FAITH TO REFUSE – PART 1: DR MENSA OTABIL, SUNDAY 18TH OCTOBER, 2020

ONLINE SUNDAY SERVICE MESSAGE BY DR. MENSAH OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) ACCRA, GHANA)

TOPIC: FAITH TO REFUSE – PART 1

DATE: 18TH OCTOBER, 2020

TEXT: HEBREWS 11:24-26

Amen! – Let us rise together wherever you are (or reading on the Label of DMC) as we make our DECLARATIONS OF EXCELLENCE, in this Year of Excellence.

… Are you READY?

SAY WITH ME:
Out of Zion, the Perfection of Beauty, God shines forth. The Lord my God causes the righteous to shine forth as the Sun.

His Awesome Hands has formed me; His Creative Spirit inspires my mind. He skillfully guides my hands.

Therefore, I boldly declare: I am set apart for Excellence. The Ruler of the Universe has exalted my horn among the Nations. He sets my feet on high! In His Strength, I rise!

By Faith, I Press forward towards the Prize of my Highest Calling.

I believe in my heart, and confess with my mouth: that Jesus is Lord! He is the Vine, I am the Branch; in Him I abide, in Him I Blossom.

As it is written: God, who commanded Light out of darkness, has shone His Light in our hearts;

We have His Treasure in Earthen Vessels. That the Excellence of the Power may be of God, and not of us!

In this Year, I commit to EXCELLENCE, I commit to EXCEPTIONALISM, I commit to do the EXTRAORDINARY.

In Jesus’ Name – Amen and Amen and Amen and Amen!

And you may be seated in God’s Presence wherever you are joining us or reading on the Label of DMC.

Today, I want to consider another aspect of Faith which I Title – “FAITH TO REFUSE”.

Or if you want to be more dramatic: Faith to Reject.

And I will do it in two (2) Parts. So this is PART 1 of FAITH TO REFUSE.

When I talk about “FAITH TO REFUSE”, it is the ability to reject wrong labels on your life.

It is the ability to reject being stuck in a place that God had not Purpose for you.

And it is the kind if Faith that Moses exercised in other for him to fulfil his Destiny.

And our Text would be taken from the Book of Hebrews 11:25-26.

If you are familiar with the Book of Hebrews Chapter 11; it is what is called “The Faith Hall of Fame”.

Because the whole of the Book of Hebrews Chapter 11 is about Faith – It defines Faith, and then it shows us examples of Faith, mainly from both the Old Testament – Running through lives of people who lived by Faith.

So, Hebrews 11:25-26 (NKJV)

… And let us hear the reading of God’s Word:

24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the Passing Pleasures of sin,

26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

I would want you to note three (3) words – Each occurring in each of the three (3) Verses above.

• In verse 24, note the word ‘REFUSED’;
• In verse 25 ‘CHOOSING’;
• And in verse 26 ‘ESTEEMING’.

REFUSE, CHOOSE, ESTEEM.

In the Bible, there is an account of Egypt. And that is where Moses was!

… And there is a real historical Egypt.

You can also use this link to listen to the audio: Faith To Refuse (Part 1) – Dr Mensa Otabil

However, many times throughout the Bible, Students of the Bible see Egypt also as a Symbol of Oppression or a Symbol of the World System.

So, in my Message today; I want you to see Egypt in that sense – As a World System, or as an Oppressive System.

… That is what Egypt was to Moses!

Moses was born in Egypt, a Nation that oppressed his people. And you and I are born into an Oppressive World System that also wants to keep us down!

But we are here to REFUSE and to REJECT being kept down.

So, our Passage today deals with Moses and how he REFUSED something that was supposed to be a blessing for him.

By faith Moses, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

To REFUSE simply means: To say NO to something.

Many of us know how to say YES, and have never learnt how to say NO.

But there are certain things in life that we must learn to say NO to!

And by FAITH, Moses was able to say NO – To Pharaoh’s daughter.

And the Passage says that Moses was able to say NO, “When Moses became of age.”

“By Faith Moses, when he BECAME OF AGE, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,”

The Phrase “BECAME OF AGE” is very important; because this ‘became of age’ (for Moses) happened when he was forty (40) years old.

… That is when he became fully aware of himself!

The Phrase “BECAME OF AGE” means when he reached Maturity – When he got to Maturity.

When he left Childhood and came to Maturity, he BECAME OF AGE!

