Financial Fortune Banquet Service — Faith Tabernacle Ota by Bishop David Oyedepo: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Lord Jesus, we are all at Your feet, waiting to receive of You. You brought us here. Let each one locate himself by Your word today, and move each one forward into the fullness of Your purpose. In this service, let Your dominant presence heal the sick, set free the captives, and change the story of many — in Jesus name.

Understanding the Demands of Success

We serve a covenant-keeping God, not a Father-Christmas god. Ignorance of what to do is not an excuse. There are clear terms of the covenant that make success a reality in a man's life.

Today we are looking at the divine wisdom factor — a very critical subject in the school of success.

Proverbs 4:7 — Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore get wisdom, and with all your getting, get understanding. Exalt wisdom and she shall promote you. She shall bring you to honour when you embrace her. A crown of glory, prize-winning grace, affluence — wisdom delivers it all.

Knowing where you are going is great, but knowing how to get there is greater. You may know your destination, but without wisdom, you will never arrive.

Creation — The Greatest Success Story

Creation is the most tested, most enduring, most outstanding event in history — and it is the wisdom of God in raw display.

Proverbs 3:19 — The Lord by wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.

Psalm 104:24 — How manifold are Your works, O God. In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your riches.

Jeremiah 10:12 — He has made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by His discretion.

Wisdom is the core raw material behind creation — and creation shows us the place divine wisdom must occupy in realising our success inheritance.

Divine wisdom is pure. No games, no gimmicks, no cutting corners. James 3:17 — But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easily entreated, full of mercy and good fruits. It sets godly examples toward realising our success heritage.

Success Is a Little-by-Little Adventure

Please know that success is not a destination but an adventure — a little-by-little adventure.

Exodus 23:30 — By little and little I will drive them out from before you, until you be increased and inherit the land.

Nobody is born an adult. You do not start climbing a tree from the top. This generation does not believe in the little-by-little principle — and so they are betting, scamming, cutting corners. An inheritance gotten hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end. Proverbs 20:21. Do not end your journey in prison.

We saw how Joseph ascended the throne of Egypt by wisdom — not overnight. He entered slavery at 17. He got on the throne at 30. Thirteen years of adventure — and then 80 years of enviable success. He died at 110. He did not jump the queue. He operated in the fear of God to secure a great future.

Daniel became prime minister of Babylon by wisdom. He was relevant to the government of Babylon for 65 years. He was a faithful man; neither was there any error found in him. Daniel 6:4.

The Fear of God — Your Gateway to Divine Wisdom

Divine wisdom flows through the channel of the fear of God as a lifestyle.

Proverbs 9:10 — The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the holy is what secures access to understanding.

Job 28:12, 28 — Where can wisdom be found? It is hidden from the eyes of all living. It is not found in the natural realm. Then what is the route? Verse 28: Behold, the fear of the Lord — that is your asset.

The fear of God is not intellectual ego — it is what gives access to divine wisdom that will distinguish anyone, anywhere, any day. The end-time church shall be openly enthroned before Christ returns through the manifestation of the manifold wisdom of God. Ephesians 3:8–11, Daniel 7:27, Psalm 110:1–2. Jesus will not return until the church is reigning in power in the midst of her enemies — and by wisdom kings reign.

New birth is our spiritual covenant access to divine wisdom. When you are born again, you gain natural access. 1 Corinthians 1:24 — Christ the wisdom and the power of God now dwells in you. But a natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God — they are spiritually discerned.

Five Keys to Accessing Divine Wisdom

1. The fear of God as a lifestyle — your capital access. Without it, the other keys are limited.
2. Prayer and fasting — these enhance the flow of divine wisdom. Jeremiah 33:3 — Call upon Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you do not know. When Daniel and his companions prayed, the secret was revealed in a night vision. Daniel 2:23 — God had given him wisdom and might. James 1:5 — If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God.
3. Commitment to the study of the Word as a lifestyle — because God's word is God's wisdom in print. Luke 11:49 — Jesus quoted scripture and called it the wisdom of God. As you stay on the word, you are feeding on wisdom from above. Matthew 7:24–25 — The man who hears and does is like a wise man who built on the rock. Have a word-study culture. 2 Timothy 4:13 — Paul asked for his books and especially his notes. Students who excel must have notes. Engage in book-by-book study.
4. Learning from those who have gone ahead with proofs — be committed to their biographies, their examples, their paths of faith. There is no business that believers have not done and excelled in with undeniable proofs. Hebrews 6:12 — Be followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
5. The art of meditation — thinking through the word in quest of answers. Joshua 1:8 — This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. You shall meditate upon it day and night, and observe to do what you find. Then you shall make your way prosperous and have good success. Meditation is not sitting thinking about your life — it is thinking through the Word. David said in Psalm 119:97–99 — How I love Your law; it is my meditation all the day. It has made me wiser than my enemies. I have more understanding than all my teachers because Your testimonies are my meditation.

The Covenant of Financial Fortune

God's financial plan is a covenant — it does not answer to prayer or fasting alone. Until your part is played, He is not committed.

Genesis 8:22 — While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest shall not cease. This covenant God established with Noah is still in force. As you see the sun by day and the moon by night, know that this covenant is active. Jeremiah 33:20–21.

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 — He who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. God is able to make all grace abound toward such givers. Sowing equals giving; reaping equals receiving.

Philippians 4:15–19 — Not because God desires the gift — of His fullness we have all received. But fruits will abound to your account. The giving-and-receiving covenant is for your benefit, directed at changing your story. When you give as to God — an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing — then His response is: My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Where no economic policy can affect — riches in glory.

This is financial immunity. Covenant people have always been exempted from the horror of economic hard times. When money failed in Egypt and men offered themselves for sale, Israel in Goshen grew and multiplied exceedingly. Genesis 47:27.