Next Level – by Apostle Paul Oduneye

The Next Level
Genesis 37:29 says, “And Reuben returned unto the pit ; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.”
This passage is aptly about Getting to the Next Level. Life is about and in phases. There is time to be in phase one, phase two, phase three of life. If your time in phases has arrived and you are still in phase one, you are not fulfilling. There is level for everything, there is a class you belong to. Some of you and some group of people are together in a class, in the lecture room, in high school, elementary or college, of whatever institution, but that does not mean that you’ll be together in that class forever. There’s time for everything. Time will surely come that possibly you will move ahead of them or they will move ahead of you. God loves you and his plans for you are so great they are beyond what you can imagine. It is described as, “Eyes hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him”. (1Cor. 2:9). God has prepared the plans for those who love Him. There are levels of reality in life, level of business, levels of success, of divine healing, of finances, and of promotion that God has prepared for you.
In the passage, the man called Joseph as he journeyed in life, reached a certain phase where his brothers planned something against him. They had him stuck in a dry pit, where he could not find anything to eat or drink. He was there alone where his brothers left him. It came to pass, the first born of the family, the eldest brother called Reuben came back to look for him. But once he got there, he couldn’t find Joseph anymore. One thing is clear here. God has changed the situation or the level of Joseph.
In the position, in the place where people have been seeing you, always mocking you and demeaning you, I have a good news to bring you, very soon, they will never see you in that level again. God is going to change your status, take you higher, God will lift you up to the extent that the people who once looked down on you, will look up and see you. Reuben came and couldn’t find Joseph anymore. Meaning somebody’s level, (that is Joseph’s) has changed. Your level as well will change for the better, you shall receive the power of God for the next level of your life. Next level means moving to the status you’ve never been before. Changing of status and level means moving higher. Most of the time, God usually allows some level, which seems to come to an end in order to open doors for the next level for you. But, if you don’t understand God allowing it, you might just be stranded and stuck in the level where you think you can’t move forward anymore. But, God as good as He is, is planning to take you to the next level of your life. Your real strength will never manifest when you dwell only in the past or in present success. Your strength with manifest when you aspire to move to the next level of your life. Resting on your past laurels or sitting in your present success will only limit you for the next one. If you really want to move to the next level for your real strength to come forth, you must never be trapped by your past success, situation, circumstances, present situation or trials. You have to aspire, aim higher to move into the next level off your life. I have discovered in the Bible the man David, didn’t conquer Goliath only but also the Philistines on many occasions, over and over. I love the secret of David. When he conquered Goliath, he used the sword of Goliath and cut off his head. I believe some of you have read this interesting and inspiring story very. Now, watch out what David did as he went back to Saul in the palace. He brought the head of Goliath and the sword. He didn’t only bring Goliath’s head, which was the success he was looking for. But David’s mentality to aim for the next level of his success in life, he didn’t get trapped by only the head of Goliath but with the sword. What was that mean? He left the head for them for celebration and people are rejoicing. David killed the thousand, ten thousand while people were celebrating, he brought with him the sword of Goliath. He told the priest in charge, “Go and keep this sword for me, because I know, there will be another day, someday that I need to move on higher, to the next level.” And there came another war on a certain day, David told that priest to bring out the sword for him as with Goliath sword, he was able to move on. She was able to move on to a higher level. I don’t know what maybe your position presently no matter what you think you have achieved, it’s just a little undertaking compared to what God is about to do in your life. Greater is God you are serving and test a greater plan for you. It takes new version of your steps to enter in you level in life and be ready for a new thing. You need to do what you have never done before.
There’s something God has packaged in you, which you never thought will count for greatness. You need to be ready to get it out. From there, you will find yourself in a new level. Most of the time, when God wants to take you to a new level, it might be something you have experienced before but because the time of God has come for it, you have to climb higher into the next level through the ideas that God will reveal to you. Every information, revelation, idea that will take you to the next level in life, the Holy Spirit will reveal it to you. When we talk about next level, it has to challenge you because ‘no challenge, no change’. You need to face them as David faced Goliath. A giant, a big challenge for the boy David, Goliath shouted at David and threatened him, before Goliath finished mocking David. David ran to him and killed him. So, when you are moving to the next level in life, challenge will appear. Never be intimidated by the size of the giant challenge, greater is God that is in you and He is able to take you to your next level in life.
