₦airaland Forum

From Proverbs 3:31-33 we understand that oppressors should not be envied, because there is a divine curse on their households. If you envy an unbeliever for any reason, you may be attracting the curse on such a fellow to yourself. Furthermore, Psalm 37:1-2 admonishes us to look beyond the material blessings of sinners, as they are heading for a tragic end. Besides not envying sinners, Galatians 5:26 makes it clear that it is equally wrong to envy one another. Envy is dangerous, because it can trigger a chain of negative events in the life of the envious. If there is envy in the heart of a person and it is not dealt with, it can lead to murder, as was the case with Cain. Cain and his younger brother, Abel, offered up sacrifices before God. While Abel’s offering was accepted, Cain’s offering was rejected. Instead of going back to God to find out what he did wrong, or going to his brother to find out what he did right, so that he could adjust and offer an acceptable sacrifice, he took the mean option of giving room to envy. He nursed envy in his heart until the day they had a quarrel over some other issue. On this day, he hit his brother so hard that he died. Envy leads to murder. If you are envious, a seed that can grow into murder is already in your heart.
 
Similarly, in Genesis 37, we see how Joseph’s brothers were taken over by envy. They envied him because he was their father’s favourite son. This they did instead of finding out what they could do to make them partake of their father’s favour. When Joseph had a set of dreams revealing a great future ahead, they envied him the more. Envy made them forget that Joseph was their younger brother and of the same blood with them. Envy affected their reasoning to a point where they became very irrational. Come to think of it, if their younger brother’s dreams of greatness were realised, would it not positively affect their position in several ways? This should have made them encourage him to fulfil his destiny, so that they could become co-beneficiaries. Instead of this, envy poisoned their hearts against their own blood and got them to take up the assignment of killing his dream. Are you envious of anyone? Are you out to kill other people’s dreams because if realised, they could become greater than you? It is evil! Repent today! Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When God sends help from Heaven to an individual, He could send an angelic being to rescue the fellow. Often times, such an angel takes up a familiar form while executing the assignment. When this happens, the recipient of that assistance may not recognise the angel for who he is. For instance, many years ago, it was time to build a particular church. Announcements were made for members to gather together on a particular date and volunteer themselves to take part in the work. On the set day, as they gathered in the morning, they prayed to God before commencing the work, asking for strength not to be tired, and that God should send His angels to join them in the work. After the work started, they observed three unknown faces that had joined them in doing the work. Although they noticed that these men did most of the work, none of them dared to ask them who they were. At the end of that day’s work, when they were trying to take stock of the day’s activities, they wanted to appreciate everyone, particularly those three unknown people, but they realised that they had disappeared.
 
Similarly, when I was about six or seven years old, one of my elder sisters got married and went to live with her husband. One day, we met and I asked her where her farm was. “Not very far” she said, as she tried to describe it to me. At that age, I could not determine the meaning of “not very far”, so I set out to locate it on a particular day. At a point, I did not know where I was, how to get to her farm or how to get back home. I realised I was lost! In my own little childish way, I looked up to heaven for God’s help. By the time I looked down, I saw a little dog which showed a very friendly disposition towards me and was sort of beckoning to me to follow it. So I followed the dog until I got to my sister’s farm. On seeing me, my sister asked, “How did you get here? Who brought you?” “I followed that dog”, I replied. “Which dog?” She asked. “That little white dog”. Then she said, “There is no dog on this farm.” When we went outside their hut, there was no dog anywhere. God sent His angel to rescue me, and the angel took the shape of a dog to accomplish the mission. The Lord will go before you. He will send His angel to lead you on the path to your destiny. May He open your eyes to see the angels He sends your way in Jesus’ Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is so awesome to experience God's favour. One day of God's favour is better than a lifetime of labour. One of the awesome things that God's favour delivers to you is unsolicited help. When your day of favour dawns, help will be volunteered to you; you will not be the one asking to be helped; instead, your destiny helpers will offer to help you. In John 5:2-9, we see a man at the pool called Bethesda, who had been there for 38 years. All those who were assisting him when he just got there had all gotten tired and left. He was now on his own. While other people had someone to help them, he had no one to help him (John 5:7). It is a very frustrating experience, when all those who were helping you become fed up of doing so. They can even discourage interested people from being of help to you. In this state of helplessness and hopelessness, his day of favour dawned, as Jesus Christ went through the crowd of sick folks to meet him. When the Lord met him, he offered him healing by asking, "Would you like to be healed?" That very hour, this man went home healed, while others watched in amazement.

Another recipient of volunteered help was the widow of Nain in Luke 7:11-15. Just after she lost her husband, her only son also died. On this fateful day, she was already on her way to the graveyard for her son's burial. She was not asking for any help. In any case, what help could anyone render to the dead? Yet, Jesus stopped the procession to the graveyard, raised the boy back to life and left, even without being invited. Sometime ago, while rounding up a programme we held at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, God asked me to tell everyone in the congregation to ask for a special gift from him. In that meeting, a particular lady was there. She had trusted God for a husband for years, but she remained single, and now she had attained menopause. On that blessed day, she said to God, "The time to ask for a husband has passed. Having a husband now has no more meaning. I will just worship you till I die. So there is no need to bother you." Two weeks later, a brother came to ask her hand in marriage. "You have come to the wrong person. Please go and pray again", she said. Bewildered, he asked her why. She told him, "I have passed the age of child-bearing. Or don't you want children?" But to her surprise, he exclaimed, "Glory be to God! You are surely the one I need!" Unknown to her, this man was a widower who already had children. He wanted a mother for his children. They got married, and she got pregnant, eventually being delivered of a set of twin boys. This season, the Lord will volunteer help to you. He will intervene even without being invited. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When God gives you children, He expects you to raise them in a godly manner. For this reason, He sent you this express command in Proverbs 22:6:
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it".
This passage of Scripture tells us to "train up a child". In other words, even when God gives you several children, each of them requires personal attention. Every child is different from the other. Never lump children together without making out time to teach, instruct, correct, rebuke, discipline and lead them by example individually. Every child that God gives to you is hungry to take something out of you. Let them take the life of Jesus out of you. Personal attention is very crucial to the development of your children and wards.

Also, carry them along with you when you are going for church programmes. There are parents who leave their children at home when they are going to church. When you ask why they do that, they say their children are already youths and should be left to decide things for themselves. That scenario suggests that the parents are carefree. If you fail to bring up your children in the way and admonition of the Lord, you will be courting trouble. Joshua's resolve in Joshua 24:15 is very important to us here. He said both himself and his household would be devoted to the service of the Lord. In other words, he must have made serving God an attractive thing to his family. There are some pastors' children whose primary desire is to become pastors; other careers or professions are secondary options to them. Their desire shows that their parents have done a good job on them. But if you are a pastor and your child says the last profession he will ever consider is to be a pastor, check it out, something must have gone wrong in the training of that child. Do you always paint the ministry in bad light to your children? How do you present the Christian faith to your children or wards - as interesting or as a burden? Do you just dole out dos and don'ts to your children, or do you take out time to patiently explain why things should be done the way you want them done, and why certain things should not be done? It is your responsibility to raise your children to fear and love God. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Children are carriers of blessings wherever they go. When Isaac was born, God put paid to the sorrow in the heart of his parents (Genesis 21:6-7). When Samuel was born, the chief mocker of his mother had no choice than to swallow her words (1 Samuel 1:6-7 & 2:1-3). Similarly, when Samson was born, the children of Israel began to receive the deliverance that had eluded them for so long (Judges 13:2-5). This shows that God can send you a child just to deliver you, your family or even your nation from a particular captivity. It is my prayer that from now onwards, you will not just have children, but children who will be instrumental to delivering joy to you in full in Jesus' Name.

