“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (

Luke1:15?NKJV)

This Morning as I read the Gospel according to Luke chapters 1 and 2, I could not help but notice how many times the writer mentions that people were filled or will be filled with the Holy Spirit - Baby John (1:15), Mary (1:35), Elizabeth(1:35), Zacharias (1:67), Simeon [upon] (2:25).

I am reminded by these that being filled with the spirit of GOD or the Holy Spirit is to possess within one’s life the very life and essence of God. I think this is a very precious blessing. We humans as little as we are compared to the entire universe can possess within our hearts the very essence of the one who created the entire universe.

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit (as the above verses show), we are able to do things that are naturally impossible to us and we are able to be aware of things that we could not have known or perceived with our natural senses. Being filled with the Holy Spirit implies being filled with Love, Joy, Peace…and all the fruit of the spirit listed in Gal 5:21-22.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. I have a picture of a puppet which is brought to life by human hands. However in our case, we are not puppets because we are allowed to co-operate with the Holy Spirit. We allow the Holy Spirit to suspend our natural tendencies and inclinations so that GOD can be in control of our system. The Holy Spirit then manifests love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, patience and so on. This is such a blessing.

Not only do we enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit, we also enjoy the reward of the manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit. For example when the Holy Spirit manifests love in our lives we enjoy loving the people around us and we enjoy the blessings of a peaceful home, happy marriage, happy children and so on.

I believe we all must continue to seek to always be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is a continuous process because it requires our continuous surrendering to the Holy Spirit to be the one in charge of our lives. I believe that if we go out everyday asking the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives and we consciously ask God to lead us every moment of the day we will live really extraordinary lives.

Oh Lord thank you for this great blessing of being filled with the Holy Spirit. I ask you to fill me always and to work with me, in me and through me. Give me the right words to say to the people around me. Teach me all I need to know about Jesus and in my life. Grant me the wisdom to operate like Jesus in my days. I receive this fulness in Jesus Name.

These are difficult days for many people all over the world, Jobs are being lost, homes are being lost, marriages are breaking down, ministries are crumbling but  the word of God for you this month is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE! JESUS IS WITH YOU.  And with Jesus, you can overcome all challenges and difficulties. I know that sometimes when we look at the situation of things around us, when we consider how much time we have spent praying, when we remember for how long we have been waiting on the Lord for breakthrough, it may seem that God has forsaken us, or that He is not aware of the many things that are troubling us. However, I have a word of comfort for you this month. You are not alone. And you will never be alone because He who has promised to be with you is ever faithful. 

1. You should not fear because GOD has got your back and things will surely end well.
2. You should remember to ask for help from the Lord. He is with you to help you become what He created you to be. So ask for help.
3. Every time you remember that He is with you, say a short thank you to Him for being with you. I wonder how many times in a day you will remember to say thank you. However, the more you practice this, the brighter the day will be, and the more the power of God will be revealed in your life. Do not wait until you are alone to say thanks. You can say “thank you Jesus for being with me” in your heart, while driving, while speaking to someone, in the shower, in fact you can say it any time, anywhere and as often as you want. Remember that the more you do this, the more you will remember to ask for and experience God’s power in your daily life.

     Thus says the LORD:
      “ Heaven is My throne,
      And earth is My footstool.
      Where is the house that you will build Me?
      And where is the place of My rest? 
      For all those things My hand has made,
      And all those things exist,”
      Says the LORD. 
      “ But on this one will I look:
      On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
      And who trembles at My word.

After reading this verses from Isaiah 66:1-2, I felt a sense of God’s love and I am so amazed that as poor as we humans are, God as great as He is desires to fellowship with us. The first verse reflects on the greatness of God, God is so much bigger that the earth that it is like a footstool to Him. He made the earth and there is nothing that is on the earth that we can offer to God. 

I remember how I used to feel so good after spending some time in fasting and prayers. I feel that I have giving God some “quality time”. But you know what? He owns all my time anyway. And this is true for those of us who love God and those who do not care whether He exists or not or even those that hate God. God still owns them and He can do whatever He likes with us. What of those times that I have given all the money I had to do the work of God and dedicated my life to doing the work of ministry. You one feels this wave of accomplishment as if God need to say thank you. This portion of scripture reminds me that there is nothing that I give to God that was not His own originally.

