Speaker 1: And we're reading from the book of Psalms, chapter 46.
Speaker 1: And we'll read from verse 1 all the way to verse 11.
Speaker 1: And if you're there, we can now go ahead.
Speaker 1: God is our refuge and strength and ever-present help in trouble.
Speaker 1: Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Speaker 1: There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.
Speaker 1: The holiest place let's go back to that the holy place where the Most High dwells.
Speaker 1: God is within her.
Speaker 1: She will not fail or she will not fall.
Speaker 1: God will help her.
Speaker 1: At break of day.
Speaker 1: Nations are in a prayer.
Speaker 1: Kingdoms fall.
Speaker 1: He lifts his voice.
Speaker 1: The earth melts Verse 7.
Speaker 1: The Lord Almighty is with us.
Speaker 1: The God of Jacob is our fortress.
Speaker 1: Come and see what the Lord has done us.
Speaker 1: The God of Jacob is our fortress.
Speaker 1: Come and see what the Lord has done.
Speaker 1: There is the dissolution he has brought on the earth.
Speaker 1: He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth Verse 10.
Speaker 1: He breaks the bow and shatters the spear.
Speaker 1: He burns the shields with fire.
Speaker 1: This is now verse 10.
Speaker 1: He says be still and know that I am God.
Speaker 1: I will be exalted among the nations.
Speaker 1: I will be exalted in the earth.
Speaker 1: And finally, verse 11.
Speaker 1: The Lord Almighty is with us.
Speaker 1: The God of Jacob is our fortress, and that is the word of the Lord is with us.
Speaker 1: The God of Jacob is our fortress, and that is the word of the Lord.
Speaker 1: Let us pray Our loving Heavenly Father.
Speaker 1: We bless your name for your goodness and for your mercies.
Speaker 1: We are so grateful even to see that you are working in the life and body of our senior pastor and the Lord.
Speaker 1: Just to hear him speak to us is a blessing.
Speaker 1: We thank you for Pastor Simon, who's taken your message to South Africa.
Speaker 1: We pray the Lord.
Speaker 1: Your anointing and blessings be upon him.
Speaker 1: We thank you for the word that you have for us this morning.
Speaker 1: We pray that, lord, you minister to us by your grace and we pray that may your presence come upon us.
Speaker 1: In Jesus name.
Speaker 1: We pray, amen.
Speaker 1: You may have your seats in the presence of the Lord and thank you very much.
Speaker 1: It's nice to see all of you once again and we thank God for his favor upon us and welcome to the month of November.
Speaker 1: And I am honored and blessed to be the one to introduce the theme of November to us.
Speaker 1: And the theme of November is open door renewal, uplifted Kingdom refreshment, and that happens also to be the title of our sermon today.
Speaker 1: Today, open door renewal, uplifted kingdom Refreshment, and we have read From Psalms 46.
Speaker 1: As I lay a basis To this sermon, that God is our refuge, an ever present help In trouble.
Speaker 1: Meaning, first and foremost, is to know that trouble is expected.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: Because some people, when trouble comes, it's like they did not expect it.
Speaker 1: You know, they behave like when we were in college, full of fire, full of the Holy Ghost, preaching the kingdom, and some brethren told us then that, you know, we have been redeemed, we have been packaged, sealed and posted to heaven.
Speaker 1: You know, therefore, we are like a package that has been put through the post office services and that means, therefore, the troubles of this world are not part of us.
Speaker 1: I remind us it is.
Speaker 1: That is why God is our refuge and an ever-present help in times of trouble, and because he is there, we will be able to go through them, and I can tell you, currently there are so many.
Speaker 1: I can tell you, currently there are so many troubles.
Speaker 1: Yes, currently there are very many troubles Political troubles, economic troubles, natural Catastrophes.
Speaker 1: Yes, they are happening, but with all this, god is our ever present Help in trouble.
Speaker 1: But when all this God is our ever-present help in trouble, but when all that is happening, then we are told that there is a river.
Speaker 1: Amen, that there is a river.
Speaker 1: That is what the Bible says in verse 4.
Speaker 1: There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells, and you know the city is you, because that is what the scripture says.
Speaker 1: Don't you know that the Holy Spirit of God dwells in you?
Speaker 1: You are the temple of the Holy Spirit and therefore there is a river that is flowing in this month of November To make glad the city of God, and you are the city of God Because God dwells in you and therefore, in this month of November, the river has been released.
