Day 6 - Don't Just Be Wise by Pastor Philip Olubakin: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Praying in the Spirit: Beyond the Limits of Doubt

Praying in tongues is so powerful because when you pray in the Holy Ghost, you pray beyond the limitations of your doubt. You cannot doubt what you do not understand — so you cannot corrupt the efficacy of your prayer with the doubt in your heart. You also pray beyond the limitations of your imagination. You cannot pray beyond what you can think, but the Holy Spirit takes you far past that ceiling.

Mark 6 — What Wisdom Really Looks Like

Mark 6:1-5

When Jesus returned to his own country and taught in the synagogue, the people were astonished. But notice what they said: "What wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?"

They did not say such mighty words. They said mighty works.

Most people connect wisdom with how well someone speaks — the depth of their vocabulary, the power of their words. But the true expression of wisdom is mighty works. The Bible says wisdom is justified by her children. You recognize a wise person not by what they say but by what their life produces.

Knowledge is the foundation. But the goal is not knowledge — the goal is doing and being.

• After knowledge — be.
• After being — do.

Many people end at knowledge. They come with large, impressive words, yet nothing in their life shows that the wisdom they claim is actually working for them. Jesus had such wisdom, and the proof was the mighty works that flowed from his life.

Psalms 92:5 — Great are your works, O Lord. Your thoughts are very deep. Great works are the product of deep thoughts.

The world is success-inspired. If people cannot see evidence of what you carry, they will not follow. Instead of arguing about that reality, simply produce the proof. When you have the proof, people will follow — and you can influence them for the kingdom.

The Danger of Dishonor

Mark 6:3-5

When the people of Nazareth saw Jesus, they were offended. They said: is this not the carpenter? The brother of James and Joseph? And the Bible says he could do no mighty works there because of the dishonor.

The word "could" here means "would not." He could have, but he did not — because the dishonor created a disconnect, and the anointing had no channel through which to flow into their lives.

Honor is a channel. Dishonor creates a blockage.

People have received miracles and blessings simply because they honored the people God placed in their lives. The moment they honored them, there was a flow — a flow of anointing, a flow of grace.

Deal with Your Battles Now — Not Later

Mark 6 — Herod and John the Baptist

Herodias had a grievance with John the Baptist and wanted to kill him but could not. Elijah's story tells us that Jezebel threatened to cut off his head but was unable to. John came in the spirit of Elijah — and Herodias, following the same lineage, eventually had John's head cut off.

The lesson here: you must ensure that you fight your own battles now so that you do not hand them over to your children. Hand over victories to the next generation — not unresolved battles.

If you notice a repeated pattern in your family, a negative cycle that keeps showing up, do not ignore it. Sit with it. Deal with it. So that when your children come, they can start from where you stopped instead of having to repeat the same undefeated battles.