Glorious Future | Bishop Reuben Oke

THERE IS A GLORIOUS FUTURE

Primary Text: Proverbs 4:18
Supporting Scriptures: 1 Samuel 16; 2 Samuel 2, 5–6; Psalm 16:11; Exodus 33:14; Psalm 84:11; Philippians 3:13; Isaiah 43:18–19; Genesis 28; Genesis 35; Jeremiah 10:2

Central Message

Your present situation is not the final chapter of your life. God has a glorious future prepared for you.

“But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”
— Proverbs 4:18 NKJV

1. GOD HAS A GLORIOUS FUTURE FOR YOU

The message begins with a prophetic declaration:

There is a glorious future.

No matter where you are today, what level you are currently at, or what you may be experiencing, your present situation does not determine the final outcome of your life.

Proverbs 4:18 describes the path of the righteous as a shining light that becomes brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

This means that God’s intention is progression, increase and greater glory.

You may be looking at your current circumstances and wondering:

• Why am I still here?
• Why has the prayer not yet been answered?
• Why am I still waiting?
• Why, after all the sacrifices, am I not seeing the result?

The delay does not mean the promise has been cancelled.

The last chapter of your life has not yet been written.

2. DAVID: ANOINTED BUT STILL WAITING

David provides a powerful example.

In 1 Samuel 16, David was anointed by Samuel to become king.

Yet the anointing did not immediately translate into occupying the throne.

For approximately 17 years, David went through a process before fully entering what God had spoken concerning his life.

This teaches us an important principle:

A delay does not mean a denial.

There may be seasons when you know what God has said, but your circumstances appear to contradict it.

You may have prayed.

You may have been anointed.

People may have prayed for you.

You may have made sacrifices.

Yet you are still waiting.

Do not conclude that your prayers and sacrifices have been wasted.

There is a time when God visits and activates what has been deposited in your life.

3. THERE IS A TIME WHEN THE RESISTANCE IS BROKEN

David was eventually anointed king over Judah.

Later, in 2 Samuel 5, the elders of Israel came and recognised him as king over the entire nation.

What had previously seemed delayed eventually came into manifestation.

There is often a point when the resistance against a person’s progress is broken.

Once that resistance is broken, things can begin to happen one after another.

Your story can change suddenly.

What has resisted you for years can give way.

What seemed impossible can become possible.

What appeared stagnant can begin to move.

There is a glorious future ahead of you.

4. PRINCIPLE ONE: SEEK ONE THING — THE PRESENCE OF GOD

David teaches us the first major principle:

Seek one thing: God’s presence.

After David became king over the entire nation, one of the first things he did was seek the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark represented the presence of God.

This distinguished David’s approach from Saul’s.

David understood that leadership, success and achievement were not enough.

The presence of God had to remain central.

Key Lesson:

Do not pursue God’s blessings while neglecting God’s presence.

5. PRIORITISE THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Modern life can easily become crowded.

There are:

• Bills to pay
• Jobs to attend
• Families to care for
• Responsibilities to manage
• Problems to solve
• Messages and phone calls to answer
• Personal ambitions to pursue

If we are not careful, the things of life can gradually choke out our time with God.

The enemy understands the importance of God’s presence and seeks to keep believers too busy to pursue it.

Therefore:

Create quality time for God.

This does not necessarily mean spending five hours in prayer every day.

It means deliberately creating space for:

• Prayer
• Worship
• God’s Word
• Thanksgiving
• Fellowship with God
• Listening to the Holy Spirit

Fill your life with God.

6. WHAT DO WE RECEIVE FROM GOD’S PRESENCE?

The presence of God brings tremendous benefits.

A. FULLNESS OF JOY

Psalm 16:11

“In Your presence is fullness of joy.”

Joy is important because:

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

One of the things the enemy seeks to steal is your joy.

Do not allow circumstances to determine whether you will rejoice in God.

B. REST AND REFRESHING

Exodus 33:14

God told Moses:

“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Moses understood the importance of God’s presence so deeply that he refused to continue without it.

Prayer:

May the presence of God bring rest into every area of your life.

Rest in:

• Your finances
• Your family
• Your health
• Your work
• Your relationships
• Your future

C. GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION

God’s presence gives direction.

There will be moments when your human knowledge and experience are insufficient.

This is where you need the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit can give you wisdom beyond what you have studied.

D. PROTECTION AND SAFETY

God’s presence provides divine covering and protection.

E. VICTORY

The presence of God gives strength to overcome opposition.

F. PEACE

The presence of God provides peace even when circumstances are uncertain.

G. STRENGTH AND COURAGE

God’s presence strengthens you when you feel weak.

H. TRANSFORMATION AND GROWTH

Remaining in God’s presence changes you.

I. PROVISION AND BLESSING

Psalm 84:11

“No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

Key Thought:

When God’s presence is central to your life, you are positioned to experience His direction, provision, peace, strength and blessing.

7. ENTER EACH DAY WITH GOD

When you wake up, do not allow yesterday’s problems to become the first thing that controls your mind.

