₦airaland Forum

The entrance of sin into this world destroyed so many things about humanity. It provoked God to pronounce a curse on the ground and banish mankind to a life of sorrow and pain in Genesis 3:16-17:
“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;”
The unifying theme of God’s pronouncements on Adam and Eve was sorrow. From that moment onwards, sorrow has been a heritage of humanity. But praise God, because whatever the Almighty God touches is bound to be good, irrespective of its initial condition. This is why every man born of a woman needs the divine touch of God. Only the regeneration of a man’s spirit through God’s divine touch can put an end to his heritage of sorrow.
 
In Matthew 9:20-22, we see a woman in whom the heritage of sorrow manifested as an issue of blood for twelve years! In Luke 8:43, the Bible says she had spent all she had in seeking healing from physicians to no avail. At this point in her life, only a divine touch could put an end to her years of agony and sorrow. Then one day, she came across the Great Physician, Jesus Christ. Her faith was so strong; she believed in her heart that all she needed from Him was a passive divine touch. She believed that based on the power in the divine touch, she did not need an active touch for her to be made whole. This singular act of faith was commended by Jesus Himself. I pray for someone reading this, that your day of deliverance is here in Jesus’ Name. The Almighty God will touch and perfect everything concerning you in Jesus’ Name.
 
It is most unfortunate that the divine touch of God is going around the world today through the power of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, but it is being rejected in many quarters. No wonder Jesus wept and lamented in Luke 19:41-42. The woman with the issue of blood recognised the person of Jesus. She knew her contact with His divinity would solve her problem, and so it was. Once, again may the Lord touch you today as you yield to Him in Jesus’ Name.

It is great folly to contend with God. This is why I pity those societies that have become anti-God and are challenging His commandments. God spoke about such people in Isaiah 45:9, saying:
“Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?”
God can enthrone and dethrone at will. He does whatever pleases Him. You are blessed when God acts positively towards you, but if He decides to move against you, pray for His mercy. The Bible in Daniel 2:21 says:
“And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:”
 
It is a grievous experience when God decides to replace an individual. Haman the Agagite experienced this, and you can see the result in Esther 7:9-8:2. King Ahasuerus promoted Haman above all his fellow princes. However, he thought it was by his own making that the promotion came. Little did he know that promotion does not come from the east or west, but from the Almighty God alone (Psalm 75:6-7). So, he began to misuse his highly exalted position to victimise the people of God. He continued to misbehave along this line until the Almighty God who ordained his promotion decided not only to demote him, but also to replace him. I pray for you as a child of God, that whosoever is using his or her position to victimise you shall be replaced in Jesus’ Name.
 
For God not to replace you, you must learn from those He has replaced. You can be replaced if you don’t make the best of the position of authority you are given to serve God’s people. Beware of divine replacement because it can affect your future generations. Eli was replaced, and his house lost the priesthood forever. God categorically said that although He was the One who said Eli’s house would walk before Him as priests forever, He had changed His mind about this (1 Samuel 2:30). Please run away from whatever will make God replace you. If you have done such things, you must repent quickly before he removes your candlestick (Revelation 2:5).

When God is involved in your matter, you can go to bed and sleep with your two eyes closed; the simple reason being that He can handle any situation better than you. When Moses attempted to deliver the Israelites by his own might, he ended up fleeing and leaving a mess behind, but when the Almighty God Himself got involved in the project of delivering His people, Egypt was never the same again. I prophesy to someone reading this, that the Almighty God will get involved in your situation today in Jesus’ Name. At the end of God’s intervention in Egypt, the Bible records this in Exodus 12:30-31:
“And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.”
 
Now, let us compare the difference between the result of Moses’ attempt at deliverance and the result achieved after God got directly involved. The Bible says Moses went out one day to see the affliction of his brethren. Moved with compassion, he decided to take up the role of “self-made hero”. Before he knew it, he became a fugitive, because after he had killed a man, Pharaoh sought to take his own life also. So, Moses ran for dear life. But when God got involved, it was a different ball-game. After thousands of Egyptians were slain in one night, Pharaoh was the one begging Moses to leave his land in peace! Divine involvement made the difference. If you are one of those who believe in human connections in high places, I encourage you to invite God into that situation that is almost causing embarrassment to you and your family. Once God gets involved, the results will make you think you are day-dreaming. Psalm 126:1 says:
“When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.”
 
To enjoy divine involvement in your situation, you must be numbered among the people of the Lord of Hosts. You don’t have to fight the battle of life alone if you are one of His. Call on Him today. He will get involved, and you will glorify Him. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Queen Esther is one person who pressed into her day of favour. Her experience should serve as a template for us all. She obtained favour in the sight of the king because it was the day of her favour. Be aware that the law of the land during this period was that nobody could go into the king’s inner court uninvited. Disobeying this law was equivalent to a suicide mission. But Esther went to the king in his inner court uninvited, and she lived because of favour.
 
The first lesson to take note of from our template is that Queen Esther did not go to the inner court of the king’s house until after three days of fasting and prayers were over. Secondly, she went into the inner court in her royal apparel, not in kitchen aprons. What does this suggest to us? It shows us that righteousness must be the garment of any person who desires God’s favour, just as stated in Psalm 5:12. The third lesson to note is that the Queen was found standing in the court. Are you still in good standing with God, or have you for one reason or the other backslidden? To be favoured of men, you must be in good standing with God. Carefully consider the location of the king on the day of Esther’s favour. This is the fourth lesson to note. Esther 5:1 says that:
“...and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.”
Is the King of kings on the throne of your life? Do not expect the day of His favour to come if He is not. Note that the king sat against the gate of the house, overseeing everything. What will God find in you when He looks towards your direction today? Will He find filthy garments of sin or royal garments of righteousness? Imagine Esther in a kind of attire that was unbecoming, the story would have been different. A lot of people go to the sanctuary of the King of kings half-naked in the name of fashion. This they do contrary to the Lord’s directive in Exodus 20:26:
“Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy unclothedness be not discovered thereon.”
The key message here is that your unclothedness must not be seen by other worshippers, thereby distracting them. The Almighty God is at the gate of your heart knocking (Revelation 3:20). Will you open for Him to come in and show you His favour today? You have agonised enough; surrender your life to the One who can grant you favour today. I prophesy to your life that today is your day of favour in Jesus’ Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When Moses tenaciously requested that the presence of the Almighty God should follow them in their journey to the Promised Land, he knew what he was doing (Exodus 33:14-16). Many children of God don’t value the presence of God, and so they don’t bother to ensure that they are in His presence or that He is present in their situations. The proof of this observation can be seen in what some so-called children of God do in supposedly secret places. If such people had formed the habit of craving God’s presence wherever they go, they would not indulge in such things. Nobody would steal or fornicate if he or she desires or carries God’s presence wherever he or she might be.
 
