Dealing

with unprofitable roots

1st Printing - August, 1999

eISBN-13: 978-978-29477-3-4

©1999 The Battle Cry Christian Ministries

PUBLISHED BY:
THE BATTLE CRY CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES
322, HERBERT MACAULAY WAY, YABA P. O. BOX 12272, IKEJA, LAGOS.
Phone: 08033044239, 018044415

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

Printed in Nigeria.

All Scripture is from the King James Version

Cover illustration by: Sister Shade Olukoya

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT & PERMISSIONS
Chapter 1: SEND GOD'S FIRE TO THE ROOT
PRAYER POINTS

Chapter 2: THE ROOT AND THE AXE

STRATEGIES USED BY SATAN TO CHECK PEOPLE
PRAYER POINTS

Chapter 3: AXES UPON FIG TREE

FIG TREES IN PEOPLES' LIVES
FIG TREES IN OUR ENVIRONMENT
THE SHEDDING OF JESUS' BLOOD
LOCAL FIG TREES
PRAYER OF THE PSALMIST
PRAYER POINTS

Chapter 4: UPROOTING DEEPLY ROOTED PROBLEMS

WHAT CAUSES DEEPLY-ROOTED PROBLEMS?
INDICATIONS OF DEEPLY-ROOTED PROBLEM IN A PERSONAL LIFE
SOLUTION
PRAYER POINTS

Chapter 5: DRIED TO THE ROOTS

PRAYER POINTS

Chapter 6: THE BATTLE AXE

WHY DOES GOD WANT US TO BE A BATTLE AXE?
WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF THE BATTLE AXE OF GOD?
THINGS THAT BLUR THE SHARPNESS OF A BATTLE AXE
WHAT IS GOD'S EXPECTATION FOR YOU AND I?
PRAYER POINTS
Chapter 7: THE STUBBORN PURSUERS
SPIRITUAL MASQUERADES
THE POWERS THAT PURSUE
UNDER WHAT SITUATION DOES A PURSUER BECOMES STUBBORN?
WHAT IS THE WAY OUT?
PRAYER POINTS

Chapter 8: UPROOTING SATANIC SEEDS

WHAT IS A SEED?
REMEDIES FOR EVIL SEED THAT IS GROWING IN ONE'S LIFE
SPIRITUAL SLEEP
PRAYER POINTS

OTHER PUBLICATIONS OF DR. D. K. OLUKOYA

BACKCOVER
 CHAPTER ONE
SEND GOD'S FIRE TO THE ROOT

Beloved, I thank God for your life and for giving you the opportunity to read
this book. God has specially prepared this book for you, in order to bring
problems associated with faulty roots in your life to an end. It will therefore do
you a world of good, if you open up your mind to read it. My prayer is that God
will flush out every evil root bringing problems to your life in Jesus name. There
are some things which one hears that cannot be explained with the normal
reasoning. People blame the devil for everything but as you read on, you will
discover that the devil is not to blame all the time.

We do call a lot of prayer points here at MFM. Sometimes, when new comers
in the school of warfare come to our services, they consider our prayer points
rather strange. Later, they begin to discover that these strange prayer points bring
results. For example, a prayer point like, "O Lord, send your fire to the
foundation of my life, and let it burn to ashes, everything presently affecting me
in a negative way," may sound strange.

What does it mean when a person prays like this, "I break and loose myself
from any bondage which may be upon my family, "O Lord, release me from any
foundational problem that I might have. I refuse to follow any evil pattern laid
down by my ancestors" or "Holy Ghost fire, descend on the roots of all my
inherited evil plantations." What do all these prayer points mean?


PEOPLE FROM THE BACKGROUND OF
IDOLATRY WILL HAVE PROBLEMS


To some people, they might not make sense, but these are very serious prayer
points and they are the kind that you cannot pray through in five minutes prayer
sessions. The reason for this is that, in a generation comprising 30 people, you
may find that 25 of them have put their offsprings into bondage. Some people
have lots of such bondage to break.

We have discovered through counselling, listening to people, and by the help
of the Holy Spirit, that 95 per cent of very difficult problems that people have
are rooted in their backgrounds. If in one way or the other, the Spirit of God
helps such people to get down to these roots, then they find instant solutions to
those problems.

Problems of evil background are enormous and they have messed up so many
lives. Reading through the word of God, one finds out that even Jesus addressed
this problem. He addressed the Jews by pointing accusing fingers at their
backgrounds.

In Matthew 23:29-35,

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the
tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And
say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been
partaken with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be
witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed
the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents,
ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and
scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them
shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to
city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the
earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son
of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

Jesus addressed the Jews as the generation of those who killed God's prophets.
So, He pointed to their background as children who were just fulfilling what
their fathers had done. He emphasised thereafter that the blood of the prophets
which their fathers shed would be required of them by God. It would then be
very foolish for anyone to deceive himself by thinking that his background has
no effect on him.

Think about all the participation in tribal rituals, all the collection of names
from oracles, all the charms and amulets that people have used in the past; all the
parents that have accepted the services of demons to protect their children; all
the grandparents who were harsh to their slaves and the slaves issued curses on
them everyday, all those who had parents who were demonic to the extent that
they pounded day old babies in mortars.


IF LIFE IS HARDER FOR YOU THAN OTHERS
AND YOUR PROBLEMS ARE BECOMING
GREATER BY THE DAY. AND YOU ARE A
BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIAN. THEN YOU SHOULD
KNOW THAT SOMETHING HAS GONE WRONG
WITH YOUR ROOTS


There are also those who come from polygamous homes, where children were
killed on a regular basis etc. Therefore, it is not reasonable at all for people with
these kind of backgrounds to feel that all these will not affect them in any way.
This is why at the beginning, I said that this message affects everybody.

Let us consider two scriptures here; Leviticus 26:39

And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your
enemies lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine
away with them.

tells us that descendants rot away because of their fathers' sins.

Isaiah 65:6-7:

Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will
recompense, even recompense into their bosom, Your iniquities, and
the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have
burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the
hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.

This passage declares that people from the background of idolatry will have
problems.

In Mark 9:19,

He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I
be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

In this passage Jesus described another generation as faithless.

Here, it means that the inability to believe God by some people may be rooted
in their backgrounds. A lot of people are reaping the bad seeds sown by their
parents. The big truth that has not been taught in many places is the full scope of
the effect of evil background. Present day believers have not adequately
understood this, neither have many people comprehended what is happening or
seen themselves as afflicted persons. Therefore, there are many people who are
saved, sanctified, filled with the Holy Ghost and things still do not go well with
them. Until the fire of the Holy Ghost begins to work in the roots of their lives,
there will be no freedom or Christian usefulness. All these lead to all kinds of
bondage.

I know the case of a woman who never menstruated at all and she did all kinds
of things to change the situation. She fasted, prayed, read the Bible, made
confessions, went to the mountain, prayed in the valley, but nothing happened.
One day, she abandoned all these and prayed like this, "O God, show me,
whether I am operating under any bondage or curse." She prayed, and God
directed her to a minister of God. When she got there, the minister of God said
she had to really pray seriously. She first of all confessed the sins of idolatry
committed by her ancestors and rebuked satan's burdens and bondage upon her
life, in the all sufficient name of Jesus.

After that, the minister then instructed her to pray that "God should send His
fire into the root of her life." Then she began to pray, for the first five minutes,
she could not concentrate, but she nonetheless went on praying. By the time she
prayed the prayer point for half an hour, faces began to appear before her. The
first person she saw was her grandfather right in the middle of a thick forest with
blood in his hands, she did not understand that vision, but she continued praying,
seriously.


WHEN YOU ADDRESS YOUR EVIL ROOTS
WITH AGGRESSIVE PRAYERS, THEN THINGS
WILL CHANGE FOR BETTER FOR YOU.


Next, she saw herself as a babay at the back of her mother who was fighting
another woman. As the fight was going on, her own mother said to the other
woman that, "This child at my back would not prosper if I do not wound you
today." Eventually, the fight ended, but her mother could not wound the other
woman, but evil transaction had been done. She had issued a curse on herself
and her daughter. Also, the grandfather that had blood on his hands in the forest
might have sacrificed a slave to protect himself. She continued praying and as
she went on, she heard a voice saying, "Their sins have been forgiven and the
connection bwtween you and them has been severed and you are free." Before
she left the payer place, her skirt was already dripping with blood. This is what
happens when you aggressively send fire to your roots.

When you begin to hear voices or there are some terrible thoughts disturbing
you, or you have trouble attending church or reading the Bible, or you come to
the house of God with the intention of serving God, but you cannot even hear the
message, or understand what the preacher is saying, then you should see these
things as evidences that the fire of God needs to go to your roots. Some people
usually say that certain things move around in their bodies, and that they actually
feel those movements they undoubtedly need the fire of God.

If life is harder for you than others and your problems are becoming greater by
the day, and you are a born-again Christian, then you should know that
something has gone wrong with your roots. When somebody sees dark figures,
hears strange noises, perceives strange smells, or goes into uncontrollable anger
against his or her will, or sometimes goes into a trance or blacks out, and cannot
remember anything, or has continuous nightmares, or occasionally loses self
control, then such a person needs to pray aggressively and send fire to the roots
of certain things in his life immediately, in order to receive freedom.

An evil background could lead to complete spiritual blindness, wild
pentecostalism of uncontrollable spirits, thoughts and acts of suicide, marital
problems, extreme bed wetting at old age and other unusual accidents.

Let us think a little about what we call "Foundation." When a builder wants to
build a house or a big hall, he digs deep into the ground, in order to make a solid
foundation. A foundation then, is the strong base on which something is
supported or on which some other things are placed. There are usually blocks
laid under the ground which are not seen on the surface. It is dark there and the
blocks are in darkness under the ones on top which are enjoying light.


THE BIBLE TALKS A LOT ABOUT GODLESS
SONS OF GODLY FATHERS. THESE ARE SONS
WHO ARE GODLESS BUT COME FROM GODLY
FATHERS. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? IT MEANS
THAT EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO DO WITH
YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON YOU.


Foundations are usually in darkness, underneath the ground. It is not
something one can look at or inspect. Only God sees them and knows where
things have to be repaired. It is exactly the same thing with the foundations of
people's lives. Therefore, if you get to a situation, and you cannot understand
how you got there, the first place to turn to is your roots or your foundation.
Then send the fire of God there, the type of fire which the God of Elijah sent
down. You would then see that a lot of things would begin to happen.

However, this is not something you do in five minutes and keep quiet, it is
something you pray to a point when you know and feel that things are
happening. When things have happened, you will find out that there is peace in
that particular area of your life and things will begin to move forward.

A young man discovered that everything he laid his hand upon was collapsing.
He prayed very aggressively about the situation. One day, God through a vision
showed him his dead father and he saw himself in a hot argument with the man.
They used to argue normally even when the man was alive. The man then put a
curse on him, that his own children would do that kind of thing to him and that
they would curse him too. The Lord told him that the curse was the source of his
problem. He then told God, that "Lord, but my father is dead, what should I do
now?" The Lord told him to pray harder to mend the situation.

The man did something interesting. He went to his father's grave and cried his
eyes out there, in repentance. It was then he started to have some breakthroughs.
What happened was that something had gone to his foundation to accomplish
certain things there.

Consider this story. Somebody was pregnant with a set of twins. All through
the pregnancy period, the woman attended a herbal clinic and the herbalist told
her that her fee on her delivery date would be 300.00. On the day she fell into
labour, they rushed her to the herbalist. The first thing the man asked for was the
300.00 fee, but the woman's husband was not at home. So the people begged
him to go ahead, and that when the husband comes, they would bring the money.
The man refused and insisted on receiving his money. Somebody rushed and
brought 150.00 and the man took it and did whatever he usually did and the
first baby came out, but the second one remained inside.

The man then requested for his balance of 150.00. They begged him to go
ahead, but he refused to attend to her without the money. The woman was in
pains, because they did not get the money on time. Eventually, they got the
money, and the man tried, but the baby did not come. He then told them to take
her away, giving an excuse that the powers dealing with her were greater than
him. The woman was then at the point of death. The husband decided to take her
to her hometown to go and die there instead of dying in Lagos. So they got a
vehicle to take her.


THE SPIRIT OF FAILURE HUNTING MANY
PEOPLE TODAY, IS AS A RESULT OF WHERE
THEY COME FROM. THE SPIRIT OF POVERTY
IS ALSO FROM THE BACKGROUND. THESE
CAN ONLY BE REMOVED BY AGGRESSIVE
 PRAYER.


Along the way, someone saw her inside the taxi and asked what the problem
was. The husband narrated the story to the brother. The brother promptly asked
the husband to bring the woman to his church which was not far away from that
point.

At the church, some members of prayer warriors put the woman in their
middle. As they started to pray, the woman gave birth to the second baby. Now,
there is a problem, the woman's first baby, Taiye was born in the house of a
herbalist while the second, Kehinde was born in a Pentecostal church. One
therefore would not expect their lives to be the same, because they have taken
off from different roots and backgrounds. If Taiye does not address his root with
the right prayers, even as a man of God, he will discover that he will not grow.
Nothing good will happen until he goes back to his roots and sorts it out. If he
sits there and believes by faith that it is gone without any warfare, he will remain
in that position.

What you have just read in a nutshell, is responsible for 95 per cent of the
problems of the black man. I would like this to be very clear in your spirit. When
you address your evil roots with aggressive prayers, then things will change for
better for you.

A brother got married and found out that by the time they spent one year in the
marriage, they have moved into three different houses, because they were always
getting into problems with their landlords, who usually ended up ejecting them.
It got to a stage that they were sleeping in their cars and the young wife was
thinking of running back to her parents. The man got worried one day and
prayed with holy anger to God saying, "Oh God, you did not say I will be like
this. You did not say that my life will be floating like a dead fish. Tell me Lord
what should I do now?"

Then the Lord showed him his dead father. He found his father who was a
thrift collector (mobile bank), on a bicycle. He saw him collecting money from
market women and entering it into a book. Then after collecting all the money,
he went and buried the money somewhere. Then these market women started
crying and were cursing him. God then told him that the curse was the source of
his problems. Until he began to send fire to his root, they did not have a stable
home.

The Bible talks a lot about Godless sons of Godly fathers. These are sons who
are Godless but come from Godly fathers. What does this mean? It means that
everything you want to do with your life depends on you.


EVEN IF THINGS ARE GOING ON WELL NOW,
IT IS GOOD FOR YOU TO MAINTAIN THAT
GOOD CONDITION. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY
PROBLEM NOW, IT COULD BE THAT THE
MATURITY DATE OF THE LEM IS NOT YET
DUE.


Esau had a good father but he sold his birth right.

Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron, had a good father, but God killed them at
the altar.

Hophni and Phinehas were the sons of Eli, but they were disobedient and
immoral.

Even Joel and Abijah who were the children of Samuel took bribes and
perverted justice.

Absalom was the son of David, who rose against David his father.

Mannaseh was the son of Hezekiah, a very good king. But Mannaseh was the
worst King that Judah ever had. What I am saying is, even if your immediate
parents were very good, your grand parents could have been horrible. When a
believer is having a stumbling block in front of him blocking his progress, and
he begins to blame all the people around him (his wife, his mother-in-law, his
children, etc.) and finds out that, there is still no solution, such a man should
then go back to his roots. He needs to go back to his background and first of all
examine it. If most black men could pray to breakthrough, they will find
themselves more useful for God. Although Christianity got into Nigeria a long
time ago, it did not take the turn that it is taking now. In those days, people were
going to church with their juju (talisman) in their pockets. They consulted both
the church and the herbalist together. Even the preachers too put juju. (talisman)
in their pockets, because they were afraid of being attacked while preaching.

In those days, most people were afraid of calling witches by their real name.
They would rather call them ''The elderly mothers." They felt that if they dared
call them by their real names, by the next morning they would be dead. That was
the type of Christianity that was here then. It was when a great revival rocked
this country that people brought out their idols and destroyed them with fire.
When they began to pray about their foundations, they were shocked to see what
their fathers brought to revival grounds. Those demons included big idols that
were actually talking, which had been in some families for as long as 600 years.
How could anyone think that the idol that had been in a family for 600 years
would not affect the brother who has not prayed to dislodge it?

The unserious attitude of people to spiritual things, is as a result of their
backgrounds or roots.

The spirit of failure hunting many people today, is as a result of where they
come from. The spirit of poverty is also from the background. These can only be
removed by aggressive prayer. The God of Elijah who answers by fire will
answer you in Jesus mighty name. When this fire gets to the foundation, it will
destroy all evil and unwanted things. But you have to pray very well, to the point
of breakthrough.

Please, do not read this book just for reading sake. Even if things are going on
well now, it is good for you to maintain that good condition. If you do not have
any problem now, it could be that the maturity date of the problem is not yet due.
The Bible says,

Genesis 15:16

But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the
iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

 Many things are locked up in demonic banks which really belong to the
children of God. Until you forcefully enter into that bank and withdraw those
things that belong to you, they will remain locked up.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Lord, let the fire of the Holy Ghost surround the whole of this place, in the
name of Jesus.
2. Quietly confess your sins to God and pray like this, O Lord, whatever sin I am
committing that will not allow your fire to get to the root of my life, Lord
forgive me, in the name of Jesus.

Please put one finger on our belly button for the next 2 prayer points
3. Father Lord, send you fire to the root of my life, in the name of Jesus.
4. The root of my life, receive the fire of God, in the name of Jesus.
5. All the good things of my life that are locked up in satanic banks, be released,
in the name of Jesus.
6. O Lord, let Your fire go into my root so that this wall before me will be
melted away.

7. Every ordination of evil upon my life will not prosper, in the name of Jesus.

 CHAPTER TWO
THE ROOT AND THE AXE

During my secondary school years, agricultural science used to be an exciting

subject for us. Just before cropping, a lat of work had to be done by us which
included, bush burning and ridge making. Every care had to be taken to ensure
that all our ridges were fat enough and weed-free. A few days after, actual
planting would take place. However, some weeks after planting, we all went
back to the farm again, not for planting but for weeding. We never planted these
weeds but somehow, they were there, competing with our tender maize just
sprouting up.

As young lads, we were always bothered and you could hear audible
grumbling during the weeding process on the farm. At that time, questions were
raging within us; how come these weeds. Who planted them? Seemingly endless
thoughts ran within us. On the part of our agric master, he never tried to explain
anything to us. So, on and on, we would weed till no strange plant was left.
Many years after graduation, the Lord has taught me practical lessons that the
life of a man is likened to a farmland with good and evil trees. With a careful
study of the infallible word of God illuminated by the power of the Holy Spirit, I
know that God's plan for all mankind is goodness.


THE ISSUE OF EVIL PLANT IS REAL AND MUST
BE APPROACHED WITH ALL SERIOUSNESS AS
IT HAS TURNED MANY LOFTY DREAMS INTO
A MIRAGE AND MANY HITHERTO
SUCCESSFUL LIVES HAVE ENDED INA
TERRIBLE CRASH.


 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord,
thoughts of peace, and not evil, to give you an expected end (Jeremiah
29:11).

This is the stand of God concerning man. Although every farmer expects a
bounty harvest from a weed free farm, in practice however, weeds often contend
for space with genuine crops.

In spite of God's lofty plans, many lives are lived in torment continually at the
precipice of outright ruin. This is sadly true of even spirit-filled believers. Due to
this obvious contradiction between God's purpose and the reality of experiences
of many, John the Baptist had to declare that the axe is laid unto the root of any
tree that does not bring forth good fruit.

Today, numerous people walk on our streets with evil plants in their lives. The
pity of this case is that the problem is never diagnosed properly until it becomes
too late.

A man went for a supposedly spiritual retreat only to return to engage his wife
in a combat on a flimsy excuse. The wife died in the process. This man already
had an evil tree in his life which he never bothered to address.

The issue of evil plant is real and must be approached with all seriousness as it
has turned many lofty dreams into a mirage and many hitherto successful lives
have ended in a terrible crash. It is not a modern day phenomenon but it is as old
as creation. Gehazi was a student in the school of Prophets headed by Prophet
Elisha. Unfortunately for Gehazi, an evil tree was already germinating in his life.

What is this tree? A tree of covetousness bearing the fruit of extortion.

