₦airaland Forum

Over the last two days, I have discussed how you can get harvests from the seeds you sow. Today, I will focus on seeds that are sown based on God’s instructions. These kinds of seeds go beyond yielding 100-fold, they yield unlimited returns. In (1 Kings 17:8-16), when Elijah told the widow to bring her last meal and she obeyed, the result was an unlimited supply of food for her household all through the famine. When God instructs you to give and you obey, He pours unlimited blessings on you.

When I became the General Overseer of RCCG, the entire monthly income of the church was less than my monthly salary as a lecturer before I resigned. By the time we managed to pay the salaries of the staff, there was usually nothing left for me. Things were tough, and I looked forward to collecting my gratuity because I had served the government for many years. My plan was to invest part of the money and save some, hoping that before I finished spending my savings, the church would have grown to the point where I could start getting paid a salary. When the gratuity came in, I remembered that God was now my Commander-in-Chief, so I asked Him how to spend the money. To my surprise, He said that I should divide it into three parts and give each part to different ministries. Nothing was to come to the ministry I was heading, even though we had needs. I trembled when He gave me that instruction, but then, He followed it with, “I will be your source.” I obeyed, and since then, He has truly been my source.

In Malachi 3:10, God instructed that you should bring ten per cent of your income into His storehouse, and He will open the windows of heaven and pour down blessings that you will not have enough room to contain. This is an unlimited blessing that comes from obeying just one instruction. God blessed Abraham and told him that He will be his reward (Genesis 15:1). Imagine God Himself being someone’s reward; that is an unlimited blessing. When you check what preceded that, you will discover that this blessing came after Abraham paid the first ever tithe to Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18-20. Your tithe is a major door to the unlimited blessings of God.

When God instructs you to give, it is an opportunity for you to experience unlimited blessings from Him. Do not let such opportunities pass you by.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, I discussed the importance of ensuring that you are sowing on good soil. Today, I will examine the returns to be expected from seeds even when they are planted on good soils. First, let us focus on sowing into a man of God’s life.

He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
Matthew 10:41

The spiritual hierarchy of the man of God you are sowing into will determine the level of the returns you will get from your seeds. Some seeds will yield 30-fold, some 60-fold and some 100-fold. Your seeds might be planted on good soil, but the richer the soil, the more the yield will be. In other words, the greater the spiritual height the fellow has reached, the greater the yield when you sow into his or her life. This is not to say that you should only sow into the lives of big men of God. In fact, there are some so-called ‘small’ men of God who have gone deeper in spiritual things than the popular ones; popularity is not a test of spirituality. Yes, it is good to sow into the lives of Bishops, General Overseers and Senior Pastors, but you must also not neglect the pastor that is close to you today, especially when God instructs you to do so.

I must mention here that your seeds are really sown to honour God and not any man. You can only sow through a man of God, but the one you are really giving to is the God that the man represents. Thus, if you only sow into the lives of those you have identified as big men of God, you are clearly trying to manipulate God, and God cannot be manipulated. All His children have needs, and if it is Him you really care about when sowing your seeds, then you will sow everywhere you know that He wants to meet a need.

In Galatians 6:10, the Bible says that we should do good unto all men, especially those of the household of faith. Don’t ignore the brother who is wearing a worn-out shoe to church while you go about changing the entire wardrobe of your pastor. If God has shown you a brother or sister’s need, you should meet that need in honour of the God he or she serves.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In finance, there is something called Return on Investment. Likewise, in the kingdom of God, there is something I’ll like to call Return on Seeds. This is the profit you make when a seed is sown in the kingdom of God. According to Matthew 13:1-8, there is the possibility of having a zero return on seeds sown, or a 30, 60 or 100-fold return. Also, as you will learn later in this series, there is the possibility of having an unlimited return on your seeds.

Two things determine your return on seeds: the first is what is left with you after sowing. In other words, how sacrificial is your seed? The second is the soil on which you sowed. Today, I will focus on the kind of soil that brings zero return on seeds.

Many years ago, I was sowing seeds into a ministry abroad. I knew about the law of harvest, so I kept sowing. However, nothing was coming forth. I became worried, and so I started to ask God what was happening. Then, I had a dream. In the dream, I was standing on a farmland with heaps that showed that things had been sown on that land. I lifted one of the heaps, and underneath it was solid concrete. This meant that nothing could grow on that land. When I woke up, I knew the meaning of the dream – the ministry I had been sowing into was as good as concrete ground; no seed will yield returns when sown there.

If you sow a seed in a place that God does not approve of, your seed will yield no return. God cares about the poor, therefore, when you sow into their lives, Psalm 41:1 says that He will deliver you in the day of trouble. God cares about His prophets and ministers, so when you sow into their lives, you will get a reward (Matthew 10:41-42). God cares about His Church, so when you sow into a ministry, you will be rewarded (Malachi 3:10-12). If the place you sow into only looks like a ministry from the outside but is devoid of God’s presence, then your seeds will yield zero returns. You can decide to give anybody money if you wish, but if it is a seed, ensure that you are sowing in a place or a person that God is interested in.

Don’t sow your seeds on concrete and expect a return, it will not yield anything.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Jesus Christ said:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
John 10:27

This means that you don’t have to be a prophet to hear from God; all you need is to be His child. I am praying for you today, that the Almighty God will cause you to hear from Him more clearly.

When God begins to talk to you about what He wants to do, it shows that you have become His friend. In John 15:15, Jesus Christ said to His disciples:

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

God said concerning Abraham that He could not hide whatever He was about to do from him. God is sovereign, He doesn’t need permission from anybody to do anything, but there are certain people He must talk to before He does anything. You must sit down and really assess your relationship with God and become so close to Him that you can hear from Him yourself. You need to get to that stage where He will not hide anything from you. When you read Genesis 18, you will discover that Abraham was a friend of God. That was why God never hid anything from Him. Abraham wasn’t just God’s friend, Romans 4:16 describes him as the father of faith. Since without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), Abraham being the father of faith means that he really pleased God.

You can get so close to God that He will tell you His secrets; things He won’t tell anyone else. In John 13:21-26, everyone at the table asked Jesus about who will betray Him. He did not answer them, but He answered one fellow who was His favourite – John the Beloved.

