₦airaland Forum

We will be discussing the final season of a person’s life today. At this stage, you are asking, “What legacy am l going to leave behind if God calls me home today?” At this point, you are not thinking of what happens while you are still here on earth, all that you start pursuing is a great legacy for yourself.

When you read 2 Timothy 4:7 and then backtrack to, two chapters before that, you would see what Paul was telling Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2:

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

He wanted to ensure that the things he stood for – his legacy, didn’t die with him. There is no way you can create a legacy if you are not already known for something while still alive. Start pursuing a godly course that you know the Lord has given you a burden for. It’s a pity that only a few people ever get to this season in their lives. Many care only about what happens when they are on earth but the wise few care more about what will be said of them when they leave this world. If you are amongst these wise few, your reputation would be more important to you than all the money in the world. Proverbs 22:1 says:

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

When you get to this season, you wouldn’t want anything to stain your name at all; instead, you would want to be remembered for greatness. You would spend time with your family members and loved ones. There are people who pursued many things at the expense of their families only to later realise that the children they neglected were the only ones they could rely on to continue with their legacy. If you really want to have a great legacy, you must spend time pouring yourself into your children. You should live your live in such a way that when you leave this world, they will have great things to say about you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Today we will discuss the fourth season of life. This is a period when you are primarily focused on fulfilling your purpose in life. At this stage, you suddenly realise that you do not have much time left and if you are not careful, you may not fulfil your purpose in life.

Being in this season of life is however; not a function of age. At whatever age you suddenly realise you need to wake up to the need to fulfil your purpose in life and that is all that matters to you, you have entered into the fourth season of life. In this season, you are not concerned so much about how much you have done; rather, your major concern is if you have done what you were created to do.

In Joshua 12, you can see Joshua boasting about the kings he defeated, but when we get to Joshua 13:1 we see how far he had actually gone in the fulfilment of his destiny.

Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.
Joshua 13:1

Joshua appeared to have achieved a lot, but he was still very far from reaching his goal in life. There is a big difference between what you achieve and whether you fulfil your destiny. Unfortunately, many people go in the wrong direction all their lives only to discover at the end that they were on the wrong path. This is a big disaster.

Apostle Paul was one man who was determined to fulfil his purpose. He said in Acts 20:24:

But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Thus when he was about to leave the earth, he left a fulfilled man and said in (2 Timothy 4:7):

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

Are you working towards fulfilling destiny?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

We discussed the first and second seasons of life over the past two days and will progress to discuss the third season of life today. In the third season of a person’s life, he or she moves from trying to impress people to trying to influence people. This is the period where a person wants to become a voice. This is the season when you want to say like Apostle Paul:

”Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”
1 Corinthians 11:1

Many times, people in this season look for others in the younger generation to mentor. In this season, you would become hungry to pass on knowledge to others. When you get to this stage, you are now maturing because you are after impact more than anything else.

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also”.
2 Timothy 2:2

If you fail to properly learn the truth about life, you would begin to pass on your erroneous understanding to others and hence become a negative influence and not a positive one. You must be careful in this season not to spread a virus in the systems of people. When people seem to have found someone whose message they enjoy, they begin to spread it and before long, that message would have become a doctrine. What we know today as the extreme and erroneous message of grace was started by a man called Nicholas. He was amongst the first deacons (Acts 6:5); however, he had adopted an erroneous way of living a so-called Christian life and by the time we get to Revelation 2:15, we see that his erroneous way had become a misleading doctrine within the Church, as it still is today.

In this third season of life, your lifestyle and behaviour will also begin to influence others. An example can be seen in (2 Peter 2:15) where some Christians were described to be following in the steps of Balaam who chose to use the power of God for material gains. Beloved, it is very dangerous to mislead those who look up to you. You must be particularly careful not to influence others negatively (Matthew 18:6).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

We discussed the first season of life yesterday and will be discussing the second season today. In the second season of life, a person’s greatest desire will be to impress. At this stage, he or she wants to be perceived as a success by everyone. For example, choristers and pastors in this stage will typically seek to impress others when they sing and preach respectively. A person in this stage may be financially comfortable already, but would be seeking prestige. This is the season that King Saul was in 1 Samuel 15:24.

And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

King Saul had money and power, but he also wanted to impress the people and that got him into trouble.

If you are doing things because of what people think of you, you are likely to get into big trouble soon. The cheer of people may seem good now, but soon you will realise that those who are shouting, “Hosanna today” will be the same ones shouting, “Crucify Him” tomorrow. This is why you must shun what people think and do what is right, whether it is the popular opinion or not.

The Holy Ghost Congress which we hold in Nigeria is a week-long programme, with Friday recording the largest attendance – running into millions. There was a singer who was invited to minister on the Thursday of the Congress. She refused, saying she would only come to sing on Friday when the crowd would be largest. Of course we withdrew the invitation because she was not interested in singing for God but for the crowd.

Those who are more concerned about how they look on social media are risking being destroyed by the same people they are trying to impress. Think about it: if you are trying to impress people, it means that you will always want to jump on the next trend. Trends never end; this means that you would be caught in a never-ending rat race. If you are currently at this stage of trying to impress people, you are still immature and must be deliberate about growing into the next season of your life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In the next few days, we will be discussing the different seasons of life. This is one very important series that you should not take lightly. I would like you to keep every season in mind to help you get a good grasp of the entire message.

The first season of a person’s life is when he or she is still young and desires material possessions. When a child is born, without being taught, he or she tightly grips anything placed in his or her hand and, should the item fall, would cry to get it back. That is the first season of life – when the fellow just wants to acquire. It is in this season that many people get certificates so that they can get high-paying jobs. Everything that a person does during this season is usually geared towards becoming rich. Unfortunately, it is in this season that many people are lured by the devil into illegal and immoral activities to get money. When you check the people who have been proven to engage in ‘yahoo yahoo’ (cybercrime), or ladies selling their bodies for money, even those who kidnap and rob, you would find that they are usually young people. If you are young and don’t have an inordinate ambition to be rich, then you will be safe from the lures of the devil. Though it is good to be rich, you should not pursue wealth at the expense of your soul.