And he said unto him, went not mine heart with thee, when the man
turned again from the chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive
garments, and olive yards, and vineyards, and Sheep, and oxen and
menservants and maid servants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman
shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed forever, And he went out from
his presence a leper as white as snow" (2 Kings 5:26-27).

This is a classic example of a man that had a thins to uproot but was never
bothered until this very thing led to his destruction. His excessive love for
money and material things was his undoing. Gehazi would have been seen by his
neighbours as a believer against the background that he was a trainee prophet.
But what do you find? An empty cloud, a well without water.

These days, many people parade themselves as believers and some even call
themselves ministers whereas their lives are cloudy. The message of material
prosperity has now taken over from the message of salvation and holy living.
Whereas Jesus Christ admonishes us to seek first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto us.


ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS LOTS OF
MINISTRIES END UP AS A FLASH IN THE PAN,
IS THAT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, THE
FOUNDERS NEVER HEARD ANYTHING FROM
GOD.


Today's preachers believe that the order of Jesus Christ is wrong and should
therefore read, "Seek ye first material prosperity and the kingdom shall follow."
These are the descendants of Gehazi. I often. tell people that material affluence
is not a measure of your walk with God. It is not in anyway a reflection that you
are at the centre of God's will for your life. Rather, your ability to maintain
consistent holy living, personal fellowship with God, hearing Him speak to you
and calling you by name as He called the patriarchs of old is a reflection of your
being in unity with Him. I tell you sincerely, God still speaks to His own directly
and even calls people by name. The first time I heard God call me was in 1967
and I can never forget all that He said. Some of them have been fulfilled, some
are still being fulfilled. Yet some are still for a future date.

One of the main reasons lots of ministries end up as a flash in the pan, is that
more often than not, the founders never heard anything from God. They have
been propelled by the spirit of Gehazi, the lust for a prosperity first and
foremost, and God is secondary. What do you find at the end? Such ministries
either die or remain permanently stunted whereas the scripture says, "And God
was appointing to the Church daily." Such ministers need deliverance from the
spirit of mammon.

A life with an evil tree is a life with foundational problem. Any attempt at
solving this problem by mere cutting the fruits will not bring a lasting solution.
This is the reason many have to undergo deliverance sessions repeatedly without
the yoke actually breaking. All that is achieved is a crack on the yoke leading to
temporary relief.

A man suffering from prolonged sickness, constant state of depression, living
in fear or a woman experiencing regular miscarriage or even a life of permanent
insufficiency is a sign of a life having an evil tree. The tree must be hewn down
for a permanent solution to be achieved.

The devil is the farmer that ensures evil trees are planted in the lives of people.
As the most terrible criminal in this world, satan does not stop at sowing alone,
he goes further to water such seeds to ensure they are firmly grounded. This is
why at deliverance sessions, we have had demon spirits speak out of the mouth
of their victims saying, "I cannot go out, I have been there since birth. . ." thus,
establishing that such demon spirits are well rooted. All these false claims
notwithstanding, we thank God for the name of Jesus Christ at which every knee
is bowing daily.

STRATEGIES USED BY SATAN TO CHECK PEOPLE

The wrong Axe

It is very unfortunate that Satan wants to hold his victims under permanent
bondage. Even when many realise that they have a problem, Satan beclouds their
thinking to be seeking for the wrong axe.

And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was
in Samaria, and was sick and he sent messengers, and said unto them,
go, and enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover
of this disease. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite,
Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say
unto them, is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to
enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the
 Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone
up, but shalt surely die. And EliJah departed" (2King 1:2-4).

NUMEROUS AHAZIAHAS ARE PARADING THE
STREETS TODAY SEEKING TO USE A WRONG
AXE TO CUT DOWN THE EVIL TREE IN THEIR
LIVES.


Numerous Ahaziahs are parading the streets today seeking to use a wrong axe
to cut down the evil tree in their lives. Ahaziah's resort to Baalzebub, the god of
Ekron was the application of a wrong solution to a problem. He realized that he
had a problem needing solution but chose to use the wrong axe to hew down the
tree. It resulted in a greater disaster.

A man is suffering from constant fear, he goes to a sorcerer who puts incisions
on his chest with some concoction. Another businessman is being threatened by
imminent business collapse and runs to a medicine man for talisman.

Some years ago, somewhere in Lagos, Nigeria, a woman who experienced
series of miscarriage, sought solution from a herbalist. So to establish his power,
satan, through this herbalist, allowed this woman to carry her pregnancy to
fullness quite right. However, delivering the child became a mission-impossible.
After all hopes were lost and the husband was taking her home that she would
rather die at home than at the herbalist's house, God intervened in a wonderful
way.

On their way home, they came in contact with a member of a Pentecostal
Church who offered to help them by the power in the name of Jesus. God
confirmed His word and the woman gave birth to this baby safely. What
happened in this case? The problem was frequent miscarriages and the wrong
axe employed was the consultation with a herbal home. Satan encouraged this
woman to use a wrong axe because he wanted to kill her and send her to hell
fire. Do not forget that Christ has already revealed the hidden agenda of satan
that he came to steal, to destroy and to kill (John 10:10).

A wrong axe can provide momentary relief. But be sure that satan does not
have any free gift for his adherents.

A minister of God, while giving a testimony of his experience in the demonic
world, said that he once lived in the same compound with a woman. One fateful
day, the child of this woman convulsed and he brought out a concoction to
revive the convulsing child. Praise God that the woman involved was a true
believer that already knew that the name of Jesus is the only axe given unto men.
She refused to use the concoction for her child.


IT IS A PATHETIC THING TODAY TO FIND
MANY PEOPLE SPENDING TIME AND MONEY
CUTTING THE LEAVES AND FRUITS WHEREAS
THE TREE ITSELF IF FIRMLY ROOTED AND
NOTHING IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT.


Many years later, this demonic man became converted. He confessed, that had
this woman used the concoction that day, the child would have received relief
from convulsion alright but would have been afflicted with tuberculosis that
would result in death.

Where do we go from here? A terrible result of applying the wrong solution.

Diversion

It is logical that you cannot hit a target effectively once your focus is faulty. A
woman is being threatened by broken home and instead of looking at the
situation to discover the root cause of the problem, she listened to the whisper of
the devil. "May be because I did not take a special bath at the bar beach, or
perhaps because I did not receive holy communion last Sunday," she thought. In
the course of all these stray thoughts, the problem continued to sink her. At the
end of the day, the whole thing became complex because she allowed satan to
divert her from the actual root.

Have you discovered the root of the problem in your life? The devil will
always want to shield this from you, but its discovery is vital to your final
deliverance. It is a pathetic thing today to find many people spending time and
money cutting the leaves and fruits whereas the tree itself is firmly rooted and
nothing is being done about it. It makes more sense to get rid of the spider rather
than exhaust energy cleaning the home comers of cobwebs.

During ministrations, God had revealed that the root of the problems in most
lives are as a result of their past involvement in occult practices, idol worship,
consultation with satanic angels or even living under a curse. Gehazi's children
will automatically be lepers. To treat such a case does not need all the drugs for
curing sore skin. Rather, to achieve a permanent solution, the power of that curse
must be broken in that particular life and this will result in a cure from the
disease of leprosy. The curse of the leprosy is the root of the problem. This must
be uprooted for a lasting solution to be achieved.

I thank God for the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal all things and to locate
the root cause of every problem no matter how long the problem had been in
place. And I also bless the name of Jesus by which every knee must bow.

What is the axe that is laid upon the root? This is the point at which thousands
of men and women flutter and their problems become compounded instead of
easing off. Inability to identify and use the right axe is one of the reasons Jesus
Christ said: "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God"
(Matthew 22:29).


GOD IS HIS WISDOM KNOWS THAT THE DEVIL
IS VERY ACTIVE AND GOES ABOUT SOWING
EVIL SEEDS IN MANY LIVES. THE VERY
REASON THE BIBLE IMPLORES ALL TO LAY
THE AXE AT THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM.


Not knowing the scriptures is the reason you find people seeking for
deliverance from sorcerers, use of candles, burning of incense and similar
demonic practices. It is to aggravate the situation that satan has sent many
counterfeit christs into the world, so that those in bondage will not use the
correct axe. We have heard of Jesus of Oyingbo in Nigeria, Jesus of Ikot Ekpene
also in Nigeria and Jesus of Nairobi in Kenya. All these represent the wrong axe.

The only axe that can hew down effectively all kinds of evil root is the name
of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him, and given Him a name
which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
earth" (Phil. 2:9-10).

The name of Jesus Christ over the years has proven to be infallible and
unfailing. Foundational problems have been uprooted at the application of this
name.

As a practical guide towards being free, you must be able to answer these
questions;

Have you identified the very root of the problem in your life? Do you possess
the right axe? Have you applied the axe accordingly? Have you thrown the
uprooted tree into the fire lest it sprouts again?

The answers you give to these questions will inform what will happen to you.
No document is more precious or more correct than the Holy Bible. God in His
wisdom knows that the devil is very active and goes about sowing evil seeds in
many lives, the very reason the Bible implores all to lay the axe at the root of the
problem.

What are you doing about that root that has been tormenting you for years?
Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the appropriate axe, Use this axe today.

PRAYER POINTS


1. Let the axe of the fire of the Holy Ghost uproot every evil tree in my life, in
the name of Jesus.
2. Every evil farmer planting things against my life, be tormented into
submission, in the name of Jesus.
3. Every evil plantation behind my problem, be cast into fire, in the name of
Jesus.
4. I speak destruction into the camp of my enemies, in the .name of Jesus.
5. I speak destruction into every evil plantation, in the name of Jesus.


 CHAPTER THREE
AXES UPON FIG TREE

We are saddled with a great responsibility as soldiers of the Lord. So, we need
to declare war on several things. The lepers said, "We do not well if we keep
quiet." Paul said also, "I believe therefore have I spoken." Jeremiah 51 :20-22
says,

Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war. For with thee will I break
the nations into pieces and with thee will I destroy kingdoms. And with
thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I
break in pieces the chariot and his rider. With thee will I break in
pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and
young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the
maid.

In the above passage, God tells us what the axe is meant to do. Matthew 3:10
says,

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees therefore any
tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the
fire.

Of all the problems in the world, the greatest is spiritual problems, because
sometimes, physical problems could have immediate solutions. But spiritual
problems have to be addressed in the spirit. Unfortunately, the world of the spirit
is a world that is not too clear to many people. The truth is that there are many
fig trees in many people's lives that need to be cut down. God too wants to
become a battle axe to cut down these things.

FIG TREES IN PEOPLES' LIVES

To cut down "Fig trees" in one's life requires much effort because we do not
refer to the physical tender plant. I will give you some examples of people with
"fig trees" in their lives.


THAT MAN HAD A FIG TREE IN HIS LIFE AND
WITH AGGRESSION AND DETERMINATION, HE
WAS ABLE TO CUT IT.


A long time ago, there was a man who inherited the business of his father. It
was a family brewery business and everybody became rich through it. You
know, there are some people even if they do not have money to buy food they
will always have money to drink beer because they have become hooked to the
demon of alcohol. Every member of the family was born a millionaire through
the brewery business.

Then, one day, this man came across the living Christ and realised that their
business had destroyed many lives. And for Christ to accept him he had to make
restitution. The restitution meant that the brewery business had to go. The man
did not know any business other than this and it is what had been existing in his
family. The preacher said, "Well as far as God is concerned, restitution is a
must." Then, he took a solid decision one morning. When he arrived the
brewery, everybody thought he was mad. Even the press said he was mad when
he declared, "I am getting rid of this brewery. We are closing it down," and he
did. People including himself thought by doing that, he would become poor but
God opened another line of business for him and he began to prosper.


WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG WITH THE
HEAD, A LOT OF THINGS GO WRONG WITH
THE LIFE.


 But before he got to that level, something happened, he first of all started from
himself. When he heard the message, he went to the man of God and said, "Man
of God, I have some questions to ask you. You told us that no matter how
horrible somebody's sins are, he can be saved. Listen to this, we have this family
brewery and we know by that brewery many lives have been destroyed.
Preacher, answer me, can I still be saved?" The preacher answered, "Oh yes, you
can be saved." He said, "Okay, number two, women usually came to me crying
with their babies strapped to their backs begging me to please, stop selling
alcohol to their husbands because they were not giving them money for
housekeep and they would show me their children and ask me if I did not know
that they were suffering. They would plead with me, 'Please, stop selling your
alcohol so that our husbands would come home to take care of their children.' I
usually kicked away such women from the door leading to my office. Preacher,
can I still be saved?"

The man said, "Oh yes, you can be saved." He said, "Number three question.
Preacher, there used to be prostitutes who were buying alcohol from us before
they went out to hunt for men and I encouraged them. Preacher, can I still be
saved?" The preacher said, "Oh yes." Then, the man went home and spent the
whole night breaking all the bottles of alcoholic drinks he had at home. That
man had a fig tree in his life and with aggression and determination, he was able
to cut it.

There is also the case of a woman reported in the newspaper. The story was
captioned, "Woman marries a goat." The story revealed that this woman married
the first husband and he died after one week. Then after a year, she married
another one, that one too died after a week. As she wanted to marry the third
husband, a witch doctor said to her, "You see, the plan of your life is like this:
you have to marry three husbands and they will all die but the fourth one will not
die. I will teach you a little trick, marry a goat as the third one, so that when the
goat dies, then you can marry a proper man." The woman then put on a wedding
gown, dragged a goat along and married it. That is a "Fig tree" and the goat-
solution is not the real solution.

There is something in Yoruba culture that men put on their wives so that other
men don't have illicit relationship with them. They call it "MAGUN." Twelve
years ago, a sister came for prayers. Her husband put the "magun" on her.
However, she was a very faithful woman. Suddenly, her husband died in an
accident without removing what he had put on her. This woman not wanting to
be lonely and being in her youth decided to marry again but every time she tried
it, the men died. This is a fig tree. It has to be cut down.

FIG TREES IN OUR ENVIRONMENT

There is a fig tree in our environment here which is common to us all and
people handle it lightly without knowing that it is a very serious matter. The
most horrible things in the spiritual world are those things that look innocent.


ANOTHER FIG TREE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT
IS WHAT WE CALL THE 'CURSED HEAD',
UNFORTUNATELY, YOU HARDLY FIND
ANYONE IN THIS COUNTRY WHO HAS NEVER
BEEN CURSED BEFORE.


For example, when we say deliverance, a lot of people get scared, and think it
is only witches and wizards that are involved. No. The man who is pumping
himself with cocaine every morning, the demon inside him is more than that of
witchcraft. It will be easier to deliver a witch than that man. We call it the
poisoned head or the cursed head.

The head is the most important part of the body. I have seen a person without
legs who is still alive. I have also seen a person without hands who is still alive. I
have even seen somebody whom the whole intestines have been removed and is
still alive. But I am yet to see somebody without a head and is still alive.

I remember when I was a child, one of my brothers was asked to kill a duck.
He held the head and cut off the neck without pinning down the duck. The duck
jerked backwards and suddenly flew off without a head and stood on the roof of
a building bleeding. After a while, the duck died there and rolled down the roof
to the ground. If it was possible to escape without a head, I am sure the duck
would have done so.

 Genesis 3:15 says,

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head and thou shall bruise his
heel.

That is the curse God has put upon satan. That the head of satan was to be
bruised. There is reference to the head there and the fact that bruising
somebody's heel and bruising somebody's head are two separate things is also
clear.

2 Samuel 1:16 says,

And David said unto him, thy blood be upon thy head for thy mouth
hath testified against thee saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed.

Where did he say the blood should be? Upon his head.

Psalm 7:16 says, "His mischief shall return upon his own head. And his violent
dealing shall come down upon his own pate."

Psalm 23:5 says,

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies, thou
anointest my head with oil and my cup runneth over.

Leviticus 19:28 says,

Ye shall not make any cutting in your flesh for the dead nor print any
marks upon you, I am the Lord.

Matthew 5:36 says,

Neither shall thou swear by thy head because thou cannot make one
hair black or white.

WHEN PEOPLE CURSE AND SAY ALL SORTS OF
BAD THINGS MENTIONING THEIR HEADS,
THEY ARE APPORTIONING A FUNCTION TO
THEIR HEADS THAT GOD DID NOT GIVE TO
THEM. THEY ARE ONLY CURSING
THEMSELVES.


Now some questions about the head.

1. Why are hands laid on people's head during prayers or for anointing?
Crowns are also laid on the head.
2. Why do we anoint the heads of kings, priests and prophets?
3. Why is it that in the passage we read, it is the head of satan that is to be
bruised?
4. Why is it that in deliverance, what we call the spirit of death normally hides
in the brain.


Remember, it is the brain that is responsible for our intelligence, retentive
power and the way you conduct yourself. It is the brain that controls your
hearing, speech, taste and sight. Everything comes from the brain. All the
conscious actions that you make are all from the brain. The fact that you are able
to stand straight on your feet without losing your balance, or feeling that you are
upside down is your brain. So, when something goes wrong with the head, a lot
of things go wrong with the life. Why for example, does the Bible forbid people
swearing by their heads? It is because anything that affects the head affects the
whole of your totality and your personality.

Cursed head

One fig tree in this environment is what we call the "cursed head."
Unfortunately, you hardly find anyone in this country who has never been cursed
before. You see people calling themselves bad names on the street when they are
fighting. Some of these people are not ordinary people. Some of them have
strange powers. Some of them do not have any power but as they are raining
these curses all over the place many people get affected.

I know a brother who had a cursed head like this. He was working with some
white men on some businesses. They were supposed to gather for a meeting at
8.00 a.m. but the brother noticed on several occasions that he got there at 8.00
a.m., everybody had disappeared. He started wondering why they were avoiding
him. But he did not understand. Then he decided to get there at 7.00 a.m. yet he
did not meet them. They had left. He then decided to come at 6.00 a.m. and at
6.00 a.m. they were just leaving. He asked them why they always left him
behind since they were doing the business together.

The black men there refused to tell him until one white man explained to him
that anytime he went with them they were always unlucky. That was why they
always went without him.

How can this happen?

People issue curses using their heads. The curses may be upon them or upon
other people. When some people get angry, they will hit the ground. Some
would use their mouths to hold iron just because they are angry. They will bite
anything. Some would bite their fingers. Some would touch their tongues and
raise the finger to the sky. Some would say, "Welt my head will punish you."
The thing is that your head has no power to punish anybody, all you are doing is
issuing a curse on your head. When people curse and say all sorts of bad things
mentioning their heads, they are apportioning a function to their heads that God
did not give to them. They are only cursing themselves. These kind of people
need deliverance of one form or another. Every direct or indirect curse will
introduce spiritual poison into the head.

When a demonic person lays hands on somebody's head or uses the hand to
rub the head, the head gets into trouble. So many things then go wrong and
sometimes, it is difficult to know the source of the problems.

When you notice that your hair has been cut off and you do not know where
it has been taken to, it will affect the whole of your system. Even if the cutting
did not happen physically, but it is known that your glory has been removed and
your head has been poisoned.

I have seen people tearing off their hair and throwing it into their mouths.
Such people are cursing their own heads.

Going to a satanist or a barber who belongs to a cult. Of course, he will put
his hands on your head and it could poison the head.


SOME PEOPLE ACTUALLY PUT SACRIFICES
ON THEIR HEADS AND CARRY THEM TO THE
CROSS-ROADS BECAUSE THEY WANT TO
SOLVE ONE PROBLEM OR THE OTHER,
THEREBY TURNING THEMSELVES TO LOAD
CARRIERS OF THE ENEMY.


Exchange of headties or caps can lead a person into trouble. There have
been many cases when we had to burn headties and caps because the owners
noticed that it was at a particular time when they started to wear a thing that
certain things began to happen. Sometime ago, a man gave a testimony that
whenever his wife wore a dress she collected from a tailor, she collapsed. So,
headties and clothes could be polluted.

Our environment (Africa) is such a wicked one. Some people have the power
to call out a human spirit by force and then address that spirit. If that happens to
anybody, the person will also have a poisoned head.

Demonic body and hair creams. Putting things like Indian hemp or body parts
of human being inside the hair cream and you use it to rub your head introduces
poison into the head.

Incisions on the head. Leviticus 19:28 says, "Do not make any mark or cut on
your body."

