₦airaland Forum

It is good to fast, but it is important to know why you should fast. One of the reasons why we fast is so that we can be empowered to deal with demons and forces of darkness. In Matthew 17:14-21, a demon-possessed boy was brought to Jesus’ disciples, but they could not cast out the demon. They later asked the Lord why. He told them that some demonic cases may not be solved by praying alone, but by combining prayers with fasting. We fast in order to be battle-ready, so that whenever the devil raises his ugly head, we are able to give him a good knock. Some people are surprised and disappointed when they do not succeed in casting out demons after quoting Luke 10:19. This Scripture says:
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
If you want this Scripture to be effective in your life, then you must learn to fast and win souls to Christ. When you win souls to Jesus, you automatically put on the boots of the gospel, and as a result, no demon will be able to harm you.
 
Moreover, we also fast while preparing for high-powered ministrations, just like our Master who began His ministry with a fast (Matthew 4:1-2). Some people ask God to fulfil His promise that we would do the same works Jesus did and even greater works (John 14:12). To those people, Jesus says “Fine, simply start where I did – with a 40-day fast.” Many years ago, during the centenary celebration of modern Pentecostalism in Azusa, Los Angeles, a lot of speakers from prominent ministries were invited from across the globe. From Africa, only two people were invited to speak, and by the grace of God, I was one of them. There was a special room where the speakers waited before moving to the stage. All kinds of food and drinks were available in this room. When I got there, I saw those slated to speak eating, drinking and chatting. An usher asked me what I would like to have, but I declined. The lady then asked, “Won’t you take even a cup of tea?” In my heart, I knew that was not the appropriate time for me to eat or drink. It was time to hook on to the Spirit so that my ministration would be impactful; so, I took nothing. After God used other speakers powerfully, when it was my turn, the fire fell. If you truly want your sermons to be effective, feed your spirit and not your flesh. As you wait on Him from today, you will have greater results. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One aspect of Christian character that is often neglected is our attitude to our place of paid employment. Some people out-rightly steal things kept in their care by their employer; such should not even be mentioned among Christians. However, there are other subtle ways people steal from their employers. When you accept to work for an organisation, there is an understanding or even a written agreement regarding your working hours. If you are to resume at 7:30 AM but you get late to work, you are stealing time from your employer. If you are to close at 5:00 PM but you leave at 4:00 PM, you are a thief. There are even situations where an employee will resume and close at the normal time, but while in the office, instead of concentrating on the assignment at hand, he or she will spend a good portion of time browsing the internet for personal leisure, watching television or videos, or just gallivanting and gossiping from desk to desk. If you are engaged in any of these, you are equally stealing time from your employer. In addition, taking or using for personal purposes any material or property that belongs to your organisation without permission amounts to stealing.
 
“Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;”
Ephesians 6:6
Another way employees steal from their employers is by pretending to work when the boss is around but dumping the work or doing a shoddy job when the boss is not there. Ephesians 6:5-8 says that there should be a difference between a Christian employee and his or her non-Christian counterpart. While unbelievers may work just to be seen, believers should work as if they are doing that official assignment as a service to Jesus Christ. To this end, realising that the Lord is ever present, you will do your work as to the Lord from your heart. A Christian employee will work conscientiously because he or she knows that by doing his or her secular work to please God and to glorify His name, not only will the organisation pay for this service, God will equally give the fellow a good reward for a job well done. It means that you can actually earn double for doing a particular job once. If the effort you put into your job does not glorify God, you will be paid only by your employer, but if it does, you will be paid by your employer and by God. How do you handle your official assignments today?

God’s plan for His children is that they do not become sick at all (3 John 2). All through His years on earth, our Lord Jesus Christ was never sick. If you believe in Him and fully obey Him, it is possible for you to never be sick again. Sickness is alien to God’s temple – your body. It is a stranger, an invader and a tool of the enemy. John 10:10 says the mission of the devil is to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to steal your health, kill your body and destroy you. But thank God, 1 John 3:8 says Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Every work of darkness operating in your life shall be destroyed in Jesus’ Name.
 
Moreover, Jesus came to give life. The life He came to give is not in limited measure, but at a level described as being more than abundant. In other words, in superlative measure! Life is the opposite of death. Any resemblance of death in you shall be uprooted now! The life Jesus gives includes physical life; hence, He can reverse the process of death in a human body (Acts 9:39-41). It also includes spiritual life: He imparts life to a spiritually dead fellow and is able to sustain this life until He returns (1 Peter 2:24). This is how those who were once sinners become saints and remain holy until they sleep in death or are caught up in the rapture. Jesus also gives intellectual life. He can resurrect the mental faculty of a dullard and turn the fellow into a genius (Acts 4:13). His abundant life includes financial life: He makes the deeply impoverished to become financially empowered (2 Corinthians 8:9). The abundant life restores health to the sick, makes the barren fruitful, changes the story of the one covered with shame, gives beauty for ashes, joy to the sorrow-laden, compassion to the neglected and so much more. It is capable of multiplying provision to overflowing measure. Are you a beneficiary of the abundant life? Any blessing you have in limited measure can be made available to you abundantly. This season, the abundant life that Jesus gives shall be your portion! Reject anything that is less than the abundant life! Do everything possible to live a life that is filled with God’s abundance!

Promotion can come to you through either human or divine assistance. The assisted state of progress attained through this promotion moves you to a level where you are not supposed to be. The greatest promotion of all is that which transforms a sinner into a saint. This is only made possible through divine assistance. Because man could not attain this spiritual promotion by his own efforts, God came in to help us. This season, the Lord will assist you and move you to a level you are not qualified to occupy in Jesus’ Name.
 
Beyond the assisted state of progress is the accelerated state of progress. This is progress of the unusual kind. It defies time, expectations and protocol. Under the influence of this state of progress, you could be at the bottom now and find yourself at the very top moments later. David experienced this type of progress in 1 Samuel 16:11-13. He was just watching over his father’s sheep and goats in the fields when a messenger came and told him he was urgently needed at home. “What for?”, he asked. The messenger’s reply was “I don’t know, but we have a visitor - a man, I think he is a prophet, and he asked for you to come right away.” As soon as he got home, God told the prophet, “This is the fellow, anoint him now.” Samuel asked David to kneel before his brethren, and he anointed him. By the time the boy got up, he was already a king. One moment he was a shepherd boy, and at the next, he was a king. That is accelerated progress!
 
