DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to God

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Author‟s profile

CHAPTER 1: Who is Jesus?

CHAPTER 2: Why Should I Give My Life to Christ?

CHAPTER 3: The Power of His Resurrection

CHAPTER 4: Let Go And Let God

Author‟s profile

CHAPTER 5: Knock! Knock! Who‟s there?

CHAPTER 6: Agree with me

1
2
 CHAPTER 1

WHO IS JESUS?

In the beginning [before all time] was the Word [Christ],

and the Word was with God and the Word was God
[John 1:1 AMP).

J esus is more than we can ever need, He is the greatest example of generosity this
world of greed has ever seen, His existence did not begin with His birth. He existed
from eternity with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. His eternal nature is seen in
the book of Micah 5:2 “From Bethlehem would come a ruler, whose goings forth have been from of
old, from everlasting”. This scripture is pointing to Jesus‟ existence from eternity; not only did
Jesus exist from eternity but He is the eternal Creator of all created things. Fulfilled
prophecies and Jesus' miracles are two of the greatest proofs that He really was from God.

The most important of the miracles that occurred was His resurrection from the dead.
Jesus‟ resurrection fulfilled the predictions of the prophets. For example, David predicted
one whose flesh would not see corruption and his soul would not remain in Hades. This
could be true only if one arose from the dead. Jesus predicted that the Jews would destroy
His body (temple), but He would rebuild it in three days. Imagine a man making such a
prediction, If he were a fake shortly after his death, everyone would know he was, but
many people testified that they personally saw Him alive again after He had died. Acts
5:35-40; 2 Peter 1:16-18

People die. So to many people, Jesus' death may not seem extraordinary, but His was
the most important death ever to occur because it is essential to our salvation. Jesus tasted
death for you and I, His death was not for His own sins because he had no sin, nor was
His death simply a miscarriage of justice. Jesus died for our sins; He bore our sins on the
cross, so we could live a righteous life. He was a sacrifice; the sinless Son of God dying as
a penalty for those of us who were guilty so we could go free. It would be amazing to find
3
someone willing to give his own life in the place of a righteous person, but Jesus died for
us while we were sinners.

1. Jesus Is God.

John wrote about Jesus:

In the beginning [before all time] was the Word [Christ],

and the Word was with God and the Word was God

[John 1:1 AMP).

He created the world and all things came into existence through Him (John 1:3). We
know that the „Word‟ refers to God because if we skip down to verse 14, it says the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us. It is interesting how John starts off his gospel, it is
purposely similar to how the very first verse in Genesis started off “In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth” John made it known that in the beginning God was
there, but he is also saying that the Word was there too, He was pre-existent with the
Father. John explained it perfectly at the end of the verse by saying that “the Word was
God”. Jesus is called the Word because he is the very thought of the Father, he is the
imagination and intuition of God. Just the same way you create thoughts and express
those thoughts, your words are an expression of your imagination, inner being and
identity. Now Jesus is the mind of God brought to life, in audible words.

2. Jesus is the Son of man.

Jesus was conceived and given birth to here on earth, he was raised like every other
human, and Jesus demonstrated human characteristics: He became tired (John 4:6); He
thirsted (John 19:28); He ate food (Luke 24:40-43); He showed feelings (Mark 6:34); He
wept (John 11:35); He knew temptation (Hebrews 4:15) and He died (John 19:30). He
was also baptized. Jesus' baptism shows the importance of obedience and of baptism;
Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. The gospel teaches that we today need to be
baptized to receive remission of sins so that we can become a new creation but Jesus had
4
no sins to be forgiven, so He was not baptized for the same reason as us, but He still had
to be baptized to obey God's will. Jesus learned the meaning of obedience from personal
experience. Sometimes people tend to think that other people don't understand them;
children think parents don't understand, wives think husbands don't understand. So, we
might also think that God does not understand us while just sitting in his ivory tower
making rules. But by living, suffering, and dying as a man, Jesus assures us that God does
understand and care about us.

When Jesus ministry began at the age of thirty He did some miracles as a man and
not as God. Here is what I mean: He often withdrew to lonely places to pray; He prayed
for the sick; He prayed to God to bring Lazarus back to life; He spent the night praying to
God before choosing the twelve disciples; He prayed at the garden of Gethsemane before
He got betrayed and arrested. He did all of this as a man in right relationship with God.

“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, verily, verily

I say unto you, the son can do nothing of himself,

but what he seeth the father do, for what things so ever

he doeth, these also doeth the son likewise.”

John 5:19. KJV

3. Jesus Christ Is The Saviour Of The World.

The word “save” means to preserve, to protect from danger and to secure. Jesus brings a
great salvation, or as Paul says, “so great a salvation” (Hebrews 2:3), Jesus is our Saviour
because He justifies us. Our justification or righteousness means being counted by God as
righteous, even though we have sinned. This is made possible by virtue of the vicarious
suffering which Jesus Christ endured on the cross. The term “vicarious” means taking the
place of another, to be a substitute for. He makes us right with God; He paid the price of
our freedom. He is truly our only Saviour, God in his love wants us to live therefore, he
sent the promised Messiah (also called Christ) to save the world (John 1:41). The Son of
God, Jesus Christ, came to earth to die in our place, because He lived a life without sin.
He alone was qualified to pay for our sins by His death on a cross. He then demonstrated
His power over death when He rose from the grave three days later. Only through Jesus
can our sins be forgiven and we can come to God.
5
 Do you know that salvation is not good news if it only saves from hell and not for
God. Forgiveness is not good news if it only gives relief from guilt and doesn‟t open the
way to God. Justification is not good news if it only makes us legally acceptable to God but
doesn‟t bring fellowship with God. Redemption is not good news if it only liberates us
from bondage but doesn‟t bring us to God, and adoption is not good news if it only puts
us in the Father‟s family but not in His arms. There is no sure evidence that we have a
new heart just because we want to escape hell. It doesn‟t take a new heart to want the
psychological relief of forgiveness, or the removal of God‟s wrath, or the inheritance of
God‟s world. The evidence we have been changed is that we want these things because
they bring us to the enjoyment of God. This is the greatest thing Christ died for. “Christ
also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1
Peter 3:18). We were made to experience full and lasting happiness from seeing and
savoring the glory of God. I would have loved to do more justice to this by telling you
every single thing about Jesus in details, but you see if I am able to do that it means He is
not Jesus or how can you explain eternity.

