Nehemiah 8:10 says the joy of the Lord is your strength. Joy produces strength and strength is the ability to do work. Joy is the energy drink that heaven gives you to keep you strong and healthy enough to work. The thing about this energy drink is that it has different concentrations, depending on how much of it is needed per time. The one with the smallest concentration is what I will call regular joy. You are supposed to have a dose of it every morning. Psalm 30:5 says weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. People who suffer depression find it difficult to even stand from their beds in the morning. If you are experiencing any form of depression or sadness, I pray that the Lord will fill you with joy and strengthen you, in Jesus’ name.

One of the ways of getting joy is through hearing good news. Psalm 51:8 says, “Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice”.

A brother returned from work so tired he refused dinner and just went to bed. As soon as he got to his room, his fiancée came to visit. His mother welcomed her but said the brother was very tired and had gone to bed. However, the brother heard his fiancée’s voice and rushed out. He went to his mother and asked what he could offer the young lady. She replied, “There is rice but you will have to cook it”. He said, “No problem, I will cook”. The mother looked at him with surprise, wondering how he who had been too tired to even eat was now ready to cook. The good news that his fiancée was around had given him strength that even he did not know he had. You will hear good news every morning, in Jesus’ name.

The word of God is good news, it gives joy. Study it every morning; you will experience joy and receive strength. 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.”

Before you read the newspapers or blogs where you will most likely hear bad news, read the word of God to get the good news you need to strengthen you for the day.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Time is quite a difficult concept to define. One very simple way to describe it is that it is a river that constantly flows. It keeps flowing in a certain direction and carries everyone along with it. No matter what you are doing, time keeps flowing on. Therefore, when you don’t do what you are supposed to at the right time, not only would you have wasted a part of your time on earth, but a part of your life also. This is why you cannot afford to be lazy.

One of the things you must understand about the river called time is that as it is carrying you on, it is constantly throwing opportunities at you. It carries you through these opportunities from the day you were born until the day you die. As you flow, you go from one place to another and come across one person or another. Each person or place comes as an opportunity. If you don’t grab it when you are there, you may miss it forever as the river doesn’t flow backwards. When you understand this about time, you will realise that what decides if you will be successful is your ability to identify and make use of opportunities (Ecclesiastes 9:11).

The river called time has boundaries on both sides and you are usually in the middle. Occasionally, when God really loves you, He brings you in contact with the right person and tells you to follow him or her. If you are wise enough to obey Him without questions, then you will arrive at your God-ordained destiny. This is what happened to me when I met my Father-in-the-Lord – Pa Akindayomi. I had a Ph.D. in Mathematics which was a big deal back then. My Father-in-the-Lord could not even read or write. He could only read the Bible because of a God-given ability, yet God said I should submit to and follow him. Eventually, when he was going to be with the Lord, he wrote in his will that I should take over the leadership of the Church. My salary at the time was more than the income of the entire Church, but I obeyed. That is how the river of time brought me to where I am now.

If you want to fulfil your destiny, rely on God to show you the opportunities hidden in the people you meet and places you go, so that you will arrive at your expected end.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

I grew up in a very poor home. My father was extremely poor, yet he had two wives and many children. He also had a small farm that could not support the family if he died. So, I decided that I wasn’t going to die in that state of poverty and I knew that the only way out was to study hard in school. I studied hard and gained admission to Ilesha Grammar School but when the results came, my mother called me into the room and said, “You this boy, what are you trying to do? You know we have no money, and you say you want to go to Grammar School.” Then she begged me, “Please my boy, Christmas is coming, I will buy you good clothes. Forget about this Grammar School.” I told her, “I don’t want Christmas clothes. I want to go to school.” This was in 1955. To show her how serious I was, I refused to eat for two days and was prepared to continue my hunger strike on the third day when she and my father somehow got some money and deposited it to the school. One way or the other, I finished secondary school and gained admission into the university and today I am where I am.

Success does not come to people who consider their limitations before they move.

The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.
Proverbs 26:13

No matter the odds against you, if you can ignore those odds and just set out, there is success waiting for you out there. See those things that you call limitations as tests challenging your abilities. A champion is rated by the opponent he faces, the bigger the opponent, the greater the title. The stronger the opposition you face; the greater your level of success. Most people know the heavyweight champion of the world, but if you are to ask around only a few know the lightweight champion.

The reason my success story is interesting to many is because of the low level I came from. Get up and face those limitations; the reward will be worthwhile.

Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
2 Chronicles 15:7
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Some people find it difficult to trust God. They would rather put their trust in things that they can see than in the Lord that they cannot see. Many times, it is because we feel we are intelligent and our intelligence has helped us in the past so we want to be able to use it for everything. I once went to minister the Holy Ghost baptism to a group of people; the uneducated ones were baptised almost as soon as the ministration started, but the educated ones were looking around, trying to understand how the baptism would come. These were doubting Thomases. Thomas was a man who would not believe until he saw with his eyes. John 20:29 says, “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

Apostle Paul also said:
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18

Where you look to when you are in need of help is where your faith lies. For example, David said he would look up to the hills from whence came his help – the Lord (Psalm 121:1-2). If you look to man, then your faith lies in man. If you look to your money, then that is where your faith lies. God can use either to meet your need, but you are to look to God and God alone. God is displeased when you have faith in anything or anyone else but Him. Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God. Until you take your eyes off the physical and set them on Him in the Spirit, some things will remain out of your reach.

In 2 Chronicles 16:1-14, Asa found it difficult to look to God for his healing even when physicians had failed him. This is a stronghold of the devil that must be broken. If you study your Bible diligently, pray without ceasing, and fellowship regularly with other believers, you would soon begin to see how the spiritual controls the physical.

Spend more time with God than you do with man and that stronghold of dependence on physical things will be broken.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

1 John 4:18 says that fear is a tormentor. According to 2 Timothy 1:7, fear is a spirit and since it is not a gift from God, then it is from the devil. In Proverbs 29:25, God says the fear of man brings a snare. In other words, if you are afraid of a man, you will fall into a trap. The reason many people run to witch doctors is fear, which is why they keep looking for protection against all kinds of enemies.