Instead, declare:

“This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Regardless of what you read in the news or what happened yesterday, deliberately choose to acknowledge God.

Start your day with:

• Thanksgiving
• Worship
• Prayer
• God’s Word
• Positive declarations based on Scripture

8. PARTICIPATE IN WORSHIP

Church is not simply a place where you come to hear a sermon.

Worship is ministry.

Participate when the church worships.

Praise God.

Give thanks.

Sing.

Engage your heart.

The sermon may eventually end, but worship is part of our eternal relationship with God.

Key Thought:

Don’t just attend church. Participate in the presence of God.

9. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE WHAT YOU CARRY

The believer carries God’s presence.

Therefore, do not allow negative atmospheres to overwhelm you.

There may be moments when:

• Something feels wrong in your home.
• Something is happening in your family.
• Your workplace becomes difficult.
• You sense tension around you.
• You don’t even know what to pray about.

Instead of reacting emotionally, withdraw and seek God.

Prayer in the Spirit can help you engage God when you do not know what to say.

Key Principle:

When you carry God’s presence, you carry a power greater than the atmosphere around you.

10. DON’T COPY UNBELIEVERS

David made an important mistake while transporting the Ark.

The Ark was placed on oxen instead of being carried according to God’s prescribed instructions.

David had seen the Philistines transport the Ark that way and adopted their method.

This provides a serious lesson:

Don’t copy unbelievers simply because their method appears successful.

Jeremiah 10:2

“Learn not the way of the heathen…”

The world may have its methods.

Businesses may have their methods.

Society may have its methods.

But the believer has access to the Holy Spirit.

Ask:

“Holy Spirit, how should I do this?”

God may give you a method that does not look conventional.

11. DIVINE WISDOM CAN GIVE YOU AN UNEXPECTED SOLUTION

The sermon gives examples of people who received unusual instructions or divine insight in difficult circumstances.

The central lesson is not to imitate the specific actions in those stories, but to recognise that:

God can give you wisdom beyond your natural understanding.

At work.

In an interview.

During an examination.

In business.

In family situations.

During difficult decisions.

You may suddenly receive an insight that changes the situation.

Prayer:

May God give you divine wisdom, understanding, revelation, guidance and direction for your glorious future.

12. IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE, LEARN AND MOVE ON

David made an error with the transportation of the Ark.

But he did not allow that mistake to permanently define him.

Important lesson:

If you make an error, learn the lesson and move forward.

Do not spend the rest of your life regretting one mistake.

Your mistake may be part of your story, but it does not have to become the definition of your future.

13. GOD CAN TURN YOUR ERROR INTO SOMETHING GOOD

The place associated with Uzzah’s death eventually became connected with the location of the Temple built by Solomon.

The sermon uses this as an illustration of God’s ability to transform a painful place into a place associated with life and purpose.

Therefore:

Do not immortalise your mistakes.

Something painful happened.

Something went wrong.

You made an error.

You took the wrong decision.

You experienced failure.

But that does not mean your future is finished.

God is a God of turnaround.

What represents pain today can become part of the testimony of tomorrow.

14. PRINCIPLE TWO: LIKE PAUL, DO ONE THING

The second principle comes from Philippians 3:13:

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”

David:

Seek one thing — God’s presence.

Paul:

Do one thing — forget what is behind and reach forward.

There are things ahead of you that are greater than the things behind you.

15. DON’T ALLOW YOUR PAST TO CONTROL YOUR FUTURE

Isaiah 43:18–19

“Remember not the former things… behold, I will do a new thing.”

To forget does not mean that your memory is erased.

It means:

You deliberately refuse to allow your past to control your future.

Everybody has a past.

Some have painful pasts.

Others have successful pasts.

But neither should become a prison.

Don’t camp in the past.

Move forward.

16. YOU ARE NOT YOUR PAST

The sermon gives several examples of people whose identities changed:

• Abram became Abraham.
• Simon became Peter.
• Rahab’s past did not prevent her from becoming part of God’s story.

Key Thought:

God can change your story.

You may have failed.

You may have been betrayed.

You may have experienced disappointment.

You may have been rejected.

You may have gone through financial difficulty.

You may have experienced divorce.

You may have failed an examination.

You may have lost an opportunity.

But you can still move forward.

Your past is not your future.

17. DON’T LIVE ON YESTERDAY’S SUCCESS

Forgetting the past does not only apply to negative experiences.

It also applies to previous successes.

Sometimes yesterday’s success can prevent today’s growth.

You may say:

• “I used to pray for three hours.”
• “I used to evangelise.”
• “I used to win souls.”
• “I used to be very active in church.”
• “I graduated with a first-class degree.”
• “My business used to be successful.”

Thank God for what happened yesterday.

But ask yourself:

What are you doing today?

Do not allow previous achievements to replace present obedience.

18. DON’T FORGET THE PRINCIPLES THAT BROUGHT YOU THIS FAR

One of the dangers of success is forgetting the principles that produced the success.

