Day 1: Morning Session
Speaker: Pastor David Oyedepo Jnr.
Topic: Getting the Spirituality Pulse in the Adventure of Life
We are praying, Lord Jesus, this morning, our eyes are upon you, we thank you for the blessing and privilege of bringing us into your presence, thank you for how you started with us powerfully last night, thank you for the encounter we had with your word.
This morning, our eyes are upon you, asking that you will speak again to us by your word, let our lives be transformed, but we thank you because we know you have done it already, in Jesus’ precious name, we have prayed, and somebody who believes God, say a loud “Amen!” Give a big hand of praise to God. And please take your seat in God’s presence.
AYAC 2025, I am built to last, I want to appreciate God and my father for the privilege to stand upon this altar here at AYAC 2025, and I believe God, by his word today, every one of our lives shall be changed and transformed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we covered so much ground yesterday, I believe somebody was blessed last night, God visited us with his word in an unusual fashion and laid out the fundamentals for us so that every one of us shall begin to triumph in life in the name of Jesus Christ.
This morning, I’m going to be speaking to us on the subject: “Getting the Spirituality Pulse in the Adventure of Life.”
Getting the Spirituality Pulse in the Adventure of Life, we have quite some ground to cover this morning, so I trust that the Holy Ghost will give us understanding as we consider the word today.
We need to know that the life of the believer is like a spiritual building, 1 Peter 2:5, says that we are as living stones, built up into a spiritual house, the foundation of any house is vital to its sustainability, in fact, where the foundation is destroyed, the building is compromised.
Psalm 11:3 says, If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? This is why it’s so important for us to understand the necessity of having right foundations in the development of our lives and our destinies.
Spiritually, foundations are made through teachings, in the Book of 1 Corinthians 3:10, the word of God tells us that Paul, as a wise master builder, has laid a foundation, how is that foundation is laid? The foundation was made through the teaching of the word of God, Acts 20:32 says, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among those who are sanctified, so the word of God being taught to us is the means of spiritual foundations for the building of our lives.
My prayer today is that for every one of us, our lives shall never be shaken again, you see, when the foundation is intact, the future is secure, but when the foundation is faulty, there is a foundational problem, we must get the fundamentals, the foundational stones, in place in order to build up the glorious destiny that God has installed for us.
It’s important to also note that there are two worlds, there is the spiritual world, and there’s the physical world. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. So, there is the spiritual world, and there is the physical world, the physical world is the one that we can see with our eyes, but the spiritual world is the one that cannot be seen with the eyes.
However, it is important to note that the spiritual is always in control of the physical, in other words, what you see physically is a product of what is happening spiritually, you can put it this way, the spiritual is the control valve of the physical, you can further say that the spiritual is the remote control of the physical, whatever you see happening physically is the product of something that is taking place spiritually.
This means until you are in charge of the spiritual, you will lose charge of the physical, this is why spirituality becomes a non-negotiable factor in the life of any believer that will make much out of life and destiny., the beauty, the call, the glory of our lives, is a product of the spiritual dimension, this is so important, the spiritual is the control.
In Hebrews 11:3, the Bible tells us, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. So, the raw material for the physical is the spiritual. The control for the physical is the spiritual. The trigger for the physical is the spiritual. The determinant of the physical is the spiritual. So, what becomes of us physically is a product of what is happening with us spiritually. Until you are in charge of the spiritual, you will lose charge of the physical.
So, there is a demand for us to, therefore, go into understanding the realm of the spiritual so that we can take charge of the physical, In fact, the Bible tells us in the Book of Romans 8:6, To be spiritually minded is life and peace, but to be carnally minded is death, when the Bible talks about those who are carnally minded, it’s talking about those who are naturally minded, their minds are on the things of the flesh, on the physical alone, but those who are spiritual, the Bible tells us that such individuals are the ones who enjoy life and peace.
