BREAKING BARRIERS: PASTOR MENSA OTABIL – SUNDAY SERVICE, 18TH JULY, 2021
SPECIAL SUNDAY SERVICE BY DR. MENSAH OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) ACCRA, GHANA)
TOPIC: BREAKING BARRIERS
DATE: 18TH JULY, 2021
TEXT: 1 SAMUEL 17:1-END
Amen! Let’s rise up together, as we make our DECLARATION OF FRUITFULNESS in this Year of Fruitfulness:
Are you ready? Say with me:
The Eternal God is our Refuge. He opens Rivers in desolate Heights.The Lord makes the wilderness a Pool of water.
The LORD God is my Sun and Shield; The LORD gives Grace and Glory.
Therefore, I delight myself in Him. Those who are Planted in the House of the LORD shall be Fresh and Flourishing.
Though the Earth be shaken; the Name of the Lord is my Strong Tower. By Faith I affirm that: In Christ alone is my Salvation. In Him I live, and move and have my Being.
It is written: The Righteous are like trees Planted by the waters; bearing Fruits in its Season.
So I boldly declare: As for me, my God has made me Exceedingly Fruitful.
In this Season, my Spirit bears Fruits of Righteousness, my Talents make Way for me. With my hands, I will Plant, I will Build, I will Harvest – Day by Day, Step by Step.
In Jesus’ Name – Amen!
Today I am Preaching on: BREAKING BARRIERS.
Barriers will be broken – Amen!
You know, we are confronted with impossible barriers daily. Each one of us will be confronted with barriers; something that will be stopping you from getting to the Place that God wants you to be.
And sometimes, those barriers could be there for a very long time. It would seems like there is something you are not able to Push again.
And sometimes, it is there for a week sometimes a Year sometimes ten (10) Years, fifteen (15) Years!
You are just struggling to cross something – A limitation that has been Placed on you. And you find it very difficult to break through.
But I believe this morning, we will turn our attention to Breaking Barriers – and Barriers would be broken – Amen!
From 1865 (none of you was born at that time) to 1945 – That is a period of eighty (80) Years; twenty five (25) World Records were set for the Mile.
And for those of you who don’t know about the Mile; before we entered the Matrix System, the Mile was the distance we run.
People call it one thousand five hundred (1500), which is not exactly a Mile because a Mile has to have a few more added to it.
But we used to run the Mile.
And from 1865 to 1945, in an eighty (80) Years Period; when records were taken, twenty five (25) World Records were set for the Mile.
And all the twenty five (25) Records were under four (4) Minutes.
So the world had come to accept that it was impossible to run the Mile under four (4) Minutes. People actually had all Scientific Theories to say that it was beyond Human endurance and capacity for anyone to run one (1) Mile under four (4) Minutes.
And it became to a large extent, a Physiological Barrier that was limiting the Physical Abilities of People.
Then in 1954 – That is, nine (9) Years after the last record of 1945. In 1954 a gentleman called Rodger Bannister ran the mile under four (4) Minutes! And he ran it for 3 Minutes 59.4 Seconds.
… He beat it by 6 seconds – That is how he beat it!
So in 3 Minutes 59.4 Seconds Rodger Bannister Proved that the barrier of the 4-minute Mile could be broken – Very interesting!
But that was not the only fascinating thing:
As soon as he broke that barrier of the 4-Minute Mile and run under four (4) Minutes, it seemed as if everybody was breaking the 4-Minute barrier.
And up to this time, it is estimated that one thousand four hundred (1,400) Runners have been able to run the Mile under four (4) Minutes.
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
Something that for eighty (80) Years, nobody could do and now it is been done almost with ease – So many People have run the Mile under four (4) Minutes.
Many times barriers may seems very big; but they really exist in our Minds. There is something in your mind that tells you: ‘You cannot do that!’
Many Barriers of impossibilities are Myth that we have come to accept as reality.
So think about all the barriers that you have faced in your life, in your family, in our Nation; especially for us Africans (or Black People) – The Barriers about the things which we cannot do.
Sometimes you hear we ourselves telling us – ‘As for the Black Man, he can’t do this!