One of the things that makes fear so terrible is that almost invariably, that which you are afraid of will come to you (Job 3:25). The fear of death has put many people in bondage today. The question now is: is everyone not going to die anyway? Hebrews 9:27 says death is an appointment that everyone must keep. The devil keeps people in bondage because of something that they should be prepared for rather than afraid of.

When you have God with you, fear will get away from you. David said that the reason he had no fear even in the valley of the shadow of death is because he had the presence of God with him (Psalm 23:4). Romans 8:15 says you do not have the spirit of bondage to fear, rather, that of adoption, giving you the right to call God your Daddy. The true realisation that you are a child of God and that God is with you always will chase fear out of your life. No child is afraid of a bully when his daddy is standing beside him. As long as you are a child of God who lives holy, you can be sure that God is with you always. Our Bible reading for today says you should not be afraid for God is with you, it says He will hold your hand and strengthen you. If you have God on your side, you have nothing to fear.

Draw close to God and He will draw close to you (James 4:. This means that if you surrender your life to Jesus and begin to live a holy life, God will come close to you and fear will disappear from your life. Sin will create a gap between you and God as He won’t even hear the prayers of unrepentant sinners (John 9:31) not to talk of saving them from danger.

The only thing I fear is for God to leave me because if He does, I know that I am finished. That is why I live holy; I cannot afford to be away from His presence. What about you?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Personality disorders are becoming more and more common, even amongst children of God. These disorders typically involve patterns of behaviour and thinking that usually makes it difficult to form and maintain a close relationship with God. They also make it difficult to meet the daily demands of one’s personal , spiritual, and work life. Expert say that this personality disorders can be identified by three major characteristics: intense and unstable emotions, eccentric and odd behavior or extreme fear and nervousness. Some studies have also shown that personality disorders are often associated with high levels of self-injury and are even sometimes linked to suicide. The situation is so bleak that Job 10:22 describe it as, “A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.” I pray that you and your loved ones will never experience this in the name of Jesus. If you are already experiencing this, may the power of God deliver you today, in Jesus name.

Several passages of the Bible confirm that spiritual personality disorder could come through three major sources : as an attack from the enemy (John 10:10), self-infliction (Mark 7:23, Galatians 5:21), or as a divine curse, a repercussion of sin, as recorded in 1Corinthians 3:17. Deuteronomy 28:20, also says:

“The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.”

Repent of all your sins and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Jesus intervened and restored several cases of personality disorders and insanity to wholeness by His word. I therefore decree in the name that is above every other name : Be delivered from every spiritual personality disorder and insanity today, in the name of Jesus.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

After God has called you to salvation, the next call He makes to you is to join Him in His agenda to redeem other lost souls across the world. He doesn’t only redeem the world from the altar; He calls people from all walks of life to be His tools for redemption in that area. For example, He can call some people to join Him in politics because He has an agenda to use the political office they will occupy as a tool in redeeming the world.

God is not a Sunday-Sunday God. He is God every single day. Pastors don’t reserve the right to be used by God. As long as you are born again – whether you are in business, arts, entertainment, or even fashion, God can use you in that field to redeem the world. He said in Colossians 3:17, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

When you do something in the name of someone, it means that it is not really you doing it but the fellow you are representing. When you feel God pulling you to work for Him in a certain field of life, then you must ask Him what His agenda is concerning that thing you are asked to do. Know that in that place where you are, everything you do must be in line with His agenda. That is the only way you can be doing it in His name. Note that you are His representative there and so must not do what He would not if He were there physically Himself.

As a reward for answering the call to join Him in His redemptive work in the world, God makes sure that all things work together for your good.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

Once you are called according to His purpose and you answer that call, fulfilling His purpose in your field, all things will begin to work together for your good.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The call of God is actually a call to God. Many people think that when God calls them, it is a call to something, whereas it is a call to Him. When He calls you, He is saying, “Come closer to me”. In Mark 3:14, the Bible says that the first reason He called the disciples was that they should be with Him.

The call of God is two-fold. First, He can call you to leave your sinful ways, to leave the kingdom of darkness and come to Him in the Kingdom of light. This is the call He made in Matthew 11:28: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. We will focus on this first call today.

This call is the very one that every human being will receive. When you are in a service and you hear the preacher making the altar call, it is actually God Himself calling out to sinners to leave their sinful ways and come to Him for salvation.

There was a very notorious young man who brought someone to Church with his motorcycle. He waited for a little while outside the Church and listened to the sermon. When the altar call was made he considered surrendering his life to Christ, but then decided against it and zoomed off. Unfortunately, he got involved in an accident later that day and died. If only he had answered the altar call when it was made! Even if he had still died, at least he would have made it to heaven.

God’s call unto salvation is extended to everyone. He desires to call all sinners out of darkness into His marvellous light. He is seeking to make everyone a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation and a peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9). Some however, heed God’s call, become saved then start to sin again wilfully. Such people are not fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62) and He has promised to spue such out of His mouth if they do not retrace their steps back to Him. (Revelation 3:16).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In 2 Kings 1:9-15, Elijah was sitting on a mountain top when a king sent 50 armed soldiers and a captain to arrest him. Elijah looked defenceless physically but when they tried to arrest him, he called fire down from heaven to roast all of them. When the king sent another 50 soldiers, they got roasted too. Thereafter, he sent another set of 50 soldiers and their captain. When they got to the mountain where Elijah was and saw the ashes of the two sets of soldiers that had been consumed by fire, the Bible says the captain fell on his knees and begged the man of God to spare him as he was only doing his job. The angel of God then spoke to Elijah and said, “You can go with him”. What made his case different? Honour. That is why he was able to succeed at what got the previous captains and soldiers roasted.

