₦airaland Forum

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.

Many people that are living in the world today are carried away by the pleasures of sin. They think they are living the life now, but they have forgotten that they should be more concerned with their end than their present state. The time we have on earth is like a passing wind. There is a place where everyone will report to when they close their eyes in death, and we will all be in that place for eternity. My question to you now is, when you get to eternity, on what side will you be, on the side of heaven or hell?

The Bible says that when the Lord shall return, He is going to separate the people into two; the sheep will be on His right-hand side and the goats on the left (Matthew 25:31-46). Ask yourself sincerely, “Which side of God will I be at the end?” It is not where I am now that matters most, but where I will end up in eternity. One reason I am not afraid of death is because I am sure that dying in this world only gives me access to the eternal presence of God in heaven. If you are not sure where you will go when you leave this world, then you should be afraid of death. The interesting thing is, whether you fear death or not, everyone has an appointment with it that cannot be missed. When that day comes, I hope you will be on the right-hand side of God.

If you are standing for God now, please keep standing. Pray to God that He keeps you standing unto the end because it doesn’t matter how long anyone may have served God, if he backslides and death catches up with him in his backslidden state, he will perish in hell as we see in Ezekiel 18:24:

But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

On the other hand, someone may have been a sinner all his life, but close to when he is to die, if he repents and begins to live like Christ, that fellow will make it to heaven at the end (Ezekiel 18:21-22). It is only those who endure unto the end that will be saved (Matthew 24:13).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

I have come to understand that the difference between the right and the left hand is more than their positioning on our bodies. For example, in Matthew 5:30 when Jesus was talking about everything you must do to make sure you don’t miss heaven, He said, “If thy right hand offend thee…” He could easily have said, “If thy hand,” but He obviously emphasised the right hand because of its importance. In Genesis 48:8-20 when Jacob was to bless Joseph’s two sons, he deliberately placed his right hand on the younger son and the left on the older son. As a result of this, the younger son became more blessed than his elder brother (Deuteronomy 33:17).

Now, if the right hand of a man is that powerful, then you can imagine how powerful God’s right hand is since we were made in His image (Genesis 1:26).

Psalm 17:7 says that God saves by His right hand. In other words, when a sinner is snatched from the jaws of hell, it is God’s right hand at work. This is why you must pray for God to raise His right hand on behalf of all your family members that are not saved. Furthermore, Psalm 139:10 says that He leads by His right hand. Isaiah 41:10 says that God also upholds with His right hand. After He has saved you and led you with His right hand, He will also keep you standing with the same right hand.

In Exodus 15:6, the Bible says that His right hand is not just powerful, but also glorious in power. This tells us that God fights with His right hand. In Exodus 15:11-12, the Bible says that His right hand swallowed the enemy. In Mark 14:62, the Bible tells us that the right hand of God is the right hand of power. The right hand of God is also where you will find joy and everlasting pleasures (Psalm 16:11).

Beloved, you should note, however, that only the redeemed can be at the right hand of God (Matthew 25:34). If you are not yet born again, you better surrender your life to Christ now because those who are at God’s left hand suffer greatly. They are the ones who weep and gnash their teeth because of the evils they experience. Give your life to Christ today and get on the right-hand side of God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

To live and survive on this earth, you need more than food. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 that you need every single word that proceeds out of God’s mouth. This implies that you must be very particular about hearing from God regularly. Many people think that prayer is a one-way traffic, that is, they go to God, tell Him all their problems, and that is all. No! The most important part of prayer is hearing what God has to say concerning situations. It is the entrance of His word that brings light (Psalm 119:130).

Many times, when I face a difficult situation, and I cry to God for help and he does not say anything back to me, I say, “I’m in trouble,” and I continue crying unto Him. When at last I hear from Him, then I know that the problem is over. Even if what I hear is a rebuke, the fact that He is answering at all shows that He has heard me and that something is going to happen.