6
 CHAPTER 2

Why Should I “Give My Life to Christ”?

“For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that
He (even) gave up His only begotten (unique) son,
so that whoever believes in (trust in, clings to, relies on) Him
shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost)
but have eternal (everlasting) life”
AMP

s alvation is personal, so I can‟t say for sure what others mean when they say
that they have given their lives to God, or want to give their lives to God, but
I can tell you what I mean by it, and then show you from Scriptures why I
believe this is biblically sound. If I say to God in prayer, “Father, I surrender myself to
You,” what I am saying is an earnest, heartfelt “Yes!” to God‟s purchase of me by the
death of his Son so that I belong to him, not only by virtue of his paying a price for me,
but also by virtue of my willing surrender to him. It implies that, “I‟m no longer my owner,
but that He is my Owner, Shepherd, Father, my wisdom, my hope, and my source of
fullest and lasting pleasure. I renounce finding all of that in me, I want to accept and live
in the reality of that purchase. There is a place of divine purchase.

1st half
“If God did not hesitate to put everything on the line for us,

embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst

by sending His own son,

2nd half
is there anything else He would not gladly

and freely do for us?

(Romans 8:32).

7
 I love this translation, because I love having my real needs met. The two halves of
Romans 8:32 have a stupendously important connection. The connection between the
two halves is meant to make the second half absolutely certain. If God did the hardest
thing of all–namely, give up His own Son to suffering and death then it is certain that He
will do the comparatively easy thing, namely, give us all things. God‟s total commitment to
give us all things is surer than the sacrifice of His Son.

What does “give us all things” mean? It means that we have all things that we really
need in order to be conformed to the image of His Son, and to attain everlasting joy.
Philippians 4:12-13

“I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances,

and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and

all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well fed or going hungry,

having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want. I have

strength for all things in Christ who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to

anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me, I am self-sufficient in Christ‟s

sufficiency]”.

AMP

God will meet every real need, including the ability to rejoice in suffering when many
felt needs do not get met. The suffering and death of Christ guarantee that God will give
us all things that we need to do His will, to give Him glory and to attain everlasting joy.
The death of Christ did not merely precede His resurrection it was the price that obtained
it. The Bible says He was raised not just after the blood-shedding, but by it. The wrath of
God was satisfied with the suffering and death of Jesus. The holy curse against sin was
fully absorbed. The price of forgiveness was totally paid. The righteousness of God was
completely vindicated. All that was left to accomplish was the public declaration of God‟s
endorsement. This, He gave by raising Jesus from the dead. When the Bible says, “If Christ
has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17, ESV), the point
is not that the resurrection is the price paid for our sins. The point is that the resurrection
proves that the death of Jesus is an all-sufficient price.

The death of Christ is not only the demonstration of God‟s love (John 3:16), it is also the
supreme expression of Christ‟s own love for all who receive it as their treasure. Ephesians
8
5:25 says, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” And John 15:13, “Greater love has no one
than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.” And Matthew 20:28, “The Son of Man came not
to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” “To all who did receive him, who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

 Parable of the Lost Sheep Matthew 18:10–14 and Luke 15:3–7.

In this parable, the shepherd has 100 sheep, 99 of which are accounted for, and one
which is missing. He leaves the 99 to go find that one that is lost. But the point of the
parable is the finding of the one, not the leaving of the 99. This is a parable about
salvation. Jesus told this parable in response to the Pharisees and scribes grumbling
against Him for spending time with sinners (Luke 15:1–2), because His behavior was
confusing to them. What the Pharisees didn't understand was that Jesus was going after
the one who was lost. He was extending saving grace to sinners. In the parable, Jesus is not
saying that He abandons His followers. Rather, the point of the parable is His pursuit of
the lost and His joy when people come to Him for salvation. In Luke's gospel the Parable
of the Lost Sheep is followed by the Parable of the Lost Coin and the Parable of the Lost
Son.

 Parable of the Prodigal Son.

These parables are about the salvation offered in Jesus Christ. The Parable of the Prodigal
Son is about a younger son who demanded his inheritance early and then squandered it
only to find himself in desperate need. He realized his father could help him and came to
understand his father's graciousness; he returned home with a repentant heart. The father
saw the son a far way off, ran to him, covered his shame, and rejoiced at his return. Jesus
goes after the sinner and offers salvation, whether that sinner is one society labels as such
or one wrapped up in his own self-righteousness. The point of Jesus' complementary
parables is His eagerness to save and His great joy when someone comes to Him in faith
and receives that salvation.

When we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, He becomes our Saviour and our Good
Shepherd. Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for

9
the sheep" (John 10:11). Jesus laid down His life that we might be forgiven of our sin and
rescued from eternal death. It is well worth it to Jesus to seek and save the lost sheep,
knowing that the alternative for the lost is an eternity of separation from God.