It doesn’t matter who you are; if you despise an anointed man or woman of God, if you mock him or her, you could pay dearly for it. In 2 Kings 2:23-24, you see what happened when some children started mocking Elisha; they ended up being eaten by bears. The anointing on a man or woman of God can work dangerously against anyone who despises him or her. Any true man or woman of God will tell you that as the anointing increases, he or she speaks less because whatever he or she says when angry can kill.

There was a man who decided to take over the Parish of The Redeemed Christian Church of God he was pastoring. When I heard the news I simply said, “I leave him to God”. The man held a crusade and on his way home, he got killed by armed robbers. I had thought I was careful enough with what I said. Since then, I learned to not take offence easily and if at all I am offended, I keep my mouth shut. It is better to provoke a blessing from the anointed than a curse. The easiest way to provoke a man or woman of God to bless you is to honour him or her.

When you honour the anointed, the anointing will work in your favour. The king of Israel honoured Elisha by calling him Father. In turn, Elisha used his anointing to save him and his army when their enemies laid ambush for them. God can solve all your problems in an instant if you would just honour a man or woman of God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The colour blue is widely considered as the colour of love and it is one of the colours that can be seen in pure light. 1 John 4:8 says God is love. What does love do for you? The mere fact that you are associated with the love of God makes you more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37). Deuteronomy 28:1-7 tells us that you don’t even have to fight against your enemies if you have the Light inside you. It says if they rise against you, they will be smitten before your face. You don’t even have to lift your hands; you just watch as the Lord – your Lover, takes care of your enemies.

There was once a military ruler in Nigeria who wanted to convert to a civilian president. He consulted some of his occult people and they said that I would be a threat to his ambition. The military ruler decided to come and pick me up and in those days, whenever that happened, the person involved was not likely to return alive. Fortunately for me, one of my spiritual children working with an arm of the government caught whiff of the plan and alerted me that they were coming for me within the next two weeks. I did not tell my wife; I just went out that night on my normal prayer walk and my Lover spoke to me. That is one thing that love does; it enables you to hear secrets from God (John 13:21-26). God told me plainly not to worry and that I would even outlive the fellow. A few days later, at the Holy Ghost Service on the first Friday of June, I said to the congregation, “Greet one another and say, “Happy New Year”. They obeyed and Indeed by Sunday, the nation experienced a new beginning. That military ruler became deceased and his successor handed over to a democratically elected government. Love made me more than a conqueror.

When you combine all the seven colours that makeup the rainbow, they give you the colour white which symbolises purity and holiness. Purity and holiness will not only attract blessings to you but will also make you see God (Matthew 5:. In conclusion, all the blessings we’ve discussed in this series can only manifest in your life if you obey God’s command to live holy (1 Peter 1:16).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Embedded in pure light is the colour green – the colour of fruitfulness. John 15:1-5 says there is no way you can have the Light in you and remain barren. The Light that lives within you is the Vine you connect to so as to become fruitful (John 15:5). He gives you the ability to be fruitful even in situations where others have been barren. He said about those who are His children:

There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
Exodus 23:26

Green is also the colour of power (Acts 1:. When you carry the Light within you, you will have the power of God operating through you. You need power to move forward. It is the engine inside a vehicle that determines how fast it can go. When the Light is within you, you have a very high level of power that makes you accelerate at an unusual speed. In other words, when you carry the Light, your promotion will be extra rapid. Believe me honestly, you can enjoy such great speed in your career that even you will be trembling at the thought of it.

One of my sons came to me once, saying he had a job interview and he wanted me to just speak a word over him. I said, “Go and the interview will go well.” He said, “Amen” and left. He returned the following day excited that not only did the interview go well but that he got the job (Deputy Managing Director) and the board asked him to resume the very next day. I congratulated him and he said, “No, speak another word”. I said, “Alright, the Almighty God who has given you the job will make your promotion rapid”. He went and then the following day, came again, trembling. “Daddy, I got to the place of work, and was told that after I left the previous day, their Managing Director resigned. There, on the spot, I was offered the role of Managing Director”. I congratulated him again and he said, “No Daddy, speak another word”. I then said, “The God who has begun a good work in you will perfect it”. He came back to testify the day after that his salary had been doubled.

I speak a word to you now: your promotion shall be rapid, in the mighty name of Jesus.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When white light is passed through a prism one of the colours you would see is yellow. Yellow is the colour of the sun and one of the names of Jesus Christ is the Sun of righteousness (Malachi 4:2). The yellow that is embedded in the light of God in you brings healing with it.

Yellow, being the colour of the sun, also means that it is the colour of unlimited energy. When you carry this light of God within you, you enjoy the kind of energy that people can’t understand. This is because Isaiah 40:31 says that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. When I was about to turn 70, I asked God if I could retire and He said, ‘No’. Then I thought I would rest for the whole year instead. What I discovered is that my 70th year was busier than every year before it and, by the grace of God, I am still standing. No matter how old you are, your energy will never run out, in Jesus’ name.

Yellow is also the colour of pure gold and that is why, if you are connected with the light of God, you just must prosper. Furthermore, Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Psalm 23:5 shows us that our God is a God of abundance. Believe me honestly, all you need is a single breakthrough and you will cross the border of poverty forever (Malachi 3:10).

There was once an Arab boy who got born again in an Islamic country and escaped to England to avoid persecution. He got to London and worked as a waiter in a restaurant. Life was very difficult for him but he held on to his faith. One day, he overheard a rich Arabian man grumbling to himself in Arabic. He asked the man what was wrong. The rich Arabian, who had come to London to buy houses had become frustrated about his failure due to his inability to speak English. The man, excited that he had found someone who understood both Arabic and English, asked the boy to be his interpreter and paid him one million pounds per day for three days.

Once you carry the light of God within you, you become a candidate for divine prosperity.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

For the next few days, we will be discussing the nature of light and what it means to be lit up. 1 John 1:5 says that God is light. The colour of pure light is white, but when you pass it through a glass prism, it breaks up into the seven colours of the rainbow – Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. For this series however, I’ll focus on the colours red, yellow, green and blue. Red is the colour of danger. Hebrews 12:29 says that God is a Consuming Fire, meaning that God is indeed powerful and not someone to be toyed with. If you don’t believe me, ask Pharaoh. When you carry the light of God in you, you become a danger to the enemy. That is why 1 Chronicles 16:22 says, “Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm”.