From 1 Samuel 6:10-12, the signs of God’s presence in the household of Obed-Edom were apparent. David, out of fear of death, rejected the presence of the Lord symbolised by the Ark of the Covenant, because Uzzah died suddenly when he erroneously touched it. An adage in my native tongue says: “Cutting off the head is not the right cure for a headache.” This was exactly what David did; he rejected the presence of the Lord instead of finding out how to behave in God’s presence. A lot of people don’t want to come to Church because they feel sad whenever they come. They feel sad because the pastor makes them feel guilty by his sermons! Such people don’t know what they are missing when they run away from God’s presence. Psalm 16:11says:
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
 
Three months after David had shunned the presence of the Lord as represented by the Ark, God had so blessed the house of Obed-Edom who accepted the Ark, that David himself heard about it. David then realised his folly in rejecting the presence of the Lord. The Bible in 2 Samuel 6:12 says:
“And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness.”
When I encourage some of my children to surrender their houses for use as House Fellowship meeting points, some do not realise that I’m only trying to bring God’s presence into their homes for blessings and protection. God will not allow evil in any house being used as a meeting place for His praise. I pray that God’s presence shall be upon you and you will rejoice in Jesus’ Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Praise directed towards God is a lethal weapon of spiritual warfare. This is so because God inhabits the praises of His people. Children of God must not joke with their praise life. It would be logical to say that if prayer is the “master key”, then praise is the “principal key”. You need to catch the revelation of what the Psalmist is saying in Psalm 22:3:
“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.”
In other words, God, the wonder-working Father, dwells in the praises of His people. The implication of this revelation is that wherever God is, the supernatural is always present. In the habitation of the Almighty, wonder-working power is present and breakthrough is commonplace. However, we must get it right; it is the praise we channel towards God that He receives. God will only take what you give to Him. Those who sing the praise of pastors or of themselves, particularly during testimony time, are missing a great point without knowing it. It is not your prayer or the prayer of your pastor that did the wonders; rather, it is the mercy of God in action upon your life. He alone deserves your praise.
 
Although Paul and Silas were kept in prison, they did something unusual of people in trouble. Even when people know that they are the architect of their own problems, they still try to justify themselves by raining curses on their tormentors. This was not the attitude of Paul and Silas. Their case was different because they were apprehended for preaching the gospel. They were thoroughly beaten and cast into prison. While they sang praises, the Almighty God came to inhabit their praises. This should not be surprising, because the promises of God are Yea and Amen. He had already promised that He would inhabit the praises of His people. Since this is true, what prison gate could have resisted the coming of the King of glory? None! It is written:
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.”
Psalm 24:7
 
Paul and Silas engaged in wonder-working praise and they experienced wonders in their ministries. God is no respecter of persons; what He did for them, He can do for you also. Learn to engage in the praise of God to unleash His wonder-working power. I pray that as you engage in the praise of the Almighty God, you shall receive the wonders of a life-time in Jesus’ Name.

When we sing the song “Prayer is the master key”, I sometimes wonder whether we really understand what we are singing about. For some people, prayer is a religious routine, but there is a type of prayer that has wonder-working powers. Our Lord Jesus Christ set a good example of this type of prayer in our John 11:41-44. Let us look at His prayer in detail to better understand how to engage in prayers that produce wonders.
 
When Jesus got to the tomb of Lazarus, the first thing He did was to give thanks to His Father for two wonderful reasons: that the Father had heard Him, even before praying, and that the Father always hears Him! Moreover, Jesus Christ did not pray the ”gentleman’s prayer” that is common in many so-called elitist Christian organisations. The Bible in John 11:43 says:
“And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.”
I always tell my children in the Redeemed Christian Church of God that the intensity of your prayer will tell God how urgently you want your miracle. Whether you believe it or not, God will listen to the one who cries aloud to Him for help before He listens to those who whisper their requests. If you don’t believe me, ask blind Bartimaeus. Among all those following Jesus on His way out of Jericho, only the one who cried out got his need met (Mark 10:47-52).
 
Also, in the prayer of our Lord at the tomb of Lazarus, we can see Him expressing His faith in what His Father is capable of doing. We can also perceive the cordial relationship between the Son and the Father in this prayer. This relationship gave the Son the confidence to ask the Father what He knew would glorify the Father. Jesus would not ask for anything that did not bring glory to His Father. Many times, we pray and receive no answer. Some might think that God is on holiday at such times; not at all. The Bible gives us one reason why we do not receive answers to our prayers in James 4:3:
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
Another reason is that a life of sin robs us of the confidence we need to ask God in faith. Beloved, how is your relationship with the Almighty God? Remember, your prayer can work wonders today. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God attaches great significance to names. It is unfortunate that many people don’t pay attention to the importance of the names they bear or the names they give to their children. Africans, like the Jews, consider the meaning of a name before they give it to their children or to someone else. The Name that the Almighty God chose to give to His only begotten Son is very significant. It is a wonder-working Name. In Matthew 1:21, we are told the reason why the miracle child Mary would give birth to should bear the Name Jesus:
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Salvation from sin is the greatest wonder in the history of mankind because the Bible expressly declares sin as a plague affecting all men. Romans 3:23 says that:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
The Name Jesus therefore proclaims to the world thus: “Behold the Man who came to achieve the greatest wonder the world needs.”
 
This is where practitioners of some other religions get confused. They wonder how the Name of one Man can save another man; not to talk of the claim that this same Name can save all who believe in it. They wonder silently and loudly; they try to rationalise the workability of this declaration which God Almighty Himself made concerning His only begotten Son. Beloved, I encourage you not to bother about how it works. Evidence abounds as to how on the merit of this Name, souls have received and are receiving the forgiveness of sin. Not only that, the positive transformation that occurs in those who believe in this Name is indisputable proof of the wonders the Name of Jesus performs from generation to generation. One of my sons testified that when he believed in the Name of Jesus, not only was he forgiven, he was also miraculous transformed. He experienced the disappearance of curses and abusive words from his vocabulary. He testified that “The curse words could just not come out anymore even when I tried.” To have this same experience, I encourage you to surrender your life totally to Him today. You need to identify with the Owner of this Name before it can work for you. God bless you as you do so today in Jesus’ Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There is power in the spoken Word of God, and this power produces unspeakable wonders. In fact, the entire universe was formed by the spoken Word of God (2 Peter 3:5). Hence, we must give more earnest heed to the spoken Word of God emanating from genuine men of God. Many people have missed their miracles because they mistook the Word of God for the words of a pastor. They fail to realise that God will not come down to speak His word, but He speaks through His genuine servants. The onus is now on whoever wants God’s Word to perform wonders in his or her life to identify genuine ministers of God through whom God speaks. The Bible in 2 Chronicles 20:20b says:
“Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.”
How then do you identify a word as being genuinely spoken by God through His servants? The written word, which is the Bible, authenticates and must align with the spoken word (John 16:13, Galatians 1:. After you have ascertained that the source of a spoken word is clean, and that the word is directly from God, it is your responsibility to believe it. Only then will you receive the miracle you so much desire from God, as it is written in Psalm 107:20:
“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
 
Without controversy, there is power in the word of God as spoken by His genuine ministers. However, this power can have a positive or negative effect. We must therefore comport ourselves with wisdom so that the spoken word does not affect us negatively. The spoken word of God which came to the widow of Zarephath through Elijah in 1 Kings 17:14 is a case in point; it says:
“For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.”
We see the power in this spoken word, working positively in 1 Kings 17:16:
“And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.”
Elijah also spoke concerning the shameful death of the wicked King Ahab in 1 Kings 21:19, and the wonder-working power of the spoken word produced the negative effect of Ahab’s death in 1 Kings 22:38.