Today, I see grace coming upon us to reactivate our spirit man to life, if you believe it, say a loud “Amen!” That’s why the Bible admonishes us in the Book of Colossians 3:1-4 (If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory)
that we have to set our affection on the things that are above. We must keep our eyes focused on the spiritual so that we don’t become victims in the journey of life.
My prayer today again is that for each one of us, grace to begin to walk as spiritual men and women be granted upon us in the name of Jesus Christ.
But it’s also important to note that even though we said there are two worlds, the physical and the spiritual, we must also note that within the spiritual world, there are two kingdoms: the kingdom of darkness, that’s where Satan reigns, and the kingdom of light.
The Bible makes us understand in Colossians 1:13, He has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, so there is the kingdom of darkness. This is the place where Satan reigns. And what is the assignment of Satan?
John 10:10 says, the thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy, that’s why you discover that the kingdom of darkness is characterized by weeping and gnashing of teeth. Weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Have we ever considered the fact that when a person is born on the earth, how do you know that that child is actually in order? When he is born on the earth, what does he do first? The first signal of physical life is tears, that is when the child is born, he cries, it is when he cries that the mother smiles, when he has not cried, the mother is agitated, so it means that the first thing that a child understands when he comes on the earth physically is tears. Why? because natural life is loaded with tears, loaded with agony, because that is the ministry of the devil.
When the person is physically born, he is not yet born into the kingdom, therefore, he remains a victim of the oppressions of the enemy, so tears, gnashing of teeth, that is the characteristic of the kingdom of darkness, you find frustration, failure, defeat, stagnation, oppression, these are the things that surround those that are within the kingdom of darkness, but then there is a second kingdom, and that’s the kingdom of light, it is the kingdom where Christ reigns, he said, “He has translated us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of his dear Son.”
What is the characteristic of the kingdom of his dear Son?
It is a kingdom of light. Acts 26:18 says, To turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me, so, there’s the kingdom of light, that’s the kingdom where Christ reigns, now, you find that that kingdom is a kingdom where you enjoy joy, peace, truth, genuine glory, all kinds of blessings that come our way.
I say the blessings of the kingdom of light be made manifest in each one of our lives in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, our entering into the kingdom of light is not just by physical immigration, there are certain ways you can become a citizen of a place, you can go through a process they call naturalization; that is, you go there, you live there for a while, then eventually… but in this kingdom, you don’t go somewhere and stay there for a while and then you become a citizen, that’s why a person can be in church for life and never be born again, it is not being in church that makes you saved. No. What makes a person a citizen of the kingdom of light is this: you must be born by the King to be a citizen of the kingdom, that’s why the Bible says that whatsoever is born of the Spirit is spirit, so until you are born of the Spirit, until you are born of the Spirit of God, you cannot become a citizen of the kingdom.
So, entering and shipping into this kingdom is a product of our new birth, and you see, birth does not occur until the seed of the one from which you come is in you, and this word is so important for us to understand, that when the person becomes born again, the Bible says that the seed of God is in him.
1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God
The seed of God is in him.
But because that seed is spiritual, there are certain factors that are required to nurture that seed in order to see it grow and blossom, yesterday, we were told about the fruits of genuine salvation, that when a person becomes born again, there are certain fruits that are supposed to come out of his life.
Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, he says all of these things are supposed to come out of the life of one that is born again.
But fruits are the product of seeds, so it is until the seed is cultivated that the fruit cannot begin to show forth, so, what now, therefore, are the spiritual keys to nurturing the seed of God that is in you by salvation? If you’re born again, God’s seed is in you, but that seed must be nurtured, must be cultivated, must be developed in order for the fruits to begin to show.
You know, many times when children are born, you see the father and the mother both of them will be arguing about who the child resembles, because at that point, the child has not yet taken up anybody’s identity, “look at his nose, he looks like me,” the father will say. “Look at his ears, he looks like me,” the mother will say. “Look at his eyes, he’s the same color as my own,” it will still be an argument until the child begins to grow, it is in the process of growth that even strangers will see the child and say, “this one is the carbon copy of his father,” argument will stop when development starts.
