Pastor Ben Ochola

HAVING A REVELATION OF JESUS

Tuesday 26th September 2023

About three or four years ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said; "If people ever leave any meeting you conduct desiring, longing or yearning for things more than Me, you know that you have failed."

If anything relating to Christianity or Christian activity quenches a man's desire to know more of Jesus Christ, know it is a lie.

John 1:3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

I can guarantee you that only Jesus can satisfy a man. In life, everything will leave you dry and empty because all you will ever desire is in Jesus. (Colossians 1:15)

If you are a preacher, worshiper or child of God and your meeting leaves people desiring other things aside from Jesus, go back on your knees and examine yourself.

2 Corinthians 11:4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or [if] you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

Please, watch the inclination of your heart. Many of you need to ask the Lord to help you come back on course because your heart has been inclined to carnal things: the first thing that comes out of your heart every time you open your mouth to pray is stuff.

We are carnally driven that Jesus has become the addition yet the Bible tells us that He becomes the ultimate and the rest are additions.(Matthew 6:33)

Jesus must be our center, radius and circumference: this means that everything we will ever desire or long for is in Jesus (Revelation 1:8). All the fights we see in church today are because we are busy looking for something else and Jesus is no longer the common denominator.

John 3:26-31 [26] And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" [27]John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.

30-31 He must increase, but I [must] decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.

If our preaching and all we engage in does not point men to Jesus, then we must cry to Him to forgive us because we have failed miserably.

From Genesis to when Jesus was revealed, creation was waiting for Him. Adam failed miserably, so did Noah, Abraham and all the prophets while heaven and earth waited in anticipation for the day He would come (Romans 8:19).

I pray for you businessman, career woman, husband, wife, that Jesus becomes the center of every pursuit in your life. For if it is not Jesus, let us retire and do something else.

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

The disciples walked with Jesus for only 3 and a half years yet when religious people observed them, they realized that they were like Jesus.

When people look at you, can they discern that you have been with Jesus or not?

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Not every church has Jesus. In some churches, Jesus has been made to leave the pulpit and is the usher at the back door. This not only refers to the congregation but to us individually. We have all failed if we do not reveal Jesus to the congregation. Our lives, words, visions, actions, and lifestyle must point men to Jesus.

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves [as to] whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified

STAY BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED, WE LOVE YOU. PASTOR BEN OCHOLA.

THE NEED FOR AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD

Monday 25th September 2023

Romans 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

Every generation is accorded the same opportunity because God is no respecter of persons. Without the hand of the Master in our lives, we are a joke to what we see today.

May God help us, I pray that the Holy Spirit may place the same burden I feel in my heart upon you. You will feel and see the need for us to have an encounter with God that will make us relevant to this generation that has gone too deep into wickedness.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

This is the only way we can turn the hearts of this generation back to God: by the Holy Spirit. But no man can give what he doesn't have; it starts with you and me.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

God must encounter us; there has to be a genuine cry from our souls and hearts. Move away from the place of hypocrisy, styles, and fashion, showbiz, and be honest.

As for me, I have reached a stage in my walk with God that I am tired of myself; not with life but the level my life is at. Cry to the Lord to elevate us to that level where we can become solutions /answers to the plight of men so that we may be able to draw men back to Jesus; pointing them to the One who died for them.

I pray the Holy Spirit will continue to move upon your hearts.

STAY BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED, WE LOVE YOU. PASTOR BEN OCHOLA!

HUMILITY

friday 22th September 2023

If you study the life of Jesus, there are a number of things you find out that can help you to capture and sustain the presence of God in your life.

There are about five things that made Him stand out in His Ministry; one of them is brokenness, contrition of spirit, and humility.

James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: [" God resists the proud,] [But gives grace to the humble."]

If you want to walk with God, pride must be very far from your life. Cry to the Lord to help you walk in humility if you want to see Him work in your life.

It's impossible for God to ignore a man who is broken and contrite in spirit Psalms 51:17.

We don't arrive in this but we must engage daily until we look more like Jesus.

Numbers 12:3 (Now the man Moses [was] very humble, more than all men who [were] on the face of the earth.)

God could trust Moses because of his humility. God trusts humble people because He knows they can't take His glory.

King Ahab modeled wickedness to the extent that every time God spoke about wickedness referred to him but one time when pronouncement came upon his life, he fasted in humility and God withdrew 1Kings 21:29

It's humility that makes God attracted to a man

It's a heartfelt thing. Each one of us knows him or herself. Don't entertain or nurse it, cry to God to help you Mathew 18:9.

Jesus modeled for us a life of humility in the Gospels. You don't need to prove a point: be confident in the God you serve.

Humility, Brokenness, contrition of spirit is very key if we want to host God in our lives, nation and generation.

