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Dunamis with Bishop B. Manjoro
In the past weeks we have been learning how to operate and function in the favour of God in this year, which is a year of the Lord’s favour.

We saw how Peter experienced a life-changing favour moment when he caught a great catch of fish that began to sink his ship and that of their partner.

The year 2015 is a year of a great catch! Your marriage will go into a new level it had never gone before.

The same with your finances, business, health, academics, spiritual life and the whole of your life. O I’m excited; it’s a good year for you.

Read on as I share with you three nuggets that drew and caused Peter to experience the Lord’s favour! “Let us therefore, lest, a promise, being left us of entering his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not benefit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Hebrews 4:1-2).

The very gospel preached to us was also preached to the Israelites. Miracles, signs and wonders were performed by God through Moses and the Red Sea parted.

They were even given the promise of God, yet still, all what was done and said did not benefit them. It was in vain.

Listen to this; many people can be so close to the grace of God but still miss it. In the things of God, you don’t get there your way, you get there God’s way.

Nugget Number one is that to tap into the favour you need to hear the word. It’s the first and foremost on your way to favour. You see, Peter didn’t just go and get the big catch on his own, No. The Master told him, “Launch your nets in the deep for a draught”!

Favour was wrapped in that word, and when he heard it, it was a stir in the direction of favour. You hear the word when it’s being preached, from your Bible, from a newspaper article, from the radio and various channels that deliver God’s Word.

This year you need to hear God’s Word. If it’s rescheduling your days so that you attend all church services and programs, or buying a Bible that you read daily, or uploading an audio format of God’s Word — whatever it takes in this year I challenge you — do it! Do you know fat cooks?

My mother used to cook them and use yeast to make them rise and come out well. If you don’t put yeast it will not be fat cooks it will be chimupotohayi (a less attractive flour product than the shiny and tasty fat cooks!)

However, they would mix the flour and the yeast well. Here is my point and nugget number two; you don’t need to just hear the word, to walk in favour you need to mix it with faith!

When you hear the Word, mix it with faith. This is the reason why many from the old times missed the promise of God because despite hearing and seeing the gospel in action, they did not believe it. Peter gets the miraculous catch of fish due to faith to the Word.

Even if they had toiled all night and caught nothing, but nevertheless at the Master’s word he believed and launched into the deep.

Yet still, when the boat began to sink due to the great catch, Peter still believed that the Lord had not said, “Launch into the deep and sink”, but rather, “Launch into the deep for a catch”.

You see, when you hear the Word of God; doubt has tendencies to creep in. But hear me and hear me clearly here, doubt in itself at first is not a sin but do not camp on it. Quickly change and believe the Word of God.

No wonder Peter says, “nevertheless at thy word . . .” Doubt will cause you to miss what God has for you. It will cause you to be in shear poverty and miss God’s blessing.

Elisha, the man of God declared an overnight economic turnaround — “by this time tomorrow flour will be sold for a shekel!” But King Ahab’s general did not believe the word and even spoke against it saying, “even if God were to open the windows of heaven it would not be so”.

Elisha told him, “you will see it but you will not partake of it”. Surely, he saw it but could not benefit or enjoy it for he was trodden down by people at the gate as he tried to control crowds enjoying the favour, and he died!

Friend, I advise you, from my experience and walk with the Lord, doubt but do not doubt the Word of the Lord! You suffer when you are supposed to enjoy! When God says you were healed you were healed.

If he says you will be a bishop, a successful businessperson, a mother, a graduate, a property owner, a director, or whatever he told you, you will be exactly that.

Only believe. Mix the Word with faith. At times God doesn’t speak to us direct as we may expect you know.

He spoke to me to give a pair of shoes I liked to a man I was travelling with from one of our mission trips across Zimbabwe. These shoes I liked very much and had preached wearing them, suddenly I felt a bit uncomfortable.

I ignored it but when I felt it the second time, I knew I had to give the man God named the shoes.

The moment we arrived at our destination, I took them off and gave them to the man.

He accepted, very surprised, “Ah, Bishop has given me his shoes?” But it was more than that.

He later shared that on our way he had looked at the shoes and told himself, “one day if I get opportunity I am going to get these shoes”.

In his mind he planned to buy the shoes. Little did he know that God had already heard and answered the faith that had stirred in his heart!

He mixed his desire with faith and actually went home that night with the very pair of shoes he had desired in God’s presence.

My friend, what is it that you desire? What do you want in 2015?

What do you want at your workplace; for your children; in your health; in your project — what do you desire?

Mix it with faith in God and receive it in Jesus’ name.

For with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27).