₦airaland Forum

There are many people who become born again and say that they don’t want to preach the gospel. They think that as long as they don’t backslide, they are fine. This is a fallacy. You have joined yourself to the Vine, and John 15:2 states clearly that every branch that is joined to the Vine must bear fruit. It is a must to bear fruit if you want to continue to be a part of the Vine.

Do you want to be a part of the Vine? You must do the work of an evangelist. Backsliding as a believer does not only start with drawing away from God and committing sin. Refusal to preach the gospel is also a form of backsliding. John 15:6 tells us that any branch the Father cuts off is going straight into the fire.

Some people who preach about unlimited grace usually say that once you are born again, nothing can ever send you to hell; I disagree completely with this theology. When people become born again, they become a part of the Vine, but if they do not produce fruits, they will be cut off from the Vine. When a person is cut off from the Vine, he or she will dry up, and men will gather whatever is left to be thrown into the fire – that is clearly what the word of God says. So, in your own interest, make sure you are bearing fruits for the Most High God.

Another reason you must win souls is so that your prayers can be answered. John 15:16 says:

But I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

I don’t know if you have observed that it appears as if God often sends the answers to the prayers of baby Christians relatively promptly. You probably experienced those prompt responses to your prayers when you freshly became born again, but now, does it appear as if you sometimes command mountains to move, and it seems like they refuse to yield? Has God changed? Does He no longer fulfil His promises? Why then are your answers being delayed? It just might be because you have not been winning souls.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In John 9:4, the Bible says, “I must do the work,” not “I may do the work.” It is neither an option nor a piece of advice. Doing God’s work is compulsory for all His children; this simply means that you have no choice in the matter. In 1 Corinthians 9:16, Apostle Paul said:

For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

When it comes to doing the work of God, you must not see yourself as a volunteer. Apostle Paul said doing God’s work was a necessity, and he even went ahead to pronounce a curse on himself if he did not preach the gospel of Jesus.

Apostle Paul clearly did not see himself as a volunteer. God does not use people who see themselves as volunteers. Once God chooses someone, the fellow has no choice but to do the work. In John 15:16, God said you have not chosen Him, but He has chosen you. The moment He chooses you, the moment you find yourself as a minister of God, you must do what He wants. In Philippians 1:20, Paul said:

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

Workers are not volunteers but soldiers that must do the bidding of the One who has called them. 2 Timothy 2:4 says:

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Whether we like it or not, this world is a war front. We are at war and so, we should not distract ourselves with mundane things. We must be focused on obeying the commands of our Commandant promptly and completely. We must do the work required of us by Him so that we will be victorious.

In Matthew 28:19, our Commandant gave a command that directs those of us who call ourselves His workers and ministers to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The assignment is very clear, and it is a direct order. There is no room for deliberation; act now!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There are many people walking around with curses that they do not have to carry. There are families suffering under curses that they no longer have to suffer. Beloved, if you are in such a situation, I bring good news to you. Curses placed by men can be cancelled, and I pray for you today that all curses placed on you are cancelled, in Jesus’ name.

In Joshua 6:26, Joshua placed a curse on Jericho and from that moment on, the people of Jericho suffered under the curse. Many prophets came and went, but the people of Jericho continued to suffer in silence under the curse. At last, when Elijah was taken away, they realised that if they didn’t do something about the curse, their land would remain barren, and death would be rampant amongst them forever. So, they called on Elisha to help them. In 2 Kings 2:19-22, Elisha said, “Go and bring me salt in a new cruse.” They brought it to him, and he took it in his hands, went to the source of their river, poured in the salt and said, “Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.” From that day, the curse was cancelled.

Any curse on your life or family can also be cancelled today if you refuse to continue living under it. All you need is a person with a higher power and anointing to break the curse. If the curse was placed by your biological father, you can go to your spiritual father, and he can cancel the curse. This is because the spiritual controls the physical. Also, if it was placed by a man or woman of God, go to a minister of God who has a greater anointing than that fellow, and he or she can cancel the curse. If the curse was placed by a witch or wizard, an anointed man or woman of God can cancel it because the anointing breaks yokes (Isaiah 10:27).

Beloved, you must, however, also note that beyond going to any man or woman of God to cancel curses on your behalf, you must seek God’s anointing as well. You must pray, fast, study your Bible, and fellowship with God so much that you begin to carry His glory and power. When you do this, no curse can rest on you. If God is with you like He was with the Israelites in Numbers 24, you will be blessed, and no curse will be able to rest on you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The story I shared yesterday reminds me of three Ugandan boys I met at the Christian programme in Kenya. Those boys were probably hungrier for God than any of us at that programme. During break times, while everyone was buying sandwiches, those three boys would sit together, singing praises to God. I asked why they never ate when everyone else ate, and they responded that food was not their concern. Firstly, they had no money to buy food. Secondly, they said they were praying to return safely and not get arrested or even executed by the then-Ugandan military ruler upon their return. For three days, they had eaten nothing and were just glad to be there. For the rest of our stay, whatever little I had, I shared with them. I told them to write to me when they got back home safely, and they did to the glory of God.

Your hunger for God should be such that you won’t even remember to eat when it is time to seek Him. You should be so hungry for God that you are willing to risk your life just to know Him more. I get amazed anytime we call a fast, and some people grumble. They are not hungry for God enough to fast for just a few days in the year to draw closer to Him.

In the 1970s, I used to gather some RCCG youths in a place called ‘Youth Camp’. Accommodation and feeding were usually included in our payment for the venue, but people rarely cared to eat after the sessions. I usually had to beg them to eat so we would not waste the food. They didn’t care much for food, they only wanted the word of God. Jeremiah 15:16 says:

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

What exactly are the things you are hungry for? Food? Fame? Money? Put them all aside and let your hunger and thirst every day be for God. Matthew 6:33 says:

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

Beloved, please get your priorities right. David, in Psalm 63:1-8, said that his soul will follow hard after God. Can you say the same for yourself?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Nowadays, many churches are set up to make the congregants very comfortable; this is fine. However, we must not get carried away such that we prioritise comfort over why we really come to services – to have an encounter with God. Whether there is comfort or discomfort, when you know that God is in a meeting, forget your social status and rush there! Don’t go for Christian programmes to look for comfort; there are no big men in the house of God (James 2:1-9). If you go to church to flaunt your social status, there is something deeply missing in your Christian life.