When will Africa ever develop? When will Black People ever do this and that?’ We speak about these barriers as if they are impossibilities.
The Story of the 4-minute Mile that I just narrated about Rodger Bannister can be likened to how Israel responded after Goliath and come down.
And I am going to take you through that familiar story in the Bible in 1 Samuel 17.
… I am not going to read it long; I am just going to read selected Portions of 1 Samuel 17.
But you know the familiar Story of David and Goliath – The Philistines gathered to fight the Israelites. It was not the first time and certainly not the last time. They fought quite a lot of time but this one was a very interesting Battle.
And from 1 Samuel 17:3-4, the Bible said (NKJV):
3 The Philistines stood on a Mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a Mountain on the other side, with a Valley between them.
4 And a Champion went out from the Camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span
… That is average calculated to be around 9 feet – So he was quite a huge Fellow!
1 Samuel 17:10-11:
10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the Armies of Israel this day; give me a Man, that we may fight together.”
11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
1 Samuel 17:16:
And the Philistine drew near and Presented himself forty days, morning and evening.
I like how the Bible Puts it: “He drew near and Presented himself forty days, Morning and Evening”.
So, the People of Israel went to Battle; ready to fight. They have been fighting all their lives. But this time they met a guy called Goliath (huge guy) – And Goliath Presented himself to them.
And for forty (40) days – Day and Night, an Army that was Prepared to fight hid from fighting. They were afraid to fight! For forty (40) days nobody was going out. They would dress for battle, go to the Battlefront and not move forward. And then they go back home.
They did that for forty (40) days!
Instead of having forty (40) days of Power, they were having forty (40) days of weakness – All the trained Soldiers and their Kings were afraid. They couldn’t fight because of a barrier called Goliath.
Let me show you how Barriers are set?
Barriers are set in several ways; but I will talk about Three (3) of them:
- First, what we have been “TOLD” – The things we “HEAR”.
For the Israelites, they heard the words of Goliath. They also heard what had been said about Goliath. Because this is not the first time Goliath was showing up. He had been fighting for the Philistines, and defeated many Nations.
So, there was a Story about him. There were those News about him – People who will WhatsApp about Goliath. They WhatApp about his Height. There was gossip about his great achievements.
And the People repeated the Story: Have you heard about Goliath? He is huge, we can’t fight him. If you go to fight him, he will kill you. And that still went on and on; and Israel had told it to themselves.
There is nothing more Limiting as what we hear and repeat to ourselves – The things you hear and repeat to yourself!
There could be Stories that we came to meet – Stories from our families, from our Clan, from our Nation, from our Race. And overtimes, we repeat those Stories so much to ourselves that they become a Mental Barrier.
And I believed that one of the factors for Africa underdevelopment is: repeated stories of defeat.
In our Part of the world, those Stories sometimes, have Spiritual dimensions to them.
… So barriers are set by what we have been told.
- Second (2nd) Barriers are set – They are set by what we “SEE” happening.
That is why Goliath Presented himself!
You can imagine how Israel felt with what they saw! – Not just heard him, but saw him. He was taller than any of them, more armed than any of them, better equipped than any of them.
If you considered that, at this time Israel was not using Metal weapons. It was after Goliath that they learnt how to use Metal weapons. They were using sticks and stones and all kinds of things. But they didn’t have Metal weapons.
Goliath comes, and he is armed with Metal – From head to toe. Apart from being 9 feet tall, he is Metallic – Almost like the Terminator. And he had an Armour-bearer in front of him.
… Just imagine the Vision of the Barrier!
Sooner or later you will see things in this world that will confirm what you have been hearing: that you can’t make it, that you are cursed, that you are little, that it is impossible! That a Black man cannot do it, the Africans cannot do it.
You will see Stories, you will read stories. And these days, because of Social Media, you will see Stories that we use to affirm our own Self Defeat.
- The Third (3rd) way that Barriers are set is through what we “FEAR WILL HAPPEN”.
When they saw Goliath they were afraid of the worse – Because once you see it happening, you will expect it to continue happening.