The Bible recorded in (1 Samuel 30:1-18) how David and his men had lost their family members and possessions to the Amalekites and how they recovered all after seeking guidance from God. It was a very dark moment for them before God spoke to them. The men had cried themselves sore and were so dejected that they began to contemplate killing David. Thankfully, David acted wisely and sought the face of God on what to do, and when they acted on God’s counsel, they recovered all.

In Habakkuk 2:1, Habakkuk said that he will stand upon his watch to see what God’s response to him will be. Beloved, what is God saying about the prayer requests you have put before Him? What is God saying about your family, your future, and your career? If you are a child of God, you should note that God also wants to speak to you concerning your situation. Unfortunately, many believers fail to wait on Him to hear what He has to say to them.

In Jeremiah 33:3, God said, “Call on me and I will answer.” He didn’t say, “I may answer” or “I will consider answering.” He said, “I WILL answer.” So, when you go to Him in prayers, tell Him, “Lord, I will not rest until you have answered me.”
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Place Of Mercy Parish, Enugu

Hebrews 11:6 says that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. You only reward someone who has done something of good report and has done it well, therefore, what the passage is really telling us is that God wants people to seek Him diligently. This is why God told David clearly to seek His face, and what was David’s response?

When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
Psalm 27:8

David said, “God, when you ask me to seek your face, my heart says, ‘Your face will I seek.’” Today, God is asking you to spend time seeking His face. What will your response be?

You seek God through Bible study and prayers. While others do these things like every other activity, those who diligently seek God go the extra mile. They study their Bible for hours, going deeper and deeper into just one topic until they really understand God’s mind about that topic. To them, prayer is not an event, it is a lifestyle. Every time you see them, they are praying because (1 Thessalonians 5:17) says that we must pray without ceasing. When they actually set out time to pray, they don’t just put words together, they pour out their hearts to God and their major yearning is, “Lord, I want to know You more.” They spend multiple hours just having heart-to-heart talks with God.

Beloved, seek God’s face daily until you fall asleep and even while you are sleeping. Solomon said that even when He is sleeping, his heart is awake, and can hear his beloved asking to come in unto him (Song of Solomon 5:2). David also described how he thinks about God on his bed at night and how his soul follows hard after God in Psalm 63:6-8. These are descriptions of how true love is expressed. Is this also your experience with God as your beloved?

There is great reward in diligently seeking the Lord. Beloved, spend your days seeking God and God alone. Seek Him while you are eating; let all your yearning be for Him. When you diligently seek Him, He will open Himself up in ways that the regular Christian may never see. There are things God has revealed to me in the Spirit that I cannot share publicly because people who have not sought Him diligently may never understand.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There are different kinds of people in the church workforce today. Some are so relevant to the work of God that if they are absent on a service day, everyone will notice. There are some other people, however, who hardly do anything, even in the department where they claim to function. Worse still, there are people who are members of the workforce on paper, but physically, they are nowhere to be found. They hardly attend workers’ meetings not to talk of actually working for God. I don’t know which of these categories you belong to, but if you are not so active that people can easily notice your absence, then you need to do better.

The first set of church workers in the Bible were the seven deacons mentioned in Acts 6:5. Phillip was one of them, and in Acts 21:8, he had become someone referred to as the evangelist. The Bible specifically referred to him as ‘the evangelist’, which means that there might have been ‘an evangelist’, or ‘some evangelists’, but he was ‘the evangelist’. Furthermore, the passage referred to him as being one of the seven to remind us that he was one of seven deacons that were chosen. However, asides Stephen and Phillip, we never heard of the rest.

One of my grandchildren once asked me, “Grandpa, do you know the Bible very well?” I said, “Yes” then she asked, “Who is Prochorus?” I said, “I don’t know him”. She said, “What about Timon?” I said, “You mean Simon?” She said, “No, Timon”. I replied, “I don’t know Timon either.” Then she said, “Prochorus and Timon were ordained along with Stephen and Phillip as deacons.” I said, “Is that so? God have mercy on Prochorus. I know Stephen, I know Phillip, but this Prochorus fellow, what did he do that is worthy of note?” In the same vein, when your name is mentioned in your local assembly, can people recognise the things you do that are worthy of note?

