Jesus the bondage breaker (Emma N.J Nwosu)

A done deal (Emma N.J Nwosu)

Anointing for the next level (Emma N.J Nwosu)

Satanic Exchange (Emma N.J Nwosu)

FACTORS THAT MAY LEAD TO STAGNATION

Achievers syndrome

Many years ago, a promising Greek artist named Timanthes was under the instruction of a well-known tutor. After several years, the young painter created an exquisite portrait. He was so thrilled with what he had painted that he sat day after day gazing at his work.

One morning, however, he was horrified to discover that his teacher had deliberately ruined his painting. Angry in tears, Timanthes ran to him and asked why he had destroyed his cherished possession. The wise man replied, “I did it for your own good. That painting was good, but it was retarding your progress. It is an excellent piece of art. But it was not perfect. Start again and see if you can do even better”. The student took his advice and produced a masterpiece called sacrifice of Iphigenia regarded by some as one of the finest paintings of antiquity. - From anonymous author

This is a feeling of fulfillment. Some pastors were able to raise a congregation of one thousand members, own two big cars, a personal building, a permanent site for the church and perhaps a nursery/primary school. All these get into their heads. He now sees himself as one of the “Gs”of the land. The great man of God. Instead of thinking of what to do to enlarge his coast further, begins to arrange for his bishopric enthronement and to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The man who built his church by compassion and humility now feels too big to see ordinary people. He rather busies himself on how to meet the governor and commissioner to visit his church. This is not only so with ministers.

A young man manages to furnish a bedroom flat and a shop with goods. This gets into his head and he stops thinking of building further.

Some brethren head a particular arm of the church that is in great demand. They have arrived. They begin to be rude at those who come for prayers, boasting and all that goes with it.

A young girl looks at herself in the mirror and thinks she is beautiful and perhaps has a good job or wealthy parents, she says, “Before I give attention to any man he must …”

In all the examples stated above they stopped moving in order to celebrate their achievements. When you stop, you may not know that you are dying, stagnation sets in.

See how Apostle Paul resisted this –

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Jesus took hold of me.

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil.3: 12-14)

The apostle said he has not obtained that for which he was called. Possibly he had achieved some things, but that was not why he started in the first place. Some preachers will relax when they get a visa to the U.S.A, some will slow pedal when they get a big car and a congregation that is sizeable. I wish to state that everything you have achieved, which keeps you from fulfilling the original call upon your life is a distraction from the devil.

The terrible side of this achievement factor is that most of the things you treasure will begin to depreciate with time, and when you decide to rise again to do it the way you did it at first, you discover you can no longer do so. Then you enter the painful side of stagnancy. That you won ten souls into the church should encourage you to ask the pastor for permission to plant a branch. Do not sit in the congregation to show up. That you were able to fast for seven days and perhaps achieve some spiritual success should encourage you to move further.

That you made "A" class in your course should encourage you to move on to something else. Do not stand to count those you are better than, strive to meet those better than you.

In a race one thing you are advised against is to look back at those behind you. Achievers syndrome sets in when you begin to count those behind. It is in that process you stop to celebrate. There is nothing wrong in appreciating God for his goodness, but watch your heart (Prov. 4:23).

When Paul said, “I press on, striving, straining forward”, all these suggest great efforts. Achievements have a way of blowing your ego, resist it. Whether in the ministry, personal life, school, office, career, etc. RESIST THE ENEMY.

Excerpt from my book OVERCOMING THE MONSTER CALLED STAGNATION

Emma your brother @PNUR

Introducing PNUR

From Prayer Network for Universal Revival – PNUR

Beloved friend/kingdom partner,

I love to use this medium to appreciate your friendship in 2018. Some may feel they have done nothing to deserve this message but I love to point out that merely reading my posts and messages on Social Media has helped me to feel fulfilled. There are those I never knew they were following me until they called or even visited me in Port Harcourt.

There are those that sent financial support and some advised on how to make my work for the Lord more effective.

It is in response to questions from some of you that I write thus.

a.     What is full meaning of PNUR? – Prayer Network for Universal Revival

b.     Who is the leader/founder? – My humble self, Emma N J Nwosu

c.      What is the focus of PNUR? – We are called to work in the Body of Christ in the area of prayer mobilizations and teachings that will result in spiritual awakening in the Body of Christ.