This is why, for forty (40) days, the Army that was ready to fight was not fighting; a People who have gone to the Battlefront were hiding.
.. But the Story changed! There was a Turnaround.
Somebody say: THERE WILL BE A TURNAROUND!
So, there was a turnaround!
And I want us to look at the turnaround in 1 Samuel 17:49:
Then David Put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the Earth.
… What a Mighty fall that was!
David had showed up on the scene; he decided to take on the barrier. He slung a stone, hit the forehead of Goliath, and Goliath fell face-forward. – Not backward, but face forward.
Watch what happened in 1 Samuel 17:52:
Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and Pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the Valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron.
Can you imagine?
These are People who couldn’t fight for forty (40) days – They had come to a Battlefront and nobody was moving.
… And then all of a sudden, they are running – So something changed!
It is almost like the story of Rodger Bannister – One man breaking a Barrier and a whole Army he comes after him!
David changed the Story for Israel – He changed the Story. He was like Rodger Bannister – He changed the Story for the world. He ran the Mile under 4 minutes
And how did David change the Story? – He removed what they feared; he removed the barriers, removed the limitation. Goliath came down!
And this week: Goliath will come down – Amen. That Barrier that has stopped you from moving is coming down – Amen. That force that intimidated you is coming down – Amen.
David changed the Story!
May God raise Davids out of Africa, out of Ghana (Nigeria) who will change the Story – Amen.
And when David changed the Story, inspired a New Behaviour; immediately the People saw the Barriers down they were inspired to fight.
The same Army that has been hiding for forty (40) days stepped out to battle – They did not go back home, they did not go to retrain, they did not go and change their armour.
Nothing changed! It is the same Group of People now going; because David changed their Story.
… There are things you think you cannot do – But I Pray in the Name of Jesus: Today, that barrier will be broken and what you have thought you could never do, you will do it in one (1) week – Amen.
What you have thought impossible, you will see yourself doing it, because the Barrier is broken in the Name of Jesus – Amen.
SO HOW DID DAVID DO IT?
Very quickly, 1 Samuel 17:45-47 – This Is How David did it:
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a Javelin. But I come to you in the Name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the Armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you (and he said it without a sword). And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the Earth, that all the Earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this Assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
SIX (6) LESSONS I want you to Pay attention to:
- First, don’t underestimate what God can do through you.
David never underestimated what God could do through him – He was he was seventeen (17) Years old about this time. He was not old enough to be recruited in the Army.
He was not a Soldier, he had never fought a regular battle – He fought with animals; but he never fought a battle.
This was the first battle he fought and he took on the biggest challenge.
Don’t underestimate what God will do and can do through you – For all you know, you are the one to break Africa’s 4-minute barrier.
Because somebody somewhere will look at you and say: if he can do it I can do it; if she can do it, I can do it.
May God raise up Men and Women who are Barrier Breakers and Inspirers of a Generation – Amen.
… Don’t underestimate what God can do through you!
- Second, put on the Strength of the Lord as your Armour.
That was David’s Secret – He put on the Lord as his Armour.
He said: “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a Javelin. But I come to you in the Name of the Lord of Hosts”.
In other words: I don’t have what you have, but I have what you don’t have – I have the Name of the Lord. You have the sword.
I. I don’t know whose sword has been drawn against you; but you have the Name of the Lord.
II. I don’t know what Armour is threatening you, but you have the Name of the Lord!
Put on the Strength of the Lord as your Armour; Go into Battle in the Name of the Lord; Stand Strong in the Name of the Lord.
- Aim for Bold and Audacious Target.
David did not aim for the feet of Goliath, he didn’t aim at his leg, he didn’t aim at his stomach, he didn’t aim at his chest.
… He aimed at his HEAD – It is bold, it is audacious, it is courageous.
Don’t make small Plans, don’t aim at little Levels, don’t think of very small Things – DREAM BIG! Think about something fantastic that you want to do for God.
Yet, you may start Small, you may start Local. But you will not stay Small, and you will not stay Local.
Think Big, Dream Big, Expect Big. Hallelujah!
… That was David’s Secret.
