Confront To Conquer by Apostle Johnson Suleman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Prophet Who Died a Debtor

The story of the widow of a prophet in 2 Kings 4:1-7 is a platform for understanding why some believers live and die without breaking through. This man died a prophet. He feared the Lord. He was a man of God. And yet he died a debtor, with his children being taken as collateral for his debts.

Being a prophet is not enough. Being a believer is not enough. James 2:19 says even the demons believe. Demons know that God is omnipotent. Demons know that God is powerful. Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God, for he must believe. But it does not stop at belief. He is also a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The prophet died because he thought accepting the call was a guarantee for a glorious future. He thought the anointing exempted him. He thought fasting and praying was all that was required. He was not aware that redemption is not an exemption from aggression. Redemption is a platform for victory, but it is not an exemption from aggression.

This man wasted not only his life but his children's lives. He died a debtor. He left a woman in shame. He mortgaged his children. His cure was in his house. What could have changed his life was inside his home, waiting to be discovered. He had the oil the whole time.

Two Life Components You Must Address

1. Patterns

Patterns are familiar repetitions in the bloodline. They break into two departments: genetics and spirits. When spirits are involved, you must understand that spirits have memory because they have records. Jesus one time encountered a man bound by a devil. The spirit spoke, identifying its regional roots and resisting displacement. It said, Don't take us out of this region. We have been here for a while. We have the records of everyone. We have built templates.

When you see patterns in your life, mother divorced, father divorced, uncle divorced, sister divorced, that is a pattern. You need to stop it. Spirits have no respect for location. Demons don't need visas to travel. They don't need permanent residency to occupy. It takes spirit to handle spirit.

2. Imagination

2 Corinthians 10:5 speaks of casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself above the knowledge of God. Whatever becomes of a man is a function of his mental picture. Fear becomes worry. Worry becomes thoughts. Thoughts become destiny. Proverbs 23:7.

When you enter a country with fear, thinking you will be thrown out, that picture becomes your reality. But when you enter that same country with the image of a conqueror, the outcome is different. The most fertile ground of human destiny is the mind.

Many people are confessing victory but thinking defeat. This will produce nothing. You must build positive images. When you cast down negative imagination you must build up positive ones. Build a mental picture of what God has promised you.

Keys to Conquer

Key One: Urgency

The woman in 2 Kings 4 did not sit still. As soon as she understood the situation, she moved. She went to the man of God with urgency. 1 Samuel 21:8 says the king's business requires haste. Psalm 90:14 speaks of being satisfied early.

Urgency makes you proactive. A generation that is too relaxed, too non-reactive, too passive, will be overtaken. Satan wastes no time. If he gets into a home, he builds structures. He is in a hurry because he knows his time is short. He is building while many believers are sleeping.

The woman in Mark 14:3-9 who anointed Jesus with the alabaster box of spikenard anointed him aforehand for his burial while he was still alive. When the other women came to anoint him in Mark 16:1 at the sepulchre, the stone was already rolled away because someone had acted ahead of time. You are waiting for the end of the year and people are praying, people are giving. A time will come when you seek for an opportunity and you cannot find it. You don't have time.

Urgency also makes desire gain value. Harvard is just a statement until you apply. Your dream is just a wish until urgency is engaged. Hang around people who maximize time and place high value on it. Maximize your time for study, prayer, the word, mental development, and building the right images.

Key Two: Open Eyes

Eyes that look are many but eyes that see are few. The prophet died a debtor yet his cure was in his house. What could have blessed him was in his house. He could not see it.

Jeremiah 1:11-12 shows the direct connection between sight and speed. God asked Jeremiah, What do you see? When Jeremiah answered, God said, You have seen well, for I will hasten my word to perform it. You see nothing, there is no haste. You see something, God hastens to perform it.

Spiritual blindness is the key to prolonged captivity. The first qualification for leadership is sight. You cannot lead what you cannot see.

• See it in the word. Find pillar scriptures for everything you are expecting from God. Find it. Jeremiah 15:16 says when his word is found, eat it. Find your healing there, your marriage there, your peace there. Find what God has promised you there.
• See it in the place of prayer. As you pray, have a mental picture. Ephesians 3:20 says God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. Thought and speech have the same potency. Engage in the spirit as you pray. What do you see?

No Matter How Much You Pray

No matter how much you pray, God will not give you anything. He has already given you everything. It is your duty to take. The price has been paid. Isaiah 53:5 says by his stripes you were healed. Sickness came too late. Before sickness, healing was already provided. The price has been paid, so take it.

Lord, destroy evil patterns in my bloodline. Whether genetic DNA or spiritual, Lord you know my family. Destroy every evil pattern in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I enforce a new constitution in my family. Restoration, enlargement, advancement in Jesus name.

Every spiritual veil over your eyes is lifted. Every accusing voice over your life is silenced. In the name of Jesus, you will not end a victim. You will exceed limits and break boundaries.