THE OVERGROWN FOOTPATHS

The early Christian converts were very diligent about praying. Each one had their own special place outside the village where they went to pray in solitude. They reached these “prayer rooms” by using their own private footpaths through the bush. When grasses began to grow over any of these footpaths, it was evident that the person to whom it belonged was no longer praying. Therefore, anyone who noticed such overgrown grasses on any “prayer path,” would go to the prayerless believer and lovingly warn, “Brother, your footpath is covered with overgrown grasses!”

In Mark 14:32-40, Jesus Christ raised the issue of overgrown grasses on some footpaths in the garden of Gethsemane with his three closest disciples - Peter, James and John. The attitude and disposition of these three disciples clearly revealed that their footpaths were already overgrown with weeds as they were no longer active in the place of prayer. These disciples were sleeping when they should have been praying. They seemed to have embraced the philosophy of "Day-time believers" who sleep through the night like Koalas. They lack the understanding that the night hour is the most active period in the kingdom of darkness. In fact, the Bible says the night time is a very viable breeding ground for all kinds of wickedness and evil manifestations in the world (Micah 2:1, Matt 13:25, Psalms 91:6, Psalms 59:6). So, the night hour is a crucial time that believers must utilize wisely. They are not expected to pray only in the day time but at night also (Luke 18:7). This deep understanding made Jesus Christ  always spend quality time during the night to fellowship with His father (Luke 6:12-13). Therefore, if our perfect example, does not sleep throughout the night, then, why are believers sleeping like Peter, James and John in this generation? 

At such a time like this, when wickedness is increasing at an exponential rate, how can we be sleeping when the devil is busy working very hard to sow terrible tares into people’s lives (Matthew 13:25). This is a clear sign that the footpaths of many believers to the garden of prayer are completely overgrown with weeds. This is a very serious matter! We have become over confident, lazy and careless in climbing the mountain of prayer, especially at night. The giant of prayerlessness has swallowed up our personal devotion and sweet fellowship with God. Like the foolish Galatians, we have tried to use human strength and effort to complete the work of grace that the Holy Ghost started in the place of prayer (Galatians 3:3). What an absurdity!

I perceive God would like to wake up all believers with overgrown weeds on their footpaths in our generation from their slumber. God is sending a loving warning to every slumbering Peter, James and John in His kingdom. Are you one of them? Are your footpaths already overgrown with weeds? Has the giant of prayerlessness swallowed you up? Are your knees unbended? Has the mountain of sin, laziness and pride crippled your fellowship with God? Why are you no longer excited about the sweet hour of prayer as you used to do when you first got saved? Don't you think you need urgent help before it is too late? I sincerely think you do! 

Beloved, God is still asking us the same question he asked Peter, James and John several years ago. God is saying "Can you stay awake for just one hour to pray with me? Can you deny yourself of sleep just to seek my face at least one hour every night? Can you stop wasting your time watching movies or browsing the internet and fellowship with me?’’ Where are the praying men? Where are the praying women? Where are the praying children, teenagers and youths? What will be your response to these crucial questions that God is asking us? Please be sincere and wake up from your slumber! 

The lyrics of this wonderful hymn below captures the mind of God on this subject: 

I WANT THAT MOUNTAIN By Bill Harvey, 1989

I saw the Giant of Prayerlessness upon the mountain high;

He laughed so hard at my unbended knee.

No longer in the Wilderness I'll stay, and so I cry:

I want that mountain, it belongs to me!

Chorus:

          I want that mountain!  I want that mountain!

          Where the milk and honey flow, where the grapes of Eshcol grow,

          I want that mountain!  I want that mountain!

          The mountain that my Lord has given me.

There was a Giant of Laziness who said I wouldn't go

And witness for the One who set me free.

I'll come from out the Wilderness, I'll witness now I know;

I want that mountain, it belongs to me!

One faithless Giant upon the crest of Hebron's lofty height

Has vowed that he's the one to make me flee.

I'll climb from out the Wilderness! and trust Jehovah's might!

I want that mountain, it belongs to me!

Let ev'ry Giant of Distress and Unbelief and Sin

Get ready now to vacate, for you see:

I've come from out the Wilderness! I know I'm going to win!

I want that mountain, it belongs to me!

May God rekindle fresh fire upon our prayer altars to consume all overgrown weeds on our footpaths to the secret place. May the giant of prayerlessness and mountain of laziness mocking our destiny in Christ Jesus be completely defeated so that we can begin to enjoy all the numerous benefits of abiding in the secret place of the most high at all times

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

https://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

A PLACE CALLED "THERE"

There are two places a man can be at any point in life. He can either be in a place called "HERE" or "THERE". The former stands for our current position or level while the latter represents the next level or place God wants us to be. 