In addition, when God wants to preserve a people or a nation, He can send a child. That was the case with Joseph. God did not only use Joseph to preserve his own family, he was also used to preserve other families of the world. Dear parents, do you know that there could be another Joseph in your house? When young Joseph began to have those wonderful dreams, his brothers were angry and envious, but his father simply observed the scenes, analysed the dreams and realised he had a special child in his house - a child of destiny (Genesis 37:3-11). May God open your eyes to see the Joseph in your house!

Also, there may be another Samson in your house. Samson was still young when the Holy Spirit began to move him from time to time (Judges 13:24-25). If his parents were observant, they would have noticed. In one of our meetings, the presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong that the children were baptised with the Holy Ghost. The teachers could not believe what was happening, but when I came to listen to them myself, I knew God was the One at work. There may be a Samson in your house, which is why you need to take extra care in raising your children in the fear of God and obedience to His word. Proverbs 22:6 says you should spend quality time in raising your children up in God's Way. Any child you fail to bring up properly will ultimately cause you sorrow. Are you leaving the training of your children to your house helps and nannies? Take responsibility for your children's upbringing today! Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One character flaw that has worked against many people all through the ages is pride. Unfortunately, many people fail to recognise pride for what it is; rather, they see it as part of self respect. Proverbs 21:4 says pride manifests itself in the carriage of a person and in the state of their heart. Not many proud people realise that they are proud. Psalm 73:6 says pride is like a chain around the neck of the proud. In other words, pride cannot be hidden for too long, just as a necklace is seen by all. That Scripture also says that there is a link between pride and violence. If you are proud, you won't be far from evil, violent actions. God always has problems with His children who are proud, because pride is Satan's necklace. You cannot be a child of God and while dressing yourself, you put on the necklace of your Father's enemy! Immediately any child of God wears Satan's necklace, God keeps His distance from the fellow. Are you proud? Are you wearing Satan's necklace? Put it off now if you want God to relate with you!

How can you identify the proud? A proud fellow thinks he or she is better, superior, wiser and stronger than other people. It is wrong to think you are wiser or better than others. Why? Wisdom comes from God, and He can give it to whoever He wants. If you misuse the wisdom God has given you, He can take it from you or give it to someone else. Also, if you are wise in the things of the world, you ought to be extremely careful and humble, because some people who are walking about the streets as madmen and women were once very wise. There are PhD holders and professors who have become insane. Do not let your wisdom become your undoing. There is a very thin line between wisdom and folly. No matter what you know, you can never be more knowledgeable than God. 1 Corinthians 1:25 says this about God:
"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men".
An antidote to pride is having the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 3:7 says:
"Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil".
The more you fear God, the less likely you are to be proud. Ask God to increase His fear in your heart. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is a great thing for you to seek God, but it is a far greater thing for God to seek you out. From experience, most people only seek God because they are in need, and because they want Him to do something for them. This is self-centredness. God may not seek out such people. Those who God seeks after are the ones who worship Him for who He is. Jesus, at Jacob’s well, revealed the class of people that God seeks out: true worshippers (John 4:23). For God to seek you out, you must be of high value to Him. If you take someone like David as a case study, you will find out that David had resolved to always bless the Lord, whether the going was good or not. Hence, in Psalm 34:1 he said:
“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
That is a very hard attitude to adopt and sustain. It is not easy to praise God when it appears the whole world is turning against you. It is not easy to worship God immediately after experiencing the loss of someone or something precious. Why would God seek out someone like David? It is because he always had what God wanted, which is praise and quality worship in his mouth and from his heart, always! This implies that anytime God visited David, He received praises. Can the same be said of you? No wonder God also decided that only goodness and mercy would continually follow David all the days of his life (Psalm 23:6).
 
In our trip to Israel not too long ago, I told those who travelled with me that there are two categories of worshippers. The first are those who praise God only after something good has happened to them. In other words, such people believe that God should earn their praise and worship. If He has not met their expectations, then there is no need to praise Him. These are baby worshippers. God may never seek such people out for anything. The second category of worshippers is made up of those who worship God even when their miracles have not come. Such people believe that God has already earned the right to be praised and worshipped, because of who He is and for all He has already done. They feel indebted to God; hence, their worship of Him is not conditional. They will praise God in any circumstance. These are adult worshippers. Such people always get more than what they desire from God. They are the ones whom God seeks after. What category do you belong to? Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One character trait that has led to the destruction of a lot of people is envy. Envy is evil because it demonstrates the absence of love (1 Corinthians 13:4). People become envious when another person has what they don’t have, or when a person can do what they can’t do. An envious fellow is one who lives a life of comparison, contrary to what the Scriptures says in 2 Corinthians 10:12:
“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”
An envious fellow compares his progress with that of his contemporaries, and if others are seemingly better-off in any area (e.g. family, children, finances, position, etc), he will be envious. Love does not envy, nor is it puffed up. An envious fellow cannot wish anything good for the person he or she is envious of; neither can he or she seek their good. Anyone you envy, you cannot truly love. Inside the heart of the envious are ill feelings, bad wishes and negative thoughts towards the person they envy. An envious fellow is also proud. You cannot be envious and humble at the same time. If you lack love for somebody, particularly a child of God, it is highly doubtful you are even born-again (1 John 3:14).
 
Some Christians not only envy fellow believers, they also envy unbelievers. What an irony! Psalm 37:1-2 strictly warns us against envying those who should envy us. Anyone who does not truly have Jesus is to be pitied, irrespective of his or her social status, wealth or material possessions. That fellow is just being fattened like a sheep prepared for slaughter. If you envy unbelievers, it shows you do not know who you are in Christ. If you know the eternal judgment that awaits the unbeliever, you will weep for them. If you find yourself envying a sinner as a result of certain difficulties you are going through, it only shows that you do not yet understand the Christian faith that you have signed up to. According to Apostle Paul, envy is a mark of baby Christians (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). But why is envy seen in high places today? Why are those who should be devoid of envy still battling with it? In any way you have been a victim of envy, ask for forgiveness and receive grace to overcome it today. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One of the markers indicating that a life is blessed of God is the receipt of support from heaven. Such support can be manifested as heavenly bodies working to advance the objectives of the blessed. When the wise men from the East were looking for Jesus, and they did not know where He was, it took stars to guide them there (Matthew 2:1-11). If God could use the stars to lead the wise men to Jesus, He can still do so now. The Lord will use the stars to direct your customers, contracts and favours to you this season in Jesus’ Name! The good thing about this is that whenever God decides to use anything to assist or direct you, they will not fail you or stop half way, just as the star successfully led the wise men all the way to Jesus.
 