At the registry on the day of my wedding, we could not but notice what was happening around us. A particular girl was dressed up to be wedded, but she waited endlessly for the bridegroom, not knowing he had absconded. She almost went berserk, but she eventually survived the disappointment. Not long after, she was married to a soldier. Unknown to her, the man who jilted her also joined the army. One day, there was a military coup, and the husband of this girl became a governor. Meanwhile, the boy who jilted her was assigned as a subordinate to her husband, the governor. So, anytime this girl was to enter the car, her former husband-to-be had to open the door for her. This season, God will overlook time, protocol and the arrangement of men in order to accelerate your promotion! Your progress shall receive divine speed in Jesus’ Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The assurance that God is on the side of the righteous and not against them, gives peace to their life. It is commonly said that “One with God is majority.” Even if the whole world is against you, as long as you know that God is on your side, you will not be afraid. As a child of God, because God has justified and cleansed you, there is now peace between you and Him (Romans 5:1). The rift of separation is gone! Condemnation is also gone! Praise God! As long as God stands by you, nobody can withstand you (Romans 8:31). If God is for you, it means that He loves you, and if He loves you, then you are more than a conqueror. If God is for you, He will personally take over the battles of your life. As you simply praise and worship Him, He will arise and engage your enemies in battle. You can be certain He will bring the victory back to you. While facing the Red Sea with no visible way to cross it, the children of Israel suddenly had the Egyptian army rushing furiously towards them. Faced with this impossible situation, Moses said this to them in Exodus 14:14:
“The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”
 
When you have the Commander-in-Chief of the heavenly hosts fighting for you, oh what peace and joy will flood your heart in the midst of the storms of life! As long as Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is in your boat, that boat will never sink. A song writer wrote, “... No water can swallow the ship where lies, the Master of ocean and earth and skies”. This is so true. You can go to sleep in the midst of an earthquake when God is with you. That was why Peter could sleep so deep after his arrest. Acts 12:6-7 tells of how he slept, bound between two soldiers:
“And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.”
He knew that even though he was in prison, He was safely in God’s hands. He also knew that God can do the impossible whenever He decides to. Are you anxious over how you will come out of that impossible situation? Fear not! What did Peter do to come out? Nothing! He slept while others prayed, yet he came out. You are coming out today in Jesus’ Name. Because God is with you, you will never fall.

In the journey of life, the enemy can place obstacles in the way of a man to prevent the actualisation of his destiny. Zerubbabel was a man commissioned by God to rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem and to restore the worship of God at His temple. The Word of the Lord concerning this came expressly to him through several prophets and scribes, including Zechariah, Haggai and Ezra (Haggai 1:1-2, Zechariah 4:9, Ezra 2:1-2). In spite of these facts, the enemy still put difficulties along his way to prevent him from fulfilling God’s divine destiny for his life (Ezra 4:3-5). However, Zerubbabel found favour before God, and the unmerited favour of God was sent to uproot the obstacles the enemy placed in his way (Zechariah 4:7). This season, the Lord will remove every obstacle the enemy has placed in your way in Jesus’ Name.
 
A particular sister trusting God for marriage attended one of our Holy Ghost services, and a word came from God that there was a lady present, whose mother was obstructing her from getting married. The Lord said if this mother continued to stand in her way, she would die within a week. On getting home, this lady told her mother the word she had heard from God. Her mother later stormed angrily into my office saying: “You are the one teaching people wrong things, and saying that I am going to die!” “When did I say that, mama?” I asked. “My daughter returned from your programme and came to tell me so”, she responded. To pacify her, I told her that I did not mention any names, and added, “Don’t mind her. That is how they claim what does not belong to them.” Pacified, she excused her daughter from my office. When we were both alone, she turned to me and said “Pastor, is it true that the mother in question will die?” “Mama, it is not you, but God’s word must be fulfilled. If the person in question fails to release her daughter to be married, within seven days, she will be buried”, I replied. She then confessed, “It is not that I don’t want her to marry, but the challenge is that if she marries, who will take care of me? She is the only one looking after me now.” I told her “Mama, if that is the issue, there is no problem. I will tell her husband that whatever your daughter has been doing for you before she was married should be sustained.” She then responded, “Alright, she can marry.” Within a week, after several years of waiting, a man looked in her direction and said she was the right woman for him. Today, the favour of God will turn God’s search light in your direction and completely flush out everyone standing between you and your expectations, in Jesus’ Name! Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Man is limited because he is confined to a body made from dust (Genesis 3:19). He is also limited because even at his best, he is comparable to the flowers of the field (Isaiah 40:6-, which grow, glow, fade and die. Sometimes, because they are glowing so beautifully, they are cut and used either for play or for decoration, after which they die. Unlike man, God is not limited, because He is a Spirit and He is not made of dust. Jesus in John 4:24 revealed the nature of God to us when He said:
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Not only is God a Spirit, He is the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9). All spirits derive their powers from Him. If you can appreciate how powerful angels are, then you can begin to comprehend this God who created and empowered billions of angels and has the power to command them to cease to exist in a moment. Imagine that one angel alone, razed down the entire army of a mighty nation in just one night (2 Kings 19:35). This should give you a little insight into how great and mighty the Father of spirits is.
 
To break away from our limitations as humans, we must move towards becoming more of spirit by becoming more like God. Man is a tripartite being made up of spirit, soul and body. All three components must be developed in that order. Your spirit must be given the greatest priority in development, followed by your soul. Your body should not be developed to the detriment of your spirit and soul. If you are not born-again, your spirit is dead, and the soul is heading for Hell. In the unsaved state, the flesh is in charge of an individual’s life. The flesh is a servant of sin and therefore, a slave to Satan. Wherever the flesh rules, Satan is in control. If your body is what dictates to you when you pray, how you pray, how often you eat, what to do with your passions and how you relate with God, you can be sure that it will never draw you closer to God. It will do everything possible to separate you from God and keep your spirit-man dead or weak. The longer you live in the flesh by gratifying its lusts, the weaker you become in the spirit. But if you can be born-again and develop your spirit-man by feasting regularly on God’s word, praying in the Holy Spirit, walking in obedience to God and worshiping Him in spirit and in truth, your limitations will give way to your empowered form. Decide to grow your spirit-man in all you do from today!

On the scale of progress, after the state of retardation comes the state of normal promotion. This refers to a state of progress where growth occurs at a normal rate or at generally acceptable pace. A person operating on this level moves step by step and from stage to stage. In some organisations, it is normal to be promoted from one level to another once in four or five years. However, the problem with this kind of promotion is that it is ordinary; there is nothing exceptional about it. It is at variance with the abundant life Jesus came to give us (John 10:10). Normal promotion is not exactly what God has planned for you as a child of destiny. It is crowded at this level of progress. In all their lifetime, some people have never experienced any type of progress beyond the normal. If you are in this category, the Lord is moving you to something higher this season in Jesus' Name. From a crowded school of prophets and teachers in Antioch, the Holy Ghost separated Paul and Barnabas to an exceptional life in ministry (Acts 13:1-2). The Lord will separate you from the crowd and make you exceptional in Jesus' Name.

Beyond the state of normal promotion is a state known as assisted promotion. This is experienced when someone is personally interested in your welfare and chooses to assist you by taking you to a level you are not yet due for. The three Hebrew boys Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego experienced this in Daniel 2:49:
"Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king".
After their friend, Daniel, was made a great man, they were assisted to the top based on his recommendation. Note however that this state of progress still requires hard work, as this may even be the reason why you were considered for elevation in the first place. Another example of assisted progress can be found in the story of Isaac and his family. Isaac called his beloved son and firstborn, Esau, and instructed him to go hunt and prepare him a delicious meal so that he could transfer the generational blessing to him. As he left to do so, his mother, who overheard her husband's instructions, decided to arrest the blessing from Esau and pass it over to Jacob, her own beloved son. She therefore designed a plot to assist him, and she schooled him on what to do. In the Name of Jesus, the Lord will raise people to assist you into a level you were not expected to attain. Human and divine assistance shall work in your favour this season in Jesus' Name.