One of the most profound wonders you will find anywhere in the world is the wonder of a transformed life. When a person who was demon-possessed suddenly becomes a vessel unto honour, what wonder can be greater than this? Such a person remains a wonder throughout his or her lifetime. This was the testimony of Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2). It is wonderful for a demoniac to become a financial backer of God’s Kingdom. Another example of a transformed life that became a wonder is the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4:28-30). From being a promiscuous person, she became a lady evangelist. The Bible in John 4:39 says this about her impact:
“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.”
 
Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:11, after listing the evil characteristics of the old creation, testified to the transforming wonder of the new creation experience as seen in some members of the Church at Corinth. After I received the grace of God for the salvation of my soul, and I became a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, a woman came to the church with her child who had a problem that only a miracle could solve. She requested to see the pastor and to her surprise, it was her ex-boyfriend! On discovering that I was the pastor who would pray for the healing of her child, she said, “You? It cannot be!”  However, I told her that what she was seeing was nothing but the transforming wonder of the new creation. I told her of how God saved me, and that the same God could save her also. She believed me, I prayed a simple prayer of faith, and the child got healed. This is the transforming wonder of the new creation. Have you experienced this wonder? If not, today is the day of salvation for you. The Bible in 2 Corinthians 6:2 says:
“(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”
 
Let today be the day you experience the transforming wonder of the new creation, and all things, including your worn-out hope, will be renewed. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Lord Jesus Christ invites us into His rest in Matthew 11:28-30. However, before we can obtain His rest, we must have the same mind as His. To have the same mind as Jesus, we must learn of Him. Many would-be Christians fail to realise that what makes Christ unique is not His complexion or stature, but the life that He lived while on the earth – a sanctified life of love, compassion, holiness and perfect obedience to His Father. He said in John 17:19 that:
“And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.”
This statement reveals His mind, and the guiding principle of His lifestyle.
 
Some people desire to know God without first knowing about Him. How can one have the mind of Jesus and get to know Him without first learning about Him? Jesus in John 7:17 says,
“If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”
We are called to learn of Jesus Christ. We should allow Him to teach us through His human agents under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. This is why Bible Study services and Sunday School classes are very necessary. Daily study of God’s word in mediums like this will enhance your knowledge of Jesus Christ in order to know and have His mind.
 
What then is the mind of Christ? The mind of Christ is the mind of humility (Philippians 3:5-. This is an all-encompassing Christian virtue that takes root from the very first day of your conversion. As a matter of fact, the acceptance of the gospel lays the foundation of humility, because you cannot accept that you are a sinner without a humble heart. The natural man tends to either rationalise his evil deeds or assume that sin is not so bad because “everyone else is doing it”. However, when the Spirit of Christ comes upon an individual, He convicts him of his sins (John 16:8-11). This leads to repentance and sets the stage for the process that brings about the formation of the mind of Christ in that individual, even as he or she continues to learn of Christ. Learning of Christ entails imbibing His ideals, which many so-called brilliant theologians and churchmen think are no longer valid for the 21st century Church. My prayer for you is that any knowledge which will invalidate the ideals of Christ as contained in the Bible will not come your way in Jesus’ Name. For you to find rest for your soul, you must have the mind of Jesus Christ.

In Judges 16:18-21, we see the agony of a backslider manifested in the loss of Samson’s eyes. To lose one’s physical, intellectual or spiritual vision is very agonising. Samson, a Nazarite of God from the womb, broke the covenant of his calling first as an Israelite and then as a Nazarite. With reference to the inhabitants of the land of Canaan such as the Philistines, God in Deuteronomy 7:3 had thus commanded the children of Israel:
“Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.”
Contrary to this instruction, Samson went to seek the hand of a Philistine woman in marriage. When his parents tried to guide him back to the right path, he in Judges 14:3 said:
“.....Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.”
Also, concerning Nazarites such as Samson, God in Numbers 6:6 had thus commanded:
“All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.”
But the devil ensnared Samson with honey in the carcass of a dead lion he had killed. In the process of collecting honey to eat, he ended up defiling himself (Judges 14:8-9).
 
Many children of God are, like Samson, erring in the choice of a marriage partner. Some have been destroyed by their appetite, because they could not resist the devil when he asked them to turn stone to bread by sleeping with a personnel manager to secure a job. To such people, the end justifies the means, but the question is: can this temporary “respite” be worth the agony of backsliding? One lesson we must quickly learn is that, the moment a Christian begins to slide backward into his or her old way of life or into things that God frowns at, he or she loses the power of spiritual vision. Such a fellow begins to wallow in darkness of untold agony. After the last straw that broke the back of Samson’s spiritual camel was engaged, the Bible in Judges 16:20 says:
“...And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.”
Alas, the process of Samson’s downfall was complete and his eyes were put out. The worst thing that happened to Samson was that he died with his enemies; hence, he could not be considered a victor. My prayer for you is that you will not backslide in Jesus’ Name.

When a man’s way pleases the Lord, He will make his enemies to be at peace with him. After this, God moves him from grass to grace. This was the experience of Mordecai in Esther 8:15-17. There is one condition which anyone who desires to move from grass to grace must fulfil: such a person must be wise. The Bible says the wise shall inherit glory (Proverbs 3:35). Who are the wise? The wise are those who fear the Lord rather than man. In Esther 3:1-2, we read of how a man was trying to play God by having all men bow before him. Contrary to his expectation, Mordecai would rather worship God than man, hence, Haman hated him. Even as Haman planned the downfall of Mordecai, the Almighty God was arranging how this God-fearing man would move from grass to grace. It is wisdom to fear the One you know has the capability to promote or demote you. This was the wisdom that eluded King Nebuchadnezzar and he fell from grace to the level of eating grass (Daniel 4:30-33). Not until after he had learnt not only to reverence God but also to fear Him did he rise again. It is indeed true that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Jesus Christ taught His disciples this principle in Matthew 10:28, saying:
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
       
Those who allow the fear of men to push them against the will of God are in danger of moving from grace to grass. When you learn to fear the Lord, He takes up any challenge that may be facing you, and beyond your wildest imagination, He will lift you up. Daniel was another person who feared the Lord, and God raised him from grass to grace. After being lifted from the den of lions unhurt, Daniel was promoted in the reign of Darius (Daniel 6:23-28). Nowadays, Christians hardly exhibit the type of fear that is expected of a servant to the master. God Himself demanded this type of fear from us who are His royal priests (1 Peter 2:9) in Malachi 1:6:
“A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?”
 
Beloved, if you want accelerated promotion that will move you from grass to grace, the secret lies in the fear of God.

When the Almighty God grants a new beginning to an individual or a nation, it could be a new beginning of prosperity. Imagine the Hebrew nation which for over four hundred years had been at the mercy of their Egyptian rulers, coming out of Egypt as millionaires simply because the Almighty God decided to grant them a new beginning. I pray for you that this month shall be to you as the first month of the year in astonishing prosperity in Jesus’ Name. How did the Lord do this for the Israelites? The Bible says that He gave them favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that the Egyptians gave them whatever they asked for. The treasures of the Egyptians were transferred to them without them having to shoot an arrow. The Bible in Proverbs 16:7 says:
“When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
This scripture sums up the experience of the Israelites. Whenever God makes a pronouncement, we should learn to take Him at His word. Sometimes, this is easier read about than practiced. Imagine how difficult it would have been for the Israelites to believe that before daybreak after the night of the Passover, they would cross over from poverty to prosperity.
 
“Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”
Joel 2:23
For this beautiful prophecy to come to pass in your life, some spiritual conditions must be met. Prior to this prophecy, the Lord demanded that his people turn to Him with all their hearts: with fasting, weeping and mourning (Joel 2:12-13). He asked them to rend their hearts and not their garments, and return to Him. We can deduce from this narrative that the poor condition that a lot of people find themselves in today is caused by their spiritual poverty. Some people live in abject poverty because their lifestyle has turned God, who should bless them, into their enemy.  Here is the good news: when this great God turns a life around onto godliness, he also changes the physical condition of the fellow concerned. Settling the issue of poverty was one of the reasons why Christ came (2 Corinthians 8:9). In the Name of Jesus Christ, I welcome you to your new beginning of prosperity. Only believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and repent of your sins. Happy New Month!

Backsliding does not happen suddenly. It’s a process that occurs over a period of time, during which a person becomes lax in his thought life and begins to entertain worldly desires. To backslide means to turn back or turn away from the path of light to the ways of evil from which one was once saved. There are many prodigal sons and daughters today who have forsaken their first love in the pursuit of materialism. Many workers in the vineyard of God, who started well, have allowed their spiritual fire to grow cold, thereby departing from the faith. Hebrew 10:38 says,
“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”
A backslider loses interest in the Lord, in the Bible, in prayer, fellowship and witnessing, and eventually turns to the world. It is like a dog returning to its vomit. You will not backslide in Jesus’ Name.  The flesh will always find expression when people fail to focus on spiritual things. The flesh clouds the minds of God’s children with such things as idle past-times, sports and television, and fills their heart with junk at the expense of spiritual growth. Before you know it, backsliding would have commenced. Someone who has always been very zealous for God will then begin to miss church meetings when there are crucial match fixes. A sister who has been very productive in evangelism will then begin to come late to meetings because of addiction to certain television soaps. As Christians who are Heaven bound, we have to be very careful. Let us keep ourselves away from danger zones as much as we can. You have to be very vigilant and sober so that the devil doesn’t drag you to Hell with little things you think do not matter (1 Peter 5:. Those detrimental “little things” you fail to terminate may end up terminating your destiny (Song of Solomon 2:15).
 
Remember that even David, a man after God’s heart, fell for Bathsheba. Samson, the Lord’s anointed from the womb, lost his two eyes and was reduced to a prisoner grinding corn inside the enemy’s prison. One of my sons came to me complaining of a problem. He confessed that as every weekend drew to a close, he would get excited, looking forward to the next Monday morning because he would see his secretary again. I told him to disengage her from the job. A proverb in my native tongue says “Stay away from a snake whose head is still intact.” Whatever you can’t control will truncate your destiny. Whatever is capable of destroying your testimony must be avoided. Sometimes you need to apply wisdom and not strength (Ecclesiastes 9:18). Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Restitution is the act of making right that which has been wrongly done to the injury of others. It involves restoring what has been wrongly taken, and repairing or giving the equivalent of any loss or damage. This is a very important aspect of Christianity that proves genuine salvation. Even though this teaching is not popular among preachers today, the word of God is forever settled on it. If we are to experience a clear conscience and have a good testimony among those within the Church and in the world, we must obey the teaching on restitution. Restitution is not a 21st century teaching. It has been in practice from Bible days. While salvation is aimed at making your ways right with your Maker, restitution is aimed at making your ways right with your fellow man. One is not complete without the other. It is the desire of God for us to correct all past wrongs which are correctable. It may be difficult to carry out restitution for wrongs done in the past, but the mercy of God is always available to help, even when it looks difficult.
 
If you have been genuinely converted, you should return those things that you may have stolen or converted to your own use which belong to others or to your place of work. This includes your tithes and first fruits, the non-payment of which is robbery. There are things that belong to others which you may have destroyed. These must be replaced. Restitution includes reconciling with people who may have quarrelled with you in the past. We must make restitution for all lies and things wrongly said about anyone which have resulted in causing trouble for the person involved. Every marriage contracted contrary to the standards of the Bible must be visited and reviewed. There are some sensitive cases of restitution that you do not carry out alone. In such cases, you must seek counsel from those who are spiritually more mature than you. They will guide you through the help of the Holy Spirit on the appropriate way to go about it.
 
When you obey God by making restitution, you will receive His favour. The favour of God removes all your years of labour and makes your life a blessed one. Also, when you restitute your ways, you will experience speedy answers to all of your prayers. This is because you have made peace with God and you have a clear conscience towards man. When you make restitution, you will no longer live under the bondage of fear, because there is nothing else to hide.

It is the express will of God that every believer is sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3). For us to become vessels unto honour, fit for the Master’s use, we have to be fully sanctified (1 Timothy 2:21). To be sanctified is to be separated unto the process of becoming like Jesus Christ in character (2 Corinthians 3:18). Sanctification helps the believer to live a holy life. Right from creation, God has always been in search of vessels to glorify. The Lord will find you worthy for His glorious use in Jesus’ Name. Today, He is still looking for men to honour by using them. One thing you must know is that the scarcity of men is not the issue; it is the scarcity of sanctified vessels. A holy God cannot fill unholy vessels. A vessel that God will use for doing great exploits in life must be clean always. All those who are still finding it difficult to deal with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life cannot be used of God for honourable purposes. It is a great privilege for God to use a person. God will never play your role even though He wants to honour you. You must be made pure through and through by the Blood of Jesus. You must be willing to resist ungodly thoughts and every other thing that has the potential of defiling you physically and spiritually. Sin makes a vessel impure. The choice is yours to make.
 
The one who wants to be used and honoured by God must refuse to compromise by following the norm (Daniel 1:. You cannot go far if you are not ready to be sanctified. You cannot be an oracle of God if you are not ready to deny yourself of the present in order to buy the future. God’s vessels are not democratically elected. His choices are made based on what He deems fit for His purpose (Hebrews 2:4). The moment He picks you and you are willing to leave your life in His hands, you will never regret that you did. The call to sanctification is a clarion call to all. It is a call of privilege to become a vessel of honour fit for the Master’s use. If you accept and allow God to perfect His good works concerning you, you will become a wonder to yourself. You must be willing to let go and let God work on your weaknesses. You must be ready to decrease so that Christ may increase in you. Give attention to the study of the word of God. Memorise it and do all that it commands. Do not love the world or the things that are in it. Beware of pride, rebellion, envy, strife, ungodliness and uncontrollable desire for wealth. Watch and pray. Do not allow anything to stain your glorious garments. Get back to God and remain connected to Him in all that you do.