1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

You must be intentional, and deliberate in humbling yourself, You must come to a point where you get tired of your pride 2 Chronicles 7:14

Deuteronomy 8:1-2 ... And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you [and] test you, to know what [was] in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

Don't waste your pain (wilderness), let it leave you better because that's the only way you know what's in your heart. Men don't grow in good times, men grow in hard times.

What lessons have you learnt in your wilderness season? Humility should be one of them.

Moses was so full of himself: education, reputation, etc. When those things are the things you use to define yourself, you are lost.

Before God could use him, He first humbled him through a wilderness experience.

Deuteronomy 8:3-8 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every [word] that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD...

God takes us through the wilderness so that we can learn to depend on and trust in Him.

Man is born proud. It's something the devil put into man the day Adam sinned. That's why if someone tells you that you are proud, don't fight them, go and check your heart.

Jesus learnt obedience through the things He suffered: Is your suffering teaching you obedience? Don't allow that seed that brought the devil down to bring you down Hebrews 5:8

God disciplines us: Don't refuse God's discipline. He does it so that He brings you to a better place.

Mathew 11:28-29

We need to learn from Jesus to be gentle and humble. He had all authority in heaven and on earth but He remained humble.

Isaiah 66:1-3 (AMPC) ... [2] For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands...

STAY BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED, WE LOVE YOU. PASTOR BEN OCHOLA!

DEEP CALLS UNTO DEEP

Tuesday 19th September 2023

Psalms 42:7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.

Psalms 130:1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD.

As the water falls, its depth has a force that produces sound. There is a depth from which our prayers and seeking must flow. The waves of God's presence and glory are not provoked from a shallow place but a deep one within your soul, by that distinct noise, cry or yearning.

We provoke the depth in God from the depth within us; shallow cries cannot touch the deep that we are longing for.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will help us so that our prayers, seeking and love will come from a deeper dimension within our souls that we have not experienced before.

Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find [Me,] when you search for Me with all your heart.

I would like to ask you brothers and sisters; Is your heart in what you are seeking or your attention is to a set program that will make you appear spiritual? What is your passion? What is your drive? Do you love Jesus?

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares [us,] and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

The time has come for us to get rid of every weight, excess, and sins that easily ensnares us. This is not the time to play or toy around with things, lifestyles, behaviors and relationships that you know are hindrances to what you want to see.

Isaiah 29:13 Therefore the Lord said: " Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.

God is not impressed with words, it is your heart that He needs. If we mean what we say, then our lives must reflect God. Hypocrisy must leave our prayers, worship and all we do.

Fake will not win over this generation nor will it change our nation or families. Let us ask the Lord to strip us of every pretense, lay naked before Him so that He may dress us to reveal Jesus to our generation.

If we want to see and experience the deep in God, there has got to be a cry from a deeper place that we have never experienced before, irrespective of our positions.

Genesis 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Adam tried to dress himself with fig leaves that Jesus cursed when He was on earth (Matthew 21:19). He tried to cover his nakedness but no one can lie to God.His covering was only a show.

God stripped him off the fake covering and dressed him with the blood of an animal (Genesis 3:21). Therefore, don't try to fake it, fall on your knees and tell Him; "Jesus I have fallen, I need help". Don't try to look good before people while you are dying inside.

We have to be real in our services and personal moments with God If we want to experience His depth and see Him.

STAY BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED, WE LOVE YOU. PASTOR BEN OCHOLA.

KNOWING YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

Monday 31 July 2023

John 4:24 God [is] Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

How does a man who has blood, flesh and bones do business with the Spirit (God)?

The greatest challenge for a man, is learning how to speak and walk before a Spirit being. However, his blessing is that he is the only being created by God that can transact and co-exist legally in both worlds( physical and spiritual world) simultaneously.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Matthew 6:9 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as [it is] in heaven.

God's plan is that the earth mirrors the heaven; heaven becomes the mother of the earth. This also reveals to us the pattern of living. For a man to manifest his destiny, he must pay close attention to his spiritual aspect of life.

The spirit of a man is very difficult to understand because there is no direct contact with it through the physical senses. The only way a man can know his spiritual dimension is through scriptures because it is the word of the Lord that defines a man's spirit. That's why the Bible says;

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. Corinthians 3:18

Your spirit is defined by the word. For to know who you are, read what the scriptures say about you.

Before man fell, he lived from the inside out. In other words, he was more aware of his spirit than he was of the physical body but when he fell, the entire process was reversed and man is now more connected with his physical body than his spiritual life which was never God's intention.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

When we give our lives to Jesus, the spirit is born again, that organ that hosts God is made alive and the Holy Spirit comes and resides in us. However, if a born-again believer is not taught about the spirit, he/she will live life with no awareness of what his/ her spirit is like because of the fall of man in Genesis.

...Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what [is] that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

The most important thing after you have become a believer is to study the Word. Then you will know what is in your spirit because it is the Word of God that reveals to you what the spirit is. You then begin to arrange your thoughts according to what the word says about you.