One thing that robs many people of peace is the uncertainty of the future. If you are living in right standing with God, your future is guaranteed not by man or by the economy of your nation, but by God. Hence, Isaiah 3:10 says:
“Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.”
Are you saved, sanctified and living a life that pleases God daily? If you are, then you have no reason to be worried about your tomorrow. Your future is secured in Christ. This is the reason why Jesus charged His own not to worry over what to eat, drink or wear (Matthew 6:25-34). With this assurance, Apostle Paul also in Philippians 4:6 said:
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Are you afraid of what your future will bring? Fear not! Your tomorrow will be great. If you are truly in Christ and you are not toying with sin, your tomorrow shall be far greater than your today! Your end shall be glorious.
 
Another reason why the righteous have peace is the assurance that they will prosper. Our Heavenly Father in Isaiah 1:19 promised that:
“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:”
If you are holy, your portion of divine blessings is reserved for you. Part of the wealth of this world has been reserved by God just for you. Nobody can take your portion from you. When you know this, you will not be moved or be afraid, no matter what you go through. No wonder Psalm 16:5-9 says that while God was sharing land to His children, a good portion, very fertile and fruitful, was allotted to you. It also assures you that God is the One who secures your blessing so that no one can steal it from you. As you live in righteousness before Him, simply put your trust in Him. Ask Him to lead you to your reserved land. Nothing will take your reserved portion of blessings away from you. Simply please God by regularly worshipping and thanking Him; win souls and support the expansion of His kingdom on earth. As you do these, He will surely lead you into the portion of divine inheritance reserved for you.

John 9:1 talks about a man who was born blind. He had been blind for over 40 years, but when his day of favour came, Jesus saw him. This was not an accidental glance; rather, God directed the attention He gives to the whole universe to this blind man. The favour of God brought this blind man under divine focus. Through this same favour, Esther also came under special focus (Esther 5:1-. King Ahasuerus did not just see Esther; he focused his attention on her. This was no ordinary king; he was a very busy king overseeing 120 nations. As busy as he was, when he looked at Esther, it was not just a passing glance but a life-changing glance of favour.
 
Similarly, in John 5:2-6, in the midst of a multitude of sick but expectant folks, there was a man who had been there for 38 years without help. Jesus saw him and singled him out of the crowd. Among all the multitude of people having your particular type of problem, favour will locate you today, and you will be singled out for a miracle in Jesus’ Name. There was a particular man who had two PhDs but still could not get a job for more than six years. By the time he was brought for prayers, he looked like a mad man. He looked like someone who never stepped into a school, because he had gone through a lot. We introduced him to Jesus and he willingly accepted Him into his life. Not long after, the people in his local government, who had been looking for someone to employ, suddenly took interest in him. What several application letters could not do became settled when God focused his attention on him, and his long pressing need was met. For so long it might appear you have been going unnoticed. You have called out to God, fasted, praised and worshipped Him sincerely from your heart, but it appears as if God has either turned a deaf ear or your prayers have never passed the ceiling of your house. You are becoming discouraged as a result of this, and you are wondering if your prayer efforts are of any use. Do not be discouraged! God is not only looking towards your direction right now, He is also paying proper attention to you. Your situation is about to turn around for good. Hold on to the Lord in faith. Give Him more thanks, praise, worship and adoration. Wait on God until your change comes!
“If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come” Job 14:14.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God had His agenda already set out before the foundation of the world. When the right time comes for Him to unfold a specific plan in His agenda, He looks out for those He can use to achieve His purpose. For example, when the time came for God to accomplish an earlier plan to turn a Syrian army general into a worshipper of Jehovah, God sought the vessel to use, and He found a young captive girl who was serving as a maid in the house of Naaman. She cooperated with God and told Naaman’s wife of a highly anointed prophet of God in Israel who could cure the incurable leprosy that was a blemish upon Naaman’s life.
 
Some other vessels that God used in achieving His purpose concerning Naaman were Naaman’s personal assistants. When they arrived at the front of Elisha’s house, Elisha simply sent his servant to tell Naaman to go and dip seven times in River Jordan and he would be healed. Naaman took offence that the prophet could not even honour him by coming out to talk personally to him. How could the prophet send a servant to him? Besides, he did not like River Jordan at all. Why did the prophet not choose any of the prestigious rivers around? He was angry, and he decided to leave. Had it not been that some of his servants decided to talk frankly with him, making him see the folly of his decision to return home empty-handed, he would have become a victim of his anger. He listened to them, went and dipped in the river and came out whole. When he returned to the prophet, he offered him a gift which he refused. He then requested to carry some of the soil from Israel to his native land to raise an altar to Jehovah there, and he promised to serve the Almighty God going forward. God can use anyone. Are you a housemaid or a houseboy? God can use you. Are you a servant? God can use you. God also used Prophet Elisha. Are you a servant of God? God can use you. One lesson from the maid and the servants is that if you can deal with the problems of fear and intimidation, you can be used by God to help your superiors. Never look down on yourself. Do not say that because you are uneducated, you cannot speak to the educated about Jesus. Use the Pidgin English or vernacular you know to pass across the message of the love of Jesus to others. The help that will move some superiors to their next level lies in the hands of their subordinates. You can be used to assist your superiors. The greatest assistance you can give to those above you is to link them up with Jesus.

One of the spiritual weapons at the disposal of God’s children is shouting. All that the children of Israel did to pull down the formidable walls of Jericho was to shout. The Bible in Joshua 6:20 says:
“So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.”
Do you know that you can utilise the weapon of shouting to receive your miracle or breakthrough? Some years ago, a woman was brought to us at the headquarters of our church. She complained that for years, whenever she ate, she vomited. The doctors had tried all they could to help her retain the food she ate, but nothing worked. It was so bad that even when she drank water, she would vomit it. When she was brought in, I told everyone to shout Hallelujah! As she did, she vomited a worm, and that was the end of her sickness. As you shout Hallelujah this season, you shall receive your miracle in Jesus’ Name.
 
Furthermore, another weapon available to believers in Christ is the Name of Jesus. That Name is so highly exalted that everything, everyone and every power everywhere must bow to it (Philippians 2:9-11). It is amazing to know that when some Christians go through a serious situation that needs divine intervention, they call on the names of their father or mother but not on the Name of Jesus, the only One who can help them. In Acts 16:16-18, a demon possessed girl who followed Paul and Silas around, was immediately delivered after they commanded the demon to leave her in the Name of Jesus. Recently, I was about to enter my car while going to minister to my children after a Holy Communion service, when a particular girl ran towards me screaming. I asked my personal assistant to allow her come near. The fellow who brought her said while she was at her station of primary assignment on national youth service, something happened to her which made her lose her voice. Her voice was completely cut out. On a piece of paper, she wrote that the demon said that the only person who could send him out was Pastor Adeboye. So I prayed a simple prayer in the Name of Jesus, and before I ended the prayer, she voiced out “Amen”. As I turned to enter my car, she was audibly shouting “Daddy, daddy”. My son said to me “Daddy, she is already speaking.” I just smiled. Use the Name of Jesus more often. Apply His Name in all that you do. When you do so, do it in faith and ensure you are not living in sin. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is common for people to rebrand a particular evil act by giving it a more tolerable name. They do this so that the full weight of that evil act is not felt by their conscience. However, rebranding prostitutes as commercial sex workers or calling sexually transmitted diseases “gentleman’s disease” does not change them from being what they are before God. In the same vein, describing stealing as “taking” does not stop it from being an evil act. Anything you take without the permission of its rightful owner, especially with the intent of keeping it, is stealing, irrespective of who you took it from. If you take something with the consent of the owner under a mutual understanding not to return it, you can call it a gift. If there is a mutual agreement that the item is to be returned, that is borrowing. Do you know that many items have moved from being borrowed to being stolen, because the one who borrowed the item has failed to return it? If you have treated any item like that, you are a thief. Return the item to its owner today.
 