It is such a beautiful thing to be able to tell anyone, no matter who they are, “God did not say that.” It shows that you are so special to God that if He is to talk to anyone, He will talk to you. For example, in 1 Kings 22:6-28, many prophets prophesied falsehood, but Micaiah, who heard from God directly, stood out and spoke the mind of God and it came to pass. If you are close to God, you cannot be deceived by anyone. I pray for you that soon, God will be sharing His secrets with you, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Today’s topic is a question you must be conscious of. In Matthew 16:13-16, Jesus asked His disciples whom people said that He was. He wasn’t confused about His identity; He knew who He was, but He was concerned about how people perceived Him. You must be conscious of how people perceive you too. People will only relate with you based on what they think about you and not what you think about yourself.

When my father in the Lord was alive, company executives would come to him for his opinion whenever they needed to hire staff for their company. They would say things like, “Sir, Brother so and so in your church has applied for a role in our company, what do you think about him?” Sometimes, he would cleverly reply, “That brother? Well, he says he is a Christian.” However, when they ask about someone who is truly born again, he will say, “That brother is a Christian.” There is a difference between who you claim to be and who you really are.

There are two kinds of people whose perception of you, you must take seriously. The first are people who know you but are not in your inner circle. They may not be close to you, but they are observant. They can build a perception about you from the things you say and do. Their perception may not be true, but as far as they are concerned, that is the true you. Therefore, you should endeavour not to make a mistake that will give them a wrong impression of you.

The second set of people are those in your inner circle. In Matthew 16:13-16, the fellow who knew the real identity of Jesus was one of the people in His inner circle – Simon Peter. This tells us clearly that those who know us the best are the ones closest to us. Who does your spouse say you are? What about your children? These people know you more than anyone else, and their opinion must be very valuable to you. I have always said it, the reason some ministers’ children are wayward is because they know who their parents are. They hear them preach one thing on the altar but see them do something else at home. This confuses them and draws them far from the God their parents claim to serve. You can pretend to people outside, but you cannot pretend to your family members.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Looking at today’s topic, I’m sure you’re asking yourself, ‘How did the Father send me?’ Acts 10:38 says that Jesus was sent to do good and to heal all that were oppressed of the devil, but then, He was anointed with the Holy Ghost and power for that assignment. That’s why, concerning His ministers, Jesus said in Luke 24:49, “Tarry ye in Jerusalem until thou be endued with power from on high.”

The condition for being a minister of God, according to Acts 6:1-3, is that you must be full of the Holy Spirit. Being baptised in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues is good. However, other kinds of evidence must also be there. Acts 6:8 says that Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit, performed miracles. Where are the miracles that God has performed through you since your baptism in the Holy Spirit? In Acts 8:5-8, Philip, one of the deacons, went to Samaria and turned a whole city upside down. In Acts 13:6-12, when Paul was preaching to a governor, and a sorcerer was trying to hinder him, Paul, full of the Holy Spirit, moved the mountain out of the way and got his victory by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We believers are dealing with a world called the New Age. They are working overtime to win our youths over with magic, and we need to demonstrate greater power to silence them so the youths do not give in to their devices. This power is available in God for all those who are willing to pay the price, but unfortunately, in a very subtle manner, the devil is pushing the church to lukewarmness.

You need to realise that whenever Jesus taught in a place, the Bible says that the power of God was always present to heal. I have discovered that when we preach about healing, God heals. When we tag a service ‘deliverance night’, a lot of demonised people in attendance will get delivered. We choose themes that show God that we are keenly interested in doing His works. He said that He will baptise you with the Holy Ghost and with fire (Luke 3:16). There is a difference between just speaking in tongues and having the fire behind your tongues. When you are baptised by the Holy Spirit and fire, it will be evident; miracles will happen, souls will be won, and the whole world will bow to our Lord. Seek the fire today!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

In John 20:21, Jesus Christ said, “…as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” In Matthew 10:40, He said, “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” The work of ministry is an assignment from the Father, so when you are called to do something, you can be sure that God Himself is backing you up.

In John 5:30, Jesus said, “I can of my own self do nothing: …” This is good because whatever you are to do for God, you cannot do it by yourself, but the Father who sent you will back you up. It is good news because all you have to do is tell Him, “I can’t do it Lord, but I know you can do it through me.” There is something called ‘the God Factor’. Let God do it; however, He can only do it if you are willing to cooperate. If you believe He can do it, He will do it. If you believe that He can use you to heal the sick, you will have to pay the price, and then, He will produce the results. Whatever assignment God gives you that seems impossible, talk to Him, do your part, and He will yield results through you.

In Yorubaland, one of the names we call God is Oronmonise faya ti. It means the one who sends a child on an assignment and backs the child up. When God sends you on an assignment, He stays with you and empowers you to ensure that you fulfil the assignment. Many people don’t fulfil their assignments because they hardly go to God for instructions. They start the work quite alright, but they hardly pray for direction, whereas it is in the place of prayers that God will give them instructions on each step to take. They keep doing everything to make the work succeed, but when it is time to make decisions, they don’t ask God for the best decisions to make. After a while, when they realise that they are not fulfilling the assignment, they accuse Him of helping others and not helping them.

Beloved, you cannot do anything by yourself (John 15:5). The work God has given you to do cannot be done by your power or might but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). If you really want to fulfil destiny, don’t lean on your understanding; lean on God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, I said that the mark of the beast could be in the form of a mark, his name, or the number of his name. I also said that the mark will not be a tattoo printed on the skin but rather an implant, planted into the body of those who take it that submits their will to the government of that time, which will be headed by the antichrist. Today, I will discuss what will really be planted into the bodies of people that receive the mark of the beast.

If you have been staying up to date with technology, you will have seen that technologies already exist to put microchips in people’s bodies so that with it, they can access the internet directly from their brains, make phone calls just by thinking, and have medical ‘miracles’ like healing a broken leg in record time, et cetera. From the experiments conducted with these microchips, scientists can see whatever the test subjects can see and even make them raise their hands or legs by controlling the chips from a computer. These microchips are connected directly to the brain so that whoever is controlling the microchips can control the minds of the people who have them. In other words, getting the mark means submitting yourself to the control of the government of that time. When they are in control, they can make people do whatever they want. That is why those who have the mark will be condemned because now, they cannot do the will of God as the antichrist is now in control of their minds. Getting the microchip in their bodies will seal their fate because the antichrist will control their minds to obey only him.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Romans 6:16

The devil is aware of the Scripture above and hence knows that whomever you obey is your master. Everyone who takes the mark of the beast will become a servant of the devil.