Speaker 1: You know, in Kenya we do not have huge rivers.
Speaker 1: We have some, but you need to visit some rivers in this world Like, for example, river Congo.
Speaker 1: River Congo is such a huge river.
Speaker 1: Some of the places is three and a half kilometers wide.
Speaker 1: Now, if you are here in Westlands, three and a half kilometers going towards Nakuru is up to where those people who live those sides you are.
Speaker 1: You are beyond Kangemi, isn't it?
Speaker 1: You are beyond Kangemi, a mountain view that way, I think, almost Kabete station up there.
Speaker 1: That's how wide the river would be.
Speaker 1: If that's the way you are in town Now, you can imagine such a huge river flowing your way this month to come and bring you gladness, praise the name of the Lord.
Speaker 1: That is how generous God is prepared in this month of November To release his gladness to you so that there can be joy.
Speaker 1: Therefore there is a river and it's coming from the kingdom and therefore we will be refreshed in this month because God is with us and therefore in our sermon, as that refreshment comes, it is going to come through three things that we're going to emphasize this morning.
Speaker 1: And number one, it will come through renewal.
Speaker 1: And number two, it will come through repentance.
Speaker 1: And number three, it will come through repentance.
Speaker 1: And number three, it will come through prayer.
Speaker 1: So if we want to experience that flow from the river of God, then we need to exercise or go through these three things and when we look at number one, which is through renewal, and when we look at number one, which is through renewal, renewal implies a situation that is in need of restoration Because, really, wherever it comes, if you say remember, okay, remember, is that something you had forgotten?
Speaker 1: And then you remember it, you join it to your brain or your memory, then you remember.
Speaker 1: When you say recall it's something that was somewhere and you are bringing it back, meaning then when we talk about renewal, it is that you are already new, but something has happened To your newness and it needs to be reestablished.
Speaker 1: How are you new?
Speaker 1: The Bible says that those who are In Christ Jesus, they are a new creation.
Speaker 1: The old has gone and, behold, the new has.
Speaker 1: But then, after we received the, the Lord, and we became new, there are things that have come along our ways and they have covered or diminished our newness.
Speaker 1: This is the renewal that we are looking for this morning.
Speaker 1: Amen, amen.
Speaker 1: A very good car runs very well, but it needs service, and to service a car is not to replace it.
Speaker 1: It is the same car.
Speaker 1: You put new oil, you put a new air cleaner, you put a new fuel filter, so that the normal, normal car that maybe was smoking and not going very fast.
Speaker 1: It has new energy.
Speaker 1: This is what we mean by renew that God is going to be resurfacing us and therefore he's going to be renewing us.
Speaker 1: Therefore, to be renewed is like when you get a cold drink, when you are thirsty on a hot day and you become refreshed.
Speaker 1: You know you drink and you don't know where and nobody tells you to talk.
Speaker 1: You just finish that glass of water and say ah, and sometimes you are alone.
Speaker 1: There is nobody even listening to that, but because of the good that you feel, you just say ah and you are alone.
Speaker 1: It is because of the goodness flowing you feel.
Speaker 1: You just say ah and you are alone.
Speaker 1: It is because of the goodness flowing within you.
Speaker 1: This is the experience that we're going to get when the Lord refreshes us, when, in our situation, god comes through.
Speaker 1: It's like when you have had a hot day and tired and then you get a good shower.
Speaker 1: There are some who enjoy cold showers, there are others who like hot showers, whichever ones you like, but you can imagine, when you get a good shower, there are some who enjoy cold showers, there are others who like hot showers, whichever ones you like, but you can imagine when you get in there and the way you feel.
Speaker 1: And even those who don't sing, sometimes, when that happens, they become musicians immediately, and now those who are out there can hear the songs.
Speaker 1: Of course, there are others who sing because they are afraid of bathing, so, whichever the case, but I am talking about those who get the other others to encourage themselves because they have fallen under the water, they keep singing.
Speaker 1: So it can be either way Either because you are being refreshed but my emphasis is on those who do that because they are being refreshed All right, that is what we mean by being refreshed or even when you have had a long day, you are tired and you get a fresh bed, you know, with clean sheets, well done, you may wake one of the angles so that you just sleep inside.
Speaker 1: When you get in, you close your eyes.
Speaker 1: Sleep takes you even before you can turn and therefore you need to pray before you get into that bed because you'll just sleep.
Speaker 1: That is what it means to be refreshed.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: So the Lord makes you lie down in green pastures?