Do not misunderstand me, God delights in seeing us give back to Him what is His. He loves to receive our love from a willing and loving heart and it should give us joy when we please our God. However we must be reminded that there is no way we can give too much to God. And that when we give to God or to other in His name, we are only doing the normal thing. It’s not such a big deal. It’s a beautiful thing for sure but at the same time it’s the normal thing to do.

Now the kicker is in verse 2: The Lord - The great God, this God who is so much bigger than the whole earth, chooses to look (to consider, be interested, help, influence, challenge, heal) at one of us humans. But he has some qualifications.

One who is poor: You may wonder what it means to be poor in God’s estimation. To the one who owns the whole universe, what is considered poor? Can I suggest that every human being is poor with regards to God? And that this scripture is not necessarily talking about poverty where one does not have enough to live? Of course God is ready to help the poor man (in human terms) but I want to submit also that the multi-billionaire is poor in the sight of God if he or she is humble enough to recognise that before God they are poor and are simply blessed.

Of a contrite spirit: Other translations refer to this as a broken spirit; I have the feeling that its a spirit that does not see itself as worthy of God’s focus or attention. A heart that knows and recognises his or her frailty and weaknesses. One who is aware that who they are today is a product of God’s blessings and grace of good health and life. One who is willing to say I am sorry as soon as they recognise any tendency to boast or be proud.

Who trembles at My word: This great God is interested in one who trembles at His word. One who recognises that when God speaks - it must be obeyed because it is wisdom at the very best. One who recognises that the world was created by the Word of God. One who honours and respects the word of God. I see that as approaching the Bible with a desire to hear God speak. This does not mean that we cannot be critical in studying the scriptures, but that we let the Holy Spirit guide our critical reading of scriptures. Not only that, we commit ourselves to letting the word of God change us as we approach the Word of God.

Isn’t it glorious to know that God actually works in us and with us if we will be humble and submissive enough to let Him? I know the Lord has been working in me, on me and through me this past 20yrs and more and I look forward to more of His work.

Oh Lord help me to always remember that you own the earth and every one and everything that is in it. Keep me humble and grateful and let me never forget your greatness.

Do you realise that so many people today are looking for fulfillment, Happiness and love? When I listen to the news and interact with people daily, I find that everyone seems to be looking for something, and they seem to think that other people have that thing called happiness and yet it seems to allude them. This is my contribution to this search!

Augustine of Hippo in his classic “The Confessions” says that True happiness can only be found in God. The sad truth is that we all have been trying to find true hapiness without God. Can I say along with many great men and women before me that TRUE HAPINESS or LASTING JOY can ONLY be found in GOD?

Chassing after gadgets (fast cars, money, a big house, political positions) and fame will only give temporary happiness, but once one makes the decision to repent of ones selfish liestyle and chooses to live according to the will of God, one begins the lifetime journey into continued and increasing inner joy and hapiness.

You may say - yes I am a christian so I am covered, but really can you say that your life is centered on God? If some one’s life is centered on Movies, it will be obvious to everyone, and we know those who’s lives are centered around themselves!! If you say your life is centered around God, then it must be obvious to you and to those who are closest to you.

There are many people who claim to love God and live for God whose life do not reflect God in anyway. The reason for this is that they are not living for God, they are simply attempting to use God as a tool to achieve the real thing they are living for. They spend hours praying - FOR WHAT? They study the scriptures and even memorise them - WHY? The only proof of a live centered on God is an outflow of godly life. By this I mean a “contagious” life that draws others to God.

If your life does not draw others to God - that is a sure proof that your life is not centered on God. 

How do you center your life on God?

This is a question that would take a whole book to explain completely. I have spent practically all my life as a christian, learning daily how to center my life on God. However, what I can share with you is how to begin this lifelong process.

1) You must agree that you are a failure with regards to living according to God’s standard - As long as you think that you are doing an excellent job, and that you are a good person, you will find it impossible to surrender your life to God. However, the fact that you have read this far shows that you feel the need for something more in your life. It is my opinion that someone who thinks they are doing pretty well without God will have no need for God and as such will have to continue living the way that they are.