It’s a pity that some people do not know the difference between gifts and borrowed items on the one hand and stolen items on the other hand. One area where people commonly flout such rules is in family relationships. Some children take it for granted that because something belongs to their parents, they are free to take it without their permission. Also, spouses take advantage of each other in this area. The wife may say since the money belongs to her husband, and what is his is also hers, she can take his things whenever she likes without his consent and without feeling guilty. If you have not deliberately discussed this and jointly agreed that it should be so, your action can amount to stealing. God expects you to live with a sense of accountability, responsibility and honesty. The reason some people steal from their spouses, parents or children is because they know that if they ask for the item, their request would be turned down. If you want something that belongs to your spouse or family member, simply ask. If the fellow turns down the request, pray to God to touch his or her heart, then go and ask again and again. Never take something unless you have the approval of the owner to do so. Otherwise, you are a thief, and no thief will enter Heaven.

Hosea 4:6 reveals that knowledge is an indispensable commodity if one is to become relevant in God's scheme of things. It also tells us that contrary to what some people believe, what is responsible for the destruction of God's people is not the devil; rather, it is their ignorance. This means that the enemy capitalises on what you do not know to plunder you. If you fail to recognise and act on your kingdom rights for instance, the devil will definitely take advantage of you. If you do not recognise that good health is your right, Satan will definitely shove sickness down your throat. The devil loves those who rob themselves of their rights through a false sense of humility, because they are helping him to do his dirty work. If you believe that poverty is part of godliness, or that you do not need to fight or resist the evil plans of the enemy, or that being sick is part of the cross you are to bear in the Christian faith, Satan will definitely celebrate your ignorance. To this end, the devil will do everything to keep such a fellow in the dark concerning the truth.

Do you know that there is a difference between stating the facts and knowing the truth? The facts are what can be physically perceived in a given situation. Facts are a product of the natural human senses. Satan tries to control his victims using the prevailing circumstances. Most times, he controls, manipulates and distorts the things we can see. As long as you choose to believe what you can see, you may likely end up as a victim of sight and a prisoner of the devil. This is why 2 Corinthians 5:7 says: "(For we walk by faith, not by sight"

On the other hand, the word of God is truth (John 17:17). Facts can easily change; hence it is wrong to base your victory or joy on them. Rather, base it on God's word which is settled in Heaven forever. For instance, when you have prayed for healing and you are standing in faith to receive it, you must be prepared to discountenance the facts that sight brings to you. You must be ready to ignore or resist the pains, discomfort and weakness you can still feel. You must confess the healing and good health which the word of God has promised you. Even if you are yet to experience it. As you keep on insisting on what God's word says, eventually the truth will swallow up the facts.

A state of progress in which forward or upward movement is so slow, sluggish or negligible, to the point of becoming an embarrassment, can be referred to as retarded progress. When a 13-year old teenager is still being fed with a feeding bottle or is behaving like a two-year old child, growth in such a case is referred to as retarded. Sometimes, it is better not to make any progress at all than to make the type of progress that brings embarrassment. Retarded progress can also be seen as a trapped destiny. When Jacob was about to die, he called all his children together and began to make certain pronouncements over each of them depending on how they had lived their lives. When he came to his firstborn Reuben, he told him that although he was the one supposed to receive the double portion generational blessing, it would be denied him. Jacob categorically stated that he would not excel. From that day, the future of Reuben that looked so bright and promising became bleak. His destiny was trapped.
 
I met a particular man of God sometime ago. We had last seen each other some five years before. I asked him, “How are things?”. “All is well” he replied. “How is your church?” I asked. “Oh, the church is good”, he said, and so I asked,  “What is your attendance like presently?”, desiring to know how the church was actually doing. “We are now about 105”, he replied. Surprised, I said “I thought the last time we met some five years ago, you said your attendance was about 100? So five years later, it has only grown by 5 people? Even if you were winning a soul per month within that period, you should have added at least 60 members.” Then he replied, “Please pray for me; I think I am suffering from the spirit of retardation.”
 
One unfortunate thing about retardation is that in some cases, because of the negligible growth or improvement that has been recorded, the victim may be considered to have made some progress. As a result of this false progress, consideration will not be given to putting in the type of effort that would have been required to salvage the situation if there was no progress at all. Is your progress being impeded? Is your destiny boxed? Is the slight progress you have recorded becoming an embarrassment to you? Call on the Lord today for help. Every power that has retarded your progress or destiny is destroyed today in the mighty Name of Jesus. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Long life and mercy are two benefits derivable from living a life of holiness. In addition to these, peace is another dividend of a holy life. A fellow living a sanctified life enjoys God’s peace at an optimum level. If you are saved and still lack peace, ask God to sanctify you wholly. The moment He does this, you will begin to enjoy peace that is way beyond human understanding. After interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel gave him this piece of advice:
“Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.”
Daniel 4:27
While great peace is available for the upright, there is no peace for the wicked (Isaiah 57:21). There is someone reading this, you lost your peace sometime ago and you have tried everything possible to get it back without success. Your peace disappeared after you were mean to a particular child of God, and you made life unbearable for this fellow. If you ask God for forgiveness and make restitution to this fellow, your peace shall be restored.
 
Moreover, a call to holiness is a call to peace. Our God is the Author of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33), and Jesus is declared to be the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). A father can only give whatever he has to his son. If you have God, you will definitely have peace. That peace will grow as you live holy. It is possible to be wealthy and not have peace. It is also possible to be healthy and lack peace. Peace cannot be bought with money. One of the attributes of God’s kingdom is peace (Romans 14:17). If you therefore want peace, you must first seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness. In Psalm 29:11, God promises to bless His own with peace. This really means that after God has blessed His children, He will add peace to it. If you are blessed and no peace is added, those blessings can transform into a curse at some point. Some people are “blessed” and yet, sorrow, pain, regret and trouble are added. Such blessings are already cursed! Do you have the peace of God? Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When your day of favour dawns, favour will locate you wherever you are. Sometime ago, we went to hold a crusade in Italy. While we were preaching, the message was being aired over the radio. Suddenly, the Lord said that there was a man listening to me via the radio who was impotent. The Lord asked me to tell the fellow that his virility was restored. Meanwhile, the man in question was lying on his bed in his house, far away from where we were. As soon as he heard the word, his manhood was restored. Favour located him at home. By the time he tried to locate us at the crusade ground, we had closed and left for the hotel where we were staying. When he got to the hotel, he burst into our room saying he was the one whose case was addressed, and that he had received his miracle. This season, favour will locate you right where you are. Right in your home, in your living room, on your bed, favour will visit you in Jesus' Name.

