In my study on this topic, I noticed that Apostle Paul, who said in Philippians 4:7: “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ,” was promoted so highly that in 2 Corinthians 12:11, he said, “I’m not behind the greatest apostles.” When we talk about promotion, many of us think about titles. Titles are beautiful, but I will rather be a deacon that can raise the dead than be a National Pastor that cannot heal a fly.

I preached a message on total surrender one day in church. In those days, only a few members had cars. After the service, a young man came to me and said, “Daddy, from now on, I surrender all to Jesus.” I said, “Really?” He said, “Yes”. I then said, “Good. So, we will now be able to borrow your car tomorrow for a church assignment.” He replied, “But I have to go to work tomorrow”. I laughed and said, “I just wanted to show you that you haven’t surrendered all.” I only asked about the church borrowing his car, and that was difficult for him to agree to. What if I had asked for something bigger?

What could make an individual surrender totally to God and even serve Him without pay? I found the reason in Philippians 2:5-11 which is our Bible reading for today. It started by saying, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” It further told us how great Jesus was and how He humbled Himself unto the point of death, even the death on the cross. Then verse 9 says, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him…” At that point, I knew that the gain always outweighs the pain. Hebrews 12:2 says:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

When you seek the things of God first, the other desires of your heart will also be granted unto you according to His will. When you lay your life down for God, He will surely honour you in return.

There is great joy awaiting anyone who surrenders totally to God. If you surrender all that you have to Him, He will give you more in return. Beloved, surrender all to God and He will bless you far beyond your imagination.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In continuation of my discussion from yesterday, one of the challenges of being anointed is that anointed people are perceived to be stronger than they really are. Because they pray and God answers immediately, people think that they don’t need prayers themselves. Also, because they lay hands on the sick and the sick get healed, people think that they are superhuman and can never be weak or tired. Because they preach and souls get saved, there is a tendency to think that they never get tempted, whereas, they probably face temptations more than other people.

Moses made just one mistake in 40 years of leading the Israelites, but God said he would not get to the promised land. He had been interceding for Israel whenever they did terrible things, and God had been forgiving them. Now, in his own case, there was nobody to plead for him.

Do you want to be heavily anointed? Be ready to work endlessly. When I discovered that the Bible says that we should earnestly covet spiritual gifts, I was happy. I asked for double the anointing on Elisha, Peter, Paul and Jesus Christ when He was on the earth and then asked that all should be combined and doubled again. God warned me then that I was asking for a dangerous thing because people would not let me rest. When people see that you are anointed, they will bring all their problems to you. Even after you minister to them from the altar, they will still want to see you personally. You cannot send them away because the purpose of the anointing is to serve.

When I employed a personal assistant, and he asked, “What are our work hours?” I said, “We start the day at 5am and only God knows when we will close.” This is why raising other people who will also become anointed is necessary. RCCG is in over 190 nations in the world. How will I cope if every member comes to me with their problems? This is why each local assembly has anointed pastors that can pray for the members; only the cases they can’t handle come to me. God has also made things easier by making it possible for me to pray from the altar and anoint handkerchiefs which are used to perform the miracles that people would have called the General Overseer to pray about in the past.

A lot of responsibilities and challenges come with being anointed, so if you desire to be anointed, you should be ready to embrace them.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Do you want to be heavily anointed? The One who generates the anointing has more than enough for everybody. Psalm 23:5 says, “Thou anointed my head with oil, my cup runneth over.” He has more than enough for everybody, but are you willing to pay the price? Are you willing to go through the challenges that come with being anointed? Hebrews 1:9 says that if you love righteousness and hate iniquity, God will anoint you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

Yesterday, I mentioned some benefits of being anointed, but it is also important to note that the anointing also comes with some challenges. The major challenge with being anointed is that power can corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The more anointed you are, the more careful you must be because of the tendency to misuse the power. In Numbers 20:1-13, especially verse 10, Moses said to the people, “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?”

Only a few minutes before then, he was on his face before God, asking for a solution to the problem. The moment God told him what to do, he turned to the people who had been provoking him, called them rebels, and spoke as if the power to bring water out of the rock was from him and not from God. In verse 12, God said that because he did not sanctify Him in the eyes of the people, he will not enter the promised land.

I have always told pastors in The Redeemed Christian Church of God that no one must ever feel as if he healed anybody. Left alone, you cannot even heal a rat! It is God who heals, and you are only a vessel through which the healing takes place. You must always see that as a privilege. Since the power to perform miracles is not yours, God can use anyone else to do it. A man of God once said that if you remove God from him, there will be little left. I was surprised because, in my own case, if you remove God from me, there will be absolutely nothing left.

Beloved, never forget that without God, you are nothing. Anyone who thinks that he or she can be something without God is clearly on a path to destruction. No matter how anointed you are, never allow yourself to think that you are all-powerful. Ensure that you remain humble.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Do you want to be heavily anointed? The One who generates the anointing has more than enough for everybody. Psalm 23:5 says, “Thou anointed my head with oil, my cup runneth over.” He has more than enough for everybody, but are you willing to pay the price? Are you willing to go through the challenges that come with being anointed? Hebrews 1:9 says that if you love righteousness and hate iniquity, God will anoint you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

Yesterday, I mentioned some benefits of being anointed, but it is also important to note that the anointing also comes with some challenges. The major challenge with being anointed is that power can corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The more anointed you are, the more careful you must be because of the tendency to misuse the power. In Numbers 20:1-13, especially verse 10, Moses said to the people, “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?”

Only a few minutes before then, he was on his face before God, asking for a solution to the problem. The moment God told him what to do, he turned to the people who had been provoking him, called them rebels, and spoke as if the power to bring water out of the rock was from him and not from God. In verse 12, God said that because he did not sanctify Him in the eyes of the people, he will not enter the promised land.

I have always told pastors in The Redeemed Christian Church of God that no one must ever feel as if he healed anybody. Left alone, you cannot even heal a rat! It is God who heals, and you are only a vessel through which the healing takes place. You must always see that as a privilege. Since the power to perform miracles is not yours, God can use anyone else to do it. A man of God once said that if you remove God from him, there will be little left. I was surprised because, in my own case, if you remove God from me, there will be absolutely nothing left.