As soon as development starts, argument stops, you don’t see two parents of an adult child arguing about who the child resembles. Why? Development has commenced, so identity has been established.
Begin to grow and nurture the seed of God in us; our identity is established, that’s when even satan can look at us and say, “that is a child of God.” this will be somebody’s experience from now on, if you believe it, say a loud “Amen!” I said that will be somebody’s experience from today. If you believe it, say a louder “Amen!”
So, how do we nurture the seed of God in us? This is the cause of what we’re going to be looking at this morning, and I believe the Holy Ghost will give us understanding.
It is by the Word of God, nurturing the seed of God in us begins with our access to God’s word, 1 Peter 2:2 The Bible tells us, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby, without nutrition, there’ll be deformation instead of transformation. If you are going to grow and develop, then there is a need for spiritual nutrition.
That’s why the Bible says in Romans 12:2, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so, as God’s word penetrates our hearts, our lives begin to take shape in the formation of God, that’s why those who actually feed on the word are the ones who manifest the nature of God.
2 Peter 1:4 The Bible tells us there, it says that we have been given exceeding great and precious promises, that by these promises we might be partakers of the divine nature. , as you continue to keep taking in God’s word, we begin to nurture the seed of God in us.
That is why those who continue to feed on the word end up looking like their God, those who get feeding on the word, they are the ones who end up looking like their God, the Bible tells us in the Book of Jeremiah 15:16 T Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts, so, the word is for eating, he said, as a result of that, they became the joy and the rejoicing of my heart.
When a man, a woman, a boy or girl begins to consume God’s word, that individual begins to look more like God. Romans 8:19 says that the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God, so the creation is waiting to identify those who look like God.
Hear this, Christianity is not in your sticker, Christianity is not in your service, Christianity is in the world identifying you as one who belongs to God, no matter how big your Bible is, what matters ultimately is that people can look at you and see God in you, the Bible says that we are not supposed to be living epistles, that is, we are to be the Bible that the world reads, if the world looks at us, they should be able to see what God looks like.
That’s going to be somebody’s experience from now on, for this is a deepening of our spiritual understanding. 1 Corinthians 13:11 says, When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things, so childishness is known by understanding, that is why maturity is not a product of size, it is a product of depth, it’s not the product of size; it’s a product of depth. The deeper our understanding, the greater our spiritual maturity, when I was a child, I understood as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things, my understanding was upgraded, and it was manifested by my lifestyle, so there is a depth of understanding that is required for anyone to be able to attain spiritual maturity.
How do you and I engage to access depth in God’s word? How do we access depth in God’s word?
- By reading, by reading the word of God, Revelation 1:3 The Bible says, blessed is he that readeth the words of this prophecy, read the word of God and books that actually interpret God’s word, this is why one of the spiritual requirements is that God’s word be before our eyes, Keep it before your eyes every day. Read the word, let it be one of the fundamentals of your lifestyle, make it something that can be counted on a daily basis, read the word on a daily basis. Let not a day pass without you putting your eyes on God’s word.
In the Book of Proverbs 4:21, the Bible tells us, Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart, why must it be before your eyes? because it is the pathway to inscribe it to your heart, if the word is to be written on the tablets of your heart, it must be kept before your eyes, keep it before your eyes, read the word of God on a daily basis, make a habit out of it.
- Hearing the word, make it your priority to keep hearing God’s word, Romans 10:17 Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 13:16 Blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear, keep hearing the word of God continuously flowing in your ears, you have the privilege of being in services to hear the word, you have the privilege of having messages, keep hearing the word.
Please hear this, we live in a world that is competing for our ears, competing for our ears, so many things are struggling to gain access to our ears, and the focus of this is to corrupt our hearts, you must continue to guard your ears and guide your eyes in order to preserve your heart, it’s so important for us to understand this.
