Courage for Great Exploit- Apostle Peterson Onoja Abu

In this Bible teaching, the speaker emphasizes the importance of courage in overcoming challenges and achieving success in life. He uses examples from the Bible, such as Joshua and Joseph, to illustrate how courage is necessary when faced with difficult circumstances. The speaker encourages listeners to have faith and not give up, reminding them that tough seasons in life are temporary and that God is always with them. He also highlights the stories of successful individuals who faced hardships before achieving greatness, emphasizing the need to persevere and trust in God's plan. Soleri akori, korwe ish for great exploits, korwe ish for great exploits. Dito do wemish after 31, Iwe dito noromi ikboya, lat isi ongola. Dito do wemish after 31, if you are there open your bibles. Dito do wemish after 31, from verse 6 to verse 7, uri kefa. The bible says in verse 6, be strong and of a good courage. Fear not, not be afraid of them. For the Lord thy God, he that dwelts go with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him, in the sight of all Israel, be strong and of a good courage, for thou must go with these people, unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers, to give them, and that shall cause them to inherit it. In this part of the bible, there was a young man called Joshua. And Moses at this time was about to be taken by God. And there was river Jordan for him to cross. There were Jericho for them to conquer. There were Malachi for them to conquer. His look as if the future is still tough. And Moses told Joshua, if there is anything you need for you to be able to enter your future, if there is anything you need for you to be able to enjoy the tomorrow, he said, what you need is courage. Moses said, be of good courage, and fear not. So anytime there is fear, there is a need for us to wake up our courage. The word courage always comes to us when it looks as if you have reached the dead end, that where you have reached there is no other way for you to pass. There are times you will come to a discovery in life, and you will be contemplating either to give up or to continue. There are times where it looks as if all your effort is futility, that everything you try to make sure that it works is not working. And you start contemplating to end up your life. You start contemplating to end up that business. You start contemplating to end up that thing that God has committed into your hands. At such a time where it appears as if there is no strength in you again, all you need is the courage of God. Times are difficult, challenges everywhere, and there have been several marital issues. And the Lord is speaking to us at this time, and I don't know what you are going through in life, that everyone you once helped, now you are in need and you don't see them again. That everyone you once allocated time to bless, to favour when you were in need, now you need their help and you don't see them again. And you are asking God, why is life like this? Sometimes we ask this question, why does bad things happen to good people? And are you about to give up? There is a need for courage, there is a need for you to be courageous, in order for you to have a great exploit. Life is in season, and that is why we have elderly people in our church here now. The two elderly people we have that is currently present today, they are more than 17 years old. And if you meet them, they will tell you the several rivers they have crossed, the many bridges they have crossed, the challenges of life they have crossed. And that is why I want to tell you that life is in season. Where you are now is not where you will be forever. Before I came to meet you in Agbede, you are not the first church I have pastored. Some of you before you came to this place, you have seen money before. Am I right? So if you are not seeing money today, it is not because you have come to the end of your life. You are holding in a season in your life. It will not be forever. You will not remain there forever. Have you forgotten when you had a sickness some years ago? And it was as if there was no cure for that sickness. Today you still have the sickness. It has gone. So sometimes when we are in a particular juncture of life, we always think we will remain there forever. And if you forget to look up to the future, you will allow that your present situation to kill you. You need courage to be able to succeed. Life is difficult. For everyone to enter into their destiny, they must press and be courageous. If there is no courage, you will give up in your life. What you plan to become in life, you will give up on it. If you are not courageous, you will give up on your dreams. Hallelujah. There are people that are bad thinking of closing down their business. There are people thinking of changing their career. Because it is not working at this season. Don't allow this season to make you to destroy what is supposed to help you in the next season. There is no career that doesn't go through different seasons. There is no business that never goes through different seasons. So if you are going through a season, understand that it is because of this period. And that is why you must not make decisions that will destroy your tomorrow. For you to be able to do great exploits in life, you must be courageous in life. Of course, most of you watched the Nigeria football game. And there is a particular person there, one of the footballers there that we do celebrate. And it was discovered that Soshe