After chasing money for so long, the young fellow will at some point look around and see that even money does not satisfy (Ecclesiastes 5:10). He or she would realise the truth in the Scripture in Luke 12:15 which says, “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth”.

Many years ago, whenever I visited America and Pastor Stephen Rathod picked me up, the first thing I used to ask him, after exchanging greetings, was, “Where are they having sales?” It was very important to me to buy things in America during the sales period. Years later, when I visited the US again, he was surprised I didn’t ask to be shown where I could buy things on sales. I told him that time had passed. I had realised that those things didn’t really matter. I was now after more important things.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Divine weapons may appear so ordinary that enemies often belittle and despise them, however, to their detriment. Examples of such weapons in the Bible include the rod of Moses in Exodus 14:13-16, the shout of Hallelujah that brought down the walls of Jericho in Joshua 6:20, prayer and praise that caused the chains of Paul, Silas, and all the other prisoners to be broken (Acts 16:25-26), and many more. These examples show how divine weapons that seem unimportant to the enemy were deployed to accomplish great victories for the people of God.

We also have clear examples of what happens when children are used to symbolise divine weapons. Psalm 127:3-5 says:

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: And the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; So are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be ashamed, But they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

The above passage confirms that though children have biological parents, they are of divine origin. Children are compared with arrows which require much skill, craftsmanship, and training before they can be used effectively. So also, children need the knowledge of the word of God, good education, discipline and godly upbringing, to assume the leadership positions that God has in store for them in life.

The passage further tells us that they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. In Bible days, the city gate was like a public square, the gathering place where elders sat to settle disputes, render judgment, and make important decisions. Boaz settled the issue of his marriage to Ruth at the city gate in Ruth 4:1-6. Parents of godly children have nothing to be ashamed of, they can move about with their heads held up high at any public gathering. Godly children are indeed weapons in the hand of God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The gate of mercy is very wide and this is inspired by God’s immeasurable love for us. Psalm 108:4 says:

For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.

The gate of mercy is so wide that it can take everybody in the world (John 3:16); however, this gate of mercy can be shut suddenly, in a way that no one can explain. The gate of mercy can snap shut within the twinkling of an eye. Proverbs 29:1 says, “He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy”.

Many a time when the gate makes an attempt to snap shut, God’s love will push it open again, but a time would come when it will snap shut and nothing can open it again.

Some years ago, a woman was very sick and the doctors said there was nothing more they could do for her so her relatives brought her to me for prayers. As I laid my hand on her, I felt the anointing like hot oil flow through my hand, but as it got to her head, it returned immediately. I asked God why and He said, “I have had mercy and warned her several times, but she wouldn’t listen. It is now my turn to refuse to heal her”. I ran to the altar and cried to God, saying, “Please Lord, You said You don’t want the destruction of a sinner and Your mercy endures forever; please have mercy!” I ran back to her and placed my hand on head again but the same thing happened. I ran back to the altar, pleading for God to have mercy on her, but by the time I went three times and returned to lay hands on her again, she was dead.

Remember the story of the fruitless tree in Luke 13:6-9? God said, “For three years I have examined this tree and done everything I could for it, yet it bore no fruit; I will cut it down”. Mercy said, “Give it another chance, another year, to see what happens; if it still doesn’t bring forth fruit, You can then cut it”.

You don’t know when your last chance will be. You don’t know if the last time you sinned was your last chance before the gate of mercy shuts against you. Surrender completely to Jesus Christ now before it is too late.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is true that we wrestle with many external enemies described as principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). Many people however, fight against themselves thereby constituting an internal enemy to themselves.

For example, there are many people who believe they are free to do anything they wish with their body; they therefore would not deny themselves anything their heart desires. This mindset often leads to sinful practices like indecent dressing, drunkenness, sexual immorality, gluttony, lasciviousness, idolatry, anger, selfishness, drug addiction and the likes. Such practices often produce results that are detrimental to the body, sometimes generating life-threatening repercussions. These sinful practices should therefore be correctly identified as internal enemies of all human beings. (1 Corinthians 3:17) says:

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

This is an important statement with a very serious implication. The Almighty God, our Creator, wants us to know that He created us as His own dwelling place. He went on to say that if anyone defiles the temple of God, he or she shall be destroyed. This is probably the source of the increase in strange ailments and reduction in life expectancy across the world. Those who defile or abuse their bodies with alcohol, hard drugs, sexual immorality, unhygienic food and unhealthy exposure to dangerous substances often become sick and end up dying prematurely. Many incidents of youths all over the world dying from drug addiction, mental illness, hypertension, suicide, liver-related problems and so on are traceable to these internal enemies. Mark 7:23 tells us that all these evil things come from within and defile the man (the temple of God), while Galatians 5:21 says without exception that everyone who practices such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Submission is different from cooperation. Cooperation is when you work together with someone to achieve a mutually desired goal. Submission on the other hand, is when you want something totally different from what the other fellow wants, but because you have to submit, you do what he or she asks you to.

One who submits to God is that fellow who will do whatever God says – whether it is logical or not, convenient or not. Those who put their own wishes aside and just say, “If this is what God says, that is what I will do”. Once the devil knows you are that submissive to God, when you begin to resist him, he will flee. James 4:7 says:

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The devil knows those who are 100% submissive to God. Those who will do whatever God says even if they have to die doing it. On the other hand, he knows those who are submissive to their bellies or their sexual drive; those who are lovers of the world and those who are in it. It is only when your submission to God is complete that you can have the authority to revenge any disobedience (2 Corinthians 10:6).

If you want to resist the devil so that he will flee from you, then you have to be completely submissive to God. Who you submit to determines how much authority you have. The commissioner of works submits to the governor of his state; he does not have as much authority as the minister of works who submits to the president. In Matthew 8:9, the Centurion said, “For l am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it’.