Sometimes, some of the good steps in life that you are afraid to take could be the step to your breakthrough, victory and success. One of the traps of the enemy that hinders the people to enter to their next level is fear of the unknown or fear of what if. What if I do this and fail? What if I fell like before? What if it won’t work this time? Satan will use that fear to cagethem, so that they won’t be able to be in their next level. But I want to tell you, God wants to take your business, your ministry and your success in life to the next level. Never allow any fear to get you. Get ready for where God is taking you, and you will get there. You have been waiting too long, it is time to move to to your next level. Somehow, you may have a challenge about your health and seems you cant break free, God is taking you to a level where yo will never experience that sickness again. Very soon, it will be just history and would say, “Before I had a health problem but thank God, He has taken me beyond it.” You will be higher than your problem, God will take you out of your challenge leading to your breakthrough. He will take you out of the problems and trials, your crying into your unending joy. To enter into the next level, never be intimidated by the gigantic problems. Be ready to enter your next level.
There are five ladders to take you to the next level. Let me show you first the response of God to the Israelites in their journey. According to the Book of Deuteronomy 2:2-3, it says, “(2)And the Lord spake unto me, saying, (3)Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.” Who is talking here? It’s God. You will know the plan of God to you and the nature of God about your life’s journey. God is the God of time and level and level and level. The children of Israel journeyed to the promised land, reached a certain place and then they relaxed. Thinking maybe they are already in their place of destination. The Promised Land, looks like. I have said it time and again, if you don’t know where you are going, everywhere you look will be like the place, the Promised Land. You have to understand, too, where God is leading you, so that Satan will not tinker with deception to delay or fail the great fulfillment from reaching you. God has His eyes on you. For Him, your tomorrow is exceedingly and abundantly great, as you are destined for greatness, then surely will be royally great!
Moses was guiding the Israelites as they were heading towards a certain stage when they started feeling God has been silent. God has not appeared to them as if watching what they will do next. As if waiting whether they will take the initiative to move higher, aspire going for the next level or they will just be content where they are at present. Unfortunately, the Israelites haven’t moved forward because they thought they already reached the best place for them and they began spreading in the territory. They started making a living, comfortable with the thought of having finally made it. Then God commanded Moses. He said, “Moses, this is not the place, not My plan for you, I’m taking you to a certain land, but not here. You are taking long enough and staying too long. It’s time you move forward, get out from here and move to the next level.” Moses was able to command the Israelites to follow what God said they all need to do. That is to move out as they had wasted their time in that place. You may think that is what the world might be. People have wasted many years, months and weeks spent on just relaxing. You don’t know that the will and the heart of God for you is to take you higher beyond where you are now. You don’t know the take of God about your prolonged staying and lengthy waiting. Waiting for somebody when that somebody the world has been waiting for was you. You carry a treasure of God within you.
Many people and their destiny are attached to your destiny. You have to make a leap into the next level to avoid becoming a disappointment to God and to your generation. Your coming this far must never be in vain. Never be a waster of destiny, stop wasting your time because God has prepared a greater level for you and He is taking you there soon.
With the help of the Holy Spirit, we will get to the next level as we will be blessed to identify the ladders of going up the next level.
1.See your next level. Nobody in the kingdom of God and in this world can go beyond what he or she can see. The farther you see, the higher you will fly. Your level in life can only be measured by your line of sight, whatever you can see. If you can’t see it, you can never get there. So, you need your inner eyes to be open. You need to see beyond where you are now in order for God to take you to the next level in life. I believe many of you remember Jeremiah, a young prophet who said, “I don’t know how to talk and to do this and that” God said, “Shut up! All these things you are talking about, I have already packaged inside you, even before you enter your mother’s womb. I have ordained you to be great, to be a prophet to a nation.” So, God enabled Jeremiah to see beyond the physical perspectives. Jeremiah 1:11 says, “Moreover the Word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.” God will only perform what you see. If you do not see it, God will never do it. You need to see your new level, to welcome your changes in life, to receive new miracles He is about to do.
