Walking in the Newness of Life - By David O. Oyedepo (Book Review)





INTRODUCTION

This book with eleven (11) chapters was written to show that a believer cans walk in holiness, though we were conceived and born in iniquity. It is expected that when we give our heart to Jesus Christ, which is our reconciliation to God, we should follow through and walk our confession.

We are expected to walk in obedience to God's word, observing to do all it says in faith.  When we do this, we have the courage and boldness to step out of the wilderness of sin of this world into a life of purity, righteousness and holiness.

This is new life in Christ which is after the new man created in the image of God is the superhighway of victory over the devil, his influences and oppression. It is also the path to power with God, prosperity and destiny fulfilment.


THE SUMMARY

CHAPTER 1: - THE HORRORS OF SIN
All unrighteousness is sin. Whatever is not right is wrong. Sin brings reproach. Erodes honour and bring a man low before God and in many cases, before men too. Sin is at the root of affliction, disease and death. (Ezek.18:20) 

Sin has three dimensions:
a) It is deceptive (Heb 3:13)
b) It offers temporal pleasure (Heb. 11:25)
c) It is destructive (Prov. 11:3)

Sin is not anybody's friend; it is an enemy that brings shame and destruction. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he was stripped naked (Gen. 3:20)

Crookedness could bring temporal gains, it is a barrier to honour, let it go from your life. Unfaithfulness, cheating and taking advantage of people is corruption you should depart from, else you will see corruption. Prov. 11:3

Depart from Egypt (worldliness), meddle not with sin so that you do not become entangled with it and end up in shame. Despise not the Word of God, depart from iniquity - repeatedly going back to a particular sin, else you provoke God to anger and you are destroyed.

Let the Newness of life separate you from sickness, disease and death and bring you peace of God, healing and deliverance. Acquaint yourself with Him, receive His word and store in your heart and you shall flourish.

CHAPTER 2:  AGENTS OF SIN
From 2 Timothy 3:1-5, we can see three traps the enemy has set against the end-time church to defile the saints. This defilement will come through:
a) Immorality
b) Financial corruption
c) Rebellion

IMMORTALITY
Sexual immorality is a very powerful weapon of the enemy. Through it, the devil has destroyed countless destinies. Prov. 7:26.

Do you want to be cast down; Do you want to be slain? - my advice (Fire in the bone), take your eyes off women, I mean the opposite sex. Marry and be committed to your spouse.

Let go the sin of immorality, otherwise, it will cast you down. Beware of the lap of Delilah, once you enter her blossom, shame and slavery follow Prov. 6: 27-29.

If you are already entrapped init now, hear the word of God in Eph 5:14 - Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. Sexual sin gives temporal pleasure that leads to death. Purify yourself from it that you may walk in the newness of life

FINANCIAL CORRUPTION:
This is the time of greed and covetousness. In the bible, 3000 men died holding on to their gold (Exo.32:31),  Gehazi received the Leprosy of Naaman and went out from the presence of Elisha a Leper as white as snow 2 kings 5:25-27.

The love of money is the root of all evil and Apostle Paul admonished Timothy to flee, and rather follow after righteousness.

Jesus made it clear to us that "You cannot serve God and Mammon". meaning that you cannot serve God and money. It also means that both will demand attention and worship, the choice is yours, whom you will worship (Fire in the bone)

REBELLION:
This is another sin that claimed souls in the wilderness. In Numbers 16, it claimed an entire household. Dathan, Jorah and Abiram and 250 others and their families perished.

Rebellion is a deliberate rejection of orders given by a higher authority or God. It is very risky and the consequences are always fatal. It is risky to disobey your biological parents, risky to disobey the church hierarchy or your spiritual father and it is a disaster to reject God's order.

Rebellion is a dangerous thing to do. It is likened to the sin of witchcraft 1Samuel 15:23. When you react against leadership, you disqualify yourself from being a leader.

Beware of rebellion, for it looks around for the stubborn ones to take. Do not make yourself available. In these last days, the rebellion will come as a spirit. This is why you are seeing all the protests, rioting, rights movements even to the absurd - People posing nude to express their anger over an issue. The spirit of rebellion is behind all the "We will not agree", I don't believe in this, I don't believe in that".

CHAPTER 3 -   CONTROLLING POWERS
There are controlling powers behind the sin problem. 
Many continue in sin due to manipulation from the powers of their father's house, who want to keep them in bondage. I have good news for you; you can be free from them.  

In Romans 7:18-19, 21-23, Apostle Paul talk about the force of sin that holds sons of men bound in sin to destroy their lives.

SPIRIT OF THE WORLD:
Essentially, our battles are spiritual which therefore requires a spiritual approach.  We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers. Against the rulers of this world,  against spiritual wickedness in high places. These powers and their agents are the powers behind the anger, smoking, drinking and sometimes prostitution that go on.