The first time I went to a Christian programme outside Nigeria was in Kenya around 1975. Our group could not afford a hotel or even travel tickets. We had to pray for God to provide the tickets, and He did. Fortunately, there was a boarding school with dormitories that were made available for free to anybody coming for the programme. I was a university lecturer, and there were so many of us in those dormitories, but I didn’t care; we weren’t there to show off, we went to seek the Lord. Thank God I went through that because I can never forget the experience; that was the first time I saw God’s throne room. I will gladly sleep on the floor to see God’s throne room.

One thing I know about God is that you must search for Him if you want to truly know Him. This is why Isaiah 55:6 says that you should seek Him while He may be found. You have to seek God diligently if you really want to get to know Him. When you are seeking His face concerning something, how comfortable you feel should not be a hindrance.

I remember one time when I had been praying concerning a matter for about two years. I was invited to preach at a meeting, and that was where God answered me. If I had missed that meeting, I might never have heard from God concerning the matter. God shows up when two or three are gathered in His name, so, if you have been seeking Him concerning a matter and He hasn’t shown up, go to a fellowship where people are gathered in His name and remind Him of His promise in Matthew 18:20. After the fellowship, whatever discomfort you may have experienced in seeking Him would be gone, but your encounter with Him will remain forever. Sometimes you may have to choose between getting your miracle and comfort – I hope you choose wisely.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Over the past two days, I have been discussing some lessons from Philippians 3:10, and today, I will be going even deeper. Apostle Paul said clearly that he wanted to know the fellowship of Jesus’ sufferings; in other words, he wanted to partake in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. Ordinary Christians don’t pray this kind of prayer; the prayer of the ordinary Christian usually sounds as follows, “God heal me, set me free, give me a car, prosper me, promote me, make me fruitful.” You won’t hear an ordinary Christian praying, “God, let me suffer for you.” I pray for you that you will leave the company of the ordinary today and enter into the company of the extraordinary, in Jesus’ name. Paul was a great example of an extraordinary Christian. He was eager to know God and to suffer for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:16-17 says:

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

It is when we suffer with Jesus that we can be glorified with Him. Paul said, “Let no man trouble me, I bear in my body the marks of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:17). In other words, he was saying, “I have scars to show that I suffered with Him.”

God glorifies those who are partakers of the sufferings of Christ. It’s just like a responsible man whose wife suffered with him during tough times. When things get better, there will be nothing money can afford that he will not buy for her. One of the reasons I value my wife greatly today is that when I resigned from lecturing and moved into the middle of nowhere, telling everyone that it is a city that God promised me, she moved in with me. It was tough, but she backed me all the way and partook in my suffering. Now that things are better, she is partaking in the glory.

Are you seeking for opportunities to experience the fellowship of Jesus’ suffering? Have you suffered with Him in any way? Congratulations if you said, ‘Yes’ genuinely to these questions because when it is time to be glorified, you will be glorified with Jesus. If you, however, are among those denying Him, remember that He said that He will also deny such persons before His Father in Heaven (Matthew 10:33).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When Apostle Paul said that he wanted to know the power of His resurrection in Philippians 3:10, he was saying that he wanted to know the power that raised Jesus from the dead. There is a power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. That power, according to Romans 8:11, is the power of the Holy Spirit, the power that can quicken your mortal body. That power is still available to the children of God even after Jesus Christ died, rose, and went to heaven.

It is a great thing to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. However, there is an experience and encounter that goes far beyond being baptised in the Holy Spirit. When you are baptised in the Holy Spirit, you speak in tongues, but speaking in tongues is not enough; you need to be baptised by fire too. Speaking in tongues is wonderful, and I encourage it, but you can’t go to some nations, get into their marketplaces, and start speaking in tongues and think you will win souls for Christ; you might lose your head or spend the rest of your life in prison! You need the fire of the Holy Ghost.

Whether you believe it or not, every force that is in heaven, on earth, or underneath the earth, is subject to that power that raised Jesus from the dead. This is why the world fears Pentecostalism. If there was one dead fellow that the devil did not want to rise, it was Jesus Christ, because he knew that if Jesus rose from the dead, he was finished. However, that power that raised Jesus from the dead was so powerful that with all the things that the devil tried in Matthew 27:62-66, Jesus still rose from the dead. He is higher than all principalities and powers, and His rising from the dead opened the door for you and me to also be higher than them. Ephesians 2:6 says:

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

The scripture above shows clearly that believers in Jesus Christ are now seated with Him in heavenly places. Once you know that power that raised Jesus from the dead, no witch, wizard, demon, or principality will be able to overcome you. You will begin to command demons, and they will obey speedily. If you want to know that power, pray this prayer with all your heart:
" Lord, baptise me with the Holy Spirit and fire. Please let me know that power that raised You from the dead."
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Today’s topic is actually the prayer of people who feel that they don’t know God enough and want to know Him more.

Daniel 11:32 says that those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits. To know God the way He ought to be known is very beneficial. If you know Him as He should be known, you will gladly surrender your life completely to Him. You will gladly surrender your future to Him because you will suddenly say, “What am I anyway, that did not originate in God? Who am I anyway, if God didn’t make me who I am? What can ever happen in my future that He doesn’t know already?” Total surrender only becomes possible when you truly know Him. You can only go wherever He asks you to if you know Him as you should.

A young married couple came to Africa for a missionary trip on their honeymoon. While walking around, they came across a really huge fence with gates. They found the gateman and asked, “Who are the people behind these walls?” The gateman answered, “Lepers,” and the couple asked another question, “Has anyone preached the gospel to them?” The gateman said, “Anyone who goes in there doesn’t come out. We throw food to them over the gate.” The couple insisted that they needed to go in to preach to them. The gateman reiterated that anyone who goes in never comes out. The husband looked at his wife, and she said, “What the Lord said is ‘go’. He didn’t say anything about coming back.” That was one couple that really knew God!

You can’t know God through preaching, you can only know Him if He reveals Himself to you. I never went to any Bible college. Even though I learnt a lot from my Father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi and Pa S.G Elton, God had to reveal Himself to me. Only God can reveal Himself to you, and this was why Jesus said to Peter, “Flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). The first time I heard people praying, “Oh God of Adeboye, come and do this for me,” | was shocked, and I asked myself, “Who is Adeboye?” However, somebody must have thought to himself, “We may not know God so well, but there is somebody who knows Him.” I pray that you will know Him the way He ought to be known, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Knowing fully well that there is a time to be born and a time to die, we ought to be thankful to God for each day that He gives us life. I, however, have a question I will like you to answer sincerely – what will people remember you for after you’ve left the earth? Another question which I consider even more important than the initial one is, when your time is up on earth, what account will you give to God of how you spent your life? Hebrews 9:27 says:

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

In other words, death is not the end of our existence, but rather a transition to another state. One way our lives carry on after death is through the things we are remembered for. There are those whose remembrance brings gladness and joy, while the remembrance of some others brings bitterness and sorrowful memories.