Leaves hung on people's heads when they are being installed as chiefs or kings
poisons the head.

Receiving load on the head from a satanic agent. It is dangerous to offer to
help to strangers or put down loads from their heads because you do not know
what is in the load.

Some people actually put sacrifices on their heads and carry them to the
crossroads because they want to solve one problem or the other, thereby turning
themselves to load carriers of the enemy.

Shaving hair for the dead. In some places, immediately somebody dies, they
say all the men or women should shave their hair. The Bible says, "Do not do it
at all."

In some cases when some people are in serious trouble, they tell them to go
and wash their heads. They take them to the herbalists who help them to wash
their heads to remove the problems. For example, when a woman is finding it
difficult to get a husband, they would tell her to wash her head so that men will
be jumping over themselves to get her. All the washing done with demonic soap
is poisoning the head. All the abortions poison the head because the blood of the
babies will be crying for revenge from the Lord.

Brains can be exchanged too. A girl confessed that she removed the brain of
her brother and replaced it with that of a goat hence he became dull.


ANY BELIEVER WHO GOES ABOUT WITH A
POISON OR CURSED HEAD IS DOING SO BY
PERSONAL DECISION BECAUSE JESUS HAD
SOLVED THAT PROBLEM 2,000 YEARS AGO.


Personal swearing using the head. These are things in our environment that
poison people's heads. We have plenty of such heads moving about in the streets.
Even Christians who have not cleared the fig trees in their lives carry such
poisoned heads. People with such poisoned heads often fail to yield to good
advice. They have unteachable spirits. They argue in ignorance. They have
confused dreams, unexplainable loss of memory, crooked thinking and good
things avoid them. During serious prayer sessions, they develop headache
because things are moving about in their heads. All these are signs that there is a
curse on a head. Such people have what we call "spirit of destruction."

Unexplainable debts are evidence that somebody has issued a curse on a
person's head.

Amputated Blessings. When a person goes up a little bit when it seems that
something is coming out, then there is a break.

Inability to settle down with a man or woman in marriage is sometimes
evidence of a cursed head.

When all the children from a particular mother are poor and unproductive
and she is even the one feeding them instead of them feeding her.

Constant failure in examinations you should pass.

Constant repetition of the same mistake.

When your money is always getting stuck and working without profit.

When the head is cursed, the brain suffers and the body is affected. But I have
good news. There is absolute solution in the substitutionary death of Jesus.

THE SHEDDING OF JESUS' BLOOD


WHAT MOST PEOPLE ARE TODAY IS A
POINTER TO WHERE THEY WERE BORN OR
WHERE THEY HAVE LIVED.


 If you study your Bible very well, you will discover that the blood of Jesus
was shed seven times. There was a seven fold shedding of Jesus' blood.
However, we shall consider only five (5).

1. At the garden of Getsemane where He prayed in agony.

That one symbolises intercession.
2. When His face was disfigured.

The Bible tells us that the high priest struck Him across the face with a rod and
He started to bleed.
3. The Bible says they plucked his beards, as if they were plucking fruits.

All these symbolise the horrible nature of sin.
4. They whipped His back and the kind of whip they used in those days used to
have bones and metals attached to it.

So, if they strike somebody with it and pull it, it will pull his flesh along with
it. They whipped him 39 times. This stands for our healing from infirmity.

5. They placed a crown on His head made of thorns and thistles.

This is the relevant aspect to our topic. The thorns and thistles were known to
be very poisonous. Yet they pressed it on His head. That represented the
breaking of curses and bringing of blessings. What I am saying is that
whatsoever happens to somebody's head, Jesus in His substitutionary death
sorted it out on the cross by the thorns that were placed on His head. The poison
of the thorns represented the curses, while the blood that flowed out represented
the breaking of those curses.

Therefore, any believer who goes about with a poison or cursed head is doing
so by personal decision because Jesus had solved that problem 2,000 years ago.

In a certain worldly church, one of the members of the choir put a girl in the
family way. The father of the girl who was a wizard went and reported the boy
in their coven meeting. Then, they held a meeting on him. They discussed at
length on his case and decided to make him mad. They called out his spirit, and
because he was a fornicator, his spirit just came out his case and decided to make
him mad. They called out his spirit, and because he was a fornicator, his spirit
just came out. If it were somebody with fire, they would call till day break and
nothing would happen and if they make too much trouble, their own spirit will
appear. When his spirit appeared, they knocked him on the head and he shouted
in his dream and ran mad immediately in the physical.

A lot of people have received such knocks on the head in the spirit and the
manifestation is with us. This is one "fig tree," we must seriously address.

Bondage of traditions and culture

The next "fig tree" we want to look at is what we call the bondage of traditions
and culture. What most people are today is a pointer to where they were born or
where they have lived.


EVERY COUNTRY AND TRIBE IS SUBJECT TO A
RULING DEMON.


For example, both Jews and Arabs were introduced very early in the Bible.
They are all meant to have come from a single father, Abraham. Hagar, the maid
of Sarah gave birth to Ishmael. Sarah gave birth to Isaac; Isaac was the promised
child while Ishmael was not. But both of them came from Abraham. When
Hagar was pregnant with Ishmael, an angel came to her and told her four things.

Genesis 16:11-12 says,

And the angel of the Lord said unto her, behold thou art with child and
shall bear a son and shalt call his name Ishmael because the Lord hath
heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; h is hand will be
against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall
dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

That simple verse is the description of the lives of all the whole Arab race till
now. The Arabs have remained unchanged since the time of Ishmael and the
enmity between the two of them remains. Now if an Arab gets born-again, this
earthly bondage will have to break. It has to be broken from his life.

Rejection by others, aggressiveness, fighting spirit, nomadic spirit, hostility
and argumentative spirit towards others, pride and arrogance, polygamy. All
these are those things that are happening now.

All ethnic groups have their own traditions and cultures which are anti-gospel.
This is why the Bible stands in the middle. It condemns any culture or tradition
that is anti-gospel. Nobody is completely free from these cultural bondage and
domination until you have prayed against it. Believers need to be released from
those cultural bondage which hold them captive.

This is why when we counsel some people, they do not take our counsel
because they are already bound. You want to get married and they would tell
you to bring alligator pepper, kolanut, honey, alcohol, etc. Pastors who are afraid
encourage these things. They would say, "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's, so
that there will be no problem," whereas the Bible says, "Woe unto him that
giveth his neighbour strong drinks.

Sometimes when you then tell believers to pray and replace those things with
other things, they too will refuse. It is bondage. This is why some people cannot
survive without going to their hometowns in a week. Every country and tribe is
subject to a ruling demon.

A white missionary gave us a funny testimony. He said he was preaching in a
place between two countries, one country to the right and the other to the left.
There is a main road separating the two countries. So, if one stayed in that main
road and distributed tracts to those on the right, they would refuse and if you
gave them to those on the left, they would gladly accept it and say they would
read it. But if those on the right crossed over to the country on the left and you
gave them, they would accept. There was a ruling power in their section that was
making them resistant to the gospel.

There is a particular tribe in Nigeria characterised by chameleonic spirit. They
are always very deceptive, they fear failure a lot. They will kill you behind you,
then smile before you. They intentionally destroy things and when they see that
there is trouble, they prostrate and say they are sorry. Being evasive and slippery
is a characteristic of some people here in this country and when they are on top,
they want to keep other people permanently below. They are controlled by the
spirit of evil compromise. If the front is difficult to go, they go back. So, they
have no definite purpose. That is the spirit of deception.

There are some ethnic groups in this country also who have no respect for
elders. They have blind support for anybody so far as the person is from their
village. It does not matter whether the person is wrong or right. Aggressiveness,
cheating and overcleverness are their stock-in-trade.


ALL CULTURES AND TRADITION MUST BE
JUDGED BY THE SCRIPTURES. ANYONE THAT
IS NOT IN LINE WITH THE WORD OF GOD
MUST BE THROWN ASIDE.


So, believers from these ethnic groups have many things to break. If you travel
to a place like England now and somebody does something wrong in the street,
by the time witnesses will come, most of them would tell you the truth of what
happened. Not here. The first question is "Where do you come from" and if you
are from their place, they will support you. Our prayers are being hindered
because we have not broken free from all these things.

There is another ethnic group in this country who are insensitive to other
people's suffering. They are wasteful, senseless, violent, proud, flamboyant,
rooted idol worship, polygamous and keep concubines. They are never straight
forward, they tell useless proverbs to cover up reality. They are only interested
in what they can get. They are smooth liars. They even boast of all these things.

These are cultures, traditions and bondage that we must break. Some people
come to the house of God with these things still on them and they do not know.
They should really cry to the Lord.

A Christian is not coming from any ethnic group or any village. A Christian is
coming from Calvary and his citizenship is not here, it is in heaven. The apostles
before they had fire were arguing with Jesus that they wanted to be on the left
hand and right hand. Then Jesus faced James and asked him if he could drink the
cup He was about to drink and James said, "Yes, I would drink," and he drank it.
He was the first apostle to be killed in the Acts of the apostles before Peter was
grabbed but they couldn't kill Peter. Peter's lot was not untimely death. But when
they received the fire of the Holy Spirit and the fire came upon them and burnt
away all the rubbish, they were not interested in position again. No one was
interested in knowing where they came from because they saw all men as the
same.

All cultures and traditions must be judged by the Scriptures. Anyone that is not
in line with the word of God must be thrown aside. There are some good
cultures. Those ones can be kept. In Europe, they have what they call trial
marriage. A man and a woman stay together as husband and wife without
marriage. If it doesn't work, they pack it up. That is completely unscriptural.

So, there is nothing like Hausa church, Yoruba church or Igbo church. The
church of God is one body in Christ.

A long time ago, I was in a particular church and there was a woman who gave
birth to a child. A week after the delivery, she came to the church looking all
white. We asked her what was the matter and she said, "It is my husband's
family. Those who just gave birth in their family don't eat anything cooked with
oil." Since they have removed palm oil and groundnut oil from the diet it meant
the woman was confined to gari (cassava flour).


SOME BELIEVERS READ THE PSALMS AND
COMPLAIN THAT THE PSALMIST'S PRAYERS
AGAINST THE ENEMY DO NOT FOLLOW OUR
LORD'S COMMAND. THEY DO NOT
UNDERSTAND THAT THE PRAYER OF THE
PSALMIST IS AGAINST SPIRITUAL ENEMIES.


I was shocked. She also said that since she came back from the hospital no one
had cooked anything in the kitchen because it was their culture. She was to do
that for forty days. So, we devised a method immediately. When we closed the
service, somebody went and prepared hot eba and pepper-soup for her. She
would eat it and then went back home to eat the rubbish they prepared for her.
They alleged that whoever broke that taboo would die but she didn't die. The
reason she didn't die was because she was coming from Calvary.

All believers need to be delivered from this kind of cultural malady. The truth
is that many people are afraid so they cannot talk.

Somebody came to me and said one day, their father gathered all of them
together, put juju (charm) down and said to them, "You are my children and I am
sure you don't want me to disown any of you." They said, "No sir." Then he said,
if you don't want me to disown any of you, you must all eat from this juju
(charm)." And they ate the juju (charm) even the Christian sister that was among
them couldn't stand her ground. She too ate because they were all afraid.
Whereas the Bible says, "When my mother and my father forsake me, then the
Lord will take me up." It is then God is ready and you will be welcomed.

LOCAL FIG TREES

I have talked about some general "fig trees." Let us look at some of the local
ones.

Spirit of defeat

When somebody is doing something and he is having a feeling that it will not
succeed, it is a "fig tree" that needs to be cut down.

Diseases

Discouragement

Te most expensive item on the stall of the devil is discouragement.

Debt

Disappointment

 Doubt

These are the tools of the devil.

PRAYER OF THE PSALMIST

One of the greatest prayer warriors in the Bible was the writer of Psalms.
When you read the Psalms you find the peculiar way he framed his own prayer
points. They cannot fail to hit the target.


IT IS A SIN NOT TO HATE THE DEVIL. IT IS A
SIN TO HATE FELLOW HUMAN BEING WHO IS
JUST A MERE INSTRUMENT. WE SHOULD
ADDRESS THE SPIRIT BEHIND EVIL PEOPLE.


Some believers read the Psalms and complain that the psalmist's prayers
against the enemy do not follow our Lord's command. They do not understand
that the prayer of the Psalmist is against spiritual enemies. It is a sin not to hate
the devil. It is a sin to hate a fellow human being who is just a mere instrument.
We should address the spirit behind evil people.

So, we are going to pray the prayer of the Psalmist on several things and I
want you to believe God that breakthroughs will come.

If you know that you have been involved directly in what I have talked about,
whether somebody used your head to curse, or you cursed somebody with your
head or you have used your head to carry sacrifices before or your hair was cut
off by unknown people, lay your two hands on your head and pray the following
prayer points with aggression.

PRAYER POINTS


1. Poisons of the enemy, depart from my head, in the name of Jesus.
2. Every demonic cultural bondage, break, in the name of Jesus.
3. I laugh to scorn all evil counsellors against me, in the name of Jesus.
4. Let every enemy of my soul fall by their own advice, in the name of Jesus.
5. Let my enemies fall into the pit they have dug for me, in the name of Jesus.
6. Let the thunder, fire and lightning of the Lord scatter all the forces of the
enemy, in the name of Jesus.
7. Lord, send Your angel to sow terror and panic into the hearts of all evil
doers gathered for my sake.
8. Let all the eaters of flesh and drinkers of blood stumble and fall, in the
name of Jesus.
9. O Lord, divide the tongues of the enemy.
10. Mountains before me, I dash you to pieces, in the mighty name of Jesus.
11. Every unprofitable tree growing in any department of my life, be uprooted,
in the name of Jesus.
12. Every foundational curse, be uprooted, in the name of Jesus.


 CHAPTER FOUR
UPROOTING DEEPLY ROOTED
PROBLEMS

A man was preaching at the beach one day and was observing the
surroundings. He noticed that in the whole of the beach, only one slender plant
was growing. The waves would come, push this plant down, but while the waves
went away the plant got up again. When the waves came again they pushed the
plant down again and as they retreated the plant rose up. This continued and the
man was surprised. He said, "How come this is the only plant standing in the
whole of this beach? What is the secret of its power?" Being a curious man and a
scientist, he decided to do something about it.

The next time he came to the beach with certain implements to dig around the
plant. By the time he got the plant out, he noticed that its root was almost 18 feet
long. Then he understood the secret of the plant. Its root was deep and so it was
difficult for the waves, as powerful as they were, to get rid of it.

Without deceiving ourselves, we know that life is full of all kinds of problems.
And this started since Adam's sell out to the devil. You can hardly find a person
without a problem. Even God Himself would tell you that He has certain
problems.


IF THIS INNER WOUND IS NOT HEALED ON
TIME, SPIRITUAL GERMS THAT WE KNOW AS
DEMON SPIRITS WILL MOVE IN AND
COMPOUND PROBLEM.


For example, one of His problems is that the harvest is plenty but the labourers
are few.

Another one is this: There is a narrow way and a broad way. But the problem
is that most people decide to take the broad way. Some people tell us that God is
broad-minded. No. He is narrow-minded. If He were broad-minded, He would
not keep all of us in the narrow way. You can hardly find a person without a
problem at all.

All I tell people is that a Christian may have a problem but that a problem
must not have a Christian. They are two different things. Whenever somebody
mentions the word problem, you should immediately see it as a tree with
branches and roots.

You should also understand that most stubborn problems are energised by
stubborn spirits. When some spirits are deeply rooted in the lives of some
people, they would usually not be uprooted easily. However, when the spirits are
not deeply rooted, they can be uprooted easily. When there is a strong and
heavily entrenched spirit, it will require more time and effort to dislodge. The
more stubborn ones may need the help of other Christians to dislodge.

WHAT CAUSES DEEPLY-ROOTED PROBLEMS?

WHEN INTERNAL INJURY HAS BEEN
CREATED, THE SOLUTION IS NOT GOING TO
THE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL, IT IS NOT IN
EATING BANANA IN A WHITE GARMENT
HERBALIST'S PLACE, IT IS NOT IN BURNING
CANDLES AND INCENSE.

The wounded spirit

When a person's spirit is wounded and an internal spiritual wound is created,
or when somebody is suffering from spiritual amputation and needs inner
healing. I will give you two examples.

A white girl of about 18 went to a club in London to drink one day. There, she
met a blackman of about 25. And they started talking. The blackman said, "You
are such a beautiful girl, I want to marry you." The woman said, "Well, I know
that people from your country are not good, but I will try you. You look nice."
They went ahead and this man moved into the house of the white girl. The white
woman did all the work while the blackman went to school and did all the
reading. When the man finished his education, he said, "Okay, you stay at home
and have the baby while I go and work." The white woman eventually had three
children while the man was working. This blackman never told the white girl
that he had a wife and five children at home. When his wife wrote letters to him,
he would tell the white woman that it was his sister. When his wife sent pictures
of his children at home, he would say they were his brothers and sisters.

One day, this man told the white woman that he just wanted to buy something
at a supermarket. He took his briefcase, went to the airport, abandoned this white
woman and went home. The spirit of that white woman has been wounded and
only inner healing will solve that problem.

I will give you a second example.

There is the case of a girl in this country who had been expecting her would-be
partner that travelled abroad. The man came back. The girl went to welcome him
at the airport, but to the shock of this girl who had waited for this man for five
years, the man was holding the hand of another woman he married abroad. This
girl collapsed at the airport. His family members threatened that the man must
marry her. The man said, "Okay, no problem, I will marry her." A day was fixed
for the wedding. That day, the girl dressed in a long robe and arrived at the
church on time but the man did not show up.

That girl is now going about crazy. Why? Her spirit has been wounded. If this
inner wound is not healed on time, spiritual germs that we know as demon spirits
will move in and compound the problem.

Proverbs 18:14 says,

The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who
can bear?

This means that it is difficult to heal a wounded spirit. Someone with a
wounded spirit will go about with a sad face all the time. Then what Proverbs
17:22 says will start to happen. it says,

A merry heart maketh good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries
the bone.

YOU CAN FORM A COVENANT WITH A
HERBALIST. EACH VISIT YOU PAY HIM, YOU
GO HOME WITH A DEMON.


A person with a wounded spirit will be getting lean. If she is a beautiful girl
she will become ugly and older than her age. This kind of situation may be very
difficult to correct. Certain prayers may not help such a person. Only inner
healing will help.

When internal injury has been created, the solution is not in going to the
psychiatric hospital, it is not in eating banana in a white garment herbalist's
place, it is not in burning of candles and incense. It is not in having incisions on
the body, neither is it in jumping from one prayer house to another. You need
inner spiritual healing.

The spirit can also be wounded by betrayal. A wife who has suffered for a man
so much can be spiritually wounded if she suddenly discovers that the man has
children outside, who are now struggling for his property.

A girl can be spiritually wounded if she discovers that it was her own daddy
that defiled her. If a child just learns that she was abandoned in the toilet and that
it was from the toilet that some people picked her up, she would be bitter against
her parents who did that, and such a girl would not be normal in her relationship
with other people.

A wounded spirit can also arise when somebody is rejected or when a calamity
befalls him.

People who have wounded spirits are generally oversensitive. If any small
thing happens, they are close to tears and in continual grief and sorrow. They
talk about hopelessness. They cannot trust anybody. Sometimes, one would say.
"Well, since that man disappointed me, I don't want to get married again. All
men are bad." Some would end up not trusting their husbands or if men, no
longer trusting their wives. Some would develop suicidal tendencies, they would
like to kill themselves. They just want to die. For them, the answer is inner
spiritual healing.

Multiple evil covenants

A covenant is an agreement between two parties. But when the powers against
the life of man want to make a matter difficult, they would circulate it through
many covenants. May be the original problem is late marriage, then they
circulate it through 40 covenants. The affected poor sister begins to pray. "I
cancel the covenant of late marriage. I break the covenant of bad marriage," and
she may succeed in breaking about six of the covenants. She stops praying and
the other 34 would remain and it would seem as if prayers are not answered.

One woman complained to me that something was wrong with her. I told her
to take a day for prayer. She should lock her door and should not answer the bell
or the phone until she finished. She was around 65. I told her to start from age
one and break every covenant from that age and continue till age 65. She later
told me that while she was praying, when she got to age 18, problem started. She
didn't know where she was again. She hit the right age when something was
done. She kept praying and at the mention of age 43 another thing happened.
Nothing happened again until she finished.