Beloved, never forget that without God, you are nothing. Anyone who thinks that he or she can be something without God is clearly on a path to destruction. No matter how anointed you are, never allow yourself to think that you are all-powerful. Ensure that you remain humble.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The anointing makes you a blessing to all kinds of people. In (2 Kings 4:1-7), Elisha was a blessing to a poor widow. You can put an end to someone’s poverty because you are anointed. Also, you can become a blessing, even to the rich and powerful. You can sit in your room and tell a rich fellow, “Go and wash,” as Elisha told Naaman, and if the fellow obeys, he will be healed. It is important to note, however, that if an anointed person blesses others solely for monetary gains, the problem of the rich will become the fellow’s problem as Naaman’s leprosy came upon Gehazi (2 Kings 5:20-27).

The anointing gives you the power to put smiles on the faces of people who would otherwise have been sorrowful. When I turned 80, I insisted that I wasn’t throwing a party. However, some General Overseers gathered in my office after the Holy Ghost Service that day. When they were asked to share testimonies, one of them, a medical doctor who is now a General Overseer, said two of his daughters became terribly sick. One was already gasping for breath when all of a sudden, he thought, “I have prayed, and nothing has happened, at least I know someone whose anointing is more than mine,” so he called me that night. When he told me what was happening, God asked me to tell him to do some things. When he started doing what I asked him to do, the other doctors that were with him started wondering what he was doing. He told them this wasn’t medicine, but an instruction that came from Redemption Camp. The children survived miraculously, and today, one of them is a doctor, and I think the other is an engineer. If you want to be able to turn sorrow away from families, pursue God’s anointing.

The anointing also gives you divine security. Our God is like a coin that has two sides, He is Love (1 John 4:, and He is also a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). When He says touch not my anointed, He is saying, “Don’t touch fire.” In Africa, we have a saying that even when a dog is mad, it still recognises fire. No matter how crazy a man may be, he will never walk into a fire. When you are anointed, you become too dangerous for the devil to touch.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, I made it clear that the anointed is not to be dishonoured for any reason. Now, the question someone may have in mind is, “What do we do with ministers of God who we believe to be erring?” This is a very delicate situation that requires God’s wisdom and direction. For example, in Numbers 12: 1-6, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of something they believed he did wrong. At the end of the day, Miriam became leprous and Moses had to pray to God for her to be healed.

It is not in your place to judge God’s servants; leave their judgments to their Master. In Romans 12:19, the Bible says clearly that vengeance is His, just report the matter to God, and He will deal with His anointed as He pleases.

Anointed ministers of God cannot hide under the canopy of being God’s anointed and begin to treat His sheep the way they like. Hebrews 10:31 says that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God; believe me, a fellow should not experience God dealing with him or her Himself. The reason we discipline erring workers is to shield them from God doing it Himself. When a pastor misbehaves, and the General Overseer suspends him, it is so that the Consuming Fire Himself will not be the one to do it. So, if a pastor overlooks a fellow’s wrongdoings because of his or her contributions to the church treasury, that pastor is doing more harm than good because God Himself will come in, and nobody wants to fall into the hands of the living God.

In 2 Samuel 11, David used his position to snatch another man’s wife and also got him killed. Nobody could punish him as there was no one who was superior to the king. God had to step in to punish him. From that point on, there was no peace in David’s home. Not long after, one of his sons, Amnon, raped his half-sister, and then another son, Absalom, killed him. Later, Absalom rose up against his father. To date, the sword has not departed from Israel on account of the Lord’s judgement over David (2 Samuel 12:9-10).

When a person is anointed by God and uses that anointing to cheat others, when God punishes that fellow, the punishment might last throughout his or her lineage from generation to generation.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, I talked about how dangerous the anointing can be when it is not properly handled. However, many anointed people believe that the caution to be careful with the anointing does not apply to them. This is not true. The fact that you are anointed does not give you permission to cause another anointed man of God harm. This is one of the major killers of some ministers of God; they speak evil of their colleagues, and when the repercussions come, they go to God complaining and wondering why things are not going well with them.

In 1 Samuel 24:1-6, a rare opportunity presented itself for David to kill King Saul, who had been seeking ways to kill him. David’s followers were happy about the opportunity, but David refused to kill him. However, so that Saul would know that he came close enough to kill him, he cut off a small part of his clothes. The Bible says his heart smote him, meaning that he was uncomfortable with what he did. Even though God had forsaken Saul, David still acknowledged that he could not lift his hand against him because he was anointed.

I remember when I was ordained a pastor and got anointed, for three days after they poured the oil on my head, I didn’t take my bath because I treasure the anointing. It took me a while to realise that no amount of soap can wash away the anointing. Once a person has been anointed, the fellow remains anointed even when he or she backslides. Even in that backslidden state, you must be careful of how you treat the person because of the anointing. I have never said anything negative about pastors who have left The Redeemed Christian Church of God dishonourably. The reason is that the oil is still on their head, and I don’t want any trouble with God.

The only exception is when God Himself authorises the action. For example, God may use the vessel that He used to anoint a man of God to deal with the same man of God. In this case, the vessel is acting as a representative of God. In (1 Samuel 15:27-29), Samuel refused to worship with Saul, and because Saul didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of his cabinet, he pulled Samuel back and tore his clothes. Samuel turned around and said, “Your kingdom is torn from you.” He made it clear that the reason he was making that decree was that the Lord who sent him to anoint Saul was pronouncing judgement on him.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When the anointing is handled positively, its effects are similar with handling electricity positively. When electricity is handled properly, it can produce light and heat just like with the microwave, but when handled carelessly, it can destroy. When handled the right way, the anointing can destroy yokes, according to Isaiah 10:27. However, when it is handled wrongly, it can kill. If a fellow messes around with electricity, he or she will get roasted.

In 2 Kings 1:9-12, a king sent some soldiers to arrest Elijah, and the captain met the man of God sitting on a hill. The captain ordered, “Man of God, come down.” Elijah answered, “So you know I’m a man of God, and you are talking to me like that? Roast!” Immediately, fire came down from heaven and burnt the captain and his soldiers. When the king waited, and those 51 soldiers didn’t come back, he sent another 50 soldiers with their captain. When the captain got there, he saw ashes on the floor. Speaking to Elijah, he was even more rude and said, “Man of God, come down quickly.” Again, Elijah roasted them. When people disdain the anointing, it may cost them their lives.


Years ago, when the military was ruling in Nigeria, the then-military head of state wanted to become a democratic ruler. His spiritual advisers told him that what he wanted to do would not succeed because of a man called Adeboye, who was always praying for the country in the Redemption Camp (now Redemption City). I was in the camp when one of my children who was privileged to hear the information came and said, “Daddy, you have to travel quickly, they are coming for you.” Although I am anointed, I was troubled. Fortunately, my wife wasn’t there when the message was delivered. Later that night, I told her that I wanted to go and pray. While I was praying, God spoke. He said, “Don’t worry about him, I have taken care of the situation.” Though it was the month of June, God told me to tell people to wish each other a happy new year during the Holy Ghost service. The Holy Ghost service held on a Friday, and by Sunday, the military dictator had been removed permanently.