You need to see beyond the physical lenses to get to the next level where God appropriately places you . Meaning, you have to see the invisible for God to perform the impossible. Furthermore, God will not execute the impossible for you if you cannot see beyond the physical realm. This also signifies you to visualize what was not previously seen in you. See the advent of your now prosperous business, see your now widespread connections, see your fully furnished home, new joy and new blessings now better and greater than before. If your sense of sight spans it, God will be committed to make it happen. See the amazing things of God flow in your life, see your ministry thrive and yes, see the glory of God manifest. It is what God said to Jeremiah manifesting in you., “Son of man, what do you see?” Jeremiah could have said, “Oh, I am afraid, what would I tell him? Maybe if I say this, he would get annoyed!” God surely won’t have you respond that way, He is not like that at all!
God asked, “What do you see?”, to which Jeremiah answered, “I saw an almond tree.” With that response, God may have applauded, “Good for you, you have seen well.”
Awesome!
Whenever you see the way God sees and thinks about you, you will never feel condemned, nor will you feel He is against you. God will even give you accolades saying, “That is my son, that is my daughter, you have perceived what I want you to do, then I will hasten to make it happen. See greatness!
There was a time in the Bible when God called Abraham, took him somewhere and told him to look up and gaze at the stars and the firmament and got them one by one. Abraham started counting as the stars are many, maybe wondered how to cut the stars and it’s not easy to count them. In as much stars can be counted all, the same thing your seed, your children and children’s children are plenty and nobody can count them today. Everyone in this whole world, we are the seeds of Abraham. You and I are Abraham’s seeds, and his blessings shall be our portion. When you see, God will give you what you see. You need to see a new level before you can arrive there, you need to picture it in your mind and let your inner eyes grasp what is beyond your situation now. Do not keep visualizing failure in your marriage or business. Many people have been blindfolded by their past failures. Do not keep seeing people who rejected you, who talked against you, who mocked you and wasted your time. Avoid being haunted by your dim past crying over neighbors who disliked you and your intentions. Leave off even those enemies. Greater is God that is with you. Magnify Him, you will begin to see good if not better things. Never mind even your slanderers.
See your bright tomorrow, envision the wave of God’s blessings engulf you.
You may have been barren and childless for many years, envision your children coming. Condition accepting in your mind not the finality of the physician’s report, but the truth coming from the Creator Himself. Greater is He that is in you, the creator of your whole body system. He’s able to favor you with a miracle, He Who sees the invisible and can do the incredible. He will make it possible for you. Realize that the greater you see, the higher you become. He told Abraham, “Look up!” It is one of my favorite passages in the Bible, Genesis 15:14 is. “Look up to the South, West, East and North. Everything your eyes can see, I will give it to you.”
Don’t let the devil lie to you that you are poor, you will die poor. You keep on saying “wretchedness”, that is not your portion!
No matter what your situation has become, look beyond. Visualize your bank account loaded with monetary or financial blessings from God, witness your ministry blossom, watch your business flourish, see your destiny take a colorfully fulfilling turn. Through the spiritual lens, see a great tomorrow! So shall it be delivered to you. God is only committed to what you see. He was talking to the prophet in Ezekiel 37 about the dry bones drying up and becoming a mighty army. He said yes when asked if he were ready to see. okay now, don’t do it until you see it. You need to picture in your mind what God is about to do see beyond your present problems. See beyond your present situation and beyond the trials you’re facing now. There is something in store coming your way. God is taking you to the palace of glory. He is taking you somewhere. You are walking on the road and have no budget for transportation, that’s not the end of you! See yourself driving your family car, or residing in your lush house and living comfortably. Picture your glorious end serving the Lord joyfully in His will.

2.Go Out and See the Environment Where You Are.
Go out and see. Go out, move out to see and it shall come to pass. Abraham was once told by God in the Book of Genesis 13:15 “To arise and walk into it”.
