₦airaland Forum

Many people do not know that God has alternatives for all His plans. This is why they behave as if God exists at their mercy. Such people cannot be more wrong in their perception of the Almighty God. The truth is that God cannot be held to ransom on any issue or event. This is why He always provides alternatives that are more often better than the original plan. 1 Samuel 15:28 confirms this, as we read about how God saw David as a better alternative to the first king of Israel, Saul. When a child of God becomes swollen-headed and he begins to disobey God in matters that seem very little like tithing and offering, first fruits and soul winning, he or she is on the way to being replaced. My prayer for someone reading this devotional is that you will not be replaced in the scheme of divine projects in Jesus' name.
In Acts 1:15-26, there is a great revelation of God's foreknowledge of all things and how this attribute makes Him provide alternatives beforehand. The replacement of Judas Iscariot was predicted by the mouth of King David who was also a prophet in his right. The implication of this revelation is that before Judas Iscariot chose to be a betrayer which in turn disqualified him among the twelve, God had planned an alternative for him! Another lesson we can learn from this as children of God is that whenever a way seems blocked, God has more than a thousand alternative ways to replace the blocked one. The Bible says:
"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

Beloved, learning from the story of king Saul and Judas Iscariot, we must be very careful about the way we lead our lives, so that what happened to them does not repeat itself in our lives, 1 Corinthians 10:6 says:
"Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted."

As I was growing up in my father's house, I learnt to be obedient through the experience of my elder brother with our disciplinarian father. My elder brother was a very strong young man with a good physique, strength and wrestling prowess. Only a few young men among his contemporaries could dare challenge him to a fight. However, the day our father disciplined my elder brother and this so called 'hero' cried like a baby, I decided never to do anything that would make our father think of punishing me. God has alternatives to any child of His that is not law-abiding. Let us therefore beware of doing things that will make God replace us with someone else. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There are those who know God and there are those who claim to know Him, but do not submit to His Lordship. They come to the presence of God, but their sins do not allow His glory to rub off on them. They are religious in nature and partake in every ritual of the church but it is only for the benefits of being seen as members of the community of saints. They depend on their own righteousness and not the grace of God. They read the scriptures but the scriptures do not reflect in the way they live. They understand all the letters of the commandments but there is no life in their spirits. Their hypocritical nature draws people away from Christ. Do you know God, or you are only claiming to know Him? Is your life in harmony with the message you preach? It is the conduct of your life that will be used in justifying whether you know Him or not. As a tree in the vineyard of God, are you producing good fruits or bad fruits. Is your life a good example to people or have you lost your salt? Everyone whose life does not conform to the requirements of the master cannot enter into the kingdom of God. When you hear the Word of God, do you obey it? Are you motivated by love to obey Him? One cannot claim to love Jesus and not be willing to abide by His standards. There is no other foundation upon which one's life can be fruitful eternally outside Jesus. It is not enough to know what is in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation; what is required of us is to live by the Truth in His Word.
The people who are blessed are those who do not have a lifestyle of sin, because true joy comes from doing the will of God. You are to be defined by your desire to do that which is pleasing to God at all times. Your mind should be focused always on godly things. Let Jesus be your source of life so that you can truly live. The faith of a child of God is continually nourished by the Word of God. When you hear the Word of God, it should produce faith in you, and faith should compel you to do what is acceptable before Him. For those who know Him as Lord Jesus, they are blessed. If He is your Lord, there is no room for pride and arrogance in your life. You must empty yourself of self-reliance and submit to His Lordship. The one that is humble will always look to Jesus and place all of his inadequacies before the Cross. Your nature as a Christian who is under the rulership of Jesus must change for good; the focus is no longer on self. If Jesus is Lord over your life, you cannot seek the downfall of others. There will be no room in your heart for evil motives because your heart now reflects the pure nature of God. No room for hypocrisy.
"Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart." Psalm 15:1-2

Your heart should produce a holy life and be focused only on God. Apostle Paul said "that I may know Him" (Philippians 3:10). Is He your Lord or 'Lord Jesus" is a mere slogan to you? Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One of the greatest lessons to learn from little children is that they don't worry about anything. This is the way God expects us to relate with Him; relaxing and putting all matters in His care, knowing that it will always end up in our best interests. Nothing good can be achieved when we trust only in ourselves, because every step we take will always lead to one mistake or another. Your faith in God must be real. A father will promise his son an aeroplane even though the man does not own a bicycle, yet the child believes, because his father said so. As a child of the Almighty God, you should humbly come before Jesus, surrendering all your desires and worries to Him. With this attitude, you will always leave His presence with a confirmation that all your requests are granted. Real faith goes beyond the natural to a point in which those things that seemed impossible become possible. Faith causes events contrary to natural laws to take place. Faith is required to move the immovable and to reverse the irreversible.

When you go into the presence of God, focus on Him and worship Him. He will wipe your tears and remove all forms of worries, sorrows and problems from your life. Seek the face of God concerning anything He wants you to do. As you release your faith and follow God as a child who trusts the instructions of his father, you will be amazed at the wonderful things that will begin to manifest in your life. Sometimes when I go before God with the aim of presenting my requests, He asks me to do something sacrificial myself. At a moment in the history of RCCG, when we were not growing the way I wanted, I decided to seek the face of God by engaging in some spiritual exercises. Suddenly the Lord asked me what I would give to Him, I responded by saying that I was ready to give anything in order to see the kind of Church I was praying for. Then, He told me to sow my Pajero Jeep which was as good as a private jet to me at that time. I loved my Pajero so much because it was one car that never gave me problems, but the Lord asked me to sow it into another ministry and I obeyed. The day the representative of that ministry came to pick it up, my driver wept; but that was the beginning of a turning point in my ministry. It was really painful to give out the car, but the pain could not be compared to the joy that I eventually had, simply because I believed in God's faithfulness.

Faith in God is very vital to our walk as Christians. It is an expression of our confidence in God and on His promises. Nothing ever works without faith. Repentance is impossible without faith. The prodigal son had faith in his father, knowing that the worst that could happen was that he would be made a servant. Through his act of faith and his going before his father in true repentance, his sonship was restored. Do you think you have missed it beyond repairs? Have faith in God. Do you think that opportunity will never come again? Have faith in God.
"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" 1 John 5:4
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

What many believers have failed to realise is that only God knows all our needs and only God can meet all our needs. Sometimes we think we know what is good for us, but time and time again, I have discovered that you cannot have something better than what God has in store for you. We have been given dominion over material needs; therefore the rush for them is uncalled for.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33

It is the instruction of our Lord and master to think beyond worldly treasures. They are never worth our focus; they are mere additions to the blessings of God in our lives. If you serve God faithfully, He will reward you in return. It is better to stick with Jesus and be a partaker of His blessing than to go after the ephemeral things of this world. It will surprise you to know the strange kinds of satanic covenants people go into to have a few years of access to some material possessions without minding the consequences. The easiest way to have all these things is not to run after them but after Jesus.

