TLDR;
In this session, Apostle Arome Osayi teaches about temptation, the dealings of God, and the importance of a personal relationship with God. He explains how God uses temptation to draw us closer to Him and to reveal the state of our hearts. He also discusses how God humbles us to deal with pride and to make us more useful in His hands. The teaching emphasises the need to rely on God's truth rather than presumption and encourages listeners to seek a deeper, more intimate relationship with God in the secret place. The session concludes with a prayer for the breaking of yokes and the opening of new seasons in the lives of the listeners.
- Temptation is a tool God uses to draw us closer to Him.
- God humbles us to deal with pride and make us more useful.
- A personal relationship with God is essential for faith and obedience.
- Presumption is a sin; we must rely on God's truth.
- The secret place is where we encounter God and receive His promises.
Introduction [0:00]
Apostle Arome Osayi welcomes everyone and prays for divine utterance to communicate God's counsel in a simple and plain manner. He asks for mercy and for God's face to shine upon the listeners, requesting that those oppressed by the enemy be set free during the service.
The Gestation Cycle of Sin [1:37]
James 1:13-15 is discussed, highlighting that God cannot be tempted with evil nor does He tempt anyone. Temptation occurs when a person is drawn away by their own lust and enticed. Sin goes through a gestation cycle, much like a pregnancy, and it is nurtured until it manifests. It's advisable to abort sin when it is still an embryo. Just as pregnancy brings sensitivity, so does the gestation of sin. When you find yourself in such a condition, subject yourself to God's intensive care unit for an abortion of sin to be carried out.
Common Temptations and God's Regulation [5:55]
1 Corinthians 10:13 is examined, noting that no temptation is unique; it is common to man. God is faithful and won't allow temptation beyond what one can bear, providing a way of escape. God knows our frame, understanding our stress and strain levels. There is a regulator behind temptation, and God determines the type of temptation we face. Even in temptation, God leaves a window open, an avenue to receive His strategy. Yielding to God is crucial to finding this escape. Depression and anxiety hinder hearing from God and walking by faith.
The Importance of Encountering God [15:41]
The speaker shares a personal experience of being taken to heaven at the age of 13, noting that such encounters equip individuals to withstand difficult situations by allowing them to listen to their hearts rather than getting trapped in their heads. He recalls how knowing what he saw in heaven helped him through a difficult situation later in life. God smuggles an encounter into your life so that when a hopeless moment comes, the power of that encounter will speak.
The First Temptation: Lust of the Flesh [17:36]
The first temptation, lust of the flesh, is analysed, with the core issue being living. Jesus responded by quoting Deuteronomy 8:1-3, emphasising that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God. The responses Jesus gave to Satan's temptations were drawn from Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 8:1-3 and the Dealings of God [18:55]
Deuteronomy 8:1-3 is explored, highlighting that the commandments are given so that we may live. God led the Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness to humble them, prove them, and know what was in their hearts. These are the dealings of God, designed to try the character of our hearts and tendencies. God orchestrates circumstances to humble us and ensure nothing controls our lives apart from the Holy Ghost.
God Allows Pressure Above Our Limit [24:06]
2 Corinthians 1:8 is referenced to illustrate how God allows pressure beyond our strength, even to the point of despairing of life. This is different from temptation, where God makes a way of escape. This pressure is allowed to deal with pride, touching the nerve upon which our flesh is anchored. God wants us to experience the sentence of death on pride, not physical death, so that we will not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.
Personal Testimony of Humbling [27:19]
The speaker shares a personal testimony of how God dealt with his pride by allowing him to fail exams despite his intellectual abilities. This experience humbled him and taught him not to trust in himself but in God. God knows the nerve upon which your pride is hanging and will make you fail in that same context that you believe you are a champion.
The Purpose of God's Dealings [33:05]
The purpose of God's dealings is to humble us, prove us, and show us the state of our hearts. God will prove you by making numerous opportunities and options available. He wants to see if we will choose Him or something else. These dealings are meticulous and purposeful, designed to deal with pride, which has no place in the new covenant. God meticulously orchestrated our salvation so that no human being will be able to boast.
The Importance of Humility and God's Glory [36:59]
The speaker notes that if pride is not dealt with and God begins to use you mightily, God will need to destroy you because you'll be tampering with God's glory. God will haunt you and put you in circumstances that will stretch you beyond your tensile stress capacity if that will result in undoing the power of pride that is locked on your soul. The state of your heart determines whether some of your prayers take time before God answers.
The Process of Prayer and God's Will [38:43]
When you pray, God sits down with the counsel that is in his will, which determines how he responds to your prayer. If your heart has idols, God knows you will use the answered prayer to adorn them, and He will delay the response. The person praying is part of the prayer, and God will answer you the way you are.
God's Tools: Hunger and Bitter Herbs [40:17]
Part of the process God uses to try our hearts is hunger. God will not pamper anger; He will invite Satan to test us. These tests come before promotion into higher levels in kingdom ranking. If you are calm and collected, God may advertise you before Satan, who will accuse you of serving God because of prosperity. All the dealings God gives you are to prepare you for living according to your real and ordained destiny.
Personal Testimony: Resisting a Secular Job [43:43]
The speaker shares a personal testimony of resisting a secular lecturing job because God had called him to teach the Bible. He had to fight to settle it with God that he was going to teach the Bible, then he got an employment to lecture. He understood that if he went on campus, he would not come back to the pulpit.