Don’t joke with the anointing. One of the biggest mistakes we make as Christians is that we tend to get too familiar with the anointing. When people find an anointed man of God who is humble, there is a tendency to get overfamiliar with him, and this can be dangerous.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

An electric iron is really just a piece of iron until it is connected to electricity. When you connect an electric iron to electricity, it becomes something you can smoothen your rough clothes with. A television is basically a screen with some components and wires attached to it. When there is no electricity, it is just there, capable of nothing. However, the moment you connect it to electricity, you will be able to see what is happening in another part of the world in real time. This is how the anointing works, it changes the ordinary to the extraordinary.

In Judges 15:14-15, when they brought Samson before the Philistines, and they began to rejoice, the Bible says that the Spirit of God came mightily upon him and the ropes binding him were burnt as with fire. Then, he grabbed the jawbone of a dead ass, and as soon as the jawbone came in contact with the anointing, it became a weapon of mass destruction. The anointing turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Electricity, in its raw form, is like fire. You may not see it that way because it is controlled before it is passed into your house. In the same vein, the anointing is fire. When the Holy Ghost fell on the people at the upper room, they could see cloven tongues of fire on each person’s head. The difference between a bicycle and a motorcycle is fire. You can ride up to 100 kilometres on a bicycle using your physical strength, but by the time you are done, they may need to pour water on you. However, if you are on a motorcycle, you will cover the same distance in less time and without stress. That is what the anointing does. When you see a man working like ten men put together, and instead of getting tired, he remains fresh, the anointing is the difference. So, whenever you are anointed, what you are receiving is the firepower to achieve things that are beyond your normal capacity.

The anointing is not only for pastors. An anointed doctor will successfully handle medical cases that other doctors cannot handle. An anointed businessman will achieve greater feats than his normal capacity can achieve. When the anointing comes upon you, you are empowered to do more than you can ever imagine. For example, the anointing made Elijah outrun Ahab’s chariot (1 Kings 18:46).

Beloved, I encourage you to seek God’s anointing; it will give you tremendous speed and turn your life around for good.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many people seek to understand what exactly brings about miracles. When they see a man of God lay hands on a sick person and the sick person gets healed, they want to know what passed from his hand into the sick fellow’s body that caused the healing. When they say someone fell under the anointing, the question is, what is the anointing?

The anointing can be described as ‘heavenly electricity’, generated by the Holy Spirit. In other words, just like we have electricity here on earth that powers most of our appliances, the anointing is the electricity of heaven. When you see an anointed fellow, that fellow has connected himself to the generator of the anointing in heaven, which is the Holy Spirit, and he now has the heavenly electricity flowing in him. Acts 1:8 says that you will receive power when the Holy Ghost comes upon you. It is that connection with the Holy Ghost that makes the anointing flow through you. You must note, however, that the anointing is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the generator of the anointing. The Holy Spirit is God Himself.

How then do you connect with the Holy Spirit in order to get the anointing? The first thing you must note is that He is called the Holy Spirit because He cannot be near anything that is unholy. If you want to connect with the Holy Spirit, you must be holy. God will not anoint a sinner. Amos 3:3 says that two cannot walk together except they be agreed. If you are not holy, the Holy Spirit cannot work in you.

Also, just as you connect with a man when you speak his language, you connect with the Holy Spirit when you speak in tongues. The more you speak in tongues, the more heavenly electricity you are generating into your body and the more anointed you will be. You see, how anointed you are depends heavily on how much faith you have. Jude 1:20 says that you build up your holy faith by speaking in the Holy Ghost. So, the more you speak in the Holy Ghost, the greater your faith will be. The greater your faith, the more anointing you will have to do the impossible. You must note also that there are some levels of the anointing that you cannot reach if you don’t add regular fasting to your regular prayers (Matthew 17:21).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Mark 16:17-18 tells us that as a believer in Christ, you are to cast out demons and perform all kinds of miracles. The question now is, are you a believer? If the answer is yes, then you too can perform miracles as Jesus did. You may then ask, “Why have I not been able to perform any miracle thus far?”

In Mark 3:13-15, Jesus’ disciples were told what to do. They were to keep Him company, preach, heal sicknesses, and cast out demons. The reason most Christians have not been working miracles is that they have not been following this order. How much time do you spend fellowshipping with God? This is the first step in working miracles. You must spend quality time studying your Bible and praying daily. The more time you spend in His company, the more His power will rest on you.


You are also required to preach the gospel. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

Many believers don’t evangelise. God will not give you the power to work miracles just so you can show off, He will only do so if you will use it to win souls for Him. If you get these first two steps right, the power to work miracles will follow duly.

Many people feel it is not compulsory for them to have the power of God. If I feel it is not compulsory to heal, then I won’t pay the sacrifice that will make healing easy. If I am not concerned when somebody dies, I won’t pray much before I ask the family members to arrange for the burial of the fellow. If you truly understand that God is expecting you to be the channel through which He will heal the sick and raise the dead, that it is a must that you cast out demons and that some demons won’t leave except by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21), your attitude to food and pleasure should change.

If you are His disciple, according to Mark 3:13-15, you are expected to heal the sick. Every now and then, God will send you to raise the dead, cast out demons, and cleanse people with incurable diseases (Matthew10:7-. If you are His disciple, it is compulsory that you pay the price and receive the power to work miracles.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

PRAYERS FOR THE CHURCH

1. Father, thank You for the glory that you have put on Your church and for everything You are doing through Your church on the earth.

2. Lord, please help the church in my nation to remain faithful to Your calling. Don’t let the church derail from its purpose on the earth, in Jesus’ name.

3. Father, please let Your love increase amongst the different denominations of the church. Let us all see ourselves as one, in Jesus’ name.

4. Father, please help church leaders all around the world. Protect them from all the attacks of the enemy, and don’t let them get weary in doing Your work, in Jesus’ name.

5. Father, please provide the resources for Your church to advance Your kingdom here on earth, in Jesus’ name.

6. Father, please increase the influence of the church in every area of life and every aspect of human endeavour, in Jesus’ name.

7. Father, please help the church in my nation to overcome all the challenges that may arise; help us to emerge triumphant, in Jesus’ name.