Interestingly, when you read the Original Language; the Phrase ‘became of age’ also means: To discover your Greatness.

So, when Moses became of age, he discovered his greatness; he found that his life was far BIGGER than just becoming a son Pharaoh’s daughter.

At some Point in our lives, each one of us must seek an Identity greater than just being ‘the child of so and so!’

Your father may have achieved Greatness, your mother may have achieved Greatness; but when you BECOME OF AGE, you must seek your own Greatness.

And that’s what Moses was born in to.

Or he grew up in a very Prestigious environment; but when he BECAME OF AGE, he discovered his own Greatness!

May God help you to discover your Greatness – Amen!

And the Book of Acts gives us some clarity as to how that happened.

Acts 7:23 says: “Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel”.

“… It came into his heart.”

That Phrase is another way of saying: IT DAWNED ON HIM; he became AWARE, or something BURNED in his heart.

When Moses reached this age, something KICKED inside him, and told him: YOU ARE BIGGER THAN THAT, MOSES! YOU ARE BETTER THAN THAT, MOSES! YOU ARE GREATER THAN THAT, MOSES!

Something touched him, and he knew that he had something to do with his life.

And there are moments on our lives when each one of us must COME OF AGE, and realise the Purpose of our lives!

Now, if you know the story of Moses; when Moses was a child there was a decree that was made by a Pharaoh of that time that every male child should be killed.

That was not the decision Moses made, it was made by Pharaoh.

And his Parents made a decision for him: “That he was a Good child, he was a handsome child – and he would not die!’

And the Bible says: ‘They hid him for a long time and Prevented him from been destroyed”.

Then when it was impossible to hide him, his Parents took him to a Place where he would be discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter.

They knew where Pharaoh’s daughter went to have her bath; and they took Moses, put him in a basket, put him in the river and waited, to see what would happen.

… And Moses was discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter.

So, his Parents made the decision for him – A Good one!

Then Pharaoh’s daughter discovered Moses, and made a decision that she would not allow this boy to be killed!

… But she would raise the boy as a Prince of Egypt!

So, she made a decision also, for Moses.

So far, good decisions are being made for Moses!

His Parents had made a Good Decision for him; Pharaoh’s daughter had made a Good Decision for him. Then when Moses came of age, he had to make a Decision for himself!

No matter the decisions that have been made for you; there comes a time when you have to make your own Decision!

… And he CAME OF AGE!

And Mose had grown with a label – And the label was “PRINCE OF EGYPT”.

… That’s his title – ‘PRINCE OF EGYPT”.

If you lived in those times, I am sure there would be servants walking around him, and calling him ‘Prince of Egypt”.

And Probably, there were umbrellas on top of him, with people carrying him.

He was the Privileged Boy – That was his label, that was his Title.

But his Mission was not PRINCE OF EGYPT.

His Mission was ‘DELIVERER OF ISRAEL”.

So, he had a label that said: ‘You are a Prince’; but his Mission was DELIVERER.

There are times when your label doesn’t fit your Mission.

What you are called doesn’t fit what you are called to do!

How people see you doesn’t fit how God sees you!

And there are times when, a label you have inherited does not fit you.

For Moses, the label seemed to be a Good one! But some of us have grown up with some label that does not fit our Mission.

And today, I came to tell you; you can REFUSE the wrong label.

So, for everyone with a “Self Limiting Label”: Something people say about you, something that people have imposed on you – They may have done it with Good Intention; but it’s a limitation to your Mission.

Dr Mensa Otabil

… May God set you Free – Amen!

In the Bible you find many people who inherited a wrong label, but their Mission was Greater:

1. If you were JEPHTHAH, the label on your life says: ‘Prostitute Son’ (if you will be blunt). But the mission on your life says: ‘The Lord’s Warrior”.

So life says – You are a harlot son, but the Mission on your life says you are a Mighty Warrior.

2. If you were JABEZ, the label on your life says: ‘You are a child of Pain.’ But the Mission on your life says ‘Possessor of a Large Territory’.

So, you have to choose the Label or the Mission

3. If you were PAUL, the label on your life says: ‘Persecutor of the Church’. But the Mission on your life says: ‘Planter of Churches”.
4. If you were DAVID, the label on your live says: ‘Conceived in Iniquity’. But the Mission on your life says: ‘The Man after God’s heart”.
5. If you were ESTHER, the label on your life says: ‘Orphan Slave Girl”. But the Mission of your life says: ‘Queen and a National Influencer”.
6. If you were GIDEON, the label on your live says: ‘Timid Farmer”. But the Mission on your life says: ‘Mighty Man of Valour”.

