Opening his first session with Ex. 14:15, Bishop Bismark took the congregation on the stages of life’s journey. He titled his sermon “The Way Forward’”.
He explained that every journey is broken into steps, ways, path and then the journey itself. He made it clear that God breaks our journey into steps, ways and paths.
He began by exploring the beginning stage. Everything has a beginning. He shared with us a few things about the beginning.
Quoting from John 1:1, he revealed that every beginning has a word. “Don’t begin anything without getting a Word from God. Make sure your word, the vision is clear. The beginning is creative.”
“Every beginning is small, humble. Don’t let people’s words get to you if they despise your beginning. Despise not the days of your little beginning. Every beginning demand sacrifice.”, he encouraged the people.
He used the example of a pregnant woman and the sacrifices she has to go through in that stage of carrying the baby.
He moved on to the second stage, the revelation of your gift. He spoke about discovering your gift by what you gravitate to the most. Your gift will make room for you and bring you before great men (Prov 18:16), though your gift will not teach you how to behave.
The next stage he spoke about is decisions and choices. He explained the need to make the right choices and decisions.
The fourth stage is that of mistakes and errors, which are basically as a result of wrong choices and decisions. “Every decision has a reward or a consequence,” he said. Some decisions we make can hurt us. He admitted that those mistakes may cost you some time but learn from them.
Stage five is where you pay the price and make the sacrifices. Praying from his heart, he prophesied that “when you pay the price, I pray that you never lose your mind, that you never have an emotional break down and that you don’t have a physical impediment or sickness that stops you.”
The final stage he spoke about valuing relationships.
He rounded off with a short session of answering questions from the audience, driving home some of his earlier points. In answer to one of the questions, he emphasized the need to know your uniquely assigned place in God and joyfully give oneself to it with all sense of integrity and without feeling inferior to anyone else.