THE POWER OF RESPONSE

It is crystal clear that many people are dying in their problems. This is not God’s plan for any man for God is love. The major reason why many people are dying in their problems is because they fail to respond correctly. Response is a spiritual power that makes or mars you in any situation of life for your response in any given situation controls spiritual forces you will draw to yourself whether negative or positive forces. It is written: “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, “arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he cried, “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” and people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it.” (Jonah 3:1-5, 10)

According to our Bible passage, the judgment of God was hanging upon the nation of Nineveh and they were informed by God through Prophet Jonah. Instead of mocking the prophet of God as it were in the days of Noah, they responded well by repenting of their sins and forsaking their sins. Their response appeased God and God changed his mind. They were forgiven by God and impending judgment of God was aborted.

See, your response determines your destination. Your response to situation determines your victory or defeat in every situation of life. Your responses to negative situations determine whether you will come out of it or sink in it.  You can stop evils from coming to pass.

No matter what you are going through you can come out of it clean and as a winner. But this depends on your response whether it is negative or positive. The reason why two are in the same bad situation one emerges a winner and the other dies in it is simply their response. The winner responded positively while the loser responded negatively.

Beloved, God is not a respecter of person. He does not have a favorite. He only responds to people’s attitude in any given situation because He has given every man free will to choose. He does not go against His principle. He cannot force himself on anyone or into any situation until he is asked to do also. It is written: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

God respects your privacy as a person. He does not impose Himself on any man. He wants you to choose Him without compulsion. He wants you to believe in His ability to assist you in every situation of life but it is up to you, not to Him. God has said in the scriptures: “Call unto me, I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you do not know. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.” (Jeremiah 33:3, Matthew 7:7)

See, God is always ready to help those who trust in Him and call upon Him in truth. God cannot help negative people because negative people do not believe in God’s ability to help them out of their predicament. That is why they always die in their situation.

There was a man in the Bible who knew the power of response. In his own case, he responded well to God and His prophet.  He made God to change His mind concerning his life.  The Bible says; “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amos came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, set thine house in order: for thou shall die, and not live.” (Isaiah 38: 1)

This was God’s message to Hezekiah the king by His anointed prophet; Isaiah the son of Amos. I think, in this case, Hezekiah had no choice than to set his house in order as God had said.  He had no choice because God made him and gave him life.  And now behold He had come for His life.  He had no choice than to bow to the will of his Creator. 

Ironically, Hezekiah said NO to God; “I’m not ready to die now”.  The Bible says; “Then Hezekiah turned his face towards the wall,  and prayed unto the LORD, and said, remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee,  how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight.  And Hezekiah wept sore.  Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years” (Isaiah 38: 2-5).

Wow! Hezekiah responded well, rejected the prophecy and got 15 years added to his life span. He used the right God gave to him and God had to change His mind.

Friend, this can happen to you now. It can happen about that bad situation in your life, marriage, business, career, academic and finance if only and if you will say No to it.  To change that situation now, all it will take you is to open your mouth wide before God and say No Father. It is settled in heaven; open your mouth wide and I will fill it, says the LORD God (Psalm 81:10).

In essence, God is saying: ‘I am standing by what you say not by what somebody has said about your case’. You may be sick, say No to it now. You might have had bad dreams, say No to it now. You may be jobless now, say No to it now.  Your marriage may be going through hell, say No to it now. Your business may be going down, say No to it now. Whatsoever you are going through now, say No to it now.  If you don’t say No to it, God won’t say No to it. If Hezekiah had accepted the word of God through prophet Isaiah, he would have died in that sickness.  But he said No to it. 

There was a woman in the New Testament that responded well even though she was called a dog. It is written:  “And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying; Send her away; for she crieth after us.  But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.  And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.” (Matthew 25:22-28)

The response of Jesus to this desperate woman was negative. Jesus’ response was enough to put her away but she refused to give up. The woman would have thought: “You called me dog, yes I agreed with you but I still wanted what I want from you”. Did she win? Yes, she did because she responded well in the face of denial.

The Bible says; “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1 Cor. 10:11).

What happened to Hezekiah is a good example to follow.  God is impartial and He doesn’t have a favorite.  He has given every man the power of choice to decide his fortune here on earth.  I mean whatever you allow in your life is what God allows either good or bad. You have been single enough, it is time to say No to it.  You have been poor enough, it is time to say No to it. Until you say No to evil, evil won’t cease around you.  You’ve got to pray prayer of ‘Nos’. You’ve got to make list of things you want to say No to in your life and say No to them vehemently in Jesus name.  The creative power of God is upon this message.  Anything you say No to or reject in your life, God that put this words in my heart will make it happen in your life; in Jesus name.

By the unction of God upon my life as His Prophet, I command all problems in your life, marriage, business and finances that you have said No to, to vanish, in Jesus name.  That sickness, disease and pain in your body, I command it to go out now, in Jesus name. I command anything that is not good, not sweet, not praise worthy and not of good report to disappear with all its traces in your life, in the precious name of Jesus. I declare that henceforth in your life and anywhere you are, every labour of the enemy over you shall be in vain, in the name of Jesus.