Speaker 1: Amen, amen.
Speaker 1: This is what we are looking for in this month To be renewed.
Speaker 1: Okay, you can imagine if you live in a place where there is no grass, live in a flat somewhere there is no grass somewhere.
Speaker 1: Then one day you find yourself we are going to holiday time.
Speaker 1: You find yourself you are taking a holiday in a place that has loans.
Speaker 1: You wake up in the morning and take a lesson and go and lie there and you are lying there.
Speaker 1: You will feel refreshed.
Speaker 1: You can work for the rest of the year because newness has come into your life, amen.
Speaker 1: So this is what we mean by renewal.
Speaker 1: In the book of Jeremiah, chapter 31 and verse 25, the Bible says no-transcript.
Speaker 1: He does not require to be probed.
Speaker 1: It is his commitment to do that for us, that he's prepared to be able to refresh those who are weary and those who are faint.
Speaker 1: All you need to know is to admit you're weary, so that when you know you're weary, then you call on his name and he says call unto me and I will answer.
Speaker 1: The trouble is, some of us are so proud and arrogant we never admit we are weary, even to God.
Speaker 1: We are not afraid and God is willing to assist.
Speaker 1: God is willing to support us so we can lift up our situations to him.
Speaker 1: God is ready and willing to refresh those who are weary by renewing them.
Speaker 1: And in Romans 12, verse 1 and 2, which he had already put up.
Speaker 1: Now we can go back to it.
Speaker 1: The Bible says Romans 12 and verse 1 and 2,.
Speaker 1: The Bible says 12 and verse 1 and 2, the Bible says Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercies, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.
Speaker 1: This is your true and proper worship.
Speaker 1: Then verse 2, how does that worship come about?
Speaker 1: Do not conform to the patterns of this world.
Speaker 1: Then verse 2 how does that worship come about?
Speaker 1: Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Speaker 1: Then you will be able to test and approve what is God's will, is his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Speaker 1: So, the renewal of our minds.
Speaker 1: When we are renewed in our minds, that is when we are able to worship God.
Speaker 1: Because in our traditional sense, in our traditional sense, it is not possible to pursue what is good, because even as David would say in Psalms, I was born in sin, right.
Speaker 1: But the thing is, when we have been transformed and born again, our situation might change.
Speaker 1: And when it changes, then we get what is in Philippians, chapter 4 and verse 8.
Speaker 1: If we can read now, philippians, chapter 4 and verse 8.
Speaker 1: And the Bible says finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is, whatever is.
Speaker 1: Be shouting that for me.
Speaker 1: Let's go at it again.
Speaker 1: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is, whatever is, whatever is, whatever is, whatever is, whatever is.
Speaker 1: If anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such.
Speaker 1: This is what happens when you have a renewal of mind.
Speaker 1: Your mind now works on the things that are true, the things that are honorable, the things that are just, the things that are lovely and things that are commendable.
Speaker 1: Right, and therefore I want to say today, one of the challenges we have in this country, in the church and the world over, is the deficit of the things we have talked about, so that today we are praying for people to get jobs, people to get employment.
Speaker 1: But you know why we don't have employment and jobs is because we are not trustworthy.
Speaker 1: Somebody invests in their business because they are employed.
Speaker 1: They put up a shop in town and they employ two young men or two young women or three, but then the people they leave in the shop.
Speaker 1: Their business is to loot that shop.
Speaker 1: They make a loss.
Speaker 1: They close the shop, they eat their money and they continue working.
Speaker 1: Now, is it that there were no jobs or we squandered the jobs?
Speaker 1: Then somebody says no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1: I want to work with Christians because you know, when brothers who are born again, who are of the Holy Spirit and I can see some of you already are smiling, looking as I say, that's a place not to go, that's a place not to you, give opportunity to people because they are brethren, because they are born again, then those are the ones who call you in the morning.
Speaker 1: They will come humbly.
Speaker 1: My brother, you know I have this need and I have this.
Speaker 1: If you just give me 10,000 Saturday, saturday I will bring it to you, my friend, that Saturday they will not appear.
Speaker 1: You come to Sunday service.
Speaker 1: You are looking around.
Speaker 1: They will not come to church.
Speaker 1: When there is renewal, your word becomes bankable Because you can be trusted upon.
Speaker 1: When there is renewal, you can be trusted upon.
Speaker 1: When there is renewal, there can be genuine love within families, because people can honestly forgive.