This is not to say that you must go around trying to show everyone that you are working. However, your impact must be felt in the department where you choose to work. For example, if you are in the sanitation department, everyone must know that if you are around, the church is always sparkling clean. Make so much impact that it is impossible to deny your relevance in the house of God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

I have seen people who help others and at every opportunity, refer to the time they helped them. That is a very terrible thing to do, and it is not how God taught us to do good. Jesus said in Matthew 6:3 that when you give alms, you must not let anyone else know about it. In Matthew 5:16, He said that as your light shines and people see your good works, they must glorify God. In other words, you are not to seek any glory for yourself as a result of the good works that you do; all the glory must be to God and God alone.

When you help someone, and you go back to tell the fellow, “Remember how I helped you that other time,” you are indirectly trying to make them your prisoner. Don’t ever make anyone feel like they owe you because you helped them at one time or the other. When you do good, do it unto God. Don’t become a pain in somebody’s neck or a source of remembering their shame just because you once helped them. You must note that it is God who ordained for you to perform that good deed for that fellow. He already planned on doing it, you were only privileged to be the one He chose to use. Ephesians 2:10 says:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

If God created you for good works and ordained that you walk in them, and you turn around to announce the good works as your own doing, proclaiming yourself as the helper of someone else’s destiny, what you are doing is trying to take God’s glory, and if you know anything about God at all, you will know that He does not share His glory with any man. Isaiah 42:8 says:

I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Don’t try to contend with God over the good things He is doing in the lives of others through you. You are merely His vessel and all the glory must Go to Him. This way, you will receive rewards for the good that you have done rather than face consequences for trying to take His glory.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The best promotion anyone can have is that which comes from God; nobody can take glory for such. In 1 Samuel 16:1-13, a shepherd boy was anointed to be king, not because somebody liked him or spoke for him, but because God decided to promote him. I believe God wants to promote someone reading this today and that will be you, in Jesus’ name.

When God begins to promote a man, there is no telling how high He can take him, because His arms are everlasting (Deuteronomy 33:27). 1 Samuel 2:8 says that He can pick a beggar from the dunghill and continue to lift him until he begins to sit amongst princes – that is real promotion.

My father was so poor that poor people called him poor. The day he bought an umbrella there was jubilation in our home as if we had just bought a new house. If God could pick the son of a poor farmer and cause him to be someone that Heads of States will be delighted to meet, then you really cannot tell how high He can lift you. He promoted David from being the least recognised member of his family until he became the father of the King of kings (Revelation 22:16).

Now that you know that there is no limit to how far God can take you, the next thing you must ask is, “How can I become a candidate for divine promotion?” The first thing you need for God to choose you for promotion is mercy. He said in Romans 9:15 that He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy. He is sovereign; He chooses to promote whomever He pleases. One kind of person, however, that I know God will never ignore is one with a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). This is when a fellow’s will is so broken that all he or she desires is to please God at all times. Such a person never wants to offend God, and whenever they mistakenly offend Him, they become sorrowful and immediately ask for forgiveness.

This is the kind of person God was searching for when He needed someone to become the king of Israel. He said in Acts 13:22 that He had found a man who will do all His will. This is the kind of person God will promote. If you are like that, then you have become a candidate for divine promotion.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

If God has called you for an assignment, you may be thinking, “Why is it me He chose out of everyone that could have done this work?” Well, Psalm 115:3 says that God does as He pleases.

Believe me, He made that decision to use you for that assignment from the foundation of the world. He chose you before He said, “Let there be light” in Genesis 1:3. Ephesians 1:4 says:

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

When I see people that are anxious about their future, I tell them, “Relax. Do you think God doesn’t know what to do? Do you think He is sitting in heaven, scratching His Almighty head and asking for advice on what next to do?” God settled your future before the foundation of the earth. This is why I am not worried; my future was settled before I was born. This is why you should be humble because you didn’t choose yourself (John 15:16). You are not chosen because you are educated or connected, it is the exact opposite.