As a child of God, it is part of your benefits to enjoy continuous spiritual victory over the kingdom of Satan. The devil is the last person that would like to see you saved. He is committed to anything that will pull you down from your new-found faith. You have to be aggressive in your response to him (1 Peter 5:8-9). Jesus with these words granted you authority as a believer in Luke 10:19:
“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.”
It is this authority that you use in commanding respect. It is this authority that will make demons to bow. You use the authority in Jesus to put challenging events and circumstances where they belong. For instance, it is the authority backing a policeman that makes him simply raise his hands to stop oncoming vehicles. As long as he is in that uniform, he will command obedience. If you are born-again, authority has been given to you. You are to make use of this authority to preach good tidings to the meek. You are to bind up the broken-hearted. You are to decree liberty to those who are captives and the opening of prisons to those that are bound. Your authority is to be used for commanding the devil and his activities out of your jurisdiction.
 
Some time ago, while travelling to Ilesha in southwest Nigeria, I saw a vehicle parked along the way at Ile-Ife. The bonnet of the car was opened, and on closer inspection, I saw one of my daughters standing by the car. I decided to park and find out what the matter was. I asked her what was wrong with her car. She replied that there was nothing wrong with the car, but that everything was wrong with her personally. She told me that the baby in her womb had not moved for several days, and that the doctor had confirmed that the baby was dead. She parked her car to contemplate on what she should do. Since I was with her at that point, she asked me to just lay my hands on her stomach and speak the word of power so that the baby would come back to life. I did as she requested and continued with my journey. The Lord honoured my words, and that child came back to life again. This same child graduated from the university in 2003. This miracle was made possible because of the benefits of salvation. Without salvation, I couldn’t have commanded even a dead cockroach to come back to life, but in salvation lies the power of resurrection. This is why I know that everything dead in your business is coming back to life, and the supreme power of God is swallowing up all the powers of the enemy in your life in Jesus’ Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Salvation is a package full of benefits cutting across the three spheres of human existence: the spirit, the soul and the body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). When you experience salvation, the life force of God is released to you. You will begin to have a strong desire for holiness. Rather than condemnation, you will receive justification. Instead of punishment for sins committed, you will receive a credit of righteousness into your account. The new man in you has a lifestyle patterned after and controlled by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter promised by the Lord Jesus Christ. He gives man total victory over sin and empowers him for service in God’s kingdom.
 
Through the miracle of salvation, the one who was a sinner yesterday becomes a saint today. With his spirit, he begins to relate with God. With his mind, he receives inspiration on issues. With his body, he carries out the dictates of the Great Master. As a child of God, you have tremendous opportunities that others do not. With the assurance of full salvation, everywhere you go, goodness and mercy will follow you. I prophesy to your life today that you will never again be stranded; everywhere you turn to, there will be open doors. No one ever followed Jesus and had regrets (except the son of perdition). If you abide in Christ, you will always flourish. It is time for believers to wake up. God does not want His children running from pillar to post. The mind of excellence is in you. You have the mind of the Son of God; therefore, enter into your inheritance. It is time to balance our growth. In every area of your life, there should be full evidence that God is in charge. The Abrahamic covenant has no limitations (Genesis 13:14-15). You can go as far as you can see. In Christ, there are no limits to the heights you can attain except the ones you set for yourself. We should be envied by unbelievers and not pitied. We should be mobile signposts of signs and wonders. As a child of God, your salvation makes you a candidate for miracles. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is still very much alive. Be prepared to yield to what He says to you. He is willing to turn every hopeless and unpleasant situation in your life into a great testimony. Stop relying on your senses. Focus on the word of liberty that is able to set you free. As a believer, is your business crippled or do you find it difficult to make progress in anything you do? I command you in the Name of Jesus to rise up and walk now. Let all crippled businesses receive competitive strength now. Let there be rejoicing, leaping, singing and clapping in all areas of your life in Jesus’ Name.

The number-one treasure of the Church is Jesus Christ. Through Him, all things consist (Colossians 1:17). He is the Almighty who no one can make mightier; He is the richest one who no one can make richer. The earth and its fullness belong to Him. Every bit of what He says is always in our own best interest. Jesus teaches that there is nothing more valuable than the soul of a man (Matthew 16:26). The salvation of your soul is worth more than all the treasures of this world. The devil is after this salvation because thieves only go after treasures. The devil would do anything within his power to inhibit our relationship with the Giver of salvation, Jesus the Saviour. There is nothing as great as following Jesus. Following Jesus will cost you a lot of things, just as it cost God the Father the price of Jesus His Son to establish your salvation. Anyone who will follow Jesus the Saviour must be ready for a life of discipleship. This will be measured by the proof of your willingness to go the extra mile. You have to set a high bar of self-denial for yourself. If you want to follow Jesus, you must not allow anything to come between you and your loyalty to him.
 
The greatest problem of man is nothing else but the issue of sin. This problem was what Jesus the Saviour came to solve. Every benefit we can derive from Jesus is tied to salvation. Without salvation, man is doomed for destruction. When you accept Jesus, you receive the power to become great (John 1:12). Anyone who does not accept this free gift of God cannot attain their full potential in life. May you not leave this world without fully achieving the plan and purpose of God for your life in Jesus’ Name. When you accept Jesus, there will be an instant change in your life. Those who knew you before will not be able to identify you again by virtue of the transformation that would have taken place in your life. Those who were acquainted with your past life will never be able to correlate your past with your present (2 Corinthians 5:17). One of my sons used to be an impossible character. He was so unruly that during holiday periods, parents would keep their children under lock and key the moment they discovered he was around. This was because he would go for anything in a skirt. However, he eventually met with Jesus the Saviour and surrendered his life to Him and immediately, his life was transformed. Those who knew him before wondered how the change happened. You too can experience Jesus the Saviour today and overcome all sins (Galatians 5:24). As long as you are sincere, help is very close to you. All you need to do is ask Him to come into your life and change your negative experience to a positive one. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Sin is disobedience to God or a deviation from His ways. From the account in Genesis 3, we understand that sin cannot be hidden. Every secret sin will always be discovered; it’s only a matter of time (Numbers 32:23). When sin comes in, there is a loss of relationship with God. When we house sin in our lives, no matter the amount of time we spend in the place of prayer, the heavens will remain shut. Sin is not a lifter; rather it leads to demotion. It brings shame and reproach to someone with a glorious future as seen in the case of Samson. Proverbs 14:34 says,
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
Although Samson was born great, by indulging in sin, his destiny was truncated (Judges 16:20-21). God has been warning a lot of people about the consequences of their actions, but they have refused to depart from the path of iniquity. Some people remain in disobedience until they experience a negative turning point in their lives. King Saul was a king who happened to be handsome, rich, healthy, powerful and prominent. His word was law, but he disobeyed God and kept going contrary to God’s divine will until tragedy struck.
 
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14
The only way a lost relationship with God can be restored is by obtaining pardon for sin through genuine repentance. The good news is that the death of Jesus on the cross has made adequate provision for the remission of our sins. Nevertheless, we must be true to ourselves and see our state of hopelessness against sin. We must be convinced of the need for pardon and be willing to confess our sins, no matter how numerous and terrible they are. God is ever willing to grant pardon to a genuinely repentant soul. Genuine repentance involves a change of mind that leads to a change of conduct. This change of conduct will lead to a life of holiness, through which the repentant soul becomes a vessel unto honour for the Master’s effective use. Such a person will then begin to work towards the attainment of perfection in Christ Jesus. Having done all these, there is a guarantee of an inheritance in Christ and an assurance of everlasting life.

