Unusual Encounter 2023 Day 5 Evening Session

TRINITY HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH

 

UNUSUAL ENCOUNTER 2023

 

DAY 5 (EVENING SESSION)

 

SERMON

TOPIC:                      Unless You Bless Me

TEXT:                        Genesis 32:24 – 26

PREACHER:             Bishop Olawale Aiyegbusi

 

MESSAGE

Father, we declare you are our all-in-all. Without you, we are nothing. You are the fullness that fills all things. Thank you for this glorious service. Thank you for the leader you have set over us and the workers in this place. Thank you for everyone lifting up the hands of Moses in this place. Thank you for the partakers of this program, glory be to your Holy name in Jesus Mighty Name.

Jeremiah 30:18: ‘Thus saith the Lord; behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.’

While praying today, the Lord brought back this place (Jer. 30:18) to me. I am just going to pick only one thing there and we will pray. It says, ‘Thus saith the Lord; behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents.’ Listen to me, this is the scenario: Jacob has a tent; the enemy came against that tent and took away from that tent. The enemy carried away the glorious things in that tent. The useful things in that tent; the precious things of that tent, the enemy carted them away but God said to Jacob, ‘Jacob hear me, I will bring again the captivity of your tents – the things they came to remove from your tent.’ He said, ‘Jacob, I am visiting you and the purpose of this visitation is to bring back the things that were stolen from your tent.’

Listen to me as you pray now, your tent could represent many things. Your tent may mean your body. If you have any sickness in your body, this minute is your time of healing now. I am telling you what the Lord said to me. If there is sickness in your body; if there is any organ in your body that has been badly affected… God said, ‘Jacob, I am visiting you again. I know that some things were removed from your tent, in this visitation, I am coming back to replace, restore and reinvigorate those things that were taken from your tent.’ So, your tent could be your body, ministry, business, career, family, children who things were stolen from. Thus, you are going to pray.

This is the promise of God. It is not Jeremiah speaking here. No! Jeremiah wasn’t the one speaking; it was God speaking to Jeremiah. God told Jeremiah, ‘Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents. I know what was taken from Jacob’s tent.’ You may not know everything that was stolen from you, I may not know everything that was stolen from my life but God knows all. Be it from your body, business, career, home, etc. God says, ‘I am bringing them back. What the enemy took captive from your tent, I am bringing them back.’ Pray with aggression: ‘My father, my father, whatever the enemy has stolen from my tent. Whatever has been stolen captive from my tent, let there be a restoration. Whatever the enemy has taken captive from my tent, let there be a bringing back tonight. Whatever they took from my tent, in the name that is above every other name, let there be a restoration. Whatever was taken from my tent in the course of this year, let there be a restoration.’

Let me pray this for you: God said, ‘And I will have mercy on his dwelling places.’ Some of you are here in Ilorin but your dwelling place is not only Ilorin. Your son or your daughter may be in Chicago. Your sister may be in Manchester, another brother may be in Amsterdam. All those places are your dwelling places. ‘I will have mercy on your dwelling places.’ I join my faith with that of our father and I speak over you, ‘Wherever your dwelling places are over the world, you will receive mercy.’ This year is going to an end and the enemy will attack many dwelling places but ‘When I see the blood, I will pass over you and the plague will not affect you.’ I join my faith with your own faith and pray for you, ‘All your dwelling places, the mercy of God will secure it.’ Where your children, family members, investments are… you may be in Ilorin and have investments in Offa, Lokoja, etc., those are still parts of your dwelling places. I join my faith with your own faith, ‘Wherever your dwelling places may be, mercy shall secure them.’ Glory be to the name of the Lord, in Jesus Mighty name we prayed.

 

Once again, it is a great privilege to be in your midst and I must confess, I have found it very comfortable to minister on this altar. As ministers of God (…and by the grace of God) who go to several places, you know, when you get to a place and you find it so comfortable to minister and flow, it means a lot of work has gone on that altar; a lot of prayers have gone on that altar. So, I thank God for this altar and I celebrate the man of the Lord.

Don’t forget that this meeting is about, ‘I will not let you go until you bless me.’ Genesis 32:24 – 26.