The Bible makes us understand very clearly in the book of Matthew 13:15, we are told that, look at this closely, he said, For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, so, whatever it is that can distract your eyes and distract your ears has closed your heart.
That’s why you look at it very closely, you will discover that the world is after your eyes and your ears, it’s after your eyes and your ears, that’s what keeps a believer scrolling on Instagram, on TikTok. Why? Something is competing for his eyes, it causes a believer with earpiece inside the service, listening to music instead of hearing the word. Why? The world is competing for your ears, because if it can cut your ears and cut your eyes, it will close your heart.
That’s the world we live in today, competition for our ears, competition for our eyes, that’s why you discover that content is continuously available, if you want to sit down and watch and hear things from now to next year, there is enough content, there’s enough content to fill up time, to close your eyes, to close your heart.
For somebody hearing me today, your eyes are rescued, your ears are rescued in the name of Jesus Christ, if you believe it, say a loud “Amen!”
So that means you and I must make sure on a daily basis, on a continual basis, on a permanent basis, keep the word of God in front of your eyes, keep the word of God entering into your ears. It is a constant responsibility so that our hearts are not closed.
You discovered that the more you open your ears and your eyes to the world, the more your ears and your eyes close to the word, that’s why if you see yourself continually being consumed by some of these things, you discover that it is difficult for you to read the word, somebody can scroll for one hour, two hours on Instagram, will open one chapter and begin to close his eyes to sleep. Why? The heart has been closed, when the world is exciting to you, the word will be boring to you.
Is someone getting this? so let’s get ourselves in order, let’s get ourselves in order.
Some people say, I’m reading the Bible, I don’t understand what I’m reading., question: What have you been looking at and what have you been listening to? Because remember, when the ears become dull and the eyes become closed, then the heart will become gross; it will be blocked so that it cannot understand.
Again, I pray for somebody here under the sound of my voice today that the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened, I pray for somebody hearing me today that your spiritual ears will be open, if you believe it, say a loud “Amen!”
So, to get God’s word and deepen your understanding, you must read the word, you must hear the word.
- You must study the word, you must study the word, 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
What is Studying?
Studying is a search for depth, it is a search for depth, it is making a search for depth. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:2, It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter, those who are saints are as kings are the ones who descend to study. When you settle down to search for depth in God’s word, you will rise up as kings in this world.
This is why it’s so important for us to understand the necessity of study, settle down, study. Study the word, take subjects in God’s word and press on to the point of understanding, it is through the process of study that the word of God is able to dwell richly inside of us
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord
This is why you’ll find that every time we come to God’s word on a particular subject where we are seeking deeper light, we press on to the point of spiritual illumination, you see, revelation is not just a comprehension of God’s word, but an illumination of man’s spirit, your spirit becomes lighted when suddenly you can see, when suddenly the things in the word become practical and real to you, that is the point of spiritual understanding, that’s the place of depth, and you press into it through the process of study. Shout hallelujah!
Read the word, hear the word, study the word.
- You meditate on the word, meditate on the word, Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night.
Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night, meditation is giving your heart to pondering, It is a focused thinking on God’s word, it is focused; that is, removing every distraction, keeping your mind fixed on God’s word, pondering it and its consequence to you, pondering on its consequence to you.
The Bible says in the book of Hebrews 2:1, that we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, we have to give it attention, focus on it, center on it, calm down with it, meditation is one of the lost arts today in many believers’ lives, it’s not enough to read, it’s not enough to hear, it’s not enough to study; it is vital to meditate, ponder on the word of God and its consequence to you as an individual.
Now, this is what God’s word says, what does it mean to me as a person? How do I appropriate its content in my life? It is meditation, thinking through the word with the focus on application. How does it apply to me, and how do I apply it? It is thinking on the word with a focus on application.
- Practicing, obeying the word of God, Jesus mother said to those servants in John 2:5, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it, So if you want to nurture the seed of God in you, number one key we said is by the word of God, and these are the things you do to get a deep understanding of God’s word.
