Nigeria’s Benson Enakhena, a pursuit of truth preacher at El-Shaddai Salvation Family Ministries (ESFM) has told the members of the church to live by God’s promise and not by man’s promise.

Enakhena made this known during the church’s first kingdom worship service on Sunday after months of shut down as one of the measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The Nigerian government had in June announced that churches and mosques could resume but El-Shaddai Salvation Family Ministries did not reopen after Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, gave churches in the state the green light to reopen as from August 7.

Preaching the message of God titled: God’s Promises In The Midst Of Darkness, Enakhena said
the world today was already going to an era where we believe so much in medication, technology, we no longer believe in miracles, let alone believe in God’s promises anymore.

Teleguiding his Holy-Spirit-given insights with two scriptures Isaiah 60:1-3 and Isaiah 54:15-17 from the word of God, Enakhena who is a Prophet of God said that God’s promise is not for everyone but his servants and enjoined the church to ask themselves: am I actually a servant of God?

Before he forked out the promises of God, Enakhena said that the time you know the children of God, is the time of trial.

God’s Promises In The Midst Of Darkness

Do you know what God promised you? Do you believe in his promises? Are you walking towards his promises? May the promises of God be fulfilled in your life.

Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

This is not just a promise but a commandment. The promise of God is a command…I want you to look at the verse two very well so that you will know that when the glory of God is coming upon you, there are others around you dwelling in darkness…darkness is overshadowing them. That grace upon the children of God is different from the grace upon those dwelling in carnality. If you think that God does not know what he is doing, look at what happened in America, Italy and Spain. What if such a thing had happened in Nigeria? Do you think we were all careful? Ordinary malaria the government will not take care of you. The masses rescue accident victims in Nigeria, no government. Then look at the people with accurate government, fantastic and excellent government. When this pandemic came what happened in their midst? There is a certain billionaire in Italy that committed suicide. I was always praying that is only Catarrh virus that will happen in Nigeria because we have no government. But we have Him that is more than the government…God. I told my wife that this is just a shaken to the world. God has just shown us that he is God almighty. Beside him there is no one else. It will not take God a minute to stop this corona virus but he just wanted to show the world. Because the world today was already going to an era where we believe so much in medication, technology, we no longer believe in miracles, let alone believe in God’s promises anymore. God allowed this to disappoint the knowledge of man, to disappoint the wisdom of man, to disappoint the carnality of man. But the Lord has promised his children, he said in the midst of darkness and trouble, his glory will arise upon his own children. It is not for everybody…as many that follow. Are you following? If you are following, who are you following? Live by God’s promise. Not by man’s promise. When you live by a man’s promise, you are doomed. But when you live by God’s promise, you are successful. Your situation right now makes no matter. God’s promise took Joseph to prison. Do you know how? He said I will not commit this sin. Why? Because of God. He said I will not lie with you, I will not sin against my God. That was God’s promise…that promise took him into prison. But when he went into prison, the Bible said “And the Lord was with him.” When you live by God’s promise, God follows you in every problem you are into. And no problem can swallow God. If no problem can swallow God, why do you now think that problem can swallow you? Portifah put the King of kings in the prison. Do you know what? Potiphar had no other option than to give Joseph his position because he has just put the King of kings into prison. Because the Bible said “And the Lord was with Joseph in the prison”…live by God’s promise. That is what God exhibited. Doctors failed! The World Health Organization (WHO) that we all rely on failed! Argument came between the world leaders. The G7 divided themselves. But God’s promises never fail.

Isaiah 54:15-17 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

God cannot gather evil against his children. Evil cannot be befalling on a child of God and he or she would say it is God’s promise. But the Lord did not say the evil will not come. He said “But it is not by me”. God did not say that Corona virus will not come but he said it will not prosper against his children. Do you know the problem we have as children of God? We claim to be Christians but we don’t stand the time of trials. It is not how much you put in a church, it is not all about speaking in tongues, it is not all about worshipping God, going for all all-night prayers, it is not all about not missing any meeting in the church. It is all about standing with God at the time of your trial. The time you know the children of God, is the time of trial. I told someone that in this time of lockdown, this is when some members will know who their pastors are. Am sorry to say this. The Lord has promised that he will never live his own…this promise is not for everybody.

Who is the servant of God? Do you think because I am a pastor qualifies me to be a servant of God? Who is a servant? A servant is the one that obeys his master. Then if you disobey your master, you are not a servant to him. You can become a pastor and you are not a servant of God. Every believer is a servant of God. Whatever you believe in, that controls you, that you obey and fear, you are a servant to that thing. Some refuse to wake up this morning…they are servants to laziness. Servants to weakness and to sleep. God’s promise is not for everyone but his servants. Ask yourself this day, am I actually a servant of God? When you are a servant of God, you live a righteous life. Obeying the word of God is holiness and righteousness. We don’t need to be preaching this everyday. When you are obedient to the word of God you are righteous…you are holy. That’s all. You don’t need to over emphasise it.

God’s Promise

• To bless his children more in times of affliction. Do you believe that? How many people have that faith? Psalm 84: 11.

• To protect his children at the time of disaster. Isaiah 40: 29

What killed others cannot kill you…what destroyed others cannot destroy you. What made others to go back will not make you to go back in the name of Jesus. You will not rely on man in the name of Jesus.

A background is your back on the ground…If you rely on your father or your mother…where you are coming from, your back will be on the ground. Look forward! Who are you looking up to? God. Those who relied on their background or parents where are they today? The great men and women we knew in the world that are no more today, where are their children? Nowhere. Because they were looking at there background, looking up to their father’s promises.

• To fight for his children in difficult battles. Deutronomy 31:8

• To show up when all relationship and material things fail you

this is what is happening during this pandemic. God promised to show up when all your money cannot save you. When your friends, siblings and family has abandoned you. But the Lord said I will not abandon you.

• To defend and to speak for us where we cannot defend or to speak for ourselves.

When the Israelites in Egypt could not speak for themselves, what did the Lord do? The Lord sent Moses to go and speak on their behalf and to save them. They could not defend themselves let alone speak for themselves but what did they do? They cried unto the Lord. And the Bible said that “the cry of his people in Egypt went up and the Lord heard their cry.”

I pray this day that the Lord will hear your cry.

• To prosper his people beyond their imagination. Deutronomy 29:11

It is a big promise. Are you actually waiting for God’s promise? God’s promise may tarry but it must surely come to pass…only if you wait for him. If you follow him diligently. If you walk with him, If you follow the right path, God’s promise can never fail you. Your father can fail you, your Mommy can fail you, your children that you are putting so much on, at the time you need them at old age, they will marry and their spouse will say my father in-law is a wizard. Your children disappoint you, relations disappoint you, family disappoint you, even your health will begin to disappoint you gradually but the mercy of God will never disappoint you. If you want to live a fulfilled life, I am telling you today, follow God’s promises. If you want to finish well and strong, you must follow God’s promises. You cannot do it alone. Only God can do it for you. That is the reason why you see many Christians are struggling because they want to do it with their power. Your power is nothing before God.