OPENING PRAYERS
Shekina greetings Word of Life. Welcome to the morning altar of prayer today. Just lift your voice and say, Father thank you. Receive our praise today. Hallelujah. There is none else like you. In Jesus precious and glorious Name we have praised.
INTRODUCTION: FROM NAOMI TO MARA
The Barley Harvest Blessing. Today is part three.
In Ruth chapter one verse twenty-two, the Bible says, “So Naomi returned and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law with her, which returned out of the country of Moab and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest”.
This Chapter started with famine with lack but it is ending with harvest. You will finish strong in Jesus Name. But Naomi returned. She returned. She did not return the way she left. She returned broken. She returned beaten and bitter. She returned humbled. She returned crying. She returned Marah.
She left as Naomi and she is returning as Mara. She left in abundance and she is returning empty.
She left she was big. She is returning very small.
She left with her family. She is returning alone of course with Ruth.
I pray that will be not your experience in Jesus name. I pray deep down in my hearts that it will not be your experience in Jesus precious name.
She lost everything she worked for. She's returning to the time of harvest to harvest what she has not worked for.
May somebody receive wisdom from above. From this lady Naomi and her family, may you receive wisdom from above in Jesus name.
WHO IS EL SHADDAI?
But I am interested this morning on the declaration of Naomi in Ruth 1:21,
I went out full and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. Why then call you me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
Verse 20, “Call me not Naomi. Call me Mara for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me”.
I am interested in the name that she is using when she is mentioning God “the almighty”
Who is the almighty?
Well. The Hebrew name of Almighty is Shaddai. El Shaddai. The old sufficient one.
Well now, what does it mean God as El Shaddai?
God as El Shaddai is the one who has what it takes to provide for our needs. That is El Shaddai. The God who is sufficient El Shaddai is the omnipotent one. The sufficient one. The able one. The one who has enough resources to take care not only of human beings but to take care also of the whole universe.
El Shaddai is the God who knows how and what to carry out his plan.
El Shaddai is the one whose hand is not short and whose ears are not shut.
El Shaddai is the sufficient one.
I left in abundance. I had everything. El Shaddai dealt with me bitterly. Why? Because El Shaddai wants to let you know that he is the one who can take care of you, who can take care of your family? He can take care of generations.
El Shaddai is the one who never runs out of resources.
I always like what bishop David Oyedepo always says, “For everyone of his plan, God has a budget”.
God has a budget for his plan. I'm talking about his plan. He has a budget for it.
She left in abundance. She's coming back empty. But when she's coming back, she's coming back at the beginning of barley harvest.
Which means that El Shaddai provided for the people even in the midst of famine.
I pray for somebody today to encounter God as El Shaddai. Praise God.
FOUR TRUTHS TO KNOW ABOUT EL SHADDAI
TRUTH 1 | EL SHADDAI DOES NOT NEED YOUR HELP TO CARRY OUT HIS PLAN.
Remember first Kings eight twenty four, the Bible says, “Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him : thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day”
El Shaddai is all sufficient. Only his hand can fulfil his plan.
CASE 1 | ABRAHAM AND SARA
If at all you are doubting, you can go and ask Abraham and Sarah. They wanted to help God to carry out his plan, but they failed. Ishmael is a proof of their failure.
You don't need to help God. He is El Shaddai, the all sufficient one. When he makes a promise to you, he is the one to carry it out. Don't help him. He is the ancient of days. He knows how to carry out his plan.
Abraham and Sarah got Ishmael who until today is causing trouble to the people of Israel.
Please. I beg you by the mercy of God. Don't help God. He does not need your help.
CASE 2 | MOSES
In case you are also doubting about El Shaddai go and ask Moses.
Moses was burning to save the people, but somehow and somewhere, he failed in his plan because he wanted to use his hand to deliver the people. He killed and he ran away. Until today Moses is a murderer. But thank God because of his grace.
You don't need to help God. Don't help God.
He is El Shaddai. He has what it takes to carry out his plan.
I can't help God for this ministry the Word Of Life Church. Whatever God says he will do, let him know it I don't want to manipulate anybody. I don't need to manipulate anyone anywhere no He's El Shaddai. He has what it takes.
CASE 3 | UZZAH
Look at Uzzah. When David was moving the ark of the Lord, Uzzah stretched his hand to support the ark that was almost about to fall. But God struck him dead. David was angry about it. It did not change anything.
He is El Shaddai. That is what Naomi understood.
El Shaddai is the God who is sufficient enough. Which simply means also when you have El Shaddai, you have enough. He is enough. He has enough. Don't use your hand to help him. You can't.
