Bishop David O. Oyedepo: Gateways to Financial Dominion!

Signs & Wonders (Sunday, April 10, 2016)

Gateways to Financial Dominion!

By David O. Oyedepo

“…God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” – (2 Corinthians 9:8).

We recognize from scriptures that financial dominion is our heritage in Christ. That means, every child of God is a candidate for wealth and by redemption, has an inheritance of financial fortune in Christ. As it is written:

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” – (2 Corinthians 8:9).

It is also written: “…Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” – (Revelation 5:12).

This establishes that redemption is our gateway to financial fortune. However, God empowers us for wealth through the revelation and application of the covenant. Thus, it is trading the covenant secrets in the Word that launches people into financial prosperity. This is because in the midst of crisis, God’s Word always triumphs.

For instance, in my crave to know the secret of Kingdom prosperity; I went on a three-day prayer and fasting adventure on March 20-22, 1982. I took my Bible and the books of Kenneth and Gloria Copeland (The law of Prosperity and God’s Will is Prosperity), searching and asking God to show me this secret. On the third day, God spoke to me from Deuteronomy 8:18 which says: “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day”. He further said, “My son, my prosperity plan is not a promise, so it does not answer to prayers. It is not a promise, and so it has no respect for fasting. My prosperity plan is a covenant and until your part is played, I am not committed.” This encounter changed my life forever!

No one can empower himself for financial dominion, it is only God that can do so; and until He empowers us, we are utterly powerless. We must therefore recognize that we can only commit God on His own terms, not ours.  That is, there is always a part we must play before we can commit God to His part. Therefore, it is the revelation of the terms of the covenant that launches and positions men into the realms of inexplicable but undeniable wealth.

But, what is a Covenant?

A covenant is a deal enacted by God, based on well-defined terms and sealed with an oath. As we all know, the Bible is a book of covenants. The Old and New Testament simply mean the Old and New Covenant, and revelation is about accessing the covenants of God on every issue of interest to us, including the covenant of prosperity (Hebrews 6:13-18).

It is important to note that the covenant is superior to all prevailing economic situations and circumstances because it is God’s bailout instrument from ALL harsh economic situations. That means economic hardships; famine and drought cannot stop it (Psalms 33:18-19, 37:18-19, 91:1-7).

Today, the world is facing the worst global economic challenge in history but the present economic holocaust is not strange. The good news is that God has a plan in place to exempt His people. From scriptures, we understand that every generation of people who walked in the covenant went through economic challenges triumphantly.

For instance, Israel dwelt in Goshen in the land of Egypt in the days of famine but according to scriptures, they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. Also, Abraham became very wealthy in livestock, silver and gold. By the time he was old and well stricken in age, the Lord had blessed him in all things. Furthermore, Isaac, in spite of the prevalent drought went forward, became very great and the Philistines envied him. Moreover, the famine was sore in the land during the days of Jacob, but he had more than enough money to import food for his household. Job also walked in financial dominion. The Bible records that he was the greatest of all men in his days and that his substance was greatly increased in the land (Genesis 13:2; 24:1, 26:1, 12-14, 42:1-2, 43:1, 11-12; 47:27; Job 1:3).

This establishes the fact that covenant people are peculiar and as long as we commit to covenant practice, we will be exempted from the economic ordeals of our time (Exodus 19:4-5; 1 Peter 2:9).

However, for us to access the blessings of financial fortune as received by the prophets of old, we must walk in their steps to command the same order of financial fortune that they commanded. Remember, it is following the steps of giants that make giants. The Bible admonishes us not to be slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:12).

Thus, there is no shortcut to a world of financial fortune; it is engaging in covenant practice that empowers us to prevail in hard times (Malachi 3:10-18, 4: 1-4).

What, then, is the covenant of financial fortune?

Financial dominion anchors on the covenant of seedtime and harvest. It is written: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).

‘Seedtime’ and ‘harvest’ means giving and receiving, which provides the gateway to financial dominion. Our giving is a spiritual transaction for provoking all-round favour (Genesis 22:15-22; 2 Samuel 24:24-25; 2 Corinthians 9:6-11).

However, we need the giving grace to sustain an ever-growing giving life. Concerning the Macedonian Church, the Bible says: “How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also” (2 Corinthians 8:2-3, 7; see also Philippians 4:15-19; John 10:17-18).

Therefore, the greater the giving grace on our lives, the greater the coast of financial fortune we access.

How reliable is this covenant?

In the course of my encounter on March 22nd, 1982, I asked God, “How reliable is this covenant?” He spoke to me from Jeremiah 33:20-21, 25-26: “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. Thus saith the Lord; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them”.

That means as long as the day and night keep changing position and the sun and moon continue to rule the day and night, all God’s covenants in scriptures remain in force, including the covenant of financial prosperity. This makes every covenant of scripture ever reliable, dependable, guaranteed and binding on God for delivery (Psalms 89:34).

What, then, are some of the Covenant Requirements for Walking in Financial Dominion?

• Tithing: This is the covenant foundation for financial fortune. It is also the first fruit that makes the balance meaningful. As it is written: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10; Leviticus 27:30).

It is also written: “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10).

All financial testimonies in the body of Christ are rooted in consistent tithing. For instance, Abraham was a tither and he became a possessor of heaven and earth. For us to access the blessings of Abraham, we must do the works of Abraham. Remember, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law to connect us to the blessings of Abraham. All we need to do is walk in his steps to flow in the kind of blessings that he experienced (Genesis 14:19-20; John 8:39; Galatians 3:13-14, 29).

Thus, tithing remains a covenant obligation for financial fortune. We must understand that our tithe is not a donation; rather, it is part of our spiritual responsibility. The truth is, any believer who is not a tither will remain a financial struggler. This is because it is impossible to be in command of financial fortune without being a tither.

• Kingdom-promotion giving: This is one of the requirements for walking in financial dominion. As it is written:

“Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying, Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord; gold, and silver, and brass” (Exodus 35:3-5; see also Exodus 36:3-7; Haggai 1:3-15).

• Worship offerings: We are admonished in scriptures not to go into God’s presence empty-handed. This is because God takes cognizance of every offering we bring when we are in worship (Exodus 34:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Mark 12:41-44).

In conclusion, it is important to understand that our seed is not a financial donation to ‘help’ God, the church, the ministry or the minister. Rather, it is a spiritual transaction that provokes the release of financial fortune in the ultimate, among others. The good news is, the covenant has never failed and it will not fail in our lives. All we need to do, therefore, is to play our part by engaging the covenant so as to commit God’s integrity to perform in our lives.

As we do this, every financial stress in our lives will be terminated in Jesus’ name!

Remain ever blessed!

Jesus is Lord!

Prophetic Blessings

• In this global economic hard time, you and your household will never know how it feels!
• Every curse responsible for your financial challenges ends today!
• I decree that in this month, you will have an encounter that will turn you into a mighty nation!
• Poverty will not be identified with your lineage again in Jesus’ name!
• From today, whatever has been sitting on your financial destiny is unseated in Jesus’ name!
• The great projects of your life will be executed without financial stress in Jesus’ name!
• Every curse responsible for your marital challenges comes to an end today!
• You shall be going up, going forward and scaling new heights in the name of Jesus!
• That broken home is restored in the name of Jesus!
• You are changing levels supernaturally!