How we nurture the seed of God in you is by prayer. Say it louder, by prayer.
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak
The Bible tells us there concerning Peter, Jesus said to the disciples watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak, so, there must be something that is done to enable the spirit dominate the flesh, there’s something that is done.
Paul said that the spirit lusts against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit
Galatians 5:16 – 17
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
He said, This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Look at verse 17, For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other. So, to enable the spirit to have dominion over the flesh, you exercise it in prayer. You exercise it in prayer.
So, you can put it this way, If the word of God is nutrition, prayer is exercise, strength is a product of both nutrition and exercise, is that right? If all you do is eat and do not exercise, you’ll be big but not strong. If you eat very well, morning, afternoon, night, even midnight, you eat all of them, you will be big, you will have size, but you will not have strength.
In the same vein, if you only take in the word and you don’t pray, you will not be strong, our spirit man’s strength is a product of good nutrition and exercise, that means we must pray effectively, we must pray consistently, we must pray continuously.
Look at it this way, we must always be praying and not fainting.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing
1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands.
Pray without season
Intimacy with God, our intimate connectivity with God, is cultivated on the altar of prayer. It is in prayer that our relationship with God is turned into interaction, one of the divine names, the Bible says that we are called into the fellowship of his Son, prayer is the platform for personal fellowship with God.
Now, the question is, what are the components of effective prayer? As you look at
Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen.
you will see what effective prayer contains.
- Effective prayer actually commences on the platform of worship for God’s presence,
it is worship, thanksgiving, and praise for entry. if you look at that, they are patterns. Jesus, you see that clearly. he said, after this manner therefore pray ye, so, prayer is your voice of worship, that is, God is proposed in our heart, on prayer, that matters to God must matter to us, so when you go to pray, ask yourself, what matters to God? Let that matter to us, we can pray for them, I got engaged on their behalf, we can call on God for them.
- Petition, unto him, what do you desire? Please share, listen to help us.
- Demonstration of humility, is it demonstration of spiritual humility?
whatever you have refused to pray about, you are simply telling God you don’t need him for it. You’re telling God you don’t need him for it.
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
the Bible tells us in verse 14, If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, so, prayer is a demonstration of humility. It is admitting that we don’t know how to do it by ourselves. That’s what prayer is all about, so we pray our personal desires.
- This one where many Christians miss it is repentance.
Prayer is a place of continuous where we go before God to repent of every error that we may have made. Jesus told us very clearly in that same scripture, Matthew 6:12, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Forgive us, the Bible says if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar
1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Every error in your life requires repentance. There’s no big or small matter. Every matter is a matter before God, is somebody getting it? It must be dealt with, that hidden pride, take care of it in prayer, ask God for mercy, the altar of prayer is described as the throne of grace where we obtain mercy, so demand mercy from God.
A component of effective prayer is sanctification. Sanctification is to lead us not into temptation. Hear this, satan is on the lookout for you on a daily basis, his whole team is for you, so, we use the altar of prayer to tackle every assault of the enemy ahead of time. Lord today, help me to avoid every trap of the wicked that is set to drag me out of your presence. Sanctification.
So, if you and I are going to be effective in nurturing the seed of God, we do that by God’s word, we do that by prayer, and we have seen what it takes for our prayer to be effective.
Now, the third way we nurture the seed of God in us is by right company. Tell me, right company.
Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed
1 Corinthians 15:33: Evil communications corrupt good manners.
Please hear this, your friends, they tell your future, hello? Your friends determine your future. Those who you walk with, they tell where you walk to, your destination is determined by your association, check those around you; you can tell where you are going. It’s so important. If your association is wrong, the future cannot be right. If those around you are not growing, you also will stop growing, you also will stop growing, check your association.
Who is in your prison? You can move from one level of glory to another. My prayer for somebody here today is that your life will become the light to your world.
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