Living In the Supernatural – Stephanie Ike Okafor
Can we just praise Jesus in this house? I see all the men standing tall, trying to show strength for the women beside them. Let’s take a moment to honor pastors Rich, DC, and the amazing team who prepared the food. [Applause] I’m truly excited to be here today. Now, let’s pray, and then you may be seated.
Heavenly Father, we worship You, we adore You, Lord. As we gather together, calling on Your name, we know You are here. You hear us, and You are about to move in a special way. Holy Spirit, glorify Jesus in this place and have Your way, like only You can. I am Your vessel; use me as Your instrument. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Amen. You may be seated.
It’s such a blessing to be here today. I was listening to the testimony, and I love it so much. I got married last year, and now we’re expecting a baby on our anniversary. [Laughter] [Applause] As we dive into today’s message, I want to share a personal testimony I experienced.
When I found out I was pregnant, just a few days later, we discovered that there could be complications with the pregnancy. We met with the first doctor, went through checkups, and the doctor recommended termination. But here’s the interesting part. Two days before finding out I was pregnant, I had an encounter with an angel. In His presence, I realized I was pregnant. I was in my closet—don’t ask me why, but that’s where it happened. I jokingly asked God, “While you’re here, could you please organize my closet?”
I ran downstairs to tell my husband, and we did a pregnancy test two days later—it was positive. But then the challenge arose. I told God that He wouldn’t go through all the trouble of giving me a word just for me to follow this narrative. I said, “No, we’re keeping this baby and finding a different doctor.” [Laughter] [Applause]
There was a moment of intense pain. My new doctor reassured me that I would be fine; this needed to pass, and it would likely take about five weeks. The timing was critical because I was on vacation and was supposed to preach in LA that Sunday. We were returning from Maui to LA, and I was in so much pain I couldn’t sleep, and I was crying constantly. I wanted to cancel. I considered calling my pastor to say I couldn’t do it, but I decided to first ask the Lord.
I prayed, “God, I don’t think I have the strength for this, but I need Your permission to step back.” Then, the Lord encountered me in a dream, showing me many things, but one thing He said was this: “I am with you. I am the God who walks with you on the mountain, and I am the God who walks with you in the valley. Even in the hardest times, I am with you. You’re going to preach on Sunday.”
My husband tried everything to ease the pain, but I kept praying and studying. Then something remarkable happened. Sunday morning came, and I woke up feeling better. The pain had subsided—it was only a few days after the doctor said it would take weeks. That Saturday night, I could finally sleep, and by Sunday morning, I was good to go. When I arrived at the house of the Lord, all the pain disappeared.
What I realized is that the healing I was seeking was in my obedience to the call. Obedience is the pathway to supernatural realities. Your obedience to God opens the door to supernatural possibilities. The healing wasn’t a favor from God—it was trapped in my obedience.
What I love about today and this conference is that when you come here, you come as evidence of your hunger. I was talking to Pastor Don before today’s event, and we had a conversation on Instagram. She asked me what I was excited about for the conference, and I said, “Hunger.” When people are hungry, their eyes and ears are open. Sometimes, you may wonder…