When you are truly submissive to God, then He gives you some of His authority so that once you speak, the devil trembles and flees. Some of those troubles the devil is causing in your life can be stopped once you submit to God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Every truly wise person knows that the Maker of heaven and earth should be feared. This is why proverbs 9:10 says:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

There is no greater foolishness than disregard for God. How can you fear people who are limited in power and authority, then have no fear for the One who can do as He pleases, who is answerable to no one (Daniel 4:35)?

If you can fear those who can kill your body, how much more the One who can destroy both your body and soul in hell (Matthew 10:28)? God should never be toyed with. I know there are people who tell you that you are not to fear God, but to just reverence Him. I don’t know if they read that from their Bible, but my own Bible does not say the reverence of God is the beginning of wisdom, but rather, the fear of the Lord.

I don’t play carelessly with fire. No matter how cold I get, I don’t put my hand in it because I fear it. Our God is the Consuming Fire (Hebrews 12:29). You should therefore not only reverence Him, but fear Him also. Even a mad dog recognises fire when it sees it and does not play carelessly with it.

If you don’t fear God, you are capable of doing any evil. The interesting thing is that, whether you fear fire or not, if you touch it, it will burn you. If, as a result of the fact that you have no fear of God you continue to commit sin, it is only a matter of time before the repercussions would start coming.

A person may enjoy the pleasures of sin here on earth, and may even be popular for being such a great sinner, but a time is coming when the person will leave this world and then face the judgement of God which will lead to eternal damnation for such a person.

Beloved, it is better to fear God, live holy and receive eternal life than to disregard Him here on earth and spend eternity burning in the lake of fire. Choose wisely.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

You should do a thorough check on your friends to see if they are headed for heaven. There are some people who should clearly be avoided, while others may look good on the outside but deep inside, are not who they pretend to be. You need to stay away from such friends.

There are some character flaws you should look out for and ensure you do not keep people who have such as friends. For example, if your friend’s temper runs hot, stay away from him or her, so you don’t learn his or her ways and ensnare your soul (Proverbs 22:24-25).

Many years ago, I was working as a teacher and befriended a colleague who was from the same part of the country as I. I however, didn’t know much about him. One day on our way to Ibadan for a teachers’ programme, we got off the lorry in Ile-Ife, where we would board another to Ibadan. This friend of mine then said he wanted to say hello to a chief nearby and asked me to come along. I did, after all, we were friends. We got there, he knocked on a door and was asked a strange question from inside, “Is it a fish or a crab?” My friend answered and said, “One fish and one crab”. We were let in, but as we left, I began to wonder what this strange statement meant. When we arrived in Ibadan, he said he wanted to visit another fellow. I followed him, he knocked at the door and was asked, “Who is that, a goat or a sheep?” My friend answered, “One goat, one sheep”. By now, I was seriously troubled. I got home and asked the elders what the statements meant. They said, knowingly, “Ah, where did you hear that?”

That was the end of my friendship with that fellow. Up to today, I don’t understand what those statements really meant, but I didn’t have to be told that they were occultic and dangerous. Check your friends, be watchful and careful. The Bible says evil communication corrupts good manners (1 Corinthians 15:33). The Romans used to say, “As bad apples spoil good ones, so do bad friends spoil good boys”. Before today is out, do a thorough check on all your friends. If there are some that are not living a holy life, preach the word of God to them and if they refuse to change, please separate yourself from such persons immediately.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

These days, genuine Christians and even ministers of the Gospel are being caught in various types of sin, including sexual immorality which Joseph refused to indulge in, despite the fact that the opportunity presented itself on what seemed to be a platter of gold. Genesis 39:8-9 records Joseph’s response to the offer:

But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 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?

It was wisdom, brought about by the fear of God, that kept Joseph away from committing sexual immorality with his master’s wife. No wonder the Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). How I wish all children of God would embrace the fear of God so that they can begin to live above temptation and sin. It is wisdom to run away from sin because the Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death…” and this refers to eternal death. Beloved, sexual immorality is forbidden; seek godly wisdom to avoid this deadly sin.

In the last hour before the arrest of Jesus Christ, He had a foreknowledge of what was about to happen to Him and thus had a private meeting with His disciples at Gethsemane, where He gave them the antidote to temptation and sin. Matthew 26:41 says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak…”. In this passage, Jesus named watchfulness and prayer as the antidote to temptation and sin.

We are therefore called to be alert to dangers in the Christian journey such as sexual immorality, false teachings, worldliness, love of money, inordinate ambition, sinful pleasure, and other forms of temptation and sin. The Bible says the end is near so we should be sober and watch unto prayer (1 Peter 4:7). Sexual Immorality is forbidden; watch and pray over the type of content you and your family consume. Be mindful of your physical and social interactions, and constantly fill your heart with the word of God so you do not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The phrase ‘sexual immorality’ covers all improper sexual conducts and practices like fornication, adultery, masturbation, prostitution, pornography, incest, homosexuality, rape, child sexual abuse, bestiality and so on.

There is a special relationship between these sins and the human eye as revealed in 2 Peter 2:14. The eye or face is sometimes used interchangeably in the Bible and both are very important for effective communication. This is why the Bible speaks of having eyes full of adultery.

Adultery and fornication are sexual practices that are considered immoral and abominable according to the word of God. Having eyes full of sexual immorality means communicating sexual attraction or immoral interest with the eyes or face. In extreme cases, it could also mean that a person’s mind is always filled with sensual or erotic desire especially towards persons other than their spouses.

The fact however, remains that the allure of a promiscuous person is centred in the eyes or face, as revealed by Proverbs 6:25 that says, “…neither let her take thee with her eyelids”, and Isaiah 3:16 that talks about walking around with stretched necks and promiscuous eyes. For this reason, painting the face and eyelids was regarded as a means of amplifying beauty and sexual attraction; thus promiscuous people have used it as a means of seduction since Bible days (like Jezebel in 2 Kings 9:30). Meanwhile, our Lord Jesus Christ equates looking at a member of the opposite sex lustfully with adultery (Matthew 5:28). This means that those who deliberately makeup and dress to amplify their sexual attraction are in actual fact causing others to commit adultery on a daily basis.