Pese has once sold pure water on the street of Lagos. When he was selling those pure water sachets, he never knew that a time will come when he will become someone that will sponsor others. If he allowed that season to destroy him, he would not have been in the place of celebration. When you think in your days of little beginning, you will not always look like the ending. In your days of little beginning, you will not always look like the future. We talk about Joseph in our Sunday school. He never looked like the future. We talk about David in the beginning. How many people were aware that David killed Bia? How many were aware that David killed Lion? At the back side of life, this guy was doing great exploits. But nobody was hearing about him. Because God was preparing him for the day of manifesting. It may look as though that what you are doing now, nobody is aware of it. Nobody even knows of your energy you are putting into it. There is a day God has prepared to exhort you. And today we are all shouting that strike and celebrating that strike in Nigeria football. You don't know what that man went through. You don't know the period he was discouraged. You don't know the period he was frustrated. He never knew the period where he had to run to save the water and nobody will see by. You don't know how many times he was not able to finish selling the sachet water. All you are celebrating and posting on your status is somebody that has gone through a process. When you are going through a process, nobody will like to celebrate you. You don't celebrate a process. It is a product you celebrate. Because you are going through now, it is only a process. Don't allow it to overwhelm you. There is a great blessing waiting for you. You need courage. Imagine Joseph in the prison. And he could not even talk about it again. Because God didn't tell him that he will go through prison. Along the journey of life, God only showed him that he will become an exalted person. But God never told him that there was prison for him to pass. In the place of prison, you will interpret dreams. And the people you interpreted dreams will not remember you. It is like that in the period of prison. Before you come to the palace, there is prison. If you don't have the courage, you will give up in the prison. If you don't have courage, you will commit suicide in the prison. If you don't have courage, you will forget God in the prison. When it seems as if the whole world is on your shoulder, and you always come to appear strong before men, but in the secret of secrets, where your husband is not, where your wife is not, where your parents are not, you bend your head towards the bedside, and you shed tears, and your prayer was, God help me. The burden is much on my shoulder. You need courage. Don't give up. You need courage. God told Joshua, told the person of Moses, be of good courage. It will not last forever. Don't be scared. There are people that came, they won, they conquered, they prevailed and they have gone. Those that are meant to become great always pass through great challenges. I say those that are meant to become great always pass through great challenges. Look at the person of Abraham. He had no child for more than 70 years. He went through great challenges. Look at the person of Jacob. It took him 14 years to marry, to marry the love of his life. Even when he married the woman Rachel, the woman became married for some years. That is a great challenge. Look at the person of Joseph. He went through great challenges. Is it Moses, that was bound from entering the land of Egypt? Then he went to the back side of the desert. He spent the years before he came back to Egypt. He went through great challenges too. If you shake to the Bible, what about Jesus? A time came when Jesus' humanity began to speak. Jesus knelt down and said, Father if it be possible, let this cup pass for me. Do you know what Jesus was saying? He said if it is possible, if it is possible, if it is possible, if it is possible, if it is possible, if it is possible, if it is possible, if it is possible, if it is possible, if it is possible, if it is possible, Joshua chapter 1 verse 9 Have I not commanded thee, be strong, and of a good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee. With us wherever thou goest. Look at God speaking to Joshua again. He said be encouraged. Be encouraged. Are you with me? Be what? Encouraged. God came to Joshua again through Moses. He said have not I commanded you, it is more easy when you go through challenges and you have parents to call, It is another picture entirely when you are going through challenges and there is nobody for you to call. It is more easy when you go through challenges under parental guidance. But when you become parents yourself you don't have anybody to call. Moses was about to leave Joshua. Moses left Joshua there and Joshua does not have any spiritual father to call on him. Look up here. Every eye is looking for somebody to cry to. There is every you in you that wants to cry to somebody. And until you find the right person you will not be able to cry. Moses was the only person that Joshua could go to. And say oh God I am going through this depression. My boss I am going through this problem. And Moses will say be courageous. Now the man that is encouraging Joshua is about to go. And Joshua will then encourage Joshua. So Joshua was thinking about it. And Moses saw Joshua sitting there somewhere thinking about it. And he came to meet Joshua again. He said haven't I commanded you