MANY YOUNG GIRLS IN THE UNIVERSITY
WRECK THEIR LIVES BY MOVING ABOUT
WITH SUGAR DADDIES WHO LOOK FOR THE
BLOOD OF YOUNG GIRLS TO MAKE MONEY.


And immediately she finished, the only person still alive, who had been
renewing the contract, knew that the woman had broken free. She came to check
her up. And the woman told her, "I know why you have come. You saw that
your work has been destroyed. That is why you came. But you have lost." From
that day she received her freedom.

Each meeting some people have with people who have witchcraft or familiar
spirit, they form a covenant. Somebody can have multiple covenants with
familiar spirits. Each visit you pay to a fake prophet, you are likely to form a
covenant. If he says bring a goat and you bring it, then you form a covenant with
him. If he says bring a white garment and you bring it, then you form a
covenant. If he says sleep on the floor of this church for seven days and you do
so, you form a covenant.

Somebody can also form a covenant with occult spirits. Each of their books
you read, you form a covenant. You can form a covenant with a herbalist. Each
visit you pay him, you go home with a demon. When there are multiple
covenants of the same kind, all must be broken before complete victory is
assured. Sometimes in an attempt to seek for solution, people enter into more
covenants, more vows and more contracts, which further compound the problem.

What do you do if you are under the power of multiple covenants? The
solution is to do multiple destruction of the covenants starting from your day one
to your present age, not leaving any stone unturned.

Multiple curses

For example, a woman was very troublesome when she was an infant. So, her
father issued a curse on her. Her mother issued another one. Later her school
mates issued their own, and she herself issued her own. Eventually she got
married and her husband issued his own and her children issued their own too.
The problem now is that the woman is going about with multiple curses.

All these curses must be broken for total victory to occur. Really, When
demonic people want to deal with somebody, may be they are about 40 at a
meeting, each of them will issue a curse on him, so that the curses will be many.
He may end up cancelling 15 if he is going to a good church while the others
remain. They will not prevent him from getting to heaven, but they will hinder
his physical progress.

There is another way a person becomes a victim of multiple curses. Supposing
he has an ancestor who committed 25 abominations thereby inviting separate
curses on his children, and this person is the only child, it means that he carries
all the 25 curses. The solution to multiple, individual or generational curses is to
destroy them.


IF ONE IS CONSCIOUSLY OR UNCONSCIOUSLY
MARRIED IN THE SPIRIT WORLD. THE
PERSON IS REALLY OUT FOR A SERIOUS
PROBLEM. WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT,
SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE IS AS BINDING AS A
PHYSICAL ONE.

Hidden potentials

When that which is to make a man great has been buried, silenced or paralysed
by his enemies, there is nothing anybody can do about it. He may be dancing for
a while and everybody will be saying, "Baba o," but sooner or later, he would hit
the bottom. The potentials can be hidden anywhere, on land, in water, in the
second heavens, in the forest, or in places where demonic powers hold their
meetings. A digging operation is required to resurrect them.

That is why Ezekiel prophesied to the dry bones, "I say thou bones, live!" The
Bible says that the dry bones rose up, but that was not all the solution. They were
seated, but they were not breathing and they had no flesh. He commanded flesh
to come upon them. That happened, yet they were not breathing. Prophet Ezekiel
had to pray a hard prayer for breath to enter into them. Then breath entered into
them.

 What exactly happens, if somebody's potential is hidden or buried?

Many young girls in the university wreck their lives by moving about with
sugar daddies who look for the blood of young girls to make money. The girls
wouldn't know how the men made their money, all they want is the money. The
men would say, "Let me do blood test for you," and would take them to a special
doctor somewhere for the purported test, whereas it is the blood they need. The
girls would not know what is happening, and their potentials to have a settled
home will be withdrawn and buried. They will need an operation to get them
back.

Changed destiny

The devil prevented Adam from realising his destiny and turned Adam to a
hewer of wood and drawer of water. You might have heard people talking about
transferring brains. When somebody's original brain is transferred to somebody
else's, the destiny changes immediately. If somebody was destined to be a pilot,
but the enemy caused something to happen so that his eyes are removed, that is
the end of his destiny.

A person's destiny can be changed by his enemies, especially when his soul is
not under the cover of God.

When parents host parties for their children and they kill fowls and distribute
food because of their children, they are changing the destiny of those children.

There are men that have the nature of women, and there are women that have
the nature of men. In such cases, we have to pray for a reversal to correct their
destiny.

Spiritual demotion

The greatest problem the devil is having now is spiritual demotion. Just as
somebody can have divine promotion, a person may suffer spiritual demotion.
The solution to spiritual demotion is to reject that demotion and ask for divine
promotion. When the enemies put a sickness on a person, and that sickness
makes Bible reading and prayer difficult, it is spiritual demotion. The devil can
engineer the dismissal of someone from a place of work that holds promise for
him. This is spiritual demotion. He would cool down the spiritual temperature of
a person knowing fully well that if the spiritual temperature does not get to a
particular level, God will not give the person certain things.


THE ANSWER TO THE PROBLEM OF THE
STRONGMAN IS TO PARALYSE HIM AND
RECOVER YOUR GOODS.


Collection of demonic decisions and judgements

One can collect a demonic decision or judgement. This means that his spirit
can be called out and a demonic sentence passed on it in the demonic world.
This can happen when the person does not have sufficient fire of the Holy Spirit
or has not even accepted Christ. The bad decision taken against the spirit is
binding. This is why one should take seriously any dream where he sees himself
in a court room as an accused person, or any dream that one has and there are
people in black surrounding him. You must reverse such a dream and cancel the
evil judgement. It does not matter when they took the decision, the power of
attorney that you have in the Lord Jesus Christ enables you to cancel it and
reverse the decision.

If you have been called before and you answered, or you did not answer, you
can reject that call, reverse it and cancel any sentence passed on you.

Demonic marriage

If one is consciously or unconsciously married in the spirit world, the person is
really out for a serious problem. Whether you know it or not, spiritual marriage
is as binding as a physical one. The spirit wife or the spirit husband would fight
to the last drop of blood to keep his or her partner.

This is one of the reasons many sisters are failing to find any partner or are not
enjoying their marriages. The spiritual partner would fight the physical one until
he or she has problems. If the spirit spouse sees that the couple are struggling to
make ends meet and ensure that there are no problems, he or she can put a mark
of hatred on the physical wife or husband and unexplainable quarrels would be
happening. It may create poverty or business failure for the man so that he would
not be happy and there would be lack of peace at home. The spirit husband or
wife would make sure that the real children are in and out of the hospital. He or
she would interfere in the home in other ways. The man with a spiritual wife,
may not even marry at all, for the spiritual wife would chase away all women
from him.

Some people are married to principalities, who will not even mind killing the
physical wife, or killing the physical husband. This is why dreams about
participation in wedding and wearing of wedding rings should be taken
seriously. Also, having sex in the dream should be taken seriously.


HUMAN BEINGS ARE FOND OF INCREASING
PROBLEMS FOR THEMSELVES. SO, GET WISE.


When a demonic marriage is in a home it manifests in four ways:

Explosion of anger and frustration. This is always present.

Tears. Any small thing makes the wife or the husband to cry.
Cold or silent war. Often the husband and wife would not talk to each other.
Lack of interest. None of the couple would be bothered about the other.


When those four things are in operation, demonic marriage is likely to be the
cause; meaning that the husband or the wife has a spiritual wife or husband.

A long standing strongman

The answer to the problem of the strongman is to paralyse him and recover
your goods.

INDICATIONS OF DEEPLY-ROOTED PROBLEM IN A
PERSONAL LIFE

Inability to receive and flow in the Holy Spirit

This is an evidence that something is within a person. The thing is afraid that if
the person receives power, it will be forced out.

Hatred for long prayer

An affected person will not like long prayers. He would prefer short prayers.

Lack of interest for gospel meetings

Somebody who has deeply-rooted problem would say, "I don't want to go
where they will make me feel guilty." Something always goes wrong anytime
such a person arrives at the edge of a miracle. Colossians 1: 13-15 says,

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated
us into the kingdom of his dear Son. In whom we have redemption,
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.

Verses 16-17 say,

For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him.
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

When many people come to the Lord Jesus Christ with their problems, they
expect Him to be running helter-shelter because of their problems, like the
disciples expected Him to be restive when there was storm on the sea.


MANY PEOPLE ARE BUSY FIGHTING
PROBLEMS INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR
SOLUTION.


There is a proverb which says, "The rivers that started in the presence of
somebody cannot drown him because he knew when it started." The scripture we
have read states that from the beginning, Jesus knew all the problems that you
are having now! He knows the source and how to solve it. Whether the problem
is in heaven or on earth, the Bible says He knows about it. Whether it is by
throne, or by dominion, or by principalities or powers, He knew about it. Before
you were even born, He knew about you. He knows all the organs of your body.
He knows how He put them together.

All those that are bragging all over the place, and you are running helter-
skelter, He knows they might terrify you. When some people tell me how big
their problems are, I tell them it is not a problem to Jesus. If the battle is from
heaven or earth, He is qualified to handle it. When the disciples of Jesus were
afraid and said to Jesus, "Care thee not that we perish? You are sleeping." Jesus
said, "Before the storms were created, I knew it." So, when the man who knew
the origin of the storm rose up, He just said, "Peace, be still" and that was it. In
the same way, all those bragging, the day that Jesus rises up and says to them,
"Peace be still," that would be it.

The day we took the examination for admission into the university, a boy
arrived at the hall five minutes late. We had not started the paper but the lecturer
refused to admit him into the hall. The boy and his father begged the lecturer but
he refused and said that the boy had no right to bring his father there. The
lecturer made so much noise that the father of the boy asked him what he was
teaching in the university. He said he was teaching law, so he knew what he was
talking about. Then the man asked him whether he had read a certain book? The
lecturer said, yes, that he wouldn't have been there without reading that book.
The man told him that he wrote it. Then the lecturer said, "I am sorry, I did not
know. You should have mentioned that when you came."

The boy was eventually given the best seat in the examination hall. In fact, the
lecturer gave him the invigilator's seat. So, the river that you know its origin
should not drown you. It may be terrifying to some people, but not to the man
who knows the origin.

The Bible says that by Him all things were created, that are in heaven and that
are on earth. Whether you can see it, or not. Whether it is a conscious covenant
or an unconscious one, whether they are thrones or dominions or principalities or
powers, all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things and
by Him all things consist.

What does the Bible mean by, "By Him all things consist?" It means that the
building you are in, is standing because Jesus is in it. It means that your body is
alive because Jesus is in it. If the wall that has made it to stand is withdrawn, it
will collapse. And nothing will take its shape without the approval of the word
of God.

Although the devil knew about the revival of the Apostles, when the man who
knew their origin turned up, the devil fell flat like a pack of cards.

Human beings are fond of increasing problems for themselves. So, get wise.
Be like that proverbial river, which is never afraid.

SOLUTION

Perhaps you have looked at yourself and you discover that you have any of
these nine deeply-rooted problems listed above, don't forget the book of
Colossians.


TAKING YOUR OWN LIFE IS NOT SOLUTION,
IT IS AN EXPRESSWAY TO HELL FIRE.

Be calm

You may make more mistakes if you are in a confused state or if you are
worked up and worried. Ensure that all worries and tensions go away. Know that
somebody walking about with pains in his eyes may stumble and fall in a place
that he even knows so well. Learn how to speak to your heart like David who
said, "Go back to your resting place, O my soul."

Command your heart to return to its resting place

And what is its resting place? The Bible says, "Casting all your cares upon
Him for He careth for you." So, your resting place is the Lord. He is in control.

Decide not to fight the problem but find a solution

Many people are busy fighting problems instead of looking for solution. What
does it mean to fight a problem?

For instance, if a sister looking for a partner wants to fight a problem, she will
run around looking for different men hoping that she will capture one. But a
sister who wants to find a solution will first investigate why men are not coming
and how they can come. The trouble with fighting the problem is that the
problem will keep occurring. When a child is troublesome, fighting the problem
is giving him thorough beating all the time, locking him up and harassing him
generally.

Finding solution is seeking to know why the child is behaving like that. Also,
taking your own life is not solution, it is an expressway to hell fire.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Every evil tree that the Father has not planted in my life, be up rooted, in
the name of Jesus.
2. You evil tree, be cast into the fire, in the name of Jesus.

Wounded spirit


1. Confess this seven times: I receive my healing physically, spiritually and
materially, in the name of Jesus.
2. Lord Jesus, release Your oil of gladness upon my life, in the mighty name
of Jesus.
3. Every power trying to wound my spirit, angels of God, begin to use thorns
against them, in the name of Jesus.
4. Father, I thank You, in the name of Jesus.

ANY AREA OF MY LIFE THAT HAS BEEN
TAKEN OVER BY DARK/EVIL TREE,
BLESSINGS OF GOD, PEACE OF GOD, POWER
OF GOD, REPLACE THEM, IN THE NAME OF
JESUS.

Multiple evil covenants

1. I break every evil multiple covenant from the day I was born till now, in the
name of Jesus.
2. Every doorway through which evil multiple covenants are manifesting in
my life, be closed, in the name of Jesus.
3. Every owner of evil load that is in my life through multiple covenants, carry
your load now, in the name of Jesus.
4. I command the restoration of my blessings, goodness and prosperity, in the
name of Jesus.


 Multiple curses

1. All the chains of multiple curses in my life, be broken now in the name of
Jesus.
2. Blood of Jesus Christ, begin to wash away all multiple curses working
against my life, in the name of Jesus.
3. Every good that has been paralysed as a result of multiple curses, receive
the power of resurrection now, in the name of Jesus.
4. No power of multiple curse shall have any hold upon my life. I receive total
freedom now, in the name of Jesus.
5. Today, Lord, I am loosed and freed from the power of multiple curses, in
the name of Jesus.
6. Say this three times: All you my enemies, shame unto you, in the name of
Jesus.

Hidden potentials

1. Lord, revive my hidden potentials.
2. Holy Spirit, locate my hidden potentials wherever they may be, in the name
of Jesus.
3. Father Lord, uproot all my buried potentials, in the name of Jesus.
4. Father, let my hidden potentials start to manifest now, in the name of Jesus.
5. Holy Spirit, with Your fire, energise my potentials, in the name of Jesus.

Changed destiny

1. You powers that have changed my destiny, be blind and enter into bondage,
in the name of Jesus.
 2. All the powers of Pharaoh, Goliath and Herod in my life, be emptied and
nullified, in the name of Jesus.
3. O Lord, open my spiritual eyes so that I will know my position.
4. O Lord, restore me to Your perfect will, in the name of Jesus.
5. The will of God for my life, begin to come to pass now, in the name of
Jesus.

COMMAND YOUR HEART TO RETURN TO ITS
RESTING PLACE.

Spiritual demotion

1. I stand against every spirit of failure and defeat, in the name of Jesus.
2. I reject every spirit of error in all the areas of my life, in the name of Jesus.
3. I command every power arranging demotion for me to be frustrated in the
name of Jesus.
4. I bind every force of spiritual demotion operating in any area of my life, in
the name of Jesus.
5. I receive the anointing for spiritual promotion, in the name of Jesus.

The connection of demonic decision and judgement

1. Father Lord, deliver into my hands all the powers that have been making
evil decisions and judgement upon my life, in the name of Jesus.

 2. I command the earth to rise against all the powers that have been taking evil
decisions and judgements against my life, in the name of Jesus.
3. I nullify all their evil counsels and their evil judgements over my life and
my family, in the name of Jesus.
4. Father Lord, perfect Your good work in my life today with your power, in
the name of Jesus.
5. Oh Lord, enlarge my coast, both physically and spiritually.

Demonic marriage

1. I destroy and break all demonic marriage covenants, in the name of Jesus.
2. I release myself from conscious or unconscious spirit husband or spirit
wife, in the name of Jesus
3. Every curse that has come into my life as a result of spiritual husband or
wife, be nullified and uprooted, in the name of Jesus.
4. I destroy with fire every evil soul-tie with any man or woman, in the name

of Jesus.
5. I declare myself free from any demonic marriage, past, present and future,
in the name of Jesus.

Long standing strongman

1. I bind the long, standing strongman in charge of my life from day one till
today, in the name of Jesus.
2. I send confusion and terror of God upon the strongman over my life,
marriage, handiwork, etc, in the name of Jesus.
3. Axe of God, go to the root of my life, cut to pieces the works and seeds of
the strongman over my life, in the name of Jesus.

 4. You, the strongman over my life (mention the area of your life), release me,
in the name of Jesus.
5. I command the bond upon my life, to be broken to pieces now, in the name
of Jesus.

Uprooting dry tree

1. Every unprofitable tree in my life, be uprooted and be cast into fire, in the
name of Jesus.
2. Every dark tree planted in any area of my life by the evil, I command you to
dry up from the root today, in the name of Jesus.
3. Every negative tree in my life, I command you to die, in the name of Jesus.
4. Every source of bitterness, sickness, problem, I command you to dry, in the
name of Jesus.
5. Any area of my life that has been taken over by dark/evil tree, blessings of
God, peace of God, power of God, replace them now, in the name of Jesus.


 CHAPTER FIVE
DRIED TO THE ROOTS

The Book of Mark 11: 12-14 says,

And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was
hungry; And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply
he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found
nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered
and said unto it. No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his
disciples heard it.

On the second day, as Jesus and His disciples were passing by, they saw that
the fig tree had withered. Mark 11: 20-21 says:

And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up
from the roots, Peter calling to remembrance saith unto Him, Master,
behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

The spirit that we call "eater of flesh and drinker of blood," or "the power of
the emptiers" or "the dark power," have eaten deep into the lives of so many
people. They have constructed what is called foundational problems. When you
want to make the foundation of a building, you first of all dig up the soil.
Unfortunately, when we come for prayers in the church, many people attack the
fruit of the tree, some fight the leaf, some attack the branches, some attack the
stem, while the real tree remains in place.


SPIRITUALLY WHEN YOU DON'T ATTACK A
PROBLEM FROM THE ROOT, EVEN IF YOU
HAVE A TEMPORARY RELIEF, THE THING
WILL COMEBACK.


But our prayers are to attack deep-rooted things. If we consider the physical
world, and look at the root of a plant, it has many functions. It is what anchors
the tree to the ground. It absorbs food into the plant. In the spiritual world, it
feeds the problem and makes it to get strong. Some roots actually store food.
Spiritually, when you don't attack a problem from the root, even If you have a
temporary relief, the thing will come back.

A woman came to our meeting and by the time she listed all her problems,
they almost filled a notebook. It was as if immediately she was born, problem
started. When she got married, it was problem. When she had children, they
were against her, they advised their father to marry another wife. This woman
was a Christian and was baptised in the Holy Ghost. She was doing all kinds of
things in the church, cleaning the floors and the benches, etc.

Somebody told her to attend our Wednesday revival service. When she came, I
told her, "Madam, go home and pray for one hour like this: "Lord, show me the
root of my problems, in Jesus's name." When you know the root you will be able
to tackle them. Then she went home in great anger. That is why I say that if you
don't get violent with the devil you cannot get much. Because the devil doesn't
want to set his captives free. This woman got home that day and at midnight, she
woke up and started praying in agony and anger that something must happen,
that she must get a break through. As she was praying, suddenly, she didn't see
her sitting room again. She saw in a vision that she was somewhere else.

Suddenly, one man tying a white wrapper appeared standing by an Iroko tree
and carrying a day-old baby. Blood was still on the body of the baby. Then the
man threw the baby at the Iroko tree. When the body of the baby nearly got deep
into the tree, the man seized it again, threw it the second time, threw it the third
time, and grabbed it again. The vision disappeared and she saw her sitting room
again. She sat down and said, "What is happening? What did I do? Iroko tree,
small baby, what is the meaning?" While she was pondering in her spirit and she
couldn't sleep, the Spirit of the Lord said to her, "When you wake up in the
morning, go to your parents."

