Author Archives: Mark Odeke

And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is well advanced in years.” Luke 1:18

Some of the most faith wrecking statements are “How shall I know that this will happen or How sure are you that what you say will happen or that God will even answer me?” There is an innate fear that perhaps the word of God you have received may not come to pass and because of that you seek guarantees to be certain. This is doubt at its best.

Faith in God seeks no guarantees, it simply believes without hesitation. It creates no excitement but a sudden calm in your spirit man which is almost tangible. Faith creates a meekness to the word of God from which it draws strength. It takes away anxiety, worry and fear for the unknown and firmly focuses your eyes on Jesus Christ.

There is something else you should know about faith; it possesses creative power. Faith creates expectation, unwavering commitment to the LORD and a firm resolve to wait upon the LORD. Faith chooses not to focus on the current state of affairs but on the unfailing promises of the everlasting God. It honors the words spoken by His servants even if those who uttered them are long gone to the with the LORD.

What then was Zechariah’s problem? why did he seek assurance from the angel of the LORD regarding that which had just been proclaimed to Him? He looked not to the word of the LORD but to his current state. He said, “I am an old man and my wife is well advanced in years.” You too could be saying, I am old who can marry an old woman like me, I don’t even have papers, who would hire someone like me? Who wants a sickly spouse, who can give birth at my age? Who can accept me the way I am? My prime years are gone, it can’t be! I have been home for too long. Doubt creates negative things like fear, worry, depression and anxiety.

Self-pity is the reason we choose to doubt instead of looking to the LORD from whence comes our victory. When you see yourself, you say, “Oh poor me, who will even bother to help me” This was Zechariah’s problem. To make sure he utters no more self-destructing confessions, the angel said, “But behold you will be mute and unable to speak until the day these things take place because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” Luke 1:20

What’s is your decision? would you rather believe or be mute?

Here is your Prayer Path
Dear Father, I will look not to my current state but to your infallible word and promises. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Your Friend,
Pastor Mark. A. Odeke

Then Jesus said, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. John 5:8-9

believe in miracles and they still happen today. Yours is on the way and it’s only a matter of time. Yes, something is just about to happen.

With all honesty, after waiting for 38 years, the least place the man at the pool expected help to come from, was the LORD. That is why he was so bent on getting into the water no matter how long it took.

Sometimes when things get really tough and hard, almost everyone is inclined to the thought that God isn’t bothered at all about what’s happening or perhaps He is punishing you for something while others prefer to see lessons in hardships, delays, frustration and set back. That is your perception of Him and it is entirely subjective.

When you feel drawn towards quitting, walking away or even giving up, may you remember that the LORD is faithful. May you listen to that still small voice of the Spirit speaking deep within your heart. If He could bring you this far, imagine what He could do if only you hold on a little longer.

There is the untold story of the man at the pool which is what happened right after he got healed. The bible offers only a fraction of it. Have you stopped to imagine what his family’s reaction was when they saw him walk? What about those who laughed at him? Then those who walked away when he needed them the most! And of course, the mockers, naysayers who thought miracles are a thing of the old.

God is going to do something with you that is going to shock the wits out of you. As a matter of fact, it will take you a while to recover. While you are trying to sober up, then He will do it again. It begins as a small droplet, then it slowly gains strength eventually turning into a heavy shower. This is identical to blessings and miracles. They start as tiny ignorable droplets, then into a shower then a heavy down pour.

Are you ready for your down pour?

Here is your Prayer Path
Dear Father, I am ready for a heavy down pour of miracles. In Jesus name. Amen

Your Friend,

Mark A. Odeke

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD goes with you, He will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

History has a tendency of forging people to the positive or to the negative. When one has suffered failure and reproach for a long time, there will always be a part of them that fears that they may end up in a similar state.When one has been jobless for a while they may quickly forget the pains of being unemployed but they will always have the fear deep within them that someday they will lose this job as well. Even when a person has been healed or a recipient of countless miracles, they will have that feeling that the sickness may return and that the healing is temporary. Why?

That’s because when you stay long enough in a situation, you sort of get used to, not having, being sick, always failing, slavery, frustration, delays, betrayal, failure at the point of breakthrough, wrongful dismissal, total stagnation, debts etc. that’s all you know, and it’s all you remember. All your memories are built around the undesirable to the extent that when the LORD blesses you, when you remember how tough it’s been, you weep.

The Jews were slaves for a long time, all they knew was brutality, when the LORD set them free, it seemed normal for them to be afraid because they had never been free all their lives that’s why the LORD had to make them a promise that He would be with them and that He would never leave them, nor forsake them.