Since Christians must be careful not to cause others to stumble, according to Romans 14:13 and 1 Corinthians 8:9, we all must ensure that we are modest in our dressing (1 Timothy 2:9-10) and conduct so we do not become a stumbling block in the path of others. This is the established will of God.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Sexual Immorality Is Forbidden II -

kpakpandoN:
These days, genuine Christians and even ministers of the Gospel are being caught in various types of sin, including sexual immorality which Joseph refused to indulge in, despite the fact that the opportunity presented itself on what seemed to be a platter of gold. Genesis 39:8-9 records Joseph’s response to the offer:

But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 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?

It was wisdom, brought about by the fear of God, that kept Joseph away from committing sexual immorality with his master’s wife. No wonder the Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). How I wish all children of God would embrace the fear of God so that they can begin to live above temptation and sin. It is wisdom to run away from sin because the Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death…” and this refers to eternal death. Beloved, sexual immorality is forbidden; seek godly wisdom to avoid this deadly sin.

In the last hour before the arrest of Jesus Christ, He had a foreknowledge of what was about to happen to Him and thus had a private meeting with His disciples at Gethsemane, where He gave them the antidote to temptation and sin. Matthew 26:41 says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak…”. In this passage, Jesus named watchfulness and prayer as the antidote to temptation and sin.

We are therefore called to be alert to dangers in the Christian journey such as sexual immorality, false teachings, worldliness, love of money, inordinate ambition, sinful pleasure, and other forms of temptation and sin. The Bible says the end is near so we should be sober and watch unto prayer (1 Peter 4:7). Sexual Immorality is forbidden; watch and pray over the type of content you and your family consume. Be mindful of your physical and social interactions, and constantly fill your heart with the word of God so you do not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11).

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Love is foundational to the Christian faith. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is, His answer was: Love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and love your neighbour as yourself. He then went further to say, on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40).

True love is in the DNA of every genuine child of God. Anyone who claims to be a Christian and does not have love as one of his or her characteristics is nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-2).

If there is true love, then it implies that there is false love. True love is empathetic in nature. True love does not do good for people to see, it does good because it feels the pain of the one who is loved. In James 2:15-16, James says if you truly love someone, you would do everything within your power to solve their problems. Unfortunately, these days, when many Christians see another who they can help, they would rather pray to God to help the fellow than help him or her themselves. That is fake love. True love is when you make sacrifices to help your brother or sister and do all you can to ensure their problems are solved.

Some years ago, after a major programme, I was so tired that I just wanted to get on my bed and sleep, but as I was leaving the venue in my car, I heard the voice of a man shouting, “Daddy help me, Daddy help me”. I wanted to stop my driver immediately, but I knew that if we stopped there, the crowd would rush to the car. I therefore asked my driver to allow me come out of the car at a place where I could wait, then go back to get the man. When the man arrived, he told me he had no job and his wife, who had been fending for the family before, had also just lost her job. They had a set of twins and all four of them had not eaten for three days. The first thing I did was to ask someone to bring food for them before we could continue the conversation. By the end of that day, both husband and wife had jobs. Love is demonstrated through our actions. Brethren, do you truly love others as you love yourself? Without true love for your neighbour, you cannot make it to heaven (Matthew 25:35-46).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Bible takes the subject of love so seriously that it is equated with the sum of all the commandments of God (Matthew 22:36-40). The Bible goes further to say that love is the fulfilment of the law (Romans 13:10). The use of the word ‘Law’ in the Bible, is usually a reference to all the commandments and statutes recorded in the Old Testament. Now, the reality that God equates love to the whole of the Old Testament Bible is serious food for thought. The Bible in (1 Corinthians 13:1-2) says:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.


The passage above speaks clearly about the importance of love and how children of God should rate it on the scale of spirituality. Here, God compared some special spiritual gifts of uncommon value to love. Speaking in the tonques of men and angels means the ability to speak in heavenly tongues as well as interpreting it in the language of men. The interpretation of tongues has always been a rare gift that is highly sought after in the body of Christ, yet anyone with this gift without having love is described as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal – viewed by God as a mere noisemaker.

Furthermore, the Bible says if one should have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries and have all knowledge, with enough faith to do great miracles, without love, such a person would amount to nothing in the eyes of God. Love is the golden rule by which whatever gifts we exhibit and whatever services we offer to God are measured. Therefore, love is the ultimate commandment. Romans 13:10 says, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law”. The service that pleases God is one from the heart, rendered in love. God is love. If you are born again, you have the capacity to manifest the agape love. It is a compulsory virtue in Christianity.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Rest is very important to God. He rested on the seventh day after completing the work of creation and also blessed the day specially (Genesis 2:1-3). God went on to design various categories of rest periods for man. In Exodus 35:2, God ordained a weekly Sabbath of rest that was observed on the seventh day in the Old Testament. In Leviticus 25:4-5, God also ordained a seventh year Sabbath of rest when the land will not be cultivated, the people and animals will also take their rest from farming activities for a whole year. Surprisingly, Exodus 31:14 says, “Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people”. Rest is so important to God that He places a heavy penalty on defaulters.

Despite the observance of these holidays, the Nation of Israel continued to be more prosperous than their neighbours that did not have the tradition of taking any rest. This is due to the word of God in Psalm 127:1: “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain”. Therefore, working around-the-clock everyday will not make you richer or more productive.

Jesus Christ showed us the importance of taking good rest in Mark 6:31, when He told the disciples after their very first missionary tour, “Come ye apart and rest for a while”. David almost died in battle because he failed to rest. His commanders later said, “Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel” (2 Samuel 21:15-17). Many people, even ministers of God, are dying from stress-induced health challenges due to lack of adequate rest.