Anything we value more than Jesus is a worldly treasure. Such treasures could be popularity, wealth, power, houses, educational certificates, cloths, food, jewelleries etc. These are things many people find difficult to part with. We want to keep money we will not spend. We want to get to a position, not for the purpose of making life good for the other people, but for our own selfish motives. It is important to realise that it is the Almighty God that can give you wealth without adding sorrow. God is the source of all good things, and if you want these things to last in your hands, you have to put Jesus over and above them all. Give yourself up in total surrender to the Almighty God and begin to store up treasures for yourself in heaven where thieves and robbers will not have access to them. There are cases of people who have stored up treasures for themselves in this world and death came suddenly. There are people who are so wealthy but are suffering from one sickness or the other and so they cannot enjoy their wealth. That will not be your portion in Jesus' name. Trust God and take your attention off those treasures. Nothing in this world is good enough to replace God in your life. Don't bother how your needs will be met. We are of great importance to the Almighty God. He has made us His ambassadors on earth. He dwells in us and He carries out his mission through us, He is more committed to meeting our needs than we can ever imagine. Let nothing distract or divert your attention from God. Focus on Him to meet all the needs of your life. If you serve God faithfully, what to eat, what to wear, the car to drive, the house to live, will not even be a prayer point because He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Old Testament law was not sufficient to make people flawless before God. So since no man could be adequately justified by the provision of the law, Jesus had to intervene through His blood to set man free from the law of sin and death. This is why as true disciples, obedience to the truth of God is the only way to liberty. The truth of God's Word sets one free without any form of condemnation. No legal system or religious doctrine can ever bring true and complete freedom to people. Freedom comes only through the truth and grace in God's Word. Freedom comes to those who are able to see the truth in God's Word. You can't come into the revelation of God's Word and remain the same. The moment you have access to the Truth, bondage is automatically a stranger to your life. There are many people going to Church, but are still in bondage because they have not got access to the Truth. Lack of access to the Truth puts you in the same level with those who do not know God.
When things were no longer going on well for the prodigal son after wasting all the opportunities he had been given, the scripture says "...he came to himself" (Luke 15:17). He had to come to the knowledge of the Truth by saying "enough is enough; I should not continue to be foolish by allowing rebellion to destroy my life further". He realised that it is foolishness to continue in self-government. Have things been so bad that you have been moving in a circle? Maybe you need to take a break and ask "why am I going through this?" Don't be deceived into believing that God is the cause of your predicament. I have noticed this insincerity on the part of many believers. The prodigal son was sincere. He sat himself down and reasoned. He compared where he was when he had a relationship with his father to where he had reached after he attained a pre-mature independence. Even servants in his father's house were living like kings. I sometimes wonder when people who come to our programmes for the first time, return with multiple blessings from the Almighty God and some of those who are regular attendees have no testimonies.
"I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth." Ecclesiastes 10:7

It is important to tell yourself the truth and refuse to believe the lies of the enemy. It is time to put an end to a life of falsehood. You cannot serve God in spirit and in truth and still live in stagnation. Do not believe the lies of the devil that says without cheating you cannot be successful. Don't believe that without engaging in fraud, you cannot be wealthy. Don't believe that without pulling down others you cannot rise. Don't believe that without sleeping around you cannot win the contract. Don't believe that without examination malpractices you cannot gain admission. You need to ask for the grace to be true to yourself. It is the truth you know that will set you free. Jesus is the Truth. Do you know Jesus or you only claim to know Him? Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The scripture tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Almighty God. This is to let us know how important our body is to the Almighty God. He dwells in it. Can you imagine that divinity lives inside of you? As Christians, our bodies are the extension of Christ in this world. This is why we are being admonished not to conform to this world. The moment a person begins to sin against his body through fornication, that person is already doomed for destruction because you are taking the body of Christ and laying it with a harlot. All sins are against the Almighty God. Some sins are against those around us when we engage in certain acts, but the sin of fornication is destruction against one's own body.
Your body is a tool entrusted into your hands by the Almighty God and everyone will give account of what they do with their body. You will be answerable to all the damages against your body because the body does not belong to you; it was only entrusted to your care by God. The moment a person gives his life to Christ, Jesus Christ becomes the owner and Lord of your life. Every part of your body becomes a tool in His hand. Your eyes, hands, legs, tongue, nose and every organ of your body becomes His. You can no longer sin with your body; you can no longer walk in the company of the ungodly. You can no longer taste alcohol, Indian hemp, smoke cigarettes, cocaine etc. Your hands become clean and for His glory alone. You are no longer the owner of your body. You are only the owner of something that you created. You did not create your body.
"And the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breathe of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7

Fornication is a very terrible sin because it is a total abuse of the temple of the Almighty God. Anyone that destroys the temple of the Almighty God will see the wrath of God! The consequence is always disastrous on the part of the person abusing the temple of God.
There are different kinds of teachers today who trivialise some things God has a great disgust for. You cannot play with fire and not have your fingers burnt. Are you the leader of a group and you are abusing the bodies of those God has put in your care? Are you an executive in a fellowship and you are sleeping around with the sisters in the name of 'brotherly love'? Are you single but becoming so impatient that you have started doing what is exclusively reserved for married people? You are looking for the 'consuming fire' side of God and you can be sure you will not be able to withstand the consequences. I want you to make up your mind this moment that enough is enough on every unholy relationship and affair. If you don't want your destiny to be truncated by sin, you must FLEE from every appearance of evil. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Christians are not to attach themselves to this world. When you get consumed with the affairs of this life you are distracted from keeping your mind on the things of God.
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" Romans 12:2

Satan and his agents are trying to deceive people to see the things of this world as desirable. We must not give room for the evil values and morals that have been embraced by those who have given their hearts to the devil. The devil always wants to prove a point against God. He is always devising ways by which men will focus on themselves and the material possessions of this world. Is your mind occupied with the material things of this world? Are you a victim of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life? These three are the tripartite sins which we must not give in to. All that the world system contains is built around these three categories of sin.
The lust of the flesh refers to those things we crave for with the intent of satisfying our fleshy desires. They could be the pursuit of food and other things that give the flesh a good feeling. We must not forget the encounter Jesus had with the devil after fasting for 40 days. The first test is the test of food. There are many people who are serving God today only because of their stomachs. Are you one of them?
The lust of the eyes refers to those activities that make men follow after things that look appealing to the eyes. The experience of David with Bathsheba is a good example of the lust of the eyes. The moment he set his eyes on her, he could not resist the temptation, until he fell for it and lost his kingdom. Today there are many things people do because they want to satisfy the lust of the eyes. The moment they see that someone's house or car is better than theirs, they do all manner of things to get it. They are never grateful for what they have, but rather they chase after flashy things. Are you in this category? I pray he will not succeed over you in Jesus' name.
The pride of life refers to those things you do in order to make a point about how important you are in the society. It is the accumulation of things not just because you need them, but to engage in a show of self-worth and superiority. This has become the norm today even among believers. They boast about their names, degrees and background. A son of mine once said that if you remove God from his life, all that will be left will be carcass. I replied him by saying, "you even still have carcass left, if you remove God from Adeboye, there will be nothing left". This is why I cannot allow anything people call achievement to enter into my head, because I know that He is the one behind all. This is why the youths in RCCG have developed a chant: WHO DID IT? And the congregation responds by saying; JESUS! OH MY GOD, WOW!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

At the point of the counsel in 1 John 2:1, John had gained enough experience as an elder and a counsellor, that he could counsel new converts that one sin does not have to lead to another, and a feeling of guilt should actually birth the fruit of repentance rather than a surrender to a life of sin and perpetual guilt. There are many people who in times of trials and weaknesses commit sin against God, like the wife of Job who advised her husband to curse God. The words of John warn all Christians against the possibility of allowing sin become habitual in our relationship with God.