In your next level, one of the important steps to take is go, move, take a step. If you will not move, you can’t see it happen. In Genesis 15:5, “And he brought him forth and said, look now towards heaven.” There are times God will not do a thing when you are just sitting at home. Once you have a great calling as a minister, God is going to use you and the whole city will be serving God through your life. Sometimes God gives a revelation and leads you to move to a city, you must start prophesying, get started with praying. You may be prodded to say, “No God, that sounds crazy, I don’t think I can do that.” With this mindset, you are actually wasting your time.
God can tell you, go around and look for a business similar to what you have envisioned and seen in your dream. Go! Look at them! Then prophesy that someday soon you are going to have your dream come true, to franchise the kind of business you wish for, that someday you will have greater things coming to fruition.

You may be wondering what it means. Granting you only have 20 pesos in the pocket, you don’t have enough to spare even for mobility. You have to make a move.
God has a great plan for a lot of people but presently, the situation all over the world has locked their destiny down. Never allow the devil to lock down your destiny.
Now, we are heading to the middle of the year.
Habakkuk, the prophet, was praying, “O LORD, I have heard your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.”
In the beginning of the year, January for instance, people have a great plan to move to the next level. But after a few months, Satan kicked them black and blue, badly frustrating them. On their way to the middle of the year, they have grown tired and weary desperately waiting for December to arrive for them to escape.
No! The middle of the year must be the time for you to rebuild your strength and say, “I don’t care how this year started, I’m going to end successfully.” This is the second half of the year, therefore, I am moving higher and I am going to do greater things. See greater things. See the next level. You passed through certain levels in the past month but God is paving a way for the new level of your greatness. Don’t go miss it, don’t joke with it, never take the step for granted. Move on for there is a level the Lord has prepared for you.
In Genesis 13, God told Abraham that in everything you see, go and start walking through it. You see something great, move!
Tendency of many is overthinking.
We have ideas and plans but the problem is we are on a standstill. Everything is locked down. Lockdown! Let us stop entertaining all messages about lockdown for it is now our portion. You are in this world but not of this world. You are operating a realm that is greater than of this world’s. The things, situations and conditions, affecting the people of this world must not affect you. The adversary may lock down the destiny of others but NOT yours. The enemy can lock down the destiny of anybody but yours is exempted because you belong to the Kingdom of God that can never be limited, that is untouchable.
You may say, “Oh Pastor, I love my business, I used to have a computer center, internet shop with many customers, that’s how I make money. But now, my computer business can longer operate and is not earning anymore.” The business experiences a halt, staying at a level. If you are willing to move a notch higher, call God, He will give you a new idea to convert the business to rake in money better than before. You may even think of bringing your business far away, but allow God to open your eyes to see new opportunities here and now.
We obviously know that while the whole world is in lockdown, some people are becoming rich. Many have been blessed by the lockdown. They even pray it will never be over. Many on the other hand are becoming poorer and poorer. You need to allow God to open your eyes and make you consider jumping your way to the next level.
You may find yourself in situations where doors are closed, God always has doors of opportunities to the next level. You just need to open your eyes and look up to see it. You need to be willing to see and when you move into it, God is able to deliver you to it. Be ready to move forward as you go and see.

When the Prophet Elijah was talking with the king (the heaven shut for three and a half years, there will be nor rain, there will be famine) was praying, believing that God will answer him. Elijah told his servant, “Go out and look.” She move be on his room where he was. He moved out! He looked outside and came back with his report that there’s no sign to rain. Prophet Elijah told the servant to go again and after seven times, the young man came back and said, I still a little sign that looks like human’s hand, a little sign of a cloud. Elijah said, you don’t know anything. The King began to run because the little sign that appeared was a sign of a heavy rain coming down. To some of us, when trying to move forward to the next level – to go, see and take some step – it may not be so big a sign, it may not be the one God is talking about, not the one that will work.