When the lost sheep is found and brought home, there is great celebration: "And if he
finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is
not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish" (Matthew 18:13–14).
Again, the point is not that the shepherd leaves the 99, but his pursuit of the one and his
joy at retrieving it. Jesus not only brings us as sheep into the fold; He leads, guides, and
protects us as we follow Him. He is our everlasting Shepherd. Perhaps the most
memorable description of the Lord as our shepherd is found in Psalm 23. Then, if you go
back to Romans 6:13 (MSG), he says it this way, “Sin can‟t tell you how to live. After all you‟re not
living under that old tyranny any longer. You‟re living in the freedom of God.” It shows that Christ has
delivered us from what used to hold us back, and has now set us free, all that is needed is
for us to step and walk in that freedom our heavenly father has given to us freely. There is
a beautiful story in 2 Corinthians about how the Macedonians did this. It says they were
nd

“Begging us earnestly for the favour of taking part in the relief of the saints and this,

was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea and caught us completely off guard.

What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us.

The other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives.”
nd
2 Corinthians 8: 4-5.

Paul was simply blown away by the beauty of this obedience of these young Christians.
They gave themselves to the Lord. Then, in the confidence that they belonged to God,
they gave themselves to Paul and to his purposes for the poor down in Jerusalem. You
just bring yourself into alignment with what God has already achieved for His children
when you say, “I‟m yours.”

10
 CHAPTER 3

The Power of His Resurrection

"I am the way, the truth, and the life:

no man comes unto the Father but by me."

(John 14:6)

T
here is a purpose for which Christ rose from the dead, and there is power

made available to us through His resurrection. It is important that we know

both the purpose and the power for us to enjoy maximum relationship with

God. Jesus‟ death, burial and resurrection were all part of the plan of Redemption.

What Adam gave over to Satan in the Garden of Eden by disobedience, was restored

by one perfect Man‟s obedience. God reclaimed the blessing that was stolen in the

garden and got His family back. He gave us back the dominion and authority that

rightfully belong to us as His children. When Jesus arose from the dead after being

crucified, a voice echoed through the universe, “It is finished!” Jesus left hell in

shambles; totally and completely devastated. Satan was defeated, conquered and under

Jesus‟ feet. That means Satan is not going to be defeated; he already is. Colossians 2:15
says, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them,

triumphing over them in it” (NKJV). Don‟t just stop at the cross without taking full

advantage of all that Jesus provided.

In the book of Philippians, Apostle Paul talks about the privileged position he held in
Judaism before he met Jesus. He was at the top of the heap part of the religious ruling
council, and sought out even among them. No one was more zealous for the religion of
his fathers, than him. And he was blameless under the law (Philippians 3:6). If anyone
thinks he has reason for confidence (before God), Paul wrote, I have more
(Phillipians.3:4). But, all of that was preliminary to his remarkable statement:

11
 “the very credentials these people are waving around as something special,

I‟m tearing up and throwing out with the trash along with everything else I

used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once

thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege

of knowing Christ Jesus as my master, first hand, everything I once thought

I had going for me is insignificant dog dung. I‟ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could

embrace Christ. I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience

his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself.

Phil.3:7-8, 10. (MSG)

Paul would turn his back on every privilege in this world: position, power, wealth,
influence or comfort in order to know Christ more intimately, to fellowship with Him
more personally, and to experience the power of His resurrection more deeply.

There was nothing in this world Paul wanted more than to engage the resurrection of
Jesus more fully, but that was not what His desire was before He encountered Jesus.
Before Jesus opened the eyes of his heart he was dead set against the Christian faith,
including Jesus‟ resurrection. He hated every single detail about the resurrection, but
then something happened that displayed the truth and power of the resurrection to
him. There are few evidence to show that resurrection truly happened, in case you are
doubting in your heart or hate the thought of resurrection like apostle Paul did before
his eyes of understanding was enlightened.

 First, the tomb was empty and there‟s no way someone could have stolen the
Body, or that every-one went to the wrong tomb. This was a high-profile case. The
bible says that they went, and made the tomb secured, by putting a seal on the
stone, and posting the guard. (Mat.27:66). After three days, the tomb was empty
and the grave clothes were still wrapped. These are the simple facts!
 Second, many people saw the risen Jesus. And He wasn‟t limping around, beaten
and bloodied, like you would expect. The women saw Him at the gravesite, alive
and well. The disciples saw Him in a locked room (John 20:19) where they ate
with Him (Luke 24:43), and then again on the seashore (John 21:12). And later to

12
 more than five hundred of his followers all at the same time, most of them still
around [although a few have since died] according to Paul (1Co.15:6). So, he
couldn‟t have lied.
 Third, lives were changed. After Jesus‟ death the disciples were cowering behind
locked doors. Following a teacher who was executed for blasphemy puts you in
pretty grave danger, and they were scared to death! But what happened after they
saw the resurrected Jesus? They were out in the streets of Jerusalem preaching the
gospel to thousands at the Feast of Pentecost Jerusalem the same city where Jesus
had been crucified and buried. They were changed men, their lives were changed
forever.

Apostle Paul is just one more example. His story is told by Luke in Act.9:22,26. It‟s surely
one of the most significant conversion stories in history, and it explains his passion to
know Christ. Paul was present and part of those who approved the stoning of Stephen,
the first Christian martyr, causing the persecution that scattered the church throughout
Judea. Saul (the Hebrew name for Paul) was seriously intimidating Christians, like a fire-
breathing dragon spewing out vicious threats. He was a terrorist. Like many terrorists of
other religions today, Saul had sought and received the high priest‟s approval to go to
Damascus from Jerusalem in another region Syria from Judea and round up anyone who
was following after the Way, as Christianity was being called at the time. It wasn‟t enough
to terrorize people at home; he wanted to take his act on the road. The Way was a
blasphemous offense to Judaism, as he saw it, and it had to be stopped. The letters he
sought were likely letters to assist his chasing down of dispersed Christians. And when he
was arresting and shackling these people, he didn‟t care if they were men or women; he
was that ruthless.