Speaker 1: Because you know it is very difficult to forgive.
Speaker 1: By the way, it is not easy when somebody has hurt you, and you know some hurtings are to forgive.
Speaker 1: By the way, it is not easy when somebody has hurt you and you know some hurtings are deep.
Speaker 1: But because they are your brothers and your sisters, they have failed you.
Speaker 1: But without renewal it is not possible to give genuine forgiveness.
Speaker 1: So for renewal to come, we will need to go for what is genuine, what is true, what is lovely and lovely is setting others free, because the Bible says forgive others, just as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven you.
Speaker 1: But you get to know how difficult it is to forgive.
Speaker 1: Ask little children to tell one another sorry.
Speaker 1: After they say sorry, they cry Because they feel they have lost a lot.
Speaker 1: Now renewal, so that whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, even in this country.
Speaker 1: It is not that we cannot be able to meet our needs, it's only that people are not honorable, that's true.
Speaker 1: Why do we have corruption?
Speaker 1: I am not prophesying, neither am I giving news about corruption in this country, isn't it?
Speaker 1: But and we are 80% believers in this country it's until when we become renewed that then there shall be refreshment.
Speaker 1: We are crying about economy, we are crying about everything.
Speaker 1: We are crying about these things.
Speaker 1: We need renewal of mind so that we can think about the things that we have mentioned about.
Speaker 1: Times fails me to be able to emphasize on this, but finally, I want to say on this one that if you want good relationships, be renewed in your heart so that when we are renewed, we will do things not because of who we are, not because of where we come from, but because of where we have been taken to.
Speaker 1: We have been taken to the kingdom of God, so that I will apologize and I will not feel small.
Speaker 1: Right, yes, to be renewed, to be renewed.
Speaker 1: You know, can you imagine a husband Full of the Holy Spirit but spending the day watching TV because he has not yet found a job?
Speaker 1: My friend, you better walk greeting people until evening so that you are tired.
Speaker 1: That way, you help even your wife, who is sent for shopping and eats all the money and comes with half of the shopping.
Speaker 1: After that, they speak in tongues and they quote scripture.
Speaker 1: We need to be renewed, amen.
Speaker 1: You know, we spiritualize things until we fail to work on this earth, where we are working.
Speaker 1: We need to be renewed.
Speaker 1: Some of us we need to be renewed.
Speaker 1: We are working in debt, not because we don't have money, but whatever money we have, we misuse it.
Speaker 1: Let's leave that and then go to repentance.
Speaker 1: Because I'm already starting to talk about repentance, because that is where the Praise the Lord.
Speaker 1: Praise the Lord.
Speaker 1: Now number two, let's talk about repentance and I want to beg this story from the book of Luke, chapter 15.
Speaker 1: And we're going to read a few verses from there, the book of Luke, chapter 15.
Speaker 1: Let's read from verse 11.
Speaker 1: Yes, jesus continued.
Speaker 1: There was a man who had two sons.
Speaker 1: The younger one said to his father Father, give me my share of estate.
Speaker 1: So he provided.
Speaker 1: He divided his property between them.
Speaker 1: Not long after that, the young son got together all he had set off to a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
Speaker 1: After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country and he began to be in need.
Speaker 1: So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country who sent him to his field to feed pigs.
Speaker 1: He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
Speaker 1: When he came to his senses repeat that after me when he came to his senses he said how many of my father's hired servants have food to spare?
Speaker 1: And here I am starving to death.
Speaker 1: I will set out and go back to my father and say to him Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
Speaker 1: I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
Speaker 1: Make me like one of your hired servants.
Speaker 1: So he got up and went to his father.
Speaker 1: But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him.
Speaker 1: He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Speaker 1: The son said to him Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
Speaker 1: I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
Speaker 1: But the father said to his servants Quick, bring the best rope and put it on him, put a ring on his finger and saddles on his feet.
Speaker 1: We'll stop there for today.
Speaker 1: Now let's do this About this son.
Speaker 1: I'm talking about repentance Because many people, when we talk about repentance, they think about repenting sins.
Speaker 1: So when you tell people to repent, they always imagine I have sinned and I need to repent.
Speaker 1: But always imagine I have sinned and I need to repent.
Speaker 1: But the understanding of repentance Is I have been going this way and I have discovered this is the wrong direction and I change and when I go the other good direction.
Speaker 1: I have repented.
Speaker 1: It is also when you change your mind.