Aim for bold and audacious target – Think about it and for it, believe God for it!
You will do Big Things, you do Mighty Things, you will do Powerful Things. The Nations are waiting for. The Victory is for you, and you will take it in the Name of Jesus – Amen.
You know, sometimes when you come from our Part of the world; and if you come in our Part of the world; you come from the lowest Part – You know Africa is a Poor, the whole Continent is Poor.
But if you are Poor in Africa, you are Poor! I mean, we are Poor; but if among the Poor you are called Poor.
It’s like African Nations are Poor.
But if an African Nation call another Nation Poor; and in that Nation they call some People Poor – You are coming from far.
But I come here to tell you – David was also coming from far. He was coming from Bethlehem, he was coming from a Village that was unknown. But he determined: If I am going for Goliath, I am going for the HEAD – I am not going for the feet, I am not going down but I am going up!
If you are going to Dream, dream Big; if you are going to Think, think Big; if you are going to Believe, believe Big – Don’t waste your Faith, don’t waste your Dreams, don’t waste your Believe.
Somebody say: I AM BREAKING BARRIER!
Yes, you have done much; but you are going to do better – Amen.
- Match your desires with God’s Riches in Glory.
Don’t limit yourself to what you have, what is in your Country – Include God in your Demand-and-Supply Equations factor.
- Call the Things which be not as though they were!
David declared how the battle was going to go – He said: I am going to take your head (but he had no sword).
God caused the things that be not as though they were! – He said: Let there be Light when it was full of Darkness.
- Anticipate Unusual Miracles, Signs and Wonders.
Live in Divine expectancy! – David believed that God will do something Unusual with him, and he received something Unusual from the Lord.
As we Progress from today, may we step out into battle – Whatever has intimidated us from our Childhood up to now, whatever has intimidated us from the Past ten (10) Years up till now; from Past twenty (20) Years, five (5) Years, last Year till now, from the beginning of this Year till now. Whatever Goliath has stood infront of you, it is coming down – Amen. And you are going to rush into battle – Amen!
No lLmits, no Boundaries – I see Increase all around me, Breakforth, Stretchforth. It is time to break out, it is time for every Barriers to be broken, it is time for the 4-minute Limitation in your head to be broken – Amen.
Because you are going to run this Race, you are going to run it well, to the Glory of God – Amen.
Are you ready to Pray?
Let’s rise up together as we Pray this morning in line with what we have said today.
PRAYER POINTS:
- If you are ready to Pray lift up your hands and say with me: Heavenly Father, deliver my mind from every words I heard from my Childhood that has become a barrier to what You want to do in my life.
Now Pray about that: Maybe somebody told you – You are not Good enough, you are not smart, you are not intelligent, you are not handsome, you are not beautiful, you don’t have what it takes, you are not Talented, you are not Gifted, your family is Poor, your family will never be great.
Maybe your Parents, your Teachers, your Examiners, your friends told you – You are a failure. You are not a failure!
May the Lord deliver every Mind from the traps of our Childhood; from words spoken, words released into our small Minds – Limiting us; telling us how far we can go.
Maybe you were told: only a White man can do that – And so, you have imprisoned yourself in your African Skin. It is Possible! We are breaking out of that Mindset.
Father deliver Your People from Inferiority Complex. deliver Africans from Inferiority Complex, deliver Ghanaians from Inferiority Complex, deliver Nigerians from Inferiority Complex. Deliver us all from Inferiority Complex, Self-Negation, Racial Limitations. We break out of that, in the Name of Jesus!
You are going to break Free from every Negative Toxins in your Life. Every bad example you have seen of failure, you are setting yourself Free from it. You will not repeat it and you will not be a Prisoner to it.
- Somebody say with me: Heavenly Father, today I declare Emotional Freedom from all Toxic Relationships in my Life – Toxic Influences in my life. Set me Free from wrong family examples. I am Free in Christ Jesus.
Begin to deliver yourself! – Your father did it, your mother did it, but you will not do it. Your uncles and aunts are like it but you will not be it.
