Holy Spirit and I learned to heed His voice.

That same year,

I read The Man God Uses by Oswald J. Smith and it inspired
me to give myself over to Christ in love. He became my only
reason for living. I became so lovesick for Jesus I vowed to
seek only the kingdom of God.
I read all of Kenneth E. Hagins books, and formed
a strong platform of faith in my life. When I read E.W.
Kenyon, I experienced an unusual romance with the
revelation of redemption. From Smith Wigglesworths books
I encountered an anointing for boldness.
Those who sneered at Oyedepo had no idea there were
seeds of greatness in himseeds that had begun to bud years
before when he suffered from tuberculosis. One night in
September 1969 while attending secondary school, 15-year-
old David had awakened to find that all the students had
moved their beds to the other side of the dormitory due
to his coughing. Slipping outside, hed cried out to God.
Jesus Christ, if its true You did all the miracles reported in
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, heal me now! Before he
could finish his plea every trace of tuberculosis left his body.
The following year, David was home from school when
his 7-year-old brother contracted a deadly case of measles.
The next morning the boy died. David warned his mother,
Dont cry! If you cry hell be gone forever!
Choking back her tears, she followed Davids instructions.
Carrying the dead boy on her back, she walked through
town. David followed behind her to cover the body so that
no one would see the childs lifeless legs dangling. Outside of
town, they laid the boys body on a wooden plank. Kneeling,
David made a heart cry to God.
Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!
The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead raised
Davids brother back to life.
Unraveling the Mystery of Prosperity
From that point on, there were few things that could stop
David Oyedepo. But unraveling the mystery of kingdom
prosperity was a puzzle he couldnt seem to solve. Kingdom
prosperity existed, of that he was sure. Abraham and Isaac
both prospered and became rich during times of famine.
Job was the greatest man in the East and ended his life with
twice as much wealth as he started with. David gave millions
to build the temple. It was puzzling that few New Testament
believers enjoyed that kind of prosperity although they had a
better covenant based on better promises.
What revelation did Old Testament saints have that
we dont?
In truth, he lived in a single room.
At 29, lean and lanky, young David Oyedepo was as much
an enigma as his native Nigeria, the most populated country
in Africa. From the hills to the ocean-kissed beaches and the
rain forest, Nigeria was rich in natural resources. It was the
twelfth largest producer of petroleum in the world and had
the tenth largest proven reserve. Yet the people of Nigeria
were among the poorest on earth.
A government with a history of corruption and debt,
under which nothing could be accomplished without hefty
bribes, had left the average Nigerian with no hope of
prosperity. The nations Christians, most impoverished of
all, were commonly said to be poor as rats. No pastor could
afford to be in full-time ministry. So most people who knew
David Oyedepo shook their heads in collective dismay over
the choice he had made. In their eyes, the man was on a
slippery slope to defeat, and possibly death.
First, he believed God had called him to full-time ministry.
If that werent bad enough, hed started a church in Kaduna
the city of persecution. Located in north central Nigeria,
Kaduna had a large Muslim presence and a long history of
violence against Christians. The city simmered with hostility.
In addition, young Oyedepo refused to pay bribes.
God help him.
Driving an old blue Vol kswagen, David Oyedepo
pulled up to his church which appeared to be clinging to
life in Kaduna by its fingernails. Inside, rows of wooden
benches lined the room, although there were only four
members. He told anyone listening that God would prosper
them. He claimed that one day his sanctuary would seat
50,000. He went so far as to preach that the ministry would
own an airplane to take the gospel around the world.
David Oyedepo was close to being laughed out of the country.
Except it wasnt a laughing matter.
School of the Holy Spirit
Some people laughed at me and others threatened me,
Oyedepo recalls. None of it bothered me because I knew
God had sent me to Kaduna and He would back me. For
years prior to starting the church, I had put myself through
the School of the Holy Spirit. First, I meditated on the
Word of God. In addition, I read about the revivals in
Indonesia where miracles, signs and wonders were manifest.
Those testimonies stirred me to believe for the supernatural
power of God to manifest in my life.
I read The Purpose of Pentecost by T.L. Osborn in a
single sitting. That book introduced me to the Person of the
J U N E ' 1 0 | B V O V | 13
,
,
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theWorldisWaiting
Thats it! I can never be poor! That revelation not only
changed Oyedepos life, it ignited a fire inside him that
would eventually change the face of his nation.
i \ M i i ~ N i i H i x n \
LoNo iiioni 1ni sUN iii1io i1s i~ci ovin
Ainic~, D~vio O\ioiio oiiNio i\is 1ni
coion oi Biioi~N cnocoi~1i ~No ii~i1
oU1 oi iio. Much like the heat that pulsed from the earth on a sultry
afternoon, joy pulsed through every molecule of his being. Thank You, Lord! he
said, beaming with joy as he praised God for his home. Anyone listening would have
thought by his exuberance that he lived in a palace.
God, nothing gets done. Since I stumbled upon that truth, I
spend 90 percent of my time in Gods presence in thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is the spiritual yeast that brings multiplication
wherever it is found. When you praise God and shout with a
loud voice, you provoke Him to enforce what is written, contrary
to what is happening in your life.
The Power of Praise
In 1989, God spoke to Oyedepo and said, Get down to Lagos and raise Me a people.
Leaving the church in Kaduna in the hands of a pastor on his staff, Oyedepo and his
wife, Faith, left for Lagos, a city teeming with millions of souls. God directed them to
purchase 530 acres so far outside Lagos everyone decreed it would fail.
Christians and unbelievers all laughed in scorn.