Speaker 1: I have been so harsh to this man, I no longer need to quarrel with him as much and therefore I will talk to him, because being quarrelsome to him does not change anything.
Speaker 1: I will speak to him, therefore, fairly.
Speaker 1: That is repentance.
Speaker 1: You have changed your ways.
Speaker 1: But many times when we talk about repentance, it's sin.
Speaker 1: You have committed adultery, you have stolen, you have done what, and therefore repentance is not a welcome term.
Speaker 1: When you tell people to repent, they say umenio na wapi?
Speaker 1: Isn't that our perception?
Speaker 1: But repentance is changing from the wrong direction and going to the right.
Speaker 1: Now, for us to receive renewal and refreshment in this month of November, we need to repent this prodigal son.
Speaker 1: There was nothing wrong with him asking for his inheritance and the father was willing.
Speaker 1: And I don't know why, son, there was nothing wrong with him asking for his inheritance and the father was willing.
Speaker 1: And I don't know why, because I don't think that is normal.
Speaker 1: Many people tell him your inheritance, yours, from whose?
Speaker 1: You are in here, you can go and look for it, but for the father, I don't know.
Speaker 1: For whatever reason, the father was willing.
Speaker 1: You ask an African father when he's still around give me my inheritance.
Speaker 1: He'll ask you are what?
Speaker 1: I don't know.
Speaker 1: Do you think that's a discussion you can have this Christmas with your parents, that we have now come for Christmas, give me my.
Speaker 1: You are what?
Speaker 1: Where has it to be?
Speaker 1: But for some reason, but for some reason and there are some fathers If you say that over Christmas, christmas will be over.
Speaker 1: But for some reason, this father was willing.
Speaker 1: This is how God is generous to us.
Speaker 1: Even when we do some weird things, our God is full of grace.
Speaker 1: He generous to us.
Speaker 1: Even when we do some weird things, our God is full of grace.
Speaker 1: He still gives us, and when we misuse even what he has given us, he's waiting for us to change our ways.
Speaker 1: You know the son had revised what he was going to say to the father.
Speaker 1: Okay, because we have read when he came to his senses.
Speaker 1: That is when the Holy Spirit spoke to him.
Speaker 1: That's why we need the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1: The Holy Spirit can tell you when you're in the wrong direction and you come to your senses.
Speaker 1: Some of us, we are struggling in our relationships, in our businesses, but we need to come to our senses.
Speaker 1: So watch a kiburi, watch a maringo, watch a kingereza minki, watch a maneno minki.
Speaker 1: Just sit down and sort what the matter Are we together?
Speaker 1: That's when we come to our senses.
Speaker 1: When he came to his senses, that is what the Bible has said.
Speaker 1: That is when he made up his.
Speaker 1: He remembered I have a father and in my father's compound there are servants, and they eat better than I do.
Speaker 1: Therefore, he made a decision.
Speaker 1: So many of us are still stuck in our senses.
Speaker 1: There are some who have not reached making their senses, but others are now in that senses.
Speaker 1: I think it might be good, but they will not do it.
Speaker 1: I think it is good.
Speaker 1: It is time to action.
Speaker 1: You are coming into senses and when you do.
Speaker 1: When the son started walking home, that is when repentance began.
Speaker 1: So by the time he was meeting his father, he had even reversed his communication.
Speaker 1: A statement was read Father, I don't deserve to be yours, but you think the father had that story.
Speaker 1: When he was talking, the father was already speaking to the servants Get a calf, dress it, let us celebrate, because this son of mine, he was dead and now he's alive.
Speaker 1: We need to repent If you are a borrower who doesn't pay debts.
Speaker 1: Repent.
Speaker 1: If you are a person who receives good things and you cannot say thank you, repent.
Speaker 1: If you are a person who gives false promises, repent.
Speaker 1: If you are a father who has abandoned his responsibility, repent.
Speaker 1: If you are a mother who has abandoned his children, repent.
Speaker 1: The family is waiting for you, repent.
Speaker 1: Repent If you are a worker and you do mediocre job, repent and do a good job.
Speaker 1: Yes, why not?
Speaker 1: Because this is the way we give a testimony, this is the way we become refreshed and this is the way we refresh others.
Speaker 1: Hallelujah, we need to repent.
Speaker 1: Amen, because we repent when we know we have a problem.