The fact that you sinned yesterday does not mean that you have been completely rejected by God. In fact, that you are still alive means that Jesus is currently pleading your case with God, to give you a chance to change your ways as He sets you up with messages that will speak to your conscience and save you from imminent destruction. I pray that you will change your ways immediately, because you never can tell when God will run out of patience waiting for you to change (1 Samuel 16:1).

The Holy Spirit has been given to us to inspire us into all truth. Jesus is our Advocate who stands between us and the Father, and speaks in our favour in the heavenly realm, so that we can receive help with our problems of sin. He is the One who pleads our case every night and day, and blots out the handwriting of the devil over our lives. He works in close communion with the Father so that there is no barrier when we want to access the throne of grace. Jesus, as the Advocate, is the One who atones for our sins and reconciles us back to the Father through His precious blood that was shed on the Cross of Calvary. Through the role of Jesus as our advocate, we can come back to the Father and experience the peace we lost through sin.

The reassurance of our salvation comes from knowing that we have an Advocate in Heaven, not by affirming that we have no sin. Our relationship with God is assured as we keep His commandments daily and remain friends with Jesus our Advocate. The truth is that our righteousness is as a filthy rag to the Father. Our perfection is of Jesus, there is therefore the need to rely meekly upon His grace to make us perfect by His love. The self-made religious traditions of men and our works alone cannot guarantee our perfection. You are a child of God basically because you believe in your heart that Jesus died for you and you have given your life in obedience to the instructions of God and not the self-imposed dictates of man. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

'Came across this post, and felt to share it;'

Prof. Abioye Isaac

“Academic excellence is overrated! Did I just say that? Oh, yes, I said it.
Being top of your class does not necessarily guarantee that you will be at the top of life.
You could graduate as the best student in Finance but it doesn’t mean you will make more money than everybody else.
The best graduating Law student does not necessarily become the best lawyer.
The fact is life requires more than the ability to understand a concept, memorize it and reproduce it in an exam.
School rewards people for their memory. Life rewards people for their imagination.
School rewards caution, life rewards daring.
School hails those who live by the rules. Life exalts those who break the rules and set new ones. So do I mean people shouldn’t study hard in school? Oh, no, you should. But don’t sacrifice every other thing on the altar of First Class. Don’t limit yourself to the classroom. Do something practical.

Take a leadership position.

Start a business and fail. That’s a better Entrepreneurship 101.

Join or start a club.

Contest an election and lose. It will teach something Political Science 101 will not teach you.

Attend a seminar.

Read books outside the scope of your course.

Go on missions and win a soul for eternal rewards…
Do something you believe in!

Think less of becoming an excellent student but think more of becoming an excellent person. Make the world ur classroom!”

There are certain encounters in the journey of an individual which birth a lifestyle of holiness in the individual. This is why we should always pray to God to encounter a touch of His glory. When Jesus was addressing His followers on the mountain, He taught them among other things the necessity of having a pure heart. Purity of the heart, as far as God is concerned, is a basic requirement in achieving and maintaining an uninterrupted fellowship with God. This is because the heart of man is the engine of his life. The heart, according to the Bible should be guided diligently, because out of it are the issues of life.
The pure in heart refers to a heart that contains no other thing apart from God and His counsel. According to Philippians 4:8:
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise think on these things."

The intents and contents of the human life go on in the heart, so God is interested in the purity of our hearts. If the heart is pure, it will be reflected in the actions of a man. God wants our heart to be yielded to Him and not to the world or the pleasures in it. When the heart is pure, it will produce transparency in our dealings with other people. When our heart is pure, the motive behind our actions will not be evil spoken of and when they are misconstrued for something else; we will always have a good conscience towards God. A pure heart produces holy living.
"Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit." Matthew 12:33

I want you to examine your heart, is it pure? Are your motives correct? Are you speaking the truth in that report? If your heart is revealed by the Almighty God towards your boss, will he find love there or hatred? Do you really know God or are you playing along because of the crowd?
There are lots of blessings attached to having a pure heart. When your heart is holy and pure, there will be no iota of fear and condemnation in you. You will have unlimited access to your Maker because there is no hindrance in you. Purity of heart will make you never lack the help of the Almighty God because He is interested in the cases of those whose hearts are pure and humble, He is committed to helping them (Psalms 73:1, 2 Chronicles 16:9). You need to nail all your affections to the cross and make your heart right with God. Exercise dominion over self and sin, both within and without. Let God rule over the affairs of your life so that there will be communion and unbroken fellowship with His presence. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When you are not living in the Spirit, you will suffer spiritual famine. You will become a victim of the works of the flesh such as adultery, fornication, uncleanness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, heresies, envying etc. But when you allow your life to be directed by the Spirit, you will be able to express the fruits of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, meekness, patience, faith etc. Those who walk in the Spirit cannot make wrong decisions and even when they have decided to make a move, their moves will always lead to the right destinations, because they are guided by God. This is why it is important to allow God to speak to you so that you can hear His voice and find rest for your soul. When you live in the spirit, you will not grope around as someone in darkness. There are many people who have lost the energy required for the Christian race because they have allowed their hearts to be taken over by the mundane things of this world. Don't be a carnal Christian. A carnal Christian enjoys what the world can offer as long as it satisfies his ego. A carnal Christian is always a victim of sin because the body has not been trained to be disciplined. If you live in the Spirit, you will no longer compete with the world in fashion. If you are walking in the Spirit you will not be comfortable exposing your body to cause others to fall into lust. You must make up your mind to break away from every act of carnality, so that the peace of God can rest on you.
"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" Romans 8:7

Do not be consumed any longer with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of this life. Make up your mind to be ruled and governed by the spirit of God. Our hearts, deeds and the fruits we bear must be patterned to please God. One of the ways to ensure we live in the Spirit is to continue to fellowship with Him. Those who find it difficult to come to the presence of God and fellowship cannot experience the power of the Spirit. You are supposed to value the presence of God more than any other thing in life. You may be denied of every other thing but not the presence of God. Also, to grow in the Spirit we must create time for the study of the Word of God. Make the study of the Word of God important in your agenda. The moment you begin to have excuses for not attending fellowship and not studying God's Word, you can be sure that the devil is already causing you to experience spiritual famine, and at the end, there will be a manifestation of the flesh. Some who are no longer walking in the Spirit have given themselves over to the false doctrines blowing across the world. If you are in this category, you have to cry to God to help you so that you will not be a victim of heresy. The flesh is programmed to always yield to sin. Ask God to deliver you from the desires of your flesh so that you will no longer gratify it's dictates. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is the responsibility of every Christian to grow spiritually. It is not enough for us to allow our spiritual growth to be at the expense of the pastors, or the number of church programmes we attend. There is a need to be personally committed to your growth. The capacity for growth is within the grace and knowledge which has been given to us by Jesus Christ. The fact that Jesus became a sacrifice for us is enough to motivate us to grow daily. The excruciating pain He went through on the cross for our salvation is an expression of the height of love which the Father has for us. Each time we put this in remembrance, it should condition us to do only those things which are pleasing and acceptable to God. Many people today have abused the grace of God, they have become so familiar with the ways and acts of God. The fact that we do not see fire fall like the days of old, or the fact that we do not see the manifestation of instant judgement like when the ground opened and swallowed those leaving in rebellion to God's authority, does not mean God has gone on vacation. It only means that many people have frustrated the grace of God in their lives and have totally stopped growing spiritually.