Although prayer is at the very heart of our relationship with God, not all prayers are answered by Him. There is therefore a need to understand the secrets of getting answers to our prayers. First and foremost, you need to understand God’s original blueprint concerning any aspect of life you are praying about, and align your prayers with it. God said in Isaiah 55:8-9 that:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Although God’s thoughts are higher than ours, His thoughts are directed towards giving us peace, joy and fulfilment in life. No matter how much good you want for yourself, you can never get something better than God’s best for you. Oftentimes, people ask God for something that He is not involved in. Such prayers will definitely go unanswered. You need to learn to wait for God’s timing. It is dangerous to be impatient with God. What is the motive behind your request? Why are you in such a hurry? Patience is an indispensable virtue for all believers in Christ. There is hardly any promise of God that can be fulfilled in your life without the application of patience (Hebrews 6:12). Until patience has had its full impact on your life, you cannot get the best from God. In addition to the aforementioned, the secrets to answered prayers include thanksgiving and praises. If you can give thanks and praise while praying effectively, closed doors will be forced open by God as He inhabits your praises.
 
Your attitude during the period of waiting for the manifestation of your answered prayers is very crucial to God. You must know how to conduct yourself during your waiting period. There are people who think the world should come to an end just because the answer to their prayers has not yet manifested. Some women who are waiting for God to give them the fruit of the womb begin to wear sad looks; while some men trusting God for a job suddenly become monsters to everyone around them. It does not matter how much trouble you are facing, provided you keep on praying, God will be there to make sure you have a great testimony in the end. Always remember that negative situations will not bow to your attitude. The moment you see the appearance of an unpleasant situation, go immediately into your closet and begin to call on the Almighty God (Psalm 50:15). Don’t wait till the storm is overwhelming before you cry out to Him.

Our God is great. Not only is He great, He is the greatest. He possesses all wisdom, riches and glory. The plan of God and His delight is for you to prosper (3 John 2). Prosperity here implies abundance, fullness and sufficiency. One thing we need to know is that prosperity does not come by speaking in tongues, but by the wisdom of sowing and reaping. At a particular time in my ministry, by necessity, I started giving out neckties to elders who were ministering along with me. I then noticed that all my close associates started giving me only neckties upon their return from foreign trips. Out of curiosity, I asked God why this was so. He told me “Son, if you sow a tie, you will reap ties.” I then switched to sowing good shoes into the life of those I was sure were of the same shoe size with me. However, the return I got from this did not come as fast as the neckties did. I went back to God to know why, and He told me “Son, if you plant maize and also plant yam, both harvests will come, but not at the same time.” Then, I understood the lesson that it is the quality of your sowing that determines the quality of your harvest.
 
There is a category of people who want to reap without sowing. They can best be described as thieves. It is very wrong to expect a harvest when you have not sown. Make efforts to sow into that particular area of life where you desire a harvest. Entering into your financial breakthrough may not come easy. You have to provoke Heaven to act on your behalf by sowing. No one is poor enough to have nothing to sow. If you check yourself very well, you will realise that there is a seed in your hand you can sow. The Church in Macedonia had so little, yet, they were committed to giving to the work of God (2 Corinthians 8:1-2). In the early days of my joining the Redeemed Christian Church of God, there was a meeting in which my father-in-the-Lord, the late founder of the church, asked all workers to empty their treasury because of an urgent need in the church. Out of excitement of being privileged to be part of the saints, my wife and I as workers emptied our accounts with nothing left. At the workers meeting the following Sunday, my father-in-the-Lord asked “How many of you have done what I instructed?” Out of excitement to be counted among those who had complied, my wife and I raised our hands and we received the greatest shock of our lives. We discovered that we were the only ones that had complied! Ashamed, we quickly brought down our hands; but see what the Lord has done with our lives today. The many seeds of those days needed a lot of patience to become the great harvest of God’s blessings today. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When wise men from the East discovered the phenomenon that indicated the birth of Jesus, they abandoned everything they were doing and commenced an immediate search for Him (Matthew 2:1-2). These were noble men who were feared and highly respected. They were of the priestly caste, and they were spiritual counsellors to the kings of their time. Yet, on hearing of the birth of Jesus, they decided to abandon their own wisdom and search for the superior Wisdom of God manifested as Jesus. This is why I pity those who know the truth but allow foolishness to keep them in darkness. Romans 1:28 says this about such people:
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;”
For this reason, everyone who comes into this world must make a decision to submit to the superiority of God’s wisdom which is personified by Jesus. To benefit maximally from this life, you must accept Jesus Christ as your Lord. He is willing to give you divine wisdom concerning all issues of life. He is ready to guide you into greatness. Don’t allow the devil to keep you in the foolishness of self-government. If you do, you will experience great loss and destruction especially in the world to come.
 
After a branch is severed from a tree, its leaves will still remain green, but it is only a matter of time before they wither and die. Is someone asking you to embrace the wisdom of this world? Is anyone asking you to forsake the congregation of the righteous? Are you being lured by religious sects with a promise that you will be free? You are only about to lose your freedom if you subscribe to such lies. It is only in Jesus Christ you can experience the true wisdom that brings freedom. If there is any place to search for wisdom, it is in Christ alone, because all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him (Colossians 2:3). The wisdom of God is like light that repels darkness on its arrival. When this wisdom comes into your life, every reproach automatically gives way. As a child of God, you must allow wisdom to control all that you do. When it appears things are not moving in the direction you expect, don’t try to ‘help’ God; there is nothing beyond His wisdom. Don’t accept the alternatives of the devil, and don’t subscribe to the suggestions of men. The wisdom of God is the greatest of all wisdom.

The nature of our expectations from God directly depends on His promises to us. Some promises of God may sound incredible, but He is always committed to bringing them to pass. If your expectation does not agree with His promises, you may forfeit its fulfilment. Our God is good and gracious. He does many things to prove His divine power. There are times when God unravels some mysteries to make us believe and know absolutely that His plan and purpose for us cannot be compared to our current struggles and toils. This is why every child of God must pray the kingdom of God into their life (Matthew 6:10). When you make such prayers, you are saying to God: “Let there be no difference between your promises for me and the situation of my life”.
 
God has special and specific promises for the righteous alone. These promises are great, and they transcend the condition of any national economy. Righteousness is the only key that ensures the enjoyment of God’s blessings in this world, with the guarantee of making heaven. When the kingdom of God comes and His will is done on earth, then there will be no defeat, failure, sickness, lack, regret or hopelessness. The scripture does not say that the will of God will be done for everybody. It says it will be well with the righteous (Isaiah 3:10). That is to say, only those who are doing the will and the pleasure of God will enjoy His blessings.
 
