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GOD’S
EXEMPTION
STRATEGY

Emeka Anslem

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First published in 2017
Copyright © Emeka Anslem
anslem.emeka@gmail.com
facebook.com/emekaanslem01
Phone: +2349024529639
WhatsApp: +2348065582482

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 JUST BEFORE WE BEGIN…
Never mind, let’s begin.

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 DO YOU EVEN NEED TO BE TOLD THAT…

GOD HAS A
PLAN?
Imagine for a moment, what if the people of
Israel left Goshen and entered into Egypt
during the famine, do you think the famine
would have affected them?

Oh, you probably don't know about that

event. Though it's a long story, but to provide
an answer to our question, let's read the
following verses from the book of Genesis:

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Genesis 45:
9. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto
him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me
lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
10. And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen,
and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy
children, and thy children's children, and thy
flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:
11. And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are
five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household,
and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

That was Joseph, sending for his father,

Jacob, to come down to Egypt with the
people of Israel and all that he had. He
acknowledged that there was a great famine,
but that he would put them in the land of
Goshen where they will be well nourished. In
other words, no matter what was affecting
others, they would be well nourished if they
stayed in Goshen. Genesis 47:27 confirms
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how nourished they were when it said "And
Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of
Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and
grew, and multiplied exceedingly".

The famine ended, and The Exodus began.

Joseph had died, the king that had an
agreement with Joseph had been replaced by
several other kings. The new Pharaoh didn't
care about them, he made them engage in
very hard labour, day and night. And this
lasted for over 400 years.

BUT THEY WERE STILL IN GOSHEN...

God finally decided to deliver Israel out of
Egypt. He called Moses, and mandated him to
undertake that task. Of course, Pharaoh was
obstinate, and he didn't want to let them go.
But he didn't have a choice, Moses really

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tormented him and the Egyptians. Let’s read
the following verses:

Exodus 9:
23. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward
heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and
the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD
rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
24. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the
hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it
in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25. And the hail smote throughout all the land of
Egypt all that was in the field, both man and
beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field,
and brake every tree of the field.
26. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children
of Israel were, was there no hail.

Did you notice verse 26? "only in the land of

Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was

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there no hail". There was thunderstorm and
dropping ice-balls in the whole of Egypt, but
Goshen was exempted.

Now back to our question, what if the people

of Israel had left Goshen and entered into any
other part of Egypt, do you think the
afflictions in Egypt would have affected
them?

Yes! Yes! Ofcourse Yes!

GOD IS PLACE CONSCIOUS...

God puts His people in safe places to exempt
them from challenging times. Remember how
the angels told Lot to move into a safe place
when they were about to destroy Sodom and
Gomorrah? Even in the time of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, He guided them on where to
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move to in order to avoid the hard times.
When Jesus was born, He told Joseph to
relocate, just to protect baby Jesus.

Even in famine, as long as you're in your

place, you'd still prosper. Isaac planned to
move to Egypt when famine came into
Canaan, but God told him not to move. And
the bible tells us that Isaac sowed in the land
of Canaan, and reaped a hundredfold the
same year. The challenge many believers
have is not the economic recession of these
times, but their personal displacement. They
don't have a place. And until you find your
place, you'd suffer the aches that come with
displacement.

OKAY ANSLEM, HOW DO I FIND MY PLACE?

Obadiah 1:17 says "But upon mount Zion shall
be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and
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the house of Jacob shall possess their
possessions". Mount Zion in the old testament
is what we refer to "Church" in the new
testament. And if I'd rewrite that scripture, it
would read "But upon the Church shall be
deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and
the house of Jacob shall possess their
possession".
The church of Christ is God's place of rescue
from the challenges of this world. While the
world may be like Egypt, the church is like
Goshen; and no matter what is affecting the
world, it's not permitted to affect the church.
When the world is feeling the heat of the
times, the church should be enjoying Peace
and increase.

CAUTION, THERE'S A PLACE FOR EVERYONE!