Believers must collectively ask for the spirit of prompt obedience to the instructions and commandments of God. There is great grace in the covenant and if you don't take the grace of God for granted, you will enjoy every provision accessible in it. The moment the grace of God leaves a person, it is disgrace that takes over. This we can confirm through the experience of King Saul and David.

Believers should not toy with sin because the devil is out searching for that one moment of carelessness. We need to always be on guard and use the grace of God to dislodge the devil and his agents. It is the grace of God that helps us to justify our calling as children of God. There is nothing unique about us, it only pleased the Almighty God to count us worthy to be vessels in His hands and this is what the devil is sad about. If not for the grace of God, many of us are not qualified to be saved by account of our past deeds, yet He chose to use us and bless us with great talents and abilities. May the grace of God over your life continue to abound in jesus' name.

Let us always remember that we were not chosen because we were better, we were chosen because of the grace of God. You are a product of divine grace, therefore hold unto whatever He has promised you. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Peace is the result of one's communion with God. Peace is an inner rest that cannot be expressed in words. Every God given direction and instruction is accompanied by peace. This is why the psalmist said;
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." Psalms 23:2

When God leads, it is always in the path that guarantees peace and rest. Whenever you want to make a decision and you lose your peace, there is a need for you to re-examine that decision because, if you do not have peace concerning that thing, God may not be involved. All the battles of my life till date have been fought by God; I just fold my hands and bask in His rest. There are people running from one point to the other, until you allow the peace of God to come into your heart, God cannot be at work in your life. With the peace of God in your life, there will be achievements of many feats. With the peace of God in your life, triumphs in your pursuits are guaranteed. As disciples of Jesus, we must seek for the peace of God above all things and this can be achieved when we make our ways right with Him.
"Acquaint now thyself with him and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee" Job 22:21

We must return to the will of God so that there can be peace in our hearts. Let us set our hearts on the truth of the Word of God, even if it means experiencing social intimidation. Let us pattern our lives after the will of God. Let us focus on that which is true, noble and right. Let us keep our minds on the pure, lovely and admirable ways of life which please God, so that all things can work together for our group. We live in a world where there is no peace except in Christ alone. Nations are lifting up arms against nations; there is so much tension in world affairs. Suicide rates are on the increase. Terrorism is spreading like fire. You never can tell what the next person standing next to you is capable of, yet, in all these things Jesus assured us that;
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" John 16:33

Jesus is the author of peace. He is the Prince of peace, when He dwells in you, war and crisis cease. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There are many people who argue as to whether it is a sin to take alcohol or not. This is amazing; simply have to look at the fruits of an action before you know whether it is good or not. In Genesis 19:30-38, the acts of the children of Lot wouldn't have been possible if their father had not been drunk. So in his senseless state of mind, both daughters laid with him and conceived from his seed. The children born through this means became the Moabites and the Ammonites who became sworn-enemies of the children of Israel.

Wine is a mocker that leads to uncontrollable behaviour. I have seen very quiet people who will never, under normal circumstance, say anything that will put them into trouble. But the moment these people come under the influence of strong drink, they become someone else. There are many people who have lost precious things under the influence of alcohol. Many have lost their wives as a result of alcohol. With a 'little shot', many have been poisoned through alcohol. There are people who have experienced fatal accidents because they were not in control of themselves. Some were duped because they were under the influence of alcohol. Unfortunately, the devil is always waiting for such times when people are out of their senses to strike. He allows some of them to suffer damages which they may never recover from.

"Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts" Proverbs 31:16

Those who cannot stay away from alcohol will always be victims of wrong decisions. They will never be able to judge well. Men of integrity who value the life that God has given to them will control themselves and not allow the desires of the flesh to derail them.

Alcohol is an instrument of unrighteousness and you should not yeild to it. If you love God, it will show in your attitude to such things. God wants you to abstain from the old wine of sin and embrace the new wine of life in the Spirit of God. This is the wine of the Holy Spirit which is totally devoid of the input of man. There is no addition of chemical that will do you harm. The new wine produces joy and happiness in the Holy Ghost, while the old wine of flesh produces death and shame. You will not be a victim of mockery in Jesus' name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Never attempt backsliding because of the few challenges you are going through, becaus you may never recover from the consequences. Backsliding is capable of destroying all that one has laboured for in the past. The seed father Abraham sowed when he decided to settle for an alternative is the cause of all we see today in the name of religious terrorism. Never consider backsliding because what you see as a pleasurable fling is always a death trap which will erode all you have ever worked for. As a child of destiny, you must avoid all forms of defilement that comes unannounced.

"The fear of the LORD is the fountain of life, to depart from the snare of death." Proverbs 14:27

The ten virgins heard the cry announcing the arrival of their long awaited bridegroom and they knew that their moment of truth had come at last, but only a few among them were ready. The others had become passive. This is why we must be sober and vigilant so that we don't lose out when He comes in His glory. On that day, a lot of hidden secrets will be revealed. Those you thought were serving Christ will be left behind. For this reason, you must not allow hypocrisy or hidden sins in your life.

Backsliding is synonymous to rebellion. A hardened backslider has reached a state of no return. To backslide means to go in the opposite direction to what God has commanded. It is a dangerous adventure to work in opposition to God because it will always lead to destruction. Those who have backslidden will tell you about the torment they go through in the hands of the devil. The moment you feel you have fallen short of the grace of God, you need to immediately shut yourself from the world and seek His face for a time of refreshing. You need to retrace your ways back to your father before you become forgotten. You need to examine yourself before the devil begins to afflict you and all that is yours. Don't allow the devil to celebrate his victory over you. Satan will not celebrate over you in Jesus' name.

It is very important that we intercede for believers who are going through intense persecution and trials all over the world. We need to remember them daily in prayers so that God's grace will prevent them from backsliding. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Jesus is the true source from which anyone can receive spiritual and physical sustenance. It is only in Christ Jesus that we can find peace, fruitfulness and the essence of life. It is by staying connected to Him that we can produce fruits. This is why we need to allow God to work in us so that we can be productive in every aspect of our lives. As we show an attitude of total obedience to God by bringing our lives into conformity with what His Word says, we begin to bear fruits that are profitable to God. To bear fruit in the vineyard of God therefore, there is a need to allow the Word of God to permeate every aspect of our behaviour; it is until then that our behaviour will begin to affect the lives of others.

