The Foundation of Growth by Pastor Emmanuel S. Olowokere. Jan 31, 2010. Watch photo album of the service
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Sermon synopsis
As a covenant child of this ministry you must know by now that God has declared February as our “Month of Divine Growth.” What you may not know as well is the manifold dimensions of this prophecy.
For starters, “Growth” means enlargement, increase, expansion, development, escalation, intensification, or augmentation. “Divine” means what is Godly; heavenly, perfect, celestial or what is beyond the effort of man.
Put together, “Divine Growth” is a growth that is God-given or God-engineered. It’s a growth that no economic affliction can impact because it’s dependent on divine economy. Neither can anyone or any devil stop it.
For our purpose we will use the word growth, increase and prosperity interchangeably.
In Exodus 1:1-12 we encounter the Israelites populating Egypt during Joseph’s reign as the second in command to Pharaoh. Joseph therefore seemed an easy explanation for the numerical increase and prosperity of the Israelites. After Joseph’s death and the enthronement of a new Pharaoh who knew not Joseph, however, it became apparent that someone other than Joseph must have been responsible for the growth all along.
Verses 8-12 state:
Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
9And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
10Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
11Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.
The Israelites’ growth couldn’t be stopped by the king and his agents because it was divinely orchestrated.
The chief reason God grants us increase is not so we can satisfy our selfish ends but so we can be a “lodge” to others (Luke 13:19). I’m not surprised by how blessed America is because the country understands and practices being a lodge to others. In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, America has been front and center in helping the impoverished Island out.
3 John 2 says
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
We see here that it’s God’s pleasure for us to grow. And that the prosperity of our soul is pivotal to our growth. Nothing about this precludes unbelievers from prosperity? I have taught in the past that a man can prosper by labor, inheritance, or by God. The difference is God’s prosperity is sorrow-free. Of what significance is prosperity that is attended by ill-health?
Having this in mind, we need to understand we must give due diligence to our spiritual growth since it holds the key to the prosperity of our soul. That’s why 1Peter 2:2 says
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.
Of what use is being a dwarf in the spirit and a Shaq physically? That’s the risk we run if our soul doesn’t prosper. We therefore need to increase the quality of God’s word in our hearts so we can prosper thereby.
Joshua 1:7-8 bears witness to this “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
8This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
It’s only after careful study and meditation that we come to the knowledge of the word which will in turn make us prosperous and grant us good success.
May none of us miss out of the blessings of this prophecy in Jesus Mighty name. Congratulations on your divine growth!