24: And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

25: And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wresteled with him.

26: And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

Jacob declared emphatically without mincing words. He said, ‘You are not going anywhere.’ One thing you must do before going anywhere is that you must bless me. Verse 24 told us that Jacob was left alone. Listen to me, when he was coming out of Laban’s house, he came out with several things – children, animals and the rest but when he got to a point, he felt a vacuum in his life. He felt that he hasn’t gotten it. He felt a vacuum and he put everything away, even the wife and the son that he loved so much. He put Rachael and Joseph away and he was alone to settle certain things. He wanted some fullness in his life. Listen to me, it is a dangerous thing for a man not to know that he has lost something. It is very dangerous. Whenever a man is living as if he hasn’t lost anything and feels everything is okay, it is dangerous. One day, Samson slept and by the time he woke up, everything was gone. The Bible said he didn’t feel something was gone from him. They cut the lock of his hair away and he didn’t know something was gone until he decided to fight like before only to discover that he was empty.

Yet, it amazes me that some people will know that something has been lost in their lives and they will not strive to go for what is lost. They won’t even bother. They won’t even fight for what they have lost. It’s a pity and I don’t’ want you to behave like that tonight. I want you to realise there are certain things you have lost and I want you to know that the moment you know you have lost some things (time, opportunities, favours, open doors, etc.), the next thing is to fight for a recovery. It’s a pity that Samson behaved like one of the most foolish people in the Bible. I thought Samson would go for recovery and pray to God to recover what he has lost but instead of fighting for recovery, Samson was fighting for revenge. A man that was supposed to fight for recovery was fighting for revenge. He said, ‘O God! Only once. I just need only one opportunity to avenge my two eyes.’ He didn’t say, ‘I want to be restored to my ministry,’ rather, he said, ‘Avenge me of my two eyes.’

Beloved, listen to me! God said, ‘Vengeance is mine and I will avenge.’ You don’t need to run after anybody trying to seek revenge. Yes, you know somebody has hurt you so badly. He did something bad to you and everybody knows that is bad. In fact, what he did for you made you lose things, however, you don’t need to run after revenge but fight for a recovery – a recovery of the time and things that have been lost, that is what you should go after. In Isaiah 42:22, God was complaining here and says, ‘But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.’ That is, nobody is saying ‘restore.’ Nobody is asking for restoration. It was as if all of them were blind to their reality. I won’t be able to dissect this scripture because of time but their realities is in that one verse, yet nobody is asking for restoration.

Tonight, we want to deal with something – the Spirit of Nothing. This year remains few days. In the matter of 26 days or thereabout, this year will be over. So, tonight, I want us to pray. I want us to contend against what is called ‘the Spirit of Nothing.’ There is a spirit called the ‘Spirit of Nothing.’ It is the spirit that makes a man to labour and work hard but bring out nothing out of it. Listen to me, the Spirit of Nothing has no respect. The Spirit of Nothing can attack several people regardless of their status, where they are and their level. It is you who must say no to that spirit. Look at God here; He says, ‘My people are robbed and they are not asking to be restored.’ This is the same way the Spirit of Nothing can attack the people of God and listen to me, if they keep quiet and not talk, that Spirit can prevail but the moment you can talk… the Bible says, ‘Life and death is in the power of the tongue, those that love it will eat the fruits thereof.’ That is why you must not miss every meeting that God has put together for you.

The spirit of nothing can attack different people. I want to show you that it can cut across so that you won’t take it with a hand of levity but know that you need to pray.

1. 2 Kings 4:1 – 2: Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, …. and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen… and she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil.

Here, the Bible describes a man to us. He is one of the sons of the prophets. He was not just an unfaithful prophet; the man wasn’t like Gehazi. Do you know what amazes me the most? The wife of that man of God… there are things you don’t know about me but my wife knows about me. My wife can describe me 100 percent, she knows my in and out. I don’t believe it that a man can hide totally from his wife, I don’t get it. So, the wife of this man said to Elisha, ‘You know that my husband, your servant, did fear God’ but the Spirit of Nothing attacked him; that means a man can fear God and the Spirit of Nothing would still go after that man, not because he sinned. This man was serving God, he feared God but the Spirit of nothing went after him and got him. All his life, he lived under the yoke of debt. Let me say to you, ‘Anyone under the yoke of debt here, before this year runs out, there is a miraculous debt cancellation for you.’