The next morning, she went and woke her parents up and told them what she
saw and asked what it meant. Her parents said, "Who told you?" She replied that
they should not ask her questions. Then they said, "It is true that the first day you
were born we took you to an Iroko tree and gave you your name by the side of
the tree. We knew that the thing we did would invite problem to your life later,
but that was what the village asked us to do. But now, anywhere you can find
help go and look for it.

That day, the woman discovered the root of her problems. But let me ask you
one question. What if she didn't discover the root of her problems and continued
to pray, "God, send back my husband and my children."


THE PROPER PLACE TO LAY THE AXE IS THE
ROOT. MAY BE YOU HAVE BEEN PUTTING THE
AXE ON THE STEM, IT IS TIME YOU LAID THE
AXE AT THE ROOT.


A man fell sick one day and was taken to the hospital. The officials checked
and checked but didn't find anything wrong with him. They took the x-ray, the
urine, everything, then an old doctor said to his wife, "Madam, do you know
how to pray? Since we didn't see anything wrong, you have to pray." The
woman was shocked, that the doctor said she should go and pray. However, she
took the man away and started praying. They prayed for four days. It was as if
the man was going to pack up, then one woman came, one of those not
recognised in the church because they don't make noise.

The woman prayed and prophesied that this man had been given spiritual
poison in his food and unless, he vomited the spiritual poison he would die. Then
she further prayed, "Spiritual poison, it is written that nothing shall by any
means hurt a child of God." After sometime, the man vomited something like a
crab and immediately opened his eyes and asked for food.

So, God's method is to get to the root of the problem and destroy that root.
God raised up the nation of Israel to be a light to those that are in darkness. The
Israelites were to represent God. He allowed them to be slaves in Egypt for
about 400 years because sometimes when people don't know what bondage is,
they don't really appreciate freedom. God let them out through Moses and gave
them commandments. Then Joshua took them right to the promised land. But
they were a disobedient people and because of their disobedience they suffered
greatly.

The Israelites were rebellious against God but in public they acted religiously.
Prophets came and warned them and they hated the prophets, and killed some of
them. At a stage, God abandoned them for 400 years. He did not send any
prophet to them. When God decided to start talking to them again, He sent that
man called John the Baptist, a man, whom none had surpassed in greatness and
strength. He had many good qualities but he was recognised most for precision.
He never beat about the bush. In Matthew 3:10 he said, "And now also the axe is
laid unto the root of the trees, therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good
fruits is hewn down, and cast into the fire."

The proper place to lay the axe is the root. Maybe you have been putting the
axe on the stem. It is time you laid the axe at the root. Matthew 15:13 says, "But
he Jesus answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not
planted, shall be rooted up." If you don't get to the root of any problem, you are
wasting time.

A woman wanted some travel documents to travel abroad. She struggled and
struggled. Eventually, she decided to pray.

The first day she came, the man of God told her that the Lord told him that
there was somebody that offended her and she had decided never to forgive him.
She thought about it and remembered it was her former husband. The man of
God asked her why she decided never to forgive the man. She said, "When the
man was wearing bathroom slippers, I was with him. When he changed to
sandals, I was with him. When he was wearing short nicker and trouser I was
with him. When he was riding a bicycle, I was with him. When he was building
a house, I was with him.


THE DEVIL IS A MASTER IN DECEPTION. HE
MAY KEEP SOME PROBLEMS QUIET UNTIL A
LATER DAY AND HE MAY GIVE YOU ONE
 SOLUTION ONLY TO BRING A FRESH
PROBLEM LATER.


But when he became rich, he took another woman. Because of that, only God
can settle the quarrel between us. I will never forgive him." The man of God
said, "Well, if you want God to help you, you will drop the unforgiving spirit.
She broke down and cried saying, "Please, God, how can someone offend me
and you say I should forgive him? She went home that day and came back the
next day and said, "I have decided to forgive him, I have nothing against him".
In the next few days, she got the travel documents, after five years. That was
because the root of her problem was attacked. If she had attacked the leaves, the
documents would not have come out.

Sometimes, people discover the root of the problem but want to use the wrong
axe. You must understand that darkness doesn't fight darkness. Jesus said a
kingdom divided against itself will fall. The devil is a master in deception. He
may keep some problems quiet until a later day and he may give you one
solution only to bring a fresh problem later.

A woman's son was sick but she didn't know that next to her room was the
person troubling the child. She started praying. She prayed and prayed and the
child became normal. She didn't know that next to her was somebody putting a
nail in the wall and whenever the nail was in the wall, the child would begin to
convulse. But when the woman began to pray, the nail came out and fell down
and the child recovered. She kept praying, after sometime, the neighbour noticed
that as she kept praying, the nail would fall from the wall.

Then he thought of another thing. He carried the concoction and knocked at
the woman's door and said, "Madam, what is wrong? She said, "It is this child.
He's a bit sick. "He said, "Take this concoction and give it to him". She said,
"No, I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't need any concoction. He went
back with shame saying, "If the woman had given the concoction to the child he
would have become ill and seven hours later he would have developed
tuberculosis that cannot be cured."

When somebody experiences a long relief from a problem and later it comes
back again, it has to do with the root. My popular saying is that when you kill
the spider, you will no longer find the cobweb, but if you keep removing the
cobweb from your house and you have not killed the spider, the problem will
continue. It is therefore a dangerous thing not to discover the root of what you
are battling with.


WHEN YOU HAVE FEAR IN YOUR SPIRIT AND
YOU ARE HAPPY ONLY WHEN PEOPLE ARE
AROUND BUT WHEN YOU ARE ALONE YOU
ARE IN TROUBLE, OR YOU HAVE THE SPIRIT
OF SELF-PITY, OR YOU HAVE A CHRONIC
DISEASE, THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE
ROOTED OUT.


The devil is diverting the attention of so many people. When they are dealing
with something instead of waiting upon the Lord for the thing to be removed and
dry to the root. Some listen to the devil's diversion. They would say, "It is
because I did not listen to "Prophet" that is why the problem is still there. It is
because I left the church which I was attending. It is because I did not celebrate
my 21st birthday. It is because I did not offer sacrifice in my village, or it is
because I have a very small Bible." The devil would keep them busy chasing the
shadow and they would fail to see the root.

The devil may even try to convince some people to give up, and keep some
busy drinking "holy water" and using perfume. So, when someone is
experiencing a prolonged ailment, something needs to be rooted out. When you
have fear in your spirit and you are happy only when people are around but
when you are alone you are in trouble, or you have the spirit of self-pity, or you
have a chronic disease, there is something to be rooted out.

When you are praying and praying, and you are having one eye at the kingdom
of the devil, saying, "Let's see what will happen. If nothing happens, I will go
back to what I have been doing," there is something to be rooted out. Gehazi was
a servant of Elisha,. His mother liked him very well and decided that he should
become a prophet. She put him in the school of the prophet. But how did Gehazi
end up his life? While Elisha received double portion from his master Elijah,
Gehazi received leprosy and went away with it. What put him in trouble was his
love for material things. That was the root of his problem.

God sent a prophet to one place and said, "You prophet, I am giving you a
strong assignment. You are going to speak to an altar and the altar should
collapse. After you have done what I ask you to do, don't greet anybody, don't
eat anything, go away. Eventually, somebody called the prophet and convinced
him to eat some food. While he was eating, the same prophet that gave him the
food began to prophesy to him that because he was eating when God told him
not to eat, a lion would kill him. And that was exactly what happened. The
problem of that prophet was food. Anybody who would have helped him would
have had to deal with his gluttony.

I was in England on the Christmas day, of 1982. There was snow all over the
place. It was cold. One boy called Ezekiel came back from a one-hour morning
service and said, "Well, this is Christmas day. Man must enjoy himself." He
wore a very nice suit and out he went.

Nobody knew where he went to but about three hours later, he came running
back to the hostel without shoes on. He was not wearing his suit and his tie. He
had gone to a club to drink beer. There he saw a British girl sitting down and
said, "How are you?" She said, "Well have come here to be friendly with
people." He said, "Really?" She said, "Yes." As they were asking, the girl said,
"If you have to commit immorality with me, you have to follow me home."
Ezekiel foolishly entered her car. He should have known that something was
wrong. They went into this girl's house and sat down.


IF THERE IS SOMETHING EVIL IN YOUR LIFE
THAT YOU CANNOT LEAVE FOR THE SAKE OF
CHRIST, THEN IT IS THE ROOT OF YOUR
PROBLEM.


The Bible says, "The way of the transgressor is hard.". The girl gave him tea
and said, "When you are ready I am ready." He removed his shoes and stockings,
his tie and his suit. The woman said, "You have not paid." He brought out all the
money in his pocket, about 60 pounds, and gave to the girl. She collected the
money and said, "Let's go into the bedroom, and she pulled out her gun and said,
"You black man, what are you doing here? I will blow your brain out". Ezekiel
began to bow down to the girl, begging her, telling her that he had a wife in
Nigeria and she said, "You are a stupid husband, I want to teach people like you
lessons."

When Ezekiel had the chance of getting out of that room, he didn't stop
running until he got to the hostel. He was lucky. Some other Nigerians just died
like that.

All of us have certain desires inside of us and if you fail to manage that desire
it becomes a root. The problem with the root is that it will grow and most of the
time, some people would cut it off from the leaf.

The reason some people will not prosper is pride. Those who would help them
would surround them but the way they would talk and comport themselves,
those around them would think that they don't need any help. They could really
be suffering but, they could be commanding and ordering around those who
would help them.

If there is something evil in your life that you cannot leave for the sake of
Christ, then it is the root of your problem. Paul said, "I will drink no wine, I will
eat no meat, if it is going to cause my brother to stumble". He was not concerned
only with drinking of wine and eating of bread getting him to hell fire but also
making his brother to stumble. The Bible says, if you make your brother to
stumble, it will be better to tie a stone to your neck and throw you to the sea.

No external force can withstand the prayers of aggressive Christians. From
where will the witch or wizard come that will face the prayers? Those who try
end up with the headache or pains that leave the body of true believers. Our
greatest problem now is our internal enemy. That one inside is the root of so
many problems.

 Many people will not have a settled home until they have disciplined their
tongues until they have learnt not to claim their right all the time. The Bible
says, until they learn that arguing and winning an argument does not mean
anything as far as God is concerned then they will have problems.

Some people come to church with their secret sin. That sin is not a sleeping
dog, it should not be left alone. The secret sin is the source of other problems. It
is a constant offence to God, so you must go to the Lord Jesus Christ. You must
see that you overcome it and get it out of your life.

Some people are fond of telling lies. Every lie that you tell will need another
lie to accompany it and give it respectability. When the two lies are moving in
the street and they see the truth coming, .they would have to use a parent lie to
cover themselves. Lies panic a lot. They create stress for those who tell them.
Liars The Bible calls the devil, the accuser of our brethren. He accuses them day
and night. He doesn't accuse wrongly, it is what you do he talks about are
cowards, when they face one single truth they fall down. It is a problem in many
lives that should be rooted out.

When you say the fire of God should begin to strike at the stronghold of the
enemy and it happens, if you are still having sexual lust, and all kinds of girl
friends, the demon power that you call fire to destroy will talk to God saying,
"Lord, see this person who is praying. Your word says, No fornicator or
adulterer is clean before God. Look at this one, why should we not attack him.
The Lord says, "No reason." The Bible calls the devil, the accuser of our
brethren. He accuses them day and night. He doesn't accuse wrongly. It is what
you do he talks about.

Mark 11 :20-21 says,

And in the morning, as they passed by, the saw the fig tree dried up
from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith, unto Him,
Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

Jesus pronounced a curse upon that fig tree and it dried to its roots. The power
of the enemies has planted so many things in many lives and I am sure that these
things have eaten deep into many lives. Those who are young and have accepted
Christ into their lives don't know the jackpot they have won for themselves.
Those who are 40, 50, or 60 know what they have passed through. You don't
know what you have when you start following Jesus at a young age. For
accepting Jesus at a young age, some of the things the devil could have planted
in your life will not to be possible.

It is better for the problems not to be planted than for you to be standing to
uproot them. That is why the Bible says, "Remember your God in the days of
your youth, when the tribulations have not come." The Bible knows that in
everybody's life there is a trial of Jacob.

John the Baptist was a great man. Jesus Christ had a testimony about him, that,
of all that were born of woman, none was greater than him. His main character
was that he was very precise in his sayings. In Matthew 3:10 he said, "And now
the axe is laid unto the root of the tree, therefore every tree which bringeth not
forth fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. "

Human beings are very strange. We like cutting off the head of a problem
while allowing the root to remain. We had somebody in our meeting a long time
ago. She was married with four children and they were doing quite well. They
lived in a flat. But one day, the husband came home with a big box, packed his
belongings therein, and told his wife: "I am leaving you. I am leaving this place.
I won't come back here." The woman thought it was a joke. The man took the
box and went away.


WHEN YOU HAVE NOT DISCOVERED THE
ROOT OF WHAT YOU ARE FIGHTING, THERE
WILL BE LITTLE OR NO PROGRESS.


One week, two, three weeks, one month, two months, five months, he did not
come back. He came back after about six months and said, "It is my name that is
in the tenant receipt, so, you woman, go out." The landlord was happy like most
landlords would be, because of the new rate they would collect from the new
tenant. So the woman moved out from a three bedroom flat to a one bedroom
apartment. This woman was a Muslim. Somebody advised her that this kind of
thing needed prayer and that was what brought her to our church. That day she
came, we didn't pray any special prayer for her. What we did was to tell her to
go home and pray that the Lord should show her the secret of this problem,
because one should not start fighting without knowing what one is fighting.

She went home and prayed hard and in a vision, she saw somebody in white
garment enter into her room. She said the person's head was touching the roof.
He said, "Madam you want me to tell you the source of your problem?" She said,
"Yes" and the man said, "Your parents didn't have children on time and because
of that, they went to a river in your village requested of you from that river.
Because of that, no blessing of God can stay in your hands until you do
something about it. And the man disappeared. She could not sleep again that
night. She rushed to the church the next day. This was about seven years ago.
She came to me and said, "Doctor, I saw wonders last night" and narrated the
vision to me. Now we knew where we were going. I told her to go for three days
dry fast and to command every evil activity and assignment of water spirit to be
nullified. She started praying, and on the third day, her husband came back
home. The following Sunday, they were in the church together.

Suppose we had started by praying to God to send back the husband, he would
not have come back, because we had not arrived at the root of the problem.
When you get to the root of a problem, the miracle is so big and so sudden that
many people become surprised. But when you have not discovered the root of
what you are fighting, there will be little or no progress. When you discover the
root, like worldly people do, using their own method, and you don't find the
proper axe, there is still trouble.

There are two examples in the word of God that I want to give about people
who use the wrong axes. They knew their problem but they used the wrong axe.

2 Chronicles 16:12-14 says,

And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his
feet, until his disease was exceedingly great, yet in his disease he sought
not the Lord, but to the Physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers, and
died in the one and fortieth year of his reign, And they buried him in
his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David
and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and diverse
kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries art and they made a very
great burning for him.


WHAT GOD SAYS TO US IS THIS, "MY
THOUGHTS TOWARD YOU ARE GOOD AND
NOT BAD", ANYTHING CONTRARY TO THAT IS
WHAT YOU SHOULD DISCOVER AND FIGHT
AGAINST.


The reason he died is that he didn't seek God but the physicians. He thought
that his problem was medical, so he put God aside.

2 Kings 1:1-4 which reads:

Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. And
Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in
Samaria, and was sick and he sent messengers and said unto them, Go,
inquire of Baal Zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this
disease. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, the Tishbites, Arise, go
up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say unto them -
Is it not because there is not a God in Israel that ye go to Inquire of
Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou
shall not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shall
surely die. And Elijah departed.

What was that man's problem? He has used the wrong axe to the problem. It is
much more pathetic that there are those who know the root and they have the axe
but they refuse to cut. Some cut and leave a little bit behind and fail to cast the
thing into the fire for destruction. It is important to know the root of what is
hindering you spiritually and physically. What God says to us is this, "My
thoughts towards you are good and not bad, anything contrary to that, is what
you should discover and fight against. It is therefore a dangerous thing for you
not to discover the root of what you are fighting against.

 Jesus made an outstanding statement in the book of Matthew. He said the
enemy of a man could be a member of his household. So many people have
household enemies. They are the strongest enemies you can think of. Why are
they the strongest? They know everything about you. They know when you were
born and where your placenta was buried. Maybe they were even the ones who
washed you when they took you out from the womb. May be they were the ones
who first put pepper, honey and sugar into your mouth.

The enemies in the camp are the most dangerous enemies you can think of.
They work in a network. You may not suspect them at all, it does not matter how
far a person is, they would be there.

In 1989, I was in England, I was asked to preach in one church and I spoke the
word of God as the Spirit of God laid it in my heart. I then noticed that from that
day, I never slept till 2 a.m. People who had listened to the word of God in the
church were crowding the place I was visiting. I discovered that many problems
people run away from in Nigeria follow them to England or elsewhere because
their roots have not been touched.

I would tell you one secret: immediately your prayer touches the root of your
problem, you will observe a reaction. Someone somewhere will react. He would
know that you are getting deliverance from a particular bondage. He would
come and find out what is happening to you or check up which kind of new
power you have received.


THE ROOT OF SOME PEOPLE'S PROBLEM IS
POOR MANAGEMENT OF PROBLEMS.


Some spirits hide behind certain weaknesses already existing in people's lives.
If you are somebody who likes food too much, it can attract a spirit making use
of that weak point. If you are somebody who likes people to be seeing visions
for you, you will open the way for the devil to give you his own vision. I know a
man who developed a mental problem after he had visited people who talk to the
dead. What he saw there scared him. Using that fear, the devil walked into his
life. I know another person who had a serious problem because a long time ago,
he gave his hand to someone to read the lines on his palm and tell him his future.
The person prophesied evil to him and he accepted it.

The root of some people's problem is poor management of problems. The Lord
Jesus advised that there are some prayers you should not pray in the open. You
should be secretive about certain prayers. When you are secretive in your
prayers it doesn't mean that you have some skeleton in your cupboard. It just
means that you are managing your intelligence very well. You know where you
work, who you see, and where you live. As far as human beings are surrounded
by jealous people, keeping secret may be the best solution to your problem.

Most of the problems Joseph had were because he couldn't manage his secret.
God showed him the vision of his life. He would have saved himself the
headache by keeping quiet but he kept talking about the vision, even when his
parents asked him to keep quiet. He suffered for that.

Has God shown you the secret of your life? Don't broadcast it in the open. Any
good vision God gives to you, don't broadcast it until God tells you to do so. The
Bible says we should love our enemies, show kindness to them, pray and preach
to them. But he didn't ask us to tell them our secret. Many people hand over the
secret of their lives to their enemies daily, and the enemies take it to their
meeting. That is the root of the people's problem.

Some people have things in their lives that they are not aware of. Somebody
could be a sorcerer or a witch without knowing. But some people know they are
sorcerers. If someone goes somewhere and collects demonic power or accepts
witchcraft power, he knows what he is.

The unconscious ones are the most unfortunate ones. They were put into it
without their knowledge until the root is removed from their lives, and things
will not work for them the way it should be. Some have kissed the enemy and
the enemy has vomited satanic material into their lives. They look at the enemy
and say this is my girlfriend, but the devil knows that the person is a satanic
agent and has vomited things into their spirit. They look at a man and say this is
a boyfriend, but as far as the devil is concerned the man is a satanic agent and
has vomited the thing into the woman's life. They look at a person and say this is
my sugar daddy, but that one has vomited things into their lives. That could be
the root of their problem.

 God specially selects some people like He selected Mary and said she would
give birth to the Lord Jesus Christ. God selected some women and said they
would give birth to prophets who would do this or that. If a woman aborts the
baby prophet, judgement will come upon her. It could be the root of the woman's
problem.

To most believers, the root of their problem is basically disobedience to God,
but when they start obeying God their problem will be uprooted. Matthew 15:13
says, "But he answered and said, every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not
planted, shall be rooted up and throw into fire." When you cut down a tree, right
from the root, it can no longer live because you have attacked it right to the root.
But if it is allowed to stay there, it will become a big tree and its seeds will be
falling on the ground and more trees will start to grow.

Another problem is that when they cut down a tree, they don't really cut it
down to the root. The enemy plants another tree there and it will be a deception
by the enemy.


