Forthus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet thatvalley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle,and your beasts. II Kings 3:16,17. The king and his soldiers prepared for theblessing by digging wells and the result was miraculous. And it came to pass inthe morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water bythe way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. v 20. Friend, therewould not have been any water if King Jehoram and his people had not prepared forit.When Naaman, a leper and captain of the host of the King of Syria came to Samariato be healed of his leprosy, the man of God, Elisha sent a messenger unto him,saying, God and wash in Jordan seven times, and thou shalt be clean. II Kings

5:10. Again Naaman would not have been healed if he had not dipped himself seventimes in Jordan. In fact he agitated initially. He would have lost that blessingbut for his maidservant see verses 11-14.The coming of the Messiah was made possible after much preparation. The Biblesays, The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of theLORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3. And weknow how difficult it was for John the Baptist to do that. We can go on and onenumerating so many things that could not have been done except there is first apreparation. So, how are you preparing to get out of debt and swim in theblessings of the Almighty God?In verse four, Elisha said, And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door


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upon thee and upon thy sons, . This speaks of privacy or seclusion. In preparingfor your blessings, you must be careful in selecting your confidants. This womanwas a poor widow. Probably people have mocked her especially as her creditor camefor her two sons. There were lots of discouragements. Therefore for you to receivesuch miracle from the Lord, you must learn to shut your door against a. The enemies of your progressb. Faithless people who will run down you faithc. Mockers and scoffers of your faith

d. Those who will doubt your move of faith ande. Anything that will bring discouragement to you.

Some individuals can be terrible. Have you taken your time to study what happenedin Jairos house when his only daughter died? His neighbours and well wishersgathered and were mourning and weeping. When he contacted Jesus, the Bible says,And he (Jesus) cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth thetumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saithunto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.Look at the reaction of the people who were weeping and wailing And theylaughed him to scorn. So Jesus decided to put them all out, he taketh thefather and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth inwhere the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her,

Talithacumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee arise. Andstraightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years.And they were astonished with a great astonishment. Mark 5:38-42.I have learnt over the years to study people carefully before ever disclosing theintents of my heart to them. Even at that I have been terribly disappointed bythose I trusted. So, I do not work with everybody or anybody that comes my way.Indeed, the heart of man is extremely deceitful. There are people who can ruinyour vision forever and ever. Be careful with such people especially in the daysof your preparation.The widow understood what the man of God meant so she went from him, and shut thedoor upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she pouredout. Production has begun! And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, thatshe said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a

vessel more. And the oil stayed. verses 5,6. Is it not true that the quantityof the oil was limited only by her faith in collecting empty vessels? As long asthere were empty vessels the oil was flowing. If she had collected more vesselsthan she did, she would have as well filled them all. No wonder the man of Godtold her to borrow not a few.

I remembered what happened in our house in 1993 while we were stillstruggling very hard to survive. Our ministry was in the formative infant stageand my late wife then was not working. We were fully in the ministry. Feeding sometimes was a tug of war. Yet we had some dependants. One my late wife noticed thatone of our house helps was always eating alone in the kitchen while every one ofus feed in the dinning room. She tried to find out his reason but was notsatisfied with the explanation the boy gave. A few days later, she gave him asmall piece of yam to pound for me and the boy exclaimed as he was pounding it and

said, Ma, come and see what I was telling you. This small yam has puffed andthat was how everything in this house used to puff. By that he made his point.The boy explained to us that why he has been eating alone was that no matter howsmall the quantity of food he was given to prepare; it always increases. In otherwords God increased every bit of food we had in the house. I do not know how toexplain this for you to understand but I pray that God will do the same for you.This was what happened in the widows house. Miracle of multiplication! Godincreased her oil!Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thydebt, and live thou and thy children of the rest. verse 7. It would only takeGod to change the fortune of a poor wretched widow overnight. From being a


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reproach to an oil EXPORTER. From being a borrower to a LENDER. From being apotential slave to a MASTER, being a debtor to a DEBT-FREE WIDOW. Her childrencould now go to good schools, ware good cloths, eat good food and live decently.She could afford to buy for herself the things she needed without tears.Hallelujah! God is a WONDER WORKER! What He did for this widow, He is able to dofor you. Indeed, He will do it for you!

CONCLUSION

If you consider debt to be embarrassing, sin is more traumatizing. If you arestill in your sins, you are undoubtedly a slave to sin. Know ye not that to whomye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey: whetherof sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness. Romans 6:16.

If you desire that God should divide your red sea; pull down the wall ofyour Jericho; discomfit your Midianites; kill your Goliath and slay the multitudeof the children of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir that are against you then, you must

heed to the counsel of the Apostle Paul, Let not sin therefore reign in yourmortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye yourmembers as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God,as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments ofrighteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are notunder the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin, because we are not underthe law, but under grace? God forbid. Romans 6:12-15.

God is willing to give you more victories than you read in this book oftestimonies. Make Him the Sword of your Excellency today. Its simple! Pray thisprayer from your heart and you shall be saved from damnation-

Dear Father in heaven, thank you for sending your Son Jesus Christ to diefor my sins. I am sorry for my iniquities. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me withthe blood of Jesus Christ. Write my name in the Lambs book of life.

Thank you for saving me today. In Jesus name, I prayed. Amen!Congratulations! If you prayed with all your heart, you are saved. Write to

me today for more spiritual help. God bless you richly.


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LIST OF OTHER BOOKS BYREV. FESTUS ASO. EKENYERRE

FACE TO FACE WITH DEATH

UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF REVELATION 1st and 2nd edition

HUNDRED NAMES OF JESUS

SIGNS OF HIS IMMINENT RETURN

STANDING FIRM IN LOVE

IS JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD?

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER LAMB a study of Bible doctrine

THE POWER OF THE TONGUE

GOD OF ALL COMFORT

PEACE WITH GOD a Bible study guide

PEACE OF GOD a Bible study guide

RAPTURE AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION

COMING OUT SOON

UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF DANIEL a verse-by-verse analysis of the book of Daniel

THY FAITH HATH MADE THEE WHOLE

LOVE FOR GOD a Bible study guide

LOVE OF GOD a Bible study guide

Rev. Festus A. EkenyereTHE FAITH BUILDERS MINISTRIESP. O. Box 1803Maiduguri. Borno-State. Nigeria.

E-mail:[email protected] [email protected]

Cell phone: 08059190878, 08022647000 08038119772

THE SWORD OF THY EXCELLENCY

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