2) You must “repent”. That is to make up your mind to life right. To choose to do the right thing ALWAYS no matter whether it pays you or costs you.

3) You must surrender to God - That is to say to God that you are at his mercy and that He can do to you what He pleases

4) You must then accept the work that God has done on your behalf through Christ Jesus. Accept freedom from the power of sin and forgiveness of sins committed.

5) Be Baptised - Find a church where these truths are taught and get baptised in the Name of Jesus Christ.

6) Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Once these 6 things are done, I would say you are on your way to a life filled wtih increasing inner joy and happiness, both in this life and in eternity. Take note that inner joy and happiness are not the same as the things that make you laugh. No there will be tough time, tears and pain along the way, but through it all, you will find a constant underlying joy and assurance that ALL is well.

In the past couple of months, I have been learning more about what it means to be crucified with Christ. I am learning daily that rather than trying to make the best of the life that I have, I could instead learn to live it by faith in God. I could dedicate my life 24/7 to the purpose and will of my Lord Jesus Christ.

It is getting clearer everyday that the purpose of God for my life is to fulfill the purpose for which Christ died for us all. I am learning daily that the more allow my life to be controlled by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the more my life will be fulfilling and the more fruitful my life will be.

I must say that I am still learning about the meaning of fruitfulness, what it means to be totally controlled by the Holy Spirit, how to relax in the face of difficulties but at the same time when I look back to just 8 months ago, I cannot help but notice that the Lord has done so much in me.

Some people have been asking about our financial state - I am happy to announce that every month has been better than the previous month and this month of Sept has been the best so far. On the very first day of the month, the Lord sent us $700 through one of his children here in Montreal. We give all the glory to God. (I am only sharing this to serve as an encouragement to other servants of God who are trusting the Lord for provision). In addition, in August we got a partner who has pledged to support us with $100 every month. Our God is a faithful God. I believe you now see why I said that the Lord has been teaching me how to let Him live His life through me.

I am still learning about the power of praying in tongues. It has been impressed strongly on my mind lately to study this some more and I believe the Lord will teach me.

I leave you with this word of encouragement. IT PAYS TO GIVE YOUR LIFE TO GOD.

After a busy Winter semester and 6 weeks of Biblical Hebrew, I think it’s time to rest a little from academic work and get into some serious spiritual Biblical Studies. For the past 3weeks I have been spending time to pray with some of the members of our church for spiritual revival once every week.

It’s been getting better and deeper as the Lord is showing us things in our lives that need to be dealt with before we can be revived. I am so glad that we are able to take out more time to pray and that other people are also hungry for revival.

We have been asking God to let His will be done in our lives and in our city as it is done in heaven. Our cry is that the Kingdom of God will be manifested powerfully in our midst and in our city.

Oh how I long to see a fresh and powerful move of God in Montreal? Please join us in prayers every Wed from 7.30 - 9.00pm.

I found out about the revival in Lakeland simply by searching for Revival in Google 4 days ago. I cannot even remember what exactly I was searching for. I saw Lakeland revival and I decided to take a look at it. Needless to say that I was surprised to read that a 5 days meeting had extended to over 40days is being broadcasted live on www.god.tv. I have been watching for one or two hours every night since then and I am so glad that this is happening.

I read some articles and listened to an interview of Todd Bently the Minister that is being used for the “revival”. From what I heard I believe that there is definitely a move of God in Lakeland, USA. It is too early at this time to simply say this is the revival we have been waiting for, but from the testimonies that are being shared every night we can give all the glory to God. It is so amazing to see that people can travel from all over the world to experience the power of God. I believe that there is a power that is drawing this people and the testimonies that people watching the meetings are sharing makes one just want to praise God.

My Prayers: I pray that the move of God will continue in Lakeland and that it will spread all over the world especially to Canada; Montreal in Particular. There are so many people suffering in this world. They need the power of God in their lives. We the children of God need to be on fire for God. We need to be ready to deliver the healing power of God to the millions who are sick and are in need of healing. I pray that the move of God will bring repentance and holiness to the church of God in America and to the rest of the world. I pray that this will not just be a healing revival, but healing followed by deep repentance and holiness.