TO MOST BELIEVERS, THE ROOT OF THEIR
PROBLEM IS BASICALLY DISOBEDIENCE TO
GOD, BUT WHEN THEY START OBEYING GOD
THEIR PROBLEM WILL BE UPROOTED.


The tree that is not producing good fruit is to be cut down and be thrown into
the fire according to God's plan. It is good for nothing. You cannot see any good
thing from that tree. You cannot build a house with its wood. You cannot make a
table or chair with wood from that tree.

The Bible tells us where to find the axe. God is an axe-man, His angels have
the axe and you too can be the axe of God this day. Jeremiah 47:6-7 says,

O thou sword of the Lord, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? Put up thyself
into thy scabbard, rest and be still. How can it be quiet, seeing the Lord hath
given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? There hath he
appointed it.

So, God has His axe that He will appoint this day. II Kings 19:35 says,

And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and
smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred four score and five
thousand, and when they arose early in the morning behold, they were
all dead corpses.

These were people that wanted to come against the people of God. All that
God had to do was to despatch one angel. You can see what the angel did there.
God can do that on your behalf. He can send forth His angel against anything
that is working against you. Jeremiah 51 :20 says,

Thou art my battle axe and weapon of war for with thee will I break in
pieces the nations and with thee will I destroy kingdoms.

I remember a man who wanted to build a house. He struggled and struggled
and it seemed as if the house was never going to be built. When he saw that it
was becoming a problem to him, he went into prayers with some people. When
they started praying, the Lord opened somebody's eyes and he saw the devil
standing at the road on which the house was to be built and driving away anyone
coming along.

After that man had seen the vision, he was clear on what to do. One night, they
called the devil saying, "Come here, You are the one standing on that place.
Now, leave the place in Jesus name." It was in afternoon that the man could
complete the building.

I would like you to think about how life has been treating you. You are either
enjoying the blessings of God or you are enjoying what the devil calls curses.
And decide in your heart that the axe of the Lord will get to the root of the
matter. The Bible says that we wrestle not against the flesh but against
principalities and powers. Take your mind off any physical person.


I WOULD LIKE YOU TO THINK ABOUT HOW
 LIFE HAS BEEN TREATING YOU, YOU ARE
EITHER ENJOYING THE BLESSINGS OR GOD
OR YOU ARE ENJOYING WHAT THE DEVIL
CALLS CURSES AND DECIDE IN YOUR HEART
THAT THE AXE OF THE LORD WILL GET TO
THE ROOT OF THE MATTER.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Every root that I have not discovered in any area of my life, Father, reveal it
to me, in the name of Jesus.
2. Father Lord, use Your word to meet me at the point of my need, in the
name of Jesus.
3. Any goodness that has been hiding in the air, water, ground, or forest, I call
you back, in the name of Jesus.
4. I command the root of any problem in my life to dry to the roots, in the
name of Jesus.
5. Place your hand on your stomach and pray: I challenge my stomach with
the fire of God, in the name of Jesus.


 CHAPTER SIX
THE BATTLE AXE

In this chapter, I would look at something very important called, "The Battle
Axe of the Lord." We know what an axe is but this is called the Battle Axe. It is
different from the normal domestic axe. As a battle axe, it has to be strong,
sharp, swift and very powerful.

The expectation of God for you and I and everybody that is Kingdom minded,
is that you must be a battle axe; that is God's expectation. But the very truth is
that most of us are not yet a battle axe. Some of us cannot even function as a
blade and unfortunately many people are toy instruments in the hand of the
devil. This is not God's purpose. The devil knows this. He also knows each
individual and the extent he can go with everyone, that was why he could tell the
sons of Sceva, "Paul, I know, this Jesus you are talking about I know, but who
are you?" That is, he knows who a battle axe is and he knows who a toy
instrument is.

So two ways are set before us. Perhaps you want to take a decision to be a
battle axe or you want to continue to be a toy instrument in the hands of the
devil. But the truth is this, one cannot continue to be a toy in the hand of the
devil because it is not safe.


THE WORLD WE ARE LIVING IS A BATTLE
FIELD AND BECAUSE OF THAT, YOU MUST BE
A BATTLE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE
FINISHED.


Sometime ago, a man was giving a testimony and he said something that left
so much impression in my spirit. The man said that about three years ago, when
his child became a believer, he tried to kill him. He tried many things but failed.
Then, he was forced to call this child one day, and said to him, "There are many
Christians like you in this village whom we kill like fouls everyday. How come I
cannot kill you?" He did not say unbelievers. Why could his father not kill him?
He couldn't, because the boy was a battle axe. That was the difference between
him and other Christians.

Some people have gone to hell fire because they refused to be a battle axe.
Those who choose to be a battle axe cannot be killed. The choice is for you and I
to make. We must appreciate right away that the world is a place of darkness that
is why Psalm 74:20 says,

Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of this earth are
full of the habitations of cruelty.

In the habitation of cruelty there is no mercy. In the habitation of cruelty, you
cannot afford to just sit down and be gazing, you must take a stand.

Psalm 91 makes us to understand some things very clearly because God does
not want anybody to suffer unjustly. The world we are living is a battle field and
because of that, you must be a battle axe if you don't want to be finished. Satan
is fighting the children of God every time. In the morning, afternoon, evening
and at night.

Let us look at two verses in Psalm 91.

Verse 5 tells us that at night, there is a terror, and at noonday, when
everybody's eyes are wide open, arrows fly about.

Verse 6 talks about the pestilence that walketh in darkness and the destruction
that wasteth at noonday. It is like saying that there is no hiding place, and there
is no safe time of the day. The devil is occupied 24 hours a day that is why he is
flying arrows and carrying out demonic activities every hour of the day.

WHY DOES GOD WANT US TO BE A BATTLE AXE?

 He wants us to be a battle axe to break nations into pieces.
To destroy the kingdom of the devil.
To break into pieces the horses and their riders.


What are these horses and their riders? These are occult people who are
propagating the message of satan.

To break the chariots and their riders.

To destroy men and women that are demonic.
To destroy the old and the young.


What are the old and the young? These are traditions that are based on
demonic principles. Many people insist on these traditions as if they were
written in the word of God.

To break the shepherd and the flocks.

IF THERE IS ANY EVIL COVENANT ON YOUR
LIFE, WHETHER YOU FORMED IT YOURSELF
OR SOMEBODY DID IT ON YOUR BEHALF, IT
HAS TO BE BROKEN.


Who are the shepherds and flocks? False prophets and false churches that are
propagating the message of the devil.

 To destroy the captains and their rulers. (Jeremiah 51: 20-23)


The problem is that people are refusing to become battle axes. One thing is
very clear, unless you are a battle axe you cannot perform these functions that
God wants you to perform. You can see other people perform them but you
cannot because what it takes, is not inside you. It takes more than mere church
attendance.

WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF THE BATTLE AXE OF GOD?

The battle axe of God must be rust-free

It is very obvious that a rusted axe cannot function properly. It is like salt that
has lost its savour.

• How do I know my life is rust-free?

If you know that you are under any form of curse, perhaps from your parents
or somebody else and you are going on like that believing it will be okay, it
won't, except that curse is broken. Reuben had a curse upon his head. He did not
do anything to break the curse.

Genesis 49: 2-4 says,

Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken
unto Israel your father. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and
the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the
excellency of power. Unsatable as water, thou shalt not excel. . .

YOUR LIFE MUST BE FREE FROM IMPURITIES
IF YOU MUST BE A BATTLE AXE. WHAT ARE
THESE IMPURITIES? ANY ATOM OF
WORLDLINESS WILL LEAD TO IMPURITIES.


He said he would not excel. There are reasons for Reuben to excel. One of
them is because he was the first born. But because he did something which was
contrary, a curse had to be placed upon his head. Reuben lost his birthright and
many other things that go along with it e.g. priesthood, kingship, etc. because of
the curse that was placed upon him.

So, if you know that somewhere along the line, justly or unjustly, somebody
had placed a curse upon you, that curse that will serve as a hindrance against
functioning in the power of God. That is why some people who in their heart of
hearts, desire to do the things of God cannot. Something is against them and
unless that thing is removed, nothing will happen.

If there is any evil covenant on your life, whether you formed it yourself or
somebody did it on your behalf, it has to be broken.

For instance, somebody was born and taken to a river somewhere by his
parents to thank this river for giving them the child. They promised that every
year, he would come to the river to say thank you. After getting some education,
that person forgets there is covenant on him in his village and he wants to begin
to function, particularly in the things of God, he reads the Bible and sees that he
has been made to be a battle axe. He knows that this world is a terrible place. He
reads about the habitation of curelty and now takes his stand. He says, "Ok, I
will fight against these things." But behold, he cannot do those things. Why? A
covenant is standing somewhere and unless that covenant is broken, progress
will not be made.

The Spirit of God was ministering to me sometime ago that there are believers
whose lives are like this and God was showing me a picture of people who use
ear-rings, trinkets, and things like that to me. A lot of believers live their lives as
if they are coated with gold, but within, they are not actually gold. Deep down in
the lives of such people, you find a stronghold of the devil. But on the surface,
they carry the Bible about, sing choruses and talk about the word of God.

Sometimes, entering into a covenant is a very simple thing. It is not every
covenant that requires that somebody takes a sacrifice to a road junction. It is not
every covenant that requires that incision be made on the body.

I was in a Molue bus (big commercial bus) sometime ago, and one of the
people that sell drugs, rushed in at a bus stop. Holding a small bottle containing
some liquid, he said, "Get your own, get your own and rub it on your face. The
morning is always good." Some people put their hands forward and the man put
some of the contents of the bottle on their palms and rubbed it on their faces. I
saw people using the liquid to rub their faces. They didn't know this man from
Adam. They didn't know anything about him.

After that, the man started selling his other wares and people were shouting,
"Bring one, bring two." Something as simple and elementary as that could put a
person into a life-time covenant.

Sometime ago, I came into the office and saw people eating many things. I
asked them how they came about the food. I was told that somebody was
opening a canteen somewhere and gave us free food. I wondered how anybody
doing business can give people free food. Something as simple as that could put
a person into a covenant.


IF YOU WANT TO FUNCTION AS GOD'S
BATTLE AXE, YOU MUST PASS THROUGH FIRE
AND PASSING THROUGH THIS FIRE AT TIMES
COULD BE TOUGH AND UNBEARABLE.


You have to really look into your life by asking questions like, "What is my
background like?" "What are the things I have been involved in?" "What is the
source of this name I bear?" "What is the implication of this name?" "Are there
some things inside me that will make it impossible for me to prosper in the
things of God?" These are things you must really examine.

Your life must be free from impurities if you must be a battle axe

What are these impurities? Any atom of worldliness will lead to impurities.
Once impurities set in, a person cannot prosper in the things of God. 1 John
2:15-16 says,

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world.

What are these lust of the flesh? If somebody finds it impossible to restrain
himself from anything, he has this compulsive Instinct Inside him. For instance,
If he wants to sleep, he cannot do any other thing until he has finished sleeping.
If it is food, he won't want to listen to anything until he eats that food. If you find
It Impossible to put your flesh under even elementary control, you cannot
function as a battle axe of God.

• Pride of the eyes

What is the lust of the eyes? Solomon said that all the things his eyes saw and
desired, he craved for, and got them. And those things were the very things that
led to his destruction. We should be able to put our eyes under control.

Sometime ago, a woman said to me, "Ah! I have "knocked" my husband to
submission." I asked what about? She said, "Everybody is buying satellite dish
now and he has the money to buy it but he doesn't want to. He has bought it, I
have forced him to buy it." Because she saw it all over the place, she believed
that she too must have it in her house. That kind of attitude will make a person to
function at the elementary level all through life.

• Pride of life

What is the pride of life? It is looking for recognition by all means. This kind
of crave for recognition will not make a person to function in the things of God.

For instance, if somebody who wants to get married says, "Ah, the world and
heaven will hear about this my wedding." What does he want to do? He wants to
make a statement about his wealth, that is all. A person living like this with the
spirit of show-off at all times, should know definitely that he cannot function for
God. He can only function for himself.

A battle axe of God must compulsorily pass through fire

Those who have been to blacksmiths or goldsmiths know that metals are
passed through fire before they can be transformed into anything good.

The Bible tells us that God, our Father is the Porter and you and I, are the clay.
Likewise the process of being a battle axe. For one to function properly as a
battle axe that God desires, he must compulsorily pass through fire. Any child of
God that has a part of God's programme must pass through a training process. It
is non-negotiable. There is no prayer that can help.

If you want to function as God's battle axe, you must pass through fire and
passing through this fire at times could be tough and unbearable. You must know
that the life of a believer is like that of a student who would take series of
courses before he graduates. At times, he would take an examination and would
find it so easy that he would score very good marks without much labour. But
the others might not be so. But the thing is this, whether you find it pleasant or
not, you must pass through it. If you don't, you won't progress. At times, the
training programme of God could be so subtle that a person does not even know
he is undergoing a programme. It is later when he now has to put those things
into practice that he will discover and say, "Oh! This is what God was teaching
me."

When Moses was a shepherd in the wilderness, he did not know that God was
taking him through a programme. He was tending sheep and through that, he
learnt patience, how to be caring, how to appreciate peoples' problems and long-
suffering. He was able to lead the Israelites because God had already schooled
him.

Paul had his own training. But his was a tough one (2 Corinthians 1:8.) In that
region of Asia, describing the kind of training programme he passed through
there, Paul said he was pressed out of measure, even unto death but he had to
pass through it.


IF YOU BEGIN TO CURSE AND ABUSE YOUR
BOSS BECAUSE OF THE PRESSURE HE IS
PUTTING UPON YOU, FORGETTING THAT GOD
 IS MAKING YOU TO PASS THROUGH A
TRAINING PROGRAMME, YOU WILL MISS IT.


In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul had an encounter with some people. They were
human beings but because of the intensity of the pressure and toughness of the
training programme, Apostle Paul described these people as beasts.

1 Corinthians 15:32 says,

If after the manner of men I have fought beasts at Ephesus, what
advantageth it me, if the dead rise not. Let us eat and drink; for
tomorrow we die.

The Bible describes a believer as an eagle in many places. The training
programme of an eagle is described in Deuteronomy 32: 11 talks about the
training programme of a believer like that of an eagle. When the eaglet comes
out of the nest and begins to drop from a great height; suddenly, the mother-
eagle spreads out her wings underneath the eaglet so that it does not fall. The
mother-eagle repeats this process until the eaglet starts flying. The eaglet begins
to fly because it has undergone a training.

What kind of training programme have you undergone? What training
programme are you undergoing now? Your training programme could be in the
family. You may have a boss in your place of work that is so bad that he gives
you something to do and expects the result immediately when he knows it is not
possible.

What is God making you to pass through? He wants you to learn patience, He
wants you to learn to accommodate and He wants you to learn how to be fast
because your Christian life is a race. If you begin to curse and abuse your boss
because of the pressure he is putting upon you, forgetting that God is making
you to pass through a training programme, you will miss it.


GOD EXPECTS THAT WE SHOULD BE BATTLE
 AXES. THIS SHOULD BE SEEN CLEARLY IN US.
IF NOT, IT MEANS THAT WE ARE NOT
FUNCTIONING AS BATTLE AXES.

THINGS THAT BLUR THE SHARPNESS OF A BATTLE AXE

I want you to understand that a person could be at the level where he is already
a battle axe but there are three things that can blur the sharpness of that axe and
render it invalid.

Inordinate love for the opposite sex

This has led to the downfall of many great people. Examples of this abound in
the Word of God. Solomon, Samson, David, etc. passed through this type.
Inordinate love for the opposite sex will render the axe invalid.

Alcohol

People that are terribly involved in demonic activities get to a level where it
becomes an abomination for them to take alcohol talkless of those who are
seeking the power of God.

Sometime ago, a brother wanted me to pray with him. I discovered that he
drank alcohol and I counselled him to stop. Later, I asked him, "Brother, how
about that issue?" He told me he has reduced his alcohol intake. Such a person
will not prosper in the things of God except he is delivered.

Excessive love for money

In Apostle Paul's letter to Timothy, he said, "Timothy, tell those that are in
your church particularly those that are rich, that they should not be high-minded
and should not trust in riches that are not stable." Paul warned that riches have
the power to ensnare a person and automatically the person will embark on a
different journey.

WHAT IS GOD'S EXPECTATION FOR YOU AND I?

God expects that we should be battle axes. This should be seen clearly in us. If
not, it means that we are not functioning as battle axes. But there is an
opportunity for us now if we sincerely desire an amendment. Jesus says, "If
anyone is thirsty," He does not say if anyone wants to see a minister. It is a
strange thing that people only want to see ministers of God working miracles.
They do not want to become battle axes.

But the Bible says, "If anybody is athirst, let him come unto me and drink and
when he drinks out of this water, he will never thirst again."

Do you desire to begin to function as God's battle axe within your family or in
your neigbhourhood? Talk to God like this:

PRAYER POINTS

1. Every contamination that I have brought into my life by myself, fire of

God, bum them to ashes, in the name of Jesus.
2. Father Lord, make me your battle axe and your instrument of war, in the
name of Jesus.
3. Every covenant contrary in my life, that has bound me to failure, that will
not make me to prosper in spiritual matters, break, in the name of Jesus.
4. Father Lord, give me the anointing that will enable me to function as Your
battle axe, in the name of Jesus.


 CHAPTER SEVEN
THE STUBBORN PURSUERS

I want to look at this topic from the point of view of the lamentations of
Jeremiah as can be found in the book of Lamentations 4:19:

Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heavens, they pursued us
upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

This was the lamentation of a prophet and this lamentation is true today. So,
this message is a very serious and practical one and I believe God that many
bondage will break through it. To understand this topic fully, it is pertinent to
know why one thing pursues the other.

There are many reasons why things pursue one another. One thing may be
pursuing the other because of hunger, sheer wickedness, in self-defence or
something is threatening the progress of someone and he or she decides to
pursue it. One can also pursue another to recover his or her property.

Sometimes, things pursue one another because they want to retaliate the harm
that has been done to them. Sometimes, somebody has to be pursued in order to
bring the person to judgement.


A LIFE UNDER PURSUIT IS NEVER AT EASE NO
MATTER WHICH DIRECTION IT TURNS.


Let us take some examples. Why should a cat pursue a rat, why should a snake
pursue a man or why should a hunter pursue an animal? Sometimes, it is for self-
defence, out of fear, or for food.

Sometimes, you find little children pursuing one another. They care less
whether they are pursuing their colleagues right into their mother's bedroom or
right to the place they should not enter. And when you ask them why they
chased their friends into that kind of place, they may say, it is either because he
took their sweet or he slapped their face. The solution is usually very simple.
Once the sweet is returned, the pursuer turns back. If it is "he slapped my face,"
the answer is either retaliation or you beg. The answer is not like that of sweet
and sometimes the begging is not always satisfactory.

One of the first lessons that you learn if you are being trained as a deliverance
minister, or how to set the captives free is that many people are under hot
pursuit. So, when you see that some people cannot settle down but are going
from left to right, it is not their fault, something is pursuing them.

The second lesson you learn is that some pursuers turn back easily after one or
two prayer battles.

The third lesson is that some remain stubborn. They seem to laugh and mock
at all your efforts to get them off your back. This can be very frustrating to a
Christian or disappointing to the weak-hearted or the baby-believers.


WHEN SOMEBODY PUTS IN A LOT OF EFFORT
IN SOMETHING BUT ACHIEVES VERY LITTLE
RESULT, SOMETHING IS PURSUING THE
PERSON.


The fourth lesson is that the pursuer will continue to pursue until you find out
why he is still pursuing. A life under pursuit is never at ease no matter which
direction it turns.

I want to tell you a story of an example of a life under pursuit. A woman was
taken to a maternity house to be delivered of a baby. The nurses noticed that her
husband never came to check her. Eventually, this woman fell into labour. It
took sometime but just as she was about to give birth, a small bird flew right into
the room and landed on her head. The nurses who were bent on killing the bird,
closed all the windows and ran after it and killed it. Immediately the bird
stopped breathing, the woman too stopped breathing.

When the husband came, they said to him, "Sorry, this is what happened to
your wife." The man rejoiced and threw a big party. Somebody asked him why?
He said since the day he married that woman, he had known no peace, but now
that she was dead, he was happy.