Red is also the colour of blood and Revelation 12:11 says that the saints overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. There is so much power in the blood of the Lamb that you can use it to overcome Satan. The red in the light of God within you will make you dangerous and give you power to overcome the devil. Red also signifies the stop sign. When the traffic light goes red, you know you have to stop (Exodus 12:23). Once you are lit up by the light of God, when evil sees you, it will stop.

Some years ago, a woman came to me and said money kept disappearing from their house. Initially, she and her husband suspected each other of stealing the money until one day, they confronted each other and discovered that neither of them was the culprit. This meant they were in real trouble. I understood what was happening immediately, especially because the husband used to be deep in the occult before he became a Christian. I then told them that they should always cover their money with the blood of Jesus so that anytime the devil came to steal it, he would find the blood of Jesus covering it and leave. From that day on, they never lost anything again.

I decree today that you, your children and property are covered in the blood of the Lamb and from now, when death sees you, it will stop, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Some people query God for not answering their prayers because they have been praying for so long. This has made them conclude that God is not real. The problem however, is not with Him; after all many other people receive answers to prayers from Him daily. If there is a problem at all, it is likely to be from the fellow who is praying. Isaiah 59:1-2 tells us that God can always hear us but our sins separate and hide our faces from Him. If He doesn’t hear your prayer at all, how is He going to answer? How can you continue in sin and expect grace to abound? The Bible’s response to that is, “God forbid” (Romans 6:1- 2).

Some people sow in Church and get no harvest, then they turn around to say that God’s word is not true, whereas the issue may be that God rejected their offering because of their sins (Proverbs 15:. He must first accept you before He can accept your offering.

A lady attended one of our programmes because she had heard that Pastor Adeboye has a special anointing for making the barren fruitful after praying for them. She met with me and I prayed for her. While praying for her, I laid my hand upon her and she fell. When she came around, she rejoiced that she had fallen under the anointing and was sure her miracle was on the way. A year later, she came back with a query because she had not given birth. I was already thinking that maybe God wanted to give her a second touch when all of a sudden, I heard God say, “Ask her how many boyfriends she has”. If I hadn’t known the voice of God, I wouldn’t have asked because she was a highly placed person in the society. I managed to ask her and she said she had six boyfriends! I was shocked. How can you expect a baby from God when you are keeping six boyfriends apart from your husband? How would she have known the real father?

Many people want a miracle, whereas what they are really asking for is magic. God is Holy and He is a miracle worker, not a magician like the devil. Begin to live holy from today so that when you call on God, you can rest assured that He will answer you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In 2 Kings 6:1-7, Prophet Elisha’s children-in-the-Lord asked for permission to go to Jordan and build a bigger place as their current accommodation had become too small for them. As they were cutting down trees, one of their axe heads fell into the river and sank. There seemed to be no way to bring it back, until they factored God into the equation. Elisha got up, cut a stick from a tree and threw it into the river. If you have done a little bit of science, you would know that sticks float but then this one had anointing and so as soon as it got into the river, it sank. When it reached the axe head, it transferred the anointing to it and the iron that had sunk floated back to the surface of the river. All these happened because with God, nothing is impossible.

In Genesis 18:9-14, Abraham and Sarah were past child-bearing age. God visited them and while they were entertaining Him, He said Sarah would have a baby in 9 months’ time. The Bible says in verse 12 that Sarah laughed within her. I would have laughed out too because ordinarily, a 90-year-old woman would not have been able to bear a child. Moreover, would Sarah and her husband still have been intimate at that age? She denied laughing, but then the Lord said, “Well, I know you laughed; nine months from now, you will carry a baby whose name will be Laughter”. True to God’s word, in nine months’ time, Sarah was laughing because even though she was 90 years old, she had now become a mother.

There is nothing impossible for my God to do. I have good news for you today: even if you have passed child bearing age and you are yet to give birth to a child, nine months from now, you will carry your set of twins in Jesus’ name.

We serve a God who can do the absolutely impossible (Luke 1:37). In Jeremiah 32:27, God asked a rhetorical question: “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” Psalm 62:11 says God has spoken once, twice have I heard that power belongs to Him. Your Father is omnipotent. Go ahead now and tell Him what you want Him to do for you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

John 8:36 tells us that whosoever the Son sets free shall be free indeed, not partially. This means that God’s children should not be living under any form of bondage but unfortunately, some are still held in bondage by the devil.

Psalm 24:7-10 says that your God is the Lord strong and mighty, mighty in battle. He is the Lord of Hosts and He can never lose a war. It doesn’t matter how many evil forces are trying to hold you down, my Father will deal with them all today, in Jesus’ name.

God has different ways of dealing with our enemies. He can do it by drowning (Exodus 14:28), roasting (2 Kings 1:9-12), throwing stones from heaven (Joshua 10:11), or even tying them down to watch you enjoy divine provisions (Psalm 23:5). God can paralyse your enemies just to let them see your glory. All those hindering your promotion will bow before you, in Jesus’ name.

There was once a wealthy lady who lived in a city. On a certain day, as she was about to eat, a frog suddenly landed on her plate and then disappeared. From that day on, she started coughing heavily, and whenever she coughed, she urinated too. She was in this terrible condition for two years. She tried everything medically possible to get healed but nothing worked. One day, we went to her city to hold a programme. She attended and when the altar call was made, she gave her life to Christ. From that moment the coughing ceased and she began to sleep soundly. She was delivered by our Lord Jesus Christ and the demon that had been tormenting her went back to its sender. The sender was a woman and she started to cough immediately. She later confessed and began to beg the woman she afflicted for help. In the process of seeking forgiveness, the second woman also gave her life to Jesus Christ and God healed her. The two of them are strong members of the Church now.