“Thy kingdom come” is a desperate call by someone in need of change. It is a cry for hope in the midst of hopelessness, a cry for healing in the midst of sicknesses and a cry for deliverance in the midst of bondage. It is a deep cry seeking for the intervention of Heaven when earth has failed. Have you been in the bondage of debt for some time? That shame is removed now in Jesus’ Name. Do you know that your time of favour is coming? It is just around the corner. God will remember you and make you overtake those who have earlier gone ahead of you.  Once you forsake the government of self and that of the devil, God will begin to administer the affairs of your life. You will then realise that there is no challenge or difficulty too great or too bad for God to fix. As you thirst after His kingdom, He gives you permanent victory and your life begins to reflect His original plans and purpose in every area. God’s power is supreme. His power cannot be compared or equated with any other power. That is why I am sure that every power working against the fulfilment of God’s will in your life here on earth shall be consumed by the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Often, we find someone who starts off very well in the Christian race and then cools off later. Sometimes, some people who used to be very hot for the Lord may even leave the Lord completely. When such things happen, thoughtful minds wonder, “Who will be the next to leave the Lord?” Invariably, the answer is “Not me!” We are all kept standing by the grace and strength of the Lord. Another word for going back to your vomit is backsliding. It means to turn away from the Lord (1 Kings 11:9). It also means to grow cold and leave your first love (Revelation 2:4). When a person returns to his vomit, there will be a loss of joy, happiness, peace of mind and power. Darkness and murmuring will replace light and songs of praise. That will not be your portion in Jesus’ Name. When I was meditating on Elisha’s decision to kill off his oxen, I realised that he did this to demonstrate the burning of the bridge that could lead him back to his vomit (1 Kings 19:21). The one who is going to become great must make up his or her mind never to look back. Whatever will not let you follow Jesus through and through will be destroyed in Jesus’ Name. I am never sympathetic to anything that could stop me from becoming what God wants me to become. Whatever will not let you ascend to the greatness that God has for you must give way. Any friendship with the world or association with anyone that will impede your progress to the place of greatness must be removed.
 
The past is gone, and the present must be faced with proper zeal and commitment. Anyone driving a car cannot afford to concentrate on the rear mirror if they want to avoid catastrophe and disaster. This is why Paul said that he forgets those things that are behind (Philippians 3:13). There are many reasons why some people go back to their vomit. The major reason why Lot went back to his vomit was because he lusted after something that was not God’s will for him. The love of money has made many people sell their future. This was the case with Judas Iscariot (John 12:4-6). You cannot serve God and please the world at the same time. When you find someone who has always been fervent in the things of God now giving excuses for being absent from church programmes, it is only a matter of time; the person will soon return to his or her vomit. If you find yourself in such a situation, God is saying to you like the prodigal son, return and be forgiven. God does not want any sinner to die in his sins; neither does He want His children to be at the mercy of the devil. It doesn’t matter how far down you have gone; He is ready to make you a better child of His.

There are certain things people don’t know about sowing and reaping. This lack of knowledge has denied some people their harvest. There is a need therefore to always ask God for the wisdom to sow and reap rightly in every area of life. It is one thing to know what to sow and it is another thing to know how to sow it. Of importance also is the need to know where to sow and how to water what has been sown to produce the desired harvest. Ask any farmer who understands natural farming principles, he will tell you that reaping a good harvest is usually a walk in the park once the correct principles are followed. There are people who will sow today and want to reap today. According to Scripture, such an expectation is not applicable to great harvests. There was a time I was sowing a particular item into the life of people and I was worried because the harvest was taking time. I therefore asked God what was happening and He said “Son, if you plant maize, you can harvest it within three months, but if you plant yam, you will have to wait a little longer.” The greater the quality of seed sown, the longer you will have to wait to enter into your harvest.
 
Entering into your ultimate financial breakthrough may not come as easily as you think. It may involve sowing at a time most inconvenient; it may even involve seemingly endangering your today and tomorrow through a selfless seed. I have discovered that it is not poverty that stops some people from giving but their unwillingness to give. The good news for those who sow in tears is that they will always reap in joy. Many people have lost their harvest because of impatience. If you have sown quality seeds, give them enough time to mature so that you can enter into your desired harvest. Also, it is important for you to know that God does not expect you to meet every need out there. You have to be sensitive to locate the grounds that will give you your desired results. The ability to offer something big is a choice. Stop limiting yourself. When God has brought you to a level where you can give a N10,000 offering and you are dropping N1,000, what you are indirectly telling God is that you don’t deserve to be on the level He has placed you. Don’t demote yourself by your attitude to giving to kingdom projects. Do you complain that you cannot give because you are poor? That is the excuse the devil uses to deny many from entering into their breakthrough. You may not sow money all the time, but you can offer your commitment to the work on ground. All those who volunteered their services at no cost towards various projects at the Redemption Campground have been mightily blessed of the Lord. All the artisans who had only their skills to sow at that time have now become channels of blessings to others. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Several years ago, I was on a visit to a parish of our church in Ilesha (a town in southwest Nigeria) on the same day that a Bible Study service was to take place. Because I wanted to be blessed, I sat down in the congregation waiting for the Bible Study teacher to commence the lesson for the day. However, an overzealous usher announced that I was around, and so the Bible Study teacher refused to teach while I was sitting in the congregation. When he insisted, I offered to interpret the message for him. In spite of this, he still would not teach. I then ordered, “As the General Overseer, I command you to teach.” Not wanting to disobey me, he started teaching, though he was uncomfortable having me as his interpreter. It was a humorous scene, but we had a wonderful time.
 
One great undoing of present-day ministers is pride. Humility can be discerned from your relationship with your superiors and subordinates. When you respect your subordinates as though they were your superiors, you are beginning to learn the principles of a humble life. There is nothing good that can come out of arrogance and pride: only destruction. Some people are humble when their ministry is still modest, but the moment they gain publicity and popularity, they become so proud and see themselves as infallible. The same Saul that was hiding when he was being made king started disobeying God without remorse when he became settled. Do you know that a simple “I am sorry, Lord” from Eli could have saved him from being rejected and destroyed by God? Instead, his response to the situation at hand showed that he was not bothered about God’s judgement (1 Samuel 3:18). Rather than asking for God to show mercy, he told God to “do as He pleases.” May God not “do as He pleases” in your life in Jesus’ Name. If God is to do as He pleases, nobody will be able to stand (Psalm 130:3). When you clothe yourself with humility, your life becomes blessed and favoured (James 4:6&10), and you become a channel of blessing to everyone around you. Jesus Christ, our Master and King, humbled Himself to die a shameful death (Philippians 2:. Let the mind of Christ be in you always. He made himself of no reputation. He took the posture of a servant through the spirit of humility. It is against this backdrop that God decided to exalt Him highly and gave Him a Name that is above every other name. Pride usually goes before a fall. Pride is excessive self-esteem. It brings about the misconception that one is better than others. This is dangerous because God is the only one who can help you in the fulfilment of your destiny. With humility, you can conquer the world. Written By Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God knows no lack, and He expects His children to reach a height of financial greatness where lack will be forgotten forever. The one whose name is El-Shaddai can provide for all of your needs. Gathering wealth by honest means is the path to increase. Those who get rich quick by bribing their way or engaging in fraudulent means are only digging their own pit. Wealth gotten by vanity will diminish. Many are secretly envying unbelievers because of their wealth. This is foolishness. You have to wait upon the Lord to show you your source of wealth so that you don’t overrun yourself. Wealth from the Almighty God is supposed to be a blessing, but when the search for wealth is taken to the extreme, it becomes a curse. You must never pursue wealth to the detriment of your soul. There are many people looking for wealth for the wrong reasons. Some want to be rich because they feel wealth commands respect. For some others, it is to satisfy the thirst of belonging to a certain social class. Some people want wealth so as to use it as an instrument of oppression or revenge. God will not support such motives. The devil is always out to exploit your insincerity. He will give you options of getting fast wealth outside the will of God. Once you fall for it, you may never come out of his trap except God decides to have mercy on you.
 
