Landmark University
Executive Advance
20th November, 2014
AUDACITY OF FAITH AND
INTELLECTUAL SAGACITY
Presented
By
Dr David O. Oyedepo
Chancellor, Landmark University
What is Audacity?
• A willingness to take bold risks - bravery
What is Sagacity?
• The quality of being discerning, sound in judg
ment, and farsighted.
• It is also defined as:
Foresight, discernment, or keen perception; a
bility to make good judgments
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Preamble
Redeemed to take the Lead
 We
were born to reign originally,
but we lost it to sin; redemption
brought about the restoration of
that leadership seed
(Revelation 5:9-10)
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Now
to be born again actually
implies to reign again.
But
every seed will need to
be cultivated and nurtured
before it can produce fruit.
4
 There
is a leadership seed in us in
the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis
22:12-18)
 There is a leadership seed in us in
redemption (Revelation 5:5-10)
 There is a leadership seed in us in
the prophetic (Isaiah 2 :1-3,Micah
4: 1-2)
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But
leadership is not
occupying a position,it is
making outstanding
contribution.
It
is not occupying a seat
but accomplishing a feat.
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 Leadership is
not an appointment but
an accomplishment.
 Leadership is
not wearing a title but
accomplishing a unique task.
 Leadership is
setting the pace and
blazing the trail in ones field.
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It
is time to let the
leadership virtue in
us find expression
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AUDACITY OF FAITH
WHAT IS FAITH IN OUR CONTEXT?
• Faith the master key to a world of unlimited
possibilities – Jn. 14:12
• Faith is the most potent force in the whole
universe
Faith is the force behind creation – Heb. 11:3
By Faith, all things are possible – Mk. 9:23/ Mk. 10:27
Faith has capacity to subdue nations – Heb. 11:32-35
Faith provokes the Supernatural – Heb. 11:11
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• Faith is not a belief system, it is a spiritual
weapon – Eph 6:16
• Faith is not a principle, nor a strategy, it is a
spiritual force – 1Cor. 2:4-5
• Faith is not a religious philosophy; it is a
spiritual mystery – 1Tim. 3:9/ 1Cor. 2:4-5
• Faith is not a dormant force, it is a dominant
force – Matt. 14:22-33/ 2Kgs. 1:10-15
• Faith is being fully persuaded of the truth, the
prevailing circumstances notwithstanding,
until the truth triumphs – Rom. 4:17-21
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• Faith is an unstoppable force in the world of
the spirit – and whatever cannot stop the
way against God cannot stop the way against
faith from accomplishing its mission – Is.
43:13
• Faith is a spiritual force within that determines
the triumphs without – Mk. 2:1-12/ Acts 14:910
• Faith is a spiritual force which provokes the
healing power of God that makes whole – Lk.
8:40-48/ Matt. 14:36
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• Faith is a spiritual engraftment of humanity
into divinity thereby commanding
supernatural feats (Rom. 11:19-23)
• Faith is a spiritual medium through which
active partnership is established with the
invisible God thereby empowering man to do
the impossible – Heb. 11:5-6/
• Heb. 11:24-27
• Faith is not waiting for God; faith is putting
God’s word to work so as to commit His
integrity to perform.
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• Faith is the master Key to every door in life –
Mk 9:23
• Faith is a law of the Spirit with the capacity to
suspend all the laws of nature
• The law of flotation suspended – Matt. 14:2630
• The wind and the sea obeyed the command of
faith – Matt. 8:26-27
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• Absolute faith in the unlimited God will always
guarantee unlimited breakthrough
– Ps. 62:5/Ps. 34:5/ Jam. 1:6-8/ Jer. 17:5-8/ Jam. 2:14-24
• Absolute faith in the infinite God is the master
key to a world of exploits-Mk. 10:27
• Faith is a spiritual treasure of inestimable
value – Matt. 9:23
• Faith is not a religious theory but a mystery of
the Kingdom – 1Tim. 3:9
• Faith is not a religious logic, it is a spiritual
weapon (Eph 6:16)
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What is Unique about Bible Faith?