I decree that the Lord will deal with all your enemies; cause them to repent and seek for your help in Jesus name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

PRAYERS:

1. Father, thank You for everyone You have appointed as a leader over me in my family, workplace, community, nation, church etc.

2. Father, please help all our leaders to fear You genuinely and lead according to Your will, in Jesus’ name.

3. Father, please let all our leaders love the people they are called to serve genuinely and not the position they occupy.

4. Father, please make all our leaders servant-leaders just like Jesus Christ.

5. Father, no matter the difficulties that arise, please give our leaders the wisdom to resolve them in Jesus’ name.

6. Father, please make our leaders men and women of integrity. Remove every form of greed and deceit from their hearts in Jesus’ name.

7. Father, please give every good leader strength not to be weary in doing good. Keep them standing, in Jesus’ name.

8. Father, You are the best leader in the world. Please be the one leading behind the scenes. Any policy or rule that is not in line with Your will, let it not stand, in Jesus’ name.

9. Father, support our leaders with all the resources needed to accomplish Your will, in Jesus’ name.

10. Father, please give our leaders wisdom to work in unity, in Jesus’ name.

11. Father, please raise Christian leaders to lead in every sphere of influence, in Jesus’ name.

12. Your personal prayer point for your leaders.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

We will be discussing the final season of a person’s life today. At this stage, you are asking, “What legacy am l going to leave behind if God calls me home today?” At this point, you are not thinking of what happens while you are still here on earth, all that you start pursuing is a great legacy for yourself.

When you read 2 Timothy 4:7 and then backtrack to, two chapters before that, you would see what Paul was telling Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2:

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

He wanted to ensure that the things he stood for – his legacy, didn’t die with him. There is no way you can create a legacy if you are not already known for something while still alive. Start pursuing a godly course that you know the Lord has given you a burden for. It’s a pity that only a few people ever get to this season in their lives. Many care only about what happens when they are on earth but the wise few care more about what will be said of them when they leave this world. If you are amongst these wise few, your reputation would be more important to you than all the money in the world. Proverbs 22:1 says:

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

When you get to this season, you wouldn’t want anything to stain your name at all; instead, you would want to be remembered for greatness. You would spend time with your family members and loved ones. There are people who pursued many things at the expense of their families only to later realise that the children they neglected were the only ones they could rely on to continue with their legacy. If you really want to have a great legacy, you must spend time pouring yourself into your children. You should live your live in such a way that when you leave this world, they will have great things to say about you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Today we will discuss the fourth season of life. This is a period when you are primarily focused on fulfilling your purpose in life. At this stage, you suddenly realise that you do not have much time left and if you are not careful, you may not fulfil your purpose in life.

Being in this season of life is however; not a function of age. At whatever age you suddenly realise you need to wake up to the need to fulfil your purpose in life and that is all that matters to you, you have entered into the fourth season of life. In this season, you are not concerned so much about how much you have done; rather, your major concern is if you have done what you were created to do.

In Joshua 12, you can see Joshua boasting about the kings he defeated, but when we get to Joshua 13:1 we see how far he had actually gone in the fulfilment of his destiny.

Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.
Joshua 13:1

Joshua appeared to have achieved a lot, but he was still very far from reaching his goal in life. There is a big difference between what you achieve and whether you fulfil your destiny. Unfortunately, many people go in the wrong direction all their lives only to discover at the end that they were on the wrong path. This is a big disaster.

Apostle Paul was one man who was determined to fulfil his purpose. He said in Acts 20:24:

But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Thus when he was about to leave the earth, he left a fulfilled man and said in (2 Timothy 4:7):

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

Are you working towards fulfilling destiny?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

We discussed the first and second seasons of life over the past two days and will progress to discuss the third season of life today. In the third season of a person’s life, he or she moves from trying to impress people to trying to influence people. This is the period where a person wants to become a voice. This is the season when you want to say like Apostle Paul:

”Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”
1 Corinthians 11:1

Many times, people in this season look for others in the younger generation to mentor. In this season, you would become hungry to pass on knowledge to others. When you get to this stage, you are now maturing because you are after impact more than anything else.

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also”.
2 Timothy 2:2

If you fail to properly learn the truth about life, you would begin to pass on your erroneous understanding to others and hence become a negative influence and not a positive one. You must be careful in this season not to spread a virus in the systems of people. When people seem to have found someone whose message they enjoy, they begin to spread it and before long, that message would have become a doctrine. What we know today as the extreme and erroneous message of grace was started by a man called Nicholas. He was amongst the first deacons (Acts 6:5); however, he had adopted an erroneous way of living a so-called Christian life and by the time we get to Revelation 2:15, we see that his erroneous way had become a misleading doctrine within the Church, as it still is today.

In this third season of life, your lifestyle and behaviour will also begin to influence others. An example can be seen in (2 Peter 2:15) where some Christians were described to be following in the steps of Balaam who chose to use the power of God for material gains. Beloved, it is very dangerous to mislead those who look up to you. You must be particularly careful not to influence others negatively (Matthew 18:6).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

We discussed the first season of life yesterday and will be discussing the second season today. In the second season of life, a person’s greatest desire will be to impress. At this stage, he or she wants to be perceived as a success by everyone. For example, choristers and pastors in this stage will typically seek to impress others when they sing and preach respectively. A person in this stage may be financially comfortable already, but would be seeking prestige. This is the season that King Saul was in 1 Samuel 15:24.

And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

King Saul had money and power, but he also wanted to impress the people and that got him into trouble.

If you are doing things because of what people think of you, you are likely to get into big trouble soon. The cheer of people may seem good now, but soon you will realise that those who are shouting, “Hosanna today” will be the same ones shouting, “Crucify Him” tomorrow. This is why you must shun what people think and do what is right, whether it is the popular opinion or not.

The Holy Ghost Congress which we hold in Nigeria is a week-long programme, with Friday recording the largest attendance – running into millions. There was a singer who was invited to minister on the Thursday of the Congress. She refused, saying she would only come to sing on Friday when the crowd would be largest. Of course we withdrew the invitation because she was not interested in singing for God but for the crowd.

