Old Successes May Not Guarantee Present Day Victory, Says Rev. Ikotun

By Frank Oshanugor

Nigerians particularly Christians have been advised not to dwell so much in what looks like their glorious days of the past; as doing so, may not guarantee success for them in present time.

In his sermon on Wednesday as a guest speaker at the Yaba Block Zone Prayer Summit of the Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship International (FGBMFI), Rev. Adebisi Ikotun (a.k.a. Teens & Youth Pastor) of the New Heritage Bible Church noted that a good number of people took pride in announcing their presence in public places with the achievement of the past particularly of their family.

According to him, people should judge themselves with their current personal relationship with God whether they are doing the right thing or not instead of believing that the old glory of their family or self would always be a saving grace.

“We must leave the past behind. Let us not continue to dwell in the success of the past. What we are doing now is what matters. We must not continue to dwell in the good of the past.”

Speaking on the theme “Pressing Towards the Mark” taken from Phillipians 3 Vs 14, Ikotun contended that in contemporary time, “all the hell has been unleashed against all of men” adding that “today the devil has a seat in churches.”

To this extent, he has therefore admonished all Christians to be intentional in their quest to make heaven. “For the issue of our faith to be sustained, it must anchor on our intentionality to work for God,” he remarked.

He also harped on the need for every Christian to always look in the direction of God for approval warning that we must be careful with men’s applause and approval as such applause from men may not be pleasing to God. “If God is not pleased, the applause and approval must not excite us,” he advised.

Commenting on the increasing spate of advancing personal prejudices or philosophy in the Christendom, Rev. Ikotun warned that Christians must not lean on their own understanding but should continue to learn the way of the Lord from His words as contained in the Bible.

He argued that “if the ways of men are not in the words of the Lord, it is anti-Christ. Similarly, we must develop a system of checks and balances according to the word of God. Our disciplinary measures in the church must be based on the words of the Lord. Our personal prejudice or philosophy should not be the yardstick for passing judgement. Every decision must be biblically rooted,” he admonished.