We used to have a Ministers’ Meeting in Akure. I am not the organiser but the organiser is somebody I am very close with. It’s a monthly meeting, so, every month, I minister for him. Some years back, after I ministered, I couldn’t even remember what I preached but a man of God heard what I preached there and came to me after. He told me that he was owing a certain bank. When he spoke about the issue, the thing almost shook my faith but I said, ‘Let us pray.’ We said simple prayers together and after a month or two… I remember that month, I couldn’t make that Ministers’ Meeting but some of the pastors under me were in that meeting. They came back home and told me that so-and-so pastor gave a testimony that after that prayer, the debt was cancelled by that bank. I found it difficult to comprehend. I was not even there when he was giving the testimony.

I say to you tonight, ‘In the name above every other name, I don’t want to know the amount of that debt or anyone you are owing, the debt is cancelled in Jesus Name.’ This prophet could not sleep; he lost his peace, anointing and grace until he finally died. Any debt giving you sleepless night, in the name above every other name, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, tonight, heaven shall settle it. This debt disgraced this man, he died in it and after the debt, the creditors still came to take his children away, what a disgrace! Any debt or situation that wants to disgrace you and mock your family or that is mocking your family, tonight, that situation shall be buried.

A man that fears God, the spirit of nothing attacked him because he didn’t maximise the anointing in the house. The man, Elisha, that God has placed as a covering over him, he didn’t maximize him but it was his wife who recognised that grace. It is a dangerous thing if the grace of our father here is blessing people across the world and you who are here do not maximise it; that was what happened to this man but his wife recognised it and went after it. What I am saying is that, a man can fear God and the Spirit of Nothing would still run after him but tonight, that spirit shall be buried.

In 2 Kings 4:2, the woman said, ‘Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house….’ She had nothing in the house and that was why her husband died, that was the cause of his death – the Spirit of Nothing.

2. Esther 6:1 – 3: ‘On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded … and the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.’

First, a man that fears God, the spirit of nothing can attack him. Second, a good man, the spirit of nothing can attack him also. A good man that heard that they wanted to kill somebody before him and said, ‘No way, if I keep quiet and allowed them, that means I am complicit. I won’t open my eyes and let them kill this man.’ He was a good man but the Spirit of Nothing still attacked him.’ After he did this for the king, you would expect that the king would promote him. In fact, after it happened, a vacancy opened at the top but instead of the king to call him and put him there, the king did not but rather promoted an evil man – Haman while this good man was left there. This means that a good man can be attacked by the Spirit of Nothing. You can be a good man and the Spirit of nothing is still trying to attack you but listen, if you stand your ground as a man of God… Mordecai went to pray and fast when this spirit attacked him and there was a turnaround. After this fasting and prayer, for you, there shall be a turnaround.

3. Luke 5:5 – ‘And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.’

A man that feared God, the Spirit of Nothing attacked him. A good man, the Spirit of Nothing attacked him and number three, a hardworking man, the Spirit of Nothing attacked him. If these three categories of people: somebody that feared God, a good man and somebody that is hardworking; if the Spirit of Nothing did not respect them and fought them, yet you are telling me that you will not combat this spirit? Beloved, tonight, before we leave here, we want to fight that Spirit to a halt. Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me. I can’t leave here empty, since I got you now, every package that you have for me, you must release it.’ The spirit of nothing is what we are dealing with tonight.