One important attribute of the place called "HERE" is that it is usually not convenient to live in. The sons of the prophet confirmed this salient truth in 2 kings 6:1-2. They discovered that the seminary dormitory has become too small for the growing number of prophets-in-training and they desired to relocate to a more comfortable place. They had outgrown Here and were ready to move There. 

Literally, the difference between the two places i.e here and there, is one letter, "T", which means time. The wisest man that ever lived told us categorically in Ecclesiastes 9:11, that time and chance are the ticket and boarding pass on the flight to the place called "THERE" in journey of life. Time is the major factor in the placement of men on the ladder of destiny. No man can move from his "HERE" to "THERE" unless his time has come. Someone once said, "the most dangerous person on earth is the person whose time has come". 

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all" - Ecclesiastes  9:11

There are several examples of people who boarded flights to the place called "THERE" with the boarding pass of time in the Bible. One of such examples was Hannah. She discovered that she was in the place called "HERE" while her mate had settled down in the place called "THERE". She was the senior but did not have what her mate had because every month she kept on missing her time. But one day, she decide to settle the issue of missed time once and for all. She prayed fervently and God heard her and sent prophet Eli to hand over her missing boarding pass and ticket back to her. That same month, she boarded the flight of glory and moved from HERE to THERE in grand style. 

"The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me." John  5:7

Another good example is in John 5:1-7. The man by the pool of Bethesda had remained in the place called "HERE" for 38years. Anytime he attempted to move to his house which is a more convenient place, someone else usually jumped there ahead of him. Meaning, this man kept on missing the timing of his relocation to the place called "THERE" for 38years. But one day, he had an encounter with the one who is the custodian of time. And immediately, his missing boarding pass and ticket of time was found and his 38years tenancy in the place called "HERE" was terminated.

Beloved, like the sons of the prophets, Hannah and the sick man by the pool of Bethesda, you and I are not supposed to be a permanent resident in the place called "HERE". It is obvious many of us have outgrown our current position or level. It is time to move to a more spacious place. It is time to move from single to married, from barren to fruitful, from sickly to healthy, from lack to abundance, from jobless to gainfully employed. Your time to move to the place called "THERE" has finally come. Your Hannah will not return to Shiloh again empty handed in Jesus name. You are leaving your corner by the pool of Bethesda and never to return there again in Jesus name.

In conclusion, there are conditions to be fulfilled before you can move. You need to be resolute about your desire to change levels. You must be ready to cut down the beam required. This involves hard work and total commitment. Also, you must never take a step without carrying the God of your Elisha along. This is important because you will definitely need an anchor that will keep you standing when the wind of life blows. And if you are not yet saved, please surrender your life to Jesus today and he will become your anchor and compass to the place called "THERE" that you have been dreaming of.

As the Lord lives, before this landmark year is over, your own time of migration to the place called "THERE" shall surely come. You will become unstoppable like the sons of the prophets because your time of change of level shall surely come this year. Your flight of glory out of "HERE" to "THERE" shall not be cancelled in Jesus name.

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

https://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

FIRE: A PROVEN TOOL

A big church caught fire some time ago and an infidel in the town came and made himself available to fight the fire. As the crowd was leaving, a lady approached him and said, "This is the first time I have seen you in our church." He said, "This is the first time the church has ever been on fire." 

Fire is a proven tool for getting the attention of men in every generation. For instance, when God wanted to get the attention of Moses at the back side of the desert, he set the bush on fire (Exodus 3:1-4). When God wanted to draw the attention of unbelievers to the church in Jerusalem, He set the church on fire (Acts 2:3-6). So, fire is the only proven tool or medium for advertising God's agenda for man (Luke 24:49). The disciples waited in the upper room until God set them on fire and the multitude began to troop in. Even without creative jingles, large banners, huge church social responsibility (CRS) budget, the good news went round the city of Jerusalem like wild fire and thousands were brought to the saving knowledge of Christ. 

The truth is, God has not changed his method of getting the attention of sinners. He wants His church to be on fire at all times. There are multitudes outside the church that will not come in unless they see the fire of God burning fiercely upon the souls of believers in the church. Many Moses' at the back side of the desert today will never encounter God unless there is fire on the pulpit and pew. God expects us to be carriers and mobile dispensers of His blazing fire like the disciples of old. Unfortunately, we are carrying fire extinguishers around in the church today. The wall of our souls are decorated with the fire extinguishers of prayerlessness, disunity, disobedience, arrogance, impurity and others. We cleverly cover up our lack of fire by deploying comedy, gimmick, psychology, gorgeous dresses, massive cathedrals to woo unbelievers to Christ. Are these methods really working? The answer is "no". Unbelievers are not coming because the church is not on fire. 

