DON'T OVER-CELEBRATE YOURSELF

Dr. Paul Enenche• Said...
"In our church, people rarely introduce me. I just
carry my Bible and walk to the altar. What is the
introduction for? I would not even allow them to
carry my Bible. If they carry my Bible, will they
carry my mouth? Will they carry my message?
"I remember going to a church to preach
sometime ago. And someone stood on the altar
to speak. He wanted to introduce the host pastor
who would, in turn, introduce me. He said, "I want
to tell you about someone; someone that has
changed my life..." As he began to say more
things, I thought he was talking about God.
Frankly speaking, the way he spoke about the
man, I thought it was God He was talking about.
But when he finished, he said, "Can we receive
my papa, my daddy in the Lord..." I sank in my
chair. I said in my heart, 'People are talking about
you like this and you accept it?'
"That was what Herod did and God sent an angel
to slap him. He was consumed by worms on the
spot (Acts 12:23). I sank in my chair.
Nevertheless, the host pastor got the microphone
and obviously, it was normal. By the time he
finally invited me to come and preach, frankly
speaking, the anointing had died. There was no
move, no flow, nothing. They had killed the
atmosphere before inviting me into that mess.
"I went to that altar with weakness and
trembling. I had to sing and worship for about
thirty minutes, just to try and beg God and ask for
mercy, and thank God, His mercy came. Then the
service was very wonderful.
At the end, I asked the host pastor in the hotel
room, 'Did you accept those things they were
saying about you? Did you accept to be praised
like that?' He got angry. And that was the last
time I was to be there. I have never been there
again. And I can tell you that the history of that
place is not something to write home about.
"When you over-celebrate yourself, God may
withdraw His help so that you can see your
nakedness. When you think your wealth is your
making, and your prosperity is your making, or
the anointing you carry is your making, God will
withdraw a little, so you can see how naked you
are without Him.
"The renowned evangelist, Benny Hinn, said one
day, he went before the God to pray and he said
to God, 'Please, do not take your anointing from
me. It is all I have.' And God told him, 'Do not
ask me not to take it, rather, ask me to return it,
because I took it away a long time ago.'
He lay on his face for two weeks waiting on the
Lord, away from human presence... He
remembered what became of Samson when the
anointing had left him. That is what pride, self
exaltation and arrogance can do to a man. God
showed mercy on Benny Hinn and restored His
presence in his life.
"We were going for a programme somewhere and
our officers were using double trafficator. I begged
them to put off the trafficator lights. I felt
absolutely uncomfortable. What if we entered with
so much fanfare, pomp and pageantry as if it is
Jesus entering Jerusalem, and by the time we get
there, God says, 'Okay, perform the miracles. See
the sick, heal them. See the unbelievers, save
them. Perform! I am waiting for you...' What
would we do?
Today, our protocol officers are aware that they
do not have to make any ostentatious,
braggadocios entry into any event or occasion.
The Bible says, "What have you that you have not
received? And if you have received it, why do you
behave as if you give it to yourself?" (1Cor.4:7)
This is what is limiting people.
"Get this: if it is the apostolic anointing you have,
there are more apostles that have gone before
and beyond you. Ayi Kwei Armah wrote a book
titled The Beautiful Ones are not Yet Born. In
case you think you are beautiful, you have not
seen beautiful people yet. In case you say you are
anointed, you have not seen anointing yet. In
case you say you are called, you have not seen
calling yet, so calm down.
"Imagine a young boy of twenty two or twenty
three years of age who calls himself an apostle or
prophet. He is running and elderly people are
running after him. Imagine! Your father is calling
you papa and you are not afraid? A person who
can give birth to you calls you papa and you
agree? And you say, "Yes, how are you?"
That person has no future. He is a short distance
runner. He is not a marathon runner. Marathon
runners do not behave like that. This is one thing
that destroys the destinies of many pastors and
children of God. They are too proud...
"God needs to chisel something out of your life!
Say to Him today:
'Lord, is there anything in my life that makes me
unusable? Anything You need to chisel? Go ahead
and chisel it out.'