Bishop Dag Heward-Mills shares with City News timeless wisdom on faith, calling and perseverance.
Over last weekend (22 and 23 February 2025), Bishop Dag Heward-Mills returned to preach at City Harvest Church (CHC). His first visit was in 2024.
A prominent Christian leader, Bishop Dag is the presiding Bishop of the United Denominations originating from the Lighthouse Group of Churches, as well as the founder of the revolutionary Healing Jesus movement. His trailblazing work is bringing great revival all over Africa and beyond.
With a ministry spanning over 30 years, Bishop Dag has authored over 50 books, including bestsellers like Many Are Called, Loyalty And Disloyalty, and The Mega Church. He is considered the largest publishing author in Africa, having had his books translated into over 50 languages with more than 20 million copies in print.
Bishop Dag delivered two messages last weekend: “Fulfil Your Ministry” and “Can’t You Just Do A Little Bit More?”, both of which challenge believers to go all out for Jesus. City News sat down with him to unpack some things he shared on the pulpit.
CITY NEWS: Thank you for this privilege to sit down and hear from you. It is truly an honour. This is your second time returning to City Harvest. How do you feel about being back?
BISHOP DAG HEWARD-MILLS: I consider it a blessing and an honour. I’m happy to be here!
Last Saturday you spoke about four phases of fulfilling a calling. What do you think causes people to get stuck and not progress in their calling? How can they overcome these obstacles?
Many people get stuck because they turn to accusation and fault-finding instead of focusing on their calling and what they have to do for the Lord.
The Bible says in Matthew 24 that the master went on a journey, and one of his servants, feeling that his (master’s) return was delayed, began to mistreat the other servants. That’s exactly what happens to many believer—they lose focus and become distracted by criticism and negativity instead of pressing on in their purpose.
If a believer finds themselves feeling stuck, what can they do to?
They need to press on. Rise up and obey the Word of God. There’s no other remedy besides obedience. You must do what you have been instructed to do.
You said something rather profound, that fear is not just a mood but a spirit. How can believers overcome the spirit of fear, especially when God is calling them to something that feels overwhelming?
The key is to recognise that fear is not just an emotion—it is a demon, an evil spirit. The Bible says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
So my advice is simple: Do the things you fear. Just go for them. Fear tries to hold you back, but obedience to God will always lead you forward.
You also talked about talents and how God expects us to use all of them, not just one. If someone has multiple talents—say, they can sing, write, and teach—but they don’t have the time to develop all of them, should they focus on one or try to cultivate them all?
The Bible says that God gave some five talents, some two, and some one, according to their ability (Matthew 25:14-30). God gives you gifts based on what you are capable of handling. And so if you can’t handle five talents, God won’t give you five talents. If you’ve been given multiple talents, you are responsible for using all of them, as God gives them to you according to what you are able to handle. You will be accountable for every gift, not just one.
You spoke about loyalty and how accusations and finger-pointing are major issues in churches today. Why is this such a significant problem?
Yes, this is a major issue. Every church has people who accuse, forget, and become dangerous sons. There are those who are don’t remember, and are ungrateful, ignorant and disloyal.
I wrote my book on loyalty in 1998, and it remains very popular and of great interest to leaders even till today. This is because it is a global issue, and not just a City Harvest issue. Everywhere I preach, I see the same patterns. Many people think that their church’s struggles are unique, but if you travel and observe, you’ll see that these problems exist everywhere.
Look at Jesus: what was He accused of? Destroying the temple. But wasn’t He the very one building the House of God? He was also accused of being politically involved, yet He had no political ambitions.
Or take Moses: he was accused of pride when the Bible actually calls him the meekest man on earth! He was accused of leading people into the wilderness to kill them when, in reality, he was saving them.
Accusations often paint the opposite picture of reality. This happens not just in Singapore, but in America, England, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa—everywhere. Accusation is a tool that destroys churches.
What encouragement would you give to a leader who has been falsely accused or slandered and is struggling with disappointment and betrayal?
Psalm 11:5 teaches that there are tests specifically for the righteous. Accusation and slander are among those tests. Jesus was accused. Jesus was slandered. If we want to be like Jesus, we should expect the same. You cannot go to heaven without experiencing these things.
Imagine that Jesus had driven from here to Malaysia. If you decide to follow Him, you will see and experience everything He encountered on that journey, because you are following the same road. If we follow Jesus, we will go through the same trials He did—including facing incredulous, unspeakable and unimaginable false accusations that could possibly derail your ministry.
As a leader overseeing a global and expanding ministry with such a busy schedule, how do you stay spiritually refreshed and centred on God without burning out?
I read my Bible and pray every day. Spiritual disciplines are non-negotiable.
You’ve trained thousands of pastors and missionaries. What is one lesson from your early years of ministry that you wish every young leader understood?
Read your Bible and pray every day. Follow Jesus.
Think about a sheep. What hope does a sheep have if it tries to make a journey on its own? None. A sheep needs a shepherd. Even an old sheep still needs a shepherd. You can never outgrow the need to be led by God, the need to be led by the Spirit. The oldest sheep will still need a Shepherd.
A young minister must always seek God’s guidance. And remember, God will never lead you into betrayal or disloyalty.
Your ministry continues to expand globally. What is something that God is currently putting on your heart for the next phase?
There is nothing new—it is the same mission!
If you look at the lives of great men of faith, you’ll see that they remained faithful to the same calling until the very end. The call of God doesn’t change. We just keep going until our work is done.
Lastly, what advice would you give to the next generation of believers who want to serve God wholeheartedly but feel overwhelmed by life’s challenges—such as family, responsibilities, and financial pressures?
Jesus told a parable in Luke 14 about a man who prepared a great feast and invited many. But one guest said, “I have bought a field, and I must go see it.” Another said, “I have just married a wife.” Yet another said, “I have bought five oxen, and I must go examine them.” And they didn’t go because of these excuses.
These excuses have existed for thousands of years. Today’s generation is not experiencing anything different. They are experiencing the exact same thing every generation experiences.
We are always called, and there’s always many things to keep us away from the call of God. And it’s entirely up to you, either you are going to say “Yes” and do it, or you’re going to say “I’m overwhelmed”. This generation is not different in that sense, from what Jesus said. The passage I just quoted to you was from 2000 years ago, and it’s still relevant today!
The call is always met with excuses. So if they don’t want to go, they should just say so, but not give excuses, which have been given for thousands of years. I think it’s time to just acknowledge that we either obey or we don’t. Excuses don’t hold water.
The truth is, if you love God, you will stop making excuses. You will make a way.
Wow. Make a way instead of making excuses.
Exactly!
Thank you so much, Bishop. We hope you’ll come back again.
Thank you for inviting me. And be faithful—love your pastor. He’s a great man. Don’t wait until he’s gone to appreciate him.
Your voices of encouragement must be louder than the voices of the accusers. Remember, Jesus Himself said, “One of you is a devil.” There are always those among us who work against the Kingdom. But until we cast out the devils and the Judases, God’s kingdom cannot be fully established.