So, Saul was headed to Damascus with permission in hand to do whatever seemed right,
but something happened. He and his group were interrupted along their way by a bright
light from heaven that blinded only him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice that was
audible to only him. But the address had to surprise him; it was so direct and personal: …
„Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?‟ Blinded by the light, Saul was led by the hand the rest
of the way to Damascus; quite a change from the fury with which he had left Jerusalem.
13
Evidently, he then spent some time pondering his circumstances; he neither ate nor drank
for three days. And reading on, we see that he was also praying not a bad response when
you‟ve been interrupted by God. Having planned to persecute Christians in the
synagogues of Damascus, Saul actually ended up preaching Jesus there. Now, there is a
little taste of the truth and life-changing power of the resurrection. It turned Saul‟s life on a
dime. So, Saul of Tarsus, the first century terrorist, was transformed into the Apostle Paul,
preaching a message and modeling a faith that‟s rooted in Jesus‟ resurrection, and as he
said that Christianity is meaningless without it.

“Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling, If you became believers because
you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, raised from the dead, how can you let
people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there is no resurrection,
there is no living Christ. And face it if there‟s no resurrection for Christ, everything
we‟ve told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you‟ve staked your life on is smoke
and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God,
all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that god raised up Christ sheer fabrications,
if there‟s no resurrection. If corpses can‟t be raised, then Christ wasn‟t because he was
indeed dead. And if Christ wasn‟t raised, then all you‟re doing is wandering about in the dark,
as lost as ever. It‟s even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because
they‟re in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years,
we are a pretty sorry lot.”
1 Corinthians 15:12-19 (MSG)
st

The disciples were not the only ones, who prove the truth behind the power of
resurrection. There are many others over the centuries whose stories may not have been
so dramatic, but their changed lives are equally undeniable proving the truth and power of
Jesus‟ resurrection.

 SAINT AUGUSTINE after hearing a voice from the neighbouring house as of a

boy or a girl chanting and repeating “take up and read” read from the bible that he
should “put ye on the lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh”
instantly at the end of that sentence, light infused into his heart and all the
darkness of doubt vanished away. He was changed from being an arrogant, lust-

14
 driven, sexually addicted young man into a champion of Christian doctrine and
theology.

 MARTIN LUTHER to some he was “a demon in the appearance of a man” but

he was changed from being a fearful, self-analyzing neurotic into a keen discerner
and bold defender of the pure, New Testament gospel.

 JOHN NEWTON changed from being a vile, thrill-seeking sinner and slave-
trader into a compassionate and tender shepherd of God‟s people. He is the one
who composed the poem: Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a
wretch like me.

 CHARLES COLSON in the twentieth century changed from a pitiless, power-

hungry politician into a passionate and tireless evangelist, especially among the
most outcast element in our society.

These are men who stood firm against the threat of persecution, unflinching and prepared
to die if necessary, they knew the truth and were ready to stand for it, no matter the cost.
Their lives were changed in undeniable ways, proving with clarity the truth and power of
Jesus‟ resurrection. There are just two things you need to understand about the grace of
God that is ours by faith in Christ. First, no sin is too small to fracture our relationship
with God. Second, no sin is too great to be cleansed by the sacrifice of Christ. Anything
that is confessed to Him in humble repentance and faith can be cleansed, removed, and
replaced by the power of His resurrection to enable our obedience. Jesus was raised from
the dead; every one now has a choice to make, you either receive Him as Saviour or reject
Him. Resurrection power doesn‟t come from heaven, it lies within you; the anointing, the
power of Jesus‟ resurrection that you have received from Him abides in you and when you
activate it, it removes burdens and destroys yokes. The resurrection power of God is the
most powerful force in the universe yet it has no power in your life until you activate it. So
how exactly are you supposed to activate the resurrection power in you?

15
 1. BELIEVE IT

First of all, being born again won‟t cause the resurrection power to automatically operate
in your life; you have to choose to believe it. You activated resurrection power when you
allowed Jesus Christ to come into your life as your Lord and Saviour. That brings
deliverance, forgiveness, and being made right with God; that is a lot of power, but you
have to activate it by faith.

2. SPEAK IT

When you believe that resurrection power is residing in you, you begin to activate it
through your words. You speak faith-filled words to release the potency of the power. The
power of God is in faith filled words. If the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in
you, he will make alive your mortal flesh (Romans 8:11). Notice, it doesn‟t say He will
make alive your glorified flesh, but your mortal flesh. That is resurrection power coming
out of God from His Word, into your spirit, out of your mouth, and quickening your flesh
with resurrection power.

3. ACT ON IT

Make no mistake Satan‟s defeat was sealed by the Resurrection, but we have to enforce it,
or act on it. The very same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now living in you
(Romans 8:11). God raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus. When Satan tries to bring the curse back into your life, he is trespassing. You
have the authority to make him leave, now act on it. You are not qualified to bear sin,
sickness, disease and demons. Jesus did all that so you don‟t have to bear it. So, you
shouldn‟t bear it. It‟s blasphemous for you to even try.