Many rich people are never satisfied. There is something in them that pushes them to want to accumulate more wealth for reasons they can’t explain (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Contentment is a virtue that cannot be bought with money (1 Timothy 6:6). If you have contentment, you can never be trapped in the deceitfulness of riches. Do you know that there are many people out in search of wealth, struggling in places where God has not put them? Isaac thought of escaping to Egypt to avoid famine or scarcity, but God asked him to remain in Gerar (Genesis 26:1-2). He obeyed God and sowed his seed right where he was, and there was a great harvest for him. He became so great that the natives of the land envied his wealth. All you need to do is to cultivate the right relationship with God, and He will always direct you to where your blessings will locate you. Another problem for the wealthy is the temptation of using their money to buy what will destroy them. You need to know how much the devil is taking from many through the medium of cigarettes, alcohol and hard drugs. Some people never planned to have extra-marital affairs until they started having money. The kind of wealth that will disconnect you from God will never come into your hands in Jesus’ Name.

There is a saying that the anointing you don’t respect will never work for you. When Elisha was following Elijah from one point to the other, the fifty sons of the prophet who were at Jericho were waiting to see the outcome, expecting that the relationship would end hopelessly. They even confronted Elisha and reminded him that his shine would soon be over because his master would soon be taken away. In 2 Kings 2:15, after they saw that a superior anointing had been transferred to Elisha, voluntarily, they all bowed before him. When the Holy Spirit comes upon an individual, he is no longer the same, irrespective of his age, status or qualifications. Despite all the activities of Saul in trying to destroy David, David still respected the anointing on Saul’s life, even though his activities were incongruent with the word of God. For those who respect the anointing, God has a way of changing death to life for them. He has a way of making their enemies to become their servants. The same sword that Goliath wanted to use in eliminating David was what David used to eliminate him. Another lesson from the life of David is this: David fought only the battles he could win. When you are rebelling against the leader God has put over you because of his firmness, you are already fighting a battle you can’t win. You cannot fight against the anointed of God and win because God has already decreed it.
 
God fought for David throughout his sojourn. Whenever God decides to fight for someone, the battle is always very short and victory is assured. The person that God is fighting for may not even need to do anything at all other than just wait for victory. In one of our monthly Holy Ghost services held at the Redemption Camp, some agents of darkness lined themselves up around the place from which I ascend to the pulpit. I knew of this opposition because of the spiritual gift of discernment. In the midst of being lost in the thought of what to do, I committed the message to the Lord in prayer. The Lord told me to go ahead and preach despite the opposition. He told me that His anointing upon my head is able to make my cup run over in the presence of my enemies. To the glory of God, the Lord took control of everything and His people were mightily blessed on that day. When the anointing comes upon your head by faith, you will never be the same again. The cup of this unction and power of the Lord will overflow on your head in the presence of your enemies. This uncommon anointing will break every yoke, heal every sickness, cure the incurable, set the captives free, raise the dead and enable you to rule in the midst of your enemies. Written By Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

After experiencing salvation, the heart cry of every child of God should be to live above sin. The Bible teaches that glorious victory over sin is available for every believer (Romans 6:14). The moment we are serious about tapping into the grace that Christ has made available to us, all that was evil in us will remain permanently buried. Some Christians have never even heard of the victorious life of holiness, so they continue sinning and confessing their sins from day to day. You need to know that God has made us to triumph always in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 2:14). However, recognise the fact that despite the provision of victory over sin, you still have your own free will. You can choose to accept or reject a life of victory over sin. If you yield to Christ, you will be free from the power of sin (Romans 6:7-, but if you yield to sin, you will go down from iniquity to iniquity (Romans 6:19). Temptation is one of the most familiar experiences of a true child of God, and no one can totally escape from it. This is why the Lord taught us in Matthew 6:13a to include this petition in our daily prayer:
”And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:”
Temptation is not sin until you yield to it. When Joseph found himself cornered by Potiphar’s wife, he ran away, tearing his garment (Genesis 39:12). Thank God his destiny was not torn. Tear off the garment of those things that can cause you to backslide.
 
The salvation of your soul is worth more than all the wealth of this world. The devil is aware of this and that is why he wants you to lose your salvation. From 1 John 2:15-17 we understand that, the root of all besetting sins is the love of the world. This is expressed through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Lust runs against God’s expectation. Lust will not allow us to see the One leading the way. Concerning pride, the Bible says that those who exalt themselves shall be abased (Matthew 23:12). We must be wary of gossip and those who make it their past time. There is danger in idle words. God is not against laughter and humour as some wrongly believe, but he frowns at jestings, which are unholy jokes (Ephesians 5:4). Following in the Lord’s footsteps requires self-denial, which is an exercise that must be done daily. We must acknowledge that we are helpless and hopeless without the mercy of God, and confess our sins no matter how numerous and terrible they are (Proverbs 28:13). We must seek God’s face for pardon to give room for the Blood of Jesus which alone can do the cleansing.

In Acts 5:1-11, we find a couple, Ananias and Sapphira, who were gravely judged and punished because they lied. Just like this couple, there are some Christians who give God 5% of their income and label it as tithe. Galatians 6:7 says,
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Anyone who changes the word of God is a son of perdition, and the end of such is not to be desired. Jesus Christ said that of all the people given to Him by God, He did not lose anyone except the son of perdition (John 17:12). At the time He made this statement, Judas Iscariot was still going around as a disciple. However, as far as Jesus was concerned, he was already lost. Although Judas cast out demons and also went on evangelism with other disciples, his final place was perdition. He had no lot in the kingdom of God. Something very frightening is that some people even steal what others have given to God. When all has been said and done, some very devoted people in church will miss it because of the impure motives behind their service.
 
Do you know that some people assist the tempter? You may wonder how this can be. After they have fed their eyes with lust inducing items and activities during the day, they recline to ponder over them later. Before long, they may find themselves practicing such ungodly acts. This was the undoing of Samson. Everywhere he went, he had issues with women. He was supposed to be God’s answer to the enemies of Israel, and the power of God was mighty upon his life. He moved from killing a ferocious lion with his bare hands, to killing one thousand men with the jaw bone of an ass. Nevertheless, after he failed to heed God’s several warnings, he received the reward of unrighteousness, and judgment was unleashed on him. He experienced an unpleasant turning point: the man who was once unconquerable became the conquered, and the victor became the victim. Bound and blinded, he was taken into captivity and became a slave who was forced to grind corn in the enemy’s prison. In Jesus’ Name, your case will not be like that of Samson. God has been warning a lot of people, saying “get away from the side of the world and follow the path of righteousness”, but such people often think they can outsmart God. They think that because everything seems to be alright, they are still safe, not knowing that the wrath of God is awaiting them. It is a dangerous thing to continue to resist the Almighty.