8. Father, please let Your Spirit and power fill your church. Help us to experience more of Your power, even more than the churches of old, in Jesus’ name.

9. Father, please provide everything that the church needs to carry out Your mandate of winning souls to Your kingdom. Equip and empower us to fulfil Your mandate on earth, in Jesus’ name.

10. Father, please plant Your undying love in the church so that we can show love to the world and attract more souls to Your kingdom, in Jesus’ name.

11. Father, please give the church the wisdom to dominate in our generation, and even in generations to come, in Jesus’ name.

12. Your personal prayer points for your local assembly.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There are many people who have received an impartation of God’s anointing, however, miracles are yet to happen through them. When a fellow receives the anointing, it remains dormant in him or her until it is stirred up. When Elisha got Elijah’s mantle, it remained an ordinary cloth until he used it to strike the river and asked the river to part.

I once attended a Kenneth Hagin meeting in Tulsa, USA, and saw a raw demonstration of the power of God. I made up my mind to see him, and by God’s grace, I was able to. He asked me, “Young man, what do you want?” I replied, “Sir, I want everything in you that has made you who you are.” After attending to everyone else in his office, he turned to me and said, “Young man, kneel down.” I knelt and saw his two big hands coming towards my head – that was the last thing I remembered. By the time I came around, I was on the floor, and he was kneeling by me with his hands on my head while praying furiously in tongues.

When we returned to Nigeria, I begged Papa, the General Superintendent of RCCG, to let me line people up and pray for them. In those days, we didn’t pray for anybody, everyone prayed by themselves. Papa allowed me, and so, during the evening service on that Sunday, we lined people up. Some people who had been in Tulsa with me saw that people fell when Kenneth Hagin laid hands on them, so, they came to stand behind the people that were lined up to catch them if they fell. I laid hands on the first fellow, but he didn’t fall. I wasn’t discouraged because I knew that people falling is not necessarily an indication that miracles have happened. However, by the time I got to the seventh fellow, someone fell under the anointing. After that, a couple of others also fell. I stirred up the gift that I had received and then saw it work mightily.

If hands have been laid on you, or you have been anointed by a man of God, it is not time to relax. The impartation will remain dormant if you don’t use it. Look for opportunities to pray for people and stir up the gift. The first fellow you pray for may not be healed immediately, however, keep stirring the gift, and soon, you will see it work mightily.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Consecration means being totally surrendered to God, in other words, holding on to Him and Him alone. Unfortunately, a lot of people hold on to Jesus with one hand and hold on to the world with the other. How do you explain Christians who claim to have given their all to Christ but who still consult witch doctors over challenging situations? Truly consecrated Christians are ready to go all the way for God. Such people may go through a lot of suffering for the Lord, but they will still count it all joy, as long as God is with them (James 1:2).

A good example of a genuinely consecrated person was Apostle Paul. He was totally sold out to God, such that even when God warned him about being apprehended in Jerusalem, he still went there to preach the gospel (Acts 21:11-14). He was so consecrated that he declared in Galatians 2:20:

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Consecrated people care about God more than anyone or anything else. I was watching an interview on Dove Television one day, and the guest said that in the past, all Christians cared about was for God to use them, but nowadays, people are more interested in how they can use God. Many people just use Christianity as a cover-up to look good in the society, but when a little test comes, they denounce Christ. For example, these days, many Christians compromise their faith to get married. They wear revealing outfits to attract men, attend ungodly gatherings with the hope of finding suitors, and worse still, engage in premarital sex.

A missionary’s inspiring story greatly impacted my decision to be consecrated to God. She was serving in an area that was hostile to Christianity. On her wedding day, while she was getting ready, the authorities raided her home and arrested her for preaching the gospel. Instead of crying, she smiled, kissed the handcuffs and said, “Lord, I didn’t know I was so special to You that You didn’t want to share me with anyone else. How beautiful is Your wedding ring to me.” She was so sold out to God that while others saw a disaster, she saw the handcuffs as God’s wedding ring to her as His bride.

Beloved, are you consecrated to Jesus?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Jesus knows the end from the beginning, so He knew that what was going to happen to Him on the cross would be very terrible. This made Him pray in Matthew 26:39, saying, “…O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” The Bible recorded that while He was saying this prayer, His sweat was like blood. This tells us that He took that prayer very seriously. Yet, Jesus still decided to go through with the suffering.

Jesus did not lay down His life out of compulsion. He said clearly in John 10:18 that He laid down His life willingly. That statement is heavy, and it made me ask, “What kind of love will make a man surrender Himself to be humiliated and slaughtered like this?”

I saw the perfect answer to my question in John 15:13 which says:

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

This is the greatest kind of love in the world. Jesus loves you more than anyone in the world can ever love you, and He showed it by laying down His life for you.

Again, I asked myself, “What will make a man surrender His life like this?” I saw the answer to this question in John 10:11-12. The Good Shepherd never deserts the sheep when He sees a wolf coming. He stays and protects the sheep from being devoured because of the love He has for the sheep. The devil is the wolf that tries to steal, kill and destroy, while Jesus is the Good Shepherd that laid down His life for you to have eternal life.

Jesus is the only genuine protection you can get from the claws of the wolf – the devil. If you believe in Him, and surrender your life to Him, the wolf will have no power over you because Jesus has already died for you. The wolf, however, is free to devour anyone that is not following Jesus or believers that stray away from Him.

Beloved, if you don’t want to be prey to the devil, give your life to Jesus Christ now. Commit to following Him and Him alone. He paid the ultimate price for you, and He is the only One that can lead you into everlasting life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When Jesus Christ was on the cross, He appeared to be helpless. This was a man who could call 12 legions of angels to come to His rescue, yet, He was nailed to a cross, and it seemed like he was helpless. Truly, what can a person whose hands and feet have been nailed to a cross do? For example, while Jesus was on the cross, he said, “I thirst.” Instead of giving Him water, they gave Him vinegar, and He could do nothing about it. This was not because He did not have the power to do whatever He wanted, but because if He had saved Himself at that time, you and I would have become preys to the devil. So, because of His love for us, He was helpless. He became helpless so that you can be helped. If you have been washed by the blood of Jesus, you will never lack help, in Jesus’ name.

On the cross, Jesus was lonely. He cried in Matthew 27:46, “…My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.” He was not even talking about how His disciples forsook Him. They left Him when He was arrested, but now, even God forsook Him. That was the biggest heartbreak for Him because there had never been a time when God was not with Him. However, He went through all that so that God can be with you always. He went through that gruelling experience so that you will never be alone and so that whenever you call on God, He will answer you.