My Pain: Each night as I have tuned in to view the meetings at Lakeland, I could not help but notice that many of the sick people that were being prayed for were Christians. They have been Christians for many years and yet their bodies were broken, many afflicted by terminal diseases and they really wanted to be healed. It’s painful because if we claim to be serving a living God, we should be also able to tap into His creative power, healing power and all-encompassing power to receive our breakthroughs. I must confess that I cannot boldly claim that I have a fail-proof formula for Christians to receive healing, but at the same time, I believe strongly that all we need to do as Christians is to know that Jesus is all the healing we need. I know that Jesus was not sick so we also can live without sickness. Oh Lord teach your church how to enjoy divine health. Teach me Lord. Amen.

A family that prays together, stays together. I don’t know who first said that, but I think its such an important truth. Since I got married, we have struggled with family devotion because of our schedule. Sometimes I am up till 5.00am and so there is no way I can wake up at 6.00am for family devotion. Sometimes its Olu that’s too tired. But the truth of the matter is that this is being so difficult because a family that prays together is a powerful family.

There are many scriptures that talk about unity in scriptures. One of my favorites is Matt 18:18-20.

“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

When two or three are gathered together in my name - This looks exactly like a husband and wife or a couple and one or more children. If only more families can resit the attack of the enemy against the family devotion, we will have the move of God much more in our cities and nations than we are experiencing today. No matter how difficult it is to have family devotion, we have decided that we will never let anything stop it in our family. Even if we miss one or two days, we would not give up on it rather we would continue from where we stopped.

Please do not give any excuses. Try to find a way to make sure you have family devotions. Sometimes I tell myself that we both pray individually. Yes its true I spend quality time with the Lord everyday and so does my sweetheart Olu. However, personal devotion is not a substitute for family devotion. Remember the promise says “where 2 or 3 are gathered…”.

What is Family Devotion?
Family devotion is a time spent with the Lord together as a family. It usually involves a time of praise and worship (usually in songs), Study of the Bible and Prayers. It can be done in the morning (preferably or at night). The ideal will be to have one in the morning (short) and a longer one at night.

Why is it important?
1) There is power in the prayer of agreement as we can see from Matt 18:18-20. It’s easy to agree with your wife and children that you want healing for one of the members of the family, that you want more grace to do your work, fruitfulness in ministry, breakthrough in business, salvation of a friend or family member. Family devotion creates an atmosphere and opportunity to have prayers that are powerful. Whenever Olu and I have agreed on specific issues quoting this scriptures we have seen God move in miraculous ways. Two weeks ago we wrote some post dated cheques even though we did not have money in our accounts. We prayed a prayer of agreement that the Lord will provide and God provided for us, one day at a time and even a friend all the way from Nigeria has promised to send us some money (over $500). God did all this without us having to ask any individual for money. We simply prayed a prayer of agreement in our home. You can try it too. It’s one of the benefits of marriage.

2) When a couple prays together, they cannot stay mad at each other beyond the time of family devotions. I will suggest that couples should try to ensure that they settle any problems that they have at the family devotion - 1 Peter 3: 7 makes it clear that your prayers are hindered when your wife has something she is unhappy with you about (I believe the same applies to the wife.) Mark 11:25 also makes it clear that if you do not forgive those who offend you, you cannot receive forgiveness from God. I don’t know about you, I’d rather be a fool with my wife than being in trouble with God.

3) When there are children in the family, they begin to learn how to pray and trust God for daily provision, wisdom, protection and companionship from an early age. It is a glorious thing for children to trust God from such an age. It also gives the older children an opportunity to share their views about the scriptures and practice leading prayers and worship.

4) The family devotion is a good time to answer some of the theological questions that children may have. At the same time it is a good time for couples to share their spiritual development with each other. Olu and I always have a nice time discussing scriptures and how we have been blessed by particular scriptures. It is a good idea to read a chapter everyday until you read through the Bible. This is one sure way of reading through the Bible. It would take less than 3 yrs to read through the Bible one chapter a day.