You can't manifest what you do not know. That is why God is calling us to a life of knowing our identity through the Word.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

If this new man does not hold dominion over the mind, the old man will still dominate in the bon again believer's life.

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak."

It does not matter how much information a man has got in his/ her spirit, until the flesh is subjected to the Spirit, you can never manifest the life of God.

Praying in tongues is one of the ways that God helps us to be aware of the spirit and whatever we are conscious of, we will begin to manifest. Until we are conscious of the fact that we are spirits living in the body and possess a soul, we cannot manifest the life of God. Our victory in life is tied to this consciousness.

Many believers live a Christian life but their spiritual life is suppressed because their spirits have no access to their minds. They are lazy to align their minds yet our victory and success as believers begins when our spirits start to dominate our lives.

STAY BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED, WE LOVE YOU. PASTOR BEN OCHOLA!

EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

Tuesday 20th June 2023

Daniel 11:32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

The measure of your strength is proportionate to the degree of knowledge of the God you serve. Majority of believers have the mental knowledge of scriptures like the Pharisees;They were so in touch with the letter but out-of-touch with the Person of the letter.

For this reason, many believers are victims of the enemy because real strength comes from experiential knowledge of God: Here you draw from a place of encounter with God.

2 Corinthians 3:6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Head knowledge must help us discover what we know; those are the scriptures that are like a signpost to the place we are going. But if you camp in the letter or what religion and theology does, it will kill you and you'll be buried quoting scriptures. (2 Timothy 3:5)

It is high time we get discontented and dissatisfied with our present state and see God to help us walk into the reality of the scriptures we have accumulated over the years.

John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Until that Word becomes personal (one with you), it will never benefit you. It is like the food we eat: it's not the food that we eat that benefits us but the food that our systems can absorb, retain and distribute throughout our bodies.

If the body cannot retain it, it comes out and so is the Word of God. Most people are satisfied displaying knowledge without experiencing it. You are just a motivational speaker until you become one with the word.

If you're a victim of this, cry to God to forgive you so that you don't miss your time and season of visitation.

Luke 2:8-11 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, ... 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord...

Jesus was born in a manger and the angel appeared to the shepherds even to the wise men of the East, but the Pharisees who knew and quoted the scriptures were out of touch with what was happening.

This is the danger of having the Word in your head with the assumption that you have the experience.

Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

When you face challenges of life, then you shall know if the scriptures you quoted were in your heart or spirit. When you fall apart during challenges, know that you've joined the bandwagon of murmurers and complainers who knew the acts of God but never knew Him.

Therefore, when you pray and sing songs, you're telling God to take you beyond your head knowledge into the experience of that Word that you know.

The scriptures, verses, revelations, and dreams are signposts or pointers that you are to use to get you to the Person: the author and finisher of that Word. It is the Spirit of the letter that will bring transformation in a man's life.

STAY BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED, WE LOVE YOU. PASTOR BEN OCHOLA!

THERE IS MORE IN GOD

Monday 19th June 2023

Isaiah 32:15-16 Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness remain in the fruitful field…

Throughout the scriptures, the patterns are clear: It took an outpour of the Holy Spirit upon a person or people to see change and transformation in any generation. The only remedy is the outpour of the Holy Spirit upon our lives.

We can try all the gimmicks, draw a thousand programs or even try to use all the friendly methods we know but the only formula in the scriptures was men and women on their faces calling on God for an outpour of the spirit.

If you are content and feel like you have already arrived, good for you but I can tell you that there is more in God than what you have seen.

Joshua 24:15... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

We are going to seek the Lord until His mountain towers over every other mountain and Jesus Christ becomes a point of reference to all that challenges humanity.

It's not about a man or a church but a cry for a generation to encounter the living God, that their testimony ceases to be a mere mental assent but an experiential tangible encounter as Peter said;

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 2 Peter 1:16-17

I don't know about you but I am not settling here. Like Esther risked it all to appear in the presence of the king, somebody has to say; "If I die, let me die seeking to encounter the king" (Esther 4:16).

Psalms 84:7 They go from strength to strength; [Each one] appears before God in Zion.

The proof that you have appeared in God's presence is when things start going from strength to strength in all areas of your life; spiritual, health, career, ministry, finances and if that is not your testimony, please join me and let us seek and run after this God.

Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find [Me,] when you search for Me with all your heart.

We have many casual seekers but the Lord is saying that those who will find Him, are men and women who have wholeheartedly placed all their eggs in one basket: God's.

Church, let us swallow our pride, get ourselves together, prostrate before the Lord and tell Him; "Lord, there is something better than this".

Matthew 11:7 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

There was a voice thundering in the wilderness (a voice from heaven) that the whole city went to hear.

May God speak again so that people will leave their offices and come to hear Jesus speak.

STAY BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED, WE LOVE YOU. PASTOR BEN OCHOLA