Beloved, don’t take the risk of being around on the earth when almost everybody will become servants of the devil. It will be hell on earth, and it will be almost impossible to avoid taking the mark at that time. Give your life to Christ and live holy now so that you will be in heaven when the antichrist takes over the earth.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many have heard about the mark of the beast but haven’t taken the time to study what it really is. The Scriptures give us a hint in Revelation 13:11-18.

The mark of the beast can actually take different forms; it can be a mark, a name, or the number of a name. Whichever one it is, it is a representation of the beast, and whoever receives it on his forehead or right hand will be identified as a worshipper of the beast. Only such people will be allowed to buy, sell, or be a part of the society after the rapture has taken place. Anyone who refuses to get the mark of the beast will be hunted and killed.

Now, what really could this mark be? In the days of Apostle John, there was no technology, so he could only describe everything that he saw in his vision with the things he had seen around him. A mark that is taken on the forehead or right hand must have been imprinted by a machine, and the imprint must be something that cannot be washed off. The reason tattoos seem permanent is that they are printed on the skin. However, they become blurred over time and can even be erased with laser surgery. Since this mark is one that is so important to people’s identity and life, it will not be one that can fade or be erased. This means that it will go really deep into the skin. It is likely to be an implant and not an imprint.

If the mark of the beast is likely to be an implant, then it means that something will be planted into the body of those who will be left behind after the rapture, and it will be a sign of worshipping the beast (Revelation 20:4). It will be a sign that tells everyone, “I am loyal to the beast, I obey him.” The implant will be used to control them and ensure that they obey the beast whether they like it or not.

I will discuss this further tomorrow, but I want to urge you today to surrender your life to Jesus Christ if you are yet to do so. He died for your sins so that you can reign with Him in eternity. Don’t let His sacrifice go to waste over you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

After yesterday’s teaching, you may be asking, “If Jesus will come and defeat the devil and his agents, what will happen to the people who have taken the mark of the beast that will be left on the earth?” Revelation 19:17-21 says that when Jesus comes with His bride to fight the devil, an angel will gather all the birds of the air, inviting them to a great supper where they will eat the flesh of those who join the devil to fight against the Lord’s army. According to National Geographic, there are between 50 billion and 430 billion birds in the world. Clearly, there will be enough birds to eat the flesh of those who dare to fight God.

While those who died without the mark of the beast are raised up to reign with Christ for a thousand years, those who died while fighting Christ and His army will not be raised until the millennial reign is over (Revelation 20:5). After the armies have been destroyed, there will still be some people who are not soldiers but who have taken the mark of the beast on earth. These are the people that the saints will reign over for a thousand years. After the millennial reign, the devil will be released from his prison, and he will gather a great army to fight the saints. However, this time, the saints will not need to fight because God will send fire from heaven to devour their enemies. Revelation 20:7-9 says:

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

When everyone with the mark of the beast must have died, their souls will be resurrected to face their own judgement. This is the second resurrection. All those who are part of the second resurrection will partake in the second death, which is condemnation to the lake of fire with the devil and his agents.

I pray that you will not partake of the second death, in Jesus’ name. However, you have a part to play by ensuring that you surrender to Jesus Christ and live a holy life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The first resurrection is a topic that is not often preached in churches, and that is understandable because it is not something that any pastor should encourage their congregation to be a part of. Everyone should aim to be raptured when Jesus Christ comes to take His saints. Those that are left behind after the rapture have a very small chance of making it to heaven, so it will be foolish to risk missing the rapture.

The first resurrection is the last chance that will be given to those who miss the rapture. After the rapture has taken place and the antichrist has taken rulership over the earth, he will bring up a policy that will mandate everyone on earth to worship the beast and take the mark of the beast. The book of Revelation is written in codes, therefore, do not assume that worshipping the beast means that a beast will be on a throne and people will be compelled to bow to it. This basically means that everyone will be forced to obey the beast. I pray that you will not be on earth to experience that, in Jesus’ name.

There will be some people who will miss the rapture and who will be determined not to worship the beast or take his mark. It will be really tough for them because the antichrist will do everything possible to break them. They will be tortured in every way possible – emotionally, financially, physically, and so on. Worse still, almost everyone in the world will be worshipping the beast, and so they will be loners in a very perverse world. There will be no church meetings and gatherings because almost everyone in the church will have been raptured. There will be no pastor to encourage them and no brother or sister to strengthen them; it will be just them against the world and the government – it will be very tough. Many of the people who determine not to worship the beast will eventually yield and end up in hell. Those who stand their ground will be beheaded by the antichrist. However, when Jesus comes back with his saints to defeat the devil, He will give them another chance to be judged, and they will join Him to reign over the earth for a thousand years.

Beloved, surrender your life to Jesus Christ if you haven’t and commit to living holy for the rest of your life so that when your time is up here on earth or when Jesus returns, you will be with Him without having to experience the ordeal of the first resurrection.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Man has several enemies; the last one that every man will face is death. According to 1 Corinthians 15:26, the last enemy to be destroyed is death. Death sees you dealing with other enemies and stays aside, waiting until the last moment to pounce. There is no way we can dodge death. Hebrews 9:27 says that it is appointed unto men to die once, so, we are all going to die. Kings, presidents, pastors and General Overseers will all die. As anointed as Elisha was, he still died.

Fortunately, Jesus Christ has defeated man’s last enemy. In 1 Corinthians 15:41-57, the Bible makes it clear that death has been swallowed up in victory. If you are a bride of Jesus Christ and you are committed to serving God in Spirit and in truth, death is merely a horse that will transport you to your glorious home above. Those who are not born again should be afraid of death because while death leads Christians to heaven, it leads sinners to the second death.