Brethren, rest is divinely ordained, refreshing and rewarding. I personally ensure I incorporate rest into my itinerary no matter how tight my schedule may be. Indeed, you’ll even be more productive after resting adequately. Beloved, just as God wants you to be diligent, He also wants you to rest adequately.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In life there are oppositions everywhere. Once you try to do something good, there would be oppositions to stop you. If you think that you cannot have oppositions because you don’t have enemies, then you are being ignorant. Proverbs 14:20 says:

The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.

No one would have thought that Bartimaeus would have so many enemies until he began to cry for light. Some people are just not comfortable when they see others succeeding, so they want to bring them down. Like Bartimaeus, you must never allow them to stop you from achieving your goal. It doesn’t matter what they say or do to keep you low, keep doing all you can to succeed. If you don’t let them keep you low, when you succeed, they will be the first to celebrate with you.

After you have overcome the oppositions that tried to keep you low, as you begin to succeed, your enemies would increase. This is only natural. Your enemies are few when you have nothing but when you live in a mansion and have more than one car in your house, you will need more protection.

Whether the devil likes it or not, you will prosper and increase. The plan of God for your life is for you to excel and that plan will be fulfilled, in Jesus’ name.

The oppositions I faced when I became a Pastor are different from the ones I faced when I became the General Overseer of the Church. The higher you go, the bigger the oppositions will be. This is not to frighten you, but to prepare you for reality. When you know that you will have many oppositions, you will be prepared to fight so the enemy cannot surprise you.

The higher a building is, the deeper the foundation that must be built to carry it. The time I spent in prayer when I was just a Pastor in the Church is little compared to how many hours I spend in prayer now as the General Overseer. If you want to get to the highest level in life then you must be willing to go to the deepest level in God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There are people who are bound financially. In Haggai 1:6, the Bible tells us that it is possible to earn wages into a bag of holes. In other words, the fellow makes money, but the money keeps on disappearing. There are people who, on sitting to calculate their income, wonder where the money went. I know what this is like because before I met the Lord Jesus Christ, I was in this exact position. There are forces that can make sure that what you are earning is not producing the result it’s supposed to, but that will end today, in Jesus’ name.

According to Revelation 3:7, Jesus Christ is the One who has the key of David and what He opens, no man can shut; what He shuts, no man can open. Today, He will shut the door against those taking away your money and open the door of blessings for you, in Jesus’ name.

Being in debt is being in captivity but my God can wipe any amount of debt off in less than twenty-four hours (Proverbs 22:7). One of my sons came to a Partners’ meeting and I prayed that the next time I would be seeing him, every debt he was owing would be paid off. He said, “Amen”, but found it hard to believe it would happen. Some days later, the chairman of the bank he owed called him and asked, “How are you going to pay this your debt?” My son replied, “Sir, even if I’m paying you one million naira for every day that I have lived on earth, I cannot finish paying and you know it”. He was over 50 years old. Not long after, the bank wrote off his debt. If you are in any form of debt right now, I decree that it will be cleared within the next twenty – four hours, in Jesus’ name.

Sometimes, it is not just one fellow who is in financial captivity, but the entire family. Had it not been for God in the Adeboye family, maybe we would still have been one of the poorest households in my village today. My parents could not afford to sponsor my education, but the Almighty God somehow got me educated up to the Ph.D. level, then continued to raise me higher and higher. Today, by the special grace of God, the Adeboye family is a blessing to my entire village. If your family is poor, God will lift you all out of poverty too, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There are people who are bound mentally. The mental capacity of such persons are under siege and have been tampered with. Ephesians 4:18 says the understanding of some people could be darkened by forces of darkness. When somebody has been trying to explain something to you and you suddenly get the point, you say, “Oh, I see”. You are not talking about your physical eyes but about the eyes of your understanding.

I was in the academic world for quite a while before the Lord called me into full-time ministry and I know the pain of students who study hard for examinations but still end up failing. A well prepared student can get to the examination hall and just blank out. It has happened to me before as an undergraduate. I got into the examination hall for a particular course I was very good in, only to blank out. I was unable to understand any of the eight questions from which I was to answer five. At a point, I decided to give up and leave the hall, since I could rewrite the exam later on. I was about to stand up when an invisible hand pressed me down. I wasn’t born again then, but I know it was the Almighty. I sat, and for fifteen minutes, I saw all my colleagues writing furiously while I remained blank. After a while, I started reading the questions again and this time, the eyes of my understanding were opened. I knew the answers to all the questions. I answered all eight questions and wrote at the top of my answer sheet for my lecturer, “Mark any five”. I know it was the Lord Almighty that removed the veil from my understanding.

If the devil has put a veil on your understanding, God will remove it today, in Jesus’ name.

There was a boy who was so dull that when he was moved from a class of ten to one of thirty, his position would change from 10th to 30th. Both his parents were professors and came to me with the boy for prayers when I was at their University for a programme. We prayed and in the next exam he wrote, he scored the highest. His teachers said it was impossible, so they isolated him in the classroom and gave him another exam. This time, he scored even higher.

I pray for you again that anything that may have not allowed your brain to function at its full capacity up to now is removed, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Luke 11:21-22, the Bible says that when a strong man keeps his goods, they remain safe, but when a person stronger than he comes, the latter will overpower him. Jesus Christ is the stronger One. He is stronger than the strongest.

Luke 13:11-17 tells the story of a woman who had been battling an ailment for 18 years. No matter how hard she tried, she could not stand upright because her problem wasn’t physical but spiritual. It was reported that she had the spirit of infirmity. When He rebuked the spirit, in an instant, for the first time in 18 years, she stood upright.

There are many diseases that the best of doctors cannot handle. This is because the source of most of them is spiritual and even the best machines cannot detect the presence of a demon. When you cannot locate the source of the problem, finding the solution becomes difficult. When you hear that there is a strange sickness that cannot be diagnosed or cured, then you know immediately that it is a spiritual problem. If you are being troubled by any spirit of infirmity, you will be set free today, in Jesus’ name.

