₦airaland Forum

To live a blessed and fulfilled life, you must be a blessing to others. A stream is clean because the water keeps flowing, but stagnant water stinks because it retains whatever it has to itself.

If you only look for what to eat, you will likely get enough to survive on, even though you might sometimes have to skip some meals. However, if you constantly seek to feed many people, your meals will never be a problem because you cannot feed many people while you are hungry. If you seek to buy cars for others, you will have a car to drive yourself. The more people you desire to be a blessing to, the more resources will come your way, and the more blessed you will be.

It may seem worldly-wise to be selfish, but the word of God says that when you scatter, you will increase (Proverbs 11:24-26). Students who teach their peers after classes may appear to be very generous, and that is true, but do you know that they understand the subject better as they teach it to others? Such students may be helping their peers, but really, they are helping themselves more.

When you tell your friends and family about Jesus, seeking to save their souls, it is out of love because you don’t want them to burn in hell. However, the more you preach the gospel, the more grounded you will become in Christ. Firstly, you will see miracles happen (Mark 16:15-18), and this will make your faith even more real to you. Secondly, the Holy Spirit will inspire you on what to say when you preach. Believe me, some of the things I say on the altar are new to me. These revelations, because they came through me, have a better rooting in me than in anyone else. Thirdly, a fellow who preaches the gospel and makes disciples has one more reason not to backslide no matter how tough the temptations get because he wouldn’t want the disciples to see him backsliding.

Being the General Overseer of the RCCG is a sacrificial role that God gave to me, but it has also helped me stand stronger in the faith. Since the early days, I have become my own watchdog not to backslide. If people often call you to pray for them, you cannot be prayerless because you will have to pray for them.

Beloved, you will be blessed much more if you choose to be a blessing to others.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Bible says that a man cannot take fire in his bosom and not be burnt (Proverbs 6:27). Fire in this context is sin. If a believer is allowing sin or an appearance of sin around him or her, he or she is taking fire in his or her bosom and will eventually be burned.

I learned from Joseph’s story that when the devil is determined to bring a man down, he will position temptation around him such that he will keep seeing it continually. He knows that if the temptation is right in front of the fellow every day, it is only a matter of time before he falls. This is why I have always told my children that they must not have a secretary or personal assistant who is of the opposite sex. It is better not to bring the temptation anywhere near you than to believe that you can resist it.

A common adage in Yoruba land says, if you will not eat it, don’t smell it. If a man has been asking you for a relationship that you know will lead to sin, why are you still answering his calls? If you are always tempted to steal, why will you agree to help your group or department keep the money they have contributed? You must stay far from whatever you know can lead you to sin because the devil is described as a serpent. A serpent is very subtle and cunning. As dangerous as it is, it can crawl right beside you without you realising it. You may have sworn that you will never do something, but if you allow that thing around you, the devil will cunningly get you to do it.

The elders say that it is through an opening in a wall that the lizard gains entrance into the house. When you give room to temptation around you, you have opened up the wall of your soul, and it is only a matter of time before sin creeps in. Unfriend that friend who always suggests sinful things, relocate from that area where you are more susceptible to committing sin, delete whatever is on your phone that can lead you to sin, and just do whatever it takes to get sin far away from you. It is better to lose these things and make it to heaven than to retain them and go to hell.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Exodus 14:5-31, the Israelites were in a terrible situation. Behind them, the Egyptian army was charging at them, and in front of them was a great sea they could not swim across. There was no humanly possible solution to their problem, yet they turned to a fellow human, Moses, for help. Thank God Moses was wise enough to turn to God because, at crossroads like that, the only way out is the way God provides.

In situations like the one the Israelites were in, you should face God and say, “Lord, this Red Sea must part. I will not let You go except You make a way for me.” Those are not times for gentlemanly prayers; they are times for violent prayers such that God will know that you will not rest until you get a miracle.

I remember one time that I was in such a situation. I lay flat on the road in the middle of the night at Redemption City, crying to God desperately for help. When there is a serious problem and there is no way out, I hold on to God in prayers, and I don’t let go until He parts the sea and makes a way for me.

In Matthew 15:22-28, the Canaanite woman knew that the only solution to her daughter’s problem was with Jesus, so she did not let anything deter her; she pestered Him until she got what she wanted. The woman with the issue of blood had gone to all the doctors in the land and spent all her money, yet the illness remained. She knew that the only way out of her problem was to make contact with Jesus, so even though the crowd was great and she was weak from all the bleeding, she pressed through until she touched Him and got her healing.

Maybe the reason some Christians are relaxed in the place of prayer is that they cannot see how close the enemy is to them. Maybe they cannot see that the devil is doing all he can to win the battle over them. Beloved, don’t wait until it is too late; pray now! Don’t condone that problem any further; deal with it now. Stop thinking that your solution is with any man when only God can help you. If you call on Him to make a way for you where there is no way, He will do it. Are you ready to pray now?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

While I was in secondary school, my teacher told us that every human being came into the world with a pillow of suffering which they must use before they leave the earth. You can choose to use your pillow of suffering when you are young so that you can enjoy your life when you are old, or you can keep it intact and enjoy yourself when you are young. However, you must understand that you will surely use the pillow when you are old.

If you decide to use your pillow of suffering when you are young, you will put yourself through strict discipline. You will study while others are playing, attend vigils while others are partying, build a good character while others are engaging in vices, and save while others spend all their income. Hebrews 12:11 says that periods of discipline may not seem pleasant, but they bring peace of mind in the future. Those who do not put themselves through discipline early in their lives will surely have their pillows of suffering waiting for them in the future. The choice is yours, go through the suffering of discipline now, or face the consequences of indiscipline later.


Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. – Ecclesiastes 7:8

Your end is more important than your beginning. It doesn’t matter if you are from a poor background; what matters is that you don’t die poor. It doesn’t matter if you were heading to hell; what matters is that you end up in heaven. Don’t trade your tomorrow for the short-term pleasures of today. Esau was hungry, and he traded his right as the firstborn for a plate of porridge; he traded generational blessings for a single plate of porridge! Today, we would have been talking about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Esau, but Esau gave his position to Jacob because he wanted to eat porridge. You might say that Esau was foolish, but many people are doing the same thing today. There are people who were destined to be great prophets but never fulfilled their destiny because of five minutes of sexual immorality. Some potential owners of multinational businesses trade working on their business ideas for a little more sleep every night.

Beloved, the cost of discipline today is nothing compared to its gains in the future.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

PRAYERS FOR YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD

1. Thank You Lord for my neighbourhood. Thank You for all my neighbours and the leaders in my community.

2. Father, I pray that Your kingdom will be established in my community. Let Your will be done at all times in my neighbourhood, in Jesus’ name.