This spirit makes people fashion crazy to the extent of borrowing clothes from their friends to show off when nobody is looking at them. When materialism and quest for power and money capture you, you become ungrateful and unthankful. Such a person becomes an enemy of God.

LYING SPIRIT: 
This is a terrible spirit that makes people indulge in telling lies without minding the consequences. This spirit attacks almost everyone who refuses to resist it.  You cannot imagine people; ministers of God telling lies and some of them may even look so anointed under its influence.

THE SPIRIT OF BONDAGE: ROM. 8:15  Luke 13:16
This spirit is responsible for getting people tied down and locked up and chained. It is a spirit of captivity.

THE SPIRIT OF WHOREDOM
This spirit constantly craves filthiness, sexual immorality, making motions in the body. It is the spirit of adultery and fornication at work.

You have prayed, cried unto God, yet you can't breakaway. There is an unclean spirit involved.

THE SPIRIT OF DISOBEDIENCE
This spirit is out there to help people fulfil the desires of the flesh. This spirit works in alliance with the spirit of the world and witchcraft spirits and agents to manipulate people to put their lust and desires ahead of God's word.

CHAPTER 4: YOU CAN DISARM SIN
Sin is at the root of human calamity. In the race for righteousness, the man is the determining factor and not the devil. I want you to know you can disarm sin through the name and the blood of Jesus, through the new birth.

God is no respecter of persons and the scriptures cannot be broken. Until you are saved, you can't be safe from sin. No man can win over the devil without Christ. 

The grace to overcome cannot be released upon you until you become a child of God. Until then, there is a death sentence hanging over your head, your education, statute, age and connection notwithstanding John 1:12
As many as will cry to Jesus for help saying "Jesus, I am a sinner, have mercy and forgive me". Come into my heart and be my Lord and Saviour. He will save you and immediately, sin will lose its grip on you instantly. John3:3

With sin, you need to exercise yourself and keep your body under check. When your body is under check, it means that it is subdued for you to exercise it. You say yo immortality NO., To bribery and corruption, NO. Say no to envy, bitterness, lying and strife NO.

You must caution and advise yourself always to keep your body in checks. There is no luck in sports, only those who practice will excel.

Another way to exercise yourself in righteousness is to cast off all forms of unrighteousness around you. ROM. 13:12. Casting off implies the use of force. It is your duty to command the demons manipulating you to leave and off it goes. Command the same spirit to enter no more.

There is also the putting off of all unrighteousness around you just like you remove your clothes. (Col. 3:8). 
The bible says to put off because you know yourself better and what secret sins you commit, what iniquity you commit from time to time. You know where anger is lurking in your heart, where malice, pride, wrath, lying, filthy communication etc.

You must put off these works of the flesh daily as you notice their motion in your body or heart. It means they will be around you as you go about your normal duty and routines of life. So you must put them off and be free.

Putting On:
After you cast off those silent sins, the sins of the heart, then you fill your heart with the bowels of mercy, kindness, meekness and longsuffering. All these are treasures that lead to the manifestation of righteousness.

Mortify:
In col. 3:5-7, we are asked to mortify our members which are upon the earth means that we are born with an evil seed inside. But we are expected to destroy them out of our lives in order to make progress in life. 

These evils, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence and covetousness, were referred to as the deeds of the body ROM. 8:13. Purge Yourself every day, purify yourself daily and keep yourself from idols  1 John 5:21

Go for the light of God, which is the Word. The coming of light brings illumination that the devil cannot comprehend. We are talking about revelation, insight and demystifying of mysteries. The entrance of the words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

And the light shines in darkness and darkness cannot handle it. So. When God's word enters your heart, your struggle with sin will come to an end.

Holiness requires that we die completely to self.  Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24).
 
In Galatians 2:20, we have the account of Paul’s level of submission when he said “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” .
 
Holiness means that we yield ourselves to Christ as He yielded to the Father - Jesus confessed to His disciples saying “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.” (John 5:19-20).
 
Holiness is the life of Christ that waits on Him to guide and direct as Jesus waited on the Father “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
 
Holiness is living the life that brings glory to the kingdom of God and doing what Christ did while He was on the earth. Jesus says “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:10-12). Holiness requires that we believe in our heart all that Christ did and take the step of faith to do the same.
 
Holiness requires that Christ dwells in us by the Word and the person of the Holy Spirit.
 
The devil is annoyed by holy living because a Christian with a pure heart, mind and body is surrounded by fire which Satan and his agents can see. This is why agents of darkness fire arrow of lust on people to push them into sin. And sin, when it is committed stripes people of the surrounding fire of God and give the oppressors a foothold to attack.


FIRE...

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