Those who are more concerned about how they look on social media are risking being destroyed by the same people they are trying to impress. Think about it: if you are trying to impress people, it means that you will always want to jump on the next trend. Trends never end; this means that you would be caught in a never-ending rat race. If you are currently at this stage of trying to impress people, you are still immature and must be deliberate about growing into the next season of your life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In the next few days, we will be discussing the different seasons of life. This is one very important series that you should not take lightly. I would like you to keep every season in mind to help you get a good grasp of the entire message.

The first season of a person’s life is when he or she is still young and desires material possessions. When a child is born, without being taught, he or she tightly grips anything placed in his or her hand and, should the item fall, would cry to get it back. That is the first season of life – when the fellow just wants to acquire. It is in this season that many people get certificates so that they can get high-paying jobs. Everything that a person does during this season is usually geared towards becoming rich. Unfortunately, it is in this season that many people are lured by the devil into illegal and immoral activities to get money. When you check the people who have been proven to engage in ‘yahoo yahoo’ (cybercrime), or ladies selling their bodies for money, even those who kidnap and rob, you would find that they are usually young people. If you are young and don’t have an inordinate ambition to be rich, then you will be safe from the lures of the devil. Though it is good to be rich, you should not pursue wealth at the expense of your soul.

After chasing money for so long, the young fellow will at some point look around and see that even money does not satisfy (Ecclesiastes 5:10). He or she would realise the truth in the Scripture in Luke 12:15 which says, “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth”.

Many years ago, whenever I visited America and Pastor Stephen Rathod picked me up, the first thing I used to ask him, after exchanging greetings, was, “Where are they having sales?” It was very important to me to buy things in America during the sales period. Years later, when I visited the US again, he was surprised I didn’t ask to be shown where I could buy things on sales. I told him that time had passed. I had realised that those things didn’t really matter. I was now after more important things.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Divine weapons may appear so ordinary that enemies often belittle and despise them, however, to their detriment. Examples of such weapons in the Bible include the rod of Moses in Exodus 14:13-16, the shout of Hallelujah that brought down the walls of Jericho in Joshua 6:20, prayer and praise that caused the chains of Paul, Silas, and all the other prisoners to be broken (Acts 16:25-26), and many more. These examples show how divine weapons that seem unimportant to the enemy were deployed to accomplish great victories for the people of God.

We also have clear examples of what happens when children are used to symbolise divine weapons. Psalm 127:3-5 says:

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: And the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; So are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be ashamed, But they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

The above passage confirms that though children have biological parents, they are of divine origin. Children are compared with arrows which require much skill, craftsmanship, and training before they can be used effectively. So also, children need the knowledge of the word of God, good education, discipline and godly upbringing, to assume the leadership positions that God has in store for them in life.

The passage further tells us that they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. In Bible days, the city gate was like a public square, the gathering place where elders sat to settle disputes, render judgment, and make important decisions. Boaz settled the issue of his marriage to Ruth at the city gate in Ruth 4:1-6. Parents of godly children have nothing to be ashamed of, they can move about with their heads held up high at any public gathering. Godly children are indeed weapons in the hand of God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The gate of mercy is very wide and this is inspired by God’s immeasurable love for us. Psalm 108:4 says:

For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.

The gate of mercy is so wide that it can take everybody in the world (John 3:16); however, this gate of mercy can be shut suddenly, in a way that no one can explain. The gate of mercy can snap shut within the twinkling of an eye. Proverbs 29:1 says, “He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy”.

Many a time when the gate makes an attempt to snap shut, God’s love will push it open again, but a time would come when it will snap shut and nothing can open it again.

Some years ago, a woman was very sick and the doctors said there was nothing more they could do for her so her relatives brought her to me for prayers. As I laid my hand on her, I felt the anointing like hot oil flow through my hand, but as it got to her head, it returned immediately. I asked God why and He said, “I have had mercy and warned her several times, but she wouldn’t listen. It is now my turn to refuse to heal her”. I ran to the altar and cried to God, saying, “Please Lord, You said You don’t want the destruction of a sinner and Your mercy endures forever; please have mercy!” I ran back to her and placed my hand on head again but the same thing happened. I ran back to the altar, pleading for God to have mercy on her, but by the time I went three times and returned to lay hands on her again, she was dead.

Remember the story of the fruitless tree in Luke 13:6-9? God said, “For three years I have examined this tree and done everything I could for it, yet it bore no fruit; I will cut it down”. Mercy said, “Give it another chance, another year, to see what happens; if it still doesn’t bring forth fruit, You can then cut it”.

You don’t know when your last chance will be. You don’t know if the last time you sinned was your last chance before the gate of mercy shuts against you. Surrender completely to Jesus Christ now before it is too late.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is true that we wrestle with many external enemies described as principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). Many people however, fight against themselves thereby constituting an internal enemy to themselves.

For example, there are many people who believe they are free to do anything they wish with their body; they therefore would not deny themselves anything their heart desires. This mindset often leads to sinful practices like indecent dressing, drunkenness, sexual immorality, gluttony, lasciviousness, idolatry, anger, selfishness, drug addiction and the likes. Such practices often produce results that are detrimental to the body, sometimes generating life-threatening repercussions. These sinful practices should therefore be correctly identified as internal enemies of all human beings. (1 Corinthians 3:17) says:

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

This is an important statement with a very serious implication. The Almighty God, our Creator, wants us to know that He created us as His own dwelling place. He went on to say that if anyone defiles the temple of God, he or she shall be destroyed. This is probably the source of the increase in strange ailments and reduction in life expectancy across the world. Those who defile or abuse their bodies with alcohol, hard drugs, sexual immorality, unhygienic food and unhealthy exposure to dangerous substances often become sick and end up dying prematurely. Many incidents of youths all over the world dying from drug addiction, mental illness, hypertension, suicide, liver-related problems and so on are traceable to these internal enemies. Mark 7:23 tells us that all these evil things come from within and defile the man (the temple of God), while Galatians 5:21 says without exception that everyone who practices such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Submission is different from cooperation. Cooperation is when you work together with someone to achieve a mutually desired goal. Submission on the other hand, is when you want something totally different from what the other fellow wants, but because you have to submit, you do what he or she asks you to.