Anyone who chooses to bear fruits will eventually be happy that he did so, because in the time of harvest, he will be the first partaker of the products of his wise decision. However, when you fail to be fruitful in whatever the Lord has kept in your trust, there is no way you can be blessed, and if you are not blessed, there is no way you can increase. There are people who give so many excuses for not bearing fruits. They complain about what others have and ignore what the Lord has blessed them with. They focus on the exploits of others and ignore their own vineyard. You can determine how far you want to go in life by the fruits you bear today. This is the reason why you should not be weary in bearing good fruits.
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" Galatians 6:9

The truth of the matter is that whenever God entrusts a duty to your care and you handle it carelessly, you do not only short-change yourself, you are also telling God that you are not capable of making success out of that opportunity He has given to you. This is why I am so passionate about soul winning, because I know the wisdom involved in looking for those that have been tagged vagabonds and prodigals and bringing them back through grace to the Father. The greatest thing you can give to anyone is not money but salvation, because this is what guarantees other things. We have to prayerfully identify people we can bring to the knowledge of Christ. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The problem with many believers is that they find it difficult to believe what the scripture says about them. We allow the devil to convince us, telling us that we are not as qualified as God says we are, and that we do not have the ability to do what the Word says we can do. God created us in His own image and gave us the ability to reign on earth. The capabilities and qualities required of us to exercise our priesthood were also given to us. However, many people are not exercising their positions as priests because they do not believe they are priests. They allow the opinions of others to determine how they live; they do not have minds of their own. People commit suicide on a daily basis because they know so little about themselves; they have no idea who they really are. As a child of God, you need to know that every word said about you in the Bible is ever dependable and reliable. It doesn't matter the circumstances surrounding you at any given time, you must always see yourself as God sees you. Always see yourself in a positive light. Like David, encourage yourself in the Lord no matter what happens. Every morning when you rise up, know that you are a victor and not a victim; there is much more to you than you can see. The Israelites saw themselves as grasshoppers before the giants, but in the mind of God the opposite was the case.
"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:" Proverbs 23:7a

The perception of who you are is crucial to your walk with God. As a royal priesthood, you are an embodiment of beauty, power and royalty. You are an epitome of God's glory. You are created in the very image and likeness of God. All things created, visible and invisible are under your feet. This is why you need to take your place and not allow your life to be ruined by the devil.

Note however, that you do not have this right and liberty to reflect the image of God anywhere you are, if you haven't given your life to Christ. Holiness must be a daily lifestyle to you. The nature of royalty as given to you by God must reflect in your appearances and discussion. You can no longer hate those who hate you; you have to show love and forgiveness to those who deliberately do things to hurt you. You have to do according to the instructions in Philippians 4:8:
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there will be any virtue, and if there will be any praise, think on these things."

It is when you do this constantly that you can become a partaker of the covenant privileges. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

"Are you in Christ?" could mean all the following; are you dwelling in the love of Christ? Are you being filled with God's Spirit? Do you love Jesus more than the mundane things of the world? Are you thirsty for the love and righteousness of Christ? Are you faithful and obedient to God's Word? When you are in Christ, there should be evidences of new things in your life. Those who don't have Jesus in their lives are always empty, but when you are in Christ, you become full. Those who do not have Jesus are always poor but the moment you allow Jesus into your life you become a possessor of the riches that only God can provide. Being rich is not just about driving the best cars and living in mansions or jetting across the world on a daily basis. There are people who can afford all these things but are not happy. However, when you abide in Christ, the kind of wealth you get from God is without sorrow. It is called true riches. Just look around you and see how the devil is tormenting the lives of many people simply because they have not come to the knowledge of the truth. Before I met the Lord, I was a victim of the devil's torment. With all my qualifications, I was constantly in one problem or the other until I graciously met with the Lover of my soul, Jesus Christ. The moment I met the Lord, I shut myself from the world and clung to Him alone and I began to enjoy victory in all the areas I had suffered defeat. There is someone reading this devotion today, I decree in the Name that is above all names; you will never know shame and defeat again in Jesus' name.

When you come into Christ, it doesn't matter how bad your past is, He will bring you out of the horrible pit you are in and clean you up. Those who abide in Christ always have new songs to sing and the Lord is committed to establishing their steps because of their trust in Him. I want you to make up your mind to settle for Jesus. He is the anchor of all creation. He is the focal point of global history. He is the reference point in world dates, the master of all situation and circumstance. Jesus is the solution to all problems and the answer to every question in your heart. Are you tired and weary? Have you been struggling alone? Is your case and report becoming hopeless? I want to assure you that, with Jesus Christ, everything will have a new beginning. There is no discrimination against anyone who embraces a new beginning in Christ. It is the beginning of a glorious future and the opening of a new chapter. This is why anyone who wants to enjoy all these will have to deny himself of those weights that distract, and follow Jesus all the way. It is a lie of the devil to think that God created some people to obey Him and others to disobey Him. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The psalmist, in Psalms 91:1-9, expresses his trust in the Lord and in His protection. In such a time as this, when all systems are failing, this assurance is dependable. It affirms that God is for us and we can always find security in Him. It takes only the Almighty God to hide us from the enemy and this is why I am never afraid of the activities of the enemies, as long as I remain connected to God. It amazes me when I see what people do in the name of protection; I just can't help but pity them. How can you seek protection from the devil when it is the devil that is after your life? Any other source of protection outside God is a wasted effort.

This is why I do not understand how a true Christian lives in fear. How can my father be the Lord of Hosts and I will live in fear. As long as you are on the Lord's side, you have nothing to fear or worry about. The Lord is willing to fight all your battles if you allow Him. God is asking you to be of good cheer and not give in to doubt or despair because He has overcome the world and in Him you are more than a victor. When fear comes knocking on your door, let fear know that it is a wrong door because the scripture says in Psalms 27:1;
"The lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid."

When trouble comes knocking, just call upon the Prince of Peace. Send your problems to Jesus and victory will be yours.

You must make up your mind not to live in fear. You cannot achieve anything tangible within the atmosphere of fear. It takes courage to take your place in destiny. The only person you are permitted to fear is the Almighty God and this is because He is our creator. Once we give ourselves to the Lord and fear only Him, He will be committed to protecting us from our enemies. Let us run away from the spirit of fear, it is capable of short-changing us. Let us hold unto the Lord for our deliverance. Let us cry to Him in supplication for help and He will hear us and come to our rescue. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is very important to know our identity in Christ Jesus; it makes all the difference in our lives. If you don't know your status, you will be denied many things. Your identity will help you know what you are qualified for and what you can do. When people ask who you are, the response you give them will determine the level of respect they accord you from that moment on. Who you are determines your actions. There were certain things you used to do before you became born again that you can no longer do. I know that I am the son of the Most High God. My father rules over the Heavens and the Earth. He owns all you can see, both visible and invisible. This is why I don't ask my father for peanuts, I ask Him for big things, if they are not available at the moment of my asking, He will create them just for my sake.