Speaker 1: Because the Bible says in Matthew 11, 28, come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you, take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Speaker 1: For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Speaker 1: The first thing is that we must accept we have a problem, right, because the Bible is saying come to me, not those who think, not those who imagine, it is those who know they are heavy laden.
Speaker 1: So you need to come to a position where you realize whether you're walking right with God or not.
Speaker 1: For you to be refreshed, so that for us to be able to enjoy our relationship with God, we must be willing to be transformed, amen.
Speaker 1: We must be willing.
Speaker 1: His plan, god's plan, is to give us rest, but we must also have the conviction that we have a problem that needs to be sorted out, amen.
Speaker 1: And when we go, then God will change our situations.
Speaker 1: Finally, let's go to prayer, because we don't have all the time, but I hope you have captured something about repentance.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: It is not just kneeling down and praying to God, because many people think that is what repentance is all about.
Speaker 1: It is changing your ways.
Speaker 1: If you are a Christian, be a Christian.
Speaker 1: If you are a man, be a Christian.
Speaker 1: If you are a woman, be a.
Speaker 1: What.
Speaker 1: If you are a wife, be a.
Speaker 1: What.
Speaker 1: If you are a man, be he.
Speaker 1: If you are a woman, be a.
Speaker 1: What.
Speaker 1: If you are a wife, be a.
Speaker 1: What?
Speaker 1: If you are a husband, be a and do what husbands are supposed to do.
Speaker 1: If you are a father, be a.
Speaker 1: Yes, you cannot be a mother and you beat your wife.
Speaker 1: You don't.
Speaker 1: When your children sleep Repent.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: Do you know what your children sleep?
Speaker 1: Repent?
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: Repent, repent?
Speaker 1: Yes, you are a father.
Speaker 1: You don't know how your children are doing Because you are busy, busy looking for wealth.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: Yes, repent, repent.
Speaker 1: So that, whatever you know, some things in this world are very interesting.
Speaker 1: One person was working in the discipline forces and so he retired and he went back home to his home where his wife was, and now the wife has established an order of how she does her things.
Speaker 1: So when he comes in the morning, because he was senior, he was giving orders, so he would also want now to give orders to his wife, until one day, after about five months, the wife woke up and said my friend, this is not where you used to be, this is our home, and here we don't work with orders, we work with negotiations.
Speaker 1: Today I am going for a ladies meeting and the man said I could not survive in that place Because we are disconnected.
Speaker 1: So reconnect, isn't it so that if you are a lawyer, don't be using law at home, use the law in the office, but when you come, use other things?
Speaker 1: Even if you are a pastor, don't be telling your children Amen when they want chips.
Speaker 1: It is not Amen that works, it is chips.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: Yes, if you are a systems operator, don't say systems, they don't care.
Speaker 1: It is wakatiwa chips nasoda.
Speaker 1: Even if it is not healthy, praise the name of the Lord.
Speaker 1: For us to enjoy renewal, we must repent.
Speaker 1: We need to change.
Speaker 1: Finally, if you repent and you don't pray, then there will be nothing that's going to change.
Speaker 1: So let's read from the book of Chronicles 2, chronicles 7, verse 14.
Speaker 1: I'll try to run quickly through this, but bear with me a little, because I think we need to know, we need to pray.
Speaker 1: Are we together?
Speaker 1: So let's do this.
Speaker 1: The Bible says If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sins and I will heal their land.
Speaker 1: Now look at that sequence.
Speaker 1: It is if my people meaning the starting point is the people, isn't it they will humble themselves and then do what Pray?
Speaker 1: Prayer is communion with God.
Speaker 1: It is communication to God.
Speaker 1: Bring your situations to God, who can be able to change things, the way we said at the beginning In Psalms 46.
Speaker 1: The Lord is our refuge and ever present help.
Speaker 1: In times of trouble.
Speaker 1: He is the one who will release the river Of refreshment, amen.
Speaker 1: So turn to him.
Speaker 1: He will heal their land and he will forgive their sins, meaning you don't even need to spend so much time looking for solutions.
Speaker 1: You just need to turn to God.
Speaker 1: He will forgive you, he will heal one, he will fulfill our country, but also he will heal your family.
Speaker 1: He will heal your children.
Speaker 1: He will heal your family.
Speaker 1: He will heal your children, he will heal your career.
Speaker 1: If you repent and you go to him in prayer, he will bring that healing, because when we pray, god protects what belongs to us.
Speaker 1: You know Some people, you know you know some people want to do this thing called mikosi and vitunusi.