Jesus came to bring us new life. The word „life‟ in the Greek is zōē. It is the God kind of
life charging through our very being. Eternal life is to know God, and know Jesus, without
knowing him, there is no true life. Peter also emphasizes this point, “His divine power has
given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by
his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3.
nd

16
When you operate in this understanding, you will start to see that you don‟t overcome sin
by trying to stop sinning. You overcome it by walking after the new life God has put within
you, by spending time in the Word and in prayer. As you do that, the Spirit of God will
strengthen you and enable you to put that sin under your feet. Resurrection power sets
you free from sin, shame and living in the past. And, it also sets you free from fear, worry
and anxiety. Do you experience fear in your life? Know this, Jesus defeated fear, and you
don‟t ever have to fear again. Jesus took it. You‟re delivered from it. That resurrection
power living in you means you don‟t have to be afraid of anything. Fear was defeated in
the pit of hell for you. You don‟t have to be in fear over your family, your children, your
finances, your health or your future.

There is only one way to know God, and that one way is to accept Jesus as your Lord and
Saviour, follow God's plans for your life which are laid out in the Bible. Good works
cannot save you; only faith in Jesus alone can save you. Accepting Jesus into your life
starts with you believing that Jesus is your Lord and personal Saviour; admitting that you
are a sinner and that you need God's help the Bible says that “for all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23); and be willing to change your mind and turn from
your sin.

Believe that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried, and rose from the dead.

17
 CHAPTER 4

Let Go And Let God

“…..what have we done?

We have let the Israelites go and lost their services.”

Exodus 14:5 NIV

L
etting go can be hard because it means letting go of your expectations of how
things should be. Sometimes, God allows some things in our lives to die so that
new things can grow. I am convinced that learning to let go and let God is the
best thing we can do for ourselves. If we can believe, as it says in Colossians 1:17, that God
“is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” then we should have an
understanding that God has everything under control. We do not have to hold up our cup
tightly and fill them with a toxic sludge that‟s fueled by our own fears or desires. Instead
we can hand our cup over to the one who formed us and can fill us with His tender love,
grace and mercy. Let us look at some situation in the bible that shows how important it is
to let go and let God.

 THE ISRAELITES

The Israelites according to the Old Testament were slaves in Egypt. They had been in
Egypt for generations and had become so numerous that Pharaoh feared that one day
they will turn against the Egyptians. He gradually turned them to his own slaves, and made
them build grand treasure cities, and killed their first male children. After the death of the
king of Egypt the children of Israel cried by reason of the bondage, the Israelites began to
pray to God to free them from Pharaoh. Exodus 2:23

Freedom became a necessity to the Israelites so much that they wanted to leave Egypt.
Finally God heard their cry and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob and sent Moses to deliver his people from Pharaoh. After a lot of trouble caused by
the hardened heart of Pharaoh, the Israelites were set free. I personally felt that the
18
Israelites should be happy and leave without looking back, but after they crossed the Red
Sea right into the wilderness, they started to long for the food they were used to in Egypt.
You see the Israelite left so quickly that they never had the chance to say goodbye, you
might want to argue that, because they had been in that system for a long time but leaving
abruptly wasn‟t what they hoped for, because though it was hard, that is what they knew.

They knew bondage and were used to it so much that freedom seemed strange to them,
so it was in a manner of speaking, easier for God to get Pharaoh to let his people go than
it was for His people to let Pharaoh go. So getting them out of Egypt into the Promised
Land which was a lot for God because a lot of Egyptians had to die and suffer, was nothing
compared to getting Egypt out of them. Renewing your heart is not hard for God to do,
but losing a grip of those habits that has become normal to you so that they can come into
alignment to God‟s will for your life is what is hard, if you hold it differently you can
handle it.

• JEWISH/GENTILE BELIVERS

The Jewish and Gentile believers have an old sacrificial system that was still in place after
Jesus had been crucified. The essence of the sacrificial system is creating a right
relationship with God; there were different kind of offerings uniquely provided as a
pattern to approach God. They have the burnt offerings, grain offerings, the peace
offerings and the sin offerings, so they sacrifice the blood of bullocks and the likes which
took away sin for a little while. Despite the fact the Jesus had died and paid the ultimate
price, it was still difficult for the Roman Church to let go of that system, even though it is
not working anymore. Paul admonished them by introducing a new system to them, which
is presenting their bodies as a sacrifice holy and acceptable, because as believers we ought
to be called imitators of Christ, and that entails sacrificing ourselves for the reconciliation
of others.

In Romans 12 verse 2, the Bible says “do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind…” You cannot receive a new thing if you don‟t learn to release

19
what you have. To conform is the way the world works from the outside to the inside, but
to transform is the way God works from the inside out, Proverbs 4 verse 23 says “guard
your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issue of life”. Transforming from within is God
telling us to have our agendas go through our inner being where the Holy Spirit can work
on it, so that we can know the mind of God. Sometimes God will love to lock us up within
so that we can come out renewed. Take Paul and Silas as examples, they were locked up
in a room and as uncomfortable as that may seem they still had to stick to their normal,
which was praising God. So when they were locked, they saw an opportunity instead of a
challenge.

 PETER

You know when a store decides to give a discount on their products, which we call sales,
we are always happy to jump right at it. It took me so long to actually figure out the reason
why they do so, but I later found out that they do so because they have new products
coming in and they need to let go of the old ones in the store so that there can be space
for the new ones coming in.

It is so easy to blame Peter for denying Jesus; it is so easy to preach about it and to use it
as an example to correct denial. What we need to understand is that Peter was so sure
when he was speaking to Jesus that he wasn‟t going to deny him. Look at how he fought
for Jesus when the soldiers came, he was so angry they were going to take his master away,
so he quickly tried to protect Jesus by cutting off one of the soldier‟s ear. He was so
certain that he wouldn‟t be able to deny Jesus even if he wanted to.