Going to church keeps you in touch with God.
Deut 12:13-14 makes it clear that "our
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offerings and worship seeds are not acceptable in
every place". God has a chosen place where
every believer is expected to meet Him and
worship Him. It's in your place that you'd
receive divine instructions on how to grow.
Many Christians are not growing because
they feel they can worship in every place.
They go to a new church every Sunday, only
to end up groaning. Let's see how the
scripture put it:

Deuteronomy 12:
13. Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy
burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:
14. But in the place which the LORD shall choose in
one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt
offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I
command thee.

Only God can choose where your worship

would be acceptable to Him. The only reason

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why God will accept your worship from a
different place is if the place He has chosen is
far from where you are. Deut 12:21 clearly
states that "If the place which the LORD thy God
hath chosen to put his name there be too far from
thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy
flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have
commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates
whatsoever thy soul lusteth after". In other
words, you may worship in any place your
heart desires to, but only if the chosen place
is far. But come to think of it, is it not better
to worship where God has chosen than to
worship where you desire to?

I live in Lagos-Nigeria, and the place that God

has chosen for me to worship Him is in Ota-
Nigeria. And that's about an hour drive.
Sometimes you have to spend longer hours
on the road when there are traffic jams or

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road blocks. But guess what? I go there every
Sunday.

BUT WHY DO WE HAVE DIFFERENT

CHURCHES ALL OVER THE WORLD?
You may also want to ask why we have
different parts of the body fixed in their
different locations. Even our two hands, legs,
eyes, and ears have different names; they are
identified with "left..." and "right...". Christ is
the Head of the church, and we are the body.
I don't know which part of the body I am, but
I know that I'm serving a purpose as a part of
the body. Every church, congregation, or
individual with purpose acts as a particular
part of the body. The Charismatics have a
purpose, so they are acting as a particular
part of the body. The Pentecostals have a
purpose, and that means they also act as a
particular part of the body. There are people
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who attend Charismatic churches and still
prosper, and there are those who attend
Pentecostal churches and also prosper in life.
On the other hand, there are those whose
destinies are tied to either of these two, and
if they try to do contrary, they won't prosper.

If you were about to ask "why?", then you

should also ask why the hand cannot take the
place of the leg, or why the eyes cannot take
the place of the mouth. That's just how God
created it, and we cannot change it. This is
why I don't compel people to leave their
churches and join mine, especially when they
are doing well. The reason why I'd advise a
person to change church is if he or she has
been suffering a particular challenge for too
long. But that's after I've investigated their
commitment to the things they are being
taught where they were. You’d be amazed to
know that many people go to church to take
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notes, but do nothing about the notes. My
point is, when you see an eye that is closed,
you'd know. And when you see a hand that is
trying to act as a leg, you'd also know. That's
how I identify those who are not meant for
the churches they attend.

I've invited people from other churches to the

church I attend. Of course, they enjoy the
services, but many of them feel and function
better in their church. This is a great lesson
for every believer; we should not only go to a
church because we enjoy the place, but
because we feel and function better in the
place. If you're a hand, don't go to a place
where they'd teach you how to function as a
leg. You may enjoy the preaching, but it won't
add the expected value to you.

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This doesn't mean we are divided as
Christians or as the church of Christ; rather, it
means we need each other. Just as the hand
needs the leg, the congregation that teaches
prosperity also needs the congregation that
teaches holiness. Ignorance has made many
believers think that "some churches are not
preaching the gospel". That's not entirely
true; it's just that every church must preach
according to the assignment that God has
given them. For instance, God told Bishop
David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church to
preach the word of faith, but told Pastor
Kumuyi of Deeper Life Bible Church to preach
the word of holiness. If you meet members
from those two churches, they act differently,
and that's because their assignments are
different. Always remember, the hand will
always be different from the leg, and they
never discriminate against each other. The
next time someone tells you that his church is
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better than your church, don't argue, because
it would be unwise to compare the hand to
the leg. We are the body!
Many other religions are in disunity today,
only because they don’t understand the
concept of The Body. We can’t all act as legs,
we can’t all act as hands. But that’s what
other religions do. Some of them even
ignorantly claim that they are in unity, yet
they won’t hesitate to kill their brothers and
sisters. That’s not unity!

