Strengthened by the Word: Rev. Idowu Declares God’s Word the Ultimate Power for Life’s Battles

By Afolabi Olajuwon

The Senior Pastor and District Overseer of Foursquare Gospel Church, Wuse District Headquarters, Abuja, Rev. Dr. Babatunde Idowu, has urged Christians to draw their strength from the Word of God, declaring that divine strength remains superior to political influence, intellectual ability, financial power and every form of human advantage.

Speaking during the Sunday worship service on October 4, 2026, on the theme, “Strengthened by the Word,” Rev. Idowu said believers living in an increasingly competitive and challenging world must recognise that lasting strength comes not merely from what people possess, but from the God who sustains them.

            Rev. Dr. Babatunde Idowu 

The service, anchored on Daniel 10:16–21, John 1:1–4 and John 6:63, opened with colourful and spirit-filled praise and worship led by the church’s Praise Team, preparing the congregation for a message centred on spiritual renewal, divine encounter and victory through God’s Word.

                   Wuse Praise Team 

When Human Strength Is Not Enough:

Rev. Idowu acknowledged that people depend on different forms of strength to pass through life, political connections, intellectual capacity, financial resources, emotional resilience and social influence. He, however, stressed that all these have limitations.

According to him, the strength that comes through the Word of God reaches where human capacity ends.

Drawing from John 1, he reminded the congregation that the Word is not merely a collection of religious statements but the revelation of God Himself: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

He explained that when believers genuinely receive, believe and apply the Word to their health, families, careers, ministries and challenges, they invite divine strength into situations that may appear impossible.

“The Word gives you strength to stand irrespective of the negative situation around you,” he declared.

God Still Speaks:

Using the biblical experiences of Samuel, Saul, Daniel and Jeremiah, Rev. Idowu explained that one encounter with God's voice can redirect an entire destiny.

Samuel was preparing to sleep when God called him. Because he had not yet learnt to recognise the divine voice, he initially thought Eli was speaking to him. Eventually, he learnt the response every believer must cultivate: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Similarly, Saul’s encounter with God on the road to Damascus transformed him from a persecutor of Christians into Paul, one of the most influential apostles of the early Church.

The lesson, Rev. Idowu said, is that God can reach a person “anytime, anywhere and anyhow.”

He therefore cautioned worshippers against becoming so distracted during fellowship that they miss the personal message God may be communicating to them.

Daniel: Strength Restored by Divine Touch:

Turning to Daniel 10, Rev. Idowu recalled how Daniel had fasted and prayed for three weeks before receiving the divine response he sought.

Although spiritual opposition delayed the manifestation of the answer, Daniel remained steadfast. At a point, his natural strength failed him, but a divine touch restored him.

Rev. Idowu used Daniel’s experience to remind the congregation that delay does not necessarily mean denial and that spiritual strength can sustain a believer when natural strength has been exhausted.

“When everything around you appears to be falling apart, the Spirit of God can release strength from within,” he said.

The Word That Pulls Down and Builds Up:

The sermon also drew lessons from the call of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:4–13.

Though Jeremiah considered himself too young and inadequate for the assignment before him, God rejected his self-imposed limitation, touched his mouth and placed His words in him.

Those words carried authority “to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.”

Rev. Idowu explained that the Word of God is therefore both corrective and constructive. It can destroy strongholds while rebuilding broken lives. It can uproot fear and plant faith; pull down despair and build hope.

He encouraged Christians to move beyond merely reading Scripture as a religious routine and develop a living, conversational relationship with God through His Word.

Eyes to See Beyond the Wilderness:

The congregation was led into fervent prayers for spiritual perception, “eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to perceive.”

Referencing the experience of Moses and the Israelites in Exodus 14, Rev. Idowu explained that God gave Moses specific instructions even when Pharaoh appeared to have trapped Israel in the wilderness.

What looked like a dead end to Pharaoh became the pathway to Israel's deliverance.

The congregation consequently prayed against every form of “wilderness” capable of shutting people in, whether financial, matrimonial, professional, spiritual or ministerial.

Worshippers also sang “The Bible Stands,” affirming the enduring power of Scripture in the face of life's storms.

Rev. Idowu urged Christians to memorise, confess and plead the promises of Scripture daily rather than allowing fear, circumstances or human reasoning to have the final word.

His message carried a simple but compelling truth: when human strength reaches its limit, the Word of God remains inexhaustible.

For the believer, therefore, the question is not merely how great the battle is, but how deeply the Word has taken root within.

A person strengthened by circumstances may stand until circumstances change. But a person strengthened by the Word can stand even when everything around him is changing.

The service climaxed with fervent prayers for the lifting of sorrow, restoration of strength and victory over life's battles before transitioning into the Holy Communion service for the month of October.

As worshippers approached the Communion table, the message of the day remained unmistakable: political power may change, wealth may diminish, human wisdom may reach its boundary and physical strength may fail, but the Word of God stands, strengthens and sustains.

Dr. Afolabi Olajuwon is a freelance writer and Christian educator based in Abuja, Nigeria with a passion for documenting faith-based initiatives and their impact on communities.