36th National Prayer Conference

To the glory of God, the 36th National Prayer Conference themed ?LABOURERS TOGETHER WITH GOD PART 2? held from Thursday 7th ? Saturday 9th January 2016 at St. Peters Anglican Church, Bishop?s Court, Dennis Osadebe Way, Asaba ? Nigeria.

The conference was graced by the Bishop of Anglican Diocese of Asaba the Rt. Rev. J.N. Mogekwu, IFN National Executives and the Deputy Governor of Delta State His Excellency Barr. Kingsley Otuaro.

PLENARY?SESSION I
SPEAKER: Dr. Steve Ogan
According to the scriptures, God is Love and if we must be labourers together with God, then we must possess the characteristics and nature of God, which is love.

7 CONCEPTS OF LOVE

1. Communication: The art of verbal or non-verbal expression of ideas or emotion. One of the Key tools of intercession is communication, not just communicating with God from a selfish dimension but for His will to be done.
2. Commitment: Determination to stay put in a relationship no matter what happens. No matter the outcome of your prayers, if it hasn?t yet been answered, as an Intercessor, you should hold on to God for He knows when and how best to answer His children.
3. Contentment: The feeling of satisfaction even in situations of limitation, for the Bible says godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world and certainly, we will take nothing out of it. (1 Tim 6:6)
4. Faithfulness: Living reality of trusting and being trusted. God will commit things to you when He knows you?re trustworthy.
5. Sharing in Joy: Communion in fellowship in times of goodness and mercy. God has been good to our nation and we should rejoice over it.
6. Caring in Pain: While you share in joy, you should show care in someone else?s pain. It is impossible to love God if you can?t care for His people that are going through pain.
7. Perpetual in Loyalty: Continuous, unending devotion.

It can be deduced from the above outlined concepts that love is ?Communication in commitment with contentment in faithfulness shared in Joy, demonstrated in pain and experienced in perpetual loyalty.?

[blocktext align=”right”]?…love is communication in commitment with contentment in faithfulness shared in Joy, demonstrated in pain and experienced in perpetual loyalty.?[/blocktext]

7 QUESTIONS OF DEVOTION TO HELP YOU FOCUS ON GODS KINGDOM

1. What takes your time: Whatever takes your time is what you are devoted to. You should spend time interceding for the Nation.
2. To whom do you pay your tithe?
3. Where do you invest your talents?
4. Which philosophy determines truth for you?
5. What tradition determines your loyalty?
6. What trade is the source of your income?
7. What is not a taboo to you?

7 DEVOTIONS OF LIFE
The book of Ruth has a lot to teach on the 7 Devotions of life.
Ruth said to Naomi ?And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee:for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge:thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried:the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me?. Ruth 1:16-17 KJV

1. From the above scriptures one of the issues of devotion is Movement; going where God wants you to go in the context of the ministry of intercession because true prosperity comes when you go where God directs.
2. Secondly the issue of Habitation. There is a place God wants you to live not just to be moving from city to city on your own accord.
3. Relationship is another aspect of devotion. Until we establish a relation with God?s people nothing really works. The scripture says, ??thy people shall be my people?.
4. ??and thy God my God?. Knowing that devotion is a dedication for the exclusive use of a deity, Worship is vital.
5. Everyone must have something to live and die for, therefore Death is an issue of devotion ??where thou diest, will I die?.
6. Sixth Ruth said ??and there will I be buried?. This leads us to the issue of burial.
7. Lastly Ruth made a self-imposed sanction when she said ??the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me?.

Beloved, there is nothing you do for God that he doesn?t reward you. So He is calling for our devotion. God wants us to go where He leads (Movement), to live where He wants (Habitation), to make His people our people (Relationship), to make Him our God (Worship), to die the way He wants us to die, without fear in His service and be buried in Him.
7 RESULTS OF LOVE AND DEVOTION

1. Favour: Ruth2:2-10 If you love God and are devoted to Him, people will take notice of you and favour shall surround you.
2. Finances: Ruth3:15 ? 17 Because of Ruth?s love and devotion she didn?t just have favour, there was finances.
3. Fervency: There is a way you serve God that someone will seek your security! Ruth3:1
4. Familiarity: Ruth2:14 -15 Your devotion to God brings you to relationships at a family level.
5. Feasibility: Possibilities in the midst of impossibilities. It was impossible for Ruth to be accepted in the community but God made a way.
6. Fame: Ruth 4:11,14
7. Future: As Intercessors your future resides in God and in Nigeria.