Moreover, as the blessed of the Lord, when Heaven supports you, the beings that live in Heaven, such as angels, are also released to advance your cause. For instance, when Elijah was hungry, discouraged and depressed, so much so that he asked God to take his life, it was an angel that God sent to bring him food (1 King 19:4-. Also, in Daniel 6:19-22, when the hungry lions were ready to pounce on Daniel as their potential prey, it was an angel that came to seal their mouths for as long as he was in their den. Have you been thrown into the den of spiritual, physical or financial lions? The Lord will send His angel to rescue you from harm’s way in Jesus’ Name! The supporting operation of angels was also manifested when Sennacherib besieged King Hezekiah and his people (2 Kings 19:32-37)? It was just one angel that God sent to their rescue, and he single-handedly destroyed 185,000 soldiers in just one night. In the Name that is above every other name, both seen and unseen forces of darkness that are mobilised against you and yours from the air, land, sea and under the earth shall be razed down today by an angel of the Lord! In addition, it was an angel that warned Joseph in a dream of Herod’s intention to kill the child Jesus, and the angel told him to escape to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). After the death of Herod, an angel also informed him in a dream that it was time to return home, and he directed him on where to go to specifically (Matthew 2:19-22). Angels are always on assignment to help the blessed. If you are blessed of God, you can also send angels on assignment to help your cause. The Holy Spirit revealed this truth about angels in Hebrews 1:14:
“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
 From today, you shall be a recipient of angelic visitations and guidance in Jesus’ Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

After Esther touched the sceptre of a mere mortal king, death was turned into life for her; how much more will great things happen to those who touch the sceptre of the King of kings. I can assure you that lots of transformational changes await those who can touch the sceptre of the Most High God – the Lord Jesus Christ. I was once invited to a Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship meeting in Port Harcourt (South-South Nigeria). I was asked to speak on ”The New Anointing”; so I told them what the anointing can do in the life of a man. At the end of the message, virtually everyone wanted to touch the man of God. I had to be smuggled out of the hall where the meeting held. As we drove off, a very desperate woman ran towards the car with her handkerchief and rubbed it against the car and said, “There is power here now”, and she went home. Unknown to her, while she was away, one of her sisters had gone completely insane. It was so serious that it took six men to hold her down. When she got home and saw what was happening, she asked them to make way for her, because she had power in her hands. She simply laid the handkerchief on the girl and she became normal instantly.
 
In addition, after Esther touched the sceptre, the king asked her, “My queen, what can I do for you?” Normally, when you approach a highly placed individual for a favour, you should be the one to ask for help. But in this case, we see the king volunteering help to Esther. This tells us that when your day of favour dawns, the Almighty God will volunteer to help you. Furthermore, we see that the volunteered assistance was very significant. The king offered to give Esther up to half of his kingdom. If she had asked for it, she would have gotten it. When your day of favour dawns, God will be ready to grant your request, no matter how big, difficult or how impossible it may sound. This season, the Lord will volunteer to help you. He will give you an open cheque, saying “My child, just ask anything you want and I will do it!” During this season of your favour, your request shall not be grievous to God. Even when you are at a loss over what to ask, the Lord will lead you to ask right by His Spirit.
“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
Romans 8:26. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Because God owns everything on earth, He can give a person power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). Not only does He give power to get wealth, He also transfers wealth from one person to another. God can transfer wealth from the enemies of His children, to those who will serve Him. He can equally transfer wealth from His children whom He has blessed, who refuse to utilise their blessings for His purpose, to those believers who will use it to glorify Him. If you are stingy, you are not like your Heavenly Father. When I was young, there was a man I knew who was extremely wealthy but extremely miserly. He was so stingy that he could not even trust his wife with housekeeping allowance. When she wanted to go to the market, he would go with her. After she bargained for meat, he would pay. When she had prepared the soup or stew, he would take a portion for himself and keep it in his bedroom. Whenever he wanted to eat, they would have to come and take the pot of soup or stew from him, and while it was being warmed up, he would stand by and watch. He never took his money to the bank. He had one huge room where his money was kept. By the time he died, his children searched everywhere for the key to that room, but they could not find it. Then the eldest son reasoned that since their father was so miserly, it was possible that he went as far as swallowing the key, so he suggested they turn his corpse upside down and hit his back. As they did so, the key dropped.
“A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.”
Proverbs 13:22
 
God is looking for those who will serve Him with whatever He gives to them. God is looking for those who will not give any excuse when the Owner of their wealth needs it for His purpose. Can He entrust you with more of His resources? How have you been giving to the work of God? To what extent have you been cooperating with the King of kings? If you have been blessed, but you cannot spend freely for the kingdom, do remember that the same way God brought the money in, He can take it out. May you not lose your wealth to others in Jesus’ Name. Do everything possible to justify why you should remain a custodian of God’s blessings. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When adults and parents are stained with sin or have become preoccupied with the affairs of life, God may speak to them through their children. This was exactly what happened to Eli (1 Samuel 3:1-10). One reason why children are such powerful weapons in God’s hands is their innocence. Because they are not yet accustomed to sin, when they pray, God answers their prayers. Several years ago, when my children were still very young, anytime I needed something from God so desperately, I asked them to pray for me, and I got answers.
 
Sin separates us from God, so that it becomes difficult for Him to hear us when we call upon Him (Isaiah 59:1-2). Sin can stop the prayers of the elderly, but children on the other hand are innocent. You will notice that when it is time to praise God, they do so without any inhibition. When they dance before God, they are not self-conscious like the adults. They do not care who is looking at them. They dance for God anyhow, and God is glorified. Therefore, when they cry to God, their angels take their prayers right before God, and the answer comes back speedily. Because of this, Psalm 127:5 says the man who has his quiver full of children is happy, blessed, fortunate and to be envied. If you do not have any child yet, the Lord will remember you this season. If you have one or two but you want more, the Lord will answer you speedily!
 
Moreover, children are carriers of blessings, and they can bring an end to an era of sorrow. Wherever they go, they take blessings along with them. For instance, when Isaac was born, the sorrow in the hearts of his parents was terminated. Also, after Samuel was born, the mouths of mockers who had made life miserable for his mother were shut (1 Samuel 2:1-10). Children can permanently shut the mouth of mockers! Has the absence of children in your home brought you sorrow? That sorrow shall be taken away this season! Have tongues been mocking you all along? The Lord will shock your mockers and silence them permanently this season. Give your life to Christ if you have not already done so, and submit yourself to God. Take time and pleasure in doing the things that make Him happy. Give Him quality praise, thanks and worship always, and He will surprise you. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Genesis 48:13-20, Ephraim experienced a positive switch at the expense of his brother, Manasseh. He was last but became first. He was supposed to get the lesser blessing, but he got the greater portion. From today, you shall experience a positive switch in Jesus’ Name. Situations surrounding you shall suddenly change from bad to fair, fair to good, good to better and better to best. You are in for a great surprise this season.
 