1 Corinthians 1:27 says that God chooses the foolish things, the weak things, and the things that are nought. If God chose you, it means you are foolish by human standards; you are weak, and you are nothing by human standards. Even if it appears as if you are wise by human standards, the moment you surrender all to God and begin to live strictly by His standards, the world will begin to see you as a foolish person. So, never raise your head in pride about your achievements. Nebuchadnezzar tried it and found himself in the bushes. For the rest of your life, you must be grateful to God. David said in Psalm 34:1:

I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

David knew what he was talking about. God chose Him to be the king of Israel even when his family members would not have voted for him if he ran for elections. I believe that right now, God is talking to you concerning this because of how high He wants to take you. If you listen and become humble, then He will lift you, but if you refuse to humble yourself, then you will be abased (Matthew 23:12). Let pride disappear from your life completely.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

PRAYERS FOR MARRIAGES

1. Father, thank You for the gift of the institution of marriage. Thank You Lord for the gift of companionship.

2. Father, I thank You specially for all the marriages of Your children in my church, community and across the world.

3. Father, please let Your joy fill my marriage and all the marriages around me, in Jesus’ name.

4. Lord, by your mercy, please replenish whatever is lacking in my marriage, in Jesus’ name. Just as Jesus replenished the wine at the wedding of Cana; let every good thing that has gone dry in my marriage be replenished, in Jesus’ name.

5. Father, please let Your wisdom abound over me, my spouse (or would-be spouse) and in all the homes around me, in Jesus’ name.

6. Father, please bless all Your children’s marriages with godly children who will grow up to serve You, in Jesus’ name.

7. Father, please let Your peace which passes all understanding reign in every marriage that is experiencing a storm, in Jesus’ name.

8. Father, let all Your children that are of marriageable age receive marital breakthroughs, in Jesus’ name. Please help them make the right choices according to Your will for their lives, in Jesus’ name.

9. Father, please uproot every plant you have not planted in my home and in all the homes around me, in Jesus’ name.

10. Father, never let the will of the enemy prevail over my marriage. Whatever plans the enemy has concerning my marriage, let them fail, in Jesus’ name.

11. Lord, please never allow my spouse and I to do anything that will offend You. Please, Lord, lead us and guide us in all that we do, in Jesus’ name.

12. Your personal prayer points for your marriage and other marriages and homes around you.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

From Matthew 11:28-30, we see that when God beckons on you, it is an invitation to rest.

There is a difference between hard labour and other types of work. God expects you to work. (2 Thessalonians 3:10) says that if you don’t work, you are not to eat. However, labourers, especially those who labour at menial jobs work from sunrise to sundown. At the end of the day, they earn just enough money to keep body and soul together. I decree that you will no longer struggle before you eat, in Jesus’ name.

One of the reasons you are reading this now is because God beckoned on you. When He beckons, He is saying, “Destiny is calling you.” In Exodus 3:1-10, Moses was at the backside of the desert when he suddenly saw a bush that was burning but was not consumed. He said, “I will turn aside and see.” That was a beckoning, and by the time He responded, God told him that his days of staying in the wilderness were over, and it was now time to fulfil his destiny. In Mark 3:13-15, Jesus went to the top of a mountain and beckoned to those He desired and they came unto Him. Those people (except Judas Iscariot) later became the Apostles we know today.

The first thing you are to do when He beckons is to take up His yoke, in other words, make His desire your concern, and pursue the things He pursues. When you think of the greatest thing that God pursues, it is souls. If you really want to fulfil your destiny, you will take up the yoke of winning souls, and you will begin to see how He arranges things for you to fulfil your destiny.

My major pursuit was to become the youngest Vice Chancellor in Africa, but God beckoned on me, and I took up His yoke of winning souls. That is how I got to fulfil my destiny and now Vice Chancellors call me Daddy. You have no idea what your true destiny is until you start winning souls and doing the work of God.

Just in case you think soul winning is only for evangelists and pastors, please study Matthew 28:19-20 carefully. All followers of Jesus Christ are commissioned to make disciples of all the nations, and this includes you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.