One woman who was remembered for good after she died was Dorcas. She was one of the early believers in our Lord, and she lived a good life of service and righteousness. This is the testimony of her life as written in Acts 9:36:

…this woman was full of good works and alms deeds which she did.

A lesson here for us is that our good works play a great role in showing our faith and commitment to God. Speaking on this, James 2:15-17 says:

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

The gospel of Jesus must find practical expression in your life through your good works; the testimony of the brethren concerning Dorcas confirms this. She was so full of good works that the church found it difficult to accept her demise, and so, she was brought back to life. Psalm 112:5-6 says:

A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

Beloved, what good deeds will people remember you for? Think about this and remember the words of Proverbs 10:7.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The twenty-four elders in heaven made it clear in Revelation 4:11 that we were created to fulfil God’s pleasure. When we live for ourselves alone, we negate the purpose of our existence. When a person lives for God, he or she would not abuse any privilege or opportunity.

Joseph is a good example of someone who lived for God and his fellow human beings, particularly his brothers. Even though they eventually repaid him with evil, his selfless service made him go the extra mile to find them and deliver their food to them when he couldn’t locate them initially. He could have returned home with the supplies he took with him, but he didn’t. You can find the story in Genesis 37:13-28. Joseph’s love for God caused him to reject the sexual advances of his master’s wife. He could not bear doing anything that will displease God, and this made him say in Genesis 39:9:

There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Furthermore, his love for people made him interpret the dreams of his fellow inmates, which led to him becoming the Prime Minister of Egypt. When he eventually came into power, he did not consider the hardships he endured due to the cruelty of his brothers when they sold him into slavery. The love of God in him made him realise that his sufferings served a higher purpose for God and humanity. He said in Genesis 50:20:

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Our Father in heaven wants us to live a selfless life so that we can attain the fullness of His purpose for our lives. Those who are selfish short-change themselves without knowing it.

Moses, even though he lived in affluence in Pharaoh’s palace, decided to suffer with his brethren (the Israelites) and eventually saved them from bondage by leading them out of Egypt (Hebrews 11:24-27). His selflessness ensured that he fulfilled God’s purpose for his life and the nation of Israel at large. Beloved, begin to live beyond yourself, and you will have the fullness of God’s grace to divinely prosper, both spiritually and physically.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The more we are in our local assemblies, the merrier our services will be. If we are not many, how can we make a joyful noise? The more we are, the louder the noise we can make, and the merrier it will be to praise God together. Let me tell you what I believe to be the origin of clapping. One day, the fingers woke up and heard the birds singing, and they said, “O God, we also want to praise You.” They tried to make a sound individually, but no sound came. Suddenly, they said, “If two of us should cooperate, maybe we can produce some sound.” So, one finger cooperated with another finger, and they discovered that there was a little snapping sound. They took it further, and one finger cooperated with the other palm. They made a better sound, and then another finger decided to join in. The sound improved, and yet another finger joined in. Before long, all the fingers were jamming together in praise, making a joyful noise to the Lord.

In the same token, the more we are, the greater our impact will be in the world. When we are many, the impact we will make cannot be ignored because it will be significant. When ten people come together against a policy of the government, the government can easily ignore them. However, when 10,000 people come together to speak against the same policy, it will be very difficult for the government to ignore them. The governing powers in the environment where your local assembly is situated will take you more seriously when you are many. As a result, your local assembly can influence the culture and policies in that environment.

When we are many, projects become easier to accomplish. When ten people come together to do something, they will have to put in a lot of effort and personal resources to get it done. However, if 100 people come together to do the same thing, they obviously will need less individual effort and personal resources to get that thing done. Therefore, projects are done faster and easier when we are many.

Beloved, if truly God is your father, you should be committed to the expansion of His kingdom. Preach the gospel anywhere you find yourself and set a personal target to win at least one soul to Christ per day. If you cannot go to the mission field, support missionaries with your prayers and your personal resources. The more Christians we have around the world, the greater our impact will be.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

After Jesus’ resurrection, He showed Himself to His disciples. He did this for two major reasons. The first was for them to see Him and know that He wasn’t dead but alive (1 Corinthians 15:6). The second reason was to give them final instructions before leaving the earth. What instruction was so important that He had to give them before leaving? That instruction is in Mark 16:15-18.

Now that He had paid the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus said, “Go and tell everyone around the world that they don’t have to perish in hell. If they can just believe in Me, they will have power over sicknesses, demons, and poisons, and also end up in heaven rather than hell.” This is the instruction He gave to His disciples before He left. Are you one of His disciples? If your answer is ‘Yes’, have you been obeying this instruction? Have you been preaching the gospel to sinners?

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Romans 10:14

I want you to ponder on the Bible verse above and on the fact that many people will go to hell if no one tells them about the gospel. Ponder on the fact that some of your friends, neighbours, and colleagues may go to hell if you don’t tell them about Jesus Christ. A man had a dream where he saw an angel coming from hell with a letter for him. The angel said, “This letter is from somebody who said he knows you”. The fellow was his friend. In the letter, he wrote, “I am here because you didn’t tell me about the dangers of this place. In all the years we were together, you did not tell me I was heading for danger.” The man woke up, and as soon as it was daybreak, he went to his friend’s house to preach the gospel to him. When he knocked on the door, a fellow came to open it and said, “You have heard?” He responded, “Heard what?” The fellow replied, “Your friend passed away in the night.” This man could have saved his friend from eternal damnation. Give your friends and colleagues the opportunity to escape eternal damnation; tell them about Jesus Christ. Tell everyone you come in contact with about Jesus Christ.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

My Father in the Lord came to visit me in my little house in Ilesha in 1975. We prayed that night, and everyone went to bed – at least that was what I thought. When I went to the toilet at the backyard before I slept around 10pm, I saw my Father in the Lord praying. Around 5am, I went to the toilet again, and he was still on his knees praying. Later that morning, I asked him if there was any problem as I thought praying overnight meant there was a serious problem at hand. He smiled and said, “There is no problem. Don’t worry; you will understand soon.” I was shocked to know that there was no problem, yet he prayed all night. I also knew that God had told me to emulate Him.