I don’t know about you: If there is a label upon your life that does not fit your Mission, you have to REJECT IT!

Somebody say: I REJECT IT!

And there are some people who have been wrongly labelled.

Maybe you made a mistake once (in your life time) and have determined that is who you are for your lifetime!

Maybe you made a mistake in Secondary School, and people want to make it your ‘Time Mission’ but you have to REJECT IT!

It was a mistake in the Past, but it was not your Destiny! – God has an Assignment for you, God has a Destiny for you.

… You will FULFIL IT – Amen!

When you grow up as an African, you inherit a label: ‘Third (3rd) World”. But your Mission is not third (3rd) world.

My mission is not Third (3rd) World – My Mission is a “WORLD CHANGER”; my Mission is a “GLOBAL INFLUENCER”.

… That is your MISSION!

The world may call you THIRD (3RD) but you are FIRST (1ST) on God’s mind!

So, Moses had a label: ‘PRINCE OF EGYPT”. It seemed like a Pretty Good one! But the Mission was greater than ‘Prince of Egypt”.

In fact, if he had remained Prince of Egypt, we would never of heard of him. But he took on the Mission ‘Liberator of God’s people – Israel’.

And we are still talking about Moses, because he moved from the Label to the Mission!

So What did Moses do, when he BECAME OF AGE?

There are Three (3) Main Things he did:

1. He REFUSED the wrong Label.

“By Faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter” – Hebrews 11:24.

He did it by Faith!

He REFUSED to be called by a Label that was not his Mission. He stopped living by his childhood fear.

Fear had been Part of Moses’ life:

I. It was fear that landed him in the Palace of Pharaoh.

II. It was the fear of his Parents that dictated all the choices they made for him.

And there are adults who are still living by their ‘Childhood Fear’ – The fear of your Past has your Potential.

There are decisions that Parents make for their children out of fear – ‘Don’t do that, don’t drink that, don’t aspire to do that, the world is dangerous, there are witches, there are wizards, our family is hard, things are tough, be careful!’

… And that imposes a burden on you!

The fear of your Childhood has become a Limitation of your future

I came to announce to somebody: It is time to REJECT the FEAR of your CHILDHOOD.

In the midst of witches you will Prosper – Amen!

You can’t live your life looking to see which Aunty is coming after you; which Uncle is coming after you; what System is coming after you!

You have to live your life – Looking at the Vision God has for you, the Mission ahead of you and fulfilling Destiny.

Someone say: I REFUSE THE WRONG LABEL!

He stopped living by his Childhood Fear and he stopped living a life of lie! – Moses life was a LIE for forty (40) years.

… He was called an Egyptian, but he was a Hebrew.

There was a time that, that Pretense Probably saved his life! But at this Point, it had no Point.

And there are some people who had continued to live a life of lie – You boasted of a School you didn’t attend; you Pride yourself in Grades you didn’t have; you Pride yourself to have Passed Test that you failed; you Point to houses that are not yours; you Point to relatives that you are not related to.

.. All to boost your Self Esteem!

But a time has come, when you are of age; you have to come out as you are!

… ‘I am not an Egyptian’ Moses said! I’m a HEBREW.

It may have helped you to deal with issues in your Past but it is no longer helping you, because you cannot continue Pretending to be who you are not.

You cannot continue running away from the Mission that God has given to you; because it seems dangerous for you.

Moses REFUSED the wrong Label.

And there are people who must refuse the wrong Label:

I. Somebody just saw you once, and conclude, this is how far you will go!

II. Your Teacher just mark one Paper of yours, and told you, you are not smart.

Maybe he marked your Term Paper, and told you you are not smart, you cannot achieve much, you don’t have the intelligence.

III. Somebody saw you failed on one area, and tells you ti be careful of that area that is not your ability!

And you imprison yourself in a wrong Label; when God has called you in a Mission greater than the Label of your Fears and the Label of your Limitations!

May God set you Free – Amen; may you stop living a life of lie – Amen; may God give you the Victory – Amen!

Somebody say: I REFUSE every wrong Label.