Sometimes, for every great thing, God starts small. It may appear small (like the patch of clouds) but watch out, it’ll become a big downpour of blessings upon you. It will be a heavy rain of breakthrough. That little sign you see now as you take steps will soon turn up asvheavy rain of success for you. So, don’t let anything limit you. Move out. God is bringing you to next level. Make a move, even in your region or place where you say you cannot move, God can make a way for you, you will succeed and not fail. Sometimes, God allows a certain business to be closed in order for God to open a better one for you. He allows it. You may say you are good, blessed with a massage center but the law of the governmen won’t allow you to operate yet. Since nobody can come as customers, there is no income. That’s why you end up crying losing money. Who said you are going to stay that way? God can give you a better source of income, evn a greater one. Just understand and take a step. Be willing to move and God will open doors for you.

3.Be strong in faith. Every next level in life takes a strong faith to attain.
It is your faith that will determine if you have moved to the next level. Since you are moving to an invisible place where you have never been before, you need faith. Satan will bring to the surface the opposite word of faith which is fear, to intimidate you. Never allow anything to pull your faith down. Be willing to stretch your faith to fulfill what the Lord has sent you.
Numbers 14:6-9 reveals that Moses sent spies to go and look at the Promised Land and bring a report. When they came back, they brought roots of the land, reported the place was very good place but unfortunately, they could not get there. The people asked why? It is because the people there were giants and they, grasshoppers and ants compared to them. With the mismatch, they couldn’t make it!

Never allow inferiority complex to limit your greatness in life. Don’t allow that kind of mentality to rule your thinking just because you belong to a poor country or less privileged family. Your background doesn’t matter as God will take you to the next level. It’s all about your faith.
The two men, Joshua and Caleb, hearing the report about Canaan said otherwise. It’s a good land, truly there were giants but they are not going to stop us. Giants are just our breadth, we may look tiny like grasshoppers but we are greater than they are. We can possess the land.
Hallelujah!
Never look at the intimidating mountains to limit you. Those giants you see can limit you. Sickness can be a giant. In every Promised Land of God, there’s always a giant there. There’s no level you are moving to in life that has no Giants. Giants of rejection, criticism, frustration, mockery and hatred. Don’t ruin your future because of the opposition of one family towards you. Leave them alone! Get focus to possess what God sent you for – to fulfill your greatness in life.
If you don’t have extraordinary faith, you may not be able to move to your next level in life. Your faith is highly demanded. The Bible says Joshua told them to be silent because he insisted that where the giants were was a good land. These huge creatures could not stop them getting to the Land of Promise. Only Joshua and Caleb along with their younger ones were able to enter the Promised Land. The rest who complained and said they could not get there, just perished. They indeed perished. Please, watch out, let your faith be strong. You will make it in the name of Jesus.

4.Never slack. Slack is idly waiting with arms folded. I know God wants to take me to the next level but I will just wait for him because I know if he will do it, He will do it His way any way. I don’t need to worry or do anything. A word of caution: God will never do it until you move. You have to take some steps of staying diligent, focused and strong, moving with faithful steps day by day to the level where God is taking you. Don’t squander your day, make a move.
I discovered something exciting in Joshua 18:2-3, “2 there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance”. Among the twelve tribes in their journey to the Promised Land, only five tribes enjoyed the fulfillment. What happened to the other seven? They didn’t receive their inheritance not because Satan was powerful, not because God didn’t want to give it to them, but because it was all about their fault. “3 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you?”
God has given it to you already. But you remain seated daydreaming or procrastinating. How you wish do it tomorrow or next time. You will try it again next month or next year. You have wasted a great deal of time. When people like them go to heaven, God will surely tell them they are lazy children. They set for them to progress and fulfil their great destiny, but what did they do? This Scripture says it was already given to them spiritually, everything is in place, it is finished. It has been delivered to them but they only wrapped their arms and shrugged. They were slacks, not moving in the right steps of God. Laziness (or indolence) will never allow you to lodge into the next notch. Don’t keep postponing your destiny. If you want your destiny to be fulfilled, be aggressive enough to possess it. You need to have a kind of active spirit that no other spirit can stand in the way in order to possess or reach your goal. Out of the twelve tribes, only five tribes moved quickly to the fulfillment. Joshua, their leader challenged others that there are lots of inheritance but no one among the seven tribes received because they we’re just waiting. The same thing God must be showing you now, reminding His people today but don’t seem to hear. Like what I’m doing right now, preaching that “God says don’t be slack”. The man called Isaac found himself in the land where there was famine and trouble yet he was farming, cultivated the land and planted crops there. Wherever you are, waiting for the government, you may not know that you can be the government yourself and be successful in life. Don’t just sit down and waiting, do not slack. Let God give you ideas. Go and see. Make a move, take a step and God will lead you to the new steps of your life.