ASIDES A PLACE, YOU ALSO NEED A

PASTOR...
Pastors are shepherds, people who take care
of Christ's pasture. Remember that Ps 100:3
says "... We are the sheep of Christ's pasture".
Pastors are personal recruits of Jesus, and He
recruits them for the sole purpose of feeding

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His sheep. Remember how Jesus told Peter to
"feed His sheep" if his claim of love was true.

Pastors have always existed. During the time

of Joseph, the people of Israel were fed by
the guidance of Joseph. And during the time
of Moses, they also enjoyed God's blessings
by the guidance of Moses. There was always
someone to lead the congregation of God's
people.

John the Baptist came, and all he did was to

make a way for Jesus, our Shepherd. When
Jesus was leaving the earth, He handed over
to Peter. The church expanded to different
states and countries since then, and pastors
had to be assigned to every congregation of
God's people in their different location.

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GOD WILL GIVE YOU A PASTOR...
Asides the place, God has also appointed a
Pastor to you. Most times, your pastor will be
in the place where God has put you. You're
free to have many teachers, but you're not
permitted to have more than one pastor.
Scripturally, the best way to know your pastor
is that he'd feed you with knowledge and
understanding; and by that knowledge you'd
experience multiplication and increases on
every side. Let's see how Jeremiah put it;
Jeremiah 3:
14. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD;
for I am married unto you: and I will take you one
of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you
to Zion:
15. And I will give you pastors according to mine
heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and
understanding.
16. And it shall come to pass, when ye be
multiplied and increased in the land...
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Notice from verse 14, as soon as you get to
Zion, which is what we refer to as Church in
the modern day, God will give you a pastor.
And the pastor He assigns to you will feed you
with knowledge and understanding, so that
you can be multiplied in the land. Hallelujah!

Let me talk to pastors a little bit; feed your

congregation with knowledge and
understanding, that's the only way they can
have faith to receive the promises of God.
Remember that faith comes by hearing and
understanding the word of God. For every
word they understand, faith is formed. And
when faith is formed, transformation is born.
I lead a fellowship where every member is
compelled to have a testimony weekly. And
that's because I ensure they understand the
things I teach them from God's word. The
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gospel is not for enticement; rather, it's for
demonstration of power. If your congregation
don't feel empowered after you've preached
the gospel, then I suggest you restart the
preaching. Because the gospel is the power of
God. It's the power of God to change the poor
to the rich, to change the sick to the healthy,
to change the ignorant to the knowledgeable.
If any member of your congregation still
suffers the same challenge for more than six
months, then check your preaching, or check
if they are doing what you're preaching.
That's why you're their pastor!

I ALSO HAVE A PASTOR...

When I joined Living Faith Church in 2010,
God introduced Bishop David Abioye to me as
my pastor. Not that we met physically, but i
was sitting at the Hope Gallery of The Faith
Tabernacle when I heard the voice of God
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saying "Look at that man, he is your pastor".
But honestly, if God didn't make him my
pastor, I would have made him myself. You
needed to hear the ecstasy that flowed from
his words. My heart was instantly glued to his
voice as he preached that night. I understood
everything he taught, and I would explain
them to anyone even in my dreams. Pastors
and their pastures would always have a heart
connection.

Amazingly, his station is not in Lagos, but I

download his messages anytime his crew
uploads them. And I listen to him daily.
Actually, listening to his messages is part of
my daily itinerary. I'm convinced that his
teachings play a major role in my success
story.

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You're probably wondering how my pastor
will be in Goshen-Abuja, while I am in
Canaanland-Ota. Well, the place that God has
put me is Living Faith Church Worldwide, it
just happens that my pastor is in a different
location.

“But isn't Bishop David Oyedepo in

Canaanland, why isn't he your pastor?”
Bishop David Oyedepo is not my pastor, he is
the prophet God sent to me. He unveils God's
plan for me per time. We'd talk more about
prophets much later.

If you've found your pastor, then listen to

him. Pastors play a major role in God's
exemption plan. Things may be hard in the
economy, but if you practice the things they
teach you, you'd be exempted from all the
struggles.
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YOU NEED TEACHERS...
The words of your teachers would always
guide you in your adventure through life.
Many believers don't listen to any other
preacher except their pastor; I pray that God
will give them understanding. I have a pastor,
and I have plenty of teachers. Your pastor will
definitely feed you with knowledge and
understanding, but your teachers would
teach you how to do many other things.

