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Grace for Restoration
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God is a God of restoration. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy—sometimes taking people's time and seasons. But when God restores you, He makes up for the lost time. It's never the same; it's greater.
Yesterday we discussed the process of restoration. Until you realize that Satan has taken something from you, you're not ready to be restored. The devil hides as a thief. You notice a gap in your destiny—a cry in your spirit that says, "This is not how it should be"—whether in your marriage, health, or circumstances.
That realization provokes reaction, like the prodigal son who said, "I can't be feeding with swine as a prince. This is not God's plan." Realization provokes him to react and return.
Retracing is key, and this is why praying in the Holy Spirit is very powerful. When two people have headaches, that doesn't mean they have the same problems. When you go to the hospital, they check your vital signs. One person might just need rest for an hour; another might need medication. Many things people face are just symptoms. You need to clarify where the real issue is through prayer in the Holy Spirit.
Praying in the Holy Spirit helps us dig deep and locate what needs to be addressed. Is it binding the enemy? Is it forgiveness? Is it something else entirely? Let me share a story.
A man of God, K. Haggin, was at a healing meeting praying for people. When they put their hands on one man, the anointing didn't flow. As they kept praying, the minister kept seeing "$5,000, $5,000." They pulled the man aside and asked about it. The man remembered: he and a friend had done business together, but the friend died. The friend's wife took over the business with him. Later, she said she wouldn't continue, so they liquidated everything. He kept back $5,000 from the woman, and she never even knew.
They asked him, "Do you have that money?" He said yes. "Can you mail it to her?" During the meeting, he mailed it, apologized, and came back. When the minister put his hands on him again, the man fell flat—and the cancer disappeared.
Sometimes the blockage is unforgiveness. You're holding onto anger toward your mother-in-law, your ex, or someone else. That's a blessing blocker. It's not God holding back; it's something you need to move out so the anointing can flow to you.
Anytime you notice your prayers aren't responding, go back and retrace. Ask God, "Is there anything I need to know? Anything I need to correct? Anything I need to align?" That's retracing.
Many times when we pray, it's hard to recognize when God answers. We pray, we fast, we give, and God responds—but it always looks different from what we expected.
The challenge is that when we pray, we have in our minds exactly how we think God should answer. A young woman praying for a husband tells God, "Give me a husband who feeds me," and she already has a mental picture: a master's degree from Cambridge, lived in Oxford, has a certain kind of car. Then somebody shows up with no car, barely finished his first degree—and she says, "This is not my husband."
Everything she prayed for in accordance with God's word, He has answered. The challenge? Many of us throw it away.
Consider Naaman, who had leprosy. The prophet didn't even come out himself; he sent his personal assistant to tell Naaman to bathe in a river seven times. Naaman was angry. He thought the prophet would come out and lay hands on him. That was what he expected. But the prophet said, "What are you looking for? Healing? Then take it."
One of his security guards said, "Sir, if the servant of God had told you to do something difficult, would you have done it?" Naaman reluctantly went, bathed seven times, and his flesh became like that of a little child.
At the wedding in Cana, the master of the feast called to Jesus: wine had run out. Jesus is a miracle worker—He can do anything. But when He told the servants, "Fill the water pots with water," they just walked away. Water was turned to wine. But they were looking for wine, not water. Whatever He tells you to do, do it.
Walking with God means His ways are higher than our ways; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. The things of the Spirit are always foolish to the human mind.
The Bible is God's manual for life. When you buy a new gadget—a keyboard, speakers—it comes with a manual, either digital or printed. That manual helps you maximize the device. It says, "Press the red button for 5 seconds, and the gadget will come on." You can't say, "Where I come from, we don't like red. I won't press the red button; I'll press the black one." That manual is sent with you. Your spiritual life is like that. To function well and maximize life, follow the manual.
The manual says, "Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with you and that thou mayest live long." If you're fighting your parents every day—"I don't like my old man. What's wrong with my mom?"—God will honor the manual. The manual says to press the red button. Red might not be your favorite color, but you look away and press it.
Every time you go against the manual, you malfunction. You malfunction.
The reason the Bible is so voluminous is that the manual addresses every aspect of life: marriage, emotions, finances, school. In the school of finance, the manual says, "Give, and there's nothing you give." Time and harvest shall not cease. You don't pray about that; you just give. But when you're afflicted, it says, "Pray this." This is manual study, helping you understand how to handle life.