There is another kind of physical captivity that can come from birth. Some people are born with diseases that cannot be cured but only managed. When someone is born with asthma or sickle cell disease for example, the doctors only have medication to manage it. However, I know that the One who created everyone can create new body parts for those who need them. In Mark 10:43-52, Bartimaeus – a blind man, met Jesus one day and got new eyes. I am believing God for you that, whichever body part needs a replacement in your body will indeed be replaced, in Jesus’ name.

There was this very wealthy woman who vomited whatever she ate. She went to doctors around the world but nothing they tried worked. As she arrived for a programme in the RCCG, she heard me say, “Let somebody shout halleluyah”. She opened her mouth to shout halleluyah and a worm jumped out. From that moment on she was whole. God can heal you of sicknesses that the doctors are helpless about, if you can touch Him with your praise today.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God can help you even when the odds against you are overwhelming. When He decides to, He will show the odds that He is still the All-Sufficient God. In Isaiah 43:13, the Almighty God says no one can hinder Him when He decides to work. In other words, it doesn’t matter how many forces are at war against you; when God decides to help, nothing can stop Him.

In Daniel 3, when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were to be thrown into the fiery furnace, the furnace was heated seven times more, yet the only people who died were the soldiers who threw the boys inside. The people thrown right into the furnace came out alive. In Judges 15:11-15, the Bible says that Samson’s relatives handed him over to the external enemies, but by the end of the day, a thousand of these enemies were dead while the rest fled. It doesn’t matter how many enemies you are dealing with; God will help you deal with them all, in Jesus’ name.

My God is the One who makes a way where there is no way, so when it looks like there is no way out, God can still make a way. One day while l was abroad, l was told that one of my spiritual sons was in the hospital, suffering from an advanced case of cancer. Humanly speaking, his case was completely hopeless. I went to visit him at the hospital on a Saturday and prayed for him. By the following Wednesday, my son was discharged completely whole. The beauty of that story is that every other person who had been in the ward when l prayed for him was also discharged.

There was also the case of a lady that had been told by doctors that she had a 99.9% chance of dying from a particular disease. I couldn’t go to the hospital at that time, so l prayed on a handkerchief instead and sent it to her. God used the remaining 0.01% that the doctor left out to save her life. She wrote a book titled, “Rescued from the Jaws of Death”, testifying of her divine healing. I don’t know how hopeless your case seems to be; everyone may have even given up on you, but l decree that God will make a way for you today, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The help of God usually comes from unexpected sources like in 2 Kings 5:1-14. You might be thinking that help would come from a particular place and then it comes from a completely unexpected source. God can send help to you from anywhere because He owns the world and its fullness (Psalm 24:1). The Bible tells us in Exodus 17:1-6 that God brought water out of the rock, meaning that He can send help from the most unexpected sources. Don’t think of how God will help you; just know that He will do it.

When I was to move into my first house at the Redemption Camp in 1985 – now known as The Open Heavens International Centre, it didn’t have any doors or windows and I wanted to move in before October 1. That weekend, we had a School of Disciples meeting and I could have easily raised the needed N50 from my students, since they were more than fifty in number. To me however, that would have been begging. When God called me to ministry, He told me that He would be my source. I just told them, “I need a miracle”. They all prayed for me and left. The following Sunday there was this young lady who came to my office and gave me money that she had been saving so that she could travel abroad. I accepted the money, prayed for her and she left. When I opened the envelope, it was the exact amount that I needed. One Sunday, I saw this young girl again, gorgeously dressed. She explained that she had just returned from London. Her friend’s parents took her abroad on holidays with them, as their daughter had refused to go without her. They paid all her expenses and gave her a shopping allowance. God used that girl to meet my need, then He used her friend’s parents to meet her own need.

You don’t need to calculate how God will send help to you; just tell Him what you need and trust Him. Whatsoever you may need help for right now, God will send it to you in unexpected ways, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Divine help refers to the intervention of God to get a man to a place he is trying to reach. The help of God is always on time; God is never late (Psalm 46:1). Just at the moment when you need help, He will be there-in the nick of time (Psalm 124:1-7).

In 1 Kings 17:8-16, we read the story of a widow in a time of famine. She was going to prepare her last meal so that she and her son could eat before dying. Unknown to her, help was already on the way and that seemingly last meal was the first of many more. Your help is already on its way, in Jesus’ name.

Many years ago, during our annual Convention in The Redeemed Christian Church of God, my wife came to me and said, “Darling, we need 5000 naira to feed the people today”. This was a lot of money in those days. Although I had no money on me then, I responded, “Good, I will send for you”. She left and I turned to the Helper of the helpless, praying for a way to feed everyone there.

Not long after, a man was driving past and decided to stop by. He asked what we were doing and I told him we were having a convention. He said, “That is a very wonderful idea. Next year, I will be part of it”. I thought, “I am talking of today; this man is talking of next year”. The man then put his hand in his pocket and said, “But for now, have this”. He gave me an envelope and left. I opened the envelope and found 1000 naira in it. I said, “Thank you Lord; one down, four to go”. Before long, the youths came to my office and at the end of their visit gave me an envelope with 2000 naira in it. Within a short time, I had all the money needed for the feeding. In the nick of time, God sent help to me. Your help will come today, in Jesus’ name.

The interesting thing about God is that He is the Reverser of the irreversible, so even when it looks as if He is late, He can reverse time for your sake. Sarah laughed when God told her she would carry a child because she believed it was already too late for her and Abraham, but she carried a child to term and delivered safely (Genesis 21:1-2). Even if it seems as if God is late, I decree: He will reverse time for your sake, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When God promotes you, you must never forget that your loyalty must be to Him and only Him. 1 Samuel 15:15-24 records that when Saul became king, he forgot the One who put him there. God sent him on a mission; he failed, and his reason was, “I feared the people”. Don’t try to lower the standard of God because you want to be popular.

Don’t forget that God is sovereign; He can do and undo. He can change His mind. Each time we read 1 Samuel 2, we love to quote verse 8 and ignore verse 7 which says that the Lord makes rich and He makes poor, He can take a beggar from the dunghill and promote him until he is sitting with princes. In 1 Samuel 2:30, He said to Eli, “I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed”. He can promote and He can demote.