One pastor came to me years ago and said, “When we started this journey together, we were on the same level. Now you are far ahead of us. Tell us the secret.” I said, “There is nothing I am doing that you don’t know; I fast, pray and keep vigils. If you want to be as I am, do the same.” Another man of God from another ministry was praying, “God, give me ten per cent of what you gave Pastor Adeboye; I will be satisfied.” God told him, “Do what Pastor Adeboye is doing, and I will give you what I gave him.” He asked God, “What is he doing?” God said, “He started with 40 days of fasting and prayers.” He said, “God, I think I am okay the way I am.” Only those that are willing to make sacrifices will be great. You cannot be great by loading your body with food and your mind with entertainment – those things only give surface and temporary benefits. Someone with financial issues can watch a funny movie and laugh, such that people will call him a happy man, but after the movie is over, he will go back to face his problems. The benefits of a life without sacrifice are temporary. Don’t be deceived by temporary pleasures; pay the price to fulfil your destiny and achieve greatness.

The taller a building will be, the deeper its builders must dig before laying its foundation. The things that will take you very high in life are mostly things done in private. The way you pray, fast, study, work, etc., in private will determine how great you will become.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Judges 15:14-15, the Bible tells us that when they brought Samson to the Philistines, as soon as they began to rejoice, the Spirit of God came in the form of an invisible fire, causing the ropes that bound him to be burned off. Because the fire came on him, he took the jawbone of an ass, and it became a weapon of mass destruction in his hands.

When you are anointed, everything you touch comes into contact with the anointing. Mark 5:25-29 tells us of healing through the Lord’s garment. Acts 5:14-16 tells us that even Peter’s shadow was healing the sick. Acts 19:11-12 tells us that Paul’s handkerchiefs and aprons were healing the sick.

You need the fire of God, and you can get it today. God’s fire is available because, in Matthew 3:11, the promise is that Jesus Christ will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. If you get the fire of God, your life will be transformed for good. With the fire of God on you, you can heal incurable diseases and win souls to the kingdom more easily than ever before.

You don’t only need the fire of God to heal the sick, you also need it against the enemy. Judges 14:5-6 tells us that Samson was going to Timnath when, all of a sudden, a lion roared at him. The fire of God came on him, and he tore the lion to pieces. You need the fire in case the enemy roars, then you can tell him, “I am more than ready for you.” As you grow in the Lord, there is bound to be resistance from the enemy, and you will need the fire of God to uproot obstacles to the work of the Lord.

John 4:48 says that some people will not believe the word of God unless they see signs and wonders. These signs and wonders can only happen when you have been baptised with the fire of God. I have been privileged to win many great and influential people to Christ because of the mighty miracles they saw God performing through me.

I am going to ask you to cry to God to be baptised with the heavenly fire today so that your life will be filled with signs and wonders. Working for God and bearing abiding fruits for the kingdom will become even easier.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When you see a man of God laying hands on people, and they get healed, it is because those hands have been in contact with the fire of God. Ordinary hands become anointed once they come in contact with the fire of God.

In Exodus 3, when Moses threw his rod on the holy ground, it became a serpent, and the Lord asked him to pick the serpent up by the tail. As Moses bent to pick up the serpent, his own hands also brushed the ground that the fire had touched. From that day on, his hands became special. In Exodus 17:8-13, we see those hands deciding the outcome of a war between Israel and the Amalekites. Every time he lifted his hands, Israel won, but when his hands got heavy and were going down, the Amalekites began to win. Aaron and Hur were with him, they had four hands combined, but they knew that Moses’ hands, which had touched the holy ground, were different from ordinary hands. So, rather than lift their own hands, they helped Moses keep his hands up. In Exodus 14:16, God said to Moses:

But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

God had anointed Moses’ hands, so He ordered him to stretch them over the Red Sea to divide it. So, in Exodus 14:21, when Moses stretched out his hands over the sea, it had no choice but to part into two. In Deuteronomy 34:9, those hands also transmitted wisdom into Joshua.

And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.

The power of God turns the ordinary into extraordinary. If you read John 9:1-7, where Jesus saw a man who was born blind, He spat on the ground, made some mud out of it and anointed the blind man’s eyes. Ordinary mud can become anointed mud; it all depends on whose hands the mud is in.

Your hands can also become anointed today, but first, they must be holy hands. Psalm 24:3-4 says that only those who have holy hands can ascend into the hill of the Lord where they can come in contact with the fire of God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When you are in a service, and everyone is praying that fire should fall, you must beware, because when the fire of God falls, some people die, and some others rejoice. When the fire of God falls, those who do not belong to Him are consumed, while those who belong to Him are empowered.

In Daniel 3:19-30, when they threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the fire, their yokes were destroyed by the fire, they walked out of the fire into promotion, but those who were not on the side of the Lord that got close to that fire were consumed.

Some years ago, as I was preaching during a service, the fire of God fell. While people were getting their healings, a woman ran out of the service. From outside the hall, she beckoned on the fellow she came with to bring her bag so that she could go home. Surprised, the fellow asked her why she couldn’t come in to get her bag herself, and she said that there was fire in the place and she couldn’t come in for fear of being burnt. When the fire of God comes down, while it brings healings and promotions to God’s children, it can destroy those who are not on the Lord’s side. So, before you join those who are asking for fire to fall, if you are not already on God’s side, please cross over.

I should also note that sometimes, the fire of God comes down unexpectedly in the middle of a service. Even the preacher may be unaware that God is about to rain down fire. When the fire falls, only those who are on Christ’s side will be safe. The reason I chose the passage in Leviticus 10:1-5 is that I want to speak particularly to those who are workers in the church and who are still dipping their hands into sin. Surrender your life completely to the Lord Jesus Christ because if you are standing by when the fire begins to fall, and you are not on the Lord’s side, the result might not be very pleasant.

God usually gives room for repentance, but that is until His fire falls. The day the fire falls is the day of consequences – there is no repentance after that. Many are nursing diseases and other terrible issues because when the fire of God fell, they were not on His side.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In 1 Kings 19:19, as Elijah was passing by Elisha, he cast his mantle upon him, and from that day, Elisha’s life never remained the same. Anything that the Holy Spirit has touched has been touched by fire, and when fire touches something, it changes permanently.

Exodus 3:1-5 tells us that the fire of God touched the ground of that backside of the desert, and from that moment onward, God called it holy ground. When Moses got there, God told him to take off his shoes because the ordinary soil He had touched had become holy ground.

