By Seyi Gesinde
August 9, 2026
An unwavering faith teacher, Rev. Akinlolu Raphael, has charged Christians to develop relentless faith and trust GOD beyond their present circumstances, saying believers are not called to struggle to make GOD act but to access what He has already provided.
Rev. Raphael gave the charge on Sunday at the grand finale of the Charis Making Your Life Count Conference 2026, held under the theme, ‘RELENTLESS,’ with Job 14:7-9 as the anchor text.
Speaking on the challenge of living by faith at Charis Family International Church, along Cultural Centre Road, Mokola, Ibadan, the cleric said being born again goes beyond preparing for life after death, stressing that believers are called to access the resources of heaven and triumph on earth.
“Being born again is not only to go to heaven, but to triumph on earth. You take the resources of heaven as GOD says He will supply all your needs,” he said.
Referring to Colossians 1:12, Rev. Raphael reminded believers of their spiritual position in CHRIST, saying their citizenship gives them access to the resources of the Kingdom.
He urged them not to allow their present environment to define the limits of what GOD can accomplish through them.
“You are not limited by what you see. You are not limited by what the Central Bank can give in resources. You are not limited. That type of life is only lived by faith,” he said.
Citing Hebrews 11:6, he stressed that faith is indispensable to the believer’s relationship with GOD, noting that Christians must learn to trust Him even when circumstances appear contrary to His promises.
The minister, who is the Lead Pastor of Grace Covenant International Christian Bible Church, Odo Ona, Ibadan, said relentless faith becomes particularly necessary because Satan is also relentless in his opposition to believers.
“You are not struggling to make GOD do anything, but to access all He had done,” Raphael said.
He urged Christians to resist the devil and remain steadfast rather than allow opposition to weaken their faith.
“Resist the devil because he is seeking who to devour,” he said, leading the congregation to declare, “I am relentless in faith.”
According to Raphael, faith is the means through which believers receive and access what GOD has already made available.
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“Faith delivers, receives and accesses all GOD has done,” he said.
Drawing from Romans 4:16, he urged believers to understand their identity from the standpoint of GOD’s Word rather than their present circumstances.
“What GOD has made you is whom He has made you,” he said.
He cited Abraham as an example of someone who continued to believe GOD despite circumstances that appeared to contradict the promise.
“Abraham hoped against hope to receive what GOD has provided. Faith makes you to enjoy the blessings GOD has already made available in CHRIST. GOD has already done all,” Rev. Raphael said.
He explained that grace provides while faith receives, describing faith as essential to the manifestation of GOD’s promises in the lives of believers.
“What grace has provided, faith receives,” he said.
Rev. Raphael cited Hebrews 4:2, explaining that the Word can be heard without producing its intended result when it is not mixed with faith.
“The promises can’t be actualised without faith,” he said.
He also referenced James 1:7-8, warning against double mindedness and urging believers to approach GOD with confidence rather than uncertainty.
“An emotional prayer won’t be actualised without faith. Faith is your will speaking,” he said.
Using the account of blind Bartimaeus, he stressed the importance of speaking with conviction and aligning one’s words with faith.
“You can’t afford to speak without faith. When you joke with your words, you confuse your faith,” he said.
“You can gauge your faith. Your words are the gauge for your faith. Your confession and words matter a lot.”
The minister further distinguished between merely preaching about faith and actually living by it.
“It is not preaching faith, it is living faith,” he said.
He noted that every believer has a personal responsibility to access GOD’s provisions, regardless of spiritual office.
“Everyone has to use his faith to access GOD’s provisions,” he said.
He cautioned ministers and other believers against assuming that spiritual office automatically exempts them from attacks.
“Your office as a pastor does not immunise you from attacks. GOD does not respect persons, He watches over His words. So keep His words in your mouth,” he said.
The preacher also explained that although GOD’s promises are available to all believers, their responses to those promises can produce different experiences.
“Though faith makes the promises of GOD sure to all, the only difference is our responses. We don’t have the same results because we don’t respond the same way,” he said.
Citing Romans 10:11-13, he stressed that the invitation to call upon the name of the LORD is available to everyone, while emphasising that believers must respond to GOD’s provision in faith.
Rev. Raphael acknowledged that Christians are at different stages of spiritual maturity, noting that the Church accommodates believers who are still growing.
“There are baby Christians among others in the church, so GOD knows how He goes about it. He understands babies in the Kingdom. Everyone is covered,” he said.
He, however, stressed the importance of spiritual growth, citing Hebrews 5:13.
“However, you need to grow,” he said.
Rev. Raphael also cited James 5:14 while cautioning against interpreting faith as a rejection of practical wisdom.
“If you are sick, take medications and also go to your pastor. Faith is not pride but a normal life in the Kingdom,” he said.
“Faith is the oxygen of life in the Kingdom. Faith does not put you above others, it is a normal life.”
Turning to Romans 4:17, Raphael said believers must understand that GOD has already made them what He intends them to be in CHRIST.
He referred to Genesis 17, where GOD instructed Abraham to walk before Him in accordance with the promise that he would become the father of nations.
According to him, Abraham’s decision to have Ishmael demonstrated what can happen when a believer fails to remain aligned with GOD’s promise.
“Faith is personal. Hold on to the confession of your faith,” he said, citing Hebrews 10:23.
Rev. Raphael urged believers not to regard GOD’s promises merely as distant possibilities.
“His promises are not futuristic. They are real in the realm of the spirit. Your faith brings them into your experience,” he said.
He called for consistency, persuasion and unwavering commitment to GOD’s Word.
“Be consistent. Be persuaded. Be unwavering. Hold on to Him,” he said.
The minister subsequently warned against what he described as staggering faith, saying wavering can prevent believers from experiencing the reality of GOD’s promises.
“Staggering faith gets nothing done,” he said.
According to him, the Word of GOD is the source of strength for faith.
“It is the Word of GOD that pumps your faith. What your faith carries is determined by what you pump into it from the Word,” Raphael said.
He said relentless faith refuses to allow physical circumstances to determine the outcome of a believer’s confidence in GOD.
“Relentless faith does not consider what you see. Once you are in faith, you are in victory,” he declared.
Rev. Raphael used Peter’s experience of walking on water to illustrate the danger of allowing circumstances to weaken faith.
Citing Matthew 14:29-30, he said Peter stepped out in faith but began to sink after he shifted his attention to the wind and became afraid.
Peter, he said, lost his stability when he allowed fear to take over.
Rev. Raphael described fear, doubt and unbelief as dangerous forces capable of destabilising a believer’s faith.
“When fear comes faith disappears. Don’t silently fight the unholy trinity, fear, doubt and unbelief. To correct them, meditate on the Word,” he said.
Citing Ephesians 6:16, he described faith as a weapon of defence and urged believers to deliberately deploy it against the pressures confronting them.
He summarised relentless faith as stable, constant, unwilling to let go and unwilling to stagger.
Rev. Raphael also outlined seven principles for maintaining relentless faith.
He said faith must operate from a born again mind, believers must know that they have faith, strengthen their spirits through fellowship, continually renew their minds, allow faith to lead to rhema, actively resist the devil, sin, sickness and poverty, and maintain relationships with people who strengthen their faith.
“Have like minded people as your friends. Be sensitive with who you fellowship with. Don’t befriend people who will kill your faith,” he warned.
Rev. Raphael concluded with an illustration drawn from digital technology, likening faith to the data required to complete a download.
“Your faith will download your victory,” he said.
“If the data finishes, download stops. Your data will not finish in JESUS NAME!”