After a sinner has died on earth, he is judged and sent to hell fire (Psalm 9:17). Jesus said in Luke 12:5:

But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

In hell, sinners will be tormented by demons while waiting for the second death. After the rapture has happened, the marriage supper of the lamb and a few more events will take place (Revelation 19:7-21), after which the devil and his agents will be cast into the lake of fire. Those whose names are not found in the book of life will also be cast into the lake of fire with the devil and his agents (Revelation 20:14-15, Revelation 21: – this is the second death. This is the death that you should do everything not to experience. Everyone who dies the second death will be condemned to a lake where fire and brimstone will burn them forever. They will be neighbours with the devil and his demons. If you have seen how terrible a demon looks, you wouldn’t want to be in a place with millions of them around you for eternity. There is no pleasure of sin that is worth ending up in the lake of fire, none at all.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

I was invited by a chief several years ago to pray for him because he was sick. I asked if he was born again, and he said, “Yes”. This made me happy, and I assured him that he will get well. I prayed, but nothing happened. I sent two of my prayer champions to his house to stay there; they fasted and prayed for him for seven days. Still, the man got worse. Then, I decided to fast and pray for 21 days for the man. That was when God spoke, “Son, it is good to fast, but if it is for this man, he will not get well.” I responded, “But this man said he is your son, why don’t you want to heal him?” Then He told me to ask the chief seven questions. The next time I went to visit him, I said, “Chief, God told me to ask you some questions.” He told me to go ahead and ask. Before I finished asking all the questions, he knew that his secrets had been exposed. I thought he would repent so we could pray together for God to heal him, but he told me never to visit him again. Is there anything that you think has been hidden away that you don’t want anyone to find out about? The word of God says in Luke 8:17:

For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

God knows the secret sins that individuals might have, and if they refuse to confess and repent of them, He can decide to reveal them in such a way that they will be disgraced.

The fact that sin is hidden does not mean that its consequences are also hidden. The word of God is clear, whatsoever you sow, you will reap (Galatians 6:7). Proverbs 11:21 says that no sinner will go unpunished. If you are hiding any sins, my advice to you is that you confess them to God and repent of them immediately to avoid their consequences. We have a great promise from God that if we confess our sins and forsake them, He will forgive us (1 John 1:9), (Proverbs 28:13). If you have secret sins, you have a choice today to either continue in them and suffer their consequences or confess and forsake them so you can have God’s mercy. Choose wisely.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Today, I will continue my teaching on the importance of spending time with children. Many ministers of God make the mistake of putting their ministries before their families – this is not how God wants it. 1 Timothy 3:1-5 tells us that a man must first have his house in order before he takes up leadership in ministry. As far as God is concerned, your home must come first, then your ministry next. If your home is not in order, you have no business being in ministry.

If you are a minister, don’t neglect your family because you are helping to build other families. There are many ministers’ children who have serious issues that need attention while their parents are helping other children settle theirs – this is wrong. Do not ignore your children because you believe that you are already teaching them the word of God during family devotions and church services. Your children don’t see you only as a minister, they also need you to listen to them every now and then as their parent. When you are with them, don’t talk as a minister, talk as their parent, showing them love and care. The reason many ministers’ children become wayward is that they are living with a minister, not their parent. Make the work of ministry something they enjoy and not something they detest because it takes their parents away from them.


I realised that I needed to be with my children during festive seasons, and as such, even when we had church programmes at those times, I always ensured that they came along with me. On our way to such programmes, I would share jokes and riddles with them so that they would have fun and be relaxed. Whenever we arrived at the venue of the programmes, wherever I sleep is where they would also sleep. Even when things were quite tough and all I had to sleep on was a wooden bench, we would all sleep on it together. So, rather than see the programmes as things that took their father away from home during holidays, they became times of bonding and adventure for us.

When you are praying for great exploits in ministry, remember to pray for your family too. Put them first in the place of prayers. What you pray about shows what you prioritise.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, I started discussing the importance of spending time with children. As parents spend time with their children, they must also spend time with what and whom their children spend time with. Parents should check the apps on their children’s phones to see what they are being exposed to. When they are watching movies or cartoons, they should watch with them to be sure that they are safe for them. They should check the websites they visit and ask them to invite their friends over so they can know the kind of friends they keep. They should visit their schools regularly to know the kind of people their teachers are. Parents should not see anything their children are involved in as too low or immature for them. Whatever or whomever children spend their time with will influence them, and parents must be there to ensure that they are influenced correctly. Solomon, in Proverbs 1:10-16, spoke to his son about the people he should interact with. He knew that even after raising him the right way, other people and things could still influence him negatively.

There are things parents teach their children that the world will try to convince them to compromise on. 2 Corinthians 2:11 tells us not to be ignorant of the enemy’s devices. Parents must pay attention to whatever their children are paying attention to. It will be unwise to teach them and then leave them to the world to corrupt them. Beyond that, parents should occupy their children with godly activities so that they can have things to spend their energy on. They should encourage them to join the workforce in their local assembly as well as Christian book clubs and associations. School activities and excursions are good, but parents must also prioritise spiritual engagements for their children. They shouldn’t ignore their children’s spiritual growth, but rather, they should teach them to build a connection with the Holy Spirit so that they can hear His voice telling them what and what not to do, even in their absence.


If you are a parent, engage your children in conversations to know what they have in their hearts and the things that influence them. Matthew 15:11 says that it is what comes out of a person’s mouth that defiles him or her. Talk to them about anything and everything to hear what they will say and know what is in their hearts.

I pray that you will not fail God over your children, in Jesus’ name.

A major danger in this generation is that parents are so busy with work that they neglect their children. It is absolutely wrong for domestic helps or nannies to spend more time with children than their parents. (1 Corinthians 15:33) says that evil communication corrupts good manners. Whomever children communicate with the most is whom they learn from the most. If you are a parent, you owe it to God to raise the children He has given you and not hand that responsibility over to someone else.

Nowadays, it is almost as if couples are competing with each other on who makes the most money. So, while men are out working, women are also working, leaving children without proper care. Fathers and mothers must both be available to raise the children that God has given to them. Psalm 127:3 says that children are God’s heritage; in other words, when you leave this world, what God expects you to leave behind for Him are the children that He has brought under your care, and this is not limited to your biological children. Parents are only caretakers, and if they damage what has been placed under their care, they will pay dearly for it.

There were times I wanted to play football with my peers as a little boy, but thank God my mother was always home to send me inside the house to study my books. I thought she was being mean, but she built in me the ability to ignore distractions and focus on my goals. The fear of my father’s punishments also put me in check while growing up. My elder brother was quite strong, but the day I saw him crying when my father disciplined him, I determined never to do anything that will make my father discipline me.

Some children develop bad habits right under their parents’ roof. However, the parents only get to find out several years later, and at that time, it takes only the grace of God for them to change. If you are a parent, don’t be too busy to train the children that God has given you. When you leave this world, the cars you drove and houses you bought will not matter; what will matter are the children you left behind. There is an African adage that says, ‘If you refuse to build your child because you are building a house, the child you did not build will sell the house you built.’ As a parent, the children God has given to you must be your priority, not material possessions.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

A father has tremendous power over the lives and destinies of his children. Any wise child will always seek his or her father’s (biological or spiritual) blessings. This is why you must always think of ways to provoke your father to bless you. Unfortunately, these days, most people are after getting material things from their fathers and hardly think of what they can do to make their fathers bless them.