• It is of the heart, not of the head – Rom.
10:10/ Mk. 11:23
• It taps into the power of God – Lk. 8:40-46/
Rom. 1:16/ Jn. 1:12
• It dominates the world of the spirit by
quenching all the fiery darts of the devil – Eph.
6:16
• Bible Faith is not a Dormant force, but a
Dominant force
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TOWARDS BUILDING OUR FAITH
• Faith is a spiritual virtue with unlimited
capacity for growth – 2Thes. 2:3/ Eph.
4:8-11
Our faith can be built through the
following:
A diligent study of the word – Lk. 15:7-8/
Dan. 9:2
Quality meditation on the word – 1Tim.
4:13/15
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A lifestyle of Word practice – Jam.
2:18/ Heb. 6:12-15/ 1Tim. 4:15
Coveting the gift of faith – 1Cor.
12:8/31
Craving for a baptism of the spirit
of faith – 2Cor. 4:13/ Jude 3
17
But what is unique about the Spirit of Faith?
The Spirit of faith empowers us to believe all
things - Acts 24:14
The Spirit of faith is a force of the Spirit that
speaks through us – Matt. 10:20
The Spirit of Faith supernaturally propels us
into action – Mk. 1:12/ Heb. 11:10-12/17-19/
Heb. 11:7
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UNDERSTANDING THE FAITH THAT WORKS
The Faith that Works:
1. Must be Personal
-The Just shall live by faith – Hab. 2:4 (Rom.
1:17/ Gal. 3:11/ Heb. 10:38)
2. Must be Heart-Borne
- With the heart man believes – Rom. 10:10/
Heb. 4:2
3. Must be Revelation-Built – Rom. 10:17
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4. Bold-Speaking – Acts 14:3/ Ps. 81:10-14/ Lk.
21:15
5. Action-Driven – Gen. 12:1-3/ Gen. 17:6-9/
Gen. 22:1-18
6. Love-Driven – Gal. 5:6/ 1Cor. 13:13
7. Good Conscience-based faith - 1Tim. 1:19/3:9
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RHEMA-POWERED FAITH
• Faith comes by hearing and hearing from God
– Rom 10:17
• The ever winning, ever victorious, ever
triumphant and ever conquering faith comes
by hearing from God – 2Pet. 1:18-21/ Lk.
9:28-35/ Acts 4:20
• We must recognize the voice of God is behind
every verse of scripture – Is. 34:16
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Examples of Rhema-provoked Faith
• Abraham – Rom. 4:17-21
• Isaac – Gen. 26: 17-18
• Jacob – Gen. 32:24-28
• Paul – Acts 26:14-19/ Acts 27:22-25
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THE POWER OF ABSOLUTE FAITH
• Faith is fake except it is absolute – James 1:6-8
Examples of Men of Absolute Faith
1. Abraham ‘The blessed’
• Absolutely departed from his father’s house
– Gen. 12:1-4
• Unreservedly went ahead to offer Isaac
– Gen. 22:1-18
• Ended up a generational symbol of blessing
– Gen. 24:1
23
2. Moses confronted Pharaoh, the gods of Egypt
and the Red Sea by absolute faith in God –
Exo. 4-14
3. David, the God-confident lad brought down
Goliath by his absolute faith in God – 1Sam.
16 & 17
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4. Elijah ‘The Dominant Prophet’ withstood and