However, looking at the situation of Ephraim down the line, we see that it is one thing to experience a positive switch, and it is another thing to sustain it. After inheriting his elder brother’s blessing, and having prospered above him in multiple folds, Ephraim could not manage his blessing. After he experienced unprecedented success, Ephraim neglected God and created idols for himself. Hosea 4:17 says:
“Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.”
This Scripture says he was joined to his idols. In other words, one way to frustrate God’s grace upon your life is to join yourself to idols. To “join” is another way of saying “to be married to” something you love so much. What is that idol taking the love, attention, devotion and time meant for God in your life?
 
The idols could mean real, tangible symbols or items to which you devote your worship, trust and love. Not too long ago, some people were said to have discovered some magical river with healing or miraculous powers, and so many people went there. If you are a true believer in Christ, you can never be found in such a place. An apparition appears on a particular building and people start visiting the place for prayers; they must have thrown away the scripture found in John 4:21. These are all idolatrous practices. Also, the use of talismanic rings and amulets, rosaries, scapulars, coloured candles and religious objects for protection or good luck are all part of idolatry. If you are joined to idols, you cannot remain joined to Jesus Christ; He will simply step out before you merge with idols. What is that idol making you to rubbish God’s goodness in your life? For some, it is their spouse. If you love your spouse above God, you are provoking God’s jealousy. Eventually, Ephraim became desolate (Hosea 5:9). That is what happens to idolaters. At some point, your idols will desert you. Be wise today! Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Total restoration is possible for those who believe in God. Beyond total restoration, it is equally possible to be a recipient of uncommon restoration. An uncommon restoration occurs in a situation where your progenitors laboured without a harvest, but when you turned up, you received the reward for all their labours. That was the experience of the children of Israel. For 430 years, they laboured for Egypt without pay. The generation of their fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and others laboured but were not paid; then came the generation that Moses had to lead out of Egypt. The very night they were to go, all the salaries of their fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers and so on were delivered to them (Exodus 12:33-36). Have generations before you laboured without pay? Congratulations! You are the one to enter into their harvests! All that your progenitors worked for, but never got, shall be delivered to you in Jesus’ Name.
 
Similarly, in some families, a curse of no reward has been placed on them. Due to this curse, “labour without harvest” has become their household name for successive generations. Is that your situation? Has someone placed a curse of “work without reward” on your lineage? Today, that curse is broken! All the harvests of your ancestors that they could not get shall be delivered to you in Jesus’ Name. Moreover, this is also applies to ministers of the gospel. Jesus in John 4:38 says:
“I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”
Labouring and harvesting are two distinct things. Not everyone who labours receives a commensurate harvest. Within this context, we can safely say that there are three categories of people: those who labour but never enter into their harvests, those who labour and get some or all of their harvest, and those who access the harvest of others, irrespective of whether they laboured for it or not. This explains why some people, including pastors, labour so hard and long at some particular locations without any fruit. After they become discouraged and leave, some others come into the same location and without doing anything much, they begin to reap what they never sowed. You shall not lose your harvest anymore! You shall receive your full harvests and even enter into the unclaimed harvests of others in Jesus Name! Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When a person chases several rats in different directions, the most likely outcome is that none of those rats will be caught. In life, we are often barraged with so many competing issues at the same time, most of which legitimately deserve our attention. There is therefore the need to become more focused, in order to be effective in our pursuits. In day to day activities of life, we are often torn between wants and needs. Wants can be defined as known valuable things which people desire and would like to own. Needs on the other hand may be known or unknown, liked or disliked, but they satisfy a requirement of life. A sick fellow needs to see a doctor for treatment, whether he likes the idea or not. This is a need. Needs are often very crucial and relate to the necessities of life such as food, transport, clothing and shelter. Sometimes, the way a person goes about satisfying a need can transform that desire to a want and not a need. Take for instance the fellow who requires a car to move from his house to his office every day. Almost any normal car can meet this need; but if the fellow decides to buy a Ferrari to meet this need, the desire for a Ferrari has turned that need into a want.
 
To become more prudent, you should focus on your needs and down play your wants. If you acquire all the wealth on planet earth, the day you die, you will realise the futility of being unable to take any of it with you. The reality of this fact made Apostle Paul to admonish us that we should imbibe the virtue of contentment (1 Timothy 6:6-. Even among needs, a scale of priorities should be applied. Needs are of varying degrees of importance. In Luke 10:38-42, while visiting two sisters, the Lord plainly told them this:
“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:42
He was speaking of a super need. It is good to be nice to people, and it is good to be hospitable; but better than all these is the need to sit at the feet of Jesus, studying, reading, meditating, hearing and memorising His words. The brethren who apply the “No Bible, no breakfast” principle have understood the need to subordinate all other legitimate needs under the super need of all - the Word of God. Are you giving the Word its rightful place in your life? The Word should come first. How much time do you set aside for the Bible daily? Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One the 6th of October, we studied some of the markers which indicate that a life is blessed. We gained insight into the fact that when you are blessed, the seasons will cooperate with you to succeed. We also saw that the heavenly bodies provide support to enable a blessed life operate optimally. Today, I want to share with you a few of my personal experiences on this subject matter in order to build up your faith.
 
 Some years ago, we went to Abeokuta (South-West Nigeria) to hold a crusade in front of the Alake’s (traditional ruler) palace. Just as I made the altar call to salvation and people began to come out in response to the call, the rains came and those who were coming forward began to return to their seats. So I said, “Hey, rain, stay where you are. You cannot fall now.” Immediately, the rain rolled back like a carpet from where we were holding the meeting. By the time we were rounding up the programme on a Monday, the resident pastor came and reminded me to release the rain. I simply told him that after we left, the rain would fall. Thirty minutes after we left the town, the rain fell.
 
In the same vein, many years ago, I wanted to pray at night and I needed a quiet place, so I went to the main auditorium we had then at the Redemption Camp. At that same time, some other people were there to pray, and they were so loud that I had to leave. I had no better alternative than to take my rechargeable torchlight and head into the bush path. I went farther and farther into the jungle. Initially, my torchlight was well charged and bright. When I got close to the river, I heard a sound and I switched on my torchlight to see what it was, but the light went out. I was suddenly surrounded by darkness and wondered how I would make it through the dark jungle to a place that had some light. Just then I recalled when I was young, how our teacher taught us that if you suddenly find yourself in darkness, if you close your eyes for a while and reopen them, it won’t be as dark as it was before. So I closed my eyes, and by the time I reopened them, there was bright moonlight all over the place where I was. With this light, I easily made my way out of the jungle. But then I recalled that the place was very dark when I first arrived. How did the “moonlight” come about? At that moment, I looked up and discovered that there was no moon! When you are blessed, the sun, the moon and the rain will cooperate with you. Whenever it appears as if any of these elements of nature is about to stand in your way, do not panic. Simply command them to yield, so that God’s ultimate purpose will be done. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