Everything that happened at Calvary was sorrowful for Jesus; you cannot experience such pain and shame and not be sorrowful. He, however, put Himself through that sorrow so that you can have joy. Therefore, if you are truly washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, everything causing you sorrow is banished now, in Jesus’ name.

He did it all for you to have a life that is beyond what this world can give you – eternal life. The question now is, are you enjoying the benefits of the sacrifice He made for you on the cross? Are you truly washed in His blood? Are you living your life like Christ? The benefits of the sacrifice He paid are only for those who live holy. Anyone who truly lives holy will experience the benefits of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. I have made up my mind to live holy for the rest of my life, what about you?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Whenever God wants to talk to a congregation, no matter how large, He will address individuals. Revelations 3:20 was written to an entire Church, but He said, “If any man…” John 3:16 says, “God loved the whole world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever…”

We came into this world one at a time. Genesis 25:21-26 makes it clear that even when twins are born, they come out one at a time. Even if the twins are to be delivered by a Caesarean operation, the doctor will bring one out first before the second. Romans 14:12 says that we are all going to give an account of ourselves before God. The messages you read in this devotional are not for everybody, they are for you in particular.

Whenever David wants to talk about something very serious, he personalises it. In Psalm 23:1, he said, “The Lord is MY shepherd; I shall not want.” He didn’t say, “The Lord is our shepherd.” Whenever some brethren want to close a service, they will say, “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” I always wonder where they got that from because it is not written in my Bible. What is written is, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psalm 23:6). Goodness and mercy are not for us they are for me. The result of my dwelling is for me, not for us.

In Psalm 27:8, David said, “When you said, seek my face, my heart says, thy face will I seek.” I don’t know what others are thinking, how far they want to go in the Lord, and how hungry and thirsty for God they are. I cannot thirst and hunger for God on their behalf. Don’t let someone else’s lack of hunger for God affect you, even if he is your pastor. Your walk with God is personal. When you come face to face with God in judgement, you will give an account of yourself individually. So, if you see someone who does not take his Christian life seriously, don’t let it bother you; Christianity is an individual matter.

Seek the face of God and encourage others to do so, but don’t let their laxity influence you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The lust of the eyes, the pride of life, and the lust of the flesh are reasons many take what belongs to other people. The obsession to have it all without working for them and being controlled by material things will eventually lead to stealing. God wants you to have everything you truly need but in His own way and at His own time. He is willing to give you everything you need and more, but you must seek Him and His righteousness first.

Nobody can bless you more than God, so it is better to wait for God’s blessing because it will make you rich without any form of sorrow being added to it (Proverbs 10:22). Don’t let the devil deceive you with flashy things. Mark 8:36 says that all the material gains in the world will profit you nothing if you lose your soul. Beloved, please do not trade your soul for material gains by stealing. Nothing at all in this world is worth your soul.

God frowns strongly at stealing. If you desire to have more, work more. Do not take from those who have laboured for their possessions. Some people try to categorise and rationalise stealing. For example, some people will say corruption is not stealing. Some will even try to explain why internet fraud is different from stealing. Beloved, the moment a person takes something that does not belong to him or her without the permission of the owner or under false pretences, that fellow has stolen.

In 1 Corinthians 6:10, the Bible makes it clear that no thief will enter heaven. The devil is the father of thieves because, according to John 10:10, stealing is his first assignment in any man’s life. My father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi, used to say that your father will take care of you with whatever he has. If your father is God, then He will take care of you with healings, blessings, and long life, but if your father is the devil, he will take care of you with sicknesses, marital problems, death, and the like. Thieves should never expect God to answer their prayers because God is not their father.

In Leviticus 6:4 and Exodus 22:1-4 God said that if you have stolen something, you are to return it to the fellow you stole from in double fold. Don’t keep stolen property in your possession. Finally, let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth (Ephesians 4:28).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many young people these days see their elders as ‘old school’ and think that they can do without them – they are making a big mistake. I know there’s a lot of advancement in science and technology these days, and that the youth have more access to information than ever before, but no matter how many resources they have, there is one thing the elders have that they do not, and that is experience.

The elders have walked the path you are walking now and can tell you the outcome of whatever you are doing, even before you start. They have experienced far more than internet search engines can show you. Some of them have made mistakes in the past that you don’t have to make if only you let them guide you. The problem, however, is that many youths think that they are very wise, and such thoughts can put them in trouble.

There is a popular saying in Africa that what an elder sees while sitting on a chair, the child cannot see it, even if he climbs an iroko tree. I learnt a lot from the Late Pa S.G Elton though there were bits of advice he gave at the time that I thought were wrong. Today, I now know he was totally right. Thank God I listened to him. There are things about yourself that you don’t know and cannot see, but an elder will see them and advise you appropriately. Proverbs 30:12 says:

There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

You could think that your talent and knowledge are enough to make you successful, but an elder will point your attention to a character flaw that you must get rid of if you really want to be successful.

When you’re employed in an organisation, respect those who have been there long before you. In church, give ears to what the elders have to say. At home, don’t neglect the advice of your parents, grandparents, uncles and aunties. When you do this, they will share some of their valuable experiences with you, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom (Isaiah 11:2), you will be able to put all their bits of advice together wisely. This will give you an unparalleled advantage over your peers in the journey of life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There are many people who become born again and say that they don’t want to preach the gospel. They think that as long as they don’t backslide, they are fine. This is a fallacy. You have joined yourself to the Vine, and John 15:2 states clearly that every branch that is joined to the Vine must bear fruit. It is a must to bear fruit if you want to continue to be a part of the Vine.

Do you want to be a part of the Vine? You must do the work of an evangelist. Backsliding as a believer does not only start with drawing away from God and committing sin. Refusal to preach the gospel is also a form of backsliding. John 15:6 tells us that any branch the Father cuts off is going straight into the fire.

Some people who preach about unlimited grace usually say that once you are born again, nothing can ever send you to hell; I disagree completely with this theology. When people become born again, they become a part of the Vine, but if they do not produce fruits, they will be cut off from the Vine. When a person is cut off from the Vine, he or she will dry up, and men will gather whatever is left to be thrown into the fire – that is clearly what the word of God says. So, in your own interest, make sure you are bearing fruits for the Most High God.