One day, I had just returned from a journey, and two of my spiritual children came to welcome me. The one who got to me first merely greeted me, the other followed suit when he joined us and then proceeded to collect my bags. Immediately he did that, I said to him, “God bless you.” The first son said, “Daddy, you did not say ‘God bless you’ to me.” I responded, “What did you do for me? You saw me carrying these bags, but you didn’t help me.” If you want your father to bless you, you must be ready to do something that will provoke him to do so.

One very important thing about a father’s blessing is that it is irreversible. Even though Isaac realised that he had blessed Jacob instead of Esau, he could not reverse it (Genesis 27:33). This is why you must seek your father’s blessing in every way you can.

Once your father blesses you, you are blessed forever. Nevertheless, blessings are different. Some blessings come from the soul, some from the heart and some from the mouth. When Isaac wanted to bless Esau, he told him to prepare his favourite meal so that after he had eaten it, he could bless him from deep within his soul (Genesis 27:4).

A father can bless three of his children, but one will still be greater than the rest because the father loves that one in a special way. How well does your father love you? Do you often provoke him to pray for you or are you the type that provokes him to anger regularly? Some people hardly send money to their old parents, some hardly call them, while some others don’t even visit them. They may be old and frail now, but their blessings and curses remain very powerful. Whatever you do, ensure that you get as many blessings as possible from your father before he dies.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Any ground that hosts the manifest presence of God is holy ground, and such grounds carry great power. Merely by stepping on such grounds, people receive great miracles. Beyond that, you can carry the power on a holy ground just by having contact with it. Exodus 4:1-2 tells us:

And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

God told Moses to throw his rod on the holy ground that he was standing on, and the rod became a snake. As Moses bent to pick up the snake, his hands touched the holy ground, and from that day, they became anointed. Every ground is ordinary ground until God touches it. When God touches a ground and your hand touches that ground, that hand can never remain the same.

In (2 Kings 2:9-15), when the horses and chariots of fire came to pick Elijah, they swept the ground and took him away. Elijah dropped his mantle, and when Elisha bent down to pick it, his hand touched the same ground that the host of heaven had touched and became anointed. When you study the ministry of Elisha, you will discover that he only used Elijah’s mantle once – to cross the Jordan. He didn’t use the mantle when he healed the waters in (2 Kings 2:20-22), neither did he use it when an axehead fell into a river in (2 Kings 6:1-7). The power was in the hand that touched the ground where the holy chariot of God swept. In Acts 26:13, when the light of God shone on the road to Damascus, the Bible says that it was brighter than the noonday sun. That was the light of the Bright and Morning Star. When He came all the way down to earth, Saul of Tarsus didn’t just touch the ground, he fell on it. This is why handkerchiefs that had touched his hands and aprons that he had worn worked miracles.

Don’t joke with any ground that is holy. If you are on a ground that you know God descends on regularly, take advantage of it and get all you can from God before you leave the place.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Today, I will be concluding my teaching on the full armour of God by looking at the last piece of armour. The sword of the Spirit is the only primarily offensive weapon listed in Ephesians 6:10-17. It is clearly a very important weapon that every soldier of Christ must have. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. In the spirit realm, battles are not fought with physical weapons but with words. The most potent of all the weapons used in spiritual battles is the word of God. The word of God is a powerful sword in the mouth of a believer. With it, you can defeat any force in any realm. Hebrews 4:12 describes this sword as quick, powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.

This weapon is available to you for spiritual battles. When you know how to use this weapon, no force can withstand you. This is why you need to know the word of God for yourself and memorize it. Any Christian that does not study the Bible will be powerless in spiritual matters. When the devil tries to attack your health, counterattack him with 1 Peter 2:24 that says that you were healed by the stripes of Jesus. When he tries to attack your finances, tell him that the Lord will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). If he tries to come against your children, tell him that children are the heritage of the Lord so he should get his hands off God’s property (Psalm 127:3).

The word of God is superior to any other word, so when you present it concerning any case, the devil has no choice but to give in. If you present your own words to the devil in a spiritual battle, he can ignore whatever you have to say. However, he cannot ignore the word of God. Psalm 138:2 says that God exalts His word above His name. Know the word of God and memorize it so that when you are faced with an adverse situation, you will have the weapons to use to conquer the devil.

Don’t suffer in the hands of the devil when you already have in your possession the sword of the Spirit – a weapon that is guaranteed to defeat him at all times.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Over the past few days, I have been teaching on the full armour of God. The shield of faith ensures that the fiery arrows of the devil do not get to you. This suggests that there will be times when the devil will try to attack your health, finances, marriage and so on. You should use the shield of faith to ward off all such attacks. A Christian without faith is vulnerable to the devil’s attacks. Also, a Christian without faith should not expect to receive anything from God as we see in James 1:6-7.

Some things will come up that will try to shake your faith, those are the fiery darts of the enemy. They will look scary and seem to be able to bring you down, but if you hold on to your faith in Christ, you will ward them off. Sometimes, they come as mountains standing in your way. You must command those mountains to be removed by faith, and they will be removed.

One interesting thing about the shield of faith is that it can be in different sizes. In Matthew 8:26, the Bible talks of little faith and then we have great faith in Matthew 8:10. The size of your faith will determine how many fiery darts you can ward off. This is why Proverbs 24:10 says:

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

In order not to faint in the day of adversity, you must build up your faith before adversity comes. Jude 1:20 says that you should build up your faith by praying in the Holy Ghost. Ensure that you pray in the Holy Ghost every day. In fact, pray in the Spirit every minute, after all, that is the only way you can really pray without ceasing as instructed in (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Faith also comes by hearing the word of God as we see in Romans 10:17. If you want your faith to grow, you must ensure that you study your Bible every day. Also, ensure that you listen to sermons from genuine men of God regularly; this will further help your faith grow.

One final way through which your faith can grow is through trials as the Bible says in (1 Peter 1:7). Although, many Christians do not want to face challenges, the Bible says that you should count it all joy when you face temptations as they help you become perfect in Christ (James 1:2-4).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Today, I will continue my teaching on the full armour of God by discussing the helmet of salvation. A helmet is a piece of armour that covers the head. Your head is a part of your body that can be used to identify you, as evidenced by the snapshots used in identification cards. Wearing the helmet of salvation identifies you as a child of God and tells the devil to take his hands off you.