A sceptre is the symbol of a king's authority. It carries so much power that a king can send it somewhere as a representation of his physical presence. Where the sceptre of a king is, it means the king is there himself; and only the king's most trusted chamberlains can come in direct contact with the sceptre. These earthy royal traditions mirror some truths in the spiritual realm. In the kingdom of God, when you come in contact with the sceptre of power, not only will your life change, the lives of those connected to you will change also. In Mark 5:35-42, when Jairus contacted the sceptre of the Most High God, which is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the sorrow he once knew was turned into joy as death gave way to life. Similarly, in 2 Kings 2:19-22, the city of jericho which had become accustomed to sorrow, tears, barrenness and death as a result of a curse placed over it a long time ago (Joshua 6:26), suddenly had a reversal when its people contacted God's power through His anointed servant. What is that unpleasant situation in your life today that is causing pain, sorrow, weeping and depression? You shall contact the sceptre of God's power through this devotional, and your situation shall experience a drastic, positive turn in Jesus' Name.

When I joined the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), I felt like a fish out of water, because all my life, if I ever worshipped at all, it was at a cathedral or in a university chapel. I was used to being in places where everything was done decently and orderly. Then I came to RCCG and thought everything was in order until they began to pray. When the minister leading the prayer said, "In the Name of Jesus", the man who sat next to me shouted "Amen" in such high decibels that I felt like running out of the place, but something tied me down. Not long after, I gave my life to Jesus. Soon after, I was taught about the baptism in the Holy Ghost. After this, I was taught about the things of the Spirit; then I started learning about the power of the Most High God, and not long after, the power began to operate through me. When God's power begins to flow through you, it goes far beyond you. It is for other people: the needy, the sick, the impoverished, those in captivity and everyone who needs a miracle from God. As you surrender to the sceptre of God's power today by giving your life to Him, and by allowing Him to take His place as the Lord of your life, you will be amazed where that contact with His power can take you. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Beloved, if God indicates to you His desire to use you in building His kingdom in one capacity or another, do not hesitate, because He may just use someone else if you do. One of my pastors and I once went through an experience relevant to this subject. During the early days of building the Redemption Camp, when things were very rough and tough, I practically lived at the camp, as I tried to ensure that the little we had was efficiently utilised. On a particular day, we were in need of a certain amount. This pastor came to me and we exchanged pleasantries, after which he told me what he came for. I knew that he had the money we required, so after we were done with his purpose for coming, I told him I urgently needed an amount to solve a problem. He said “Okay sir, I will pray about it”, and he left. This happened on a Saturday. By Monday, he came back to say he was now ready to give me the money, but I told him the need had been met. “Daddy, I am not leaving your office until you take the money”, he protested. I then replied him, saying “You said you wanted to go and pray about it. Continue with your prayer. What God wanted done has been done.” That day, he resolved that although he had missed out on that opportunity, he would not suffer the same fate again. He decided to stay back at the camp and handed his business over to his wife. He has been of tremendous assistance since then.
 
When you hear a call to partake in a kingdom project, do not delay unnecessarily, or else, by the time you are ready, the work would have been done without you. When some people make pledges towards the Holy Ghost Congress meetings we hold in December, a lot of them fail to redeem theirs. In spite of this, the Congress still holds, and by the grace of God, we are never in deficit at the end of any Congress. In addition, it is important to know that the Almighty God can transfer wealth from one person to another. In 2 Kings 7:1-11, Samaria was besieged by the Syrian army, to the extent that some women began to eat their children. God declared that the situation would change within 24 hours, and it was so. How? He simply transferred wealth from the Syrians to the children of Israel. If you fail to use your God-given resources for His kingdom, you may be calling for God to transfer them to those who will use them to glorify Him. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Children are not just God’s property, they are also God’s weapons of war. This is why you must be very careful in the way you handle or treat them. Jesus gave us a fascinating revelation about children in Matthew 18:10, where He said:
“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”
From this revelation, we understand that every child has at least one angel guiding him or her. Have you seen an angel before? By His grace I have seen them a couple of times and I can say that they can be fearfully huge, particularly some of the mighty angels. If you were to meet one of such angels, the first thing he will likely say to you is “Fear not!” Why? Nobody will see an angel for the first time without being terrified. Speaking of the size of some of the mighty angels: although one of the world’s largest airplanes is an Airbus A380, do you know that one mighty angel can carry this airplane on the palm of his hand? God says that every child has an angel, and every one of such angels has direct access to God. Attaching a powerful angel to a child is what makes children a terrific weapon. If you mess around with a child, you are inviting an angel of God to deal with you.
 
Moreover, children are weapons in God’s hands because we the older ones are so preoccupied with the hustle and bustle of life that our ears have become dull of hearing. When God speaks, we often don’t hear, but the ears of children are open to God. They do not worry as we do. In fact, children believe that all they need will be provided for by their parents. So time after time, when God wants to send a message, He could send it through a child. This is one reason why parents must adhere strictly to God’s word in raising their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. A child that is brought up to love and fear the Lord will be a great asset and tool in God’s hands. Such a family, as busy as the parents may be, will not lack divine direction, as the children will be able to hear from God. How often does God speak to your children? Are you raising them in the ways of God? Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is very wrong, and an act of stealing, for a person to take all the credit for a job done by team effort. If you are part of a team that performed a particular feat, it is wrong to relegate others to the background and bring yourself to the fore. It even gets worse when you steal God’s glory. Do you know that some people try to steal the show from God? Hear them out during testimony time: they will talk about the problem and lay much emphasis on how much they prayed, fasted or sowed seeds, giving God little or no room in it. Whereas, the emphasis should be on what God did or how God intervened. The truth is, while facing a problem, it is possible to pray even a hundred times and God will not hear you. That God heard or intervened at all is a mark of His mercy. If He chooses not to answer, what can you do? Stop stealing the show, because you are nothing without God!
 
