THE ORDAINED SUPREMACY

THE ORDAINED SUPREMACY MY heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer Psalm 45:1

WORD PUBLISHERS OVERCOMERS MINISTRIES, INC (WOPOM) And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. -Acts 13:49. We publish the Word that makes for a life of fulfillment, joy, and satisfactory progress; and makes for dominion over Satan- the perpetrator of the troubles and woes of life. OVERCOMERS CHURCH TM An assembly of overcomers, living in dominion and conquest over all satanic influences. THE LEGACIES OF JESUS TM A periodical publication of the manifold Legacies which Jesus left for His believers. P O Box 4402 Baton Rouge, LA 70821 USA

THE ORDAINED SUPREMACY An exposition on: The pivot of life Faith and The Revealed Ways of God MOSES TALABI

THE ORDAINED SUPREMACY An exposition on: The pivot of life Faith and The Revealed Ways of God COPYRIGHT 2009 BY MOSES TALABI ISBN 978-0-9841773-0-1 All rights reserved No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright owner, except for brief excerpts in articles, magazines, and reviews. Printed in the United States of America All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible, unless otherwise stated.

CONTENTS Preface 7 Acknowledgement 9 Foreword 11 Introduction 13 Chapter 1 23 What is faith? Chapter 2 41 The written word, the revealed word, and the complexity of faith Chapter 3 51 The virtues of faith Chapter 4 71 The Dimensions of faith Chapter 5 85 Growing in Faith Chapter 6 99 Hindrances to growth of faith Chapter 7 107 Faith Boosters

Chapter 8 135 Evidences of faith Chapter 9 139 The compelling need for faith Chapter 10 163 The mysteries of iniquity and of God s jealousy Chapter 11 209 Jesus left Legacies for humanity: Appropriate your Legacies in Christ Jesus Chapter 12 227 The role of the church in fulfilling the day of the total power of God Chapter 13 241 The immutability of God s Word: The dire need for a case study concerning peace among the human race Chapter 14 267 The Access to faith and God s ways: Salvation About the Author 277 Orders and Enquiries 281

Preface THE ORDAINED SUPREMACY He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel -Psalm 103: 7. The ways of God come by revelation; and revelation is a product of understanding. The Holy Spirit is the giver of understanding (Isaiah 11:2, John 16:13). The ways of God contain His plans for humanity, His desires for humanity, and His established ordinances that make for the attainment of whatever is contained in His ways. The ways of God are the ways of spiritual, physical, and financial prosperity, and of dominion over all unfavorable and undesirable circumstances of life. Faith is the door opener to the ways of God. Therefore, faith and His ways cannot be divorced. This book is a product of the revealed ways of God for a divine purpose upon earth. Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 are of particular note partly for the benefit of the body of Christ- the church, and partly for the benefit of the entire human race. MOSES TALABI 7

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I acknowledge the manifold grace of God upon my life: the grace of predestination, the grace of divine election, and the grace of salvation; the grace of being entrusted with the work of His kingdom, the grace of divine ability and the grace of the fulfillment of divine prophecies of God in my life. I thank God who has given me the ability and the joy of bringing the writing and publishing of this book to a point of completion. It is by the grace of God that the writing of the book did not come to an abrupt end. The Holy Spirit lifted up a standard against every form of physical inability on my part. I believe in my heart that it is the plan of God that this book shall be read. I give glory and praise to the Lord. In Jesus name, Amen. I acknowledge the wonderful doing of the Lord in my life when He directed my steps to Living Faith World Outreach Centre (Winners Chapel) Lagos, Nigeria founded by Bishop David Oyedepo. I thank God for the great things He has used this great man of God to teach me. I thank God for the establishment of Word of Faith Bible Institute, an arm of Living Faith World Outreach Center. The knowledge I gained in that Bible School contribute greatly to the basis of some of the materials presented in this book. I thank my dear wife, Funke, who has put in all it takes to type this book. I thank her and all my children for being a source of inspiration to me. 9