The analysis of Peter‟s denial is that something has to GO in order for God to be able to
build His church. Jesus saw something in Peter that has to come out of him in order for
him to be able to gain access to the next dimension of who he is supposed to be. So Jesus
had to move out of the way for Peter to deny him so that issue can surface. Following the
arrest of Jesus, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, Peter started running as he was
being confronted by a damsel and a maid who knew he was part of Jesus‟ disciples,

20
denying that he knew Jesus. Then in Matthew 26 verse 73, some people gathered around
him confronting him, and just like he did earlier he still denied but something betrayed
him, his speech. Peter‟s speech betrayed him because he had spent so much time with
Jesus that he had started to talk and sound like him, it was so clear and visible down to his
very speech. That was why it was easy for them to know that he was lying, and all he said
was “I know not the man” but somehow that was enough evidence to show them who he
really was.

Do you know why your words betray you? Because when you are faced with a lot of
challenges and your mouth starts to confess negatives; and you start to tell your friends you
are done and you are tired of everything, you still find your way to church after all you
have said, that is your words betraying you. Because you still came back to God, though
leaping but yet you dragged yourself to church. It only shows that there is a part of you
that is yet to surface that you need to come out from.

After the third crow Peter remembered what Jesus told him and he began to cry, I can bet
that heaven rejoiced when Peter cried not because God hates him, but Peter was in a
broken state and he was down and could not go below that. God must have been happy
because now that Peter is broken and that which needed to surface had surfaced, He can
now build his church on that rock because the church God was going to build was a
church that requires a strong foundation. The reason why God will require a strong
foundation is because he knows the height of glory he has apportioned for you, and he
cannot add that weight to a weak version of you, so the deeper you have been broken, the
greater the foundation is going to be. You need great foundation because there are great
height connected to your name, and if God would have blessed you, when you wanted
Him to bless you, you would have flirted with pride and ego and you would have thought
that you did something to earn where you are. He wants to pull you out of where you are,
so that when you are pulled up there won‟t be a doubt in your mind that had it not been
for the grace of God, that was on your side you wouldn‟t have been able to come this far.

Sometimes God just moves on you and it is not that he is lost or that you did anything
wrong, its Him saying everything must go so that everything can grow, it is Him saying if I
don‟t move from where you are used to seeing me then you would become one of those

21
complacent church goers, when I called you to be a kingdom agent in this world, so I am
constantly expanding your capacity trying to see how hungry you are to hear from me; I
am trying to see how desperate you are to get a word from me, so I am not staying within
reach, I am trying to stretch you unto the next dimension. It is God saying that I had to
strip some people off you because you were beginning to turn them into idols, you were
beginning to take something‟s for granted because you did not have to stretch to receive
them since you were a new born babe.

God wants to change every pattern, lifestyle and way of doing things. God is trying to set
you free from yourself, because you cannot receive what is new if you are still holding unto
what is old. He is not telling sin, shame, sickness to let go, He already sent them away; He
is telling you to let go, to connect to the deepest part of your being. The deep things of
God are the first kind of deep things that is in operation on the earth and the spirit of man
is one of the deep things of God. The deep things of man reside in his spirit and the way
to find out the deep things in our spirits is by speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is
the only medium that God has given to man that can link the human spirit with God‟s
spirit; the answer to finding the bridge between these two is where speaking in tongues
comes in.

The simple implication is that, if you do not have the Spirit of God you cannot know the
things of God. The future is part of the deep things of God. There is no machine in the
world that can access tomorrow, but the Holy Spirit inside you can access the future. The
way we bring the information of tomorrow into our today is where speaking in tongues
come in. There are items of information, instructions, provisions, and things that are
meant for your good. This is what 1 Cor. 2:7 means. You could be in shame now, yet God
has prepared wisdom for your glory, but if you fail to access that wisdom, your glory will
remain alien to you. The wisdom is a “hidden wisdom” because God chose to hide that
wisdom from the devil and from men that could hurt you. He chose to hide it for you.

22
23
 CHAPTER 5

KNOCK! KNOCK! WHO‟S THERE?

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

H
ere you are in your room at 11:15pm about to sleep and as you lay on your
bed, you hear a knock: “Knock! Knock!” Immediately, you get up, run to the
door and open it… or not? We all perhaps will ask first, “who‟s there?” and
when the person responds in a language or name that we understand, it becomes safe to
open the door. In plain terms, we would not open up our doors to strangers and in fact,
possibly not to acquaintances but only to persons we really “know.”

Let‟s tell the story a little differently; you have a friend that always comes to your room
after work to gist and tell you about a whole lot and eating whatever she wants in your
room while at it. She closes from work very late and since you live in the same house, she
strolls to the front of your door at 11:15pm and “Knock! Knock!” Since this is a usual and
daily act, you would be skipping the “who‟s there?” part now and just open the door. No
questions, no interrogations; it‟s your housemate and this is the usual beautiful routine
both of you have daily. Fortunately or unfortunately, the wardrobe where your beverages
and foodstuffs are kept has no door, well; you know what that means already if you ever
had such a friend.

There are two things that distinguish the first scenario from the second; in the first, there is
an enquiry to find out if it‟s somebody you “know,” the emphasis is on the word “know.”
In the second scenario, there is no enquiry because even though the person is just a
friend, she lives together with you, you “know” her. The second thing we would observe is
in the first scenario, there is so much uncertainty about who is at the door because it is
quite “strange.” While in the second scenario, there wasn‟t any uncertainty; you were

24
expecting the knock and you opened without a second check, because it is a recurring
activity. You were thus “familiar” with the knock at that time!