Exodus 4:1-20 tells us how holy the ground was, because everything that touched that ground also changed permanently, such that in verse 20, the Bible says:

And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

After the encounter with the fire of God, Moses left for Egypt, and amongst all the things he took, he took the rod of God. The ordinary rod of a shepherd had now become the rod of God because it touched the holy ground.

Some years ago, a woman fell so ill that the doctors said that there was nothing they could do to help her. Her children were advised to take her home so she could die with her family around her. The woman told her children, “Don’t take me home; take me to the Redeemed Christian Church of God headquarters.” They told her, “Mama, but there is no service today. The pastor will not be there.” She said, “I didn’t say I want to go and see the pastor; just take me there.” They took her to the church, but because she was very weak, she could not walk by herself, so she asked them to help her reach one of the pillars of the building. The moment she got to the pillar and touched it, she became completely healed, and she walked back to the car herself. She experienced a brush with the fire of God through her faith, and she became healed.

There is tremendous power in anything that has touched holy ground. Don’t just go for services casually, be conscious that you are going to a place of fire. When you go to your local assembly, go with expectations, and you will experience great miracles in your life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many people see the anointed and envy them; they also want to be able to lay hands on the sick and have them recover. The anointing to heal the sick is, however, available to every believer. Mark 16:17-18 says that if you are a believer, some signs will follow you, and this includes healing the sick. When you, however, study Matthew 8:14-18, you will see that the moment you have the healing gift, crowds will come. Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, and then, in the evening, they brought all those who were sick and demon-possessed. The news spread so much that many people came to Him for healing.

If you want to be able to lay hands on the sick for their healing, you must be ready for hard work – you will preach, heal, and comfort the brokenhearted. If anyone is in any form of trouble, they will call on you. You will also have to set the captives free, so demon-possessed people will be paying you constant visits, and according to Ephesians 6:12, casting out demons involves spiritual wrestling. Spiritual wrestling is not for the lazy, so if you want to be anointed, you cannot afford to be lazy. The Lord Jesus had the anointing (Acts 10:38), but in Mark 6:31, He had to tell the disciples, “Let us take a break,” because He became so busy that there wasn’t enough time to even eat. If you really want to be anointed, you must be ready to work. I am not saying this to frighten you, I am saying it to get you prepared because someone reading this devotional now is going to get powerfully anointed soon, in Jesus’ name.

Many years ago, I read 1 Corinthians 12:31 which says:
But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

I realised God approves for His children to be covetous of the best spiritual gifts, so I told God, “Lord, I want double the anointing on Elisha, Paul, Peter, and Jesus when He was on earth. Add everything together and then double it again.” God responded, “You are asking for a dangerous thing; people won’t let you rest.” I said, “I don’t mind.” How forward we can be sometimes. I now have a better understanding of His warning. If you really desire to be anointed, pray the prayer point for today with all your heart.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Isaiah 61:1-3, the Bible says that the first reason the Spirit of the Lord is upon you is to preach good tidings.

Acts 1:8 says:
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.


God says, “You will not only be a witness to me in the comfort of your home or local assembly; you must also go from Jerusalem to Judea, then to Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the world.” The anointing is not only for your domestic use; it is also to be used in the uttermost parts of the world for preaching the gospel. This is why I am amazed when I see preachers who do not go out of their comfort zones to preach the gospel – preachers who just stay in their local assemblies where they are comfortable and preach from there. They ignore the rest of the world and act as if it is not their business if people go to hell.

When you become anointed, your first assignment is to begin to preach the gospel to those that are around you and then progress until you get to the uttermost parts of the world. When you start going out to preach, you will see how many people around the world still don’t know about Christ. If you take a walk around Redemption City in Nigeria, there are several banners that show pictures and names of countries where Christianity has hardly gotten to. This is to remind us that we are not called to remain in our comfort zones, but we are to go out and win souls for our Lord.

I am 82 years old, and even at my age, I have not stopped going everywhere I can to preach the gospel because I know that it is the very first reason that God anointed me. I have been to countries that most people in the world don’t even know exist! The reason we see many young ministers rise and fall is that after they receive the anointing, they choose to stay in their comfort zones.

Beloved, the harvest is plenty, but labourers are few. Will you make yourself available? Go out and work for your Father, especially when you are still young.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many times, when we go to Christian gatherings and the message or sermon being preached starts to sound a bit hard to swallow, there’s always a tendency for us to feel that God is talking to our neighbour and not to us. I believe you must have felt like that before. Once in a while, as the preacher is preaching and condemning certain things that make us a bit uncomfortable, we console ourselves by saying, “He can’t be talking to me. He must be talking to my neighbour.” Don’t deceive yourself when the word hits you; God is talking to you and not someone else. Every time you hear the word of God, don’t go pointing fingers. Look within yourself, and wherever you see that you are not living up to His standard, make adjustments immediately.

In 2 Samuel 12:1-7, a prophet came to King David and told him the story of a rich man who robbed a poor man of the only lamb he had. The rich man killed the lamb and used it to entertain his visitors instead of taking one out of the many that he had. David went into a rage and said, “That man shall surely die.” Then, the prophet turned to him and said, “Thou art the man”. Many times, God brings messages like that to us, and just like David, we start to condemn others, but, if we take a moment to reflect on the message, we just might be the ones being described.

The way to grow as a Christian is not to assume that certain messages or scriptural verses are meant for other people and not you. Listen or read as if you are the one God is talking to directly. Face the fact that you might not be doing some things right and ensure that you do what must be done to make things right if that is the case.

The reason we have many so-called Christians who don’t behave like Christ is not because God does not correct them; it is because when He corrects them, they assume He is correcting other people. Unfortunately, if they keep doing that, they will get to a point where they could be destroyed.

Beloved, God is speaking to you today. He wants you to surrender all to Him completely without holding anything back. Don’t be like those who harden their necks because the end of such people is destruction (Proverbs 29:1).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Our God is a master planner, He is always many steps ahead in His planning. In Genesis 37:23-28, Joseph’s brothers planned to do evil to him, but they did not know that God had gone ahead to use their evil plot as a means to fulfil his destiny. What a master plan! We see another example in the book of Esther where God had already made Esther the queen before Mordecai began to plot evil against the Israelites. Many times, when we think that some things are happening for no specific reason, we have no idea that God is setting one of His plans in motion.

In 1 Samuel 17, the Bible tells us of a big giant that was terrorising the army of a nation on the battlefield for 40 days. Back in the country, nobody knew about the terrorist, but a man sent his young son to take food to his older brothers that were on the battlefield. That young son happened to be David, the man that God had anointed to be the next king of Israel. Before this, God had arranged for David to be trained to kill giants by sending a lion and a bear for him to kill as practice. When you read the story, you will hear David telling the king about the training he had received in the forest which qualified him to face the giant and kill him.

