₦airaland Forum

There is tremendous power in what you allow through your ears into your life. Believe me honestly, what you listen to has the power to shape your beliefs and actions. That is why Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing. Interestingly, fear also comes by hearing. What you hear can determine what you become. This is why you must choose who you listen to carefully. When you notice that there is someone whose words leave your heart worse than it was before you listened to him or her, please stay away from that fellow immediately.

There are many preachers out there who leave holiness out of their messages; please stop listening to them. Anyone who only talks about prosperity and things that excite the crowd will lead people to hell.

There are also people around you whose advice you may want to seek from time to time. Please be careful who you choose to advice you. In 2 Samuel 13:1-15, Amnon went to the wrong person for advice; this led to a great crisis in his family and his eventual death (2 Samuel 13:23-29). While it is good to receive advice – after all, Proverbs 11:14 says in the multitude of counsellors is safety, you must also be selective of the kind of people you seek counselling from. Check that fellow’s life first; check how close he is to God because he will only advice you based on his beliefs. Are his beliefs inspired by the word of God or by flesh?

After we had bought many hectares of land for the Redemption Camp, I was counselled not to buy any more land and to build a fence around what we had purchased. Unfortunately, after listening to these counsellors, I did not check with God before I started building the fence. After a while, God asked me, “Who told you to build a fence? Did I give you a limit to how large the camp should be?” Thank God He spoke, and we continued to expand. Today, the camp has become a city. Before you take any advice, be sure that it does not contradict the word of God and also ensure it aligns with God’s will for your life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The simple statement, “In the beginning was the Word…” is pregnant with many meanings. One of those meanings is that before anything that exists now ever existed, the Word was already existing. In other words, He saw the beginning of everything else since all things were made by Him (John 1:3).

The day you dedicate your new house, that is the beginning of your dwelling in that house, but the day you laid the foundation of the house was also another beginning. When the architect began to draw the plan of the house was another beginning while the day you – the Landlord – conceived the idea to build a house was also another beginning all together.

Humanly speaking, the day your Father and mother met together to produce you is another beginning of the house, because if you were not born, you would not have thought of building that house. Jeremiah 1:4-5 says that before God formed you, He knew you. Thus that house of yours started in the mind of God long before you were born. God had in His plan a house that you were going to build even before you were born. Thus, no matter what it is that exists, it has its root in God. This is good news for children of God because since He was in the beginning of everything and everything was made by Him, then everything is controlled by Him – The Word. Therefore, when you simply speak the word of God into any situation, you gain control over it.

Before the mountains were brought forth, He has been God (Psalm 90:1-2). This is why Mark 11:22-24 says that if you have faith, you can speak to any mountain and it will move. For example, if the mountain of sickness wants to bring you down, you uproot it with the word of God in Isaiah 53:5 that by Jesus’ stripes you are healed. If it is the mountain of failure, then you uproot it with the word in Deuteronomy 28:13 that says you shall be the head and not the tail. If it is the mountain of poverty threatening you, then you tell it the word in 2 Corinthians 8:9 that Jesus was made poor that you may be rich. The Word will grant you all-round victory in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In order of importance, your latter end is far more important than your beginning. It does not really matter how you started out; what matters is how you end up.

How you end up is not a function of wishful thinking but a product of the decisions and actions that you take today. There are steps you must take and sacrifices you must make if you want to become great. Believe me honestly, if you only wish and pray that things would turn around and don’t do what you ought to, nothing will change. Solomon, in (2 Chronicles 1:6-15), gave an offering nobody had ever given and got a blessing nobody had ever gotten. It is very clear that If you are willing to pay the price, if you are willing to change your story for the better, your end will be far greater than your beginning.

Genesis 32:3-7 records that Esau got a remnant of the blessing, yet, by the time he was meeting Jacob again, he came with 400 bodyguards. By the time you get to Genesis 33:4-9, after both brothers had embraced each other, Esau turned to Jacob and said he didn’t need the latter’s gifts because he had enough. Clearly, Esau had gained dominion and broken his brother’s yoke on his neck as his father had said in Genesis 27:40.

The Lay Reader is the lowest rank in the hierarchy of the Anglican Church, and this was my father’s role in the Church many years ago. Today, by the special grace of God, I, the son of a Lay Reader, now work side by side with the leader of the Anglican Communion – the Archbishop of Canterbury – to re-evangelise Britain. Such a promotion could only have been ordered by God.

Beloved, draw close to God and be diligent so that your end can be far greater than your beginning. I prophesy into your life, “Your latter days shall be greater than your beginning in Jesus’ name”.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many a time when God allows a mountain to stand in your way, it is because He wants to showcase you to the world. He uses your victory over the mountain to show the world His investments in your life. In 1 Samuel 17:1- 51, when Goliath was marching up and down, terrorising the nation of Israel, God was advertising the mountain so that everyone would see how big it was. At the time Goliath was boasting, nobody knew David yet. Nobody knew that anointing had already come on a little boy from an ordinary home; nobody knew that there was a teenage boy who had killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands. God was about to present him to the whole world. Thank God David did not run away from his mountain that day because by the time he was standing on Goliath’s dead body, lifting his severed head, everybody knew he was someone special.