to be courageous? Don't be afraid. The Lord is speaking to someone here this morning. Don't be afraid. When we talk about courage, we are talking about a mental strength. A mental strength. To persevere. And to withstand danger. To withstand fear. And difficulty. Many years ago when I was in secondary school, I discovered that one thing that always make me to forget whatever I wear. Was always fear. So I discovered whenever I entered the exam class, The moment fear set in, It will sell that it is the smallest unit of life I will forget it. So I started doing something. If I come to school, I will play around. Before I came to school I avoided wear and do all those things. So when I play around, It will ease that pressure. Then I will sit down. When I start ringing the bell, Everybody come to class. I will go to the front seat. So the moment they are sharing exam paper, Before the question paper, I will have to cast my mind somewhere. Because the pressure will be rising within me. What about the set days? And eventually, When I calm myself, And they give me exam paper, I always go to section B first. And I will make sure that I don't go to section A to read anything. When I go to section B, If I see, Maybe section B, Section A, Section 1A, You have 1A JAMA questions. Praise the Lord. Anyone I don't know I leave. When I leave the ones I don't know, I will go back to section A, And answer those ones I know. So before I come back to section B, I will be able to remember again. So I discovered that where there is no courage, there is patience. Most of your children are intelligent, Just that the pressure is making them to like us. And what you should teach them is courage. Without courage, the most intelligent child can come out a failure. And that is why you see that one of the things that accompanies intelligent people in the classroom is courage. Hallelujah. We all need courage in life. You need courage to excel. You need courage to stand. Against challenges of life. Against inequality of life. When we talk about courage, It means facing life's challenges. With boldness and hope. Facing life's challenges. With boldness and hope. But where there is no courage, There is giving up. But where there is courage, There is continuity. It is lack of courage That is called discouragement. So discouragement is what? It's lack of... Discouragement is what? It's lack of what? Courage. Look up here. The person that has his own business Is very different from the person that is working under an organization. Both of you are different people when it comes to business. The person that has his own business Has more experience than you working under an organization. Let me explain better. This courage Of a team Will not be able to profit those That are working under a company. An organization. You know why? Because the decision doesn't come from you. But there will be more pressure to give up When you open your own business. And you discover that since you opened that business that day Nobody has come to say how much. You will know the real meaning of discouragement. And that is why you don't have the right to encourage to say Somebody that is doing business and want to close down the business You have no right to say that person is not doing business. It is people like us that have the right to say the person is not doing business. Because business and ministry are five and what? Six. So when a member comes to tell me That ever since he opened that business That business people have not been patronizing I can easily relate. I can easily what? Discouragement comes in every frame of life. Discouragement comes in every areas of life. The day you take decision that you want to pursue a career You will know the meaning of discouragement. So discouragement does not easily come to somebody that is not moving. Just decide that you want to start doing something. You will know the meaning of discouragement. Look up here. Every great person you know today went through discouragement. Anybody you are celebrating today went through discouragement. I don't know why I am using the Nigerian goalkeeper But I know that many of you watch the Nigerian football. Yes you cannot pretend. We all watch the Nigerian football. And I began to find some messages about the Nigerian goalkeeper. Because everybody was celebrating him that he was the saviour of the match. And Nigerians began to dig the history of that guy. When I look the history where it is coming from I never believed that one day we will become like this. Sister why are you giving up? In the next few years, In the next five years what we see you will never remember your past. Brother why are you giving up? It is three years more for God to exhort you. You are the one that is not aware that it is only three years remaining for you. My sister why are you giving up? Go and check the history of God's book about your life. God is saying that remaining one year for him to gloat. Why are you giving up? Anybody you see celebrating today They went through their school of season. Endure the season. Be courageous to go through it. There is a time of rising. There is a time where you will not remember this season again. You will never remember the one day you once walked and trekked everywhere with your legs. You will never remember the one day you once begged for feeding. Praise the Lord. And that is why we must set our heart to be courageous. Be courageous to continue. Even if you cannot get there, your children will take you there. There are people that went to America