One who submits to God is that fellow who will do whatever God says – whether it is logical or not, convenient or not. Those who put their own wishes aside and just say, “If this is what God says, that is what I will do”. Once the devil knows you are that submissive to God, when you begin to resist him, he will flee. James 4:7 says:

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The devil knows those who are 100% submissive to God. Those who will do whatever God says even if they have to die doing it. On the other hand, he knows those who are submissive to their bellies or their sexual drive; those who are lovers of the world and those who are in it. It is only when your submission to God is complete that you can have the authority to revenge any disobedience (2 Corinthians 10:6).

If you want to resist the devil so that he will flee from you, then you have to be completely submissive to God. Who you submit to determines how much authority you have. The commissioner of works submits to the governor of his state; he does not have as much authority as the minister of works who submits to the president. In Matthew 8:9, the Centurion said, “For l am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it’.

When you are truly submissive to God, then He gives you some of His authority so that once you speak, the devil trembles and flees. Some of those troubles the devil is causing in your life can be stopped once you submit to God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Every truly wise person knows that the Maker of heaven and earth should be feared. This is why proverbs 9:10 says:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

There is no greater foolishness than disregard for God. How can you fear people who are limited in power and authority, then have no fear for the One who can do as He pleases, who is answerable to no one (Daniel 4:35)?

If you can fear those who can kill your body, how much more the One who can destroy both your body and soul in hell (Matthew 10:28)? God should never be toyed with. I know there are people who tell you that you are not to fear God, but to just reverence Him. I don’t know if they read that from their Bible, but my own Bible does not say the reverence of God is the beginning of wisdom, but rather, the fear of the Lord.

I don’t play carelessly with fire. No matter how cold I get, I don’t put my hand in it because I fear it. Our God is the Consuming Fire (Hebrews 12:29). You should therefore not only reverence Him, but fear Him also. Even a mad dog recognises fire when it sees it and does not play carelessly with it.

If you don’t fear God, you are capable of doing any evil. The interesting thing is that, whether you fear fire or not, if you touch it, it will burn you. If, as a result of the fact that you have no fear of God you continue to commit sin, it is only a matter of time before the repercussions would start coming.

A person may enjoy the pleasures of sin here on earth, and may even be popular for being such a great sinner, but a time is coming when the person will leave this world and then face the judgement of God which will lead to eternal damnation for such a person.

Beloved, it is better to fear God, live holy and receive eternal life than to disregard Him here on earth and spend eternity burning in the lake of fire. Choose wisely.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

You should do a thorough check on your friends to see if they are headed for heaven. There are some people who should clearly be avoided, while others may look good on the outside but deep inside, are not who they pretend to be. You need to stay away from such friends.

There are some character flaws you should look out for and ensure you do not keep people who have such as friends. For example, if your friend’s temper runs hot, stay away from him or her, so you don’t learn his or her ways and ensnare your soul (Proverbs 22:24-25).

Many years ago, I was working as a teacher and befriended a colleague who was from the same part of the country as I. I however, didn’t know much about him. One day on our way to Ibadan for a teachers’ programme, we got off the lorry in Ile-Ife, where we would board another to Ibadan. This friend of mine then said he wanted to say hello to a chief nearby and asked me to come along. I did, after all, we were friends. We got there, he knocked on a door and was asked a strange question from inside, “Is it a fish or a crab?” My friend answered and said, “One fish and one crab”. We were let in, but as we left, I began to wonder what this strange statement meant. When we arrived in Ibadan, he said he wanted to visit another fellow. I followed him, he knocked at the door and was asked, “Who is that, a goat or a sheep?” My friend answered, “One goat, one sheep”. By now, I was seriously troubled. I got home and asked the elders what the statements meant. They said, knowingly, “Ah, where did you hear that?”

That was the end of my friendship with that fellow. Up to today, I don’t understand what those statements really meant, but I didn’t have to be told that they were occultic and dangerous. Check your friends, be watchful and careful. The Bible says evil communication corrupts good manners (1 Corinthians 15:33). The Romans used to say, “As bad apples spoil good ones, so do bad friends spoil good boys”. Before today is out, do a thorough check on all your friends. If there are some that are not living a holy life, preach the word of God to them and if they refuse to change, please separate yourself from such persons immediately.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

These days, genuine Christians and even ministers of the Gospel are being caught in various types of sin, including sexual immorality which Joseph refused to indulge in, despite the fact that the opportunity presented itself on what seemed to be a platter of gold. Genesis 39:8-9 records Joseph’s response to the offer:

But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 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?

It was wisdom, brought about by the fear of God, that kept Joseph away from committing sexual immorality with his master’s wife. No wonder the Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). How I wish all children of God would embrace the fear of God so that they can begin to live above temptation and sin. It is wisdom to run away from sin because the Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death…” and this refers to eternal death. Beloved, sexual immorality is forbidden; seek godly wisdom to avoid this deadly sin.

In the last hour before the arrest of Jesus Christ, He had a foreknowledge of what was about to happen to Him and thus had a private meeting with His disciples at Gethsemane, where He gave them the antidote to temptation and sin. Matthew 26:41 says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak…”. In this passage, Jesus named watchfulness and prayer as the antidote to temptation and sin.

We are therefore called to be alert to dangers in the Christian journey such as sexual immorality, false teachings, worldliness, love of money, inordinate ambition, sinful pleasure, and other forms of temptation and sin. The Bible says the end is near so we should be sober and watch unto prayer (1 Peter 4:7). Sexual Immorality is forbidden; watch and pray over the type of content you and your family consume. Be mindful of your physical and social interactions, and constantly fill your heart with the word of God so you do not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The phrase ‘sexual immorality’ covers all improper sexual conducts and practices like fornication, adultery, masturbation, prostitution, pornography, incest, homosexuality, rape, child sexual abuse, bestiality and so on.