3. Father, please deploy Your angels to protect us in my community. Let no evil overcome us, in Jesus’ name.

4. Father, please let this community be uncomfortable for evildoers. I displace them from this community, in Jesus’ name.

5. Father, I put all the children in this community in Your hands. Let them be godly, and let them grow to become global champions, in Jesus’ name.

6. Father, please let the weather in this community be favourable for our health and well-being, in Jesus’ name.

7. Father, please let the government establish laws and execute policies that will favour us, in Jesus’ name.

8. Father, please use me to bring everyone in this community close to you. Please help me to cause a revival in my community and let all my neighbours surrender their lives to You, in Jesus’ name.

9. Father, please give the leaders of this community wisdom to direct our affairs. Let them make the right decisions that will make the community better, in Jesus’ name.

10. Father, mark every home in this community like the homes of the Israelites in Exodus 12:13. Don’t let death or sorrow have any place in this community, in Jesus’ name.

11. Lord, let my community be a blessing to the nation. Let us bring honour to our country, in Jesus’ name.

12. Your personal prayer point for your neighbourhood.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God does not give miracles to proud people. I have noticed that everyone who got a miracle from Jesus approached Him in humility. The leper in Matthew 8:2-3 worshipped Him, the centurion in Matthew 8:5-10 didn’t send a messenger but came personally to ask Jesus to heal his servant, and the woman in Matthew 15:22-28 was practically insulted by Jesus when He likened her to a dog, but she took no offence. On the other hand, everyone that would have gotten a miracle from Jesus but didn’t, exhibited pride in one way or the other, especially the people of His hometown (Matthew 13:54-58). The Bible says that He was only able to do a few miracles there.

Naaman almost died a leper because of pride. He went to the prophet for healing and was told to go and wash in River Jordan. He got angry and wanted to return to his country to die as a leper because he thought that a man of his calibre should not wash in the Jordan river. Thank God for his servants who talked sense into his head.

Sometimes, God will give me an instruction that sounds childish during our Holy Ghost Services. Because I am a child in His hands, I will tell the people what He says, and those who are not too big to obey the childish instruction will come back to testify about how they got their miracle after obeying Him. One time, God told me to call out all those who had back pains and dance around them. That was a very childish thing to do, but I obeyed, and when I was done, their back pains had disappeared, and they could all bend over to touch their toes conveniently.

If you are too proud to submit to a man of God, you cannot get a miracle through him. If you are too big to carry out an instruction because it seems beneath your social status, you cannot get a miracle. You must humble yourself before the Most High God if you want to enjoy His miracles. It amazes me that people consult doctors in humility, answering all their questions and surrendering their bodies for examination and treatment, but when they come to God, they act in a proud manner as if they know more than Him.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Hebrews 11:3 says that the world was created by God through His words. God is a Spirit (John 4:24), and everything you see in this world has its root in the spirit realm. A tree’s roots are a primary determinant of its state, so in the same vein, things in the physical realm are determined by the spirit realm. For example, in Exodus 14:16, Moses stretched his rod and parted the Red Sea. Ordinarily, a sea cannot be parted by stretching a rod; there had to be a spiritual force working on the sea, and that force was what parted it. Now, when you consider that the fellow stretching the rod was a physical being, then he must have had a connection with the root of all things on the earth to control the sea, and that connection is with God. Believe me, if you are a true child of God, there is nothing on earth that you cannot control. You have complete authority over everything because Psalm 82:6 says that you are a god.

Many years ago, we were to have Bible Study at a professor’s house at the University of Ibadan, but then it started raining. We were so many that the sitting room couldn’t contain us, so I used my authority as a child of God to command the rain to stop. The rain stopped, and we had our Bible Study. Not long after we finished, some other people arrived. They were surprised to see that it wasn’t raining in the professor’s compound because the reason they arrived late was that it was raining everywhere else on the campus. The moment you become a child of God, you have authority over everything that has its root in the spirit realm and that includes the weather, elements of nature, and even demons. If you are a part of God’s family, you are a king, and where the word of a king is, there is power (Ecclesiastes 8:4).

You must note, however, that if a fellow is not a true child of God and tries to exercise God’s authority, he or she will be disgraced like the sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-16). You must note also that whatever you use your authority to decree must be in line with the word of God. A house divided against itself cannot stand (Matthew 12:25). If you are really a child of God, you will act in line with the word of your Father.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Today’s cell phones are extremely effective; with them, you can communicate with anybody in the world. Despite this being a positive thing, you must be careful not to live under your phone’s influence. You must not get addicted to your phone or live by it because Jesus said that man is to live by every word that comes out of God’s mouth (Matthew 4:4). Your Bible is what you must be addicted to and live by, not your phone. If you are not conscious of this, your phone may easily replace the word of God in your life, and this is quite dangerous because the Bible says that our God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14).

When you wake up in the morning, do you pick up your phone first or your Bible? You may say that you pick up your phone to check the time, but really, do you study the apps on your phone first or the verses in your Bible? Throughout the day, what do you have more on your mind, what you saw on your phone or what you read in the Bible? You are to meditate on God’s word day and night, not on social media feeds and reels. When you want to start a conversation with your friend in your DM, what interesting thing do you start with, a funny meme or a Scripture? Ephesians 5:19 says that we are to speak to each other in psalms and hymns, but many no longer have such conversations; it is all about celebrity gossip and memes. Can you see that there is a need to repent if your heart has been drawn away from God for so long without you knowing it? It is time to return to God’s word and become addicted to it again. It is time to begin to study the word first thing in the morning and last thing at night every day.

If your heart has been drawn away from God, to bring your heart back to God’s word, you will have to exercise a lot of self-control. You must take decisive actions and stick with them. For example, decide to charge your phone far from you and put your Bible beside your pillow at bedtime. This way, you will read it before you sleep and pick it up when you wake up. You may need to delete some apps that you are addicted to. The time spent on them can be put to better use in prayers and the study of the word of God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

As I conclude my teaching on good followership which I started some days ago, it is important to note that no matter how strong leaders may appear to be, they need to be encouraged sometimes by their followers. This is primarily because leadership is full of ups and downs. During the down moments, encouraging leaders will go a long way in helping them to succeed. Speaking words of encouragement, sending gifts, and honouring your leaders in whatever way you can, will help them feel encouraged to keep going, despite the burden of leadership.