Life is the Book of Life, and the Old Testament represents the beginning of things—not the perfect part. The Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are also not the perfect part because Jesus hadn't died or resurrected yet. He was still ministering to the Jews primarily.
When a woman came to Jesus and said, "Help me," He responded, "I'm not sent to you; I'm sent to the lost sheep of Israel." At that time, salvation was not offered to Gentiles. Jesus ministered based on the Abrahamic Covenant. Understand the progression of Scripture.
But when Jesus died and resurrected, everything changed. Now the Gospel extends to both Jews and Gentiles. The book of Acts and the Epistles are crucial to understanding God's will for you. When you study the Bible, anything you quote from the Old Testament that doesn't have a good foundation in the Gospels or the Epistles does not hold water.
This morning, as we crown our teachings on grace for restoration, Psalm 23:5 is my prophetic word to us.
He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. He anoints my head with oil. My cup runs over.
God is not just enough—He is more than enough. God is El Shaddai—the God who is more than enough. Amazing.
God began showing me from Abraham how He multiplies. Abraham asked for a child. God said, "I will make you a nation." Abraham just wanted a child; God said, "I'll make care of you a great nation."
In the New Testament, Jesus needed to feed 5,000 men, aside from women and children. He asked, "What do you have?" They said, "We have five loaves of bread and two fish. It's not enough." Jesus said, "Bring it to me." He gave thanks, blessed it, and from not enough came more than enough.
I see people entering overflow—overflow of joy, overflow of opportunities, overflow of new songs, overflow of peace.
One day I said to God, "Why do you say we should not waste things? Why should the cup run over? I thought the cup should just be full and we be okay." He said, "The running over is My signature. I'm showing you that I am not a man. I will sign on your life."
He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
This means the enemy is not the problem. The table is the focus—the table of the Covenant, communion. On that table, as a covenant child, you can take anything in the Covenant: healing is on that table, peace is on that table, breakthrough is on that table, turnaround is on that table.
In the presence of whatever enemy—human, material, or spiritual—they cannot stand against the Covenant table.
He anoints my head with oil. My cup runs over.
Don't look at the enemies; look at the table.
The first key to the overflow is faith in the unlimited God.
Jeremiah 32:17 says:
"Ah, Lord God! Behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched-out arm. There is nothing too hard for Thee."
This is where faith starts. When you have been deprived for a while, you might struggle to believe in the overflow. You've been managing, trying to survive, and then God says, "I'm going to do this thing lavishly." It's hard to accept that.
This morning, God wants to remove the mental limitations from your mind. Lord God, You made the heavens and the earth. Is there anything too difficult for You?
Look at Genesis 18:12. God is bringing overflow into this church. The city will respond in a different way from this season. The doors of this church are open in the realm of the spirit in a new way. We call forth people from left, right, and center in the name of Jesus Christ.
God is calling forth favor in the city, favor in the field, for every worker, every leader, every member. Open Heavens like never before. God calls the bird from the east—the one that will execute His counsel from far countries. Wherever the resources are, wherever the opportunities are, angels are bringing your way.
Where there were tears of sorrow, there will be tears of joy. I see someone sitting, shedding tears of joy, wondering, "How can God do this to me? This is so much. I didn't know it was going to be this much." You're moving from tears of sorrow to tears of joy.
I see families celebrating, singing and dancing. God will overwhelm you. He will prove that it is not man—not a Ghanaian, American, or Nigerian—that is God, all by Himself.
Consider Genesis 18:12. Abraham and Sarah had given up on themselves. Abraham was old; Sarah was past the age of childbearing. Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I'm waxed old, shall I have pleasure? My Lord being old also?"
The Lord said to Abraham, "Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I have a child, seeing I am old?'" Verse 14 is powerful:
"Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed, I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
I believe this is the timing for us. That's why we are here today.
One of our pastors trusted God for the fruit of the womb for nine years. Nine years. Last year, God began to move us as a church to sing praises to Him—Isaiah 54.
We also had a challenge with our building. We were working on it before the pandemic, spending a lot of money bringing materials in from outside the country. Just as we were ready, the pandemic hit. Finances went down. I was bothered, thinking we'd do it next year. I asked God, "What is the way out?"
He said, "Go to Isaiah 54."
I was reluctant. I know that scripture. It can't be that one. I kept praying. I'm so familiar with some verses that I've lost the power of them. Then I heard it again: "Go back to Isaiah 54, verse 1."
"Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear. Break forth into singing and cry aloud, thou that travailest not, for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord."
The singing turns the barren situation into a fruitful one. Sing! But not a melancholy song—break forth into singing and cry aloud with joyful praise.
I look at verse 2:
"Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitation. Spare not; lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes."
If you're trusting God for the fruit of the womb or something else, go and take a step this week to extend your faith. Buy baby things, apply for that job again, do something. There's an enlargement of your tent. Don't pity God.
"Thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles and make the desolate cities to be inhabited."
You're going to break forth on the right hand and on the left.
We did 21 days of praising God. The first time we did it, I said to God, "If it's a 40-day fast, we're ready. If it's 21 days, we're ready." He said, "Sing." It looked foolish, but we kept singing every day.
At the end of 21 days, one Saturday evening, one of our leaders called me. I don't usually pick calls on Saturday or Sunday morning, but I picked this one. He said, "Pastor, I'm sorry to disturb you. I was in Abuja where I was to pay for a property, and God said I should bring the money to church for the project."
I said, "What did you say?"
He said, "Yes. This thing is troubling me. Will I be at home on Monday morning?"
Of course he would be. He works in an oil company. Somehow he got some money. He went to the bank, got foreign currency in tens of thousands, and brought cash to the church. The project started afresh, and under four months the building came up.
I told that couple to start dancing and singing at home. They had been praying and praying and praying. Now they sang and danced. One day the husband said, "Ah, she's pregnant!" I said, "Yes, continue singing so the baby can form properly."
They kept singing and dancing. One day he called, sounding down. I asked, "What happened?"
He said, "She just did a scan. Triplets!"
I said, "God will take care of them. Don't worry."
The babies were delivered some weeks ago. Three boys. I said, "Wow!" He said, "No, pastor—Habakkuk 3:17."
You don't sing because things are fine. If you only sang when things are fine, you'd miss the overflow. Certain dimensions you never experience until you sing.
Habakkuk 3:17 says:
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls..."
Just imagine that scenario for a businessman or a career person. Nothing is moving. Nothing is working.
"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation."
You don't sing because that's a place of thanking God for what He has already done. But certain dimensions you never experience until you sing. And verse 19:
"The Lord God is my strength. He will make my feet like hind's feet, and He will make me to walk upon my high places."
Consider Paul and Silas. They were jailed. They prayed, but the answer didn't come. Why? They were praying, and then they started praising God. It was according to Isaiah 54. Their praise was so loud that scripture says the prisoners heard them, and suddenly there was a great shaking, and the foundation of the prison was shaken.
Whatever you are battling with over the years that's so deep-rooted—as we sing and praise, it will be uprooted in the name of Jesus Christ.
God inhabits the praises of His people. The way fish lives in water and trees live in soil, God lives in the praises of His people. Create an environment for Him by praising God in your car, in your home. My wife and I dance a lot at home with the kids. We sing in various dialects just for 30 minutes, and then every time something happens the next week—because you are creating the enabling environment.
God is enthroned in the praises of Israel. Paul and Silas may not have known that verse, but they stumbled on the principle. As they were praising God, glory to God, He didn't send an angel—He showed up Himself. That's why the place shook like that.
Chains were broken so dramatically that the jailer wanted to kill himself. But Paul said, "Hey, we're still here." And their lives became a testimony. The jailer didn't need preaching; he just asked, "What must I do to be saved?"
This month, this year, some things will happen to you that will cause many who have been looking away from God to run to God through you. Your life will become an attraction for others to get saved and serve God. You will be a bundle of signs and wonders.
One of your greatest enemies is murmuring and complaining. It's dangerous.
If Jesus can give thanks with five loaves of bread—when the disciples said, "What is this among so many? This is logical: 5,000 people and five loaves of bread and two fish cannot do anything"—Jesus said, "Bring it to me."
Before we get into praises, I want to say this: Wherever you are, can you be grateful for your life? Can you thank Him for your husband, your wife, your kids, your health? I know things are not perfect, but inside the little light—in those five loaves of bread and two fish—lies the overflow.
Can you be grateful? Can you be grateful if you have lost anything? The reason you've not lost everything is the reason to be grateful. That's very important.
Somebody's car was stolen in Lagos. I said, "Be grateful." He said, "Pastor, how? You have something stealable. You are blessed. To be a blessing, by force, there are some people whose cars, if parked outside in Lagos, the thief will open the door and even take the engine. But your thief wouldn't steal it. That's number one. Number two: you are not the thief. The gap is wide.