Acts 16:9-40 tells us about another clever plan of God. God wanted to save the soul of a man and his family, but because of the nature of that man’s work, there was no way he could attend any crusade. As a jailer, he couldn’t leave the prison he was working in as he had to look after the prisoners. Therefore, God needed somebody to go to the prison to preach to him. In that story, you will see clearly how God planned it; in a vision, somebody told Paul, “Come to Macedonia and help us.” Paul went to Macedonia in line with the vision, cast a demon out of a girl, and ended up in jail because of a family that had to be saved.

Trust God and obey whatever instructions He gives to you. Once He tells you to go in a particular direction, obey Him so that you can be a vessel that He uses to bring His plans to pass.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When David was in the cave of Adullam, he had some right-hand men that were called the ‘mighty men of David’. In 2 Samuel 23:16, they risked their lives to get him the water he had a longing to drink. Though they were vagabonds when David met them, they became valiant men under him, and he gave them high ranks in his army. Ahithophel was also David’s right-hand man, and Psalm 41:9 tells us that he sat at David’s table. When God gives you right-hand men, they must be honoured and never looked down on. Joseph was Pharaoh’s right-hand man. When Joseph brought his people to Egypt, Pharaoh gave them Goshen, the best part of the land, to dwell in. Great men know that to be successful, they must honour and take care of their right-hand men.

You must show your right-hand men that you are just as committed to them as they are committed to you. Not long ago, a friend of mine called very late in the night and said, “Daddy, I have a problem.” He told me the problem, and we ended the call. Soon after, I called my driver, and we left the house. About an hour later when I called him, he thought it was to tell him that I was still praying, but what he heard was, “Please tell them to let me in at the gate.” He was surprised to see me, but I told him, “What are friends for?” Any time of the day that I needed him, he always ran to me. Now that he needed me, I also ran to him.

If people show commitment to you, you must also show commitment to them. Many people have lost their right-hand men because they refused to honour them. Whenever it is possible, I usually rearrange my schedule so I can be at the birthday celebrations of some of the people God has placed as my right-hand men. You may not know it, but that fellow who has been very committed to you might have been mocked at one time or the other because of it. There might have been times when you unknowingly did something that offended the fellow, and he or she endured it because of his or her commitment to helping you achieve your vision. In return, whenever you have the opportunity, you must also show your commitment to your right-hand men. That will really go a long way in encouraging them.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God can give you a right-hand man, and He can also make you another fellow’s right-hand man. None of these two is greater than the other. Whether God gives you a right-hand man or you are someone’s right-hand man, when you do your assignment as God intends it, He rewards you greatly.

I had such a man in the late Pa Abiona, popularly known as Papa DGO (Deputy General Overseer). When I became General Overseer as a young fellow, I had been in the church for only seven years, and there were people who had been there from the very beginning. Some of these people were determined that I would fail, and there was nothing I said that they did not criticise. Papa DGO, however, had my back all the time. He was old enough to be my father, but he always stood by me. He fought my battles and always ensured my instructions were carried out to the letter, regardless of the complaints from those opposing me. In those early days, there was one town in particular where the brethren often quarrelled amongst themselves. Once I was informed that they were at it again and I mention it to Papa, he wouldn’t even let me finish before he would say, “I will go and deal with them.” He is in heaven now wearing his crown of many stars because he was a good right-hand man.

In Exodus 24:12-15, when God summoned Moses to come into a cloud, only Joshua went with him. When Moses was leaving the world, Joshua, not one of the elders or the leader of any of the tribes in Israel, but someone you could call Moses’ errand boy, was the one God chose to continue the work and lead the children of Israel to the promised land.

In 1 Samuel 3:1-9, God called Samuel one night, but he thought it was Eli who was calling him. In the middle of the night when Samuel was supposed to be sleeping, he kept running to answer Eli because he felt Eli needed him – that is a good right-hand man. In return, God gave him the ability to become a kingmaker and a king-remover.

Beloved, if the Lord has assigned you to be a right-hand man to someone, consider it a privilege. Ensure you serve to the best of your capacity, and you can rest assured that God will reward you tremendously.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

For everyone who becomes great, there is always at least one person God provides to be his or her ‘right-hand man’. For example, in Exodus 4:10-16, when Moses told God that he could not go to Egypt because he couldn’t speak well, God appointed Aaron to assist him. In Exodus 17:8-13, when the Amalekites came to attack Israel, Moses went to the mountaintop with Aaron and Hur and told Joshua to lead the army in the valley below. Moses lifted up his hands and Israel prevailed, but when his hands got tired, Aaron and Hur gave him a rock to sit on and held up his hands. In the meantime, Joshua was in the valley below fighting. All these people were right-hand men to Moses.

We find another example in Genesis 24. Abraham called his lead servant and asked him to get a wife for His son amongst his (Abraham’s) people. That lead servant was Abraham’s right-hand man in this case. I should, however, also note that the term is genderless, as a woman can also be a ‘right-hand man’ to another woman. The right-hand man is someone who is close enough to his or her leader to know what the latter needs at every moment, and be proactive in providing it.

You should also identify your right-hand man if you haven’t. Your right-hand man can say what you cannot say yourself or might have a way of presenting the matter that will effectively pass on your intended message. He or she can be the lifter of your hands, the one who will help you when your hands go weary. Such a person is the one who can provide you with something to sit upon when you are tired; someone who can make you comfortable even at his or her own discomfort. Like Joshua, he or she is the one who can fight your battles even when you are not there.

Your real right-hand man is one who, despite your closeness, will never take you for granted because of familiarity. Your right-hand man is one who will see your weaknesses and not use them against you or go around telling others about them; he or she will rather cover them as Aaron and Hur did for Moses. Your right-hand man is one to whom you can entrust things and be sure that they will do it as you want it done. Note that God may have you serve as a right-hand man to someone as well.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

PRAYERS FOR YOURSELF

1. Heavenly Father, I thank You for the salvation of my soul. I thank You for my life, family, friends and colleagues. Lord, I thank You for how far You have brought me. Lord, I know that I could never have come this far without Your help.

2. Lord, I thank You for the love, grace, peace, wisdom, favour, and many other blessings You have bestowed on me. I thank You for your generosity to me and for always providing for my many needs. Thank You Lord.

3. Father, I thank You for good health. Thank You for my hands, legs, eyes, ears and every organ in my body. Lord, thank You.