Do something. Hebrew 11:30 says, “30 By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.” The Walls of Jericho fell down after they (army) marched around it seven times. They made a move. The walls won’t just fall down with you sitting down and maybe going to fasting. Yes you believe you will become a millionaire, will possess cars, will get this and have that and even confess in the name of Jesus. Stop that confession. Yes, it’s biblical but if you don’t take a step, you won’t yield any result. You speak, you move. Then you will see God in action.

5.Trust in One Move of God to hasten your lifting. One step of God after you have done all the prerequisites, you have done what you are supposed to do, God will move and make away after you have done your part. God will step in and will surprise you. He told Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:12, you have seen well and my hand will hasten it to happen. Meaning, after you have done your own share moving to your next level in destiny, leave the rest to God. You are in for a surprise. Where you have failed before, the favor of God will come to the surface. Things will begin to work well in your direction of good success. God is about to step in. You make a move and get ready for your next level. God will take you beyond what you expect. God will do great things and you won’t miss it. He is taking you to your breakthrough.
In Genesis 41:14, it says, “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.” This passage talks about Joseph’s promotion. When the day of his promotion arrived, Pharaoh commanded Joseph to be brought out of the dungeon, from the prison to the palace. They didn’t bring Joseph gently but hastily. They were running seriously (hurriedly) because Joseph is about to be blessed, to change status going to his new level (he once was a prisoner and about to become a prime minister). Same with you, God, too, will hasten everything for your breakthrough. The guards rushed, came in haste and brought Joseph out pleading he needed to have a make over of himself hurriedly.
The same can be told of you in a hurry to bring in your future husband, your marriage, they will locate you by speed. You’re going to have babies as in triplets. Your job will come and companies will be offering you positions, and you will be the one to choose which company you want to be employed in. Somehow, you’ll be surprised, when God amazingly intervenes. I remember a sister who was complaining nothing came as proposition for marriage and asked for prayer. Weeks later, the glory to God, heaven opened. She came back and was in trouble for she didn’t know whom to choose among five men propsing to marry her. She asked again for prayer, this time for choice to which I replied, “It was a good problem.” When God takes you to the next level , He will do it very fast, by speed .
You will be blessed by speed. God has sent me to prophesy to your life. Whatever you think (dreaming to have, longing to be, wishing to accomplish) will take a long while to be, is going to happen by speed this year. It doesn’t matter how many days you have been locked down, I am glad to proclaim to you, most days of this year will be days of promotion for you, the days of your next level. Great speed for you will move higher beyond your imagination. God will do it speedily.
Psalm 102:13 says, “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.” I envision God has arrived, doing something in your life. There is a time God has set your greatness, the time is about to manifest.
You will rise up! He will move in your favor, His anointing of favor will come upon you as you are take a leap to your next level. Miracle will answer you. I see you fly higher! People who scorned you before will look up to see you. Some of them will see you but cannot recognize you anymore because your status has changed and you have moved from glory to glory. Just like what happened to Joseph when his brother came back to the place where they put him. There was a problem, they couldn’t find him anymore.
Dear readers, God is getting you out of that pit of sorrow and failure. I see the mighty hands of God taking you higher into the next level where your blessings from Him abound. When Joseph’s brothers saw him again in the land of Egypt, they didn’t recognize him at all for he changed totally. They thought Joseph was still that poor wretched-looking boy they left for dead. He transformed so gloriously as prime minister in the palace, they could hardly believe it was him, their brother. Joseph himself revealed to them that he was.
I am glad to announce to you, God is changing your status right now. Those who mocked you, talked against you, who looked down on you, will see the glory of God in your life. As they see you, they will praise God in your life. They will confess (though they thought you can’t be somebody but they were proved wrong ) that truly God is with you. Blessed be the Holy Name of God. I see you in the next level as you receive God’s grace..