Moses did not only REFUSE a Label;

2. But he CHOSE God’s Mission.

“Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the Passing Pleasures of sin” – Hebrews 11:25

For Moses, it was a very tough choice because the Label he was rejecting and what he was choosing; it seemed like he was moving away from something Good, to something Hard.

But Moses accepted his Divine Calling, and he acted in line with God’s Mission.

He actually started doing something about it.

People didn’t accept it; he tried to act like a Liberator not like a Pampered Prince!

When God had a Mission for you, it will always conflict with the Label that has been put on your life!

The Label on my life (when I was growing up) is not the Mission I’m living out now!

If I had lived by the Label on my life, I would be no where near Pulpit; I would be no where near Preaching – Because when I was young, I wasn’t brilliant! I wasn’t a smart Student, I was Borderline.

You know what Borderline is?

I remembered one time in our School, when you failed, you repeated or you were thrown away!

And my name was just on top of the red line – Mensah Otabil (right there)!

And if somebody had just added one more mark, I would go beyond the Red line.

But you see, my Mission is not based on how I am assessed in the classroom because my Destiny is BIGGER than my Report Card.

My Report Card may say ‘Borderline Average, you can’t do much but my MISSION is GREATER than that!

And I had to choose God’s Mission for my life.

I had to choose! And it’s amazing what happens when you choose God’s way!

All of a sudden, you become Intelligent! All of a sudden, you become capable! All of a sudden, the Fear that made you Underperformed is gone.

And you are now Performing, and Over-Performing.

WHY? – Because you REFUSED the wrong Label and you have CHOSEN the Mission of God.

May God HELP YOU – Amen!

Moses chose God’s Mission for his life.

How could Moses do that? How could he make such a choice?

… That’s the Third (3rd) Point;

3. He ESTEEMED God’s Mission.

Because the Bible says: “Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward” – Hebrews 11:26

He saw God’s Mission as more SIGNIFICANT;

He compared the Mission that God had for him with the Label that Egypt had given to Him, and he said “What God has for me, is BETTER!”

… And he expected his rewards from God.

There are people living in their forties, and their fifties, in their sixties. I dare say – there are seventies and eighties and lives they are living as adults, is based on a Label that was put on them when they were children.

When they were children they were called: ‘You are a Bad Boy, you are a bad Girl” maybe because they went behind the house to smoke.

And all of a sudden everybody says: ‘He is a bad Boy’ because he smoked something. Or she is a Bad Girl because she went to do something with somebody – She was caught with a boy behind the house; under a tree. Just caught with a boy. A silly boy anyway! And all of a sudden everybody says ‘you’re a bad Girl”.

And the sad thing is, you grow up saying: ‘As for me, I am bad oh.’

You have accepted a Label based on one tiny mistake you made as a child.

And everybody says you are a sex addict, you are a drug addict, you are a drunkard, you are weak because of some Label, some Mistake of your Childhood.

And there you are, struggling at forty, struggling at fifty, struggling at Sixty. Because you cannot shake this Label off you.

Today, I came to announce Deliverance to every Captives: By FAITH, you will REFUSE the wrong Label – Amen.

To some of you, the Label has been, ‘Small Boy’, ‘Small Girl’.

I remembered when I started working – I was quite young but I was working.

And there was one of the Staff Members – A Senior who just decided, he had to call me ‘Small Boy’.

And for whatever reason, I am not competing with you. I was just much younger than him and every time he will call me ‘SMALL BOY”.

One day I summoned the courage, I said: Sir, I am not a small Boy. Why are you calling me ‘Small Boy?’

He said, you are a small Boy! And he didn’t change it!

And then years later, I went to Preach somewhere in the United States, and he was there. And he came to see me after!

And he said, oh my Boss.

Sir! I said, when did this small become my Boss?

But you know, there are people who want to belittle you, they will call you names. Even when you reject it, they will call you because they want you to accept your weakness, your inability, incapacity. They want to put you under their feet!

But I came to announce to somebody: God has a Mission for your life, and you will REFUSE IT!

Pharaohs daughter said: I found you in the River – Moses I saved you, without me you are nothing! Without me you are going nowhere! You are my BOY, you belong to Egypt, you belong to me. This is your future.

Moses says: Thank you for all you did for me! I appreciate it but my Destiny is not limited to where you want me to be. I REFUSE to stay under your Shadow!

And by FAITH, Moses CHOSE something better and Greater!

If you are an adult living in the shadow of your Youth; I came to announce Liberation to you!