If prayer brought you this far, keep praying.

If giving brought you this far, keep giving.

If serving brought you this far, keep serving.

If worship brought you this far, keep worshipping.

If fellowship brought you this far, keep fellowshipping.

If studying God’s Word brought you this far, keep studying God’s Word.

Key Warning:

Never become so successful that you abandon the principles that produced your growth.

19. DON’T BECOME A BAD EXAMPLE

The sermon refers to the story of the young prophet in 1 Kings 13.

He had previously demonstrated spiritual accuracy, but later allowed himself to be misled.

His story serves as a warning.

The goal is not simply to start well.

You must continue well.

May your life not become an example of what people should avoid.

May people look at your life and see:

• Faithfulness
• Consistency
• Growth
• Commitment
• Integrity
• Perseverance

20. YOUR FUTURE IS GREATER THAN YOUR PAST

This is one of the strongest declarations running through the message.

What is ahead of you is greater than what is behind you.

The past may have contained pain.

The past may have contained failure.

The past may have contained success.

But God is still writing your story.

There is a glorious future.

21. REMEMBER THE PLACE OF YOUR BLESSING

The sermon uses Jacob as an important illustration.

Jacob encountered God at a difficult point in his journey.

He was leaving one difficult situation and moving towards another uncertain season.

But God met him in that place.

Years later, Jacob returned to the place of his encounter.

He remembered the place where God had met him.

Key Principle:

Never forget where God met you.

Never forget the place where your faith was strengthened.

Never forget the place where God answered you.

Never forget the people God used.

Never forget the lessons God taught you.

22. TREM MARKS GATE — A PLACE OF DIVINE ENCOUNTER

The message specifically declares that 13 September at TREM Marks Gate should be remembered as a place and day of divine encounter.

The emphasis is:

You are not here simply for another service.

You are here for an encounter with God.

Remember:

• The day
• The place
• The altar
• What God spoke
• What God did in your life

23. GOD CAN TURN A DIFFICULT SITUATION AROUND

The testimony concerning the preacher’s daughter studying in Ukraine illustrates another important theme.

Circumstances appeared to have closed the door.

Documents had been affected.

Admission was initially refused.

Yet the situation changed unexpectedly and admission was eventually granted.

The central lesson is:

A closed door does not mean God has finished with you.

Where you have been rejected, God can open another door.

Where you have been overlooked, God can cause you to be recognised.

Where there appears to be no way forward, God can provide a way.

24. ENTER INTO THE LABOUR OF THOSE BEFORE YOU

The sermon also highlights the importance of recognising previous generations and those who have laboured before us.

There are people who prayed.

People who fasted.

People who sacrificed.

People who served.

People who gave.

People who endured difficult seasons.

Their labour can become part of the foundation upon which others build.

Therefore:

Do not despise the sacrifices that came before you.

And when you are the one labouring today, remember that your labour may become a blessing for someone tomorrow.

25. A GLORIOUS FUTURE REQUIRES FORWARD MOVEMENT

The message can ultimately be summarised in two instructions:

1. Like David — SEEK ONE THING

Seek the presence of God.

Do not allow the pressures of life to crowd God out.

2. Like Paul — DO ONE THING

Forget what is behind and reach forward to what is ahead.

Do not allow yesterday to become a prison.

Do not live permanently in regret.

Do not live permanently in past success.

Keep moving.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. There is a glorious future ahead of you.
2. Delay does not mean denial.
3. Your prayers and sacrifices are not necessarily wasted.
4. Seek God’s presence above everything else.
5. Create quality time for God.
6. Listen to the Holy Spirit for guidance and direction.
7. Don’t copy unbelievers or worldly methods simply because they appear successful.
8. If you make a mistake, learn from it and move forward.
9. God can turn a painful experience into something meaningful.
10. Don’t allow your past to determine your future.
11. Don’t live on yesterday’s success.
12. Don’t forget the principles that brought you this far.
13. Remember the places and moments where God encountered you.
14. What is ahead of you can be greater than what is behind you.
15. There is a glorious future.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Ask yourself:

• Am I prioritising God’s presence?
• Have the pressures of life crowded out my time with God?
• Am I listening to the Holy Spirit for direction?
• Am I allowing a past mistake to control my present?
• Am I living in yesterday’s success?
• Have I forgotten the principles that brought me this far?
• What am I currently holding on to that I need to release?
• What is God asking me to reach forward towards?
• Do I believe that there is still a glorious future ahead of me?

FINAL DECLARATION

I have a glorious future.

My present situation is not my final destination.

I will seek the presence of God.

I will listen to the Holy Spirit.

I will receive divine wisdom, guidance and direction.

I will not copy the methods of the world.

I will learn from my mistakes and move forward.

I will not allow my past to determine my future.

I will not live on yesterday’s success.

I will remain faithful to the principles that brought me this far.

My future is bright.

My path shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.

There is a glorious future ahead of me, and I will walk into it in Jesus’ name. Amen.