Favour can always locate you, even from a distance. After Moses had spent about forty years in exile in Midian, God sent favour to locate him at the backside of the desert, in the form of an angel manifested as burning bush which was not consumed. I also have experienced God's favour in a foreign land. The first time I travelled outside Africa, I went to Canada for the World Conference of Applied Mathematicians. I knew no one there and had no idea what kind of food I would be eating there. Meanwhile, my wife was at home praying that God should take care of me. At about that same time, someone was looking through the list of mathematicians who had come for the conference. As he checked, he saw my name, Enoch Adeboye. He mused that it could be a French name, even though he had every reason to believe it is a Nigerian name. He decided to check up on me. On his way to my hotel room, this man resolved to speak to me in Yoruba language; he said to himself that if I replied, then I must be a Nigerian. He eventually got to my door and knocked. "Who is it?" I asked. "Emi ni (I am the one)" he replied. "Wole (come in)", I responded. Before that day was over, I was eating pounded yam right there in Canada. Favour can locate you outside the shores of your land. God can use somebody you do not know to favour you. Are you away from home right now and in need of favour? God will cause favour to locate you! Someone you do not know will favour you today in Jesus' Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When God says He will do a thing, He is telling you what He has already done in the realm of the Spirit. It is already a settled matter. If He says He will give you peace, it means that peace is already released to you. Every good promise that God has made to you shall become reality shortly in Jesus’ Name. When Jesus made this promise in Matthew 16:18:
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
He was simply saying something He had already done. He was telling Peter what He had already finished, long before Peter was born. Luke 1:33 declares that there is no end to the increase of God’s kingdom. This means that whether the devil and the world like it or not, the Church will keep marching on. It also means that even when you do not know how to access the funds you need to build that local assembly to the glory of God’s Name, God knows. He has already provided for all the churches that would be built in His Name, even before the foundation of the world was laid. This is why I know that you will not be stranded or frustrated over the assignment of enlarging God’s kingdom on earth. God’s provision for your assignment shall be evident this season in Jesus’ Name.
 
Moreover, it is important to note that since God has set out to build His church, if you cooperate with Him, He can use you to build His kingdom. Building His church is God’s agenda. God is looking for those who will cooperate with Him to establish His agenda of building His church. Are you willing to partner with Him? Long ago, God decided that He would take a general from the Syrian army and turn him into a worshipper of Jehovah (2 Kings 5:1-19). In today’s setting, it is like saying God wants to take the Sultan of Sokoto (the traditional head of Muslims in Nigeria) and turn him into an evangelist or a pastor. Some people will say this is impossible, but with God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1:37). Once He has set out His plan, and His Word has gone forth, He will do it. To get Naaman to become a worshipper of the Living God, the Lord needed someone to cooperate with Him. It was a housemaid in Naaman’s household who told her mistress that there was a prophet in Israel who could cure her husband’s leprosy. Like this handmaid, are you ready to cooperate with the Lord in building His church?

David’s response to the distress he was confronted with, after his family and those of his men were taken captive, should serve as an example of what our response should be in the face of discouragement. The Bible in 1 Samuel 30:8 says:
“And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.”
Whenever you experience a loss, you need to go back to God to find out if it is possible to recover what was lost, and how such recovery would be achieved. Do not take it for granted that every loss must be recovered. Sometimes, when the Lord calls home a loved one who is very ill and going through excruciating pain, there might be no need for Him to return such a fellow back to life, except of course if He wants to heal such a fellow. Also, if a blessing is already becoming a curse or something else, it may be preferable for such a blessing to go for the greater good. Have you taken time to ask God about His will concerning your losses? Have you also asked how such losses can be recovered?
 
We can see from 1 Samuel 30:3-8 that people respond to discouragement in different ways. Some people do not mind going to any extreme when they are discouraged. At the point of discouragement, David’s men suddenly blamed the same leader who had been protecting them. They began to see their helper as the source of their loss. They began to speak against him and even planned to stone him to death! This shows the destructive power of discouragement. How do you handle situations when you are discouraged? Do you turn your helpers into enemies? There are some believers including ministers, who at the height of discouragement deliberately step out of righteousness and return temporarily to the sinful lifestyle they abandoned several years ago. This type of response is wrong. When faced with discouragement, encourage yourself in the Lord. Study God’s word to receive a word of encouragement and direction. Pray to God, praise and thank Him for all past blessings and worship Him. Doing these may be difficult, but ask for grace to do so. Seek counselling from godly people. Also, ask yourself: what does Satan want me to do in this situation? Ensure you don’t act according to his expectation.

One commandment that God gave to the children of Israel in the wilderness, which is still very relevant to us today, is the commandment not to steal (Exodus 20:15). Stealing can occur physically, in the realm of the soul and spiritually. Physical stealing can further be classified as stealing from man and stealing from God (Malachi 3:. To steal is to take another person’s property without their consent or approval, particularly with the intention of not returning it. As a growing child, teenager or youth, if you take your parent’s money without their consent, you are a thief. Some youths will say “Whatever belongs to my father belongs to me. I should be free to take any of his things whenever I like.” No sir! Your parents have plans for all that they have. Taking their things without their approval can destabilise some of those plans. It can also inflict pain, sorrow and untold hardship on your parents. A child who is well brought up will ask his or her parents for what they want and give them the opportunity to approve or deny the request. The right rule to live by is: anything your parents are not ready to give you must not be taken. If you take it, you are a thief and not better than any robber out there.
 
Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, slept with Bilhah his father’s concubine on his father’s bed (Genesis 35:22). According to their tradition, after his father’s death, he could have inherited her as the firstborn, but he could not wait for his time. Jacob kept quiet about this when he heard it. Reuben did not realise that Jacob knew, and he did not restitute. Eventually, when it was time to receive the generational blessing, Reuben was cursed and his destiny was thwarted (Genesis 49:3-4). A curse awaits children who steal from their parents. Zechariah 5:3 says:
“Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.”
Even the prodigal son knew well enough to ask for his share of his father’s property before spending it (Luke 15:12). Today, some children either neglect their parents or fast-track their death so that they can have faster access to their wealth. Doing such is murder and robbery! No doubt, the blessing will surely turn into a curse. Children, as long as you live with your parents, totally submit to them like Jesus did. Never take anything that belongs to them without their willing consent. Also, do not threaten them to accede your request. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

If there is anything we need so dearly to succeed in life, it is wisdom. In God’s manual for life, wisdom is declared to be the principal thing (Proverbs 4:7). What then is wisdom? Practically speaking, wisdom is the correct application of knowledge. The fellow who is educated but fails to apply what he or she knows appropriately will be considered a fool. This is why education alone does not confer wisdom. There are several professors who, in spite of all their chains of degrees, still operate in folly. If knowledge alone is wisdom, then no doctor would engage in smoking because all doctors know that smoking is injurious to health. A particular doctor who smokes was asked “You are a doctor; you know smoking is bad for your health and yet you still smoke. Why?” Can you believe his reply? He said “Everybody will eventually die by one means or the other someday. Some will die in an accident; some will die by an assassin’s bullet. I have chosen to die by smoking cigarettes.” Wisdom therefore is having knowledge and applying it correctly for your personal benefit. Are you an educated fool? It is time to change your ways.
 