The Second Temptation: Pride of Life [46:17]
The second temptation, pride of life, is introduced from Matthew 4:5-7, where Satan takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and tells Him to cast Himself down. This temptation borders on our believing. Satan wants you to believe in presumption, not truth.
Analysing Psalms 91 and Satan's Misquotation [47:37]
Psalms 91 is studied to understand what was wrong with Satan's quotation. The protection psalm begins with a great condition: dwelling in the secret place of the Most High. Satan quoted the scripture without adding the condition that makes it efficacious.
The Most High and the Almighty [51:52]
God is identified by two names in Psalms 91: the Most High and the Almighty. The Most High is a governmental name, signifying God's authority. You must recognise His authority as revealed in scripture and the voice of His spirit. The Holy Ghost can only be powerful in your life if you recognise and respect His presence. The Almighty signifies God's might and power.
The Importance of Recognising God's Presence [53:43]
The story of Ananias and Sapphira is used to illustrate the importance of recognising and respecting the presence of the Holy Ghost. God wants to bring us to a place where we can recognise His presence so that we can respect His presence. Dimensions of the Holy Ghost are only given to those who obey Him and acknowledge Him as the Most High.
Personal Testimony: Standing Up to a Manager [57:48]
The speaker shares a personal testimony of standing up to his manager who asked him to find women for him, illustrating the importance of having the Most High in your life, even above your boss. He faced consequences but was eventually promoted after seeking God for 48 hours.
The Secret Place and God's Protection [1:02:01]
You need to dwell in the secret place to commune with the Most High and receive instructions from Him. When you leave the secret place, you will be under the protection shadow of the Almighty. It is the business you do in the secret place that becomes your protection outside of your secret.
Presumption vs. Truth [1:03:25]
Satan wants you to believe in presumption, basing your faith on something that is not true. Many believers have set their faith on presumption and it did not produce. Satan wants to influence what you believe.
Personal Experience and Assurance [1:04:46]
When you have satisfied verse one of Psalms 91, you will experience God as your refuge and fortress. If you have moments with Him in the secret place, you will know Him personally. The proof is that you can produce a name out of it, just like refuge. Assurance, conviction, and peace are currencies of faith.
God's Deliverance and Protection [1:10:12]
God delivers from the snare of the fowler and the noisome pestilence. The speaker shares that people have tried to take him out, but the Almighty has taken responsibility. He will deliver you from dangers you are not even aware of.
Personal Testimony: Refusing a Gun [1:16:19]
The speaker shares a personal testimony of refusing a gun offered by the police, stating that he has a secret place and puts his confidence in God's protection. He will keep thee under his feathers.
Conditional Promises and Presumptuous Sins [1:19:21]
Verse 9 of Psalms 91 is still conditional. Because you have made the Lord your refuge, no evil will befall you. Satan was quoting benefit without prerequisites. Presumption is putting your faith on something that is not true.
Presumption as a Sin [1:23:14]
Psalms 19:13-14 is referenced, stating that presuming on God is a sin. Satan wants to establish presumption in your life. God does not respond to presumption; He responds to His proceeding word. The second temptation is designed to sell presumption as the truth of the word of God.
The Importance of Consecration and Avoiding Haste [1:26:20]
Verse 14 of Psalms 19 is a song of consecration. To be consecrated to the Lord, one must never forget this verse. Jesus responded to Satan by saying, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." To presume on God is to tempt God, standing on an error and expecting God to respond. The way of faith is not haste but depth and conviction.
The Faith Clinic and Seeking the Secret Place [1:31:01]
The session transitions into a faith clinic, aiming to fix faith by identifying lies believed. The speaker emphasises the importance of truth over presumption, especially when ministering to younger people. He encourages listeners to ask God to show them the pathway to the secret place, where covenants and commitments are made.
Prayer for the Secret Place [1:32:59]
A prayer is led, asking the Holy Ghost to take listeners to the secret place, adorned with life and electrified by His presence, so they can encounter the Almighty.
Prayer for Breaking Yokes [1:48:39]
The session shifts to a focus on breaking yokes of the devil, including those related to jobs, favour, and delays. A prayer is offered to undo every yoke of the devil, with the expectation of reactions and breakthroughs. Specific yokes, such as those of witchcraft and infertility, are addressed.
Addressing Inherited Spirits and Powers from Darkness [1:54:00]
The speaker addresses those tormented by inherited spirits due to witchcraft in their families, commanding those spirits to go and demanding restoration. He resists powers from darkness and challenges images of jealousy seated in families, commanding release.
Mounting Up with Wings and Breaking Covenants [1:56:36]
Listeners are encouraged to mount up with wings in the Holy Ghost, arresting the power of the serpent. A prayer is offered for families plagued with liabilities inherited across generational lines due to transactions with the enemy. The speaker blotted out the tongue and vocabulary of every altar speaking against God's will, breaking transactions and covenants cut with the enemy.
Calling Forth and Opening Doors [2:05:19]
The speaker calls listeners forth from where they have been kept, paralysing the powers that hold them bound and separating them by the power of Jesus' blood. He declares closed doors to be open.
A New Season and Tremendous Testimonies [2:09:24]
The Lord's blessing is invoked, and a door is seen opening in the heavens, signifying a new season. The sentence of delays is lifted, and listeners are encouraged to embrace their destiny. Answers to accumulated prayers are coming, and the Lord comes to beautify and give a song in the night. The session concludes with the announcement of tremendous testimonies and the opening of closed doors.