Let not the past define you but let the LORD your God who goes ahead of you, give you total healing and victory that you seek in the name of Jesus. It’s okay to be afraid but you don’t need to. May He surround you with His love and comfort your heart and give you strength in your time of need and remind you that He is with you.

The LORD knows right where you are, the battles your fighting, how powerful your enemy is, how you have tried and failed constantly, how many they are and the tactics they are using against you. He knows exactly how long you have been a slave and a victim of the devil and how desperate you are to breakthrough. Here the word of the LORD, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them or what you’re dealing with now.”

As you read this, may He heal you completely and bring peace to your life. In the midst of your battles, may He encourage and strengthen your heart. Friend don’t be afraid; He is with you.

Here is your Prayer Path
Dear Father, I will not be afraid. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Your Friend,
Pastor Mark. A. Odeke

The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the LORD will make it happen. Isaiah 60:22

One of the most frustrating thing is seeing others prosper and move on to greatness while you’re still stuck in the same place for years. It is discouraging to see your contemporaries make progress in areas of family, career, business, ministry while the reverse seems to be happening to you.

When you look at yourself, you start asking questions like, “Where did I go wrong? Did I do the wrong course? Was I wrong to leave my job? How long do I have to wait? Why does the LORD have to take this long to answer me? Was my fasting in vain? Did I marry the wrong person? Was I wrong to give my tithe and first fruit considering my financial status only got worse? How come the prophetic word I received didn’t come to pass?”

Friend, God is faithful, He will not let you down, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful for He cannot disown Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13. Hold on to the faithfulness of the LORD for as surely as our LORD Jesus Christ is on the throne, a day will come when God will fulfil every promise and answer every prayer you ever made before Him. When that day comes, you will look back at your dark days and with your heart full of praise, you will say of the LORD “He is a faithful God and if it hadn’t been for His love and mercy, I wouldn’t have made it this far”

That day is not far from now, there is a season for everything. Sorrow may come in the night but Joy comes in the morning. Your day will come and you will rejoice. Let not your heart be troubled. Do not look at the time you have lost for it is written, “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten.” Joel 2:25

There is a day appointed for your victory, miracle, blessing, healing, deliverance,breakthrough, growth, increase, restoration, remembrance and many other things He has planned for you. The Secret Place is where you learn to trust Him and most importantly it is where you appreciate His timing for you.

If you can only hold on a little while for the Holy Spirit, everything you have been waiting for will fall in place. Please don’t give up.

Here is your Prayer Path
Dear Father, I believe in your timing for me. My heart is now at peace. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Your Friend,

Mark Odeke

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit,
He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:2

Only those who have experienced the pruning work of the Spirit, are able to testify to it and bear continuous fruit which isn’t defiled by the flesh.

The pruning work of the Spirit has nothing to do with Sin, but the good seed in you that is over shadowed by the flesh. Take for instance, if you love giving, before pruning you give as a cheerful giver 2 Cor 9:6-7. After pruning, you give what the LORD requires of you, Exodus 25:2.

The more He prunes you, the deeper the revelation of giving. He will eventually bring you to the point where He takes the only thing you have, Gen 22:2. Ultimately demanding that you lay your very own life at His altar. This is “surrender,” perhaps the deepest form of worship.

The deeper the cuts of pruning, the greater the yield. This is what the LORD refers to as “Much fruit.” The more consistent the practice, the more tender one becomes. At this level, the Holy Spirit is protective of the pruned you and quickly cuts off any old rugged ways that may want to choke the fruit.

Once you become familiar with pruning, He reveals His true desire for you, which is to bear “Fruit that lasts” John 15:16. Every step of pruning draws you further away from the flesh and into a life of complete dependence on the Spirit.

Until we have been perfectly pruned, we may never see how desperately weak and irrelevant the flesh is in all things pertaining to your walk with the LORD. For the flesh seeks to draw attention to self, while the Spirit seeks to lift your eyes to Jesus and God our
Father. “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.” John 6:63

The LORD takes everything about your giving, loving, kindness, mercy, meekness, compassion and everything else and prunes it in a sequence that bears fruit in the following measures; “Much, More, Most”. Here is why, “That no flesh should glory in His Presence,” 1 Cor 1:29

Here is your Prayer Path

Dear Father, may you prune me as you see fit. I give myself to you. In Jesus name. Amen

Your Friend,

Mark Odeke