Every Toxic Influences: Toxic Political Influences, Toxic Family Influences, Toxic Spiritual Influences; we break Free from it. We break out from every Emotional Influences that limit our Capacity and Potentials, in the Name of Jesus.
You will not repeat circles of failure, you will not repeat circles of defeat. It will not happen to you, in the Name of Jesus.
In the Name of Jesus, we are breaking Free from every Spirits of Fear, Intimidation and Small Thinking – You will not Think Small again. You will Think BIG, in the Name of Jesus.
- Say: Heavenly Father, by Faith I break Through and break Free from the Spirit of Fear, Timidity and Small Thinking – I can do all things through Christ who Strengthens me.
Now begin to Pray: Get out from the one-room Mindset, Chamber and Hall Mindset, Tabletop Mindset – We are breaking through from it; we are breaking from the Limitations of Fear, Witches and Wizards. we are breaking Free from every Fear of Spiritual Forces, every Fear of Man, Fear of Woman. We are breaking free from it, in the Name of Jesus.
We are breaking Free from every Spirits of Timidity, Small Thinking, Small Plans, Small Dreams in the Name of Jesus.
Now we want to Open our Minds for God to stir our hearts to do great things for Him.
- Say with me: Heavenly Father, you created me for yourself, I open my Spirit and my Mind for You; stir up my heart with a Passion to do Great Things for You.
Pray now for a New Spirit – Open up to Great Ideas, Divine Ideas, Divine Possibility, Divine Concept, Divine Thoughts, Divine Imaginations, Divine Desires, in the Name of Jesus!
We declare Victory!
May the Lord Inspire you, may the Lord give you New Ideas in your Sleep and in your Visions – Amen. May the Lord speak to you in the books you read, in the Bible (as you read it), in the Messages and words you hear or read always on the Label of DMC – Amen.
May God Inspire you in the things you see, in the movies you watch – Amen. May God Inspire, may the Lord Inspire Great Ideas in you – Big Ideas in the Documentary you watch – Amen. May God Inspire in you Big Ideas; not Small Thinking – Amen.
He wants to show His manifold Wisdom through us. God wants to make us an Example of His Goodness; He wants to make us an Example of His Power; He wants to make us an Example of His Glory; He wants to make us an Example of what His Victory is all about.
May God Pick you up from your family and demonstrate you to the world – Amen!
May God Pick you up as a Signboard. May God make you a Testimony – Amen.
May God Pick you up like David and use you to Inspire Others in the Name of Jesus – Amen.
- Finally, we want to just Thank God for the doors He is Opening for us. And we Thank Him that from today we are running through troops and we are leaping over walls.
Whatever wall stood between you and your Destiny, this day, you are leaping over it – Amen!
Whatever stood before you till this day; you are running through it – Amen.
Say with me: Heavenly Father, Thank You for the massive doors you have opened for me today and run through troops and I leap over walls, in Jesus’ Name.
Begin to Pray and Thank God!
From this day massive doors are Opening to you. You are running, you are breaking the Records, in the Name of Jesus.
In the Past, every time you say I am going to do it! something Negative happens.
From this day, as you step out: Nothing will Stop you, nothing will limit you; Goliath is fallen. The enemy is down, the opponent is down. The Barrier is broken – Amen.
And you are entering to Possess your Inheritance – Amen. You are entering in to become what God wants you to become, in the Name of Jesus – Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER
Father, we Thank You for the Victory that we sense in our Spirit; the Victory in our hearts which we now declare with our mouth: that we overcame by the Blood of the Lamb and by the words of our Testimony.
We declare that Goliath is fallen; that the Enemies that intimidated us is fallen. We declare Lord, that You are doing BIG Things with us!
Not Small Things, not Small Ideas, not Small Plans – We Dream BIG, we Think BIG, we Believe BIG because we have a BIG GOD, and He is more than able!
And Father, may You do for us more than we can ever ask or think of, according to Your Power that is at work in us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
… And everybody shout Amen – AMEN!!!
Oh, shout another Amen – AMEN.
Say: The Barrier is broken; Goliath is fallen; I have the breakthrough!
In Jesus’ Name – AMEN!
Give God a Clap Somebody – Hallelujah!!!
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