While selecting teachers, make sure they are

also from your root or place. I find it easy to
read or listen to anyone from Bishop David
Oyedepo. I even go as far as listening to those
people he also listens to and those people
who listen to those he listens to.

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There are many teachers of the gospel I can't
afford to listen to. They may teach well, but it
may contradict the things I learn from the
place that God has put me. I've encountered
such teachers before, and I had to struggle
with my mind for many days, just to get their
teachings off my head. Don't get me wrong, I
have nothing against their preaching, but the
problem is far more spiritual than physical. I
feel like God doesn't just want me to listen to
them. Of course, the people who those
preachings are meant for will hear and
prosper with them. This is probably why the
bible says "the ways of the Spirit of God cannot
be completely discovered", there is always
something more to every scripture. I don't
expect ten pastors to preach the same
revelation from the same scripture.

However, remember I talked about us being

different parts of the body of Christ. What
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you hear determines what you'd be able to
do as a body. If my spirit is reproving me from
hearing any message, then it's probably
because the work behind the message isn't
meant for me. God redeemed us for good
works, and these works are discovered by our
revelation of the word of God. This also
implies that if what you're hearing isn't
working for you, then change what you hear.
Many believers are aware of this truth, but
they'd tell you they can't change "because
they're playing a very important role" in their
group or church. What's the use of your
important role if it adds no importance to
your life?

THOSE LITTLE REMINDERS MATTER...

Isaiah 30:
20. And though the Lord give you the bread of
adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not

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thy teachers be removed into a corner any more,
but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:
21. And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee,
saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn
to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Let me try to rewrite those two verses;

although God may give you bread and water
through the teachings of your pastor, even in
the time of adversity and afflictions. Yet, the
place of teachers cannot be neglected. You'd
hear their teachings from time to time,
directing you on steps to take in different
cross roads.

I remember sometimes back when I was

about to take a wrong decision, but I
suddenly heard a word from one of the books
I read. The word echoed loudly in my ear that
it became impossible for me to take that
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wrong step. Also, while I was praying one
morning, I asked God a question about
something that was a great concern to me.
Though I didn’t get an answer while praying,
but surprisingly, God led me to a book in my
office’s book shelf. And when I opened the
book, my answers were steering at me on the
face. It was a book written by one of my
teachers.

Teachers are recognized in the bible, even in

the new testament. Ephesians 4:11 tells us
that "Christ Himself gave the apostles, the
prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and
teachers, as gifts to the church". Teachers are
gifts to the church, and just as you use every
other spiritual gift, you should also use the
help of teachers.

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Teachers are everywhere; a pastor of another
congregation can even become a teacher to
you. When you see people who have special
anointing in certain areas of life, especially
the ones that your pastor does not possess,
you can make such people your teachers. But
don't forget that it's highly recommended
that you select a teacher from your root. Let
me give you a list of teachers that I listen to;
Jerry Savelle, David Oyedepo Jnr, Kenneth
Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, John Avanzini,
Charles Capp, Joyce Meyer, Myles Munroe of
blessed memories, John Maxwell, Paul
Adefarasin, T. D Jakes, and many others. If
you check all of them, you'd discover that
they all have a connection with my root.

The teachings of these people have helped

shaped my life in great measures. Your pastor
may be good, but no matter how good he is,
you need more than one man to fulfill
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destiny. They say "every star rides on the
shoulder of another star", but Jesus went
from being the bright and morning star to
being the Sun of Righteousness. I don't just
want to be a star, I want to produce heat like
the sun, so that the whole world will feel my
impact. And it takes multitudes of teachers to
achieve that height. No wonder the bible says
"out of the multitude of counsel is a purpose
established".

APOSTLES AND PROPHETS...

God also sends a prophet and apostle to us,
to deliver His plans per time. Apostles are
agents of preservation; the people of Israel
were enjoying the same protection as Moses.
They were eating the same food, and having
the same drink. Many of them were even
disobedient to God, but they still enjoyed the
apostolic covering on Moses.