Beloved, when the fire falls on the pew and pulpit, we would not need to use any other worldly methods to get the attention of sinners. They will come from far and near to catch a glimpse of the devil-driving and sin-killing blazing fire of God. How I wish every believer could be on fire for God like those devoted disciples of old. How I wish ministers of the gospel could rely more on the blazing fire of God more than their oratory skills and their good command of the English language. How I wish the choristers, Sunday School and Children Church teachers can pray more that God should set their tongues on fire before they minister. How I wish the ushers and protocol officials will henceforth prefer to be dressed in the robe of blazing fire than their usual Italian suits, ties or hats before serving in church. 

This wonderful hymn below describes how the blazing fire fell in Jerusalem over 2000 years ago. 

PENTECOSTAL FIRE IS FALLING by George Bennard

We are told of pentecost,

How the blessed Lord’s disciples

Tarried for the Holy Ghost.

Pentecostal fire fell on them,

Burning up their sin and dross,

Filling them with pow’r for service,

Making them a mighty host.

Refrain:

          Pentecostal fire is falling,

          Praise the Lord, it fell on me,

          Pentecostal fire is falling,

          Brother, it will fall on thee.

Pentecost can be repeated,

For the Lord is just the same,

Yesterday, today, forever,

Glory to His precious name!

Saints of God can be victorious

Over sin and death and hell;

Have a full and free salvation,

And the blessed story tell.

When the Church of Jesus tarries,

Pentecostal fire will fall;

Sin and wrong will be defeated,

Sinners on the Lord will call.

She will march to glorious vict’ry,

Over ev’ry land and sea,

Lifting high the blood-stained banner,

Holiness her motto be.

May the Pentecostal fire fall afresh upon us and cause multitude to keep running to the feet of the cross in Jesus name, Amen.   

                                                                                                                                                                        On behalf of my esteemed father in the Lord- Pastor E.A. Adeboye, I would like to invite all ministers and workers in RCCG to the year 2025 Province Based Ministers & Workers Conference with the theme: REVIVING THE FLAME. Venue: All RCCG Provincial Headquarters. Date: Saturday 18th October 2025. Time: 8am. It is going to be an unforgettable upper room encounter. Please don't miss it.  

Good day & God bless you

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

https://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

THE SCHOOL OF OBEDIENCE

On Thursday October 4, 2018, I walked into a banking hall and noticed some elated customers holding branded gift items like pens, key holders and mugs. It was customer appreciation week and the first ten customers for the day were being appreciated by the bank officials. While these lucky customers were posing for pictures with their gifts in the banking hall, I had a nudge in my spirit to go and join them. The instruction sounded quite absurd and I whispered to myself "what if the bank officials embarrass me". I struggled hard to ignore the instruction but the more I tried, the more restless I became. After a few minutes, I reluctantly left where I was standing and went to join the customers to pose for pictures as they displayed their gifts. Since I had no gift to pose with, I grudgingly displayed my empty hand. I thought God wanted to embarrass me but I never knew He wanted to teach me some deep lessons in the school of obedience.  

Suddenly, one of the bank officials who noticed that my hand was empty ran into her office and came back immediately with a big new branded umbrella. As she handed the umbrella to me, all the ten customers who were holding pens, key holders and mugs began to grumble and murmur. She managed to calm them down by assuring them that she only intended to lend me the umbrella to pose for the pictures with them. Although, she collected the umbrella in the presence of all those customers, she gave it back to me before I left the banking hall on that day. Even though, I came late and should not have gotten anything, I got the best gift. What an enviable testimony! 

In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus Christ emphasized one of the lessons that God taught me in the banking hall that day: There is a level with God where enviable testimonies become the logo of a man. There is a level where God effortlessly breaks protocols for some people to be honoured. To reach that level, we must be willing to obey God foolishly and follow His instructions blindly. The truth is God's instruction may not sound reasonable or logical but the rewards are huge. Every divine instruction is a trigger for enviable testimony. Don't allow your ego and stubbornness to rob you of uncommon testimony. Stop using that small grey matter of yours to analyze divine instructions. God's ways are far beyond our understanding (Romans 11:33-34). 

However, it is impossible to obey the Almighty God that we don't even know or have any intimate relationship with. So, I urge you to please enlist yourself for enviable testimonies in the last quarter of year 2025 by connecting or reconnecting yourself with Jesus Christ today. You will never regret you did!