My heavenly father owns everything and they belong to me. Joy, peace, riches, victory, success, healing, anointing, exploits are all my rights in Him. The fact that you are also a child of God should inform you that you are not permitted to stay in bondage. If you claim to have an assurance of your sonship in Christ and you are still a slave to fear, then something must be wrong somewhere.
"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father." Romans 8:15

Many people do not understand when I call God 'Daddy' or when I say "my father said". They see God as a mystery that cannot be communicated with, but He is my father and He speaks with me. When the Holy Spirit guides you, you cannot make mistakes, and that is why we cannot afford not to be led by Him. It also assures you of your sonship in God. Having this assurance, you are to live holy.
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." 1 John 3:9

You cannot be toying with sin and expect to maintain your sonship in God. Sin is a destroyer. No matter how big the temptation to sin is, there is a seed in you that gives you the power to overcome. Joseph knew who he was in God and so he said "how can I do this great wickedness and sin against God". Once you know who you are and where God is taking you to, you will not live carelessly. The moment you surrender your life to Jesus, your status changes. You become a member of the highest royal family in the universe and you possess the greatest weapon against the devil. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Come, let's talk this over! says the Lord; no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool!

The third month is almost gone in the "New Year". What have you done with these first three months? As we prepare for the fourth month, make sure you do something tangible to prove to God and man that you are worthy to be alive. Some people are merely existing and not living. God wants you to live life to the fullest by impacting your immediate environment. There are still people who have so many excuses to give as reasons for doing nothing tangible since the beginning of this year. Time waits for no one, get something doing. It may be small, but God will breathe on it and make it great. Stop waiting for that loan from the bank before you start the business. Challenge yourself to launch out into the deep through the instruction of the Almighty God, and you will be surprised that there is life on the other side. Even if you don't have your own business, you can get busy volunteering your services for others, you never can tell how God will meet you. In Exodus 3:1-4, Moses had an encounter with God while tending to his father in law's flock. Gideon was busy threshing wheat when an Angel came visiting. Your breakthrough and blessing can locate you anywhere. There are many people who are unemployed because they are waiting for appointments from oil companies. It is not the job you do that will determine your prosperity; it is how you do what you do. You can be selling recharge cards today and become a dealer tomorrow if you don't give in to laziness.
If you are a lazy believer, it doesn't matter how many days you spend in church and how many prayer meetings you attend, nobody will commit great things into your hand. There are some people who have the habit of always deferring the work they are supposed to do today till tomorrow. This is procrastination, and it renders one ineffective where results are expected, because you will never be able to deliver. There are some people who are always sleeping on duty, some even spend the whole day moving from one office to the other talking away the day. By the time such people come to their senses, the year is almost ending and they have nothing substantial to show for the time gone. This is also very important in spiritual matters; if you are not ready to work hard you cannot be a vessel unto honour in God's hand. Those that God used in the Bible were already busy in their various businesses before God called them. It is on record that Peter toiled all night. Lazy people sleep all night and they want to wake up and begin to command wonders. Don't be a sluggard. The sluggard has so many untouched files on his table, yet he is gallivanting around. The sluggard will fold his hands and invite God to take control of all his assignments, yet he will be the one to complain if his wages are delayed for a moment. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

During the January 2015 Ministers' Thanksgiving, the Lord asked me to make our ministers examine themselves and be sure that they were 100 percent perfect. After the meeting, one of my children said that some ministers were asking whether it was possible to be 100 percent perfect. What such brethren don't know is that the demand for perfection has been from the Old Testament. Another thing they don't know is that perfection is not an optional virtue.

This perfection is available if we can believe God for it and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In Christ, there is never an end to spiritual growth because He is infinite. Hence, we must be ready to go further and further with God until we come to the level of His perfection when we do not see ourselves any longer but it becomes all about Him. If we don't align ourselves to this requirement, we will never be carriers of His glory. Perfection is the premise upon which the rest of our walk with God will be assessed. The moment we begin this walk of perfection, we begin to attract divine presence and easily draw God's glory daily.

Perfection makes you a threat to the kingdom of darkness. Right from my early days as General Overseer, I had learnt the secret of my victory through the authority of His Name and a walk of perfection. You just notice that you become a carrier of His presence, and at the mere sight of your person, demons begin to flee because of the presence of God overshadowing you. The reason many Christians have not fully benefitted from the Lord is because they are not prepared to make the sacrifice of walking in perfection. They see it as unrealistic. They easily rationalise it as an impossible feat. Hence, the Devil uses this ignorance to deny them their rightful place in God's program. God should be able to predict your actions. Perfection earns you a trust in God. There is a need to change your mindset so that the blessings of God concerning your life will not be hampered.

There is an aspect of you not yet discovered because you are still far from God. The devil is aware of what havoc you will cause to his domain the moment you make up your mind to walk in perfection. God wants to do some things in your life that will cause the ears of people around you to tingle, but you must be ready to walk before God in purity and perfection. If it was impossible for Abraham to walk perfectly before God, God wouldn't have made such a demand. Moreover, the demand was for his good, and this is why you need to understand that walking before the Lord in perfection makes God committed to make you exceedingly great. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Have you compared yourself with many other believers around you and it seems that what you are going through is very different from their own experiences, and you are beginning to ask God why me? I congratulate you, because you are in for a special testimony. What you are going through is evidence that you are a child of destiny and the devil is all out to truncate it knowing what you are to become. How do you think Joseph felt when he was thrown into the pit by his own brother? He was sold to the Egyptians before finally landing in the house of Potiphar, where everything was committed into his hand. I am sure he would have been consoled by this and would have thanked God that he was finally in a safe place. Little did he know that there was a new devil in that house in the person of Mrs Potiphar. For every new level in the life of a child of God, there is always a new devil, this is why I always remind my children not to rest on their success, because that is the time the devil will come and knock you out. He watches for your unguarded hour. When you see the devil fighting you at all corners, you should know you are special to God. My prayer is that Satan will bever win the battle over you in Jesus' name.
"When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee" Isaiah 43:2.

In this assurance you should rejoice that despite the numerous tests and trials you are going through and the ones you will still go through, God is with you. The level of suffering you go through will also determine the level of glory you will attain in God if you don't give in. The extent you are prepared to go through for Christ is also the extent to which you will reign with Him.
"But he knoweth the way that I take; when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" Job 23:10.

To someone reading this devotional, I decree in the Name that is above all names; there will be a glorious testimony from your present trials in Jesus' name. Continue to look unto Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega and do not allow the devil knock you down. Believe that your tomorrow will be alright and don't let the present situation nullify the permanent promises of God for your life. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Those who realise their spiritual poverty have been given the invitation by the Lord Jesus to come to Him for help. This invitation is for those who need grace and mercy, and those who know that unless the Lord helps them they will never be able to amount to anything. Laws and good works are good but they are never sufficient as a condition for our right standing with God. We need to acknowledge our helplessness and come to the one who can help us out of our weaknesses. Today, there are so many struggles we go through out of self-imposed religious rites and traditions, but Jesus is telling us that there is the need to be free from these burdens.

