The Working Of Faith by Apostle Emmanuel Iren: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Standing in the Counsel of God

Jeremiah 23:18: "For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord and has perceived and heard his word? Who has marked his word and heard it?"

Jeremiah is making a bold differentiation between himself and the false prophets of his day. Of all the things he could use to establish his legitimacy, he chose this: have you stood in the counsel of the Lord? Because every true prophet in the Bible was given access to that place — the divine courtroom where decisions about the fate of humanity are made.

In 1 Kings 22:19, Micaiah saw the Lord on His throne with His host around Him, and heard God say: "Who will deceive Ahab?" A spirit volunteered. What you see consistently in Scripture is a divine council — a decision-making court — where God, in His sovereignty, opens the floor and interacts with His creation. Every true prophet gets the privilege of peering into that place.

Significance Comes From Standing, Not Going

Gabriel came to Zechariah and when Zechariah doubted, Gabriel said: "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God." Notice: his significance was attached to standing, not to going. Angels are called messengers — you might think their worth is in the delivering. But Gabriel's authority came from where he stood.

The same is true of every believer and minister of God. Elijah said: "The Lord God of Israel, before whom I stand." Isaiah found himself in the council and heard God say, "Who will go for us?" — and volunteered. Your standing in His presence determines your credibility and authority in the earth.

Things Are Made by Things That Do Not Appear

Hebrews 11:3: "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

There is something behind the scenes influencing what you see. Revelation 6:4-6 shows a rider on a red horse given power to take peace from the earth — people are fighting and don't know why. Another rider holds a scale and economic hardship follows. There are spirit entities moving pieces on a board. Don't be a pawn in the chess game.

What many Christians are oblivious to, many who practise dark arts know very well. You cannot remain neutral. It is either you play in the realm of the council of God, or you become a casualty to decisions others are making. It is they that know their God that shall be strong and do exploits.

Lot vs Abraham — Faithful but Ignorant

Lot was a righteous man — Peter calls him that (2 Peter 2:7). He was faithful. He was a churchgoer. But he had no prophetic relevance. Decisions were being made in the heavenly council about Sodom — and Lot didn't know. The angel said to him: "I cannot do anything until you arrive there" (Genesis 19:22). Lot's presence was preserving the city and he didn't even know.

Abraham, on the other hand, was negotiating. God said: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?" (Genesis 18:17). Abraham was in the loop. And it was Abraham's intercession that saved Lot — and Lot never knew.

• Jacob did not know a famine was coming — his son Joseph did
• Job did not know a court session had taken place about his life — he woke up to devastation
• A righteous man sees trouble from afar and hides himself (Proverbs 22:3)

Which are you — Abraham or Lot? Both were righteous. Only one was standing in the counsel of God.

Many Are the Afflictions of the Righteous

Psalm 34:19: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."

Not some. All. This is the promise you stand on. Not every death was meant to happen. Not every sickness was meant to take hold. Not every accident was meant to claim a life. But someone must be standing — praying, decreeing, covering — for the deliverance to operate.