Never forget that God always has a substitute ready. You can never hold God to ransom. If He promotes you and you think that without you, He cannot do anything, He would just bring in the substitute. For over a decade, King Saul was still on the throne, but David had already been chosen and anointed king. Saul was merely carrying the title but David was the approved king. Right in the house of Eli, little Samuel was already rising – the one who would take over was already there, in waiting.

My prayer is that God will promote you, but don’t forget that when He does, you must put Him first and obey Him completely. You must help others and never use your position to oppress people. Proverbs 22:22-23 says God Himself will plead the case of those who oppress others. Let your promotion birth promotion for many other people too.

Perhaps you are the one resisting God’s promotion by indulging in one sin or the other. The Bible says if you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, He will Iift you. Surrender all to Him and let Him begin to lift you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God never does anything without a purpose. He promotes people primarily to fulfill His purpose. God promotes men so that they can use their promotion to serve and bless others. A tree does not consume its own fruit; it produces fruit for others to benefit from. You don’t become fruitful just for your own self, but rather, so that you can be of service to others.

According to Exodus 2:11-15, Moses was a fugitive. He was running away from Pharaoh because he had just committed murder, but by the time we get to Exodus 7:1, God said, “See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh…”. God promoted Moses so that he could deliver the nation of Israel. This is why, in Exodus 14:21-28, God could use Moses to clear a way through the Red Sea for the whole nation. 1 Samuel 16:11-13 tells us that when God wanted to appoint a king in his family, He chose the only one that nobody considered relevant – David. By the time He had promoted David, one of the reasons for his promotion came up in the next chapter – God used him to deliver a nation from a terrorist (1 Samuel 17:1-51).

When God promotes a man, it is so that he can help others fulfil their destiny. You can help others become who God wants them to be. This is why I don’t say a word when people criticize us for planting so many Churches, because a lot of people would never have discovered their purpose if they were not sent out. The purpose of God promoting you is to help others become what He planned for them. I pray that you will remember to help others fulfil their destinies when God promotes you.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 22:30 that God sought just one man who would stand between Him and the people so that He would not destroy their nation, but found none. Maybe God is waiting to promote you. If you are willing to help others, God will find you worthy of promotion.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One habit that seems to have crept into the Church recently, is that of showing off to other Church members. There are people who go to Church majorly to show off their new clothes or some other material possession. This is completely outside God’s plan for the Body of Christ. God’s original plan for the Church is for everyone to be united and have everything in common. The Bible says in Acts 2:46-47:

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

The reason the Church is not growing as fast as it should is that there is no singleness of heart. When people prefer to outshine one another in showing off their material possessions than actually caring about each other and the gospel, the Church cannot grow. The reason we have not won the whole world to Christ is that the Church is not united.

The Holy Spirit does not move in the midst of divided people. When the Holy Spirit descended in the Upper Room, the people were in one accord (Acts 2:1). Until Christians love each other and are in one accord, the Church cannot experience the move of the Holy Spirit as it should.

Many Church leaders wonder why the Holy Spirit is not moving as much as they expect, not knowing that the problem is in the divisions within the Church. Some pastors give special attention to the rich in the Church. Apostle James said in James 2:1-5 that you should not give the rich preferential treatment against those that are not so rich, or else you would become a judge with evil thoughts. It doesn’t matter how rich they are, they should not be praised for showing off in the Church, but rather, rebuked.

Believers should dress well and can own luxurious items. However, it is wrong to flaunt material possessions with the intent to oppress others. The Church must unite and cease to be a place where people compete to outshine one another over material possessions.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

As a younger Christian, I had many difficult questions for my pastors. For example, since Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”, I asked where He was before He created Heaven, but none of them could answer. Since I could not get answers from my pastors, I turned to God and He answered me.

The reason we don’t understand certain things in the word of God is in Isaiah 55:8-9:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Some of the things that you are trying to explain with logic are far higher and deeper than what the ordinary human mind can process. In the Sciences, we say, “Prove it and I will believe you”. God however says, “Believe me and I will prove it”. If you are not ready to believe God’s word because you don’t understand it, you may never experience the power in it and you would be the one on the losing end.

There was one particular question that I had from the story of Elisha and the Syrian army who had come to arrest him in 2 Kings 6:8-23. Elisha told them that they were in the wrong place then led them to Samaria where they were captured and then later released.

I wondered for a long time how God could have supported how Elisha deceived the soldiers, until the day He explained by asking, “My son, if death were to come knocking on your door asking for you, would you welcome it in? If sickness comes asking for you, will you hug it? If poverty comes looking for your address, will you say it is in the right place?”

When you have questions, turn to God for answers. He alone can open your eyes to behold the wonders in His word (Psalm 119:18).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

PRAYERS FOR ELDERS

1. Father, thank You for our elders. Thank You Lord, for giving them long life and good health.

2. Father, please forgive all the sins our elders may have committed in the past so that they can have peace in their old age.

3. Father, please give our elders wisdom and understanding to counsel the younger ones correctly.

4. Please Lord, if there is any elder who has not surrendered his or her life to You, please let them encounter You so that they can make it to heaven.

5. Father, please comfort any elder who is lonely. Please Lord bring people around them who will show them love and care.

6. Father, please give our elders good health. Don’t let the diseases that are common to old people come upon the elders around us, Lord.

7. Father, don’t let the godly efforts of our elders go to waste. Let their children carry on their legacy successfully.

8. Father, we ask for unity between elders and youths. Whatever may have caused disunity between elders and youths in families, Churches or communities is destroyed now, in Jesus’ name.

9. Father, please answer the prayers of our elders by fire, in Jesus’ name. James 5:14 says we should go to the elders for prayers when we are sick. As they pray for us Lord, please let their prayers be answered speedily, in Jesus’ name.

10. Father, let our elders leave a good inheritance for us. Let only blessings flow from them to the younger ones, in Jesus’ name.