I appreciate the kind gesture of my brother in Christ and friend, Pastor John Hary. On the very first day I met this man of God, he demonstrated a vital aspect of Biblebased faith, ordained by God, as it is written: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. -Hebrews 13:2. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; -3 John: 5 Pastor John Hary demonstrated that he is a true spiritual descendant of Abraham-the father of faith-who entertained three men unaware that he was entertaining the angels of God who had brought the good news concerning the birth of Isaac! (Genesis 18:1-8). Pastor John Hary dealt faithfully with me by allowing his church s facility to be used by my young ministry as a place of worship. This he did free of charge to my ministry and without any conditions attached. The period of worship in that facility contributed to the formative period for the writing of this book. Glory to God. I thank God for the fruit of the Spirit established into him by the Lord. I thank Pastor John Hary for writing the foreword for this book. 10

FOREWORD Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). I thought I understood what that meant until, my friend Moses Talabi, asked me to write the foreword for this book. Brother Talabi told me, the Holy Spirit lead him to ask me, so I said, yes, I ll pray about it and read it. My first prayer was, Lord why me, you know I m not eloquent with words? God didn t say anything, so I read the book. Then God started speaking to my heart. I needed this. In all my years in ministry, and all my studies, I ve never found answers to what I really needed. I ve read books on How to pray, How to hear God s voice, How to Know God s voice, How to Receive the Holy Spirit, How to Know you are Saved; these are all good books but I did not find the answer I had been searching for. I had good teaching in seminary and I was taught how to prepare a message. I learned how to present a message and make an alter call, but there was always something missing. In my years of ministry I have met and associated with many preachers. I ve talked to them and listened to many of their messages. I ve seen people saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, and there is great joy in seeing God move, but there must be something more. Then in the pages of this book I found that faith is the most misunderstood word in our vocabulary. We have faith in our car, we have faith in the chair we sit in, we have faith in our ability to do things. But is this really faith? One day our car will quit, the chair will break, and we will die and go back to the dust. Nothing we can see will remain the answer! Just have faith in God, be doers of his Word. 11

God has answered my prayer, why me Lord, through this book written by my brother in Christ, He has opened my understanding as what ministry is about. I, like so many of my pastor friends, prepare a message and think God gave it to me because it s His Word. What s missing? We didn t ask God if this was what He wanted us to preach. We have faith in our ability instead of faith in God. My conclusion; this book needs to be in every home. Every pastor needs this book in his study beside his Bible, as it will make the Bible come alive! I ve heard Moses Talabi teach and preach; I ve set on a few board meetings with him and was moved by both his wisdom and depth of God s word. I perceive that God still calls prophets today. I am both honored and humbled for the privilege to write this. Pastor John Hary 12

The Ordained Supremacy Introduction The finger of God s direction for humanity points supremely and authoritatively, as it is written in the divine law: There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture s eye hath not seen: The lion s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it. He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing. He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light. But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith it is not in me: and the sea saith, it is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. 13

The Ordained Supremacy The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold. Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding? Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. Destruction and death say, we have heard the fame thereof with our ears. God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder: Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out. And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. -Job 28: 7-28 The above word of God is a declaration and celebration of the supremacy of God s wisdom. Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. -Verse 13. That is, the domain of God s wisdom is not among the human race. 14

The Ordained Supremacy Verse 9 says the wisdom of God gets to the root of mountains to throw them out of the way. Verses 15-19 emphasize that the value of this wisdom of God is higher than any humanly assessed value of any other thing, object, or material. The dominion and power of this wisdom of God over every other power, strength, or force is summarized in verses 9-11. This same wisdom of God makes a passionate plea to humanity, as it is also written: 1 Doth not wisdom cry? And understanding put forth her voice? 2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. 3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. 4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. 12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. 15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. 17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. 18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. -Proverbs 8:1, 2, 3,4,12,15,16,17, and 18 15

The Ordained Supremacy Verses 12, 15, 16 of the word of God highlight the value of this wisdom of God when it is possessed by anyone in position of authority or ruler-ship. The reader of this book is enjoined to read the entire word of God in Proverbs chapter 8 which is partly quoted above. This wisdom of God is the mother of faith. The wisdom of God having given birth to faith, God ordained faith as a divine institution through which all humans must relate with Him: But without faith it is impossible to please him Hebrews 11: 6 The Bible makes a highly revealing proclamation to every discerning mind about this wisdom of God, recorded as follows: Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. -1 Corinthians 2: 6-8 Our New Testament experience, usually referred to as Christian faith, is all about Jesus. Jesus came to earth over two thousand years ago to His own 16