Many years ago, I felt discouraged. I had resigned from my lucrative lecturing job to become the church’s General Overseer and spent almost all my time praying for people and teaching them. There was a lot of burden on me, yet it seemed no one appreciated my efforts. One day, I was so discouraged and tired of my position as the General Overseer and then I fell asleep in my office. When I woke up, a young girl was in my office with a cake. She said that God had told her to bring me the cake. I don’t really like cakes, but I ate it because I was really touched by her thoughtfulness. When God lays it in your heart to do something to encourage your leader, please do not hesitate to do it; it may be the difference between the leader giving up or continuing the work.

A good follower will always try to reduce the stress on a leader rather than add to it. Leaders are human beings like you; they face challenges just like you do, and even more as a result of the leadership position they occupy. You may not be able to totally relieve them of the stress that comes with leadership, but you can encourage them so they don’t feel all their effort is a waste, and so they can keep doing more. Some years ago, I was really down, but what helped me to get up and keep going was the message of one of my daughters in the Lord. She said, “Daddy, let God carry you.” Your message may be what God will use to encourage your leader.

When Jesus was close to His crucifixion, He took Peter, James and John to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray alongside Him; He needed their encouragement for the task ahead.

Pray for your leaders. Sometimes, seeing that you are praying for them is the encouragement they need to keep going.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One major leadership challenge is that some people see leaders as being superhuman when they are not. I mentioned yesterday that leaders need help sometimes, but beyond that, you should also note that they can make mistakes.

When leaders err, people are sometimes afraid to correct them. However, leaders need to be corrected so they don’t put their followers in trouble. I’m sure one of David’s regrets was not listening to Joab when he was told not to conduct a census because it led to the death of over 70,000 of his followers (1 Chronicles 21:1-14).

As a good follower, you must not keep quiet when you see your leader going in the wrong direction; respectfully correct them. Years ago, I published a book in which I tried to justify the statement of the midwives in Exodus 1:15-19, where they said that the Hebrew women were very strong and delivered their babies without assistance. Somebody who read the book boldly came to me and said, “I know you are the General Overseer, but sir, this justification is wrong.” I realised the error, thanked him, and said, “I will go to God; He knows I didn’t mean to lead anyone astray.” I re-wrote the book, stood before the congregation, and said, “I have made a mistake. I wrote something in this book that should not have been written. I apologise.” I added, “So we don’t keep remembering it, I won’t tell you what the mistake is, but I want you to return the copies you have bought, and for every copy you return, I will give you two.” I got all the books back and burnt them. Thank God someone was bold enough to correct me. Today, with how God has increased our influence, it would have been difficult to erase that error from the minds of people in the body of Christ if that fellow had felt that I could not be corrected.

In correcting a leader, ensure that it is for the good of the leader and other followers rather than to show that you know better. Discuss with the leader privately, showing love and respect. Present the matter in a way that will be easy to accept, or find someone that is closer to the leader to present it on your behalf. The leader might find it easier to take the correction from that fellow than from you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, I said that being submissive to a leader and seeking common interests above personal interests are attributes of a good follower. Today, I will discuss more attributes of a good follower.

Leaders are not omnipotent; they need help sometimes. Good followers recognise that their leader needs help and seek to provide it before the leader asks for it. They watch to see which areas they can support the leader in and provide the support as needed.

In Exodus 17:8-13, Moses did not ask for Aaron and Hur’s help. He did not even explain why he was stretching his hands towards the battlefront. They both saw him stretching his hands and noticed that they were winning as he did so. They also noticed that his hands were getting tired, so they went to him, gave him a stone to sit on, and held up his hands. That is good followership, the kind that will make a leader surmount any mountain that stands in his or her way.

Sometimes, supporting your leader will not be convenient. When Aaron and Hur helped Moses, they were not sitting down, neither was anyone helping to hold their own hands up. They must have gotten tired too, but they stayed like that until the battle was over. Sometimes, when you step in to help your leader’s weakness, others might laugh at you and even call you names. However, you must not fail your leader; you must take whatever comes with helping out.

It is a terrible thing when followers take advantage of their leader’s weaknesses. Some followers, because their leader doesn’t know how to keep track of money, start stealing from the accounts instead of helping to manage them. Some others tell people about their leaders’ weaknesses to discredit them. If there is someone in the Bible that every follower should study, it is David. Even though he had already been anointed as the next king of Israel in (1 Samuel 16:13) and had done many exploits (1 Samuel 17:48-51), (1 Samuel 18:5-7), even though he had seen Saul’s weaknesses (1 Samuel 16:23), he remained loyal and never discredited the king. While running for his life because Saul was trying to kill him, he got the opportunity to kill Saul but didn’t do it (1 Samuel 24:4-13) – that is a good follower! As a result, he not only fulfilled his destiny, but the King of kings, who is also called the Son of David, came from his lineage (Revelation 22:16).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many people talk about leadership, but you hardly hear them talk about followership. The truth is, no leader can succeed without good followers. Leaders are raised from amongst the followers, so the better the followers, the better the quality of leaders.

Submission is one of the greatest attributes that a follower can have. It is different from cooperation. You cooperate when you agree with a leader’s instructions, but you are submissive when you obey, whether you agree with the instruction or not. Not being submissive indicates that a follower is acting in his or her own interest rather than the interest of the entire group that the leader represents. Some followers steal because they are ready to sacrifice the interest of the entire group to satisfy their personal interests. If this behaviour continues unchecked and the follower eventually becomes a leader, he or she will only care about himself or herself.

Gehazi showed this in 2 Kings 5:20-27. Elisha had collected nothing from Naaman for curing his leprosy, but Gehazi was after his personal interest as opposed to that of the Lord, which his master represented. He proceeded to collect gifts from Naaman and was immediately struck with leprosy. Judas Iscariot was also recorded to have been stealing from the ministry’s purse (John 12:6). This is why he could not be amongst the apostles to carry the gospel around the world after Jesus left. Such a person will never make a good leader because his or her personal interest will be more important than common interests.

Some people may say, “I don’t steal, I just disobey my leader because I don’t like him.” This is, however, just as bad as stealing. In Matthew 25:24-30, the servant who was given one talent to trade with did not steal the talent, he hid it rather than trade with it as instructed because he did not like his master’s leadership style. The master wasn’t annoyed that he did not trade with it as instructed, but that he could have at least put it in the bank to yield some interest. Putting it in the bank would have shown that even though he did not like his master, he was interested in the company’s prosperity. This made his master call him an unfaithful servant. He was more particular about himself, which is a bad trait for any follower or leader.