PLENARY?SESSION II
SPEAKER: Barr. Emeka Nwankpa
In addition to the exhortation by Dr. Steve Ogan one of the concepts of love is accountability. In Ruth 3 we see Ruth being accountable to Naomi.

If we are facing difficulties in the positions God has called us to be, we should cool down and be level headed taking instructions from God, listening to righteous mentors because there are times we need instructions, teachings and guidance so we don?t miss our blessings.

Ruth did not have the ability to function because she didn?t know what to do, but she was positioned in the place where God would bring His will to pass and bring a blessing upon her family. And so Naomi instructed her on what to do, which she obeyed and this made Boaz who was a man of integrity to bless her.

In chapter 2:11-12 of Ruth, Boaz declared a prophetic statement that initiated Ruth into the covenant of God. Therefore men and elders should be sensitive to know when to act and exercise God?s authority to bring people to where God wants them to be prophetically.

Its not that God is in a hurry but when by your character you have fulfilled God?s conditions, a time comes when God sets things in motion to ensure you get your reward.

Isaiah43:18-19. God is calling out to the Naomi?s, Ruth?s and Boaz of this world, people who in their families and places of work will follow the biblical steps to do the will of the Father and God will arrange everything to recover what was lost and open doors to your future.

PLENARY SESSION III
SPEAKER: Ntiense Ubon Israel
1Corinthians3:8-13
In labouring with God we need to remember that God owns the work so He knows what He wants, the time and season and He will ensure His work is done. Acts 15:13-18

You should never get to a state of confusion because heaven is not in confusion; God has a plan for Nigeria the word of God is an assurance to our faith.

John 4:31-34 According to the scriptures Jesus was a perfect labourer with God.
At the end God wont ask you whether you?re a member of IFN but whether you did His work right and finished well.
We should therefore be close enough to God to the point that His actions even when they don?t seem to be what we expect, yet it shouldn?t hurt us.

John 17:1-4, 1 Corinthians 2:9-12 In labouring with God we must define our assignment so that we would be used as a variable to execute His council. Isaiah 46:9-11

PLENARY SESSION IV
SPEAKER: Engr. Steve Olumuyiwa
When a city is in chaos the only safe place is where God ask you to be.
Speaking on grace, it is the divine ability given by Gods indwelling Holy Spirit to please Him.

Matthew 16:13-19 The Church of Jesus that will endure in this last days is the Church that is built on current revelations of the purposes of God from the scriptures.

Mathew 4:1-2, Luke 10:1-2 As Intercessors we should be labourers with God and not hirelings steadfastly working with God and for God and not just for the pay because God rewards only labourers.

3 NATURES OF GODS LABOURERS

1. Kingdom mindset: People with a focus for Heaven, disciplined men and women of Integrity.
2. Knowing that the Church of Christ is not a pulpit based Church but a kingdom of Gods society based Church that would be established on top of the mountain, Gods labourers must be competent in knowledge of their role of primary assignment.
3. You must develop integrity because that is what heaven use to backup your words when you pray.

Capacity development must take place daily in our lives because what you knew yesterday will not do the work of tomorrow as labourers together with God.
You need to develop excellence: This means to excel and standout in Gods assignment for our lives.
These three must go together:
I ? Integrity
C ? Capacity
E ? Excellence

Finally its only by the Holy Spirit we can fulfill this true nature of Gods labourers Isaiah32:14-18

PRAYERS
1. Heavenly father, let my heart be broken by the things that break your heart.
2. I am devoted, only God can use me, the devil cannot use me.
3. Lord, where you go I will go, Lord where you take Nigeria, take me.
4. Oh my legs hear the word of the lord, the steps of the righteous are ordered by the lord, carry me to where ever the lord wants me to go this year.
5. Lord, where you lodge, I will lodge.
6. God, your people shall be my people.
7. Lord God make me a labourer with you and not a hireling in Jesus name.