The Ordained Supremacy people-god`s elect, but His own people planned His crucifixion, and eventually crucified Him. The crucifiers of Jesus had their own wisdom, but they did not know that God had a wisdom that was superior to their own wisdom. The superior wisdom came into manifestation when Jesus rose up from the dead on the third day to the disappointment of His crucifiers, and to prove the supremacy of the wisdom of God. The wisdom of the crucifiers became an utter nullity. Who are the people referred to in 1 Corinthians 2:6-8 as perfect, who speak the wisdom of God in a mystery? They are children of God; they are Christians. When Christians gather together, the word they speak or share or deliberate upon is the word of God in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 2: 6-8 describe this word of God as the wisdom of God, and as a mystery. What revelations do we receive from all these? Our New Testament experience called Christian faith is all imbibitions or adoption of this mysterious word of God otherwise known as the mysterious wisdom of God. Christian faith is conceived and founded on the basis of the mysterious wisdom of God. It is nurtured and sustained by the mysterious wisdom of God. Christian faith is not founded on the basis of 17

The Ordained Supremacy the wisdom of humanity, and neither is it sustained by the wisdom of humanity. The totality of this mysterious wisdom of God constitutes the complete embodiment of the ways of God. And God has presented His ways as the supreme ways of life for humanity. One of the aspects of this mysterious wisdom of God is the application of faith in our daily practical Christian life. Hebrews 11:6 says: But without faith it is impossible to please him: How shall we receive any blessings from God without pleasing Him? And how shall we please Him without having faith as a solid ticket in our hand? A clear and straightforward indication which Hebrews 11:6 is giving us is that God has established and ordained faith in a position of supremacy among all the injunctions and services which God requires humanity to fulfill towards Him. Several other scriptures of the Bible also point to the truth that God has established faith in a realm of supremacy. As stated earlier, God has ordained faith as a divine institution; and He is asking every Christian to enroll in this institution. It is a genuine and committed enrolment in this divine institution of faith that provides the access to the ways of God. 18

The Ordained Supremacy A true knowledge and a good understanding of what faith is, and what it is not, and what it is all about is therefore crucial to every Christian. That is why Chapter One of this book is titled: What is faith? Human beings naturally crave for God`s blessings. But God has mapped out assignments for humanity in His word, and God requires that the assignments be faithfully carried out, so that blessings can accrue to humanity thereby. The major ones of the assignments mapped out by God for humanity are the main focus of this book. Human blessings and peace, individually, collectively as in any community of people, and globally, are all tied to the belief, obedience to, and the practical discharge of the assignments. When humanity has fulfilled all the above three requirements concerning God`s assignments, prayer requests shall be few, and prayers shall be less rigorous. God`s word says it all: Behold, the Lord`s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. -Isaiah 59:1-2 The secret of answered prayer is absolute and practical obedience to the word of God. 19

The Ordained Supremacy The focus of this book is to emphasize the need for the body of Christ to please God; that is, the need for the church to please God, and the need for the entire humanity to please God. This book is written for the Bible believing segment of the human race. It is written for those who believe that every bit of human affairs upon earth is designed to be under the control and direction of God`s word in the Bible. This book is written for those who believe that everything said and done in the Bible is based on the wisdom of God and not on the wisdom of humanity. It is written for those who believe that the wisdom of humanity becomes inconsequential when the wisdom of God is at work; and therefore, believe that the wisdom of humanity must give way to the wisdom of God at every turn of human events and affairs upon earth. This book is written for those who believe that when the favor of God is established in the direction of any individual or any corporate entity of humans, the favor of the other members of the human race becomes automatic in the direction of that individual or corporate entity. However, even though it is stated that this book is written for the Bible believing segment of the human race, the book is intended to be used by the Bible believing person as a tool to turn the nonbeliever to become a believer of the Bible. The 20