It is the help we receive from Jesus that makes our yoke very light. When we are motivated through the help of God in the grace and love we receive, we can always approach him and He will always reason with us. Until God helps a man, he can never find rest for his soul. The commandments of the lord are not a burden, but they are profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and for instruction in righteousness so that at the end of the day, we all can be thoroughly furnished unto good works. You immediately find peace when you see that your sins are forgiven by God. You find peace when you see the work of Christ on the cross being appropriated in your life. It is in Christ alone that one can cast all the anxieties of this life, knowing well that He will never fail you.

Are you in a tight corner, a corner so tight that unless God helps you, you will never be able to survive? Then you are a candidate for the help of God. At every given point in our lives, God is always ready to move in and give you your miracle. You must be ready to cooperate with God through obedience to His word in all circumstances. Those who believe their sins are not 'too bad' cannot get anything from God. Those who are in the business of always rationalizing what God asks them to do, cannot get anything significant from God.

To receive help from God, be willing to do what God says. Turn away from your head knowledge and look at the Word of liberty that is able to save you and present you blameless before your maker. If there are unconfessed sins in your life, you need to come straight to God and get it right with Him. It is on this premise that you can receive the help of the Almighty God. When there is nothing standing between you and God, then you can come with confidence and boldness to Him and ask for help in times of need. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Authority is a very powerful tool. Authority indicates an extent of ownership and silences any opposition. There is no way we can survive as Christians in our daily lives without the authority of God. It took authority for Jesus to put the devil and the gods of this world where they belong. Satan came and did all he could to derail Jesus, but at the end of the day, he lost on all fronts because of the authority which Jesus has over the devil and his cohorts. Authority is a powerful tool for good or for justification, and it is with this authority that you can rule over nations and kingdoms. It takes authority to pull down, to root out, to destroy the schemes of men, and throw down the altars of darkness. You also need authority to take your place in life both in building and in planting. When you have the backing of the Almighty God and men begin to fight against you, they will never be able to prevail against you because the Lord will deliver you and many signs and wonders will continue to be made manifest in your life and ministry. This is why it is very important that as children of God we must not exchange our authority in Christ Jesus for anything.
When the devil appeared to Jesus after He had fasted for 40 days, Jesus used the authority He had to dislodge the strength of the devil and to frustrate his plans further. At the end of the day, the devil had to flee. In the Name that is above all names, I cast out every demon on assignment over your family right now in Jesus' name. The end-time army of God must reflect the outward evidence in the demonstration of the authority of God with many signs following. As a child of God, you are to spoil principalities and powers and make a public show of them,
"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" Colossians 2:15.

The truth remains that the authority given to the Church has not been effectively used by the church to its advantage. Many of us have abandoned intimacy with God as a relationship to be exercised by only 'great men of God'.
If there is anything a pastor needs very urgently, it is this tool called authority. It was this authority that the Roman Centurion understood which made him to suggest to Jesus that He should just speak a word and the healing would be done. When you carry authority, there will be no room for struggles in your ministry. Devil and all his activities will always bow to the voice of God. You need to submit yourself totally to God for this authority to work for you. The devil himself knows that as long as you are under the authority of God, there is nothing he can do with your life. Demons and unpleasant situations will always bow to the authority of Jesus, but with evidence that the person exercising the authority is operating in Christ alone. This was why the seven sons of Sceva met trouble when they were trying to cast out devils. The demons asked them by whose authority they were attempting to do so, and they could not reply, thus they were beaten up and disgraced by the demons. Never allow anything to disconnect you from the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In every land, everyone reckons with the fact that Christ is central to world history and that everything revolves around Him. When you are in Christ, you are repositioning yourself for a divine purpose. When you are outside Christ, you can never discover your true identity. A classic example of someone who had a new beginning in Christ was Apostle Paul. Prior to his meeting the Lord, he felt he was doing well because he was a blasphemer, a persecutor and an injurious person to the Body of Believers. God doesn't always see what we see. We saw a sinner in Saul but God was seeing a saint in him.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new" 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Before Jeremiah was born, God had chosen him for a special purpose. While Moses was in the palace, God had an ultimate purpose for him. Despite the situation and circumstances of Ruth, there was an ultimate purpose in the mind of God. I have good news for someone reading this devotional; the ultimate plan and purpose of God for your life will never be truncated in Jesus' name. The same Saul that was causing havoc was the same person God used to bring about special miracles (Acts 9:11). Immediately he received the Lord, he became a wonder and evidence that there is no sinner without a future.
In world history, the greatest and most enduring works of reformation took place through an encounter with Christ. The transformation through Christ changes a man from within and the change manifests in his lifestyle. Paul was not just a man of new beginning; he was a man of many new beginnings. Paul discovered from his encounter with Christ that being born again is not all that Christ had to offer. He went on to discover the secrets of living a life of purpose and he made it his pursuit until the end of his life. We need to understand that there is a divine mandate for anyone who is in Christ Jesus. God knows the end from the beginning. He knows what He has designed you for. He is not unaware of your present situation, and His promises over your life are sure. He wants to set you apart for His glory, so that through Him, you can perform valiantly. When the Lord touches your mouth, He gives you a voice and a message that is distinct. You are to reign over and be a threat to those things that are threatening others. You have the power to root out all the unpleasant situations around you. You are to destroy all the works of the Devil and pull down all the altars of the enemy. However, there is a part for you to play; you have to embrace a life of holiness and love. You must pursue divine desires and ignore the mundane things of this world. With a heart of thanksgiving, you will begin to experience God's promises for your life on daily basis. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Time and time again, we have seen God dealing with us as a father deals with his children. This is because we are His children and He is our father. God has been so gracious to us on many occasions. He will not always punish us without showing mercy, even when it is glaring that we deserve condemnation. There are many of us who have lost many precious things due to our rebellion, negligence and carelessness, but our Father is always there to show us mercy and grace. If things are bad and you want a positive turn around, there are steps you must be willing to take to recover all your stolen blessings. God does not want His children to be at the mercy of Satan; the Almighty God is willing and eager to deliver us. You have to first of all acknowledge the areas in which you have given room to the devil, find out that specific area you missed it and seek the face of the Almighty God for restoration. God wants you to recover your lost lands, your lost status and all the beautiful accomplishments that you have lost to the devil. The moment you recover these lost grounds, you must say to yourself that you will never be a victim again. The only way to guarantee this is to keep in constant touch with your creator and the restorer of your blessings. You need to love the Lord like never before,
"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" Deuteronomy 6:5.