Some servants of God being used of Him in the miraculous have become so deceived that they now rub shoulders with God. How can a man of God say, “If you are sick, come to me and I will heal you?” Are you now the healer? Can you cure a headache, if God has not chosen to channel His power through you? If there is one thing God is not prepared to share, it is His glory. He made this very clear in Isaiah 42:8:
“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”
Anytime you attribute a feat to yourself, your power, wisdom or ability, you steal from God’s glory. If you are involved in such, you are courting serious trouble. You need to learn from the shameful demise of Herod in Acts 12:20-23, after He stole God’s glory for himself. If God is doing anything through you, it is for the sake of His Name. This He very much said in Isaiah 48:11:
“For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.”
Have you stolen from God’s glory? Have you taken credit for any miracle, sign or wonder the Lord has used you to perform? Return it to Him today in humility! Are you ascribing the growth and development of your church to yourself? What could you have done without God’s help? Return every glory and credit you have stolen, lest you bring God’s judgment on yourself. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Just as God can suddenly pick up a beggar from the dunghill and set him on the throne, it is also possible for Him to give a sudden spiritual promotion. One blessed morning, Elisha woke up as the farmer’s son who wandered around with Elijah as his servant; but by the evening of the same day, he had become a father to all the sons of the prophets, and had in his possession twice the anointing of his master (2 Kings 2:9-15). How awesome! Yes, it is possible to experience a sudden spiritual promotion. Several years ago, at the Ebute-Metta (Lagos) national headquarters of our Church, we normally held our workers’ meetings in the evening with pastors and workers sitting opposite each other. On this particular Sunday evening, just before we prayed, we decided to do some Bible study. I gave a passage of Scripture and asked everyone to give their interpretation. By the time all the pastors had given their interpretation of that scripture, they were not anywhere close to what I was expecting. Thereafter, I extended the opportunity to the workers. One young worker got up and gave an accurate interpretation of the subject matter, and I said, “Congratulations, pastor!” As soon as he heard me say that, he immediately grabbed his seat and moved over to sit with the pastors. In protest, the pastors said, “No, it was only a mistake”. “What mistake?” asked the young man, “The General Overseer has called me a pastor; what else do I need?” Then I waded in saying “My son, ordination with the anointing oil will come later, but from now on, you are a pastor.”
 
Here is another truth about promotion: whether you experience an ascent or descent in life depends on who is holding your hand. If God is holding your hand, He will take you from glory to glory, and your promotion will continually be accelerated. This was the secret of Joseph’s unprecedented promotion. Genesis 49:24 says:
“But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel”
But if you decide to go to the devil for promotion, you will surely end up in shame. You cannot hold God with one hand and at the same time hold the devil. If you do so, you can rest assured that you are on your own because God will simply step aside. How close are you to the Lord? He can still take you up suddenly in the area of the anointing and in other spiritual matters. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It's amazing to know that prayer causes one's voice to be heard in Heaven. Of the over six billion people on earth, do you know that God can single out your voice for His personal attention? Indeed, when you pray, God hears your voice, and through this, He gives solutions to long-standing problems in your life. Every stubborn problem in your life will receive a divine touch today. As you call upon the Lord, he will hear your cry in Jesus' Name.

From Zacharias' experience, we learn that prayer causes you to hear good news (Luke 1:5-17). When the angel of God met Zacharias in the temple while the congregation prayed, he broke the good news he had been expecting to hear for such a long time. This implies that within every unpleasant situation, there is some good news tucked inside that only prayer can unearth. This also connotes that there is a link between prayer and joy. When you pray, you will hear some good news about your situation or circumstance which will bring you joy. No wonder Jesus, in 'John 16:23-24', says we should ask until our joy is full. Have you been receiving negative news lately? You need to engage your prayer gear, and good news will locate you. Very soon, you shall hear the good news that will transform your life.

Moreover, prayer equally provides details about future events. No wonder the Bible in Jeremiah 33:3 says:
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not".
It was in the place of prayer that the birth of John was foretold. It was also in the midst of prayer that God's plan and purpose for John was disclosed. If you want God to reveal your tomorrow to you, pray. If you do not want to be kept in the dark concerning fundamental issues of your life, pray. Some believers go through very crucial periods of their life without effective prayers. No wonder they mishandle opportunities that come their way. As you pray today, ask God to give you insight into your future. This season, your prayers will work for you. Call on the Lord now while He may be found. It is well with you. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Without a doubt, God wants all his children blessed (Psalm 35:27). Let us examine some of the markers by which you can recognise a life that is blessed. First of these is that when you are blessed, you will receive help from Heaven. For example, one of the marks of a blessed life in Deuteronomy 28:12 is that you will receive rain in due season to bless the work of your hands. If you ask a farmer about the relevance of rain to his crops, he will tell you that the greatest thing he prays for is that rain would fall at the right time after he has planted his seeds. If it falls too early, the crops could be destroyed, and if it fails to fall when it should, it will affect the crop yield badly. I pray that heaven will give rain to water your land this season in Jesus’ Name.
 
Also, when a man is blessed, even the sun and the moon will cooperate with him. While Joshua was in a crucial battle and the sun was about to set, he lifted his eyes to heaven and said, “Sun, stay where you are; and moon, don’t move until my assignment is done.” The elements of the firmament had no choice but to obey him because he was blessed of God (Joshua 10:12-14). Similarly, after God decided to add 15 more years to Hezekiah’s life, He told him to ask for a sign. Hezekiah asked that the sun should go back, and it was so (2 Kings 20:1-11). When you are blessed, even the heavenly bodies will cooperate with you.
 
Many years ago, when we started a Bible Study meeting at the University of Ibadan (South-West Nigeria), only five of us flagged it off, in the house of one of our elders - Professor Aboaba. The attendance later grew, and more professors kept joining until the living room could no longer accommodate us, and so we moved to the backyard. While we were taking our seats to begin the Bible Study meeting on a certain day, it began to rain. The professors wanted to take to their heels, but I lifted my hand and said, “Rain, you cannot fall now.” On that day, it rained everywhere else in the University except for Professor Aboaba’s residence. If there is one thing you need in life, it is to be blessed by God. When God blesses you, every element of heaven will favour you. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The dawning of your day of favour causes God to beckon to you. God beckons to you to bring you close to His power. In whatever way the Lord is beckoning to you, may you not be insensitive or blind to it in Jesus’ Name! The sceptre that the king stretched towards Esther in 'Esther 5:1-3' is a symbol of power. When Esther went near the king, she touched the sceptre. When you touch the sceptre of the King of kings, not only will your history be rewritten, the history of your entire race will begin to change at the same time. According to Esther 4:11, anyone who went before King Ahasuerus uninvited would be executed instantly, regardless of who they were, except he lifted his sceptre towards them. By lifting the sceptre towards Esther, the king changed death to life for her.
 
During a Holy Ghost Service held in the first auditorium at the Redemption Camp, the Lord said that there was someone in attendance whom the enemies had planned to kill, but because the fellow had come to the programme that night, death had been cancelled. Everybody said “Amen” without knowing who God was specifically referring to. In the congregation that night was a particular woman to whom some people were heavily indebted. When these debtors felt they could not pay, they decided to kidnap and kill her so that they could be free from their debt without repaying. After the programme, they kidnapped her, bound and threw her into the boot of their car and began to drive towards a forest in Badagry (a border town between Lagos and the Republic of Benin), where they planned to kill her. On their way, they came across a police checkpoint. That was not supposed to be a problem, as they had already packaged cash bribes to be offered to all the policemen they came across along the way. But because God had already cancelled the plan of death for this woman, when they offered the money to the policeman, he turned it down and said he wanted to see what was in their boot. Then they increased the bribe offer, but the policeman declined and insisted on seeing what was in their boot. When they saw that their game was up, they fled. The police man opened the boot, saw the woman and released her. Just as He did for this woman, today, the Lord is stretching His sceptre of power towards you. Wherever the enemy had planned something against you, the Lord will make a way of escape for you. Praise the Lord! Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

While the Lord Jesus Christ was on the surface of the earth, He plainly declared His intention to build His Church, irrespective of the opposition from the gates of hell (Matthew 16:18). The implication of this declaration is that even if you refuse to cooperate with God on His plans to build His kingdom, He will still definitely go ahead with those plans without you. Whether the Kingdom of God will be built or not is not a question that needs deliberation, it is a settled matter. If you choose to cooperate with God, He will use you; but if you refuse to be a part of His programme or vision, He will decide to do it without you. Psalm 24:1 says the earth and its fullness belongs to God, so He has all the raw materials He needs to do the job. Haggai 2:8 also says silver and gold belong to God. Since He has all the resources and all the money, who or what can stand in His way? It therefore follows that if God decides to use you in building His house or kingdom, He is only doing you a favour.
 
