Sermon and prayer points by Pastor E A Adeboye. RCCG Special Holy Ghost Service for children April 2013. Arrows of the Mighty
KEY TEXT: PSALM 127: 3-5
“Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”
An arrow is a weapon. It could be a weapon of defence for example in 1sam 17:45-47 when David was going to kill Goliath, he didn’t get close to him; he sent what could be symbolised as an arrow to finish him. An arrow can also be a weapon of offence. It is a weapon that can be used to fight when you need to deal with forces before they attack you. The almighty God will send an arrow to deal with all the forces working against you tonight in Jesus name. Amen!
When we talk of ‘mighty’ you know who we are talking about, mighty in the theme refers to God. Today we will talk about weapons, particularly spiritual weapons.
One weapon common to everybody is the law of harvest. In Galatians 6:7 bible says “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. In the law of harvest you sow you reap! It is applicable to everybody it doesn’t matter if you are a Christian or not. Proverbs 11:25 says “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself”. It doesn’t matter if the soul is a sinner or not, the liberal soul shall be made fat and a sinner that waters will also be watered. When God said give and you shall be given, he didn’t add if you r a Christian or not, it is a weapon available to all.
There are weapons available to believers/Christians only
(1) Praising God! Always spend so time praising God because it is a weapon. If you want to get the devil far away from you, start by praising God. However the bible makes it clear in Proverbs 15:8 that God won’t accept the praises a sinner but praise in the mouth of a Christian is a weapon. 2 Chronicles 20:20-25 gives an account of a king who overcame all his enemies simply by praising God.
(2) Shouting is also another weapon available to Christians. The bible says in Psalm 47:1 says “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph”. In Joshua 6:20, all the children of Israel had to do to pull down the wall of Jericho was to shout ! NOW “Let somebody shout Halleluyah” Halleluyah!!! Whatever it is the enemy has planted in you shall be pulled out as you shout halleluyah in Jesus name. Amen.
(3) The name of Jesus is another weapon available to Christians. Philippians 2:9-11 says “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”
(4) The blood of Jesus is a weapon. Revelation 12:11 says we overcame by the blood. The bible tells us that God said when I see the blood I will Passover and make sure the destroyer doesn’t come near you. If you are not a Christian you can’t use the blood, because if you belong to the devil you cannot overcome the devil.
Parents if you have children who have nightmares, when you are going to bed just cover them with the blood of Jesus. May everything that is precious to you be covered by the blood of the Lamb in Jesus name. Amen! Anything that could cause you any form of danger, the blood will speak against it tonight in Jesus name, Amen!
(5) The word of God is a weapon. Psalm 119:89 says ” For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven”. The bible also says in Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper”
Matthew 4:4-11 makes us understand that the word of God is powerful, that was what Jesus used in overcoming the devil. The devil cannot contradict ‘It is written’, once it is written in the bible the devil cannot fight it. Do you know it is written that it is well with you? Isaiah 3:10 says “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings”.
There are some weapons exclusive to God’s servants.
i) Prophecy. Amos 3:7 says “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets”. 1samuel 3:19 says God will not allow the words of his prophet to fall to the ground. Also in Ezekiel 37:1-10, when the Lord wanted to bring dry bones back to life, he spoke to his prophet, the prophet prophesied and what used to be dry bones became a mighty army. “I want to prophesy that it shall be well with you, I prophesy that God will answer all your prayers and your joy will be full in Jesus name”
ii) Decree. The bible says if you satisfy certain conditions, you’ll decree a thing and it shall be established to you (Job 22:21-28). If you read the bible you will realise that those who have successfully used this weapon called decree are mainly prophets of God E.g Elisha i 2Kings 4:8-17, He decreed that the woman would bear a son and she did despite her unbelief. “ I decree that you receive that kind of blessing that is more than sufficient tonight in Jesus name”
When a prophecy is made, the fulfilment depends on your faith but when a decree is made even your doubts cannot stop it “that is why I am decreeing that tonight is the beginning of your greatness”
There are also weapons exclusive to God.
Children are a special weapon to God. The key text says “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth”. Psalm 8:2 also says “ Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.”
Whenever God wants to fight his enemies, His number one weapon are Children. Why? This is because they are His surprise weapon. In 1 Samuel 17:40-54, bible records how David killed Goliath. If it was an adult going towards Goliath, he would have been more careful but because David was a little child, he didn’t pay attention. God will surprise all you adversaries in Jesus name. Amen! In Matthew 18:10 Jesus said “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” Every child has at least one angel guiding him/her and these angels have direct access to God. You mess around with a child; his/her angel will deal with you.
Children are weapons in the hand of God because many atimes we older ones are too occupied or our ears are too blocked because of our sins so when God wants to speak expressly he speaks through a child. For example 1Samuel 3:1-10, God had to speak to Samuel.
Children are also arrows in the hands of God because of their innocence. They have not yet sinned and as a result God’s ears are opened to their plea. Isaiah 59:1-2 says “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Usually it is sin that stops the prayers of the elderly.
PARENTS WATCH OUT! You may not know it but there might be a Joseph already in your family (Genesis 37:5-11). Watch out because there might be a Samson already in the house (Judges 13:20-25). Please pay attention to these children, bring them up in the way of the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” Remember any child you do not bring up in the way of the Lord now will cause you sorrow in the future. Don’t leave them at home when you are going to church, remember what Joshua said in Joshua 24:15 “…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. Do all the training now so you can have peace in your old age.
CHILDREN, Exodus 20:12 says ”Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” . Do you know the implication of that? If you honour your parents, you will live long but a child who doesn’t honour his/ her parents is likely to die young. None of you will die young in Jesus name. Amen
Children, there are times when your parents will say NO, they might not tell you all their reasons and you might think they are being too hard but it is because of the things they have seen or because of the scars they are carrying. When your parents set a boundary, please do not go pass the boundaries because they are for your good. Unlimited freedom will only bring one into casualty, take my advice.
Ecclesiastes 12:1 says “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them” . It is when you are young you should run towards the almighty God. There will be friends trying to lure you away but please consent not. Tell them No! I’m a child of God! I’m an arrow in the hands of a mighty God! I know where I am going and I will get there.
If you don’t want to do what you parents tell you to do, if you don’t want to be a Christian then carry on! You can fornicate, fool around, sin, do what you like but remember YOU WILL PAY ONE DAY! Ecclesiastes11:9 says “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.”
Remember now your creator in the days of your youth before you get into trouble!
In conclusion, did you know that you are not an arrow in the hand of God if you are not a child of God? To become God’s arrow, you have to give your life to God! If you claim to be a child of God and you are still living in sin, you are just deceiving yourself, surrender your life to God now so you can be his true child. John 1:12 says “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”
PRAYER POINTS
1. Praise God for saving your soul and making you a child of God and arrow in His hands.
2. Father, please make both me and my children signs and wonders to the world.
3. Father, please make both me and my children vessels unto honour in your mighty hands.
4. Father, please use my family to heal the sick, raise the dead and set captives free.
5. Father, please use my family to win millions of souls into your Kingdom
6. Father, please keep sickness, death, demons and every form of tragedy far from my home.
7. Father, let there be only shouts of Joy from my habitation.
8. Personal prayer request
May GOD bless Nigeria, America and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!
May the grace the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!
Prayer Point 