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We earlier remarked from Ephesians 4:11
that God gave prophets and apostles as gifts
to the church. Amos 3:7 explains the function
of a prophet, it says "surely God does nothing
without revealing his secret to his servants the
prophets". God may have personal plans for
you which He can easily tell you, but when it
comes to the church, He reveals it to the
prophets. And whatever He reveals to the
prophet is expected to be released to those
He sent the prophet to.

While I was sitting, confused, and wondering

why a man that is far away from me would be
my pastor, I asked God "if Bishop David
Abioye is my pastor, then who is Bishop David
Oyedepo?". God didn't hesitate to reply that
he is my prophet. Since then, whatever comes
out of his mouth is what I do, whether it is

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pleasing or not. Prophets are not pastors;
they often act as God's mouth piece. They
pass instructions from God directly to you. I
don't debate or try to negotiate whatever
comes out from the mouth of my prophet, I
just go ahead and do what he says. I don't
need to worry about not hearing God's voice,
as long as I can hear my prophet, then God is
still speaking to me.

According to scriptures, God sends prophets

to His people to lead them through certain
seasons of life. Let's see how Jesus described
their function in Luke 4:25-27:

Luke 4:
25. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in
Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was
shut up three years and six months, when great
famine was throughout all the land;
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26. But unto none of them was Elias sent, save
unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that
was a widow.
27. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of
Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was
cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

Did you notice what Prophets Elijah and

Elisha were sent to do? Elijah was sent to help
the widow of Sarepta through the famine
period, and Elisha was sent to cleanse
Naaman the Syrian.

Many people have tried to debate the

relevance of prophets in this new
dispensation. They say once you've received
Jesus, then you have all it takes to
breakthrough in life. That's absolutely
correct! But look around you, how many
Christians are really prospering in life. Many
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of them have become daily bread to the devil,
instead of enjoying access to their daily bread
from heaven. That's why prophets are still
relevant; to deliver us from the hands of the
wicked when we can't. I remember many
years ago when the government wanted to
demolish the house where my parents stayed,
I was still a young believer and so I didn't
know what I could do spiritually to stop them.
They demolished the other houses around
until Friday, and somehow they took a break
for the weekend. Luckily for me, I was in
church that Sunday, where I heard my
prophet declare that "Our houses will not be
destroyed". I still wonder how he knew, but
like I said earlier, prophets often act as God's
mouth piece. And true to that declaration,
the house was not demolished. There are
three houses standing in that area today, the
one my parents lived in, and the ones that
would have been demolished before and
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after the one my parents lived in. Of course,
those government workers came back to
continue their work, but as they were getting
close, I held on to the words of the prophet,
and that was it.

I'm the kind of person who likes to resolve

issues independently. I'd asked the Holy
Spirit, I'd study, I'd fast, and I'd pray. But
when my breakthrough is being delayed
unnecessarily, then I'd run to a higher
authority for intervention. No matter what is
challenging me, there are some people who
God has given authority over those things.
That's probably why the bible says "we should
obey them that have rule over us, because they
watch over our soul".

But be careful, there are many false prophets

everywhere. According to scriptures, the only
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way you'd know a true prophet is that
whatever he says must come to pass. If what
he says comes to pass, then you should know
he came from God, but if it doesn't, then it
means He said he presumptuously.

LET ME CONCLUDE WITH THIS:

The content of this book is not a doctrine;
rather, it's God's way of ensuring that you
always find a way of escape. Remember that
the bible says in 1 Corinthians10:13 that
"there hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God is faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape, that ye may be able to bear it". All
challenges are common to man; someone
must have gone through what you may be
going through. And if they've gone through
them, then it means they are authorities in
the area of the challenges you may be going
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through. From experience, these people are
either our pastors, teachers, or prophets.
Running to them for intervention doesn't
mean you don't trust God; rather, it means
you're utilizing what God has provided for
your exemption.

I have a place of worship, I enjoy apostolic

covering, I have a God-sent prophet, I have a
pastor, and I have teachers. If you ever want
to enjoy the benefits of the kingdom and be
exempted from the challenges of these times,
then you must go in search of these people
and place. And I pray that as you commit
yourself to this search, God will give you quick
answers, in Jesus name!

God bless you, I love you, and don't forget to

send me your testimonies.

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