When the children of Israel faced extinction in the days of Queen Esther, her uncle, Mordecai, asked her to present the matter before her husband the king. She responded that she could not go to the king except he called for her. If she went uninvited, she could lose her life. What was Mordecai’s response?
 “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14
From this reply, it is obvious that God cannot be stranded. He always has someone waiting in the wings to do the assignment He has given you. If Esther had refused to take the risk, God would have used another person to do the job. Has God blessed you financially or materially and you are now dictating to Him how you will spend or not spend what He has given to you? Beware! Do not compel Him to use someone else! Mordecai told Esther that if she refused to do what God requested of her, she and her father’s house would become casualties of war. Do you know that when you fail to build the kingdom of God after He has given you the means, you will face certain punishment? Be wise today! Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The power of God can be manifested through different categories of healing. A person who receives a dose of this power can experience a repair of any part of the body that is defective. Apart from the repair of body parts, the healing power of God can also be experienced as a creative miracle. One Bible character who experienced this was Naaman. He was not only healed of his leprosy, his skin which had been eaten up by this disease was replaced by that of a newborn baby (2 Kings 5:1-14). When healing is experienced as a repair, there will be some signs or evidence such as a scar, indicating that a repair has taken place; but whenever there is a creative miracle, there will be no sign that there was any damage in the first place. Many years ago, in a crusade we held at Yaba (Lagos), a man with a peculiar challenge was in attendance. He was born with one testicle. In an attempt to help him, his parents took him to a native doctor who succeeded in destroying the only testicle he had left. In spite of this challenge, he went ahead and got married; even though he knew there was no hope of ever having a child. That blessed day, during the message at the crusade ground, the Lord performed a creative miracle by giving him two brand new testicles. By the time he came to share his testimony, everyone could see the evidence of the creative miracle - his wife was pregnant!
 
Is your health situation so bad that it is beyond repair? Don’t be worried. Have the doctors told you that they have reached their limits regarding your case? Thank God there is no limitation with Him. Where the best of man’s knowledge and wisdom stops, God’s knowledge starts. He has done it for others and He will do it for you. In Genesis 1:1, God created the heavens and the earth. Many people think God’s creative work ended there. How wrong they are! God is still creating things today. In every part of your body needing a creative miracle, receive that miracle today! I command a new organ for that which is defective in your body! I decree new eyes and new sets of teeth! Do you need a new limb or a new brain? Receive it today in Jesus’ Name. However, you need total faith in God to receive your creative miracle. The Lord will heal you without leaving any trace that you were sick before. It is well with your spirit, soul and body. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Bible makes it clear that aside from stealing from men, it is also possible to steal from God. Malachi 3:8 says:
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”
Your tithe is one tenth of your income, increase or profit. It belongs to God and should be set aside for God immediately after the provision comes. Not paying your tithes can introduce a curse from God into the blessings He has given you. If a man curses you, someone with a higher spiritual authority can break the curse. For example, if your pastor curses you, the general overseer with a higher spiritual authority can break it; but if God curses you, to whom will you run? It is important you pay back to God 10% of everything He gives to you. It is also important you do it the way He expects it to be done. Your tithe must be brought into God’s storehouse, and God must be given a free hand to spend it as He directs. Some people believe that as children of God, they can use their tithes to rescue someone who is in need or in critical condition in the hospital. No! You don’t have that right! If you spend your tithe like that, in God’s record, you will still be a debtor.
 
In addition, you can also steal from God by denying Him access to, or using inappropriately, whatever part of you He has claimed ownership of. In 1 Corinthians 6:20, we see that God has claimed ownership of our body and our spirit. He therefore expects that anything we do with our body will be such that will bring glory to His Name. Doing otherwise is stealing from God. For example, overeating, or taking any substance that can destroy your body, makes your body unavailable to its Owner; this amounts to stealing from Him. Any time you engage your body in any sinful act, you are guilty of inappropriate use of God’s property and therefore a thief. Also, God demands access to your spirit in the place of prayer and meditating on His word. If you deny Him this, you are stealing from Him because He has claimed ownership of your spirit. If at the time you should be fellowshipping with God in your spirit, you are busy watching television or engaging in any other type of activity that does not connect your spirit to God, you are stealing your spirit away from God. In what ways have you stolen from God? Repent and restitute today. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Without controversy, the salvation that Jesus Christ has brought to mankind is free and for anyone who will receive Him. The way to receive this salvation is revealed to us in Romans 10:9:
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Have you confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord? Do you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? Have you asked that your sins might be washed away by His blood? If you have done these, congratulations, you have received the free gift of salvation. However, you need to know that the salvation you have received is the beginning of a process that will culminate in your living eternally with God in Heaven, with a transformed body which death and sin have no power over (1 Corinthians 15:50-56). This is the same type of body our Lord Jesus Christ resurrected with and has right now in glory (1 John 3:2). It is at the event where this transformation will take place, referred to as the rapture, that the ultimate experience of the salvation in Christ Jesus will be revealed and received by you. Apostle Paul speaks of this in Hebrews 9:28, while Apostle Peter further expounds on it in 1 Peter 1:5:
“Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
 
While awaiting the revelation of the ultimate experience of salvation, the devil, the world and the flesh will work to derail the salvation experience you have received by trying to lead you back to the sins you have been saved from. That is why Jesus in Matthew 24:13 says:
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
You therefore need to endure and not give in to them. You need to continue living in the reality of the salvation from sin which you have received by enforcing your victory over sin. If you return to your former sins, you will not partake of the ultimate salvation experience which shall be revealed and received at the appearing of Christ. Enforcing your victory over sin everyday involves a lot of work. It involves the use of God’s word against temptations, the renewing of your mind, praying for grace and fasting to keep the cravings of your body under check. Apostle Paul refers to this work in Philippians 2:12. The Lord will sustain you as you work at it to the end in Jesus’ Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Jesus Christ declared to His disciples that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). As the Way, He is the exit from that very evil location you may find yourself. He is the Way out of sickness and also the Way out of death. If you are facing any situation pertaining to death, He is the Way out. In Acts 9:36-42, Dorcas died and the widows mourned her because of her good works which had been a blessing to them. She was the visible hand of God that the widows could relate with. So when Peter arrived, they began to make a case for her to live. Do you know that when some believers die, almost everyone who knew them would prefer that they were left dead, because they made no meaningful impact? If you were called home to be with the Lord today, how many people would want you to be restored to life? Can your works speak for you like those of Dorcas? When Peter heard of her works, he commanded Dorcas to come back to life in the Name of Jesus. She lived to continue her ministry to the widows. You too can command the dead to rise in the Name of Jesus and life shall be restored back to them, if only you have faith in Jesus and you are a part of Him.
 