not through them but through their children. But you, you will make it. Courage is needed in a time in a time like this where there is fear in the land and difficulty in life and in the economy. When you start telling that your friends have rejected you and your bosom friends are all living out you will be tempted to ask yourself if it was the same God that created both of you. Don't think that you can make it abroad. You can make it from above. Don't put your trust on any nation. Though they have gone there, you don't have the power to go there. And God will glorify you. I say God will glorify you. I say God will glorify you. So what are the dangerous effects of lack of courage? Number one, when there is no courage there will be depression and frustration. When there is no courage there will be what? Depression and frustration. Number two, when there is no courage there will be suicidal thoughts. My younger brother was telling the story of one of his friends in where we stayed before. This friend came back. That is why I want to talk to parents. Most of them are facing bullying at school. They don't have the boldness to tell you that they are being bullied. They are suffering from low self esteem. That is why when I was teaching in school some years ago I tried to become a father and mentor to many of them. Because when you draw the children closer and they tell you what they are going through you will be surprised that a child can go through like that. So this boy he did something wrong and they were shouting at him. They never knew that he was in a period of frustration and a period of heavy depression. His elder brother and the mother everybody were bouncing on him. He kept quiet and he left and went to his room and he went there to hang himself. Praise the Lord. That was how he died. The condemnation and the opposition never gave him courage to continue in life again. It was when he died and the news came to my brother that they were bosom friends. One night my brother slept and when he slept in the dream he saw the guy came to him and he called the guy and said I learned that you have died. He said yes I am dead. He said how is that side now? He said my brother not come that side. He said no he is here. He said look at my back. The moment he saw his back he must have finished scrubbing the back. It was telling him that he is in hell. He went to hell because he had no courage to continue life. Now he has gone to the real problem that because there was no courage Todmillan bridge and many people are jumping from there. No courage to continue and that is why I want everyone of us to season our word with salt in this period. Be careful how you talk to people. Remember when you saw there was a pastor who never knew what he was going through and the 20 year old boy they began to lay allegations only for them if not because of a brother that came early that morning or Sunday morning. At the front of his church there was a tree. The pastor was about to hang himself and he said the person you are speaking to inside the taxi bus might be going through a problem. The one you see at the roadside it might have been taken out to commit a disorder. Let us respond with wisdom. Season your word with salt. Let your word encourage someone. Let it not discourage anybody. Where there is no courage there will be giving up. There will be giving up. Anybody can give up. Let me speak to wise. This is the best time to encourage your husband. The economy is not friendly. The economy is keeping mileage with us. The best thing you can do to your husband is to give him the best encouragement. A man who the economy became unfriendly with he wrote a letter revealed everything where he kept his money this bank. They pinned to his account and everything and drank sniper and died. And what did he tell them? He said where I can carry the burden to is now is here. I have finished my burden. You people should not cry. Continue where I was and stop the challenges. A wife was frustrated. The breadwinner of the home has gone. The best thing you can do to your husband is to encourage your husband. Go and encourage your husband. This is not the best time for you to be angry. It's not the best time for you to keep your body. I'm not giving you my body. Let me speak to husband. If your wife is struggling encourage her. If it is one that she is bringing appreciate her. The story should not become sad before you start regretting as I know. The last football match I played you learnt what happened? I think I learnt that people died. Not that they just died. Death decided to expose those with high blood pressure. What happened was a revelation of people that have high blood pressure. Death decided to expose them. The best thing you can do is to encourage. People are going through high blood pressure and I learnt that high blood pressure is the fastest killer now because it does not give any sign before it is kidnapped. Suddenly we just see somebody slumbering. The best thing you can do is to encourage one another. Encourage one another. Encourage one another. Encourage one another. Where there is no courage they will be giving up on God. People are not giving up on God. They say Jesus is a black man God. Christianity is a scam. It is because the economy is tough. Somebody does not know how to shun his anger and look for a man of God and so why are you putting on style? You are a fool. When there is no courage to continue again they will be giving up. They will be backsliding. There will be sudden fear of the