Another reason you must win souls is so that your prayers can be answered. John 15:16 says:

But I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

I don’t know if you have observed that it appears as if God often sends the answers to the prayers of baby Christians relatively promptly. You probably experienced those prompt responses to your prayers when you freshly became born again, but now, does it appear as if you sometimes command mountains to move, and it seems like they refuse to yield? Has God changed? Does He no longer fulfil His promises? Why then are your answers being delayed? It just might be because you have not been winning souls.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In John 9:4, the Bible says, “I must do the work,” not “I may do the work.” It is neither an option nor a piece of advice. Doing God’s work is compulsory for all His children; this simply means that you have no choice in the matter. In 1 Corinthians 9:16, Apostle Paul said:

For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

When it comes to doing the work of God, you must not see yourself as a volunteer. Apostle Paul said doing God’s work was a necessity, and he even went ahead to pronounce a curse on himself if he did not preach the gospel of Jesus.

Apostle Paul clearly did not see himself as a volunteer. God does not use people who see themselves as volunteers. Once God chooses someone, the fellow has no choice but to do the work. In John 15:16, God said you have not chosen Him, but He has chosen you. The moment He chooses you, the moment you find yourself as a minister of God, you must do what He wants. In Philippians 1:20, Paul said:

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

Workers are not volunteers but soldiers that must do the bidding of the One who has called them. 2 Timothy 2:4 says:

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Whether we like it or not, this world is a war front. We are at war and so, we should not distract ourselves with mundane things. We must be focused on obeying the commands of our Commandant promptly and completely. We must do the work required of us by Him so that we will be victorious.

In Matthew 28:19, our Commandant gave a command that directs those of us who call ourselves His workers and ministers to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The assignment is very clear, and it is a direct order. There is no room for deliberation; act now!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There are many people walking around with curses that they do not have to carry. There are families suffering under curses that they no longer have to suffer. Beloved, if you are in such a situation, I bring good news to you. Curses placed by men can be cancelled, and I pray for you today that all curses placed on you are cancelled, in Jesus’ name.

In Joshua 6:26, Joshua placed a curse on Jericho and from that moment on, the people of Jericho suffered under the curse. Many prophets came and went, but the people of Jericho continued to suffer in silence under the curse. At last, when Elijah was taken away, they realised that if they didn’t do something about the curse, their land would remain barren, and death would be rampant amongst them forever. So, they called on Elisha to help them. In 2 Kings 2:19-22, Elisha said, “Go and bring me salt in a new cruse.” They brought it to him, and he took it in his hands, went to the source of their river, poured in the salt and said, “Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.” From that day, the curse was cancelled.

Any curse on your life or family can also be cancelled today if you refuse to continue living under it. All you need is a person with a higher power and anointing to break the curse. If the curse was placed by your biological father, you can go to your spiritual father, and he can cancel the curse. This is because the spiritual controls the physical. Also, if it was placed by a man or woman of God, go to a minister of God who has a greater anointing than that fellow, and he or she can cancel the curse. If the curse was placed by a witch or wizard, an anointed man or woman of God can cancel it because the anointing breaks yokes (Isaiah 10:27).

Beloved, you must, however, also note that beyond going to any man or woman of God to cancel curses on your behalf, you must seek God’s anointing as well. You must pray, fast, study your Bible, and fellowship with God so much that you begin to carry His glory and power. When you do this, no curse can rest on you. If God is with you like He was with the Israelites in Numbers 24, you will be blessed, and no curse will be able to rest on you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The story I shared yesterday reminds me of three Ugandan boys I met at the Christian programme in Kenya. Those boys were probably hungrier for God than any of us at that programme. During break times, while everyone was buying sandwiches, those three boys would sit together, singing praises to God. I asked why they never ate when everyone else ate, and they responded that food was not their concern. Firstly, they had no money to buy food. Secondly, they said they were praying to return safely and not get arrested or even executed by the then-Ugandan military ruler upon their return. For three days, they had eaten nothing and were just glad to be there. For the rest of our stay, whatever little I had, I shared with them. I told them to write to me when they got back home safely, and they did to the glory of God.

Your hunger for God should be such that you won’t even remember to eat when it is time to seek Him. You should be so hungry for God that you are willing to risk your life just to know Him more. I get amazed anytime we call a fast, and some people grumble. They are not hungry for God enough to fast for just a few days in the year to draw closer to Him.

In the 1970s, I used to gather some RCCG youths in a place called ‘Youth Camp’. Accommodation and feeding were usually included in our payment for the venue, but people rarely cared to eat after the sessions. I usually had to beg them to eat so we would not waste the food. They didn’t care much for food, they only wanted the word of God. Jeremiah 15:16 says:

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

What exactly are the things you are hungry for? Food? Fame? Money? Put them all aside and let your hunger and thirst every day be for God. Matthew 6:33 says:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Beloved, please get your priorities right. David, in Psalm 63:1-8, said that his soul will follow hard after God. Can you say the same for yourself?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Nowadays, many churches are set up to make the congregants very comfortable; this is fine. However, we must not get carried away such that we prioritise comfort over why we really come to services – to have an encounter with God. Whether there is comfort or discomfort, when you know that God is in a meeting, forget your social status and rush there! Don’t go for Christian programmes to look for comfort; there are no big men in the house of God (James 2:1-9). If you go to church to flaunt your social status, there is something deeply missing in your Christian life.

The first time I went to a Christian programme outside Nigeria was in Kenya around 1975. Our group could not afford a hotel or even travel tickets. We had to pray for God to provide the tickets, and He did. Fortunately, there was a boarding school with dormitories that were made available for free to anybody coming for the programme. I was a university lecturer, and there were so many of us in those dormitories, but I didn’t care; we weren’t there to show off, we went to seek the Lord. Thank God I went through that because I can never forget the experience; that was the first time I saw God’s throne room. I will gladly sleep on the floor to see God’s throne room.

One thing I know about God is that you must search for Him if you want to truly know Him. This is why Isaiah 55:6 says that you should seek Him while He may be found. You have to seek God diligently if you really want to get to know Him. When you are seeking His face concerning something, how comfortable you feel should not be a hindrance.