11. Father, please bless every child who desires to care for his or her parents but does not have the means, in Jesus’ name.

12. Your personal prayer points for the elders in your family, Church and community.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Basically, the reason we eat is so that we can have strength, good health and life. When I was younger, we had a slogan that said, “We eat to live, we don’t live to eat”. The regular meals we eat however, have some limitations. One of the limitations is that there is no one food that has all the nutrients in it, so no ordinary meal can give you all-round vitality. There is however one meal that gives life in abundance. It is the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. Until you eat this meal, you have no life in you (John 6:53).

In Joshua 14:6-14, one of the people who ate the Passover meal, Caleb, said at the age of 85, “I am still as strong today as I was 45 years ago”. When you eat the Holy Communion, your strength is renewed; weakness becomes a stranger to your body. Some years ago, I went to hold a programme in a foreign country, and during one of my prayer walks in the morning, I started feeling faint. I couldn’t walk much further and had to go back to my lodge. Later on, I recalled that we would be eating the Holy Communion that evening so that gave me hope. In the evening after eating the Communion, my strength came back to me. In Psalm 105:37, the Bible speaks about the children of Israel who ate the Passover meal: there was no feeble one amongst them. They all had robust health. Sickness will become a stranger to you when you eat this special meal. In John 6:54, the Lord Jesus Christ said concerning the Holy Communion:

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

We eat to live, have strength and be healthy, but the Holy Communion goes far beyond those three basic things. It acts as a medicine – not an ordinary kind of medicine, but one that defies death. Exodus 12:13 says death will pass over you when it sees the blood. This is the blood of Jesus which is represented by the wine in the Holy Communion. I am believing God for you that when next you eat the Holy Communion, death will stay away from your home, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God usually promotes the most unlikely persons (1 Corinthians 1:26-29), however, once in a while, He also decides to promote someone who has already had some achievements. Before promoting such people though, He would usually first grip them of everything they have achieved then He’ll begin to promote them to a level that is far higher than where they were before. Sadly, those who are not ready to go through this process will miss out on the great promotion God has prepared for them.

When God chose Elisha to be the greatest prophet of his time, he was already a successful farmer from a well-to-do family and all of a sudden, he became homeless – an errand boy to a prophet who was in trouble with the king. God took him from his high state to a very low one and he submitted to the process.

When the Lord chose me, I was the acting Head of the Mathematics Department in University of Ilorin. I had already achieved a lot, considering my poor background and now God was saying, “Leave all that” to become the General Overseer of a Church whose total monthly income at that time was less than my salary. It was a hard decision, especially since I had just broken my family out of poverty, but thank God that I answered the call and submitted to the process. Today, God has graciously lifted me far higher than I could ever have gotten if I had held on to my academic career. Once God sees that you prefer His will to your achievements and your ambition, He will promote you.

The person who has enjoyed the highest promotion from God is Jesus Christ. He was already the Son of God before His earthly ministry. He is the Word and the Bible says that the whole earth was made by Him (John 1:3). He was already big, but when He humbled Himself not only to come to earth in human form, but even to the point of death on the cross, God promoted Him so much that, at the mention of His name, all knees in heaven, on earth and underneath the earth should bow and all tongues confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:9-10). My advice to you today is: humble yourself before God and He will promote you in due time.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

I have come to discover from my walk with God that He usually promotes the most unlikely people. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 tells us that the people who qualify for God’s promotion are usually those considered foolish, weak, little and unimportant. These are the kind of people God usually lifts up because He does not want anyone to take His glory. He does not want anyone thinking it was their achievements that made God choose them for promotion.

God chose Saul as the first king of Israel, even though the young man considered himself unworthy (1 Samuel 9:21).

When Saul disobeyed and God wanted to promote someone else to his position, He sent Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons. When Samuel asked Jesse to bring all his sons, David was not summoned because he was considered the least important among his sons. Jesse obviously thought there was absolutely no way David could be chosen as king, but that was exactly the fellow that God chose. God does not choose those who think they are wise, He chooses the foolish. The moment you think you are the best man for the job, God actually sees you as the worst. You cannot succeed at any divine assignment by your own power and might but only by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).

Anytime I travel and have the opportunity to speak with ministers in any nation, they always have one thing that they want me to address and that is the lack of unity amongst them. I often explain to them that the challenge is not that they do not want to be united; rather, it is a question of who will be the leader once they are united? I often go further to say, “If you realise that God usually chooses the foolish one to be the head, you won’t want to be that fellow, because being the head makes it obvious to everyone that you must be the most foolish of them all!”.

Beloved, if you realise that God will only choose the weak, the base, then you won’t struggle for positions. Keep doing exploits from whatever position you find yourself and rely completely on God as your source of help and direction. In due course, He will promote you far beyond your expectations.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Psalm 75:5-7 says clearly that God is the One who promotes. God alone is the One who promotes – no other person can, not even the so-called godfathers. Striving for positions and receiving titles do not amount to being promoted. Saul still had the title ‘king’ for several years after God had already rejected him and anointed David in his place.

This was why he was helpless before Goliath while David who had been anointed to take his place defeated the giant. When you read 1 Samuel 18:7, you see from the song of the women and children that they had a higher regard for David than Saul even though Saul was still considered the king.

Now that it is clear that God is the one who promotes, the next question is: Who are the people that God usually chooses for promotion? 1 Samuel 2:7-8 says:

The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them.

God can pick up a beggar from the dunghill and begin to promote him until he starts dining with kings. God can promote anyone and my prayer for you today is that your promotion will come rapidly, in Jesus’ name. No one is out of reach for divine promotion. No matter how low you are now, God can still promote you to a place so high that it would beat the imagination of the whole world when they hear your story. If you want God to promote you, you must be one person that He is sure will do His will when you get promoted.

And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
Acts 13:22

Can God count on you to fulfil His will after He has promoted you? If your answer is ‘yes’ then get ready for a divinely arranged promotion.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.