Today, the church in Lagos, Winners Chapel, has grown to a staggering 95,000
members. Those poor as rats Christians in Nigeria paid cash for their 50,000 seat
sanctuary. When the Lord directed them to build a university, they paid cash to build
Covenant University which offers 43 graduate and undergraduate degrees and houses
7500 students. The 530-acre facility has grown to almost 5,000 acres which includes
the headquarters of Winners Chapel International, Faith Tabernacle Church and
Covenant University. Business ventures operated by the church include Dominion
Publishing, House of Hebron Bottled Water Processing Plant, a bakery, various
restaurants and a bank. They paid cash for the ministrys airplane which is used to
take the gospel around the world. In addition to planting churches in Europe, the
U.S. and Canada, Oyedepo has planted more than 3,000 churches in Africa. Today,
the church in Kaduna has 20,000 members.
All of this was through a minister who never prayed for finances.
If you want to duplicate my success, Oyedepo explains, you have to love Jesus
like I do. If you give your tithes and offerings from compulsion or in order to get
something back from God, you may as well keep your money. The secret of my success
is that Im lovesick for Jesus and love motivates everything I do.
In addition to outrageous prosperitysigns, wonders and miracles are the norm in
Oyedepos ministry. For example, he brought one young girl back to life whod been
dead for more than 13 hours. That would be success enough, but those same miracles
are duplicated not only in the lives of the ministers on his staff but by the members of
his church.
No one is laughing now.
In 2008, David Oyedepo was an honored speaker at KCMs Ministers Conference.
I give glory to God for Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Oyedepo says. The
revelation through their books taught me how to walk in kingdom prosperity, and
now countless thousands are walking in that revelation as well.
Not only has God prospered many Christians in Nigeria,
but in 2006 Nigeria was the first African country to pay off its
national debtan estimated $30 billion.
The life and ministry of Bishop David Oyedepo is a living
example of Romans 8:19, The earnest expectation of the
creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God
(New King James Version). The world has been waiting for great
men of faith like David Oyedepo.
Now the world is waiting for you. VICTORY
In March 1981, two years before starting the church in Kaduna, Oyedepo set aside
three days to meet with the Lord and uncover the secrets of kingdom prosperity. For
the journey he took his Bible, Gloria Copelands book Gods Will Is Prosperity and
Kenneth Copelands book The Laws of Prosperity. On the third day of his quest, he
read Jeremiah 33:20-21 and the light of revelation exploded in his heart. Thus saith
the Lord; if ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and
that there should not be day and night in their season; then may also my covenant be
broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne;
and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.
Thats it! I can never be poor! That revelation not only changed Oyedepos life, it
ignited a fire inside him that would eventually change the face of his nation.
Keeping Covenant
What Gods Old Testament people understood that we didnt, was covenant!
Oyedepo explains. According to Genesis 8:22 and Deuteronomy 8:18, prosperity was
included in the covenant between God and Abraham. The covenant promises were
passed down to his descendents all the way to Jesus and, through Jesus, to those of us
who believe today. When I read those verses in Jeremiah 33, I realized that as long as
night and day continue on earth, that covenant still stands.
God will never fail to keep His Word, which meant that all I had to do was learn
how to properly align myself with the covenant and prosperity would automatically be
my portion, because prosperity is a covenant promise.
Oyedepo realized the Bible wasnt a book of suggestions, but of commands. And
one of the most frequent commandments in the Bible is to rejoice always and let praise
to God be continually on our lips.
Reading 1 Corinthians 10:10, he also understood that one of the most grievous sins
mentioned in the Bible was to murmur and complain.
Through Scripture, Oyedepo saw that Christians are called as priests before the
Lord in order to offer the sacrifice of continual praise. No wonder King David was a
man after Gods own heart! Whether in the fields with his sheep or ruling as king, he
lived a life of radical praise and worship to the Lord.
The Sacrifice of Praise
In Malachi 2:1-3, David discovered a truth King David must have known.
Failing to continually give God glory brings a curse. And now, O ye priests, this
commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give
glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I
will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to
heart. Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces.
With the knowledge of that truth, David made a radical decision to never again
pray for finances or take finances from another country. Instead, he would align
himself with Gods covenant and praise his way to success.
In 1988, David was commissioned a bishop in the Anglican Church in Africa.
Prayer is wonderful, Oyedepo explains, because prayer draws angels. But God
inhabits our praise! I realized that if I wanted God to show up in my situation, I
could draw His presence through praise. I believe you can praise your way out of any
situation. When businessmen in my church tell me they are losing money, my advice is
always the same. If you have 10 minutes to pray, be sure that seven of them are spent
in praise.
In the secular world you only say thank you to someone who has done something
for you worthy of thanks. But in the kingdom of God, until you say thank You to
Inside your Partner package:
Welcome letter from
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Brochure explaining the
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Covenant Partner Cardgood
for a 10-percent discount at
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Ministry report DVD
Scripture promises CD
The Anointing in Partnership CD
David Oyedepo walks in the call
God has on his life to change his
part of the world and beyond!
Through the teachings of Kenneth
and Gloria Copeland he has
learned what true prosperity is
and that its primary purpose is
to establish Gods people in His
covenant.
As a Partner with Kenneth
Copeland Ministries you can
be active in changing the lives
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Ask the Lord if now is the time
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KCMthe world is waiting for you!
Become our
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In Gods Will Is Prosperity
Gloria Copeland shares from
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to prosper you in every area of
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In this valuable look at true
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is Gods will for you!
Gods Will Is Prosperity
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In The Laws of Prosperity
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