4. Lord, please help me to be abundantly fruitful this year. Please use me to win more souls into the kingdom than ever before, in Jesus’ name.

5. Lord, help me to draw closer to You more than ever before. Please, open my heart to receive more from You with each passing day in this year, in Jesus’ name.

6. Lord, according to Your word in Psalm 1:3, let me prosper mightily in whatever I lay my hands on, in Jesus’ name. This year, I will experience increase on every side, in Jesus’ name. Spiritually, financially, emotionally, mentally, maritally and in every other area of life, let me prosper mightily, in Jesus’ name.

7. I cover myself and my household with the blood of Jesus. I decree that no evil will come near us, in Jesus’ name. I will not be harmed or touched by the wicked, in Jesus’ name.

8. Lord, please deliver me from every enemy that is determined to harm me. Father, please grant me victory on all sides, in Jesus’ name.

9. Lord, please order my steps at all times. I don’t want to go where you are not going, no matter how great the journey appears to be. Please Lord, let me hear Your voice telling me what to do at all times, in Jesus’ name.

10. Lord, please lift me up to greater heights in You. I am tired of the valley. Let me sit among princes. Promote me and my family so I can do more glorious things for You, in Jesus’ name.

11. Lord, I receive the grace to successfully complete all my projects this year, in Jesus’ name. There will no longer be abandoned projects in my life, in Jesus’ name.

12. Your personal prayer points.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

How can the All-Sufficient God, Who made the heavens and the earth, Who says silver and gold are His, and Who called light out of darkness, need a partner? How can God ever need to collaborate with somebody to achieve His purpose? Well, as we see in the Scriptures, God sometimes wants partnerships.

In Genesis 2:19, after creating everything, God brought them to Adam and said, “Please name them for me.” In Exodus 14:15-28, when the children of Israel got to the Red Sea and were crying for fear, Moses asked God for help and God said, “I will make a way in the Red Sea, however, I need your cooperation. Stretch your hands across the sea.” If Moses had refused to stretch his hands that day, the book of Exodus might have ended there, Israel might have been wiped out, and God probably might have had to find an alternative way for Jesus to be born. I pray that when God needs someone He can rely on in times of crises, you will be available.

Years ago, when we were starting the church in Zambia, I visited the country for the first time. While discussing with my host, we got talking about a man they called Cobra. He was a really terrible and dangerous person. As we spoke, I heard God say that he must be saved. I told my host that I wanted to go and preach to Cobra and asked him to take me to his house. He told me that I was not likely to come out alive. I insisted, and at last, he agreed to take me within a walking distance to Cobra’s house, wait for 15 minutes after I enter, and leave if I didn’t come out in that time. I said, “No problem.” God wanted me to partner with Him to win that soul, and I knew I had to go. I went in to meet Cobra and within 15 minutes, he was on his knees in surrender to Christ!

God needs partners to do His will on earth, but those who will partner with Him must be willing to go all the way for Him. When you hear God say, “I have found a man who will do all My will,” it means that He has been searching for someone to do all His will. Can God count on you to partner with Him and do all His will?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many ministers of God talk about prayers and lead prayers often, but hardly pray. When it is time for prayers, they announce the prayer point, ask people to pray, and all they do throughout is encourage the people to keep praying; they don’t pray in prayer meetings or in private. This is one of the reasons many don’t fulfil the call of God on their lives.

Apostle Paul was a man of prayer. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, he said, “Pray without ceasing.” When I want to leave my house on a journey, I pray. When I get into the car, I pray again. When I get on the airplane, I pray again. The Bible says pray without ceasing – keep praying. A songwriter said:

Christian, seek not yet repose,
Hear thy gracious Savior say;
Thou art in the midst of foes: Watch and pray…

Around 1985, I had tried everything I knew, but the church wasn’t growing as I expected. Then, I heard about a pastor in South Korea whose church was growing rapidly, and who usually held a yearly Ministers’ Conference. I didn’t have the money to go, but I prayed and God sent help. I went and I saw what I had never seen before. I heard the pastor saying on the pulpit that those who had come that Sunday should not come the next Sunday because of space, this was despite holding seven services every Sunday in a hall that could take 50,000 people. During the conference, they took us to his prayer mountain where we were assigned to grottos where we could pray privately. I lost track of time while praying in my grotto and by the time I finished, those who came on the same bus with me had been waiting for me for at least one hour. When I got into the bus, they were angry and asked, “Why have you delayed us?” I said, “I’m sorry, I thought we came to pray.” They said, “Are you going to pray everything in one day?” Nobody spoke to me all the way back and that was fine because, in my heart, I was still roaring in prayer. Some years ago, I went back to South Korea. The first time I went, I couldn’t get close to the man of God, but this time, I was able to meet him – Dr Yonggi Cho of blessed memory. He said, “I have heard about you, will you please pray for me?”

Beloved, I encourage you to pray always (Ephesians 6:18).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

To fulfil your calling, you must be in full control of your body and not allow sin into your life at all. Galatians 5:17 says that the body and spirit are always at war. You must be able to keep your body in check so that it does not put you in trouble. When God calls you for an assignment, He will support you all the way so that you can succeed despite the forces that try to stop you. However, Romans 8:31 says, “If God be for you, who can be against you?” The answer is, ‘You!’ If God is for you, yet you cannot control your body not to work against you, then you may not fulfil His call.

Not only must you stay away from sin, you must also do everything in moderation. You cannot afford to sleep anytime you like, eat as you wish, or be intimate with your spouse as many times as you want. Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:12:

All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

You must remain in control such that you cannot be brought under the power of even the things that are necessary.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Apostle Paul said, “I keep my body under.” That is the apostle of the same grace that some people claim has taken care of everything, and that no matter how much we sin, it is fine. Paul said that he kept his body under, in other words, I tell my stomach when it is going to eat next and my eyes when they are going to sleep next. People have asked me how I fast for 40 days and nights, and I say, “Simple. The night before I start, I go to an almanac, count 40 days, and mark when the fasting is to end. Then I say to my stomach, ‘That date is the next time you will get food.’” The stomach will grumble because it doesn’t like that kind of situation. When you drive along the street, every restaurant on the route will seem to be calling you, and you will smell the food in another house from almost a quarter kilometre away. I don’t care; I ignore everything the devil tries. After about 3-4 days, when my stomach sees that I am not yielding, it will keep quiet. He that strives for mastery has to be temperate in all things.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One negative trait I have seen in many ministers of God is pride. Once God calls and equips them with gifts for the calling, they begin to think that they are special. The opposite is the case, however, because (1 Corinthians 1:27) says that God calls the weak, the foolish, and those that are nought. When God calls you for an assignment, you must be extremely grateful to Him for the privilege of being called and for every single achievement as you walk in your calling because, without Him, you can do nothing (John 15:5).