Thanksgiving is a mindset. Will you see things as half full or half empty? One person says, "Look at this cup with a little effort to fill." Another says, "Look at just half. Just half. Just half." As he says it, it goes to a quarter. Gratitude is dangerous. Murmuring is like a mosquito—never approach God murmuring. Flies murmur.
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise."
That's a protocol to the palace. Before you even begin to talk, you must get there first. You must live a praiseful life.
In the morning when you wake up, say, "I slept and I awoke because You sustained me. I thank You for salvation. I don't know where I would have been." We're dealing with some young folks in Lagos addicted to weed. It's bad. But I looked at myself: I could have been in that situation. It was Jesus that rescued me. I can't pay for that. Some alcohol, pornography—I said, "Wow, why didn't Jesus" ... I got saved in high school. I'm grateful. Thank You, Jesus. The things He even kept I didn't know.
We're just living for Jesus, going to fellowship—unknown to us, some people had gone to ruin. Thank Him for the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said to the disciples, "It is expedient that I go away." He told Peter, who saw Jesus Christ, saw the miracles—"You must stay with me forever." And then Jesus said, "Ah, you've not seen anything. It's better I go. I'm sending somebody else that's better than me." You should respect the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is an awesome Spirit. If you put all the superheroes together—Thanos, Iron Man, Spiderman, all of them times a billion—they're not close to the Holy Spirit. Imagine a mind that knows chemistry, biology, medicine, engineering, every language. It's more than super. And that's your helper. He never sleeps. He created the fly and the hippopotamus. Imagine the mind of that person—the creativity. He comforts as a dove, but He kills with fire.
When Jesus said to Peter, "It's better," it's because Jesus was in one place—Capernaum. But with the Holy Spirit, Jesus is with all of us everywhere.
A dove symbolizes peace, but that's not the full nature of the Holy Spirit. He's a person—your counselor, your greatest friend. When you have a marital crisis, learn to talk to the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to show you what to do. If you're a pastor, the Holy Spirit is your senior pastor. I tell every pastor, "You are the senior pastor of your church; I'm just here supporting you. Your direction is key."
In the New Testament, Jesus left and sent the Holy Spirit. Your relationship with the Holy Spirit will help you maximize the Kingdom. He's in charge now. He's in charge now.
If you look at Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit said, "Separate unto me Paul." That's what He does—He deploys. He deployed Pastor C to Cambridge. He deployed me here this morning. He's in charge, and He loves singing. You activate Him when you sing. He's here to glorify Jesus.
The questions in your heart—the Holy Spirit is willing to answer if you allow Him. Heaven is on Earth to us. As we praise Him and worship Him this morning, I see God touching lives. I see grace upon grace multiplied over this church, over families, over individuals. Many things you struggled to attain before will just happen with ease.
Where you've experienced stagnation, the Holy Ghost will create movement.
Job 42:10 says:
"And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends. Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before."
Before we get into praising God, I want to pray for one person—maybe your spouse, maybe your closest friend, maybe your mom, maybe someone you know in the church or in your family. Lift them up in prayers from the depth of your heart and sow a prayer seed into their lives. The Holy Ghost will put some names in your heart.
Pray for that person. Lift your voices where you are and pray with passion. It may be your son, your daughter, someone that you know. If you're hearing me online, God bless you for joining. Let go of yourself and just pray for that individual.
It could be someone not yet saved, or someone battling with a marital crisis, or a particular situation. Stand in the gap. Pray like you don't have any challenge yourself.
Pray for that person. Prophesy over that person. This is a prayer seed. Seed time and harvest shall not cease. Stand in the gap for your mom, your dad, your husband, your wife, your daughter, your pastor, your friend. Other names coming to you? Pray for that person too.
In a couple of minutes, you can begin to pray. Pour out your heart. Let God know that this must happen for that person. Heal this person.
Heaven stands. Express yourself to God. Something is happening. We are cross-pollinating in the realm of the spirit. We are strengthening somebody else. Somebody's been healed. Somebody's been encouraged. Somebody's been restored by your efforts—by your effort. Pray for that person.
It could be your younger brother, your elder brother, your wife, your husband. When you can mention their name, it's more powerful. Say, "Lord, my friend," and mention that person's name before the Lord.
Begin to round up your prayers.