As a worker in God’s vineyard, it is important to know that God is not moved by emotions, tears, or by rolling on the ground. Rather, He is moved by the correct application of the principles contained in His Word. His Word is declared to be forever settled in Heaven (Psalm 119:89). God is a God of principles; hence, a mathematician like me finds it easy to enjoy Him, because mathematicians are not often moved by emotions. Take for instance this equation: 2 + 2 = 4. Whether you like it or not, it always remains the same. If you like, you can weep from morning till evening saying “I want 2 + 2 to be 6.” It will not change anything, because 2 + 2 = 4 will ever remain the same, be it on earth, on the moon or under the sea. When you know that God is not moved by emotions but by His Word, wisdom demands that you apply His Word more often. Psalm 138:2 says,
“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.”
Obeying God’s Word moves Him. God honours those who stand on His Word. This means that you need to increase in the knowledge of God’s Word so that you will be able to stand on it. Give more time to knowing His Word and stand on it today. Written By Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Am reposting this article or write up just sent to me on another social media platform . Every believer who desire heaven and wants a re quickening of the spirit should read this meditatively and possibly share at a larger forum. God diversely is sending signals to us and we can't claim alibi . Hebrews 2:1-3. Maranatha .
THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD
I have not been in the church for a long time....
I was not there on the day of Pentecost...
I was not there when Brother Stephen had to endure the cruel stones of angry religious people who were mad at his bitings words...
I was not present when the church rose in unison to save the head of Peter who was already in the dungeon of Herod Agrippa 2 who had silence the first son of Zebedee among the twelve...
I was not among the congregation that listened as elders read from the handwritings of Paul, Peter or John...
I have not been in the church for a long time!
BUT!!!
I have been in the church for some time.
Long enough to see the era when the world was different from the church.
I saw the days when the world looked at the church with respect and reverence.
I saw the days when "born again" experience was the sincere bridge through which men cross from the world to the church.
I saw the days of "SU" revival when all truly converted people were so labelled by the world.
I saw the days when men respond to altar calls not with chewing gums in their mouths but with tears in their eyes broken and truly submissive before the altar of God.
I have not been in the church for a long time!
I have not been in the church for a long time.
BUT!!!
I saw the days when men of God were not men of gold.
I saw the days when Reverends were not laughing stocks in the society but men given the honour of the God they truly represent.
I saw the days when men went to church to meet preachers and not entertainers.
I saw the days when the pulpit was not a place for comic reliefs or centers of business discussions but God's holy altars from where holy fire proceeded to consume evil works in men's lives.
I saw the days the Spirit of God would expose the secret evils of men when they came to worship and men would not dare come to His presence with sins not yet repented.
I saw the days when the church was a centre of transformation and God's workshop where men's lives were fabricated and molded after Him.
I have not been in the church for a long time.
I have not been in the church for a long time.
BUT!!!
I saw the days when churches were not business centres and human empires.
I saw the days when humility was the hallmark of Christian service and men of God were contented with that simple life of Christ and will not hoodwink their hungry congregation to pay through their noses for the luxury and extravagance of pulpit business men.
I saw the day when collection of money was never a means for motivating God to answer prayers.
I saw days when men pray lifting holy hands and not 1000 euro notes in prayer meetings.
I saw days when men of God were empowered by the Holy Spirit to raise men and not trained by godless motivational speakers to raise offerings.
I saw the days when Jesus was the centre of all messages, heaven was the centre of all focuses and holiness was the centre of all Christian character.
I have not been in the church for a long time!
I have not been in the church for a long time!
HONESTLY,
I don't know for how long I will remain in the church on this side of eternity.
NAY,
I do not know for how long the church will remain before the harvest of her Lord.
BUT,
But my heart bleeds for the modern day church.
Oh the church of the computer age.
Nay, the church of the ICE age.
The church where men play more than pray.
The church where holiness is a denominational doctrine.
The church where those who speak the truth are extremists and biased.
I weep for the modern day church as I see self-adverts and miracle hawking in the name of ministry.
I weep as I see the church married to the world and the world enjoying the driver's seat of the church.
I weep when I see a church that is a million miles wide but less than a meter deep.
Although I have not been in the church for a long time, I weep brethren for what I see the church turning to in my generation.
I weep because my children and their generation do not see what I saw in the days past.
I have not been in the church for a long time!
I have not been in the church for a long time.
BUT!!!
I notice everyday that the Bible is the same in every age and generation.
I have read times without number what is written in 1 Peter 2:9:
"BUT YE ARE A CHOSEN GENERATION, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, AN HOLY NATION, A PECULIAR PEOPLE; THAT YE SHOULD SHEW FORTH THE PRAISES OF HIM WHO HATH CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELLOUS LIGHT".
I keep wondering the peculiarity of the church in today's world.
Well, I have not been in the church for a long time!
I have not been in the church for a long time.
BUT!!!
I have been there long enough to know that the Foundation of God still stands sure and also long enough to know that the Lord still knows those who are His and everyone that is named with Christ must depart from iniquity.
I have been in the church long enough to understand that not everyone that calls Jesus Lord will enter His heavenly home. For said He
"MANY WILL SAY TO ME IN THAT DAY, LORD, LORD, HAVE WE NOT PROPHESIED IN THY NAME? AND IN THY NAME HAVE CAST OUT DEVILS? AND IN THY NAME DONE MANY WONDERFUL WORKS? AND THEN WILL I PROFESS UNTO THEM, I NEVER KNEW YOU: DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY" (Mat 7:22-23).
Beloved, how long have you been in the church and what gospel have you been made to believe?
I hope it is not one that will put your eternity in serious jeopardy?
Think on these things and heed the warning of God from a sincere believer.
I have not been in the church for a long time but I desire to be with the Master; my loving Saviour and my Lord throughout eternity.

On the 20th of July, we looked at the states of progress represented by retrogression and repression. One lesson we must learn is that sometimes, repressive forces are not necessarily interested in taking over the harvest of their victims; rather, all they want to do is to ensure that all the labour and efforts of their victims are wasted, so that they can mock and laugh them to scorn (Judges 6:3-16). Every repressive force seen and unseen that is interested in wasting all your honest efforts shall be destroyed by the fire of the Holy Ghost in Jesus’ Name.
 
Moreover, another state of progress is stagnation. This is a state of standstill. In this state, there is no forward or upward movement. The fellow operating in this state remains on the same spot in spite of his or her efforts. In a situation of stagnancy, effort does not count, because it appears there is some invisible rope tying the victim to the same spot. In John 5:2-9, we read about a man who was sick for 38 years. This man was operating in a state of stagnancy. He was at the pool of Bethesda waiting for an angel to stir up the water. He was waiting for a once-a-year miracle available to just one person. The unfortunate thing is that he was not alone. There was a crowd also waiting to take this same chance. As a result, he kept on waiting for several years!
 
There are some people who are so full of hope at the beginning of a year, but at the end of that year, they realise that they are still at the same spot. When I was schooling at the University of Lagos, there was a particular student who had been there for eight years, but he never went beyond year one. He kept changing from one faculty to the other and from one department to another. We met him there and left him there. Have you been stagnant? Are all your efforts futile? Have you been so long on the same spot? The Lord will intervene in your situation today! The Lord will turn things around for your good. I rebuke every force keeping you on the same spot. Whatever is tying you down is destroyed now. That miracle that your stagnant situation is trying to deny you is released to you now in Jesus’ Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Everyone saved by the precious Blood of the Lamb is called to a lifestyle of holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7). Believe it or not, a lifestyle of holiness pays great dividends. Proverbs 11:19 says:
“As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.”
There is therefore a link between righteousness and life, just as there is a link between sin and death (Romans 6:23). Although God has promised you long life in Psalm 91:16, it is only when you live holy that this promise can be fulfilled in your life (Psalm 91:14). If you look close enough, you will discover that most of God’s promises have conditions attached to their fulfilment. If you live holy, you will easily have access to long life, but if you live in disobedience or secret sin, you have moved from life to death. Are you holy? Are you still secretly living in sin? Repent today and turn a new leaf!
 
