Lighten Your Load: The Call To Soar – Stephanie Ike Okafor

When we stand before the Lord, and He asks us, “What did you do with my Holy Spirit?” will our answer reflect the person, power, and authority of the Holy Spirit? Can we truly praise Jesus for His guidance and love? Amen. I am so blessed to be here, and my family shares this blessing. It is an honor to be in this place, and I would like us to take a moment to honor Pastor Poju and his wonderful wife, Pastor Toi. Can we celebrate them? Amen. We also want to honor the staff and all the volunteers. Thank you for your dedication and service.

I have a special shout-out to one of the members of the protocol team in G, who has been exceptionally kind, and I want to honor you. Whenever I minister, I don’t stand alone; I stand alongside my husband and my family. He is the head of my life, and I just want to take a moment to celebrate him and acknowledge the work God is doing in him. Amen.

I also want to thank God for my pastors in the U.S., Pastor Té Roberts and Pastor Sarah J. Roberts. I’m grateful for what God is doing in this place as well. We’ve been in prayer for this convention, WAFBEC, ever since we knew we would be attending. There are many things God has revealed to us, and I encourage you to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Don’t just attend for the sake of seeing someone you admire—come because the presence of the Lord is here. Sometimes, breakthroughs come from the most unexpected sources.

Throughout this convention, come with an expectation that God will do something mighty in your life. The Lord showed me the significance of this gathering. As we begin this year, it will shape not only the messages you need for this season but for seasons to come. If you move from merely being a listener of the Word to a doer of the Word, you will see transformation in your life.

I love that this event is called “Soar,” as it speaks to soaring on the wings of faith. But to soar, there are certain things you must do. I’m excited to share what God placed on my heart today. Let’s begin with prayer. Heavenly Father, we love You. Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your goodness, greatness, and might. You protect us from known and unknown dangers. For everyone here, may they recognize that the very fact they are breathing is a sign that You are not finished with them yet.

As we gather in Your presence, we give You our full attention and devotion, trusting that You will speak to us. I step out of the way, trusting that You will guide us. We thank You for what is happening in this house and what will unfold throughout this convention. We believe that lives will be transformed, minds renewed, and impartations will take place. Where Your children used to walk, they will run. Where they used to run, they will soar. Heavenly Father, have Your way. Let it be known that what happens here is the work of Your hand. We worship You and give You glory. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

You may be seated.

As I’ve been praying for this conference, one of the symbols associated with it is the eagle. The Lord showed me this imagery of an eagle, and I love how fascinating eagles are. Their ability to soar, to spread their wings and use the wind to lift them up, is amazing. When we think of an eagle, we often assume it’s just their wings or the wind that enables them to fly. But there’s something more to it. One key feature that stands out is their low body weight. An eagle must have a light body to allow its wings to lift it up and enable it to soar with the wind.

The Lord spoke to me and said, “Tell My people to strip off the weight.” You see, there are many birds with wings, but not every bird with wings can fly. Some birds are known as flightless because their wings are too small to lift their heavy bodies. If their wings could speak, they would say, “I can’t lift you like I used to.” So, while all birds have wings, some cannot fly because their body weight is too much for their wings to carry.

When we admire the eagle, we appreciate its ability to soar, but there are multiple factors that enable the eagle to fly. As I observed this imagery, I saw eagles soaring high in the sky and others grounded, unable to take flight.