Speaker 1: You know, you know Swahili here.
Speaker 1: Mikosi, everything you do goes wrong.
Speaker 1: Now vitunusi is those things that happen.
Speaker 1: You have made things just look like they are going to work, but from somewhere, you know, the whirlwind comes and distorts the things out.
Speaker 1: You plant your things Today, the market is very good.
Speaker 1: Tomorrow, when you are arriving with your things in the market, the prices have plummeted.
Speaker 1: They go down.
Speaker 1: You could not find it yesterday, when it was good.
Speaker 1: You only come the last minute you know things that you get an appointment in a company it's doing well.
Speaker 1: Two years down the line that company is closing.
Speaker 1: I want to declare to you that that will not continue, because today we are turning to God in the name of Jesus, so that whatever you put on your hands, it will work.
Speaker 1: Every other time you are dealing with con men and con women, they are always taking away your things.
Speaker 1: You are just getting in a relationship with wrong characters whose background you do not know, so that every other time they are leaving you crying.
Speaker 1: But also the issue is this Do you do due diligence?
Speaker 1: Because to be a Christian is not to be unreasonable, it is to actually be very sharp minded, because the spirit of God is in you.
Speaker 1: Praise the name of the Lord, but you cannot be every other con thing that comes around.
Speaker 1: You are the first one to be con Banak wakoi.
Speaker 1: So for you you need the prayer of Jabez In 1 Chronicles, chapter 4 and verse 9.
Speaker 1: Because the Bible says, without giving any detail I find this scripture very interesting.
Speaker 1: It is actually fixed somewhere.
Speaker 1: Other people are being explained.
Speaker 1: They were sons of so and so and so and so.
Speaker 1: Then it just comes and introduces Jabez and the Bible says Jabez.
Speaker 1: It is not told whose son he was.
Speaker 1: And the other verses, if you read up there and even down after that, they say who was son of who and who.
Speaker 1: Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.
Speaker 1: His mother had named him.
Speaker 1: Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.
Speaker 1: His mother had named him Jabez.
Speaker 1: Saying I gave birth to him in pain.
Speaker 1: Jabez cried out to the God of Israel oh, that you would bless me and change and enlarge my.
Speaker 1: Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.
Speaker 1: And God granted his.
Speaker 1: I want to declare to you if you pray, god will grant your request so that those bad things will not follow you.
Speaker 1: God will preserve us in this month of November.
Speaker 1: We will get into December blessed and refreshed and we will finish the year strong in this month of November.
Speaker 1: We will get into December blessed and refreshed and we will finish the year strong In the name of Jesus, because God is in the course of changing our lives so that it doesn't matter which family you came from.
Speaker 1: Those things will not follow you If you come from a family where people don't get married, you'll be the first one to get married and your family will stay in the name of Jesus.
Speaker 1: That's what I declare today Sisi tu hatuna mutu ngambo familia yetu the farthest they have ever gone.
Speaker 1: Now the thing is this God will open the door for your family To be everywhere in the world.
Speaker 1: Today, if we pray the prayer of Jabez, the people who go on planes Are not made of gold.
Speaker 1: They are made of flesh and bone.
Speaker 1: Like you, you can also make it by the prayer, and God will open doors for you, not because you are special, but because you have repented.
Speaker 1: You are saying, instead of following where my family came from, I am following the promises of God on my life and I will be transformed in the name of Jesus, and God granted his request.
Speaker 1: God will grant your request today, whatever it is.
Speaker 1: Whatever it is.
Speaker 1: The other day I read a story in the newspaper.
Speaker 1: A man disappeared and went to Baringo For 38 years.
Speaker 1: He abandoned his family.
Speaker 1: The other day he came.
Speaker 1: All those who have been looking for your people.
Speaker 1: God can return them.
Speaker 1: Amen.
Speaker 1: Amen, because God can grant you.
Speaker 1: Amen.
Speaker 1: Praise the name of the Lord.
Speaker 1: God is so faithful Because I don't have time to read to you about David and his experience With Ziklag.
Speaker 1: He comes from winning.
Speaker 1: When they come back in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 30, they find their city of Ziklag have been devastated.
Speaker 1: They cried.
Speaker 1: It is not easy for men to cry, but the scripture does not say they wept.
Speaker 1: They wept aloud.
Speaker 1: So can you imagine a man crying?
Speaker 1: Maybe people from Western Kenya?