Another dividend of holiness is mercy. If you sow holiness, you will reap a harvest of God’s mercy. Hosea 10:12 says:
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”
Holiness is a seed. If you sow holiness, mercy will definitely be part of your harvest. If there is one thing all men need at all times, it is the mercy of the Most High God. Lamentations 3:22 says we are alive today not by our efforts or power but by the mercy of God. Just as holiness is a seed, sin is also a seed. If you sow sin, you will reap judgment and death (2 Corinthians 5:10). Mercy makes God to relate with you not on the basis of your sins, but on the basis of Christ’s sacrificial death and shed blood. Mercy makes God not to give you the punishment you deserve, but sin ensures you are served what you sowed. Sin ensures God relates with you only on the basis of your crimes or evils. God has said that the soul who sins shall die (Ezekiel 18:20). If God were to relate strictly with us on the basis of our sins, everyone on earth would have died by now (Psalm 130:3). If you want to live long and enjoy God’s mercy on a continuous basis, live holy. Live to please God and God alone.

At the time of man’s creation, there was no notion of sickness. There was indeed nothing like sickness. There was no expectation of death either. The human body was created to be self-sustaining through regular contact with God’s glory, and maintained by the foods provided by God. But when man fell, he lost so much, most importantly, the sustaining power of God’s glory. He had to begin to virtually rely on food for sustenance. As good as food is, it is limited in its ability to keep a man healthy. Although a daily diet of good food, vegetables, fruits and exercise is very important to living healthy, the final result will depend largely on the spiritual lifestyle of the fellow involved. For instance, if an individual is born-again and living a righteous life, this healthy lifestyle will work well for him, but if a fellow is living in sin, the result may be in bad taste. The reason is because sin itself is a killer (James 1:15). Sin does not often kill drastically but subtly, gradually and surely. Sin kills spiritually by sending the sinner to Hell, and it also kills physically.
 
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
Never underestimate the power of sin! Believe it or not, sin serves the sinner a cup of death. Every sin an individual commits dishes the fellow a dose of death, working against his or her health and gradually killing him or her. Take for instance a believer who eats the best meals but refuses to pay tithes; such a person will provoke God to curse him. No medicine or healthy meal can cure the effects of such a curse! Always remember that the spiritual always controls the physical. What unhealthy meal did Miriam eat that made her leprous for seven days (Numbers 12:5-15)? She only spoke against Moses, and that sin served her leprosy. Beloved, to consistently live in good health, it is important you place spiritual considerations side by side with healthy lifestyle choices. If you want to continue in sin, you are not serious about staying healthy. While some sicknesses are caused by poor eating habits, others are caused by sinful indulgences or violation of divine laws. Ensure both sides are properly taken care of. It is well with you.

Whenever God says a thing, you can be sure that it is already done. That is why Psalm 33:8 commands the whole earth to fear this great and awesome God: whatever He declares is done, and His commandments are always established. For instance, when John the Baptist by divine revelation announced Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), he was only announcing something that had already been planned, decided and concluded before the foundations of the earth. The Bible clearly states this truth in Revelations 13:8:
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
In other words, before God laid the foundations of this world, He had already seen how things would turn out for the human race He was yet to create; so He decided in advance that at some point in time, Jesus Christ would come to this world, be crucified and die for the sins of all men.
 
So when you hear God saying something, it is not about what He wants to do, but about what He has already done. When a road is rehabilitated and the governor of a state comes to declare it open, it does not mean that the road is new or has just been constructed. The road could have been in use for several years or months before it was properly constructed with drainages, pedestrian pathways, culverts, trees lining the middle, footbridges, etc. The commissioning of the road is simply launching the road into another phase. In the same vein, whatever God says He will do has already been done in the spiritual realm. It has been concluded. Those in Heaven can see it already; it’s only a matter of time before it materialises in the physical realm. The awesomeness of God is further revealed when we realise that no man can speak of what he wants to happen in the future and have it that way except God sanctions it. The Bible declares this in Lamentations 3:37:
“Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?”
Therefore, has God said He would do something in your life, family, ministry, business or career? It is already settled. In the spirit realm, it can already be seen. All you have to do is to bring it into manifestation in the physical realm through prayer, thanksgiving and worship. Your greatness is settled. Your tomorrow will be alright. It is a settled matter. It shall be well with you, and you will end well in Jesus’ Name.

The day you genuinely gave your life to Christ, you began a race. It is a spiritual race. The race to Heaven is not a sprint but a marathon. It is not something you run with all your strength for just one day and it ends there. Unlike the regular marathon that goes through streets and paths already marked out, you may have to take unmarked routes and paths hitherto unknown while running this race. Also, unlike in regular marathons where you can meet someone who has successfully finished the race for tips, those who have run this peculiar race to the end are definitely not around on earth for people to consult with.
 
By the grace of God, as young as I am in Christ, I have been running this race for more than forty years now, and I am yet to reach the finishing line. There are people who joined this race some fifty or sixty years ago, and they are still on it till now. Every race has its peculiar nature. If you need patience and a lot of tact while running an earthly marathon, you will need much more of these while running the heavenly race. No wonder Hebrews 12:1 says,
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”
 
However, just like it happens in earthly marathons, there are several casualties in the heavenly race. Some people start a marathon like a sprint. They run far ahead of others, but after some time, they lose steam and begin to retrogress while those they left behind overtake them. Also, there are those who fall and injure themselves, ending up in an ambulance. There are also those who out of exhaustion are unable to continue the race, and so they drop out. There are even those who after running for a while, gradually step out of the path, and are disqualified. All these scenarios are applicable to the spiritual marathon. Since you started the race to Heaven, have you been affected by any of these? Have you stepped out of the path of the race? Have you run out of steam? Have you fallen and refused to rise up? Get up today! The Lord will give you strength. Persist some more. Take it one day at a time. Call on the Lord to help you. Never give up. Each day that passes draws you closer to the finishing line. You will make it in Jesus’ Name! Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

As children of God, we must always be watchful of pitfalls capable of nullifying all our efforts towards making Heaven. For example, God expects you to make restitution when you have told a lie incriminating an innocent person. In the same vein, if you have injured someone, you need to restitute. An example of this can be found in Acts 16:33-34, where the jailor who had contributed to the predicament of Paul and Silas took them to his house, treated their injuries and gave them decent food. Have you injured someone physically, emotionally or psychologically? Restitute your ways. In addition, if someone offends you so hard that you promised never to forgive the fellow, there is a need to forgive and release that individual so that you can make Heaven at last. Anyone who hates his brother has stepped out of God’s light into darkness and is seen as a murderer in the sight of God (1 John 3:15). If you are in hatred, you are out of eternal life. Has anyone offended you to the extent that you resolved not to forgive? You must change that decision now if you do not want it to hinder your trip to Heaven. I once hated a particular man very much, because of the way he maltreated my family and I. But after I gave my life to Christ, I did not only forgive him, I also went to tell him he was forgiven. It was not an easy thing for me to do, but by the grace of God, I did it.
 
