VICTORY MONTH 2015
FOREWORD
WALKING IN LOVE: LIVING IN DOMINION
Beloved of God, and partakers of the heavenly kingdom of our heavenly Father. I greet you again, happy and prosperous New Year. I also welcome you to our Victory Month of Fasting and Prayer- A month full of great blessings. We shall all be victors and not victims of any circumstance in Jesus name. As I believe, unprecedented blessings await everyone who participates in this spiritual and noble exercise. I equally want you to observe our subject of focus this year which is very Scriptural.
“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love as Christ also has loved us and has given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet and smelling aroma” (Eph. 5:1-2). Without mincing words, there is no Christianity without love. Christ Himself said, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.) Your love for each other will prove to the world that you are mine disciples” (John 13:34-35)(NLT). Without much interpretation, the words of our Lord here are plain and succinct. Christians are those who profess and possess Christ. Christians are the people who walk as Jesus walked. Jesus walked in love and “He who says he abides in him ought himself to walk just as he walked” (1 John 2:6).
Love is an invaluable virtue every one of us should covet. It is the mark of discipleship, the only way we can prove to the world that we belong to Christ is to walk in love and love one another as Christ Himself loves us. Your love for your Christian Brother and Sister cannot be less than that selfless, unconditional and sacrificial love which Christ demonstrated by dying for us. Both our heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ our Saviour have demonstrated unparalleled love for us. As Paul says in our Scripture passage Eph. 5:1 that we should be imitators of God as His dear children. “Anyone who does not love does not know God – for God is love NLT” (I John 4:8).
The way we show that we love God is to love one anther. If we do not love our brothers and sisters whom we see, how can we say we love God whom we cannot see? (Read 1 John 8:20). The Holy Spirit’s call to us this year is to walk in love so that we could be able to live in perfect dominion, fearing nothing. As we all walk in love, we would all enjoy what it means to be Christians. Love forgives, Love cares, Love does not keep the record of another person’s offence, Love gives, and Love never fails! Brethren, it is high time we forgot all differences and grievances against each other so as to enjoy the liberty which God has called us to enjoy. Every human being whether saved or an unbeliever wants to be loved.
No human being has ever rejected love or will ever reject it. Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13:10). Walking in love will make us bold, courageous, fearless and confident. Walking in love guarantees answers to our prayers.
In conclusion, listen to the words of Apostle John, “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on His son Jesus Christ and love one another as He gave us commandments” (I John 3:21-23). According to this scriptures, loving is one of the conditions of answered prayers. Having understood this truth, I encourage all of us to imbibe the culture of walking in the Christ kind of love and enjoy immediate answers to prayers this month and beyond. Therefore pray! Since God works, your prayers will also work. Since you matter to God, your prayers also matter in Heaven. I wish all of us a victorious and wonderful Victory Month.
Remain blessed in Jesus name.
Yours in the Service of the King
Pastor (Dr.) E. O. Abina
General Overseer
GENERAL GUIDELINES
- Proper Mobilization: All ministers should ensure that members are encouraged and mobilized to participate in these prayers throughout.
- Absolute Consecration: Every member should ensure that considerable time is spent on prayer. The divine injuction is “Pray without ceasing”. God will answer us according to the level of our prayer.
- Diligent Preparation: Every Pastor-in-charge should prayerfully and wisely prepare the roaster of those to lead prayers for each day ahead of time and must have thoroughly gone through the prayer points before assigning it to any leader.
- The Leader As A Point Of Contact: The prayer leader of each day must read the inspirational message first before adding his own explanation. This will enable the people to have right insight into the prayer focus of each day and pray each prayer effectively.
- Effective Ministration: Let all ministers prepare for the special ministration for each day. This is a golden opportunity. It must be handled with all seriousness and great faith.
- Brief Admonition: The minister leading each day’s session should not spend too much time preaching. The admonition should be brief and snappy so that people would have enough time to pray.
- Special Family Vigils: Monday 5th and 12th have been scheduled for special family vigils. These should be taken with all seriousness. All ministers should encourage each family to participate, it will help us to get better result and serve God better. See pages 80-86.
- Special Group Vigils: For the arrangement of the various vigils, see pages 90-91.
- General Vigils: Should be arranged in each Assembly – see page 87-89
INTRODUCTION
To walk in love and live in dominion is an exceptional feat which is not easy for a common person to perform. Why do we need to walk in love and live in dominion? Because that is our position. The lives of the people of the world around us are characterized by hatred and subjugation. We are supposed to live above board which cannot happen by a wishful thinking. It is an operation that is only made possible through the instrumentality of prayers. That is our prayer focus this year.
Jacob is a very good example on this. In Genesis 32:24-30 on his journey from Padan-aram back home he was going to meet Esau, his arch-rival and arch-enemy.
He waited on the Lord all alone to receive solution to the life-long challenge of his life. He needed to reconcile with his sworn-enemy brother so that they can live together in peace. At the same time, he wanted to maintain the dominion which he had obtained craftily from his brother, Esau. It will be recalled that Esau had decided that he was going to kill Jacob at any given opportunity because of the deep hatred between the duo (Gen. 27:41)
When the news of Jacob’s home-coming got to the hearing of Esau, he armed himself with about four hundred men to meet him. Definitely, that was not to be a peace but a war meeting. However, because Jacob knew how to win the battle of life, to restore love, to establish peace and at the same time maintain his dominion. He waited on the Lord that night and the Lord met him. What a divine appointment! The long and short of the story was that Jacob achieved his dual objective. He had peace with his brother, Esau and upheld his dominion. How I wish that every member of GOFAMINT will realize that the month of January is a divine appointment month in which the Lord is much willing to meet His children both at personal and collective basis to turn our lives around.
What does it mean to walk in love and live in dominion?
Love: 1. To love the Lord our God with all our hearts. 2. Love our spouse like ourselves. 3. Love our Christian brethren within and outside our denomination and walk in unity with them even when it is difficult. 4. Love all people, even the unbelievers, especially those who are not lovable because of their sins and demonic attachments. We should hate the sins and satan in their lives, yet we should not hate but love them as human beings.
Dominion: 1. Read and have dominion over the land, the sea and the air with the fullness thereof. 2. To live above sin and over the flesh. 3. Victory over all demons that may be waging war against us. 4. Control the spiritual, economic and social activities of our immediate environment. Read Gen. 1:28-29; I Cor. 3:21-23.
What is your position as far as love and dominion are concerned? What do you want to become after this prayer exercise? In the word of our General Overseer, Pastor E. O. Abina, on this year’s prayer’s theme, he said, walking in love will make us bold, courageous, fearless and confident”.
Are you really ready to meet God? Please don’t cheat yourself, fast the way you should fast and pray the way you should pray. Don’t forget, whatsoever a man sows shall he reap (Gal. 6:7).
Pastor Richard Usenu
Pastor Bola Taiwo
Pastor J. K. Akinola
Pastor s. O. Shoretire
Victory Month Prayer Committee.