Speaker 1: They may not find that a challenge, because sometimes when there are finros there, they can cry, but the good thing is that they come crying and after they turn they ask Wapichai?
Speaker 1: I have interaction with that side, so I have no quarrels.
Speaker 1: Some of these things are personal experiences I have observed.
Speaker 1: Now, that's the good thing about it.
Speaker 1: But in this case it was a serious matter.
Speaker 1: Their children had been taken.
Speaker 1: Their wives have also been taken.
Speaker 1: And David?
Speaker 1: The Bible says he asked Abiathar to bring him the apple.
Speaker 1: We don't need the apple today, because we need to turn to the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray.
Speaker 1: And when he prayed, god said pursue and you will recover.
Speaker 1: And the Bible says that David recovered.
Speaker 1: Now, when we pray, we will recover everything.
Speaker 1: Praise the name of the Lord, and when we do that, then Jeremiah 29, 11 will become true, for I have Good plans for, and that will become your portion.
Speaker 1: Okay, therefore, I know, let's read there, for I know the plans that I have for Declares, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.
Speaker 1: That's the promise of God.
Speaker 1: So, therefore, I don't know who among us today feels that there are things that you need the Lord to turn around for you.
Speaker 1: And when we've been going on, you have repented and therefore, today we can combine our faith and pray so that things will turn around for you.
Speaker 1: Let us stand on our feet.
Speaker 1: It is time to pray and, if anybody would like to join in that prayer, so that this month of November, we will enjoy renewal, we will enjoy refreshment, we will walk through the open door of God's favor, the open uplifted door, with God's favor, so you can lift up your hands when we are closing our eyes, and I will pray with you and, by the way, our deacons are here, those who feel like they want to come to front.
Speaker 1: You are free to do that as we pray, because God is here and I believe that God is changing people's lives.
Speaker 1: I believe that God is changing our circumstances when we turn to him with a renewed mind, with repentance and with prayer.
Speaker 1: Hallelujah, if for nothing.
Speaker 1: Deacons and pastors, you can come stand and face the congregation and we can lift our hands towards them and pray, so that I believe this way, god is bringing a change in our lives.
Speaker 1: Let's pray Our loving heavenly father.
Speaker 1: In the name of Jesus.
Speaker 1: We have heard your word this morning and, lord, you've reminded us of the great favor that you have upon our lives.
Speaker 1: You're willing, lord, to refresh everyone who is weary and tired this morning.
Speaker 1: You're willing to restore anyone who feels lost this morning and you're willing to change the situations of anyone who feels a captive this morning.
Speaker 1: And Jehovah, god, because the Bible says that we call unto you and you will answer.
Speaker 1: We call on you this morning.
Speaker 1: Visit every individual who has lifted up their hands to you.
Speaker 1: Visit everyone whose hearts have stand to you.
Speaker 1: Forgive their sins.
Speaker 1: Let's restore them to your promises, restore them to your plans.
Speaker 1: Oh God and Father, because you are good, revive us again, revive every one of us, in the name of Jesus.
Speaker 1: Revive our families, revive the health of our bodies, revive the investments that we have, revive our careers, oh God, and revive our nation.
Speaker 1: This morning, in the name of Jesus, even those who've been held back by sicknesses for a long time, we know there is healing today and we release that healing to them in the name of Jesus, because the Bible says that you are Jehovah Rapha, and that you send your word, and your word heals us.
Speaker 1: We send your healing to those who are in hospital.
Speaker 1: We send your healing to those who are in their homes and, particularly, we are praying and sending healing to our senior pastor in Jesus name and believe that he will walk back into this pulpit and declare your oracles and declare your goodness.
Speaker 1: In the name of Jesus, we are declaring good health upon our parents.
Speaker 1: They don't have to be sick because they are old.
Speaker 1: They can grow old in good health, and we declare it today, in the name of Jesus, that you will set them free.
Speaker 1: In the name of Jesus, we are praying for those who are battling with anxiety and depression and anything that is hindering their lives.
Speaker 1: We are setting them free.
Speaker 1: This morning, in the name of Jesus, father, we bless your holy name.
Speaker 1: We stand here with fellow deacons and pastors to declare blessings upon your people and to declare goodness upon them and to declare your power upon the whole church and to declare your power upon our country.
Speaker 1: In the name of Jesus, father, we thank you, for you have heard our prayer and you have transformed our situation because we've prayed with thanksgiving, believing and trusting in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: And the church said Amen.