I remember one time when I had been praying concerning a matter for about two years. I was invited to preach at a meeting, and that was where God answered me. If I had missed that meeting, I might never have heard from God concerning the matter. God shows up when two or three are gathered in His name, so, if you have been seeking Him concerning a matter and He hasn’t shown up, go to a fellowship where people are gathered in His name and remind Him of His promise in Matthew 18:20. After the fellowship, whatever discomfort you may have experienced in seeking Him would be gone, but your encounter with Him will remain forever. Sometimes you may have to choose between getting your miracle and comfort – I hope you choose wisely.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Over the past two days, I have been discussing some lessons from Philippians 3:10, and today, I will be going even deeper. Apostle Paul said clearly that he wanted to know the fellowship of Jesus’ sufferings; in other words, he wanted to partake in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. Ordinary Christians don’t pray this kind of prayer; the prayer of the ordinary Christian usually sounds as follows, “God heal me, set me free, give me a car, prosper me, promote me, make me fruitful.” You won’t hear an ordinary Christian praying, “God, let me suffer for you.” I pray for you that you will leave the company of the ordinary today and enter into the company of the extraordinary, in Jesus’ name. Paul was a great example of an extraordinary Christian. He was eager to know God and to suffer for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:16-17 says:

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

It is when we suffer with Jesus that we can be glorified with Him. Paul said, “Let no man trouble me, I bear in my body the marks of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:17). In other words, he was saying, “I have scars to show that I suffered with Him.”

God glorifies those who are partakers of the sufferings of Christ. It’s just like a responsible man whose wife suffered with him during tough times. When things get better, there will be nothing money can afford that he will not buy for her. One of the reasons I value my wife greatly today is that when I resigned from lecturing and moved into the middle of nowhere, telling everyone that it is a city that God promised me, she moved in with me. It was tough, but she backed me all the way and partook in my suffering. Now that things are better, she is partaking in the glory.

Are you seeking for opportunities to experience the fellowship of Jesus’ suffering? Have you suffered with Him in any way? Congratulations if you said, ‘Yes’ genuinely to these questions because when it is time to be glorified, you will be glorified with Jesus. If you, however, are among those denying Him, remember that He said that He will also deny such persons before His Father in Heaven (Matthew 10:33).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When Apostle Paul said that he wanted to know the power of His resurrection in Philippians 3:10, he was saying that he wanted to know the power that raised Jesus from the dead. There is a power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. That power, according to Romans 8:11, is the power of the Holy Spirit, the power that can quicken your mortal body. That power is still available to the children of God even after Jesus Christ died, rose, and went to heaven.

It is a great thing to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. However, there is an experience and encounter that goes far beyond being baptised in the Holy Spirit. When you are baptised in the Holy Spirit, you speak in tongues, but speaking in tongues is not enough; you need to be baptised by fire too. Speaking in tongues is wonderful, and I encourage it, but you can’t go to some nations, get into their marketplaces, and start speaking in tongues and think you will win souls for Christ; you might lose your head or spend the rest of your life in prison! You need the fire of the Holy Ghost.

Whether you believe it or not, every force that is in heaven, on earth, or underneath the earth, is subject to that power that raised Jesus from the dead. This is why the world fears Pentecostalism. If there was one dead fellow that the devil did not want to rise, it was Jesus Christ, because he knew that if Jesus rose from the dead, he was finished. However, that power that raised Jesus from the dead was so powerful that with all the things that the devil tried in Matthew 27:62-66, Jesus still rose from the dead. He is higher than all principalities and powers, and His rising from the dead opened the door for you and me to also be higher than them. Ephesians 2:6 says:

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

The scripture above shows clearly that believers in Jesus Christ are now seated with Him in heavenly places. Once you know that power that raised Jesus from the dead, no witch, wizard, demon, or principality will be able to overcome you. You will begin to command demons, and they will obey speedily. If you want to know that power, pray this prayer with all your heart:
" Lord, baptise me with the Holy Spirit and fire. Please let me know that power that raised You from the dead."
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Today’s topic is actually the prayer of people who feel that they don’t know God enough and want to know Him more.

Daniel 11:32 says that those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits. To know God the way He ought to be known is very beneficial. If you know Him as He should be known, you will gladly surrender your life completely to Him. You will gladly surrender your future to Him because you will suddenly say, “What am I anyway, that did not originate in God? Who am I anyway, if God didn’t make me who I am? What can ever happen in my future that He doesn’t know already?” Total surrender only becomes possible when you truly know Him. You can only go wherever He asks you to if you know Him as you should.

A young married couple came to Africa for a missionary trip on their honeymoon. While walking around, they came across a really huge fence with gates. They found the gateman and asked, “Who are the people behind these walls?” The gateman answered, “Lepers,” and the couple asked another question, “Has anyone preached the gospel to them?” The gateman said, “Anyone who goes in there doesn’t come out. We throw food to them over the gate.” The couple insisted that they needed to go in to preach to them. The gateman reiterated that anyone who goes in never comes out. The husband looked at his wife, and she said, “What the Lord said is ‘go’. He didn’t say anything about coming back.” That was one couple that really knew God!

You can’t know God through preaching, you can only know Him if He reveals Himself to you. I never went to any Bible college. Even though I learnt a lot from my Father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi and Pa S.G Elton, God had to reveal Himself to me. Only God can reveal Himself to you, and this was why Jesus said to Peter, “Flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). The first time I heard people praying, “Oh God of Adeboye, come and do this for me,” | was shocked, and I asked myself, “Who is Adeboye?” However, somebody must have thought to himself, “We may not know God so well, but there is somebody who knows Him.” I pray that you will know Him the way He ought to be known, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Knowing fully well that there is a time to be born and a time to die, we ought to be thankful to God for each day that He gives us life. I, however, have a question I will like you to answer sincerely – what will people remember you for after you’ve left the earth? Another question which I consider even more important than the initial one is, when your time is up on earth, what account will you give to God of how you spent your life? Hebrews 9:27 says:

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

In other words, death is not the end of our existence, but rather a transition to another state. One way our lives carry on after death is through the things we are remembered for. There are those whose remembrance brings gladness and joy, while the remembrance of some others brings bitterness and sorrowful memories.

One woman who was remembered for good after she died was Dorcas. She was one of the early believers in our Lord, and she lived a good life of service and righteousness. This is the testimony of her life as written in Acts 9:36:

…this woman was full of good works and alms deeds which she did.

A lesson here for us is that our good works play a great role in showing our faith and commitment to God. Speaking on this, James 2:15-17 says:

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

The gospel of Jesus must find practical expression in your life through your good works; the testimony of the brethren concerning Dorcas confirms this. She was so full of good works that the church found it difficult to accept her demise, and so, she was brought back to life. Psalm 112:5-6 says:

A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

Beloved, what good deeds will people remember you for? Think about this and remember the words of Proverbs 10:7.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The twenty-four elders in heaven made it clear in Revelation 4:11 that we were created to fulfil God’s pleasure. When we live for ourselves alone, we negate the purpose of our existence. When a person lives for God, he or she would not abuse any privilege or opportunity.