Beloved, if you want to be a good leader, you must first be a good follower by obeying your leader and putting common interests above yours.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Faith comes through God’s word (Romans 10:17). The more you study God’s word, the greater your faith becomes. Also, when God speaks to you directly, your faith increases. For example, when Abraham heard God speak to Him directly about having many children, it stirred up his faith (Genesis 15:5-6). There is great power in studying the word of God and in hearing His voice.

When I asked God for a small apartment in a suburb of Lagos, He told me that He would give me a city instead. This sounded ridiculous, but hearing it from Him directly built up so much faith in me that I started telling people what God told me. For your faith to really grow, don’t just study the word and pray; seek to hear from God concerning your life. Once you hear Him give you a promise, His voice will cause a surge in your faith.

Furthermore, just as you grow your muscles through physical exercise, grow your faith by exercising it as well. If you believe God for something and don’t make any move in line with what you believe, your faith will never grow. When I decided to believe that paying tithes would bring me blessings, I took action to pay my tithes. I discovered that God supernaturally improved my finances after doing that. Immediately, my faith grew. I then knew, without any doubt, that paying tithes attracts God’s blessings, but I didn’t get to that level of faith until I had acted on the little faith I had initially. As you believe God for little things and see them fulfilled, your faith will grow for big things. Act your faith; dare to do things that are greater than your human capacity, knowing that you serve a limitless God. Jump and let Him catch you. The more you do this and succeed, the stronger your faith will be.

Lastly, testimonies will also grow your faith. Hearing someone’s testimony builds faith in you to know that God can also move on your behalf. Many people have testified at our Holy Ghost Services that they got their miracle because they heard someone else’s testimony. I started operating in divine health when I heard the testimony of a man that was bent double whom God healed completely. From that testimony, I knew that God can heal all diseases, so I trusted Him completely with my health. Listen to more testimonies; purposely search for testimonies of people who have gone through what you are going through. As you hear their testimonies, your faith will rise, and you will also get your miracle.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When you’re baptised in the Holy Spirit, it might seem like nothing has changed about you, but the reality is, you have become very dangerous to the enemy and his cohorts. In 2 Kings 1:9-12, Elijah was not looking dangerous; he had no weapon in his hands and was not wearing a warrior’s attire. However, the captains and soldiers that were sent to arrest him never lived to tell the story. You may look the same to your enemies, but the moment you are baptised with the Holy Ghost and fire, if they try to touch you, they will be consumed.

To become dangerous to your enemies, ensure that you carry the fire of God inside you in great measure. For over 13 years, I never went to my village because witches and wizards had threatened to deal with me. I became born again, and not long after I was baptised with the Holy Spirit and fire, I received an invitation to attend a programme in the village. When I told my mother about the invitation, she begged me not to go. I told her that I now carry fire and anyone who touches me will roast. She said, “But you don’t look any different; you are the same Adejare that I know.” I replied, “The naked wire looks the same whether electricity is passing through it or not. However, touching it while electricity is passing through it is a suicide attempt.” I went to the village, and no witch dared to touch me. Today, I announce my arrival beforehand so they can hide before I arrive.

In Nigeria, after drinking a bottle of Coke, we sometimes use the empty bottle as a container for kerosene. Once the bottle has become a kerosene container, you dare not put it in your mouth again. The devil knows that once you start carrying fire, he has to step carefully around you. If he has been tormenting you, the way to get him off your shoulder is to carry the fire of God. Pray so often that the fire of God starts boiling inside you. Become addicted to praying in the Holy Ghost. As you do this, the fire of God will burn inside you, and you will become dangerous for the devil to attack. Any yoke he had previously placed on you will break completely, and you will be free from his hold. When you have the fire of God burning in your bones, you will become a threat to the devil and his demons. Are you ready to carry God’s fire?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

We live in a world where people have learnt how to ‘package’ themselves to look a certain way, whereas they are not who they package themselves to be. Many years ago, when The Redeemed Christian Church of God was not as big as it is now, my mother-in-law said that it was difficult to differentiate between the pastor who was a mechanic and the one who was a lecturer in the university because they all looked alike in their suits on Sundays. However, the secret comes out on Mondays when everyone goes to their places of work. Some people know how to dress like Christians and even speak and pray like fervent Christians, but deep within them, they are unbelievers. Being in this world is like their Sunday; no one can tell the difference now. However, Monday is coming at rapture; then, the difference will be clear. Believe me, it does not matter if everyone in the world thinks that a fellow is the closest person to Jesus Christ. If he or she is not truly born again, Jesus will deny the fellow on the last day.

Jesus Christ said in Luke 5:37-38 that if you put new wine in an old wineskin, both the content and the container will be lost forever.

And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.

You cannot call Jesus ‘Lord’ and keep on obeying the devil. If you do so, you are trying to put new wine (the Holy Spirit) into an old wineskin (your sinful heart), which will only result in destruction at the end of the day.

Some people can deceive the whole world with their container, but that will only put them in more trouble because it will become more difficult for them to get on the right track with God. Many pastors have gone to hell because when they realised that they should genuinely give their lives to Christ, they were too ashamed to come out for an altar call or make restitution for the things they had done while they were pretending. Don’t pretend to be a Christian; genuinely give your life to Christ if you haven’t done so and live a holy life henceforth.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

If you have elders around you, you have rare wisdom around you, and you should learn from their wealth of wisdom. There are certain things that elders know that Google, as vast as it is, does not know. The elders have some alternative treatments for sicknesses and diseases that modern science has not caught up with yet. There are some experiences that they have when it comes to relating with other people that you cannot learn in any book or university. If you take care of your elders and learn from them, there is a lot you will know and have as an advantage over your peers. In Yorubaland, when we see a child behaving wisely, we call him or her Omo Agba meaning the child of an elder, because we know straight away that he or she must have learnt a lot from an elderly person.

With all of Moses’ education in Egypt, the greatest nation in those days, his father-in-law, Jethro, was the one who taught him a valuable lesson about delegation. Moses got the best leadership education in the world and thought he was a good leader until he was exposed to an elder’s wisdom. Jethro’s counsel showed him that he was not that wise after all. You may think you are wise because you are educated and have the internet at your fingertips, but if you listen to the elders, you will discover a lot of truth that will really help you in life.

When an elder advises you, take that advice dearly because what you do with it could be the difference between success and failure. In (1 Kings 12:6), King Rehoboam met with elders on how to rule the people. They gave him advice which was filled with wisdom. However, he went to meet his younger friends for advice, and because theirs seemed more exciting, he pushed aside the advice of the elders. Rehoboam’s actions caused a civil war, and he lost the kingdom of Israel, as we see in verses 18 and 19:

Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

Never despise the advice of godly elders.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Psalm 127:4 says that children are like a young man’s arrows. Young men can shoot arrows far ahead of them to ward off the enemy or any dangerous animal in their path. Likewise, your children are to go ahead of you into your future to make it more pleasurable. If you train your children well, when they are older, they will take care of you in your old age.

