The God-man Partnership by Apostle Joshua Selman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Concept That Has Transformed My Life

The word of God contains his wisdom, and every time he speaks to us it is because he desires to lift us by his word. The Bible declares that the entrance of his word gives light and gives understanding to the simple.

Father, my heart is opened. Speak to me. Let it come like fire. Let it come with power. In Jesus' name we pray.

There are many concepts in the kingdom that have transformed my life. The value of encounters has changed my life. I have learned the law of honor and it has transformed my life remarkably. I've learned the power of diligence. I have learned the concept of warfare — that the realm of the spirit, you cannot prevail in this life without learning the art of contending for your portion in Christ.

And one of the concepts that has impacted upon me so much is what I titled the God-Man Partnership. Coming into the awareness that for destiny to be actualised and for the purposes of God to be established in any life and in any territory, this rule of God-Man partnership must be kept at all times. Anyone who compromises on this understanding has already subscribed to be a loser.

Your Prophetic Destiny Is at the Mercy of Your Training

Every believer's prophetic destiny — no matter how spectacular — is at the mercy of the kind and the quality of training he or she receives. It is possible for a believer to have such a noble and spectacular prophetic destiny and at the end of life never amount to much — not even 10% of their script — because of the kind and quality of training they submitted to.

Knowing God's desire and ordination for your life is like receiving an admission letter. When a student gets admission to a college, it only means they have potential to go through that enlightenment. It does not guarantee they will learn. It does not guarantee the system will benefit them. An admission letter does not make you become — it only gives you the authorisation to begin the journey of transformation.

Among the many factors that help us actualise destiny is this concept of God-Man partnership. I used to think that because God was and is and remains sovereign, anything that happens is exclusively how God wants it to happen. But if you do not balance the sovereignty of God with this God-Man partnership, you will allow the devil to cheat you on many grounds in life. You will keep receiving things that are not the will of God, saying amen to them, because Satan will make you believe God is too mighty and whatever is happening must be his will.

Three Foundational Truths

1. Man is God's Highest Creation

Genesis 1:26-28 — God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion." He did not speak dominion to angels. He spoke it to man — dominion over the fish of the sea and everything else.

Psalm 8:3-6 — When I consider the heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained — what is man that you are mindful of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels. You crowned him with glory and honour. You gave him dominion over the works of your hands and put all things under his feet.

God did not accord the same honour and ranking to all his creation. The highest of them all is man. Man is the only creation God gave the liberty to co-create with him. There is no angel that has produced anything — they only obey instruction. God left the earth as raw material and said continue. He left the iron in the mountain for man to bring out an aircraft. He wanted man to enter the realm of wisdom and ingenuity to continue doing what he was doing. That's why he gave man dominion.

2. Every Activity Upon the Earth Is Man-Dependent

Every activity upon the earth — once it is on earth — man must be involved. Promotion, breakthrough, prosperity, spiritual growth of believers — all man-dependent. Behind the destruction of any man are spirits in partnership with men. Behind the rising of any man are the Holy Spirit and man in partnership.

Psalm 115:16 — "The heaven of heavens belongs to the Lord, but the earth has he given to the children of men."

John 5:7 — The man at the pool of Bethesda said, "I have no man." He could see the angel stirring the water, but there was no man.

Ezekiel 37 — The spirit of God was present in the valley of dry bones, but the bones remained dry. When God found a man — Ezekiel — he said, "Prophesy. I will give you the words, but you as man, the authorised steward of earth, speak." He prophesied as commanded, and the sound came — not because the Holy Spirit spoke, but because the man spoke.

Ezekiel 22:30 — God sought for a man to stand in the gap so that he would not destroy the land, and he did not find one. The God-Man principle.

Instead of asking for the things, ask God for the men. Praying for men will give you more results than praying for things, because the things you desire are connected to men. If God touches the heart of one man, that prayer can be answered immediately.

Do you notice that when Satan wants to destroy a family, a territory, he remains helpless until he finds a man to walk through? The spirit of jealousy cannot work until there is a man it walks through. The spirit of envy cannot work until there is a man it walks through. If there are no men, spirits remain powerless. The basis of their operation is the presence of men.

3. Every Man Has a Role to Play

Every man has a role to play in making his destiny and God's program come to fruition. No matter what God has told you, you have a role to play. You are going to be a healing evangelist — you have a role to play. You are going to prosper — you have a role to play. You are going to become a kingdom financier — you have a role to play.

Because of the inaccurate understanding of grace, favour, and the sovereignty of God, many believers shy away from the responsibility component of kingdom living and keep wishing and prophesying things that never come to pass.