Joseph is a good example of someone who lived for God and his fellow human beings, particularly his brothers. Even though they eventually repaid him with evil, his selfless service made him go the extra mile to find them and deliver their food to them when he couldn’t locate them initially. He could have returned home with the supplies he took with him, but he didn’t. You can find the story in Genesis 37:13-28. Joseph’s love for God caused him to reject the sexual advances of his master’s wife. He could not bear doing anything that will displease God, and this made him say in Genesis 39:9:

There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Furthermore, his love for people made him interpret the dreams of his fellow inmates, which led to him becoming the Prime Minister of Egypt. When he eventually came into power, he did not consider the hardships he endured due to the cruelty of his brothers when they sold him into slavery. The love of God in him made him realise that his sufferings served a higher purpose for God and humanity. He said in Genesis 50:20:

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Our Father in heaven wants us to live a selfless life so that we can attain the fullness of His purpose for our lives. Those who are selfish short-change themselves without knowing it.

Moses, even though he lived in affluence in Pharaoh’s palace, decided to suffer with his brethren (the Israelites) and eventually saved them from bondage by leading them out of Egypt (Hebrews 11:24-27). His selflessness ensured that he fulfilled God’s purpose for his life and the nation of Israel at large. Beloved, begin to live beyond yourself, and you will have the fullness of God’s grace to divinely prosper, both spiritually and physically.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The more we are in our local assemblies, the merrier our services will be. If we are not many, how can we make a joyful noise? The more we are, the louder the noise we can make, and the merrier it will be to praise God together. Let me tell you what I believe to be the origin of clapping. One day, the fingers woke up and heard the birds singing, and they said, “O God, we also want to praise You.” They tried to make a sound individually, but no sound came. Suddenly, they said, “If two of us should cooperate, maybe we can produce some sound.” So, one finger cooperated with another finger, and they discovered that there was a little snapping sound. They took it further, and one finger cooperated with the other palm. They made a better sound, and then another finger decided to join in. The sound improved, and yet another finger joined in. Before long, all the fingers were jamming together in praise, making a joyful noise to the Lord.

In the same token, the more we are, the greater our impact will be in the world. When we are many, the impact we will make cannot be ignored because it will be significant. When ten people come together against a policy of the government, the government can easily ignore them. However, when 10,000 people come together to speak against the same policy, it will be very difficult for the government to ignore them. The governing powers in the environment where your local assembly is situated will take you more seriously when you are many. As a result, your local assembly can influence the culture and policies in that environment.

When we are many, projects become easier to accomplish. When ten people come together to do something, they will have to put in a lot of effort and personal resources to get it done. However, if 100 people come together to do the same thing, they obviously will need less individual effort and personal resources to get that thing done. Therefore, projects are done faster and easier when we are many.

Beloved, if truly God is your father, you should be committed to the expansion of His kingdom. Preach the gospel anywhere you find yourself and set a personal target to win at least one soul to Christ per day. If you cannot go to the mission field, support missionaries with your prayers and your personal resources. The more Christians we have around the world, the greater our impact will be.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

After Jesus’ resurrection, He showed Himself to His disciples. He did this for two major reasons. The first was for them to see Him and know that He wasn’t dead but alive (1 Corinthians 15:6). The second reason was to give them final instructions before leaving the earth. What instruction was so important that He had to give them before leaving? That instruction is in Mark 16:15-18.

Now that He had paid the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus said, “Go and tell everyone around the world that they don’t have to perish in hell. If they can just believe in Me, they will have power over sicknesses, demons, and poisons, and also end up in heaven rather than hell.” This is the instruction He gave to His disciples before He left. Are you one of His disciples? If your answer is ‘Yes’, have you been obeying this instruction? Have you been preaching the gospel to sinners?

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Romans 10:14

I want you to ponder on the Bible verse above and on the fact that many people will go to hell if no one tells them about the gospel. Ponder on the fact that some of your friends, neighbours, and colleagues may go to hell if you don’t tell them about Jesus Christ. A man had a dream where he saw an angel coming from hell with a letter for him. The angel said, “This letter is from somebody who said he knows you”. The fellow was his friend. In the letter, he wrote, “I am here because you didn’t tell me about the dangers of this place. In all the years we were together, you did not tell me I was heading for danger.” The man woke up, and as soon as it was daybreak, he went to his friend’s house to preach the gospel to him. When he knocked on the door, a fellow came to open it and said, “You have heard?” He responded, “Heard what?” The fellow replied, “Your friend passed away in the night.” This man could have saved his friend from eternal damnation. Give your friends and colleagues the opportunity to escape eternal damnation; tell them about Jesus Christ. Tell everyone you come in contact with about Jesus Christ.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

My Father in the Lord came to visit me in my little house in Ilesha in 1975. We prayed that night, and everyone went to bed – at least that was what I thought. When I went to the toilet at the backyard before I slept around 10pm, I saw my Father in the Lord praying. Around 5am, I went to the toilet again, and he was still on his knees praying. Later that morning, I asked him if there was any problem as I thought praying overnight meant there was a serious problem at hand. He smiled and said, “There is no problem. Don’t worry; you will understand soon.” I was shocked to know that there was no problem, yet he prayed all night. I also knew that God had told me to emulate Him.

One pastor came to me years ago and said, “When we started this journey together, we were on the same level. Now you are far ahead of us. Tell us the secret.” I said, “There is nothing I am doing that you don’t know; I fast, pray and keep vigils. If you want to be as I am, do the same.” Another man of God from another ministry was praying, “God, give me ten per cent of what you gave Pastor Adeboye; I will be satisfied.” God told him, “Do what Pastor Adeboye is doing, and I will give you what I gave him.” He asked God, “What is he doing?” God said, “He started with 40 days of fasting and prayers.” He said, “God, I think I am okay the way I am.” Only those that are willing to make sacrifices will be great. You cannot be great by loading your body with food and your mind with entertainment – those things only give surface and temporary benefits. Someone with financial issues can watch a funny movie and laugh, such that people will call him a happy man, but after the movie is over, he will go back to face his problems. The benefits of a life without sacrifice are temporary. Don’t be deceived by temporary pleasures; pay the price to fulfil your destiny and achieve greatness.

The taller a building will be, the deeper its builders must dig before laying its foundation. The things that will take you very high in life are mostly things done in private. The way you pray, fast, study, work, etc., in private will determine how great you will become.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.