There is a special relationship between these sins and the human eye as revealed in 2 Peter 2:14. The eye or face is sometimes used interchangeably in the Bible and both are very important for effective communication. This is why the Bible speaks of having eyes full of adultery.

Adultery and fornication are sexual practices that are considered immoral and abominable according to the word of God. Having eyes full of sexual immorality means communicating sexual attraction or immoral interest with the eyes or face. In extreme cases, it could also mean that a person’s mind is always filled with sensual or erotic desire especially towards persons other than their spouses.

The fact however, remains that the allure of a promiscuous person is centred in the eyes or face, as revealed by Proverbs 6:25 that says, “…neither let her take thee with her eyelids”, and Isaiah 3:16 that talks about walking around with stretched necks and promiscuous eyes. For this reason, painting the face and eyelids was regarded as a means of amplifying beauty and sexual attraction; thus promiscuous people have used it as a means of seduction since Bible days (like Jezebel in 2 Kings 9:30). Meanwhile, our Lord Jesus Christ equates looking at a member of the opposite sex lustfully with adultery (Matthew 5:28). This means that those who deliberately makeup and dress to amplify their sexual attraction are in actual fact causing others to commit adultery on a daily basis.

Since Christians must be careful not to cause others to stumble, according to Romans 14:13 and 1 Corinthians 8:9, we all must ensure that we are modest in our dressing (1 Timothy 2:9-10) and conduct so we do not become a stumbling block in the path of others. This is the established will of God.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Sexual Immorality Is Forbidden II -

kpakpandoN:
These days, genuine Christians and even ministers of the Gospel are being caught in various types of sin, including sexual immorality which Joseph refused to indulge in, despite the fact that the opportunity presented itself on what seemed to be a platter of gold. Genesis 39:8-9 records Joseph’s response to the offer:

But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 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?

It was wisdom, brought about by the fear of God, that kept Joseph away from committing sexual immorality with his master’s wife. No wonder the Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). How I wish all children of God would embrace the fear of God so that they can begin to live above temptation and sin. It is wisdom to run away from sin because the Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death…” and this refers to eternal death. Beloved, sexual immorality is forbidden; seek godly wisdom to avoid this deadly sin.

In the last hour before the arrest of Jesus Christ, He had a foreknowledge of what was about to happen to Him and thus had a private meeting with His disciples at Gethsemane, where He gave them the antidote to temptation and sin. Matthew 26:41 says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak…”. In this passage, Jesus named watchfulness and prayer as the antidote to temptation and sin.

We are therefore called to be alert to dangers in the Christian journey such as sexual immorality, false teachings, worldliness, love of money, inordinate ambition, sinful pleasure, and other forms of temptation and sin. The Bible says the end is near so we should be sober and watch unto prayer (1 Peter 4:7). Sexual Immorality is forbidden; watch and pray over the type of content you and your family consume. Be mindful of your physical and social interactions, and constantly fill your heart with the word of God so you do not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11).

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Love is foundational to the Christian faith. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is, His answer was: Love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and love your neighbour as yourself. He then went further to say, on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40).

True love is in the DNA of every genuine child of God. Anyone who claims to be a Christian and does not have love as one of his or her characteristics is nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-2).

If there is true love, then it implies that there is false love. True love is empathetic in nature. True love does not do good for people to see, it does good because it feels the pain of the one who is loved. In James 2:15-16, James says if you truly love someone, you would do everything within your power to solve their problems. Unfortunately, these days, when many Christians see another who they can help, they would rather pray to God to help the fellow than help him or her themselves. That is fake love. True love is when you make sacrifices to help your brother or sister and do all you can to ensure their problems are solved.

Some years ago, after a major programme, I was so tired that I just wanted to get on my bed and sleep, but as I was leaving the venue in my car, I heard the voice of a man shouting, “Daddy help me, Daddy help me”. I wanted to stop my driver immediately, but I knew that if we stopped there, the crowd would rush to the car. I therefore asked my driver to allow me come out of the car at a place where I could wait, then go back to get the man. When the man arrived, he told me he had no job and his wife, who had been fending for the family before, had also just lost her job. They had a set of twins and all four of them had not eaten for three days. The first thing I did was to ask someone to bring food for them before we could continue the conversation. By the end of that day, both husband and wife had jobs. Love is demonstrated through our actions. Brethren, do you truly love others as you love yourself? Without true love for your neighbour, you cannot make it to heaven (Matthew 25:35-46).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Bible takes the subject of love so seriously that it is equated with the sum of all the commandments of God (Matthew 22:36-40). The Bible goes further to say that love is the fulfilment of the law (Romans 13:10). The use of the word ‘Law’ in the Bible, is usually a reference to all the commandments and statutes recorded in the Old Testament. Now, the reality that God equates love to the whole of the Old Testament Bible is serious food for thought. The Bible in (1 Corinthians 13:1-2) says:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.


The passage above speaks clearly about the importance of love and how children of God should rate it on the scale of spirituality. Here, God compared some special spiritual gifts of uncommon value to love. Speaking in the tonques of men and angels means the ability to speak in heavenly tongues as well as interpreting it in the language of men. The interpretation of tongues has always been a rare gift that is highly sought after in the body of Christ, yet anyone with this gift without having love is described as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal – viewed by God as a mere noisemaker.

Furthermore, the Bible says if one should have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries and have all knowledge, with enough faith to do great miracles, without love, such a person would amount to nothing in the eyes of God. Love is the golden rule by which whatever gifts we exhibit and whatever services we offer to God are measured. Therefore, love is the ultimate commandment. Romans 13:10 says, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law”. The service that pleases God is one from the heart, rendered in love. God is love. If you are born again, you have the capacity to manifest the agape love. It is a compulsory virtue in Christianity.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.