After 400 years, an end had come to the captivity of Israel in Egypt. But nothing happened until Moses stood up as a man. He parted the Red Sea — but God told Moses, "Why are you crying before me? I'm ready to part it, but I need a man. Go and tell the people to go forward."

When Daniel was in Babylon, he understood by books that the captivity had come to an end. But nothing happened until he gave himself to prayer. The moment he interceded, a message left heaven through the angel Gabriel. But on the way, Gabriel was contended with by the prince of Persia — and Daniel kept praying. A man was praying, and yet answers did not come for 21 days. This is how much hangs on one man's partnership with God.

The Greatest Enemy of Your Destiny

Your carelessness and nonchalance in paying attention to your role will become your greatest undoing — not demons. With one prophetic word, you can cast out spirits. But with one prophetic word, you may not easily cast out the carelessness of many years.

If you ask me to rank the greatest enemies of your destiny in order of priority:

1. You
2. Ignorance
3. Satan — he's there, but it's an insult on your understanding to believe he is your greatest enemy

Satan is as powerful as your refusal to obey God. To the degree to which you refuse to obey God and walk in keeping with his principles, that is the degree to which you have empowered Satan.

Where was Satan when people were tearing the roof to bring down someone for healing? They got that healing and did not mention him in the equation, because by their action, he lost his power to manipulate them.

Waiting on the Lord — Rightly Understood

There is what we call the wait of faith. Abraham believed God in hope, but while he was believing, he did not cross his hands — there were things he was doing. Waiting for ministry? Let me see the books you are reading. Let me see how you are opening your mind to be trained. Let me see your daily investment in prayer and in the word.

The Bible says every man is a farmer, and there are records in heaven. Every day there is a register being marked. The day your cloud is full of rain, it begins to pour upon the earth.

Your 10 years will still look like today if you do not know that it is the God-Man partnership that defines your destiny. There are people who will be healed shortly. There are people who will be delivered shortly. Do you know why? Because God came and you came. If God came and he did not find you, he would still be faithful to his word, but you would have missed the moment.

Every Helper Is Already Alive

Every helper ordained for you is already alive. There is no baby coming from anywhere. All the adults to help you are there. But when you learn that my destiny depends on God and it depends on me, when you drive your destiny in partnership, you position yourself.

Proverbs 3:5-7 — Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your path. Be not wise in your own eyes — but you don't fold your arms and say, God, do anything you want. There is a role to play.

When Jesus needed to raise Lazarus, he told the men, "Roll away the stone." He didn't roll the stone himself. "I will do the speaking — you can't do that one. But roll away the stone." And Lazarus came out bound in grave clothes. Jesus did not loose him. He told the people, "Loose him and let him go." The God-Man principle.

Three Ways to Partner with God

1. Invest in Prayer

Commit yourself to prayer. Wake up in the morning, wake up in the afternoon, wake up in the night. Kill prayerlessness. Every day there is a prayer investment you are making. The Bible says you can sow to the flesh or sow to the spirit — if you sow to the flesh, you will of the flesh reap corruption.

There is a register you must sign by yourself. Prayer is like a universal charger — it charges anything regardless of what you will do with it. You are a man of business? Pray the more. A time will come where businesses are a matter of spirit transactions — covenants and alliances, not just buying and selling.

2. Contend for Transformation

Your belief system is your official contribution to the making or the destruction of your destiny. You believe in failure — your life will go that way. You believe somebody somewhere is responsible for the outcome of your destiny — your life will go that way. But if you have a winner's mentality — I am one with Christ, me and Jesus cannot fail together — then your reality shifts.

Jeremiah 29:11 — I know the thoughts I think concerning you. Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to bring you a future and an expected end.

Invest in transforming your mind. Buy the truth with humility, endurance, hunger, and patience. Listen to messages every day. Technology has given us an unfair advantage to accelerate growth and transformation.

3. Obtain Grace for Consistent Obedience

Consistency. The person who is hardworking and the person who is consistent — the consistent one will have far greater results. The staying power, the ability to remain.

The day you plant is not the day you reap. But from the day a farmer plants, he can start counting. If you have not planted and you are counting, you are just shadow boxing. Whatsoever your hand finds — the Bible says diligence is rewarded.

Anything that is not working in your life — make it a project. Recognise what you do not know, and begin to learn it. There are men of God who, by their ordination, should be so powerful, but have not exhausted even one tenth of the grace allocated for their lives — because all they are doing is wishing, admiring, claiming, and overestimating themselves.

My destiny depends on God in partnership with my participation. My prosperity depends on God in partnership with my participation.

Let tonight be your night of redemption. Let it be your night of increase. In the name of Jesus — I am a champion in the making. No power, no curse, no yoke, no enchantment against my destiny has the power to destroy me. Though my beginning be small, my latter end shall greatly increase.