You should make up your mind to obey His voice alone in every area of life. Obedience to the Word of God will lead you into a life of fruitfulness. There are many people who look for God when the devil is dealing with them, but as soon as they are fully delivered from the hands of the devil, they stop doing the will of God. With this kind of attitude, there cannot be complete restoration of lost blessings, you have to remain connected to God by serving Him.
"And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for The LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek Him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, he will cast thee off for ever." 1 Chronicles 28:9

God has placed conditions for the restoration of lost blessings, and these conditions are not as stringent as what people go through in the hands of the devil. We are expected to change our attitudes and actions in order for God to answer our prayers. We are to humble ourselves before Him and be fully obedient to His will, there should be practical evidence of humility and obedience to His word. I decree in the name of Jesus, an end has come to those who have been going round in circles. Every curse over anyone reading this devotional is broken in the name of Jesus. In the Name that is above every other name you are moving out of the wilderness and entering into your own land flowing with milk and honey in Jesus' name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Come back Home to God; He has Nothing against You.

God is worthy to be praised at every moment of our lives. He is our strength, our rock, our fortress, our shield and high tower. Proverbs 18:10 tells us that the name of the Lord is a strong tower that the righteous can always run to at any time and remain secure. The Almighty God is the security upon which one should base his life. These days when there is no nation that does not have its own share of the global security crises, it is certain that unless the Lord watches over you, you become vulnerable to the evil events flying around. God is the only guarantee and assurance of our faith; hence, you can be confident that you will always be delivered even in extreme circumstances. Sometimes, God will allow us to fall into a great calamity before He comes visiting. He does this just to reassure you that nothing is over until He says so. He wants us to have an evidence of His deliverance in our lives for future purposes.

Are you in any problem? Don't worry, as long as you are righteous, you can be assured that help is on the way. He rules in the affairs of men to deliver the righteous from calamity. It doesn't matter the magnitude of the problems confronting you, just believe that He is never late. He will stand by you during all the attacks of the enemies. All the lies and ganging up of the enemies against your life may be launched, but you will come out victorious because you have made the Lord your delight. Several times, God will just want to stand by you in order to convince those around you that it doesn't matter how much the waters the enemies want to sink you in is, His faithfulness will always draw you out.

God is King over all nations of the world. He is mightier than those who are playing god in your life. As we saw His acts in the case of Paul and Silas when they were chained in the prison, the Lord will deliver you from every chain that the enemies have put around you in Jesus' name.

Deliverance is of the Lord. It is only the Almighty God that can deliver. There is no pastor or prophet anywhere who can deliver. It is only the Almighty God who can deliver us. He saves not once or twice, but all the time. He can deliver today and if the enemy tries tomorrow, He is still on the throne. All you need to do is to hand over all your enemies to God and begin to praise Him. At the end of the day, you will pity your enemies because the Lord will destroy them so much that you will not see the trace that they ever existed. You can see why it is very good for God to be your battle axe. There is only one deliverer from the forces of darkness - the One by whose Name every knee must bow. It does not matter how defenceless you are, the great defender will fight all your battles in Jesus' name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The presence of God in a life makes the difference. When you carry the presence of God, you will see the invisible and hear the inaudible. Prior to my becoming a member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, I realized that with all my degrees and certificates, I was still going through a lot of hardship, but the moment I surrendered my whole life to the Lord, I began to experience the supernatural. God saw my hunger for Him and He responded to my needs. God is always ready to do great things through the lives of those who seek Him. The moment you yield totally to Him, you will begin to operate above natural limits. Without this supernatural ability, you will remain a common man and you will always have common results.

In Acts 2:1-4, after the disciples had an encounter with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they began to speak with new tongues which turned them into a class of different people. They began to do exploit. The things they could not do before became very easy for them. They were casting out devils and speaking with new tongues. The Lord was confirming their ministry daily with signs and wonders. The moment you believe God and you allow Him to do His will in your life, you will become a visible evidence for the world to see. Your prayers become easily answered and every fear of the impossible will begin to give way to boldness. You will begin to do what you wouldn't have thought you were capable of doing. This is why I am always conscious of His presence in my life, because if His presence is removed, I no longer exist. God does not want you to remain and operate in the valley. If your eyes are set on the Lord, you will discover that the closer you get to Him, the higher and farther away He is.

When we see the miracles of God around us, it means we are beholding the glory of God. As we study the immeasurable miracles of God as recorded in the scriptures and as seen in our everyday life, it bears record of what God is capable of doing. One of my daughters got a report from the doctor saying that she will never be able to bear a child. This report was premised on the fact that her womb was too small to nurture a child to the point of delivery, so she had been having miscarriages whenever the pregnancies got to a certain month. But a medical report is not always God's report, besides, it is whatever report you believe that will manifest in your life, so my daughter believed the report of the Lord and she was getting ready to see the glory of God. At this particular time, she was pregnant and the Lord kept her till the point of delivery. By the time she was about to deliver, this same daughter whose medical report indicated she will never be able to keep a baby delivered four babies at the same time.
There is someone reading this devotional, I prophesy into your life; every negative report you are carrying that is making you weep shall be rendered useless in Jesus' name. If only you can believe in the Word of God, you will experience the glory of God. God dwells in the realm of the supernatural, and as a child of God, you are expected to experience the miraculous at all times. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One of the gems that made Joshua take over the mantle of leadership from his master was the excellent spirit he carried. Joshua excelled in all matters than most of his age mates and contemporaries. Those who remain in the crowd cannot become excellent in life, because excellence is a private matter, but with a public pronouncement. The spirit of excellence will never permit you to do things at a level which others are comfortable with. You cannot be flocking around the multitude and achieve greatness in life and ministry. This is why Jesus was always withdrawing His disciples to Himself at the point of every exploit. He did not want them to be carried away with the songs of the crowd. He knew the crowd well and he knew that those who were shouting "hail hail" will be the ones to say "crucify Him" the next day. Excellence is necessary for anyone to become a useful vessel in the hands of the Almighty God. Excellence is what releases the gem in a man's life and makes him the envy of his generation. This spirit of Excellence is a critical requirement for being useful and relevant in the scheme of things. It is what puts you on edge in God's programme and makes you a formidable force.
"Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows" Hebrew 1:9.

Exploits in life have never been a function of a higher educational qualification or popularity; it is through the spirit of excellence. When you carry the presence of God, it releases the spirit of excellence in you which in turn gives you the wisdom to access the mysteries of life. The presence of God gives you deep insight and wisdom for every difficult situation of life and makes you become a master over situations and circumstances through His presence. You cannot have an excellent spirit and lack understanding. Your level of knowledge will begin to command the attention of all and sundry as we saw when the Queen of Sheba came visiting King Solomon.
Excellence is a goal, so you have to strive for it. Excellence is the attainment of the highest level of perfection in anything you do. It means operating in a class of your own. Those who do things the way others do them cannot become excellent. You have to be willing to go the extra mile. You have to identify your goal and begin to pursue it with vigour. Joseph understood this early and it worked continuously for him until he became a reference point in a strange land. Daniel understood this early and he focused on it and remained a formidable force in the reign of three kings. The kings were leaving him behind, but the grace of God upon his life made him relevant under different circumstances. The spirit of excellence will help you to concentrate on your assignment until you become a standard.
However, this spirit can only come from God. If you don't know God, there is no way you can do exploits (Daniel 11:32). I pray that from this moment, as you surrender totally to God, you will begin to experience the miraculous in Jesus' name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.