5) Family devotion is a perfect way for a family to bond together spiritually. Apart from physical bonding and emotional bonding, there is need for spiritual bonding. Family Devotion creates avenue for a couple to get closer to each other spiritually.

In conclusion, family devotion is so powerful and useful in a family and in our society as a whole that the forces of darkness will do their best to kill it and make sure that it never takes off. When it does take off, they try to bring it to an end. I would love to encourage you to keep the faith and trust the Lord to help you so that no matter what happens, you will always spend QUALITY TIME together as a FAMILY with the Lord.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. - John 14:12

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” - John 8:32

When we hear about freedom, we immediately think about what one is freed from. We think of being freed from prison and freed from oppression, and all sorts of restrictions. However, when Jesus, talked about freedom, he not only spoke of what we are freed from (the bondage of sin), he also talked about what we are free to (be like him in this world).

The word for this month is that you have all it takes to live like Christ in this world. It does not matter what reality you are experiencing; the truth is that you are free to live like a child of God, you are free to live in good health, free to be filled with the Holy Spirit, free to be rich (to have more than enough) so that you can be a blessing. There are many components or implications of the truth that we don’t know. Because we don’t know it, we live in “bondage” or ignorance. Let me use the issue of slavery as an illustration.

When the Proclamation of Emancipation of slaves was made in the late 19th century by Abraham Lincoln, the truth was that the affected slaves were free. However, the reality of their experience was different until the proclamation was enforced. Many slaves remained in bondage for many years after they were “legally” free. The truth is that you and I are free to live as Royal Priests (1 Peter 2:9), we are free to like kings and queens in our domain (Gen 1:26) but that is usually not our reality.

I believe what the Lord is saying to you this month is that no matter how things actually look for you. Don’t settle for it. Demand and determine to live as a child of the King of Kings and the Lords of Lord. Demand (from the devil and forces of darkness) and determine to walk in good health, in holiness and purity of heart, in love and peace, in joy and fruitfulness. It’s yours. Jesus already bought you the right to be a child of God. Don’t let anyone cheat you. Say no to sin, say no to sickness, say no to bareness, say no to failure, say no to depression. SAY NO. I am a child of God. I demand my right and I refuse to settle for anything less than what my father (God) has given to me through Jesus.

Am I saying that every Christian will have it easy? No, I am saying that even if the road is rough, that is not the destination. The road may be rough but the destination is glorious. We are assured of a glorious end so we must NEVER give in or settle for mediocrity. Stand up and determine to live like Christ. That’s what Jesus came to give us; the right and the freedom to live in power, glory, righteousness, holiness, faith and much more.

How can you know all the you have as a child of God? By studying the word of God (the Bible). Everything you need to know about your right is in the Bible. Study it day and night. Find out what you already have. Stand up for your right. It’s yours already. You don’t need to cry for it or worry about it. Rather you need to stand up against the enemy in the name of Jesus and refuse to accept the lies of the devil.

For the past 3 weeks I have found that I have prayed more and more for the fire of the lord to fall upon me. Jesus is the one that baptises us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Fire I believe stands for the sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit as well as the overwhelming passion for more of God that one receives along with the filling with the Holy Spirit.

I really need fresh fire, because the challenges that we face as “missionaries” in Quebec, needs more than just doing church. Quebec needs ministers and Christians that have been set ablaze by the Holy Spirit. The forces of darkness that have determined to keep this province in darkness are working day and night and if we will have any form of victory we must stand on the victory that has been won on the cross and we must never stand down, give in or give up.

We need to confront the enemy with the word, with the blood of Jesus and with the Name that is above every other name. The name of Jesus. Personally, the enemy has tried to distract me and my family with financial needs but we will not be distracted. We know that we have all things in Christ. So we refuse to be discouraged.

Lately the Lord has been reminding me that I have been set free from the bondage of sin and the devil (John 8:32). So now I am free to live, to love and to declare freedom to other people. We will be free in Montreal and Quebec in Jesus Name.

I was at the confrence held by Peter Yongren last weekend and I must say it is encouraging to know that God is doing great things in Africa and He wants to do it here also. We will keep praying and obeying until we see the revival that has been promised.