conquered all the priests of Baal as one man –
1Kgs. 18&19/ 2Kgs. 2:9-12
5. Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego dominated
Babylon with their faith – Dan. 3:14-28
6. Daniel subdued Babylon by his Faith – Dan.
6:1-28
7. Paul, the Apostle dominated the Kingdoms of
the Gentiles by the spirit of faith – Acts 13: 812/ Acts 14:8-11
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Characteristics of Absolute Faith
• Spiritually resolute, that is,
unbending, unyielding, assertive and
never giving up on any revealed truth
– Heb. 10:38
• Confidently Restful – Gen. 49:8-9/ Mk. 4:37-41
• Supernaturally Brave – Prov. 30:30/ Acts 14:3/
Acts 2:1-46/ Exo. 7-14
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GOD SPEAKS ACCORDING TO HIS SIZE – Is. 14:24/27
God speaks according to His:
1. Power & Might – 1Kgs. 8:17-18/ Jer. 32:17/27
- July 1979 – Far Above/ Jan. 96 – Canaanland
2. Authority – Is. 14:24-27/ 43:13/ 46:9-10
- Oct 21, 2002 / CU hand over
3. Creative Wisdom – Ps. 104:24/ Jn. 1:1-5/
Rom. 11:33/ Dan 2:20-23
-Sept. 17, 1998 – Faith Tabernacle Miracle
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• Therefore, the difference
between the winning and the
losing believer, the victorious and
the defeated, the strong and the
weak, the blessed and the
beggarly, the triumphant and the
downtrodden is FAITH.
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• “And Caleb stilled the people before
Moses, and said, Let us go up at once,
and possess it; for we are well able to
overcome it. But the men that went
up with him said, We be not able to
go up against the people; for they are
stronger than we.
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• And they brought up an evil report of the
land which they had searched unto the
children of Israel, saying, The land, through
which we have gone to search it, is a land
that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and
all the people that we saw in it are men of a
great stature. And there we saw the giants,
the sons of Anak, which come of the giants:
and we were in our own sight as
grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
(Num. 13:30-33)
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• “And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the
son of Jephunneh, which were of them
that searched the land, rent their clothes:
And they spake unto all the company of
the children of Israel, saying, The land,
which we passed through to search it, is
an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight
in us, then he will bring us into this land,
and give it us; a land which floweth with
milk and honey.
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• Only rebel not ye against the Lord,
neither fear ye the people of the land;
for they are bread for us: their defence is
departed from them, and the Lord is
with us: fear them not. But all the
congregation bade stone them with
stones. And the glory of the Lord
appeared in the tabernacle of the
congregation before all the children of
Israel.” (Num. 14:6-10)
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How Audacious is Faith?
• Faith unveils the incredible power of One
• One Abraham, through faith, became a
symbol of generational blessing – Gen 12:1-3/
Rom 4:16-21
• One man, was instrumental in bringing an
end to over 400 years of bondage of Israelites
in Egypt - Ex 3:10/ 12:42
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• One man, Nehemiah took the task of
rebuilding the broken walls of Jerusalem and
got it accomplished in only 52 days – Neh 6:1-4/15
• Daniel, was ‘one man’ in the kingdom of
Babylon that held a sway over the nation for
65 years – Dan 5:10-11
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• One man, Martin Luther, in the 15th century,
with 98 thesis, shook the Catholic empire to
its foundation, it was that reformation that led
to technological revolution in the New York
• One man, Martin Luther king (Jnr), in the
1950s rose to confront the segregation in the
USA – He won the war and today, a coloured
man is the President of America.
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In conclusion
• Faith is all about manifesting the Godconfidence in us – Rom 4:17-21
• Faith is a spiritual virtue that empowers our
God-confidence in the pursuit of life
• Through faith a man becomes absolutely
confident in God – Dan 3:17-18
• But confidence is the conquerors’ backbone –
Is 36:4
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• It is God confidence that makes a man more
than a conqueror – Phil 4:13/ Rom 8:38
• Faith is a spiritual virtue that extends our
possibility mentality – Num 13:30-33/ 14:6-10
• Self confidence can be destructive – Dan 4:40
• It destroys Sennacherib – 2 Kg 19:36-37
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Daniel – A biblical example of Audacious
faith and intellectual sagacity
- Give me time and I will show you your
dream - Dan 2:15-16
- Keep your gift and yet I will read the writing
and make known the interpretation - Dan
5:11/17
• He was the master of the Chaldeans,
astrologers, etc. - Dan 5:12-16
• He had an excellent Spirit – Dan 6:3
• A man of unusual faith – Dan 6:23
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Thank you
and
God bless
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