We are writing a story book; write with me a little longer as we move to the next chapter.
Now, in this scene there are two persons that are living with you in your house. One of
them, Ayomide is the very effective one in the house; she gets all things done. Ayomide
washes, cleans, mops and ensure the house is in order. However, Ayomide seldom talks
with you, sometimes she reaches out to you in the morning and some other times at night,
these conversations are usually very quick, not every time and always about her current
issues. The lady in scenario two is actually named Mary.

Write with me a little longer, we are almost done. This scene now sees just you and
Ayomide in the house, Mary has travelled on a business trip and both of you have
scheduled to hold a Zoom meeting by 11:15 to have your usual beautiful discussions and
at that time, you hear, “Knock! Knock!” Mary is not at home and you are about to have a
Zoom gist with her, “who could it be?” you ask as you approach the door. Even though it
is just you and Ayomide living in the house, you are unsure it‟s her since she hardly
reaches out, the question then comes; “who is there?” “Ayomide” she replies. Now it‟s
safe to open the door and as you do, your next statement would likely be a question; “I
hope no problem?” or “what‟s happening?” The reason for this is because even though
Ayomide lives with you, you really do not “know” her nor have a meaningful relationship
with her and it is “strange” for her to come discuss with you, especially at that time.

Alright, enough scriptwriting! Let‟s do a little recasting, replace the name Ayomide with
Martha. The story now seems like one you‟ve heard before?

38
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him
into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord‟s feet and listened to his
39

teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do
40

you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord
answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is
necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-40

25
The first important thing to your Christian walk is not manifesting the gifts of the Spirit,
nor working for the Kingdom. As extreme as that could sound, it is the truth! Even though
the above-mentioned things are extremely important, they are not as important as having a
consistent personal fellowship with the Lord! Martha was busy about “serving,” she was
busy with “doing” and even that is very important, it loses its value when it is void of what
was doing which is “being.”

If you will grow and receive all that God has prepared for you, then you have to make
personal fellowship a priority! You have to make “being with God” very important for
you. Jesus says that Mary choosing to be with him is something that will never be taken
away from her! This is remarkable! No matter what happens, the feet of the Lord – the
place of fellowship – will never be taken away from you!

“Then he chose twelve of them to be his apostles, so

they could BE WITH HIM. He also wanted to send

them out to preach” Mark 3:14 (CEV).

Again, we see clearly how that the Lord‟s desire is first that we have fellowship with Him.
Now, this should not be confused to mean that we are to do nothing while we are with
Him; rather, it would mean that no matter what we do fellowship with God must remain a
priority! While the twelve were “with him” even before he sent them out, they were
“serving.” What God desires from us in all our service is to not let the place of our
personal fellowship be ignored! Jesus also set an example for us as he always slowed the
pace of his life to spend time with the Father. At several times, he was caught going to the
mountains to pray. These weren‟t corporate prayers‟ time or prayer with the disciples‟
time; they were personal time-outs with God! Jesus did both the personal time-outs with
God and the corporate services, we too must do same.

When we make fellowship with God a priority, He helps us understand the priorities of
everything else. No wonder Jesus was clear in Matthew 6:33 when he said we should seek

26
the kingdom first, and that all of the other things in life would be taken care of. In my
translation, “SEEK Him first and every time you KNOCK any door, the door would be
opened!” Just like by seeking you always find. Mary in our earlier story already had the
door to all the food opened to her!

1 Corinthians 1:9 says "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son,
st

Jesus Christ our Lord" (NASB). In Greek, the word "fellowship" is koinonia. It is also
translated as "communion." If we will grow and experience more out of our Christian life,
then we must have and maintain consistent fellowship with God! The question you are
asking now would be, “how can I have fellowship with Him?” or “How can I have a
beautiful fellowship with Him?” I won‟t leave you, read on!

PURSUING FELLOWSHIP

Being in fellowship with God is not actually difficult; it is one of the most natural things
that we could do. While we could help guide on how to have a meaningful fellowship with
God, one must by himself actually make his fellowship with God enjoyable the way that
suits himself and God. However, there are certain important things that are important to
having a beautiful fellowship with God! We would list a few of them;

1. CONVERSATION

Your quiet time should have a conversation. You can start by talking to God about the
quiet time you are about to have, more like when you give your friend a teaser about the
gist you are about to share with her. What do you consider as elements of an interesting
conversation? Put those things in place in your fellowship with God!

2. SPECIFICITY AND CONSITENCY

Like the story we started sharing earlier, Mary had an 11:15pm daily that she always had
gist with her friend. That specificity and consistency made her more accessible to her
friend daily without restriction. To enjoy your fellowship with God, you need to have a
specific time(s) when you fellowship with God daily. Being specific with your time helps

27
you build your discipline, and being consistent builds your familiarity and both builds your
fellowship.

3. HAVE A BIBLE STUDY/READING PLAN

To have a meaningful quiet time, you need to have a bible reading/study plan. If you don't
have this, you'll end up wasting time that you ought to have used to study to look for
scripture. So what are the study plans you can have?

• Chronological Bible plan.

• Topical study plan
• Character study plan
• Book of the Bible plan

4. LISTEN

The moment of your fellowship with God is a beautiful time when God converses with
you, it‟s thus important that you are intentional about listening to God speak!

Remember, you have to take responsibility for your relationship but God is interested in
the relationship so much as well; talk to Him about how much you want the relationship
to work, talk to Him about it all!

28
 CHAPTER 6

AGREE WITH ME!