If you are living a life, based on a Label that was put on you when you were twelve (12) years old; you didn’t know any better! – They said you were a nice girl, and an Area Boy kissed you, and you didn’t know how to kiss! And then your Big Brother caught you. And then everybody in the area says you are a Bad Girl!

And they used the words I don’t want to use – it doesn’t befit you!

And you are an Adult now, and you still think: I am unclean, I am not worthy, I cannot be used by God. I cannot do anything great because somebody labelled me in my Youth!

… May God Deliver you – Amen!

Or maybe you started a class and you repeated the Class; and repeatedly it three (3) times. But you finally scaled through after repetitions and repetitions – So it becomes a Label on your head. ‘You are SMART!’

I came to announce to you, that Label can be Rejected, and you can be somebody. And you can do something for God and for yourself.

Or maybe you went through a stage in your life; you Served! You were a houseboy, you were a house girl, you just served people.

And somebody has decided, you cannot Progress beyond that – This is who you are for life: Because you served, because you cleaned somebody’s house or helped them. And they feel you cannot go beyond that!

I came to announce to you: There was a moment when you were a child. But when you COME OF AGE – when you become like Moses; Moses REFUSED and he CHOSE a better way!

Today God wants you to choose s better way!

And if you want to exercise your Faith to REFUSE, you have every right to refuse it!

You refuse Small Boy.

You refuse Third World.

If there is a Label that we must refuse as Africans, as Black people; it’s THIRD WORLD NATION.

Third World Nation, Under developed – People treat us as if we can’t help ourselves. They have to come up to help us before things can happen for us.

If they don’t help Africa – Africa is dead! Africa cannot survive. Africa is the burden of the world!

… WE REFUSE THAT LABEL!

And if God has shown us during this Pandemic, that the Label of the world does not stick on us!

They said we are going to die lie flies; the world was Perplexed,: ‘How are we going to handle Africa?’ How are we going to handle those people who can’t help themselves?

They can’t help themselves, what kind of medicine will cure, oh Africa!

Who is Standing?

And the people who said they can handle themselves; they had the first wave of the virus, they couldn’t handle it; second wave, they can’t handle it!

And they are watching; what happened to those people?

.. It is called SIGN.

God gave us a Sign – To say Africa, the days of wearing the Label of Third World, of Weak, you can’t do it, you can’t make it, somebody must help you, if they don’t help you, you are dying;

God says: Africa, the days are over! You have COME OF AGE!

And we choose the Mission of God; we are the Redeemers of the world. We are at the Top of the world. We are the head and the tail. We are Above, we are not beneath.

Because like Mose, we REJECT the wrong Label and we CHOOSE the Mission of God.

Lift up your hands with me:

For everyone struggling with the wrong Label, I don’t know what Label you are struggling with. I don’t know what you did that has trapped you.

CLOSING PRAYER

As from today, I speak into your spirit man; I speak a Release, I speak Freedom into your spirit, into your mind, into your heart;

I go back into your history, into your youth – in Primary School, in Secondary School, in University;

And I declare that every Label upon your life, in your neighbourhood, in your family, that has limited you, is broken today, in the Name of Jesus!

And may God set you free. And may you be like Moses, rise up to full your God given Mission, in Jesus’ Name.

… And everybody say – AMEN!

Thank you so much for staying all through to read.

To read other Messages on the Coverage of DMC MediaCrew so far this Year and beyond; kindly visit our Website: http://discoverymediacrew.com.

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/discoverymediac

Send a Friend Request on Facebook to DMC MediaCrew.

Like our FB Page: Discovery Media

Join us on WhatsApp:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/LYia4HScOnh2N30YU9E8AZ

Join us on Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/NzzPckuGazKYFxZZFkt9fg

Follow Us on Instagram: Discoverymediacrew

Watch and Follow Us on YouTube: Discovery Media Crew

For Enquiries, email Us on: info@discoverymediacrew.com

And I can assure you that you will be glad you did as it will avail you first hand access to comprehensive reports on the various Messages of Pastor E.A Adeboye and other Men of God!

It is outrightly wrong and a sin we frowned at it for anyone to consciously remove the original source of the work that does not emanate for him or her!

Discovery Media Crew … Reaching out to the World through the Power of the Gospel!!!

COMPILATIONS BY:

MOSES DURODOLA, TITILAYOMI AJAYI AND TOPE BABALOLA

© DISCOVERY MEDIA CREW (DMC) 2020