Moreover, Jesus is the Way out of embarrassment. In John 2:1-11, while a wedding celebration was going on in Cana of Galilee, the wine finished. How embarrassing! It was possible the guests they had were far more than what they had prepared for. Some of their guests who had not been served were seated and expecting to be served. If they were to arrange for more wine, it would have cost them a lot in time, money and logistics. While they bothered about what to do and confusion was beginning to set in, Mary got wind of what was going on and informed Jesus about it. Pre-empting Him, she instructed the servants at that feast to wait on the Lord. At the nick of time, the Lord turned the water available into the wine they lacked. Everyone who took of that wine confessed that they had never taken a better wine in all their lives. The Lord not only saved the day, but also turned an embarrassing situation into a most special moment for all and sundry. Imagine the joy of the couple and that of their families! Are you facing any form of embarrassment? Take it to the Lord in prayer and have faith in His ability to intervene, and He will make a way for you. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The desire and plan of God is for all His children to be deliverance ministers (Mark 16:17). He wants us to exercise His dominion on earth, so that if demons are obstructing the lives, destinies and progress of anybody, when they meet anyone of us, they would be freed. However, only very few believers are actively doing this. Any believer who wants to walk in the reality of the plan of God concerning casting out demons must have the knowledge of some basic truths. First and foremost, they must have an intimate knowledge of the Great Deliverer – the Lord Jesus Christ. The closer you move to Jesus and know Him, the more grace you will derive from Him to cast out devils, heal the sick, raise the dead, and more. (Daniel 11:32).
 
What are the things you need to know about Jesus? You need to know the power in His Name. Philippians 2:9-11 teaches that Jesus Christ has a Name to which everything and everyone must bow. Some ministers have fallen into error because they have gained so much popularity and have tasted the anointing of the Holy Ghost. Because they have been used of God several times to perform miracles, they are now close to casting out devils in their own names! We are told to command demons to go in the Name of Jesus and not by any other name. If you ever use your name, you will get into trouble with God and with demons. If you are now using your name to cast out demons, you are becoming another Jesus and preaching another gospel. Know that this act carries a curse (Galatians 1:9). Even Paul, with all his anointing and experiences of the supernatural, continued to cast out demons in the Name of Jesus Christ (Acts 16:16-18). A man attended a program one day and instead of being delivered, his problem was compounded. He was loaded with demons, so much so that he could not stand, sit or walk: he just lay down. When he was brought to us, I commanded him to kneel for prayers, but he said he could not. I commanded him again, and he asked me, “In whose name?” I said “In the Name of Jesus.” He answered, “Oh, that one is different”, and he complied. After prayers, I said to him “Stand up and go home.” But he replied that he could not stand. So I commanded him again to obey. He then asked “In whose name?” I replied “In the Name of Jesus.” He said again, “That one is different”, and he stood up. Then I commanded him to go home, take his bath and be normal again. Once again he asked “In whose name?” I said “In the Name of Jesus.” He answered once more “That one is different”, and he obeyed. Praise God for the power in the Name of Jesus! Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In 1 Kings 13:7-14, we have a very sad story of a young prophet sent by God to the city of Bethel with strict instructions. After he delivered the message, he took a different route homewards as instructed by God. But along the way, he felt danger had passed and so he decided to take a rest. While taking his rest, an old prophet came by, lied to him and convinced him to return with him. He obeyed this old prophet and eventually met his death. If only he had delayed his rest, the false prophet would have come looking for him without finding him. Just as it happened to this young prophet, resting too soon has terminated the Christian race of so many believers. In some races, we sometimes see a contestant that is running so fast, leaving other contestants far behind. For the contestant ahead, there is always the temptation to relax, reduce speed and to take the rest of the journey easy, due to a false sense of having won the race already. Many a contestant has yielded to such temptations and got the shock of a lifetime. You will do yourself a lot of good to know that on earth, while on our way to Heaven, we have no resting place. For this reason, Hebrews 4:9 says:
“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.”
What the devil or your flesh is suggesting to you as a rest is actually meant to activate your spiritual death warrant. Our rest in Heaven is eternal, and this is partly to compensate us for the no-rest race we have to run on earth. If you want rest, wait until you get to Heaven.
 
Sometime ago, I visited Australia. While there, a brother shared a testimony that made me weep inside. This old man testified that some time ago, a particular man of God who was highly anointed came to Australia. People brought their dead and they were raised back to life. Within one week, there were ambulances bringing in dead people to the crusade. I could recall this particular man of God. He started very well and was mightily used of God, but along the line, he began to bring in some strange doctrines. He said all that was needed now was only faith; there was no more need for fasting, holiness, etc. He did not end up very well. Beloved, since you have started the race, focus on it and continue to run. Receive all the grace that you can muster from the Lord and continue running the race. Refuse any proposal to slow down or rest, as this is meant to terminate your race. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When Jesus went into a synagogue one day, He met a man with a withered hand. When a hand is withered, it means it has died and totally dried up. In spite of the withered state of this hand, that encounter with Jesus restored life to it (Mark 3:1-5). There are some people whose future has withered financially. In the Name of Jesus Christ, you will soon become a creditor to many. Our God is a very practical God. I am speaking from experience. Beyond reading about Him, I have seen Him in action so many times that I can confidently say my God can reverse the irreversible.
 
Let us consider the experience of one of my daughters. She lost her husband and had 17 mouths to feed in addition to a huge debt; the biggest of which was in London. During one of our Conventions, the Lord said there was someone there who was heavily indebted, and that He was going to give that person three financial breakthroughs: the first one was for God, the second was to be split 50-50 between God and that person, while the third would settle the persons problems permanently. On hearing this word, she received it. Within one week, she came with some big money she got, saying this was the first one. I argued with her and tried to refuse taking it, but she insisted. Eventually, we took the money but did not spend it. Not long after, the second one came and she brought 50% to God. It was easier for me to receive this than the first. Then came the third one: a bank in London that she owed so much wrote to say that they had checked their records and found out that she did not owe them, instead they were the ones owing her. Could they really have made a mistake? The most likely thing that occurred was that God went into the records and changed her status from debtor to creditor. Are you in debt? If you can call on the Lord in faith and secure His intervention, He can go into the books and turn the records in your favour. Yes! It is possible for you to move from debtor to creditor! All records are in God’s hands, because He is the Alpha and Omega. He is the First and Last of all alphabets, so He can cause every writing to work in your favour. Every negative thing written about you shall fail as the Alpha and Omega takes charge over them. These are His words to you in Colossians 2:14:
“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”
You shall experience the reality of this Word in your finances in Jesus’ Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.