It is unfortunate, however, that many believers remove their helmet of salvation when they get to certain circles; they don’t want people there to know that they are saved. They try to conform to the world rather than being different. Romans 12:2 says:

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

When a Christian refuses to identify as a child of God, that Christian is removing the protection from his or her head, and that is one delicate part of the body that will result in instant death if it is struck. Many people lose their salvation because they are trying to conform to the world. Keep your salvation intact by boldly identifying as a child of God everywhere you go.

The blood of Jesus, which was shed on the cross, is what gives us the gift of salvation. Those that are saved are of the light and not of the darkness, as seen in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10. Hence, you must behave as a child of light at all times. Matthew 7:16 says that you can identify those who are saved by their fruits. If you start exhibiting fruits that are not of God, your helmet of salvation is off, and that spells trouble because on the last day, when Jesus comes back to take His own to be with Him, He will only take those who still have their helmets of salvation on. This is why you must work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Don’t assume that you still have your helmet of salvation on just because you have been going to church or even because you are a pastor. Check your salvation at all times to be sure that you are still standing. 1 Corinthians 10:12 says that you should take heed if you think you are standing, lest you fall.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In continuation of my teaching on the full armour of God, I will be discussing the third piece of armour listed in Ephesians 6:10-17. This armour is actually called the ‘shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace’. The first thing to note about this armour is that it implies moving around with the gospel. Your security is in your preaching of the gospel. The more unbelievers you are able to convert to Christianity, the lesser the devil’s attacks on you will be. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says that two are better than one, and a threefold cord is not easily broken. When you are the only Christian in your neighbourhood or family, you are more open to attacks because everyone around you is in the opponent’s army. However, if you win all your family members and neighbours to Christ, you will be more secure. When the enemy tries to strike, you will have soldiers around you to come together to pray and send the devil packing. When you are feeling weak spiritually, you will have brethren to strengthen your weak hands and lift your feeble knees (Isaiah 35:3-4).

The peace element in these shoes will give you peace as you go around preaching the gospel. The devil will come at you with all kinds of things to scare you so that you will not preach the gospel, but when you have peace, his tricks will not work on you. He is like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5: that scares people but cannot bite. That peace is necessary as you go out to preach the gospel because you will face persecution. Also, as you preach the gospel, you are to bring peace to chaotic environments. This is why in Luke 10:5, when Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the gospel, He said that the first thing they were to say when they got to a new place is, “Peace be unto this house.” What you are spreading is peace, not chaos, and for anyone that receives the gospel, the first thing they will experience in their heart is peace.

Beloved, do you have your shoes of the gospel of peace? Do you win souls? Imagine how much peace will be in your country if one of the souls you have won becomes the president of your country tomorrow. When you preach the gospel, you are doing it for your own security.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, I started a discussion on the full armour of God. Today, I will be discussing the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness is the piece of armour that protects your heart. To be righteous is to always do the right thing according to God’s standards, When you are righteous, your heart is protected against the tricks of the devil. The moment you stop being righteous, you expose your heart to all manners of sin in the world, and this is how backsliding starts. The devil is after your heart; this is why Proverbs 4:23 says:

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

The devil wants to turn your heart away from God, so he suggests sin to you every now and then. However, if your breastplate of righteousness is intact, you will not fall. The devil will present something that does not seem really bad to you. I have always said it, if it is not really bad, it is already bad; stay away from it. If you do that which does not really seem bad, you have opened up your heart to accommodate even more sin. Before you realize it, you will start doing things that you said you would never do again; this is how believers backslide.

Is the devil already presenting something that does not seem really bad to you, and you are already making up an excuse for yourself to do it? Desist from that thing immediately; his plan is to get you to remove your breastplate of righteousness so that your heart can become open for his attacks. If a Christian’s breastplate is off and the devil attacks his or her heart, it is instant death. Removing every form of carnality from your life is the only way to keep your breastplate of righteousness on.

Your thoughts should dwell on spiritual things (Philippians 4:. If your mind is drawn to carnal things rather than spiritual things, you are in a dangerous state, but when your mind is drawn to spiritual things, the temptations to be unrighteous will become less effective on you. This is why Romans 8:6 says:

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Beloved, don’t let the little things of this world open you up to spiritual death. If something seems bad, stay away because it will only lead to spiritual death.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Over the next few days, I will like to discuss the importance of the full armour of God listed in Ephesians 6:10-17. The first piece of armour listed is the belt of truth because it is the most important. John 17:17 tells us that the word of God is truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth (John 14:6). You are to tie the truth around your waist and have it hold everything else you wear and own together.

Those who live by the truth win the battles of life because the truth makes it impossible for them to be captives of anything the world has to offer (John 8:32).

The truth will give you a perspective far greater than that of the world (Psalm 119:100). This is why you should live your life according to God’s word. When you do this, everyone will see you as wise because you will excel in everything that you do and be above your peers who do not know the truth.

The devil is the father of lies (John 8:44); he will try to lie to you and twist the truth every now and then. This is why you must know the truth so you won’t fall for his tricks. In Genesis 3:5, he suggested to Eve that she was not yet like God even though Genesis 1:27 says that she was made in His image and likeness. Eve ate the forbidden fruit because she did not really know the truth. In Matthew 4:3, the devil told Jesus to turn stone into bread if He was really the Son of God. Jesus did not fall for that because He was sure that He is the Son of God. If you don’t really know the truth, the devil will deceive you, and once he does that, your belt of truth, which holds all your other armour in place, will be gone, making you vulnerable to attacks from the enemy.

Don’t expect the devil to come with a black cloth and horns on his head; sometimes, he disguises himself like an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He can tell you that the grace of God covers all sins and that you can keep sinning and still go to heaven. He can come up with logical reasons to tell you that God doesn’t exist or that He is wicked and doesn’t love you. These are lies that the devil has used to strip people of their belt of truth in the past. Don’t fall for his tricks.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

PRAYERS FOR YOUTHS

1. Father, thank you for the youths. I am grateful for your unconditional love, blessings, and kindness to the youths.

2. Father, please increase your love in the hearts of the youths. Let them love you far more than anyone or anything in this world, in Jesus’ name.