A similar case took place somewhere in Ile-Ife, in the western part of Nigeria.
A woman was in labour for seven days. When doctors and nurses became
helpless, she was rushed to the revival ground where a big revival was going on
at that time. The minister of God prayed with her and immediately, blood and
water began to come out from the birth carnal. The man of God said, "Take her
to one of the classrooms," where the prayer warriors continued the prayers for
her.

One thing that scared them was that while they were praying a bird flew in and
landed on the head of the woman. Some said, "Let us continue to pray," while
others said, "Let us go and call the evangelist." Anyway, they continued praying
and a second bird came and landed on the woman's head. When they saw this,
they all exclaimed, "This one is beyond us." So, they sent for the evangelist.
While the evangelist was still praying, a third bird came. Then the man started to
address the birds, "You evil pursuers, you have been pursuing this woman all her
life, now you want to end the thing here, not in this revival ground, not while
Jesus is still on the throne." He began to bind the birds and they disappeared one
by one. Immediately the birds disappeared, the woman gave birth to a set of
twins. These are just two examples of a life under pursuit.

There are signs by which you can recognise whether somebody is under hot
pursuit or not.

When you discover that you are having chain-problems, that is as you get free
from one, another is rising up. Know that something is pursuing you.

Or you vow to follow God, only to fall back afterwards and not be able to
serve the Lord again.

Some people quarrel with those that God has sent to help them and will be
friendly with those who want to destroy them. There are people like that. They
will never listen well to those who want to help them, they always listen to
advice of destruction.


THE AFRICAN SPIRITUAL ENVIRONMENT IS
EXTREMELY WICKED. IF NOT FOR THE
GOSPEL, MANY OF US THAT ARE STILL ALIVE
TODAY WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD.


These lives are under hot pursuit.

When somebody puts in a lot of effort in something but is achieves very little
result, something is pursuing the person.

When a person lays hands on anything, it will not work, or you give him a
good thing, and it does not last in his hands. For instance, if you say, "Well,
you've tried to be a bricklayer, take this vehicle and begin to make money with
it", he will crash the vehicle the following week. Such person is under pursuit.

There are some people who cannot even recognise those that pursue or oppose
them. They are in trouble always.

There are some group of people too, immediately they leave a place of hot
prayer or leave the fellowship, problems would start again at home. All these are
examples of lives under pursuit.

There are some, they reap evil for every good they do to others because they
are under pursuit.

There are some who face the threat of death all the time and are under what we
call "spiritual fatigue." They are always tired spiritually.

The other time, somebody picked someone's pocket at Yaba bus stop in Lagos.
Some people around ran after him. They tried to trip him so that he would fall,
they stoned him, broke his head and blood was pouring on his clothes but he
kept running.

Likewise, a life under pursuit will suffer a lot of physical problems and
spiritual injuries because the power pursing him will use all available means to
stop him.

There was a time I was under hot pursuit too. That time, we were always
dancing in the church I was attending then. After we have danced very well, and
everybody was sweating and tired of dancing, the pastor would then say, "Well,
let us share the grace and go home." Nobody preached anything to anybody.

One day, hot oil poured on my leg. At the same time, my hand got broken and
I also had chicken pox. It was then the Lord came to me one night and said,
"You are just going to the church but the power thereof you don't know. Now
look at your leg, hand, body. Don't take action, you wait there and let them finish
you." It was then I became born again. It is a terrible thing to be pursued.

Sometime ago, at somewhere called Orile in Lagos, the police was chasing
some robbers and they tried to run across a place covered with quick sand and
grasses. If one looked at it, one won't know that there was water beneath the
sand and grass. As the police chased the robbers, they thought the grasses they
were seeing provided a nice place to run to and hide. So they jumped there and
they all sank in the mud.

A life under pursuit can be in serious trouble like that. The person will make
fatal mistakes. Soon after the person under pursuit had fallen into deep error, the
pursuer would then turn back because his mission had been accomplished. My
prayer is this, the mission of the pursuer shall not be accomplished in your life,
in the name of Jesus.


ANYBODY SHEDDING INNOCENT BLOOD WILL
BE CHASED BY BLOOD. ABORTION AND
TAKING THE LIFE OF HELPLESS PEOPLE IS
SHEDDING OF BLOOD.


 The African spiritual environment is extremely wicked. If not for the gospel,
many of us that are still alive today would have been dead. Many people that are
going about with tie on their necks saying that there is no God will not be alive
to say there is no God because witches would have killed them when they were
babies. But the gospel threw light into this environment and opened the way to
so many things.

SPIRITUAL MASQUERADES

There are many things the wicked use to pursue people. A masquerade will not
pursue a white man in the dream because there are no masquerades in a white
man's country but here, we find people being pursued in the dream by
masquerades.

What is a masquerade in the spiritual world?

It is the embodiment of all the spiritual wickedness in our environment.

Sometimes, if it is not a masquerade, it is a snake. Snakes in the spiritual world
are agents of spiritual poison.

Sometimes if it is not snakes, it is dead relatives running after people. These
are demon spirits sent to shorten people's lives.

Sometimes, it is a woman being pursued by naked males. Those are spirit
husbands or a man being pursued by naked women. That is what we call spirit
wives.

Sometimes, it is river pursuing somebody and it is as if the river wants to
overcome him. It is trouble that the wicked wants to bring upon the person.

Sometimes, it is wild animals. Their victims fight so much that when they
wake up they find themselves sweating. The idea is to cause them spiritual
injury.

Sometimes, it is the armed forces. Somebody with a gun or a weapon has the
purpose of causing spiritual death or spiritual sickness. Many people are shot in
their dreams and by the next morning they are dead.

 Sometimes it is a bird. Those are witchcraft spirits.

So there are things that pursue people. Some people when they get born again
and receive the fire of God, nobody can pursue them again.


ANY FOREFATHER THAT WORSHIPPED IDOLS
HAS PUT HIS CHILDREN OR HIS FUTURE
GENERATION IN TROUBLE AND WHAT GOD IS
SAYING WILL BE PURSUING THE CHILDREN
ALTHOUGH THEY HAD NO HAND IN THE
MATTER.


Some people, when they get born again they refuse the power thereof but are
still being pursued.

Some people when they are born again they still go about committing one sin
or the other and are still being pursued.

So, there are evil powers that pursue people among the black race and their
purpose is to destroy or to ensure that a person does not achieve what God wants
him to achieve.

Therefore, as you read this, I want you to close your eyes and with great anger
boiling in your spirit, you cry out, Woe unto any vessel that the enemy is
sending to pursue me in anyway, in the name of Jesus.

THE POWERS THAT PURSUE

It is bad enough to be pursued. But why should the pursuer be adamant,
stubborn and refuse to be pacified? There are about ten powers that pursue
people and it is very bad when these powers become stubborn.

Consequences of sin

Proverbs 13:21 says,

Evil pursueth sinners but to the righteous good shall be repayed.

Numbers 32:23 says,

Your sins shall find you out.

It is a serious affair. Sin pursued that man at the pool of Bethesda for thirty-
eight years. He had been by that pool even before Jesus was born. We did not
know what the man's problem was until Jesus came and healed him. Jesus said to
him, "Go and sin no more, less a worst thing happens to you." It was then we
realised that his problem was sin. This is what pursued him for thirty-eight years.
Sin is the first pursuer.

The shedding of innocent blood

Ezekiel 35:6 says,

Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood
and blood shall pursue thee, seeth thou has not hated blood, even blood
shall pursue thee.

Anybody shedding innocent blood will be chased by blood. Abortion and
taking the life of helpless people is shedding of blood. God told Cain in Genesis,
"Cain what has thou done, where is your brother?" Cain answered, "Am I my
brother's keeper?" The Lord said, "No, the blood of your brother is crying unto
me from beneath the ground." Shedding of innocent blood constitutes powers to
pursue people.

Curses

Curses can pursue and overtake a person. Deuteronomy 28 : 15 says,

But it shall come to pass, if thou will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord
thv God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I
command thee this day, all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.


A STUBBORN PURSUER WILL CHASE
ANYBODY. HE WOULD CHASE A PERSON
AFTER THE PERSON IS BORN-AGAIN. EVEN
WHEN THE PERSON IS SPEAKING IN
TONGUES, HE CAN STILL BE CHASED.


A lot of people are operating under these curses which are very serious. All the
strange things that people say to one another and all the curses that parents
pronounce on their children become a powerful force that pursue them.

If when you were young, your parents kept on saying to you that you cannot
do well, you are a stubborn child or you are a bastard, it will happen like that
always unless you are saved by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Evil Covenants

When somebody enters into an evil covenant unconsciously, the covenant
would still be binding. Exodus 23:32 says, "Thou shall make no covenant with
them nor their gods." So, a man can make evil covenants with evil gods or with
demonic people.

Vengeance

In Revelation 6:10-12, we see some people calling upon the Lord, asking for
vengeance.

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true,
dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And
white robes were given unto every one of them, and it was said that they should
rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that
should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

 They were calling on God for vengeance and God said, "Just hold on, the
people that are going to be killed like you are not yet complete. Just hold on,
when their cup is full, the power of vengeance will strike.

Demonic power

Ephesians 6: 12 says,

We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and
powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in
high places.

A sister came to one of our meetings. Before she came to us, she had gone to
another meeting and they had prayed for her there. When she got home that
evening, somebody came to her in her dream and said to her, "Look, you are just
wasting time. I followed you to that place you went. What you went to do there,
this is it. I have nullified it." The woman said, "But they pray in that place."
Then the person said, "What type of prayer are they praying and the problem is
still there?" This is an example of a person who has a stubborn pursuer.

Household enemies

Micah 7:6 says,

For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter rises up against the
mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, a man's enemy
are the men of his own house.

The seventh pursuers are the household enemies, those who can tell you your
life history.

Parental sin

Exodus 20:5 says,

Thou shall not bow down thyself to them nor serve them because I the
Lord am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
 children up to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.

So, any forefather that worshipped idols has put his children or his future
generation in trouble and what God is saying will be pursuing the children
although they had no hand in the matter. Deuteronomy 23:2 tells us that if
somebody is a bastard, the punishment will continue up to the tenth generation.

A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord even unto the tenth
generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord.

It is not the fault of the child, it is parental sin.

Bad words

Proverbs 18:21 says,

Death and life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall
eat the fruit thereof.

So, bad words do pursue people.

Running without someone pursuing

Proverbs 28: 1 says,

The wicked flee when no man pursueth . . .

Some people are not pursued by anything yet they are fleeing.

In Leviticus 26:17, God said,

I will set my face against you and you shall be slain before your
enemies and they that hate you shall reign over you and ye shall flee
when nothing pursueth you.

So, it is possible for somebody to be running without anybody pursuing him.
Such people will try all kinds of prayer meetings until somebody is able to pin-
point what is wrong. We thank God for one thing, there is a Bible solution to the
problems of the pursuers. In fact, the Bible talks about what it calls the city of
refuge.

Deuteronomy 19: 1-6 says,

When the Lord thy God had cut off the nations, whose land the Lord
thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their
cities, and in their houses; Thou shall separate three cities for thee in
the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit it.
Thou shall prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which
the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every
slayer may flee thither. And this is the case of the slayer, which shall
flee thither, that he may live. Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly,
whom he hated not in time past. As when a man goeth into the wood
with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with
the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and
lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those
cities, and live. Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while
his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay
him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him
not in the time past.

You know, the Old Testament is a shadow of the New Testament so, that is a
city of refuge. Therefore, if somebody is being pursued by the avenger of blood,
immediately he enters into those cities, the avenger of blood turns back.

A stubborn pursuer will chase anybody. He would chase a person after the
person is born again. Even when the person is speaking in tongues, he can still
be chased. A stubborn pursuer chases a person no matter how much charms he is
keeping in his house or sacrifices he has carried out.

Some pertinent questions crop up at this point. Under what situation does a
pursuer become stubborn? Why is it that some pursuers will not want to turn
back easily. What is meant by a pursuer being stubborn?

Isaiah 14:17 paints the picture of the situation.

That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that
opened not the house of his prisoners?

UNDER WHAT SITUATION DOES A PURSUER BECOMES
STUBBORN?

A pursuer becomes stubborn when that pursuer is an avenger.

You may say, "I don't know why I am being pursued? I don't know why they
don't want to leave me alone? What have I done? You might have done
something in the past.


THE BIBLE SAYS WHEN YOU BECOME BORN
AGAIN, OLD THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY AND
ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW. BUT THE
PROBLEM IS THAT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO
EVEN FIND A CHRISTAIN THAT IS
COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED


I know of a girl who gave birth but could not tell who the father of her baby
was out of the seven men that slept with her. At a stage, she found a white man
who wanted to marry her but with a condition that she did away with the child.
He did not want to see the child. So, one morning, she simply suffocated the
baby while it was sleeping. The blood of that child pursued her. When the
pursuer wants to avenge something, it becomes stubborn until you appease the
avenger by the blood of Jesus, it will continue to ravage.

A pursuer becomes stubborn when it is under an evil covenant to destroy.

Sometimes, demonic people form a covenant with their blood just because
they want to destroy somebody. The situation then becomes very stubborn
because they have taken a demonic vow.

The pursuer becomes stubborn when you have their property in your
possession

A sister lived in a house somewhere in the Eastern region of this country.
Immediately, she moved in, everything in her life turned upside down but she
kept on praying. She noticed that the landlady used to lock up one door at the
back. One day, the landlady forgot to lock the door, and out of curiosity, the
sister decided to take a look at the place. To her utter amazement, she found a
whole human being carrying a calabash with some money scattered on the
ground. She knew that it was somebody put under satanic spell to withdraw
money using the spirit of mammon. Then, she understood why nothing worked
for her in that house. The enemy will always come for his property.

The pursuer becomes stubborn when you are living in secret sins.

He knows men who spend their better time praying and reading the Bible and
knows also those who parade night clubs. They know the condition of people's
heart.

The pursuer becomes stubborn when they operate in multiples, i.e. multiple
pursuers.

When these evil powers are after somebody, they can station one pursuer
against his marriage, another one for his finances, one for his career, etc. So, the
person is being pursued on all fronts.


ONE CAN WITHSTAND THE PURSUER WITH
THE HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM AND FIRE.


The pursuer becomes stubborn when it has an agent inside, i.e. an internal
pursuer

The internal pursuer makes it easy for the external one to come in. Many
people have pursuers hiding inside who deceive them into thinking that their
problems are coming from outside. So all the arrows you are firing outside
cannot work because they are already inside.

The pursuer becomes stubborn when there is idolatry in your foundation

That is why we must review the names we bear and make sure they mean well,
and do not glorify any idol. If the name of an idol is part of your name or
surname, there is a stubborn pursuer on ground. If you tell them to leave you
alone, they will say, "Are you crazy? You've forgotten your name which
indicates that you are part of us." There are many families which worship
snakes. Such people should not be surprised when they are harassed by serpents.

The pursuer becomes stubborn when one is unconsciously possessed with
familiar spirits, witchcraft spirit, etc

Sometime ago, a sister came for prayers and immediately I started the prayer,
the Lord said I should stop and tell the sister to go for deliverance. I told her so.
But she said, "No. Whosoever is in Christ is a new creature, old things have
passed away and all things are become new. So, I do not need deliverance." On
further discussions, she confirmed that whenever she was passing by a river, she
felt like jumping into it. She also said that she used to see herself in meetings
eating and drinking. She did not understand that if there was anyone who needed
deliverance, it was her.

The pursuer becomes stubborn if you were formerly in a secret society and
you are trying to get out

Your co-members will not want to release you, so they would become
difficult.

The pursuer becomes stubborn when it is attached to a curse

There are pursuers attached to curses immediately they are pronounced to see
that they are fulfilled.

The pursuer can become stubborn when your parents have dedicated you to
them.

The pursuer becomes stubborn if you have consulted evil powers for
assistance in the past.

The pursuers becomes stubborn if one of them was formerly your sex
partners.

The pursuers becomes stubborn if you are living in their altars

If you put your house or shop on their altar, they will harass you endlessly.

The pursuer becomes stubborn when you have a spirit spouse

WHAT IS THE WAY OUT?

When you are being pursued and you realise that something is happening to
you but you don't understand it, below are some keys to reevaluate the situation.


JESUS CHRIST IS YOUR CITY OF REFUGE

• Prayerfully review your past

Have you consciously or unconsciously entered into an evil covenant? Have
you had sexual relationship with men or women that are possessed? Do you have
a history of serious childhood sickness? How did your parents look after you
when you were young? During your childhood, did you out of foolishness
observe the nakedness of your parents? Have you ever been cursed by your
parents?

Have you ever gone to a charmer or a diviner? Have gone to a white garment
herbalist to seek for help before? Have you ever eaten things sacrificed to idols?
Have you ever aborted pregnancies or assisted somebody to do it? Have you
ever joined an occult group either white or black?

What was the occupation of your daddy? Was he a hunter or a herbalist? Was he
somebody who consulted the dead? If he was, you probably need deliverance.
Are you with your first wife or first husband? If not, why?

Are you from a polygamous home, or at a very young age something strange
happened to you which remains permanently on your mind? Have you ever been
unfaithful to your wife or husband? Do you notice any bad trait in your family
and you know its also operating in your life? For example, anger.

Have you ever disappointed a man or a woman? Maybe you promised to marry
somebody just to ditch the person mid-way? This person is likely to become a
pursuer and the pursuer becomes an avenger. They are difficult to restrain.

Have your ever taken money that did not belong to you? Have you participated
in cultural dances, or have you participated in sex orgies in which a group of
boys gather themselves together to harass and rape an innocent girl? Have you
been a partaker of such an evil before?

We have to prayerfully review these things that might be the source of the
pursuer. When you have prayerfully reviewed these things, you have to locate
where you have invited the avenger.

The Bible says when you become born-again, old things have passed away and
all things have become new. But the problem is that it is very difficult to even
find a Christian that is completely transformed. Some things that are not
supposed to remain are remaining. When you got born-again, it is your spirit that
got born again. So, if you have formed a covenant with your body, it stands.

Return what you took from the camp of the enemy to the enemy

I remember a very powerful man of God who was the only child of his parents.
His mother was very rich. Before his mother died, she had willed all her houses
to this man. His mother was not a Christian. This brother had no house of his
own. He merely survived on his normal salary. After the mother's death, he
inherited some houses. He noticed that right from the month he started to collect
rent he started to go into debt. He never balanced up at the end of the month
again.


IT IS TIME FOR THE PURSUER TO BE PURSUED
INSTEAD.


 Although he was having more money, at the same time, he was entering into
more debts. His salary that was sufficient for him before, became insufficient.
Then, he went into prayers and the Lord revealed to him that he had inherited a
bloody property. Those houses were built with blood so they could not favour
him neither could they prosper him. This man was pursued by poverty until he
gave up the houses. So, their property is not your possession. Whether it is
physical or spiritual, you must hand it over to them.

Physical things that belong to them range from earrings to house decorations.
Let me tell you one secret today and it is a big truth. Anything that a believer
finds difficult to put away, has become an idol and God says we should not be
under any form of bondage. So, carry out the inventory of all the materials you
have including clothes that you inherited from dead people. Some foolish people
collect clothes of dead people not knowing that spirits can be transferred through
clothes. The sickness that killed the dead person can come on the clothes of the
dead person that you are putting on.

Receive power and fight back the avenger

One can withstand the pursuer with the Holy Spirit baptism and fire. So, if you
have not received the baptism of the Holy Ghost you better do so.

Become a prayer and a Bible addict

You pray more in tongues especially at night. Memorise passages from the
Bible promising you forgiveness and victory.

Stay with the stronger man

Jesus Christ is your city of refuge. Proverbs 18:10 says,

The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it
and is safe.

I want you to know this now. Sometimes, if you are not careful, your prayer
alone cannot remove the pursuer.

 A man insulted his father when his father was alive. In fact, some people had
to hold him from beating up his father. After the father's death, he noticed that
anything that he laid his hands on never worked until one day, that he met with
Christ and went right to his father's grave and wept for forgiveness. His life had
no meaning. He was pursued by vengeance. When you do something to your
parents and they say, "What you have done to me now, your children will do the
same to you too," it is an avenger and a pursuer. They continue to pursue until
you rush to the Lord with repentance and prayer.