unknown. Recently they posted a whole family that died. There was another family that was posted. I don't know whether the husband and wife agreed together. Maybe it was an agreement because I don't know whether or maybe the woman was not aware of the poison. The husband drank poison. The wife drank poison and they gave it to all the children and they slept off and died. They could not continue again. So when there is no courage we start hearing funny things. You are still alive because you have the courage to continue. When there is fear of the unknown somebody is saying a bag of cement is now 8,000. Last year December a bag of cement was 5,000. Now it's 8,000. Somebody says it's going to 10,000. Tell me who will build us again. Tell me who will build us. If we cannot build us and we keep paying house rent and the economy is not friendly there will be fear of the future. People are beginning to relocate to the village. Let me go to that my papa abandoned house in the village. Not because they are poor but the economy is bigger than them. You that is in the city where your landlord has called you and has tried to reason with you that there is a need for them to lift up their house. Even though you want to protest against it there is one thing within you telling you that is true because you know that the economy is not friendly anymore. A man of God posted he rented an apartment 700,000 per month after one year. It was equated to one million. He had to call the landlord and say I beg just I beg give me a year. Man just paid 700,000 for this in one year. From next year was I paid. The man went after many begging as a pastor they considered him. At the end of that one year the landlord called for a meeting again. The rent is now 2.5 million and he said you give me a few months so I can run away. He had to run away. The landlord shifted from 700 to 2.5 million. The economy is not friendly. Does this mean we should kill ourselves? It's not to kill yourself. You need courage to continue. You need courage to press. You need courage not to give up. Where there is no courage there will be doubt and unbelief. You will start doubting your church. I tell you many people don't love God like before. Last year my pastor came and said this year I will walk on golden streets. And all these big pastors we saw all their prophecy for this year. Why is it that they don't come to church? I beg, I beg, I beg, I beg. And some of them will come up and say I build churches Jessica. No need to pay side, no need to give, no need to support anybody in church. He said serve God by yourself. God is in you. You will not blame them because you come and say they are stupid people that you are not wise. What is happening? Kidnapping everywhere. My landlord sent a message to me last night. He said they have started again. They are not going from compound to compound stealing, taking phone. He said make sure you don't keep any of your valuable gadgets in your window. When there is poverty crime will increase. I watched a video two days ago at Igubo at they kidnapped somebody at Igubo. I saw they were tying the person inside a bush. They were shouting holy, holy. I was shocked that kidnapping has entered there fully. People are not lucrative business. What you need is courage to continue. Insecurity everywhere. Two days ago I went to a garage. From garage when I reached home I was asking God to protect me. The next time I will report I don't know who are they. So I make sure that any time I will always choose my faith. Of course I never dress like a pastor. I have to dress like a gangster. Any move praises the Lord. So that I can protect myself. I make sure I don't sit at the back. And when I sit I don't press phone. My eye was just rolling like a mantel. Looking here and looking here. Because the government is not safe. Is this the kind of Nigeria we pray for? This is not the kind of Nigeria we pray for. But you need courage to continue. You need courage to what? When you know that there is no one against you you have to protect yourself. Because there is a kind of kidnapping that will happen. The moment they call your people and say it is 20 million they have to pay. There is no obligation. You are equivalent to the money. So when you know where you are coming from you protect yourself. Evil will not see us in Jesus name. I say evil will not see us in Jesus name. The importance of having courage. Number one you have trust in God. Number two there is perseverance. Number three there is positive thinking. Number four there is patience in waiting for God's time. Also when you have courage it will give you sound health. Why worry when you can pray? So before we close this money I am speaking to somebody here now. Don't get discouraged. Everything will be ok. You are going to overcome this season. You are going to overcome this tough time. And you will overcome in Jesus name. I say you will overcome in Jesus name. So no matter how tough it will be. Where others are begging to eat. You will be giving them to eat. Shall we stand up on our feet and say to the Lord give me courage to continue in life. Give me courage to continue in life. Give me courage to continue. I will not give up. I will not give up. I will not give up. Ask the Lord to give you courage. Ask the Lord to give you courage. By the power in the name of Jesus. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Open your mouth and pray. Open your mouth and pray. In the name of Jesus. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me courage. Lord give me