My mother and father did not have formal education. My family was called poor, even by the poor people in our village. The day my father bought an umbrella, we all celebrated in our house; that is how poor we were. However, even though we were very poor, my parents managed to send me to school. They sold their properties till there was nothing else to sell. That was the best decision they ever took because sending me to school brought the family out of poverty. Today, the name ‘Adeboye’ is known around the world because my parents used the money from selling their properties to pay my school fees.

Spend your money wisely; invest in your children because they are the arrows you will send to your future. They will be there for you when you are old, and when you are long gone, the results of your investment in them will still be obvious. There is an adage in Yorubaland that says that if you decide to build a house rather than build your child, the child you refused to build will sell off the house you built.

Choose to send your children to the best schools you can afford. Choose to spend quality time with them to teach them the basic principles of life and God’s word. No investment in your children ever expires. Ecclesiastes 7:8 says that better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof. It is better to wear rags now and train your children than to wear the best clothes and leave your children untrained. It doesn’t matter what you wear today; if your children are well-trained, they will buy you the best clothes and cars and even build houses for you when they get older.

Beloved, training your children well is important if you want to enjoy long-term prosperity and peace of mind.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

The above passage says that God destroys fornicators; He destroys them Himself. If a believer does not want God to destroy him or her, he or she must avoid fornication by all means. When fornication comes knocking on the door of your heart, you must flee!

How do you flee fornication? First, stay away from anything that can lead to fornication. Don’t stay in secluded places alone with someone of the opposite sex. Don’t have immoral conversations with that fellow who claims to be your friend because evil communication corrupts good manners (1 Corinthians 15:33). If someone is making sexual advances at you, run! Don’t give room for the fellow to try and convince you at all. When Potiphar’s wife was trying to get Joseph to sleep with her, he ran for his dear life (Genesis 39:7-12).

Beloved, there is no point in Christians entering into romantic relationships if the mutual intention is not marriage – a relationship like that is a time bomb, waiting to blow up its participants. If you cannot tell your pastor that you want to go into a relationship with someone, then you must not go into that relationship. A child of God should not have casual romantic relationships, rather, he or she should have a fiancé or fiancée.

If you are mature enough to get married, and the desire to have sexual relations is getting so much that it is difficult to cope, then get married. God sanctions sexual relations only within the confines of marriage. To avoid the destruction that comes with fornication, it is better that you get married. The Bible says in (1 Corinthians 7:9), “But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.”

There is absolutely nothing worthwhile to gain or enjoy from fornicating; the result is always destruction. If you don’t believe me, ask Samson or Reuben. They will tell you that if they could reverse time, the only thing they would change about their lives is that they would avoid fornication.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Genesis 2:18 tells us clearly that marriage was established primarily for companionship. God made a help meet for Adam, not a competitor. Any marriage where the husband and wife compete against each other will not stand because Mark 3:25 says that a house divided against itself shall not stand. Husband, your wife is a gift from God to help you achieve His purpose for your life. You must create the environment that encourages her to help you rather than compete with you. If not for my wife’s help and the grace of God, I would not have achieved all I have achieved in ministry today. Ask God to give you the wisdom to know what to do to get your spouse to help you.

I always encourage and give room for my wife to help me. I don’t hide things from her, rather, I hand some things over to her to handle. After major programmes like our annual conventions, I buy her gifts to say, “Thank you for your support.” This encourages her to help me more in subsequent programmes.

Wives, stop trying to compete with your husbands. Don’t follow the recent worldly trend that is seeking to overturn the roles of husbands and wives in marriages. Don’t turn your marriage into a competition where there is a winner and a loser. One person’s win is a win for both of you. The more impact your spouse makes, the prouder you should be. In Proverbs 31:23, the Bible says that a good wife makes her husband proud. Husband, if your wife is making an impact in places of authority, you should hold your head up high; it does not reduce you as a man; it enhances you. It shows that you know how to nurture talent well, and things flourish in your hands.

Let all involved parties play their part in ensuring a successful home. If every footballer on a field tries to be the striker so that they can boast of the number of goals they score, who will be the goalkeeper and ensure that the opponent doesn’t score against them? The fact that you are a defender does not make you any less valuable than the striker. Play your part, and you will both enjoy the rewards of success. Don’t leave your duty post to compete with your teammate and end up losing in life entirely. Handle your role, support your spouse, and your entire family will win at the end of the day.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is quite terrible that some people judge individuals who have made mistakes just so they can feel better about themselves. Their goal is to boost their self-esteem rather than admonish the people who made the mistake or bring them to Christ. The people who attempted to stone the adulterous woman in John 8:1-11 were just like this. They did not expect that Jesus would put the searchlight of righteousness on them; He humiliated them as they planned to humiliate her.

When we correct someone just to show how righteous we are, we are attacking their self-esteem, adding to the weight of guilt they already bear, and making it more difficult for them to come to Christ. God turns against people who condemn others to prove that they are righteous. When Jesus sees a fallen soldier in His army, He wants to help the fellow up. If He discovers that other soldiers are throwing stones at the fellow to kill him or her completely, He turns against those soldiers to defend the one who is wounded.

It is unfortunate that many Christians use their superiority complex to hand their own brothers and sisters over to the devil. For example, who is a young Christian girl supposed to turn to if she becomes pregnant out of wedlock? Fellow believers or unbelievers? In most cases, her church members might call her a prostitute and make her feel unwanted, while unbelievers may show her care and understanding. When soldiers are wounded, they need people to help them dress their wounds so they can stand up again. If the people they get help from are from the enemy’s camp, they may never return to their own camp again. This is why many backsliders keep going deeper into sin. They think that they will no longer find forgiveness and acceptance in the church, so they backslide completely. The Holy Spirit is still drawing them toward the church, but they are reluctant to go back out of the fear of being condemned by the people who should show love to them the most.

Beloved, if a fellow believer falls, don’t condemn the person. Don’t turn such a person into an object of gossip, rather, get other Christians together to pray and follow up on the fellow until he or she comes back to God. This was the testimony about Job in Job 4:3-4.

Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The law of righteousness is one law that many people know but hardly comply with. It is simple; obey God, and you will excel (Deuteronomy 28:1). Jesus put it this way in Matthew 6:33:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

If you seek God’s righteousness and seek to do things that are right in His sight, without a doubt, the material things that other people are seeking will begin to pursue you and overtake you. This is a law that cannot be broken.

When my father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi, was alive, he used to say that it is what your father has that he will use to take care of you. Romans 6:16 says that whomever a person yields himself or herself to obey is that fellow’s master. This means that if someone obeys the devil and commits sin, the devil will take care of the fellow with what he has. Also, if the fellow obeys the Lord and lives righteously, God will take care of him or her with what He has. The devil has nothing else to offer than to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10); if anyone obeys him, that is what he or she will get. If you obey Christ and live in righteousness, the same John 10:10 says that what He has to offer you is abundant life.

Beloved, there is absolutely no gain in sin. The things that look like the gains of sin are actually baits of the devil. When a hunter is trying to catch an animal in the forest, he puts the animal’s best food inside a trap. When the animal tries to grab the food, it gets trapped. Beware of whose food you are eating. If you have to compromise on God’s word to get that food, it is only a trap for the devil to destroy your soul. Whatever hunters use to feed their catch is nothing compared to what they will take from the catch.

The devil will never give you anything without collecting more from you. Obey the law of righteousness, and you will enjoy the blessings of God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The law of association is a very powerful law that every human being on earth must understand and apply correctly. This law is subtle in its operation, and many people don’t realise when it is working on them. They don’t realise that the people they often speak to, greatly influence the way they think and act. This law states that an individual becomes like the people he or she associates with. In other words, if a fellow associates with wise people, he or she will become wise. Likewise, if the fellow associates with foolish people, he or she will become foolish. It is stated clearly in Proverbs 13:20:

He that walks with the wise shall be wise but the companion of fools shall be destroyed.

The elders in Yorubaland usually say, “When a leaf stays long with a soap, it will also become a soap.” You must carefully choose the people you associate with. If your friend is not someone you admire and want to be like, you should unfriend that fellow immediately. Be friends with wise people that can challenge you, people you can discuss great ideas with. Don’t be friends with people who gossip and are only interested in entertainment when you are together.

Another form of association is with the media. Some people spend a lot of time watching television and scrolling through social media. Whatever you read or watch has a great influence on who you become. If you read and watch inspiring things, they will inspire you to become great. Anyone who reads and watches immoral content will eventually become corrupt, as we can see in 1 Corinthians 15:33.

What kind of content do you constantly consume? Whose content are you consuming on social media? Whose music do you listen to? These things are a pointer to who you are becoming. When you want to change something about yourself, change the people you associate with. If you want to get better with your academics, keep company with brilliant people and learn from those who have excelled academically, and you will see your grades get better. If you want to be more fervent in your Christian life, find friends who read their Bibles, and pray regularly. Soon, you will also be doing the same.

Examine the kind of friends you keep and the kinds of content you consume. Are they a reflection of who you want to become? If they are not, change them now.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The law of unity is one of the most amazing laws that God set up on the earth. The Bible states that one will chase a thousand and two will chase ten thousand (Deuteronomy 32:30). This doesn’t make any sense mathematically, but I have found it to be true.

Jesus said in Matthew 18:19 that if two people shall agree concerning a thing, it shall be done by His Father in heaven. In other words, if you have prayed and are yet to get an answer, find someone to agree with you in prayers, and you will receive the answer. In Psalm 133:1-2, the unity amongst brethren is likened to the anointing. Unity is a very powerful force; it is so powerful that even the Holy Spirit did not descend until the disciples were in one accord in the Upper Room (Acts 2:1-4). There are certain things you will never achieve until you apply the law of unity to it. A husband and wife who are always fighting are denying themselves of many great things. If they can only humble themselves, resolve their differences, and agree as one, they will become a great force against all their problems, and there will be nothing beyond their reach. Church members who are always gossiping about each other or quarrelling amongst themselves don’t know what they are losing.

In Genesis 11:1-8, some people came together to build a tower that would reach heaven. God saw them and said that they would achieve their goal because they were united. This was thousands of years ago when there was hardly any technology. In other words, God was saying that even without adequate resources, unity alone was enough for those people to build such a tower.

In the early days of RCCG, we had no money. We didn’t even have money to pay all the staff, but we were very united. As a result, we did many great things, including building the biggest auditorium of that time. There is absolutely no gain in being divided. Matthew 12:25 says a house divided against itself shall not stand. Whenever the devil wants to destroy a move of God or hinder Christians from achieving something, he sows discord amongst them.

One of the many reasons I bless God for the wife He gave to me is that she is always facilitating unity everywhere she goes. She is always bringing people together; never allowing disunity in any group she belongs. Even with my extended family, she is a binding force. She will never allow anybody carry a long face around her, whatever the problem is must be solved before anybody goes to bed that day. That quality is a divine gift that has been a great blessing to my life and ministry.

Never give room for disunity. Don't let the devil win; don't allow disunity.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The law of work is similar to Newton’s first law of motion, which states, in simple terms, that an object will remain at rest or in uniform motion unless it is acted upon by an external force. In other words, nothing moves until someone moves it.

An individual’s career will not move forward without deliberate efforts to advance it, neither will a marriage be automatically blissful without some effort from both parties. A believer’s spiritual life will not blossom unless he or she puts in the required work. Nothing goes for nothing. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says that those who don’t work should not eat. Some people feel that because they have certain gifts and talents, things will always be good for them – that is a big lie. One of my sons often says that hard work will beat talent if talent doesn’t work hard.

In Matthew 25:14-30, the Master gave His servants some talents with a simple instruction, “Trade with it.” You cannot leave your talent(s) dormant if you want to be fruitful. You must work on your talent(s) if you want positive results. The servant that did not work on his talent was punished greatly. If a believer does not work on whatever God has given to him or her, such a fellow will be greatly punished in the end.

One day, I met a pastor who started out in ministry at around the same time as me, and he said, “God has really been good to you.” I agree, God has been very good to me. It is only by His grace that I have come this far. However, nobody can accuse me of being lazy. When I was starting out, God gave me prophecies, gifts of the Spirit and talents, but all these things would have gone to waste if I did not work hard. In fact, the more resources God gives you, the harder you must work because Luke 12:48 says that to whom much is given, much is expected.

Brethren, if a person is not ready to work, then he or she is not ready to succeed at anything in life. Nothing will excuse anyone from the effects of this law. Excuses are for failures. No matter the excuse you may want to give for not being productive, it will never suffice as there are people who have experienced greater challenges and surmounted them. Great achievers put excuses aside, get to work, and make the best out of whatever situations they find themselves in.

