Pastor Sam Odeg

Don't Do What These Men Are Doing, Else You May Fail.

Listen to their messages, apply them and honour them, but don't do exactly what they are doing.

If you follow these men and try to do what they are doing now, based on their current level in ministry, you may fail. I am talking to myself too.

Apostle Arome Osayi tells you he prays for 20 hours out of every 24 hour day. You decide to do the same.

Apostle Joshua Selman says he observes a 25 day dry fast every month out of the 30 days in the month. Then you decide to attempt it too.

Apostle Michael Orokpo says he studies from 7:00pm till 7:00am. You also want to try it.

To you, the goal is to do all those things so that you too can walk in the anointing they are operating in. There's nothing wrong with that.

But what you fail to understand is that these men of God have reached a certain level in ministry where they can engage in such spiritual exercises with little or no distraction.

They are now full-time ministers. They don't work for anyone else.

Every day, they drive to their offices. People come to them in the comfort of their homes or offices for prayers and counselling, not the other way round.

People bless them with generous financial gifts in millions.

Some of them may not even remember the last time they visited a tailor because there are people who sew clothes for them and bring them to their homes for free. They hardly have to shop for themselves. Their focus is largely on Kingdom business.

Some of them have schedules that are fully booked from the beginning of the year. They travel from nation to nation by air, sometimes in private jets, and move around in comfortable vehicles with ease.

They have connections, both nationally and internationally.

So, if they decide to stay indoors for 30 days to pray and fast, they can do so comfortably.

Do you know why?

While they are locked away in a room for those 30 days, someone has been assigned to answer their calls on their behalf. They may not even touch their phones until the retreat is over.

Someone else is taking care of their children.

Someone else is managing whatever businesses they may have.

Someone else is preparing the meals they will eat when they break their fast.

There may even be people assigned to guard the entrance to ensure that no one interrupts them.

So you see, they can devote themselves to such long retreats without unnecessary distractions.

But you, who are still living with your parents, or squatting with a friend in a single room, or living with your family in a public compound...

You don't have those structures in place yet.

If you decide to lock yourself away for 30 days to fast and pray, within a few hours, friends may begin paying you surprise visits. They may walk into your room without notice, and there will be no one to stop them or explain that you are in a time of prayer.

Your parents may call you for urgent meetings.

If you are married, your children may keep knocking on the door or playing around the room until you come out. Your spouse will also need your attention.

If you are still a student, you have lectures to attend, books to read, tests to prepare for, examinations to write, projects to complete and other academic responsibilities.

If you are employed, your employer expects you at work. The salary you receive is barely enough as it is. You trek to work every day and return home exhausted. How then can you lock yourself away for 30 days without losing your job?

How can you remain focused with all these responsibilities and distractions?

When these men finish a long fast, they often ease their bodies back with fruits before eating a proper meal. They eat fresh fruits first.

But you, when you finish your fast, you soak garri with groundnuts, sugar, salt and water, and drink it. That may be all you have for the day. If you are fortunate, the second option is to eat swallow and soup.

Then you wonder why you always develop headaches after long periods of fasting and prayer. 🤣

A certain girl once told me that her school held an inter-house sports competition. She represented her house in a relay race. Ironically, she was fasting on the very day she was supposed to run.

According to her, during the relay race, the moment she crossed the finish line, she fainted. Everyone gathered around trying to revive her. Thank God she regained consciousness.

I scolded her seriously and warned her never to endanger her life that way again. There was no reason to combine fasting with a relay race. She should have postponed one for the other.

She needed physical strength to run, yet she denied her body the food that would provide that strength. Where then was the energy supposed to come from?

That is not spirituality. That is ignorance.

Now, here is my point.

I deeply respect, value and honour all the men of God I have mentioned, and I still do.

But it would be unwise to begin copying what they are doing at their present level.

There are things they can comfortably do today that you cannot yet do because your present season is different.

If we must learn from them, let us learn what they did before fame arrived.

We should not study only where they are today, but also where they started.

How did they balance prayer with academics when they were students?

How did they fast, study the Bible and pray fervently while still showing up faithfully at work as employees?

Those are the things we should find out. Those are the questions we should be asking.

Don't compare your present season with someone's mature season. Compare your beginning with their beginning. Learn the principles that sustained them before prominence came.