3. Father, please guide and protect the youths from the path of destruction. Don’t let the devil deceive them into walking the wrong path in life, show them the path of life and give them the grace to walk in it.

4. Father, please frustrate every agenda of the enemy to corrupt the youths and destroy the future of the church, in Jesus’ name.

5. Father, please set the youths free from every curse or battle inherited from their parents, in Jesus’ name.

6. Father, please anoint the youths with your special anointing for exploits. Let them excel in everything that they do and stand out in their fields of practice, in Jesus’ name.

7. Father, please make all the youths productive in the society. Settle them with good jobs and thriving businesses, and make them useful to themselves and their families, in Jesus’ name.

8. Father, please give the youths the grace to live holy in this perverse world. Don’t let them fall for the tricks and temptations of the devil to sin, in Jesus’ name.

9. Father, please give the youths in the church the grace to do your work even at their young age. Let them become evangelists, pastors and ministers that will do far greater works than their fathers, in Jesus’ name.

10. Father, please answer the prayers of the youths according to your will. Encourage them to draw closer to you, in Jesus’ name.

11. Father, please don’t let the youths repeat any mistakes that their parents have made. Give them the grace to break negative generational patterns, in Jesus’ name.

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

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Jesus said in Luke 9:23:

… If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

If you will truly follow Christ, you must be ready to suffer for His sake. No one follows Christ without taking up his or her cross. An evangelist might have told you to just give your life to Christ and everything will be beautiful. That is true, everything in your life will indeed be more beautiful because you have given your life to Christ. However, there will still be some suffering. Jesus Christ said that when we come to Him, He will take our heavy yokes from us, but He never said that He will leave us without a yoke. Rather, in Matthew 11:29-30, He said:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus said that He will give us His own yoke to carry. His yoke is lighter than the one we were carrying before we got born again, but it is still a yoke.

The reason many people fall when temptations come is that they were not prepared to suffer for Christ. You must be so determined to follow Christ that you literally say, “If I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:16). When you do this, your strength will be great, and you will not faint in the day of adversity (Proverbs 24:10). Those that do not faint in the day of adversity always enjoy great benefits when the adversity is over.

In Genesis 39, after all that Joseph had gone through in the hands of his brothers, the biggest test of his life came; the wife of his master wanted him to lay with her. He said, “How can I do this thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). He was willing to face whatever consequence will come with Him following and obeying God. He went to jail, but as soon as God saw that he carried His yoke willingly, He arranged for him to meet Pharaoh, and by the time we get to Genesis 41, he had become the Prime Minister of the greatest nation on earth at that time.

Your destiny depends on the answer to this question: are you ready to suffer for Christ?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In 1 Kings 17:8-16, Elijah came to the widow of Zarephath, who had only one meal left. The Bible says in Luke 4:25-26 that there were many widows in the land, but Elijah was only sent to her. This is because God had chosen to bless her with supernatural provision. Even though God had chosen to bless her, she needed to give something to bring the blessing into manifestation. When Elijah asked for her last meal, she could have said, “You want to take the last meal out of the mouth of a widow and her son? And you call yourself a man of God.” However, she obeyed and brought the meal to Elijah, and from that moment on, lack became a thing of the past in her family.

God is the owner of heaven and earth; He can get whatever He needs without the help of any human being. He said in Psalm 50:10-12 that if He was hungry, He could eat any of the cattle on a thousand hills because they are His. However, as great as He is, He sometimes requests that a man should give Him something. When He does this, it is because He has chosen to bless that man. God could have provided for Elijah in any way; He had been feeding him for months using birds. In 1 Kings 19:4-8, when Elijah was hungry, an angel brought food and water, so when the brook dried up, God could have sent angels to feed him. It was not Elijah that needed help, it was the widow of Zarephath; she was the one in serious need. When God decides to meet your need, I pray that you will not resist His will.

In 2 Kings 4:8-17, you will see the story of the great woman of Shunem. She saw the man of God passing by, and God moved her to invite him to eat. Elisha refused, but the Bible says that she constrained him. Something within her said, “Don’t let that man of God go until you have blessed him.” Elisha ate the meal and kept coming back for more. She kept feeding him and even built an apartment for him. Then one day, God put an end to her barrenness when Elisha prayed for her. God prompted her to do the things she did, and although they cost her money, she got what money couldn’t buy in return. May you cooperate with God on the day He decides to bless you, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When people are young, they feel like they can carry the world on their shoulders. They move with strength and keep surmounting mountains. A time will come, however, when they will no longer be able to do the things they normally do. At that time, when they are old, they will need young people to help them. If they had been preparing younger people, they would have no problems, but if they had kept their secrets and resources to themselves, there would be no one to help them.

When I was approaching the age of 60, many people were rejoicing, preparing for a huge celebration. At that time, as far as they were concerned, RCCG had done well as we were in about 50 nations of the world. Meanwhile, I was in agony because I knew that at 60, my afternoon was almost over, and my evening was about to set in. I was crying to my God one night, pacing up and down, saying, “Lord, what am I going to do now? You told my father in the Lord that RCCG is going to spread throughout the world, and I believed that it was going to happen in my lifetime. Now, my sun is about to set, look at where I am and help me.” Then God spoke, “Son, I determine when the sun will set.” Thank God, over two decades later, my sun has not set yet.

We are where we are today because God taught me how to prepare for the evening. As at the time I am writing this, RCCG is in 197 countries and this includes some nations I have never been to. However, my children are there; people who sat, learned, and were equipped by God through me. I am not resting on my oars, I am making more preparations, working harder than ever before. This is why at least three times in a year, during the Holy Ghost Services, I pick teenagers and young people in their twenties to preach on the altar, discovering new talents, and encouraging and preparing them for tomorrow.

If you are elderly, do yourself a favour, bring forth the youth, prepare and equip them, give them opportunities to lead, and send them out to get established, so that when you grow old, there will be people behind you to say, “Well done, we have your back.”
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God is Love (1 John 4:, but He is also a consuming fire (Hebrew 12:29). Many people are on His consuming side, but they think they are on His loving side. Don’t be deceived by those who tell you that once you are a child of God, you can behave anyhow. They usually say so because the Bible says that grace came through Jesus (John 1:17). However, the Bible did not say that Jesus is grace, because Jesus is far more than grace. He brought grace, but you will never find anywhere in the Bible that says that Jesus is grace.