The lyrics of this popular hymn below re-echoes some of the rewards of obeying God at all times.

TRUST AND OBEY By J. H. Sammis (1846-1919)

When we walk with the Lord by  

In the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way;

While we do His good will,

He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

 

Refrain:

       Trust and obey,

       For there’s no other way

       To be happy in Jesus,

        But to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise,

Not a cloud in the skies,

But His smile quickly drives it away;

Not a doubt or a fear,

Not a sigh or a tear,

Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear,

Not a sorrow we share,

But our toil He doth richly repay;

Not a grief or a loss,

Not a frown or a cross,

But is blest if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove

The delights of His love,

Until all on the altar we lay;

For the favor He shows,

And the joy He bestows,

Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet

We will sit at His feet,

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;

What He says we will do;

Where He sends, we will go,

Never fear, only trust and obey

Beloved, as the Lord God of heavens lives, you and I shall not end this year empty handed in Jesus name. Rather, we shall walk out of the banking hall of 2025 with our own enviable testimonies that will make those who are already ahead of us to murmur and grumble. Blessings that will make headlines and trigger controversies will come knocking at our doors very soon in Jesus name. 

Good day and God bless you.                      

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

https://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

https://okanlawonwebnote.com

THE REMNANT STRATEGY –3

There is a story of a man who often goes to the altar at the end of every service to kneel and pray as follows: ''Lord, take the cobwebs out of my life''. One day his pastor, tired of hearing the same old prayer, knelt beside him and prayed, ''Lord, please kill the spider in his life!''

This story above reminds me of a Yoruba proverb which says "A kì í fi ẹ̀tẹ̀ sí'lẹ̀ pa làpálàpá" meaning “We ought not to leave leprosy unattended and focus on treating ringworm”. This proverb simply warns against the terrible implications of ignoring the remnant of the devil (or root cause of sin) in our sojourn on earth. This was exactly what the young man in the story above was doing.

In Matthew 5:29-30, our Saviour emphasizes the need to identify the remnant of the devil (i.e the root cause of sin) around us and then deal with it decisively. This is very crucial as it will be impossible to live a victorious Christian life if we ignore the spider (root cause) and concentrate on treating the symptoms (cobwebs). We cannot substitute responsible Christian living with hypocritical prayers and fasting. Anyone who will make it to the city of gold must be a responsible believer who would not overlook anything that is capable of holding him down on the earth.

In Job 31:1, the Bible says Job understood this salient truth and he decided to kill the spider of his lustful look and strange desire for anything in skirts. However, unlike Job, King David enjoyed the spider of pornography when nobody was around (2 Samuel 11). He was addicted to watching naked women taking their baths from his balcony. Unfortunately, that ungodly habit brought great pain and agony into his life and family (2 Samuel 12). Also, Solomon could not resist the urge for strange women like his father. He packed them in hundreds and they eventually turned his heart away from following God (1 Kings 11:4). On the other hand, Daniel was able to tame his appetite for the king's delicacies and that made him to remain relevant in the office of the presidency for several years (Daniel 1:8-21). Can you imagine, Daniel and Job praying to God to help them remove cobwebs instead of killing those destructive spiders? It will definitely be a fruitless effort!

Unfortunately, many people believe they can continue to fraternize with the spider of sin and expect God to rescue them from its consequences. They don't seem to understand that it is impossible to act irresponsibly in life and still escape being burnt (Prov 6:27-29). We should not expect God to remove the cobwebs around us when we deliberately refuse to deal with the spiders weaving those cobwebs. This is not wise at all!

Beloved, are there some spiders of ungodly relationships in your life that are making you enjoy the pleasures of sin? Why not disconnect yourself from those spiders before they lead you to the slaughter's slab? Are there some spiders of pornography and ungodly music in your phones or laptops that are weaving the cobwebs of judgment around you? Don't you think it is time to delete them? Why not kill the spider of masturbation and homosexuality before they destroy you? Why not take that radical step today to free yourself from the wicked grips of those evil spiders? Why not kill the spiders of strange appetite for ungodly habits and illicit deals before it drags you to hell? Please do it today. Tomorrow may be too late.

May God help us to take decisive action against all remnants of the devil that are capable of removing our names from the Book of Life.

On behalf of my esteemed father in the Lord - Pastor E.A. Adeboye, I would like to invite you to our October 2025 Holy Ghost Service. Theme: Gate Protectors. Date: 3rd Oct 2025. Venue: The Redemption City of God, Mowe, Nigeria, Time: 6pm 

Happy new month. Good day & God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

https://okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

https://okanlawon.webnode.com