Do not compare your present season with their current season. If you try to do so, you may never measure up.

You may lose valuable relationships.

You may neglect your family.

You may lose your job, perhaps your only source of income.

You may perform poorly in school because you spend all your time trying to imitate the current lifestyle of Apostle Arome, even though you have not reached that stage yet.

You may even jeopardize your health.

Yes, fast.

Yes, pray.

Yes, I encourage you to spend quality time with God every day.

But do all these with wisdom, balance and faithfulness to your present assignment.

Growth is progressive.

Every season has its own demands.

Master the season you are in, and God will prepare you for the next one.

Do not let your spiritual exercises become a source of frustration. Otherwise, you may end up blaming God for problems He never caused.

Learn what these men did before the fame came.

Then, when God brings you to the level they are now, you can also learn how they have remained stable there.

I hope this blesses someone.

I am talking to myself too.

~ Pastor Sam Odeg
The Watcher

This July, before any of your needs arise, the supplies will already be available. Before you call on God, He will answer you. 🙏

A few terms ago, I visited a particular school, walked into the principal's office, and humbly expressed my desire to come and preach the Gospel to the students.

He paused for a moment, looked at me, and said,

"Man of God, your coming is appreciated, but I'm sorry, we cannot give you a slot. We already have people who handle that for us."

His response was firm, definite, and delivered with the confidence of someone whose mind was already made up.

As usual, I thanked him and quietly left his office.

Now, let me state this clearly.

There are schools where, if the administration declines my request, I simply move on. Not because the souls there are not worth reaching, but because I do not always feel compelled to return and ask again.

However, there are certain schools that create a strong pull within my spirit. Whenever I see them, I develop an unusual burden and urgency to minister there. And when that happens, I do not stop knocking until the gate opens for the Gospel.

That inner drive often tells me that someone in that environment needs divine intervention. It is usually a sign that God has an assignment waiting for me there.

In such cases, if a principal says "No," I may feel disappointed because I am human. Truth be told, I do not enjoy being rejected.

But one thing is certain, I do not give up.

I do not mind becoming a regular visitor to the principal's office until he or she gets tired of seeing my face. 😊

Eventually, they may say,

"This man, don't you ever give up? Alright, you can come on so-and-so date."

And that is exactly what happened with this particular school.

After leaving the principal's office that day, I returned to my altar and prayed.

I told the Lord,

"Father, I need this school. Please open its gates to me."

Sometime last week before they embarked on midterm break, I returned to the same school.

The moment I walked into the principal's office and he lifted his eyes to see me, he burst into laughter.

"Man of God, you again?" he said.

"Are you a Jehovah's Witness? They are among the most persistent people I know. Even when you try to chase them away, they keep coming back." He said it jokingly, and we both laughed.

I simply stood there smiling.

Deep within me, I sensed that this visit would be different.

Then he looked at me and said,

"Alright. Our school fellowship holds every Friday. Which Friday would you like to come?"

Imagine that!

Not only did he give me a slot, he gave me the privilege of choosing the date myself.

What a blessing! What an honour.

I quickly went through my book to check all the Fridays I have given to some schools already. I selected a date, we shook hands, exchanged smiles, and I thanked him before leaving his office.

It is a very biiiiiig and laaarrrrge school, and I will announce the name soon. Stay glued to my wall for the update. 😊😊😊

Saints, this is my way of reminding you that persistence works.

Sometimes, the breakthrough you are seeking has not come because you prayed once, saw no immediate result, and then stopped praying.

Perhaps you stopped applying for jobs because previous applications were unsuccessful.

Perhaps you stopped attending interviews because earlier ones did not produce the outcome you desired.

But today, remember the words of Jesus:

"Men ought always to pray, and not to faint." Luke 18:1

Keep praying.

Keep believing.

Keep applying for those jobs.

Keep attending those interviews.

Keep trusting the Lord.

Do not allow disappointment to become your conclusion.

Sometimes, one more prayer is all it takes to open a door.

Sometimes, one more application leads to the breakthrough.

Sometimes, one more interview changes everything.

Do not be discouraged.

Do not give up.

The God who planted the desire in your heart is able to bring it to pass.

Keep knocking.

Keep seeking.

Keep trusting.

That which you seek, you will find.

I am rooting for you.

God bless thee.

~ Pastor Sam Odeg