CASE 4 | NAOMI
In case you doubt again, go and ask Naomi. She will tell you .. God does not need your help.
CASE 5 | THE SEED
El Shaddai has everything it takes.
In case you are wondering yourself what I mean, just go and look at the seed. Can you understand how the human seed or the man's seed in the woman's womb brings out a human like me?
How can you understand that a seed in the womb produces the voice? the eyes? The hair? The brain? The ears? The neck? The mouth? The intestines? The muscles? The backbones? The liver? The kidneys, the blood?
Oh my God, can you today believe that God is enough? He just doesn’t need your help.
All those who are mothers who are following me this morning. May I ask you a question … When you were pregnant, what did you do for the baby you have should come the way he or she came?
Tell me. What have you done? Can you look at your children and say, “I am the one?”. What have you done? In fact, look at yourself.
Today, there are people who have big mouths and talking against God. And when I see somebody being arrogant, I don't see that individual. What I see is a seed who has been transformed and who became a human being and who is talking nonsense.
God can smash such individual like a paper. But you will understand that it is because of his grace.
TRUTH 2 | EL SHADDAI DOES NOT NEED YOU FOR ANYTHING, BUT YOU NEED HIM FOR EVERYTHING.
Write it down. El Shaddai does not need you for anything but you need him for everything. It can shock you but it is the truth.
What I mean is that no one is indispensable. God is enough. Yet, he uses men to fulfil his plan on the earth, but the truth of the matter is when somebody sees and considers that he is too much good that he can intimidate God, God can pass you by. He does not need you. You are the one who need Him. Not only does God doesn't need your help, God does not need me. He does not need me.
Jesus says something very interesting in Luke 19:40, “I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out”
Friend, if you don't worship God, He will use the stones to worship Him.
Friend, God does not need you. You are the one who need God.
Just to let you know and understand grace. If we are being used by God, it is only by grace.
Do you know that in Numbers 22:28, God used a donkey to speak to the prophet Balam? If God used a donkey, He can use anything.
So, when God is about to do something and he wants to use you for his glory, don't say, “Oh well I will don't do it”.
My friend, he is El Shaddai. He can pass you by. He can pass you by.
In fact, when I talk about El Shaddai to help you understand that he doesn't need you, He can replace anybody anywhere anytime. He can replace people.
When we read even the book of Ruth, it will show to you that Naomi had everything but lost everything and is coming back in the time of harvest when God has visited the people without them. What does it mean?
God can do things without you. Without you the plan of God can still be fulfilled. You are not indispensable.
In case you think that you are, you are not. Even me I am not indispensable. Anybody anywhere can be replaced at any point in time.
El Shaddai is enough to carry out his plan on the earth. But because of his relationship, because he is a relational God, he chooses to partner with men to carry out his plan. Not because you are somebody.
Naomi had everything and she lost everything. Just to let you know that God does not need you. You need God. Stop that mentality to think that I will leave that Church and I will see how they will become like me. Go. God does not need you. Stop that pride.
God does not need you. God doesn’t need me. That's why you see? Anytime I tell God, “You know what? If I am the one you have chosen, Lord, who am I ? Use me.”
Because I know that He can use anybody. He's Sovereign.
Can you imagine he is using Ruth, a stranger, a foreigner, to carry out his plan.
Orpah left. Did it stop the plan of God? No.
Elimelek died. Did it stop the plan of God? No.
Machlon died. Did it stop the plan of God? No.
Chilion died. Did it stop the plan of God? No.
You can go. It will not stop the plan of God.
Maybe someone left you. But the plan of God does not stop because people leave. No. If you have God, you have enough.
That's why Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, had a thorn in his flesh and he asked God to remove it from him, but God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you”.
If you have grace, you have enough.
TRUTH 3 | GRACE IS GOD'S PROVISION IN REDEMPTION.
Grace is God's provision to carry out his plan of redemption.
Grace is the provision of God. When you have grace you have everything.
You may not have money, but when you have grace, grace will attract money.
You might be rejected, but when you have grace, you will enter where nobody says you will enter. That is grace.
You could have not worked, but if you have grace, you will enter and enjoy the work of others. That is grace.
If you have grace, you have enough, you have everything.
That's why if you don't have grace and you have money, you have nothing.
If you have money and you don't have grace, you have nothing.
If you have grace, you don't have money, you have everything because grace attracts money.
That's why Paul says in first Corinthians fifteen verse ten, “By the grace of God I am who I am and his grace has not been in vain in my life”.