Get up and work.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

After creation, God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2). How is it that the Almighty, All-powerful God needed to rest? He did not need to rest; He can never be tired. If He had been tired, then He would have been tired at least once in all the thousands of years since the earth was made. Psalm 121:4 says that He never sleeps nor slumbers. Therefore, resting on the seventh day was not for Him but for us; He was establishing a law that we should follow for our own good – the law of rest (Exodus 34:21).

The law of rest is to be applied to your land, animals, and staff. You must not let your staff work for seven days a week; they must have at least one day to rest and be refreshed (Exodus 23:12). This is important for them to be productive the next week. Also, you will get the best out of your farmland if you leave it to rest for one year every seven years (Leviticus 25:4). It is a law that will increase your productivity greatly.

If you think that working for seven days will bring more productivity than working for six days every week, you are wrong. There is a fast-food restaurant in the United States of America that works for only six days and is closed on Sundays. That restaurant is one of the fastest-growing fast-food restaurants in the world. Resting for one day every week greatly improves your productivity as opposed to working for seven days a week.

Working continuously without rest will damage an individual’s health. Many people have died because they did not rest as they ought to. Going against this law can bring great danger to a fellow’s health and life. I was telling one of my sons about this law of rest, and he looked at me in a funny way as if to say, “You? Do you rest?” I told him that I rest, even though he may not know it. I wouldn’t be this productive if I don’t rest. In fact, there are periods in the year when I don’t go anywhere; I just stay in a quiet place to rest. My body will no longer be useful to God if I damage it just because I am so zealous about the ministry that I disregard the law of rest.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The law of priority states that if you put the right thing first, everything else will fall in place. Jesus clearly stated the law of priority in Matthew 6:33. When a person seeks other things above God, such a fellow will struggle, but if he or she seeks God first, other things will be added unto him or her.

What you prioritise determines the quality of your life. When you receive your first harvest in any field, you must take it to God. This is a sign that you honour and put Him first, and as such, other harvests will be secure (Proverbs 3:9-10).

Many people put money before God; this is why they experience sorrows that money cannot solve. Some wealthy people cannot sleep at night, and will gladly trade their wealth to have peace and joy. The problem is usually what or whom they prioritise. The rich man in Matthew 19:16-22 knew that something was missing in his life. He had been obeying the law and had lots of money, but he felt incomplete. He met Jesus for a solution and was told that his problem was with his priorities; he prioritised money above following Jesus.

If God tells you to sell all you have, forget about your dreams, and go into full-time ministry, will you do it? Your answer will determine if you prioritise Him or not. When you check through the Scriptures, those who prioritised God were greatly rewarded. For example, the blessings of Abraham exist today because He prioritised God over everything, even his own son (Genesis 21:10). I am a living example of the benefits of prioritising God. I left my thriving career in academics and my dream of becoming the youngest Vice Chancellor in Africa to become the General Overseer over a church whose monthly income was less than my salary because God said so. Today, the name Adeboye is known all around the world because I prioritised God above my dreams.

God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14); He cannot take second place in your heart. Whatever or whomever you prioritise above God has become a god to you. God said that you should have no other god before Him (Exodus 20:3). You must love Him with all your heart, soul and mind; this is the greatest and foremost commandment (Matthew 22:37-38). When you do this, everything else will fall into place in your life. Put God first.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Today, I will conclude my teaching on the law of harvest. As a mathematician, I learned early that laws only stand when certain conditions are present. For example, the law of gravity simply states that when you throw an object up, it will fall to the ground. When the conditions present favour the law of aerodynamics, the law of gravity, as powerful as it is, will not hold.

For any law to stand, some conditions must be met. Yesterday, I discussed how powerful the law of harvest is, but in spite of its power, it will only stand when you sow under the right conditions. First, you must sow on good ground. I mentioned earlier this month when I was discussing the series, ‘Return on Seeds’, that I sowed multiple times into a ministry abroad many years ago, but got no harvest. God showed me in a dream that I had been sowing on hard ground. Some ministries and ministers are not linked to God. When you sow into them, you might think you are giving God an offering, but it never gets to Him because they are hard grounds. This is why you must be sure of the places you sow your seeds. Matthew 10:41 says that when you give to a prophet, you will get a prophet’s reward. Some people claim to be prophets, but God does not recognise them at all. Discern before you sow.

Also, don’t sow grudgingly. If you sow as if you are being forced to sow, God will not accept your offering. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says that He loves a cheerful giver. You may sow sacrificially, such that it is so hard for you to release the seed and you shed tears while doing so, but you must never sow grudgingly; you must sow from a willing heart.

Years ago, I was at a service, and the people conducting the service were calling for multiple offerings. I became angry, and as I wanted to bring out an offering, God told me, “I don’t want your money.” I immediately repented and changed my perception. God is not a beggar. If you bring an offering to Him grudgingly, it may enter the offering basket, but God will not accept it, and you will reap nothing from it.

Beloved, for you to make the law of harvest work in your life, ask God to show you a good land where you can sow and when you find it, make sure you sow willingly.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The law of harvest is one of the strongest laws that God placed on earth. It is so powerful that God Himself will never break it. In Mark 14:36, Jesus Christ prayed fervently, sweating blood and praying that God should change the plan of salvation so that He wouldn’t have to go to the cross to die for mankind. God said ‘No!’ He said ‘no’ because of the law of harvest; He had to sow His only Son in order to reap many more children into His kingdom (Romans 8:29, Hebrews 2:10, 1 Corinthians 15:20).

The law of harvest states that whatever a man sows, he will reap. This is well captured in Galatians 6:7:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Another beautiful thing about the law of harvest is that you will reap what you sow in greater proportions (Hosea 8:7). Therefore, whenever you give an offering or give alms, you are sowing a seed, and whatever you have given will come back to you in multiple folds. This is a law that nothing can break.

The law of harvest becomes much stronger when operated in two ways. The first is the law of firstfruit, while the second is the law of tithes. These two laws open the possibility of overflowing blessings. There are only two places in the Bible where God says that if you do something, He will bless you so much that there won’t be enough room to take it (Proverbs 3:9-10 and Malachi 3:10). These two passages show us clearly the secret of overflowing blessings.

Many times, when people pray for overflowing blessings, God expects them to obey the laws of firstfruits and tithes so that they can receive the blessings they seek. Believers will stop struggling with their finances when they obey the divine law of harvest in their work, business, and in giving.