Now that you know how to react against the stubborn pursuers and you know
where they are hiding, child of God it is time to turn the tables. It is time for the
pursuer to be pursued instead. God's wish for us as Christians is this, though
your sins be red as scarlet the Bible says it shall be as white as snow.


GOD'S WILL FOR US THEN IS TO PURSUE,
OVERTAKE THE ENEMIES AND RECOVER
WHAT THEY HAVE STOLEN FROM US.


We have the promise of God. God says that He has redeemed us from the
curse of the law. God's will for us then is to pursue, overtake the enemies and
recover what they have stolen from us. It is for us to turn the heat on the enemy.
It is not for us to be running away. We should run after them but check your
spirit and see that there is nothing you have taken from the camp of the enemy
and that the stubborn pursuer has no hold upon your life and upon your spirit.

I want us to pray much on this topic because the Lord told us that this is a
problem with many. The evil pursuer must be pursued now, in the name of
Jesus.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Ask God to forgive you in anyway you have made yourself a candidate to
be pursued.
 2. I command blindness upon all my stubborn pursuers, in the name of Jesus.
3. You pursuers, be pursued by the angels of God, in the name of Jesus.
4. You pursuers, hand over my stolen blessings, in the name of Jesus.
5. You stubborn pursuers, I command you to permanently surrender, in the
name of Jesus.
6. Let the identification mark of the enemy upon my life be washed off by the
blood of Jesus, in the name of Jesus.
7. For 30 seconds, personally address any stubborn pursuer that is after you.
Call them to order. Mention the specific name and call them to order.
8. O Lord, empower me to pursue the pursuer.
9. O God, arise and let every internal pursue scatter, in the name of Jesus.
10. Every foundational Pharaoh, die by fire, in the name of Jesus.
11. Let all my pursuers fight it out, in the name of Jesus.
12. Every Pharaoh working against my breakthrough, fall down and die, in the
name of Jesus.
13. O God of wonders, arise and manifest Your wonders in my life, in the name
of Jesus.
14. Every enemy that has refused to let me go, O God, arise and scatter them, in
the name of Jesus.
15. I must experience breakthrough in all fronts, in Jesus' name.
16. Every stubborn problem pursuing my life, be disgraced after the order of
Pharaoh, in the name of Jesus.


 CHAPTER EIGHT
UPROOTING SATANIC SEEDS

WHAT IS A SEED?

A seed is that part of a plant from which a new plant of the same kind can
grow. A good seed grows into a good plant, whereas a bad seed grows into a bad
plant. A seed is a very interesting thing because of its several characteristics. It
may look seemingly harmless and small, but all the characteristics to make it a
very big plant are present within it. In every seed there is a tree or a plant. It
follows therefore that if you destroy a seed, you have destroyed a would-be tree.

A seed is also of some spiritual importance. As a divine seed will produce a
divine plant, so will a satanic seed produce a satanic plant. An undisputable fact
is that anything that is not planted by God is from Satan. It is on the process of
removing satanic plantation, and indeed it's seed, that the focus of this chapter
rests.

Matthew 13:24-30 says,

Another parable put he forth unto them saying. The kingdom of heaven is
likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his
enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the
blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the
servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good
seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them. An enemy
hath done this. The servants saith unto him, will thou then that we go and gather
them up? But he said, nay, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root also the
wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of
harvest I will say to the reapers, gather ye together first the tares, and bind them
in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.


 ALTHOUGH A SNAKE IS A DANGEROUS
CREATION TRUE BUT A SMALL BOY CAN
DESTROY IT AT THE EGG STAGE WITH
EFFORTLESS EASE. IF HOWEVER, IT IS
ALLOWED TO DEVELOP BEYOND THIS STAGE,
A FORTY YEAR OLD WOULD NEED EXTRA TO
KILL IT.


Many Christians of today could be likened to these two types of plants
growing in this Planters' field. At the time of harvest, the Lord will separate the
faithful ones from the counterfeit and burn them off in hell fire.

Although a snake is a dangerous creature but a small boy can destroy it at the
egg stage with effortless ease. If however, it is allowed to develop beyond this
stage, a forty year old would need extra care and skill to kill it.


EVIL SEED THRIVES IN THE LIFE OF THOSE
WHO ARE STILL LIVING IN SIN.


What is manifesting in many lives today is the result of seeds planted a long
time ago. While the evil seeds in some people's lives have grown into a big
force, others are just growing into small plants while the seeds in some other
people's lives are yet to sprout.

Beloved, it is easier to destroy a seed than to uproot a fully grown tree. But
with Jesus, all things are possible. Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a
mustard seed (Matthew 13:31) That is to say that a single person filled with the
Holy Ghost can convert one thousand people.

This signifies that the word of God in the heart of man is considered as a seed.
So as God sows seeds in the heart of men for their benefit and to make them
candidates for heaven, the devil also sows seeds in the heart of men to make
them candidates for hell. When the seed of God's word is sown into a heart, two
things can happen. It can either grow or be killed. If God's word grows in a
person then he will blossom into a heaven bound Christian. If on the other hand,
the devil's seed grows in a person, he will receive the devil's nature, and grows to
live for the devil.

It is sad that the enemy has planted unprofitable seeds in many lives, homes,
businesses, and families. This has been done a long time ago, and it is the result
that now manifests through the noticeable plants.

REMEDIES FOR EVIL SEED THAT IS GROWING IN
ONE'S LIFE

If an evil tree is already growing in a person's life, the Bible gives three (3)
remedies of what can be done to it:

Uproot it.
Cut it.
Burn it off with fire.


But you may wish to ask this question. Why is it that a person is born again
and yet evil seeds still grow into plants in the person's life? Why didn't the seed
die immediately the person got born again? The answer is that some born again
Christians may be either spiritually dead or asleep.

At this point, I will want you to pray this prayer point: I render every evil seed
powerless in my life, in the mighty name of Jesus.

WHO ARE THE PEOPLE IN WHOSE LIVES THESE EVIL SEEDS
EASILY THRIVE?

• Spiritual sleepers

 Ephesians 5:14 says,

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light.

All backsliders fall into this category.

• Sinners

Evil seed thrives in the life of those who are still living in sin. Proverb 8:36
says,

But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul; all they that
hate me love death.

WHEN SOMEBODY OR SOMEONE IS
SPIRITUALLY DEAD, ANYTHING CAN BE
FIRED INTO HIS LIFE.


All sinners are categorised by the Bible as dead people, who may be alive
physically but are spiritually dead. All fake Christians, clever sinners, liars,
thieves etc fall into this categoriy. The enemy finds it easy to sow its satanic
seeds in their lives, and thereby convert them to "living dead."

• The worldly minded people

They never bother about heaven. They do not think about it at all. The Bible
says they are dead and their thoughts are filled with earthly desires and dead
works.

• Haters of knowledge

Proverbs 21: 16 says,

 The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain
in the congregation of the dead.

This set of people believe that they know it all and do not need any further
knowledge. They think they are better left alone where they are.

• The pleasure seekers

The book of I Timothy 5:6 says

But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.

Most Churches are filled with this type of people who are only interested in
singing, dancing and entertainment. This, however, is in sharp contrast to what
the church stands for. The church of the Lord is a place where Christian soldiers
are raised and not a place to entertain our carnal desires.

Isaiah 38: 19 says,

The living, the living he shall praise thee, as I do this day, the father to
the children shall make known thy truth.

Similarly Psalm 115:17 says,

The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that 10 down into silence.

These two scriptures clearly show's that the praise of the spiritually dead
people are unacceptable to God. Thus, even in such lives, evil seeds would still
grow and thrive. We need to do something about these situations beloved. Some
people are already dead, as far as God is concerned.

To them, Revelation 3:1-2 says,

And unto the Angels of the church in Sardis write: These things saith
he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy
works, that thou has a name that thou livest and art dead; Be watchful
and strenghten the things which remain, that are ready to die for I
have not found thy works perfect before God.

When somebody or someone is spiritually dead, anything can be fired into his
life. If you belong to any of these five groups, evil seeds will thrive in your life!
Christians who have evil seeds In their lives always make the enemies happy.

A sleeping Christian is completely useless to the Lord, because he or she is
completely unaware of his spiritual surroundings. This makes them unmovable
and untouchable by any revival or the power of the Holy Spirit. They are the
people who would always say that "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." If
God is to increase in your life, something in your life has to decrease. It is you
that has to decrease so that God can increase.


ONE TERRIBLE SEED, WHICH HAS
DESTROYED SO MANY PEOPLE IS 'WORRY'.


A sleeping Christian would invite problems into his life. For example, if
something is pursuing you in the dream and you ran, hid yourself, flew and did
all kinds of things to escape and yet the enemy refused to give up, then the Lord
is telling you that you can be pursued by any evil force, because you are not
holy.

SPIRITUAL SLEEP

God's warning is that you must wake up today, because it is very dangerous to
sleep spiritually. The following are examples of those who are asleep spiritually.

People who do not dream or see vision at all

A sister who is of marriageable age and all the suitors are unbelievers or
vice versa for a brother
Those who come to church to check peoples outfits. They have serious
problems

 Believers who forget paying their tithes or pay inaccurately
Haters of prayer


The spiritually dead and sleepers are good targets for the seed and tree of the
enemy. In order to get out of this situation, the first thing to do is to give your
life to God, and if you have backslidden, go back to Him.

There are three things about the life of a man which he does not know
anything about:

What will happen to him throughout his entire life time.

What happened at the unconscious stage of his life or at the beginning
of his life.
What will happen after this life i.e after death.


The Bible tells us about the end of all men. The devil picks the time when we
are not fully conscious of our environment to plant evil seed in our lives.

When a man commits immorality with a possessed woman, an evil seed is
planted. Many are fighting battles in a war they never declared. Many people are
carrying burdens for reasons they do not even understand. This is due to the evil
seeds planted by the enemy.

One terrible seed, which has destroyed so many people is "Worry." The Greek
translation of the word means to divide the mind. The Bible says worry is a sin,
because whosoever is worrying has refused to trust God, and many sicknesses
come as Beloved, you must stand today against all evil seeds and satanic trees.


BELOVED, YOU MUST STAND TODAY AGAINST
ALL EVIL SEEDS AND SATANIC TREES.


a result of this act. Hence it is an evil seed which must not be allowed to
germinate. If a person fornicates a seed has been planted. An evil seed can make
a person to commit suicide, if he does not have the fire of God.

Beloved, you must stand today against all evil seeds and satanic trees. Not
only that, you need to uproot the unprofitable seeds and trees which satan has
planted in your life before you became a child of God. Today. I assure you of
one thins, that is the fact that you will emerge victorious, in Jesus' name. Please
pray the following prayer points with Holy madness and aggression.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Lord, send Your axe of fire to the root of all unprofitable trees in my life
and cut them down, in the name of Jesus.
2. Father Lord, if I am spiritually dead or sleeping, wake me up, in the name
of Jesus.
3. I refuse to be a dead person, in the name of Jesus.
4. I break out of spiritual sleeping, in the name of Jesus.
5. Lord, help me to do the right thing at the right time.
6. Let every spirit of Pharaoh refusing to let me go and serve my God, die in
Jesus' name.
7. Every satanic seed in my life, be uprooted, in the name of Jesus.


 OTHER PUBLICATIONS OF DR. D. K. OLUKOYA

1. A-Z of Complete Deliverance
2. Be Prepared
3. Bewitchment must die
4. Biblical Principles of Dream Interpretation
5. Born Great, But Tied Down
6. Breaking Bad Habits
7. Breakthrough Prayers For Business Professionals
8. Brokenness
9. Bringing Down The Power of God
10. Can God?
11. Can God Trust You?
12. Command The Morning
13. Consecration Commitment &. Loyalty
14. Contending For The Kingdom
15. Connecting to The God of Breakthroughs
16. Criminals In The House Of God
17. Dealing With Hidden Curses
18. Dealing With Local Satanic Technology
19. Dealing With Satanic Exchange
20. Dealing With The Evil Powers Of Your Father's House
21. Dealing With Tropical Demons
22. Dealing With Unprofitable Roots
23. Dealing With Witchcraft Barbers
24. Deliverance By Fire
25. Deliverance From Spirit Husband And Spirit Wife
26. Deliverance From The Limiting Powers
27. Deliverance of The Brain
28. Deliverance Of The Conscience
29. Deliverance Of The Head
30. Deliverance: God's Medicine Bottle
31. Destiny Clinic
32. Destroying Satanic Masks
33. Disgracing Soul Hunters

34. Divine Military Training
35. Divine Yellow Card
36. Dominion Prosperity
37. Drawers Of Power From The Heavenlies
38. Evil Appetite
39. Evil Umbrella
40. Facing Both Ways
41. Failure In The School Of Prayer
42. Fire For Life's Journey
43. For We Wrestle ...
44. Freedom Indeed
45. Holiness Unto The Lord
46. Holy Cry
47. Holy Fever
48. Hour Of Decision
49. How To Obtain Personal Deliverance
50. How To Pray When Surrounded By The Enemies
51. Idols Of The Heart
52. Is This What They Died For?
53. Let God Answer By Fire
54. Limiting God
55. Madness Of The Heart
56. Making Your Way Through The Traffic Jam of Life
57. Meat For Champions
58. Medicine For Winners
59. My Burden For The Church
60. Open Heavens Through Holy Disturbance
61. Overpowering Witchcraft
62. Paralysing The Riders And The Horse

63. Personal Spiritual Check-Up
64. Power Against Coffin Spirits
65. Power Against Destiny Quenchers
66. Power Against Dream Criminals
67. Power Against Local Wickedness
68. Power Against Marine Spirits
69. Power Against Spiritual Terrorists
70. Power Must Change Hands
71. Pray Your Way To Breakthroughs
72. Prayer Is The Battle
73. Prayer Rain
74. Prayer Strategies For Spinsters And Bachelors
75. Prayer To Kill Enchantment
76. Prayer To Make You Fulfil Your Divine Destiny
77. Prayer Warfare Against 70 Mad Spirits
78. Prayers For Open Heavens
79. Prayers To Arrest Satanic Frustration
80. Prayers To Destroy Diseases And Infirmities
81. Prayers To Move From Minimum To Maximum
82. Praying Against The Spirit Of The Valley
83. Praying To Destroy Satanic Roadblocks
 84. Praying To Dismantle Witchcraft
85. Principles Of Prayer
86. Release From Destructive Covenants
87. Revoking Evil Decrees
88. Safeguarding Your Home
89. Satanic Diversion Of The Black Race
90. Silencing The Birds Of Darkness
91. Slaves Who Love Their Chains

92. Smite The Enemy And He Will Flee
93. Speaking Destruction Unto The Dark Rivers
94. Spiritual Education
95. Spiritual Growth And Maturity
96. Spiritual Warfare And The Home
97. Strategic Praying
98. Strategy Of Warfare Praying
99. Stop Them Before They Stop You
100. Students In The School Of Fear
101. Symptoms Of Witchcraft Attack
102. The Baptism of Fire
103. The Battle Against The Spirit Of Impossibility
104. The Dinning Table Of Darkness
105. The Enemy Has Done This
106. The Evil Cry Of Your Family Idol
107. The Fire Of Revival
108. The Great Deliverance
109. The Internal Stumbling Block
110. The Lord Is A Man Of War
111. The Mystery Of Mobile Curses
112. The Mystery Of The Mobile Temple
113. The Prayer Eagle
114. The Power of Aggressive Prayer Warriors
115. The Pursuit Of Success
116. The Seasons Of Life
117. The Secrets Of Greatness
118. The Serpentine Enemies
119. The Skeleton In Your Grandfather's Cupboard
120. The Slow Learners

121. The Snake In The Power House
122. The Spirit Of The Crab
123. The star hunters
124. The Star In Your Sky
125. The Terrible Agenda
126. The Tongue Trap
127. The Unconquerable Power
128. The Unlimited God
129. The Vagabond Spirit
130. The Way Of Divine Encounter
131. The Wealth Transfer Agenda
132. Tied Down In The Spirits
133. Too Hot To Handle
134. Turnaround Breakthrough
135. Unprofitable Foundations
136. Vacancy For Mad Prophets
137. Victory Over Satanic Dreams
138. Victory Over Your Greatest Enemies
139. Violent Prayers Against Stubborn Situations
140. War At The Edge Of Breakthroughs
141. Wasting The Wasters
142. Wealth Must Change Hands
143. What You Must Know About The House Fellowship
144. When God Is Silent
145. When the Battle is from Home
146. When The Deliverer Need Deliverance
147. When Things Get Hard
148. When You Are Knocked Down
149. Where Is Your Faith

150. While Men Slept
151. Woman! Thou Art Loosed.
152. Your Battle And Your Strategy
153. Your Foundation And Destiny
154. Your Mouth And Your Deliverance

YORUBA PUBLICATIONS

1. ADURA AGBAYORI
2. ADURA TI NSI OKE NIDI
3. OJO ADURA

FRENCH PUBLICATIONS

1. PLUIE DE PRIERE
2. ESPIRIT DE VAGABONDAGE
3. EN FINIR AVEC LES FORCES MALEFIQUES DE LA MAISON DE
TON PERE
4. QUE I'ENVOUTEMENT PERISSE
5. FRAPPEZ I'ADVERSAIRE ET IL FUIRA
6. COMMENT RECEVIOR LA DELIVRANCE DU MARI ET FEMME DE
NUIT
7. CPMMENT SE DELIVRER SOI-MEME
8. POVOIR CONTRE LES TERRORITES SPIRITUEL
9. PRIERE DE PERCEES POUR LES HOMMES D'AFFAIRES
10. PRIER JUSQU'A REMPORTER LA VICTOIRE
11. PRIERES VIOLENTES POUR HUMILIER LES PROBLEMES
OPINIATRES
12. PRIERE POUR DETRUIRE LES MALADIES ET INFIRMITES
13. LE COMBAT SPIRITUEL ET LE FOYER
14. BILAN SPIRITUEL PERSONNEL
15. VICTOIRES SUR LES REVES SATANIQUES
16. PRIERES DE COMAT CONTRE 70 ESPIRITS DECHANINES
17. LA DEVIATION SATANIQUE DE LA RACE NOIRE
18. TON COMBAT ET TA STRATEGIE
19. VOTRE FONDEMENT ET VOTRE DESTIN
20. REVOQUER LES DECRETS MALEFIQUES
21. CANTIQUE DES CONTIQUES
22. LE MAUVAIS CRI DES IDOLES
23. QUAND LES CHOSES DEVIENNENT DIFFICILES
24. LES STRATEGIES DE PRIERES POUR LES CELIBATAIRES
25. SE LIBERER DES ALLIANCES MALEFIQUES
26. DEMANTELER LA SORCELLERIE
27. LA DELIVERANCE: LE FLACON DE MEDICAMENTDIEU
28. LA DELIVERANCE DE LA TETE
29. COMMANDER LE MATIN
30. NE GRAND MAIS LIE
 31. POUVOIR CONTRE LES DÉMOND TROPICAUX
32. LE PROGRAMME DE TRANFERT DE RICHESSE
33. LES ETUDIANTS A I'ECOLE DE LA PEUR
34. L'ETOILE DANS VOTRE CIEL
35. LES SAISONS DE LA VIE
36. FEMME TU ES LIBEREE

ANNUAL 70 DAYS PRAYER AND FASTING

PUBLICATIONS

1. Prayers That Bring Miracles

2. Let God Answer By Fire
3. Prayers To Mount With Wings As Eagles
4. Prayers That Bring Explosive Increase
5. Prayers For Open Heavens
6. Prayers To Make You Fulfil Your Divine Destiny
7. Prayers That Make God To Answer And Fight By Fire
8. Prayers That Bring Unchallengeable Victory And Breakthrough Rainfall
Bombardments
9. Prayers That Bring Dominion Prosperity And Uncommon Success
10. Prayers That Bring Power And Overflowing Progress
11. Prayers That Bring Laughter And Enlargement Breakthroughs
12. Prayers That Bring Uncommon Favour And Breakthroughs
13. Prayers That Bring Unprecedented Greatness & Unmatchable Increase
14. Prayers That Bring Awesome Testimonies And Turn Around
Breakthroughs








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