Grace is divine provision in redemption to carry out his plan, his vision on the earth.
That's what made Ruth to enter in Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. That is the meaning of Barley Harvest blessing, the blessing of divine grace. God is El Shaddai.
TRUTH 4 | EL SHADDAI DOES NOT ASK YOU TO GIVE BECAUSE HE IS IN NEED BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE IN NEED.
That is El Shaddai.
Jesus says to this woman in John 4:10, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Which simply means that El Shaddai does not need what you have. You need what he has. When he says to you to give, it is not because he is in need. It is because you are in need.
I believe that Naomi and her family were running away because in time of famine, maybe people will come to ask for money and so forth. So they didn’t want that disturbance and said, “Let us go away far from those people so that we can preserve our small money”. And they lost everything.
When El Shaddai instructs you to give, it is because you are in need, not him.
El Shaddai is not in need. Write it down. He is not in need. You are the one in need.
When he says, “Bring the tithe in the house of God”. We hear people talking nonsense about tithing. In fact, God does not need your tithe. You are the one who need your tithe.
He says, “I will open heaven for you”. Not for him. Because he's in heaven, He doesn't need heaven to be opened on him. It is you who needs. Not Him.
He says, “I will rebuke the devourers”. Devourers cannot come in heaven. Who is facing devourers? It is not Him. It is you.
He says, “I will pour out the blessing on you and there will be no room to store it”. This promise is not for Him, but it is you who need. Not him. He is not in need. You are in need.
Even when he says, “Seek first the Kingdom”. It is because you need it. He says, “I will add to you if you seek the kingdom”. You are in need. El Shaddai is not in need. You are in need.
That is the lesson that Naomi got. God is El Shaddai.
And here now, they are coming to enter to harvest what they have not sowed. It's a way for God to show her … I am El Shaddai.
I don't know who I'm talking to. I don't know which need you have. We are fasting today, tomorrow and Friday. I want you to know God has everything.
Now what you need is your faith.
Hebrews 4:2 “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it”.
You need to exercise your faith. You need to believe in God. He will provide.
Just look at the Word Of Life. As young as we are, as “small” as we are, it is not the hand of anybody in this ministry.
Nobody can say that his hand has made us to be where we are. Including myself. It is the hand of El Shaddai that has brought us this far
We don't lack because El Shaddai is on our side.
I want you to know that He will provide. He will provide. You don't need to run to Moab. You don’t need to run to that unbeliever to help you.
But God can use unbelievers to bless you. But you don't need to run to them.
God can give order to Moabites to come to be a blessing to you. But you don't need to look for them.
Can you trust God for your need? Can you trust God for your rent? Can you trust God for your children? Can you trust God for the fees? Can you trust God for your health? Can you trust God for everything? Can you trust God that God is able? He will provide.
CLOSING PRAYERS
Lift your hand and say Lord I come before you to repent first of all because I used my own strength, my own hand to carry my things. Lord forgive me forgive me in the name of Jesus Christ.
I cry to you for your mercy because you oh God to help me to understand I can't make it on my own. Oh Lord you have you are enough.
Jireh you are enough. El Shaddai the God the sufficient one. El Shaddai the sufficient one. You don't need to be helped.
Oh forgive me anytime I wanted to help you. You are not in need. Forgive me for thinking that God needs me.
I'm the one who need you. Help me to have the right perspective when it comes to El Shaddai.
El Shaddai. All the needs of the people are in your hand.
Hallelujah. God will provide for you.
Lord I pray for those who have bills that need to be paid for.
Those who want to pay the fees for their children, for their home, their rent and their project oh God you are El Shaddai
You are El Shaddai
You have what it takes to carry out your plan
Lord I lift my hand to you and I pray that indeed you will provide. You will provide. You have provided. You provide again
You have and you are enough
May people understand that you are enough.
They don't need Moab. They don't need to go to the world. They don't need to go to the devil. They don't need to become devil worshippers. They don't need to have magics and things around their waist. they don't need those things
God, your Grace is enough. Your grace is enough. Your grace is enough. The Barley Harvest blessing.
Oh God almighty. That is my prayer for everyone.
May God visit you. May God provide for you in this time, in this season.
God will provide beyond your wildest imagination. Because he is able.
El Shaddai.
God bless you all. And God do you good. Have a good day and a blessed day. Go ahead and succeed and prosper.
And let it be so for you. In Jesus name, I love you all. God bless you. Have a good day. We meet tomorrow. Amen and amen.
PASTOR TD KASUKU
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