Again I say unto you,

that if two of you shall agree on earth as concerning

anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them

of my Father which is in heaven. Mt 18:19 KJV

The believer is not a lone wolf! No believer can grow alone! Despite how important it is to
have a personal fellowship with God, we cannot ignore the place of making things work by
agreeing together! Matthew 18:19 above conveys a very important principle of prayer to
us.

Jesus says, “Again I say to you.” Again? Had he said something before? Jesus had just said
something very strong. In fact, what he said according to Matthew 16:19 is a KEY. And
now Jesus says it again in Matthew 18:18;

Verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth

shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth

shall be loosed in heaven.

Mt 18:18

And I will give unto thee the KEYS of the kingdom of heaven:

and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:

and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Mt 16:19

What Jesus was saying in Matthew 18:18 was so important a matter. It wasn't the first time
he said it. In fact, if it was the first time, it would still have been powerful. Let alone when
he says it again. But now this time, after Jesus has made this powerful statement, He said,
"again I tell you."

29
In another words, He is saying “I am laying emphasis on what I just said. I am still preaching
the same message. It is as serious as what I have just said now.”

Jesus was saying, “Listen, again I tell you! First, I tell you that when you make decrees, they're
authorized by heaven. Again I tell you, when you agree together, it is authorized by heaven. If two
of you shall agree on anything, it will be done by my Father.” (My translation)

Jesus was preaching the same message of Matthew 16:19, the same message of Matthew
18:18, he was saying that the Prayer of Agreement is a key to accessing heaven's
authorization.

The prayer of agreement is one of the most powerful prayer strategies. God respects
agreement. Nature respects agreement. Agreeing people are powerful people. Little
wonder something remarkable happened in the book of Genesis. Where God himself
acknowledged that agreeing people are unstoppable people.

And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one,

and they have all one language; and this they begin to do:
and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have
imagined to do. Genesis 11:20

A together people are unstoppable! An agreeing people are unstoppable. And now Jesus
has said if you people come in AGREEMENT (in another word ONE VOICE, UNITY)
there's nothing you cannot get.

The prayer of agreement is such a powerful prayer strategy. Now there are some
important things to know about the prayer of agreement.

1. THE PRAYER OF AGREEMENT IS LIMITLESS

...concerning ANYTHING... Mt 18:19

This means you can agree in prayer about ANYTHING!

30
 “Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a
symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will
come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven. - Matthew 18:19
(AMPC)

Anything and everything can be prayed about in the prayer of agreement.

2. IT CAN'T BE DONE ALONE

Jesus said, “…if TWO of you...” In verse 20, still on the same message, he said if TWO or
THREE of you. Read together, we have an understanding that this prayer isn't restricted
to TWO persons. The important thing is that 1 person cannot make the prayer of
agreement. There has to be someone you are agreeing with.

3. THE PERSONS MAKING THE AGREEMENT MUST BE ON EARTH

“…you shall agree ON EARTH”

Note that the prayer of agreement cannot be done with angels or dead beings. Neither
Mary mother of Jesus nor Apostle Paul can agree with you nor Angel Gabriel.

You both or all of you have to be alive. Though not necessarily in the same place.

4. YOU HAVE TO AGREE

There must be an agreement. So next time you are going to pray the prayer of agreement,
don't just call out the problem to your partner. Spell out what you want also and your
partner(s) must agree with you that what you want is what you'll get. This is a very
important part that many believers miss; they just give a surface level story and ask people
to agree with them. And because those people don‟t really understand the gravity of what‟s
happening, they just pray with a surface level passion and heart as well! Be specific about
the issue and about your request.

31
So before praying, hold an open discussion, open up clearly and truthfully. Then let the
person talk too. Let him, her or them agree with you.

5. YOU MUST ASK

...concerning anything you ASK...

The request must be made! Note that the word is ASK and not beg or cry. This is the
language of the prayer of agreement. It's an authoritative prayer!

6. NO DOUBT CAN BREAK IT

In Acts 12:1-3, the Bible records, “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth
his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with
the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter
also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)”

Herod took of James and killed him. Just like that! And now he has gotten Peter the head
of the church. The church folks have got to do something! They didn't do anything when
it was James and that caused them one Apostle. Now they've got to use their weapon.

“Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without
ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would
have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between
two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before
the door kept the prison.”
Acts 12:5-6

The church came together to pray for Peter‟s release. They interceded in AGREEMENT.
Now look at this;

And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose
surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the
gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the

32
 gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art
mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued
knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.

Acts 12:12-16

In this same encounter we see this young girl who was part of the prayer of agreement
being made. They've been praying, agreeing for Peter's release and now he's out. This
young girl was excited about it. “Oh our prayers have been answered” she must have said.
But then there were others who said oh it's impossible, you are seeing a ghost. Even
though they had agreed to come together to pray, even though they were praying in
agreement, they got to a point where they began to doubt, where they lost hope. They had
been praying for days mind you, and they just seem to have given up.

Yet their prayer of agreement wasn't cancelled because of their doubt because in this
prayer, the doubt of one person doesn't nullify the prayer as long as it started in
agreement. If we came together in agreement to make the prayer, then we'll have to come
together again in agreement to cancel it.

What a prayer strategy the prayer of agreement is! Use it often! The problem is that many
believers are loners! They don't have prayer cliques, they pray only on their own. While
many other believers are nomads. They just pray with different people, anybody. Both
aren't bad and are important as well.

However, get yourself a clique. People who share the same knowledge with you, people
who will answer when you call, people who will easily be in agreement with you. Take
your time and carefully select 2,3,4 persons who can always pray with you about
ANYTHING in agreement and who you can pray with too. Wield this weapon of
agreement at all times!

33