Is there unforgiveness in your heart over some hurt or offence done to you? If you love yourself, forgive today. Forgiveness must be communicated to the one you have forgiven except it is done without sincerity. Some people say, “I have forgiven my offender but I will not tell him so.” How will the fellow you forgave know that he or she is forgiven? When a person is offended, it is like being owed some kind of debt. It is when forgiveness is released that the debt is paid. Refusing to forgive your offender sustains the debt, and we are commanded not to owe any man anything but love (Romans 13:. The irony of unforgiveness is that the one who refuses to forgive hurts himself or herself the most. The offender may be going about with a free mind, but the offended carries a heavy heart. Also, by begrudging the offender, the offended cannot move beyond where he or she is. Unforgiveness ties the offended to the same spot. I hope you are not the one pegging your rise by not releasing your offender? Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Proverbs 4:5-9 defines wisdom as the principal thing in life. Wisdom is most important because you need it to relate effectively with God, the devil and his cohorts. You also need wisdom to govern your relationships with friends and foes. At work, at school and in the ministry, you need wisdom. With wisdom, you can successfully handle all your life’s pursuits. Wisdom connects everything you do. Wisdom can mean the difference between life and death, success and failure, wealth and poverty, growth and retardation. Everything you can ever ask for will come to you if you have wisdom. There are different types of wisdom operating in the natural and spiritual realms. There is devilish wisdom, human wisdom and divine wisdom. Jesus Christ is declared to be the Wisdom of God in 1 Corinthians 1:24:
“But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”
 
If wisdom is the principal thing, and Jesus Christ is the Wisdom of God, it therefore follows that Jesus Christ is the Principal Person. There is a link between the principal thing and the Principal Person. But why is wisdom so crucial? Proverbs 3:35 says,
“The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.”
Your pursuit of wisdom will deliver you glory. No wonder the Bible says if you have Jesus Christ, you automatically receive glory (Colossians 1:27). Conversely, if you lack wisdom, shame will be waiting at around the corner for you. There is a direct link between wisdom and a glorious future. Glory is the opposite of shame. Sickness, disease, failure, defeat, poverty, barrenness, stagnation, disappointment are all products of shame. When you have Jesus, you receive wisdom, and when you get wisdom, you have access to glory, which makes every token of shame disappear. As the principal thing, getting every other thing without getting wisdom amounts to a waste of time. In the same vein, acquiring material wealth, academic degrees and attaining heights in any field without having a personal relationship with the Principal Person converts one’s gains into one big loss! In all that you strive for, never stop seeking for more of Jesus and His wisdom!

A man’s state of progress can be classified into seven basic categories; one of which is regression. The state of regression is that in which mean forces beyond one’s control continuously push one backward. An example of this is the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34). She went through a lot in the process of seeking help from different doctors. She spent all she had but instead of getting better, she grew worse, because unseen forces kept on pushing her backward. Have you found yourself in a similar situation, where every effort you put in to take you forward moves you backward, or where every effort you put in to improve your lot only complicates matters? The Lord will step into your situation today and deliver you. Every regressive force working against your life, health, progress or destiny is terminated today in Jesus’ Name.
 
Another state of progress is repression. This refers to a state in which negative forces push a person down and try to hold him or her down, frustrating every attempt to move up. This can manifest in the hearing of voices that lead one to the other side of progress. In Judges 6:3-6, the children of Israel encountered repression from a particular group of people who decided to afflict them. Whenever the Israelites were sowing in the fields, this group of people pretended not to notice. They never stopped them from exerting their energy or from expending their time and money on their farms. But as soon as their crops were harvested, they swarmed in like locusts and destroyed everything. Thereafter, the Israelites will have to start all over again, after which these enemies would again waste or destroy their harvest in a vicious cycle. When I was very young, there was a very notorious thief who gained so much notoriety that musicians waxed a song about him. His name was Anikura. The lyrics of the song said: “Anikura won’t ask you not to trade. He won’t ask you not to gain, but he will ensure that you do not take the gain.” This epitomises repression! If you are in a state of repression, you will continue to work for devourers and never benefit from your labours. Are you a victim of repression? Do you labour and yet you are unable to enter into your harvest? That repressive force is paralysed today in Jesus’ Name. Jesus sets you free from repression! You will eat from your labours from now on in Jesus’ Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The call to salvation is a call to holiness. The day you were invited to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, you were automatically called to a life of holiness. The Bible in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 says:
“For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness”
Have you responded to this call? The reason why many Christian leaders are heading for Hell today is because they have not answered the call to holiness. This ingredient is so indispensable to the Christian faith that having salvation without holiness is like leaving the substance and taking the chaff that can be easily blown away. Without sanctification, the salvation experience may not know stability. This accounts for the rising-and-falling syndrome being experienced by many Christians. When you are sanctified after receiving Christ into your heart, your faith in Christ is given the strong roots it needs. Hence, when the winds of affliction, temptation, persecution and other challenges of life blow, your faith in Christ will be unshaken, because it is deeply rooted. While the experience of salvation is akin to cruising in God’s shallow waters, experiencing sanctification is like launching out into the deep oceans of God’s nature. You need this experience!
 
When you are sanctified, you will have control over your emotions. If you have been battling with lust and sexual sins, ask God for a sanctified heart and you will overcome. Do you know that many leaders still have problems with anger? When they are angry, they can destroy just about anything. They become filled with rage and behave irrationally. What they need is sanctification. When you are holy, you are not easily provoked. In fact, after several failed deliberate attempts to make you angry, people will wonder whether you can ever get annoyed. If you are sanctified, you will find it impossible to cheat anyone, how much more your fellow Christian brother. With a sanctified heart, you will easily forgive your persecutors like Stephen and Jesus did. You will make excuses for those who fall below your expectations. You will have grace to love the unlovable, and pray for those who spitefully use you. When Jesus gave the instructions in Matthew 5:43-48, He was actually calling us to holiness. Have you accepted this call? Have you received a new heart?

The anointing plays very important roles in the actualisation of destiny in the life of the anointed. These roles include: facilitating and accelerating connection of the anointed to destiny helpers, causing destiny helpers to see the anointed in favourable light, and compelling destiny helpers to deliver the help ordained by God to the anointed. May the anointing play these and many more roles in your life and in your family in Jesus’ Name.
 
Moreover, the anointing helps you to ascend the hill of the Lord, which is not an easy thing to do. In other words, the anointing simplifies kingdom tasks and responsibilities. In Psalm 24:3-5, David asked this question: who qualifies to ascend the hill of the Lord? The Holy Ghost gave him the answer in Psalm 24:4:
“He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”
After Saul was anointed as king by Samuel, he was told to ascend the hill of God (1 Samuel 10:5). The anointing had qualified the unqualified. Where only priests and prophets could go, Saul was allowed to go. This season, the anointing will grant you access into areas you were not allowed to enter in Jesus’ Name.
 
From the experience of Saul in 1 Samuel 10:10, we understand that when the anointing comes, the manifestation of the Holy Spirit also comes. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Whenever God is anointing an individual through His servant, He releases the power of His Spirit to actualise the purpose of that anointing; but whenever God is not behind the anointing of an individual, although the oil may be poured on the head, the power of the Holy Spirit will not be released. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit opens the doorway to the gifts of the Spirit and the supernatural. People were amazed that Saul who was not a prophet was prophesying like the prophets. When the anointing comes upon you, you will begin to operate in the things of the Spirit. His gifts will begin to manifest through you, and many people will be surprised. If there is one thing you need to ask for after you became born-again, it is for more and more of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.