The Almighty God Himself put the law of harvest in place and expects us to obey it. For example, when I was first told about tithing, it didn’t make sense to me mathematically, but I obeyed. I wondered back then, if one hundred per cent was not enough to take care of my needs, how can ninety per cent be sufficient after taking out ten per cent as tithe? Thank God I decided to test the law of tithing, and, to my surprise, I discovered that it was true.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Kings usually get the best of everything. Our God is the King of kings, and He wants everyone who surrenders to Him to be the best. To achieve this, God passes them through a refining process to make them the best that they can ever be. Just like a goldsmith puts gold through fire for it to come out purer, God will take you through a refining fire for you to come out purer and better. Are you willing to go through the refining fire of God?

In John 15:2, He said:

“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”

If you want to be a branch that is connected to the vine and bear fruits for God, you must be ready to go through a pruning process. It will be tough, but it will make you more fruitful.

In the pruning process, God will take away things that are competing with Him from your heart. He may ask you to stop wearing jewellery, not necessarily because it is a sin to wear them, but because they may be a distraction to your fruitfulness. He may allow persecution to arise against you so that you will draw closer to Him. As you draw closer to Him, you will become more like Him and be more fruitful. He might hold some things back from you for a while to test your faith, so that you can become perfect, wanting nothing (James 1:2-4).

At the end of the refining process, you will become so valuable that people will run over each other to favour you. Just like everyone wants gold in its purest form, you will become a spectacle to your generation. As everyone wants the best of fruits, you will have people from all over the world coming to glean from the great value that you possess. Those who successfully go through the pruning process of God become superstars in their generation because they carry great value that the whole world wants to glean from. They are problem solvers, and people see them as blessings. Money is never their problem because their value attracts money from all around the world. They don’t beg for doors to open to them, their names open doors. Are you ready to be refined by God?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The first time I read 1 Kings 3:4-15 after being born again, I thought to myself, “How did Solomon think of offering God a thousand burnt offerings?” This made me carry out a background check, and I discovered a secret. In 2 Samuel 12:24-25, the Bible tells us that God loved Solomon as soon as he was born. His father named him Solomon, but God named him Jedidiah, meaning beloved of the Lord. Because God loved Solomon, He wanted an opportunity to bless him in a way that nobody would be able to query Him, so He set him up by putting it in his heart to do something nobody had ever done before. That way, He also could do for Solomon what He had never done for anyone before.

When I joined RCCG in 1973, when there was any need in the church, they would ask only the children of God to wait behind. In those days, children of God meant those that are truly born again and know it. One day, my wife and I waited behind, and the General Superintendent said, “We have an urgent need that must be met this week. Every one of you should go and close your bank accounts and bring whatever money you have there to the church.” On Monday, my wife and I closed our savings accounts and took the money to church. The following Sunday, the General Superintendent said again that the children of God should wait behind. We waited. He announced that the need had been met, and we all rejoiced. Then he asked the question, “How many of you closed your accounts as I instructed?” My wife and I raised our hands, and when we looked around, no other hand was raised. Immediately, I thought to myself, “I hope I am not going crazy with this Christianity of mine.” Then, God spoke to me, “Son, you are not mad. I am allowing you to do what others have not done so that when I take you to where I am taking you, nobody will be able to query me.” The rest is history; it was a divine setup.

When God places it in your heart to give Him something, He is only setting you up for greatness. If you obey, you will be rejoicing later in future, but if you disobey, you will have missed a miracle. Whether you give or not, God has numerous ways to meet His need. The one who is really in need is you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

PRAYERS FOR ELDERS

1. Lord, I thank you for all the elders in my church, family, community, and nation. Thank You Lord for keeping them up to their old age.

2. Father, just as You strengthened Moses even in his old age, please strengthen the elders that are doing Your will so that they can continue to do Your work until You call them to glory.

3. I banish every sickness that comes with old age from the elders in my church. I declare that they will enjoy divine health until God calls them home.

4. Father, please give the elders the wisdom to advise and guide the younger ones right. Let them counsel with divine wisdom, in Jesus’ name.

5. Father, please give all the elders in the body of Christ the right successors. Let none of the good works that they have started die with them, in Jesus’ name.

6. Father, please let all the elders around me live the rest of their lives in joy. Don’t let them experience sorrow until You call them home, in Jesus’ name.

7. Father, I pray that Your special anointing to heal the sick would rest on all the elders in the body of Christ. Your word says in James 5:14 that the sick should go to them for healing, therefore as they lay their hands on the sick, they will recover, in Jesus’ name.

8. Father, please give the elders in the church a good legacy. Any plan of the devil to spoil their name before they are called to glory will be frustrated, in Jesus’ name.

9. Father, please forgive all the elders of things they may have done in the past that You are not happy with. Please wipe their sins and give them the courage to confess and make restitutions where necessary, in Jesus’ name.

10. Father, please send help to the elders who do not have people to take care of them. Send compassionate people that will take care of them like their own parents, in Jesus’ name.

11. Father, please give me the resources to take good care of the elders in my family, church and community. Make me a blessing to them, in Jesus’ name.

12. Your personal prayer points for the elders around you.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

As God is seated in heaven, He controls everything on earth because the earth is His footstool (Isaiah 66:1). In Psalm 2:1-4, the Bible says that when enemies try to deal with the anointed of God, He that sits in heaven shall laugh. In other words, when someone threatens a believer, God laughs at the person. If someone says that you are not going to be promoted, He that sits in the heavens shall laugh. This is because promotion comes neither from the East nor West, but from God alone (Psalm 75:6-7). If a doctor says your case is hopeless, He that sits in the heavens shall laugh because He already settled your healing thousands of years ago by His stripes (Isaiah 53:5). If anybody tells you that you will not be successful in life, He that sits in heaven shall laugh because Deuteronomy 28:13 says that you shall be above only and not beneath.

While God is laughing at every evil intention of the devil over your life, you should not be crying, rather, you should be praising Him. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 6:27:

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

Your worrying will not solve adverse situations. When God is laughing, you should be laughing too. You should be mocking the mockers and standing on the ever-sure word of God, knowing fully well that your case is already settled in God. Don’t cry like people who have no hope; you are a child of the King of all kings. Your Father owns the earth and all its fullness (Psalm 24:1), so there is nothing you need that is beyond your reach.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” When you make your requests known to God, do so with thanksgiving. Don’t come to Him as if you have no hope. James 1:6-7 says that if you come to Him without faith, you should not even think of receiving anything from Him. Since Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the evidence of things not seen, then you must come with thanksgiving, knowing fully well that your requests are already granted. This is the right state of a true believer; he or she does not live in fear but in faith because of the consciousness of how big and powerful God is.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.