d.     How long has this ministry been on? – There are many whom the Lord has called with similar vision and when they stumble into our name they conclude we just started. We have been active since 1996

e.      Where is the headquarters of PNUR – Port Harcourt – Nigeria

f.       I need to know more about several books written by Emma N J Nwosu – Emma N J Nwosu the President of PNUR has written more than twenty books. Most of these books were published as hard copies and distributed around the world. We ran out of stock because we sold them and used the proceeds to sponsor our conferences and conventions. Scripture Union Press and Books (arm of SU Nigeria) published only two titles. As it is today, we are still trusting God for resources to replace the sold out hard copies

g.     What about the soft copies? – They are available for free download from our website

h.     Are there meetings/conferences your friends/partners can attend? – Yes. We host our friends and partners in Port Harcourt April and August of every year under International Prayer and Revival Convention (IPRC). We also move about from city to city anywhere in the world with International Prayer and Revival Conference (IPRC) under the partnership of our friends/partners

i.       How can one identify with PNUR? – Just write us. You can be a volunteer worker, you can send financial assistance or you can be a prayer partner. You can also anchor a conference for PNUR in your city

j.       Tell me more about School for Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare – It is a full fledged school that train pastors and church workers on deliverance and spiritual warfare. It was founded 2007 and has raised many servants of God ever since. There is the Basic cert. Program for 2 weeks. There is Diploma Program and Higher Diploma Program. We also have Deliverance week which a church body can organize for her members for one week. All these are subject to further discussion.

k.     Do you have distant learning arrangement? Yes.

l.       What area does PNUR need help immediately? Our Newsletter – Door of Hope needs to reach many more people around the globe. Hard copy of our books needs to return to circulation. Our conferences and conventions have suffered set back because of lack of funds. We also need to restore our crusades and conference equipment (Amplifiers, Musical/PA equip. Gospel truck/van etc)

m.  Can I visit you in Nigeria? You are welcome

n.     Can Emma N J Nwosu visit my station? Will be my pleasure if I have the funds

o.     Does PNUR partner other organizations? Yes

I am not sure I addressed all your concerns but you can visit our website for more information. You can also call me direct on this numbers +2348035724526 pnurnigeria@gmail.com www.pnurnigeria.org

Thanks for standing with us

Emma your brother @PNUR

Quest for Supernatural Power

Quest for Supernatural Power – I want this POWER!

In our just concluded conference in Suleja with Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, a pregnant woman went wild on the last day crying, “I want this power!” All through the four days of the conference there was open demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit but it was on the last evening that I discussed on the need for the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer. To say the least, she took me by surprise because her husband and she have been close to me for the period of the conference. In fact, they took over my feeding from my host pastor and they were the ones that brought me to the venue of the program in their car that evening I even feel that all along that lady had been praying that somehow God will see her heart and allow the Holy Spirit flow through me and over to her thirsty soul.

By the last day of the program she perhaps feared that this was not to be, hence her cry, “I want this power!”

Permit me to add this few words to her cry, “Lord, You can’t do this to me. You know how desperate I am for the power of the Holy Spirit You have been pouring out through Your servant. Lord, he is concluding his assignment in our city and I still don’t have this power. Lord, I want this power badly. And you just must let me have it”.

Her cry is not different from that of Simon the sorcerer; yes, the man most preachers have painted in bad light for his hunger for divine power -

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. "Let me have this power, too," he exclaimed, "so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!"  Acts 8:18-19 NLT

I bet that if I asked this woman for anything she could afford for this power, she would give it. Such was her hunger for power that she cared less about her pregnant state as she wept, mourned and rolled as if she lost her husband to the cold hands of death her darling husband was not left out in this quest as he sat in a corner with his youngest baby in hand drenched in the tears that flowed freely from his cheeks.

It is at this point of quest that some money-monger preachers ask people to pay some money and buy some special things to receive supernatural power. A pastor in Port Harcourt told how he paid $10,000 to a great bishop so that he can receive the power for church growth. There are those eat some things and carry out rigorous exercises that they may receive power. There also those who have been lured into secret societies in their hunger for God’s power.

I totally condemn all other practices that are different from receiving the power of the Holy Spirit through faith in a biblical prescribed process but I cannot fell to appreciate the genuine hunger in the heart of Simon the sorcerer and the woman in Suleja. I believe4 that the Holy Spirit see things the same way because at a time I observed that she became quiet and as she stood up from where she was lying, I knew she got what she wanted.

The problem with my generation of ministers is that many of us look for the things the POWER can give not the power. That could be the only reason why some are ready to do anything, even things they know very well that the Holy Spirit will never permit them to do.

Some years back, a witch-doctor in a community close to where I live in Port Harcourt got five pastors arrested by the police because they refused to pay him for the “power” he gave them to make their churches grow. Let’s ignore the question of why the police did not first arrest the witch-doctor and concentrate on why would one preaching from the bible go to satan for power. I am witness to the fact that these evil men always boast that all the great servants of God go to them for power. I have said before, that this is same as saying that God is dead, because if God were alive He will empower His servants. And He did, does and will do in the future.

When people can’t lay hand on this POWER they resort to some things which the Apostles said they never wanted.

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power  1 Cor 2:4-5  NIV

1.     Words of Wisdom – Some claim that they arte not called to demonstrate healing power but just to “TALK”.

2.     Persuasive Words – This is where the motivational speakers come in

3.     Carefully invented stories – This is where those who died went to heaven and hellfire and then returned come in. They try to manipulate people through fear to repent.

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty 2 Peter 1:16 NIV

Sorry to say, these are factors we use today, in the place of demonstration of genuine power of the Holy Spirit.

Yet, let me say here, nothing can take the place of the real power of God

(To be continued)

Emma your brother @PNUR