If Jesus was full of grace alone, John 1:14 would have said ‘full of grace’ and stopped there, but it went further to add ‘truth’. In John 14:6, Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and life…”. He never said I am grace.

When many of my children want to be funny, they will draw a caricature of me wearing a bow tie and holding a tambourine. No matter how funny the drawing looks, when people see the bowtie and tambourine, they will know that the drawing was made in reference to me. I am usually seen with a tambourine, but I am not the tambourine. Let us assume that the tambourine makes me smile at you. If I have the tambourine in my hand as I am relating with you and you do something wrong, I can decide to put down the tambourine, stop smiling, and scold you.

In Titus 2:11-12, the Bible says that grace brought salvation to us, teaching us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts. When someone is ungodly and embraces worldly lusts in the name of grace, that fellow has rejected the salvation that came by grace and, as such, will see the consuming side of God.

Beloved, I advise you to be wise; enjoy the grace of God, but don’t take it for granted. Even though Jesus Christ is full of grace, if a person takes that grace for granted, He will show the fellow His consuming side. Make up your mind never to frustrate God’s grace upon your life (Galatians 2:21). God’s grace is meant to help you overcome sin; it is not a licence to dwell in sin.

Do exploits for the kingdom with the grace that God has made available to you through Jesus Christ. Be like Apostle Paul, who said that the grace of God was what made him do all that he did for God (1 Corinthians 15:10).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge. Acquiring knowledge and applying it are two different things. For example, if a man is driving on a road and sees a road sign that says, ‘Narrow bridge ahead,’ as soon as he sees that sign, he has acquired knowledge. However, what that man decides to do with that knowledge will tell if he is wise or foolish. If the man is wise, he will slow down because the bridge ahead is narrow, and there might be an oncoming vehicle. On the other hand, if he is foolish, he will keep driving at the same speed or even increase the speed of the vehicle.

God said in Proverbs 4:7 that wisdom is the principal thing. Principal refers to the most important thing. This means that to God, getting wisdom is of utmost importance.

The Bible tells us that there are two types of wisdom. The first one comes from fearing God.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: – Psalm 111:10

Wisdom begins when the fear of God is established in your life. When you fear God, you won’t do anything to annoy Him because you know that He determines your beginning and end. The Bible calls Him a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29); therefore, He is the last person you should offend. Also, if the Consuming Fire is on your side, you have nothing to fear because the word of God says that if God is for you, nobody can be against you (Romans 8:31). Wisdom teaches you to fear God, thus fear Him wherever you go and at all times.

The second type of wisdom is the wisdom of this world (1 Corinthians 1:20). This wisdom is not from God and is actually foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). The world does not recognize God, and as such, worldly wisdom is based on human logic and things that the human mind can grasp. With worldly wisdom, some things can be deemed impossible. However, the Bible tells us that with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Do not go with the world’s wisdom, as it is foolishness before God. Choose to fear God, obey His word, and He will give you wisdom, which is the principal thing that you need to succeed in life. When you embrace godly wisdom, you will be honoured and crowned with God’s glory in everything that you do.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Proverbs 15:22 tells us that without counsel, purposes are defeated. In other words, if you plan to do something and you don’t have any advice, you might not be able to achieve it. Proverbs 20:18 says:

Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.

Getting advice or counsel, as the Bible calls it, is very needful. Do not begin any endeavour without getting good advice. Proverbs 24:6 says, “…in multitude of counsellors there is safety.” When you surround yourself with many good advisers, you will be safe and unlikely to make costly mistakes in life.

Note that it is not every piece of advice that you should take. God said in Proverbs 8:14 that counsel and sound wisdom are His. Every counsel you take must ultimately be from God, and as such, you should ensure that every bit of advice you receive aligns with the word of God before you accept them. This is because some clever people might come to you with pieces of advice that sound very good but that are ungodly and misleading. God is the best counsellor. In fact, that is one of the names of the Lord Jesus Christ according to Isaiah 9:6.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Whenever you get advice from anybody, check for what the word of God says concerning it. If you discover that it is not in agreement with the word of God, then you should know that it is not coming from godly wisdom, and you must reject it. This is why you need to know the word of God yourself so that when somebody gives you a bit of advice, you will be able to differentiate if it aligns with the word of God or not. Be like the Berean Christians; always ensure that you search the Scriptures to confirm everything you hear, irrespective of who says it (Acts 17:10-12).

Seek God’s counsel in everything that you do. Study His word and listen to His advice through the mouth of many wise counsellors who are children of God and who understand His word. This way, you will remain on the right path and will not be led astray.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God has a purpose for everything He does. In Exodus 8:1, He said to Moses, “…Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.” God’s reason for delivering the Israelites from bondage was so that they could serve and worship Him. Likewise, your salvation comes with a purpose, as the passage in Ephesians 2:8-10.

In Mark 1:40-45, a leper came to Jesus and said, “I know that You can make me clean if You are willing.” Jesus answered, “I am willing.” With one touch, the leper was cleansed, and he went everywhere testifying. God heals so that there can be testimonies. Also, anytime He sets captives free, it is for a purpose. In Mark 5:2-20, the madman of Gadara was delivered and was ready to follow Jesus everywhere, but Christ said No! He had been delivered for a purpose – to be a witness.

God also sets free for His name to be praised. In Mark 3:1-5, the man with the withered hand received his healing because Psalm 47:1 says, “O clap your hands, all ye people…”. A withered hand cannot be used to clap for God, so his hand was restored.

What is the purpose of a miracle? The Bible says in Acts 3:1-11 that when the lame man at the Beautiful Gate received his miracle, he started walking, leaping, and praising God. When you receive a miracle, it is so that you can begin to praise God. Also, miracles lead to the salvation of souls. In Acts 4:4, we see that Peter’s speech after healing the lame man led to five thousand people being saved! God does miracles to draw people to Himself.

In Luke 5:1-11, when Jesus stepped into Peter’s boat after he had laboured all night and caught nothing, he received a huge miracle that frightened him. The Lord said, “From now, you will no longer catch fish but men.” Peter got a breakthrough that drew him to serve God because the Bible says that he forsook all and followed Him.

You should ask yourself, “Why has God delivered me from darkness and kept me healthy? Why did He save my soul?” He did all these for a purpose. Have you discovered that purpose? Don’t just thank God for healing, salvation, deliverance, and provision; remember that He did everything for a purpose. You must continually seek to discover His purpose for your life and fulfil it.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.