Gen.35:16-18, Isaiah 40:31, Job 13:15, Rom 8:28, Philippians 1:6, Revelation 22:13, Col 2:10

Men and brethren, don’t quit before the blessing is a message everyone needs to hear at some point in their life. It’s about hope, about moving forward, about never giving up, even when the obstacles you face appear overwhelming and unbeatable. Here this, I have felt this way in the past and I know some of you have too. I have felt like God had forgotten me. I wondered if the promise would ever be fulfilled – if God would ever open the door. I had been teetering on the edge of a breakthrough for so long that I allowed doubt to creep in. I began to say, “Would it ever really happen?” “Maybe God has changed His mind?” “Maybe what I dreamed wasn’t from the Lord.” I was tired of waiting, of praying, of hoping in faith! I felt like a butterfly in a cocoon, hidden and forgotten. Have you been there? I have a good news for you, God will never abandon you. 

Right where you are, the real joy you see during your life road trips is not the destination but the things you see along the way. We have a God who is a God of along the way stage of life. We pray for the destination but we must understand that there are the things we learn about him along the way that are the most meaningful. We pray Lord, hurry up and get me to where you showed me, the place you have predestined for me to go; but the Lord will take you to the long way around, and take you to places you don’t expect and allow you to learn things like patience, temperance and calmness and tenacity, how to pray for yourself, how to endure hardness as a good soldier; and when you finally arrive at the destination, we have a lot to talk about, the things we learnt along the way. I am sent to someone in this forum,  God has heard your cry. You shall testify. 

Maybe much of what we prayed for in life as we grumble with the destination; maybe it is not so important about the destination; maybe it is the thing we learn along the way. Maybe it is like Jacob on his way to Ephrath Genesis 35:16-18, the bible says when they were almost there she had a hard labour and died in the back of the wagon and produced a son that she called Benoni, but Jacob went to the back of the wagon and renamed him Benjamin and out of Benjamin will come most of the Kings of Israel because it wasn’t so much about getting to Ephrath, it was about the things that happened along the way.

Moses began to tell the children of Israel about the promise land. And they set out for a land that they have never seen before; he said to them Follow me for I will take you to a land that will flow with milk and honey. Little did Moses know that it wasn’t so important that he made it to the promise land; it was important that he learnt about God as he travels along the way.

We have a God who will go with you as you process towards your destiny, he is a God of purpose but he is a God of process and while you walk with him, he has a way of revealing himself to you in unbeliever way as you travel with him along the way. It is not the place that you hope to arrive to that is important, it is not the thing that you have been praying about that is important, it is not the breakthrough that you are waiting on that is important, The things that is most important to God are the things that happened while you are waiting along the way. Isaiah 40:31. He celebrates the waiting place but not the destination.

When you look back and see the place God has brought you from; you will have the courage to say the same God that brought me through yesterday will take me through today and forevermore. When you finally get to your destination, you will find out that the things you want to talk about are the things that happened along the way.

I have learnt that there is a difference between a Preacher and a Leader. People would prefer to follow you to a better place; people will prefer preachers who preach prosperity without righteousness, abundance without a wilderness and desert experience, they promise that everything will be fine, but you have to be a great leader for people to follow you to a desert place. Jesus was both a Leader and a prominent Preacher. Have you ever followed Jesus into a desert place? We like to talk about prosperous places but have you ever followed Jesus into a barren situation, a place of isolation and destitution, and you wonder in your own mind is this God leading me or is the devil tricking me. You don’t know whether it is the will of God in your life or some demonic influence but I am telling you it does not make any difference because my bible tells me that all things work together for them that love the Lord, to them who are called according to his purpose. Rom 8:28. Even if the devil did it, God is going to bless it.

Right where you are, are you in the desert place? Financial desert place, emotional desert place, a marital desert, a spiritual desert, a family desert, a desert with your children, a place of barrenness and yet we can shout like Job did ‘yet will I trust him. Job 13:15

They were in the presence of the Lord and they still have a problem: there was no food. Sometimes the enemy tries to terminate you because you have been too effective in his kingdom. You are not in trouble because you are not effective; you are in trouble because you are effective. A problem in his presence; dancing in his presence and suddenly your phone rings, one phone call, one e-mail, one unexpected visit can take your mind from presence to problem.

The closer you get to Jesus, the more the enemy gets intimidated; the closer you get to Jesus, the more all hell break loose to attack you but he that has began a good work in you shall perform it because he is the Alpha and Omega; if God started it, he will finish it. Philippians 1:6, Revelation 22:13, Col 2:10

The older disciples were wise enough to know that there was a problem but they no longer had the bread to respond to the problem. They identified what was wrong but they had a vacuum in their ability to provide the solution to what they had found. The younger one who had the fish and Five loaves of bread, had the solution but wasn’t in the position to respond to the problem. God will put you in a situation where you have the goods but you don’t have the platform, and somebody else will have the platform without having the goods and God will humble you until you learn how to work with somebody who is different because we need each other to get the job done.

The problem with the church today is that we spend so much time fighting the little boy and the older disciple that we never feed the multitude. We must stop fighting who is got the best church, the best choir and let us get the job done. The older disciples wanted to go to the world to feed the multitude but Jesus had a better idea because the problems in His presence can only be taken away at his presence. The thing you have been praying for is in the house, the thing you have been asking God for is closer to you, and the seed is in your pocket.

Steps to Remember while waiting for your blessing

Number One: Hard work – Know that it will take hard work to move you from “I am a victim” to “I am a survivor” to “I am a victor”

Number Two: Connect and Collect – make a conscious decision every morning to connect yourself to a greater purpose. Stop the “Why me?” voice in your head. It is those that connects to their connections in life that collects their collections.

Number Three: Find Support – Reach out and find supportive people to help you on your path. Open up and share your story with others. The ones that stick around and listen are your true friends. Write us and share your stories

Number Four: Give Back – Celebrate the progress you make and share it with others who need help. Even if you are only a few steps ahead, you will give hope and encouragement to those who are wondering how they are going to find success in their new life.

Finally, let your strength arise! You now have determination where hopelessness used to dwell. Now you cry from the depths of your heart, “I can,” and “I will!” You push! You’re at that same place now – on the verge of a breakthrough. Perhaps you are tired of believing, tired of hearing another prophecy, but you can’t give up now. That’s what the enemy wants you to do. Only you can break through to your miracle! Only you can give birth to your dream! Only you can fight through to your dream’s fulfillment, no one else. God will give you His strength when you have none of your own. When you fall short, He will pick you up because, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29). Don’t quit before your blessing.

Special appreciation to Bishop TD Jakes

Before I share testimonies and the concluding prayer. Please ignore fake profiles of Uma Ukpai Breakthrough Prayer.. We dont have Ophanages.