As I mentioned earlier in this series, I studied people who were called before me and who succeeded in their callings. One of them was Apostle Paul; He was an academic like me before he was called by God. I noticed that Paul was always grateful to God. He wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:18:

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

In Luke 1:46-55, we see how grateful Mary was for being chosen to give birth to our Saviour Jesus Christ and she succeeded in her calling. If you really want to succeed in your calling, then you must be grateful to God always. I don’t know about you, but I can never forget how good God has been to me.

We had just finished a service in a foreign country one day and God really moved in that service, many souls got saved and there were all kinds of miracles. On my way back to the hotel, I discussed the great things that happened in the service with those that were with me. When we arrived, the fellow sitting in the front seat of the car opened the door to get down and as he slammed the door shut, my finger got caught in the door frame. Up until today, I have no idea of how my finger got caught in the doorframe. I cried out in pain and everyone rallied around me saying, “Sorry”. As I went upstairs, I asked God, “Lord, why did you let this happen to me?” He said, “You were talking about all the great things I did in the service and you didn’t even turn to Me to say, ‘Thank you Lord.’” I realised my error, apologised and thanked Him. By the time I got to my room, the pain had completely disappeared.

God is watching to see if you will be grateful or not. He will warn you once or twice if you are ungrateful. If you refuse to heed His warnings, He will withdraw His support and that will be dangerous.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many people receive the call of God, start walking in that call, and when they experience a little breakthrough, they settle for that as the best they can achieve. That is not the assignment that Jesus gave to us when He was leaving the earth; He said we are to take the gospel from Jerusalem (your immediate environment) to Judea, to Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the world (Acts 1:. God is interested in the multiplication of your impact around the world. Don’t stop until you win the whole world for Christ.

Isaac didn’t just grow to become great, the Bible says he kept on moving forward (Genesis 26:12-13). Apostle Paul said He was constantly pressing on; in Philippians 3:13-14, he said:

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

If I had listened to people who said that I had ‘arrived’ many years ago, the impact that RCCG has made today would never have happened. I tell such people, “Thank you, I haven’t even started yet.” I remember over 30 years ago when someone came into my office during a period when I was fasting for 40 days. He saw me lying there, weak because I had not eaten for weeks and he said, “What else are you looking for that you stress yourself so much? Your auditorium is the biggest in Africa, what else do you want?” Imagine if I had listened to such, maybe you would never have heard of Adeboye today.

You are not only to multiply in the impact you make in the world, but you are also to multiply in your knowledge of the One who sent you. The strength with which you got to where you are today is not enough to take you to the next level.

Jesus Christ gave an open invitation to anyone who thirsted to come unto Him and drink from Him. He went further to say that if such a fellow also believes on Him, rivers of living water will flow out of his or her belly (John 7:37-38). You need to keep drinking from Him if you want to keep multiplying. The deeper you go in God, the more He can commit to you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When I studied those who had gone ahead of me in ministry, I discovered that many of them got promises from God concerning the assignment He called them to do. For a long time, however, their situation did not look like the promises they received, yet, they kept doing the work and, after some time, saw God fulfil His promise.

When God calls you for an assignment, He will show you the exciting end results. However, when you begin to walk in that calling, you will start to see tough situations that you must go through to get the results He promised. Joseph had dreams about his brothers and parents bowing to him. That was exciting, but for those dreams to come to pass, he had to be sold into slavery, be lied against, and be thrown in prison. Nonetheless, he remained steadfast, believing that one day, what God showed him will come to pass – and it did come to pass.

Beloved, if God has called you to an assignment and has made some promises to you, and yet things are not looking like what He has said, you are in good company. Everyone who ever received a call from God also went through this, but only those who were tenacious enough to stay the course succeeded.

When God called me to full-time ministry, one of the promises He made to me was that I will lead a mighty end-time army for Him. At that time, the church was very small. I thought He will grow the church quickly to build that army, but we would increase by two members in one week and reduce by four the next week. I held seminars, fasted, prayed, and did everything I knew to do but the church did not grow. I had left my well-paying job to answer God’s call, so I became a laughing stock to my friends at the university because they thought I was crazy to have made that decision. Nothing seemed to be working, but I kept at it. I did not compromise on my faith and I did not stop trusting God. Today, The Redeemed Christian Church of God is in over 190 nations of the world and we can indeed say that it is a mighty end-time army.

Like Joseph, don’t compromise in times of trials; keep pressing on and you will see God’s promises come to pass.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When I realised that if God hadn’t found me, I would have remained as a university lecturer heading towards hell, I made up my mind not to be an ordinary Christian. A mathematician who doesn’t want to be ordinary will study those who excelled and reached the top, like Pythagoras and other great mathematicians. As I didn’t want to be an ordinary Christian, I spent three years studying some people who God used mightily. One of such was Elijah. If you have listened to my series of sermons titled ‘Going Higher’ (they can be found on Dove TV’s YouTube channel) you will know that I have spent a lot of time studying Elijah. I also studied Paul because he was an academic, a professor of law that went into ministry like me and ended well. I found out that according to 2 Timothy 4:6-8, he was a diligent man.

Paul was diligent in every facet of his life. In Acts 28:1-6, when there was a shipwreck on the Island of Malta, while everyone was gathered around the fire because of the cold, it was Paul who went out to fetch firewood. In the earlier days, during the RCCG conventions, my boys and I used to fetch firewood for the conventions. We also washed plates and did other menial work with joy. Whenever it was time to wash plates and anyone wanted to collect the sponge from me, I would tell them, “Wash your own portion of plates, let me wash mine.” The hands that cannot do manual labour for the kingdom cannot heal the sick. When a programme is going on in your church, do not shy away from doing menial work. Get your hands dirty, and you will be amazed how the anointing will begin to surge through your fingers.

Many of the Assistant General Overseers in RCCG now were my boys in those days. This is because it is those you knew to be diligent when you were starting out that you can trust to remain diligent when you are successful. I have seen people advise that there are lots of people with great callings these days. They may have a calling, but have they been tested? Your calling is never enough to succeed. Can we put you in charge of something and go to sleep knowing that you will do the work as it should be done? Only those who are diligent can make full proof of their calling.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.