But before we pray, if you are here tonight and you feel a great vacuum in your life… the Bible says in Mark 8:36, ‘What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul.’ Listen to me, the most miserable man is the man with nothing of God inside his life, whose mind is empty. Do you feel a vacuum in your life? Do you feel that there is a gap? Always, you are feeling an emptiness and this is not about money or material things. Maybe when you have money or when they send money to you and you are very happy; when you are driving your car or just built a house and you are very happy, you suddenly feel a vacuum in your life – a disconnection between you and God, you are the first person I must pray for that the Spirit of Nothing would leave you. You know you are empty. Inside of you, you know there is no relationship between you and God. It is possible you have given your life to God before. I am not talking about people who want to give their lives to Christ alone, but people with disconnection between them and God – that is the greatest emptiness: a disconnection between you and God. If you are in this category, before you pray the prayer of tonight, we need to restore that connection. Before we pray this prayer, there must be a reconnection between you and God. Without this, even if you pray this prayer, the Spirit of Nothing would still be there.

You are here tonight and need to reconnect back to God…. God can do a lot with your life. This your life, you can’t imagine the great things that God can do with it until you begin to take steps to connect with God, then, you would know that this your life can be a blessing to millions all over the world. You know the connection between you and God has been broken, begin to talk to God: ‘Lord, fill me again.’ If you know you have been born again before, speak to God to fill you again. If you have never been born again, tell him, ‘Lord I come to you tonight, I surrender my life to you, wash me clean, forgive me my sins. I confess you as my Lord and Saviour, give me your grace to follow you to the end of my life.’ If you are not born again before and said that prayer, you are born again now. If you have been born again and there is a disconnection, tell Him to fill you again: ‘Lord, renew a right spirit within me.’

‘Father, I thank you for these ones who have come to restore their connection with you. Lord, please, reconnect with them and give them a new season. Glory be to the name of the Lord.’

Prayer Points

1. You are going to break the yoke of nothing in your life. For that prophet, the yoke of nothing rested upon him. He didn’t allow the anointing of Elisha to break that yoke but for you, allow the anointing of the men of God in this ministry to break that yoke. Pray: By the anointing of this program, every yoke of nothing over my life, I break you.
2. Something followed Peter to that lake. The thing said, ‘Today, I will make sure you don’t take anything home’ and the spirit stood with him and made sure that Peter never caught one fish. You are going to pray, ‘You Spirit of Nothing that is following my life, business, career, ministry, turn back in the name of Jesus!’
3. Genesis 31:42: Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.

This is Jacob speaking to Laban. You are also going to ask God and pray, ‘The God of our fathers, rebuke anyone that wants me to go empty.’

Jacob said, if not for the God of my fathers, you would send me with nothing but the God of my fathers rebuked you. Pray, ‘O God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, arise, rebuke anyone that wants me to go empty-handed.’

4. Exodus 3:21 – ‘And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:’

Favour is the antidote of emptiness. We want to pray, ‘My father, show me favour – favour that will silence the Spirit of Nothing. I receive favour tonight.’

5. Ruth 2:12 – The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

A full reward, that is our last prayer. Pray, ‘God of full reward, visit my life. I receive full reward of every of my labour this year. Anywhere that I have been shortchanged, I receive full reward.’

Listen to me! It can be recorded and not rewarded. When Mordecai did that good, it was recorded but not rewarded. Any good that was done but has not been recorded, maybe you helped somebody’s daughter in school but has not been rewarded; it could be somebody you helped took care of their children when they were young, now almost all those children are grown up and in good places but you have not been rewarded… that has been recorded but not rewarded. Pray, ‘Everything that has been recorded for me but not rewarded, my father, the God of full reward, visit me tonight.’

Blessings

I join my faith with your faith: In the name that is above every other name, that thing moving about in your body and embarrassing you, now, by this prophetic unction, I command that thing to disappear.

This attack that you received in your back and you have not been able to bend down and stand properly, now in the name of Jesus, I command it to disappear.

That pain that you are feeling in your left eye as if there is a stone inside, tonight let that pain disappear.

I pray for you, sister, whatever this issue is with your private part that you can’t even tell anybody, before you wake up tomorrow morning, let it disappear.

The Lord showed me seventeen people and asked me to tell you, that file that was closed before, that file of progress that was closed before, between now and the next 17 days, that file is reopened.

Where they told you that there was no space; where they told you to go back, they will recall you.

Sister, whatever is giving you tears over that boy, over that your son, the Lord asked me to tell you that this night, He is wiping away your tears.

Glory be to the name of the Lord!