I pray God will use the mountain before you as an opportunity to showcase His glory upon your life to the whole world in Jesus’ name.

Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”. God derives glory when His children shine their lights and displace darkness brought about by mountains. When there is a problem in your office, it may be the opportunity God has designed to showcase you in that office or industry. When there is a crisis in your family, that could be God’s arrangement to show everyone in the family that He has an anointed child in their midst and to draw them to Himself. Don’t shy away from the problem, face it and solve it.

From Genesis 41:8-44, we saw Joseph was already interpreting dreams as a prisoner before he got the opportunity to interpret the king’s dream, which led to God showcasing him to the whole world. You must diligently and consistently develop yourself so that the day God decides to showcase you to the world; you will be prepared and equipped to overcome the mountain by His grace.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

While it is true that God can solve all problems, when you go closer to Him, you would realise that once in a while, He allows some mountains (problems) to stand in your way. The good thing however, is that if He allows the mountain to stand in your way, it is because He knows you can climb it. For example, in Job’s case, God only allowed what He knew Job could overcome. (1 Corinthians 10:13) says that God will not permit us to be tempted beyond our capacity and He would always provide a way of escape as well.

Sometimes, God allows mountains in the life of His children because he or she is about to be promoted. Before every promotion, there is always an exam that the fellow who is to be promoted must pass. No teacher will give Advanced-level questions to primary school students in an exam. God will not let you face a trial you cannot overcome.

In Daniel 3, after all the horrors of going into the fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were promoted. Job 42:12-16 tells us that at the end of Job’s test, his latter end was far superior to his beginning.

When God allows mountains to stand in the path of His children, He also gives them the required measure of grace to deal with those mountains. The unfortunate thing is that many times, people refuse to use that grace and they just let the temptation take over their lives. There is always a way of escape, no matter how small; you just have to hold on to it so that you can overcome. This is where you need the fruit of the Spirit called, “Longsuffering”. Don’t look for alternatives to God simply because you are facing a mountain. Don’t commit sin in a bid to get rid of that mountain because sin will only bring a bigger mountain your way.

Hold on to God like Job did. Don’t deny Him when you are going through a hard time; Don’t faint in the day of adversity; stand strong, His grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

As opposed to the people who don’t have ears that we discussed yesterday, there are many who do have ears but are too paralysed to practice what they learn from the word of God. They can recall the Pastor’s sermon word for word, but they don’t practice it. They can probably even recite the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, but it does not show in their lives because they do nothing in line with the word. These categories of people are described in (2 Timothy 3:7) as:

Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

These are people who learn but somehow, the word does not take root in them enough for it to change their character. The devil practically paralyses them and stops them from doing what they have learnt. If you are in this category, I declare your freedom today, in Jesus’ name.

One way the devil paralyses people after they have heard the word is through procrastination. They hear and are determined to apply what they have learnt, but then they procrastinate until they lose the zeal to do it. The day my Father-in-the-Lord taught us that worldly music attracts evil spirits while godly music repels them and attracts the Holy Spirit, I destroyed all the worldly music tapes that I had. The night he preached about cleanliness and pointed our attention to the dirt under our beds, that same night when we got home, my wife and I lifted up the mattress and cleaned under the bed and everywhere in our home. We did not wait until the next day.

That is the same way you should practice the word of God: with urgency! James 1:23-25 says that when you don’t practice the word immediately, it is like not adjusting your clothes while standing in front of the mirror. It would be useless to start adjusting them when you no longer have the mirror before you. Don’t let the devil paralyse you; act on God’s word as soon as you hear it.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Having discussed the word of God in the last few days, I must say that there are many who don’t have ears to hear. Revelations 2:7 says, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches…”

There is danger in not hearing the word of God because Isaiah 6:8-10 says if you can hear, then you will repent and be healed. That is why the devil puts in all efforts to steal the word of God from our hearts as we see in Matthew 13:3-23. I am certain that the day you gave your life to Christ, you were not the only one who heard that message. Others heard it and many of them did not surrender their lives to Christ. This is because though they had ears physically, the devil had blocked their spiritual ears. Furthermore, there are a lot of Christians who have been going to Church for many years; the Pastor preaches powerful sermons, but it has had no effect on their lives because the devil has simply blocked their ears in order to keep them in bondage. I pray your spiritual ears will never be blocked, in Jesus’ name.

There are also people who practice selective hearing of the word of God. In their case, the devil doesn’t have to bother himself, they block their own ears themselves (Jeremiah 17:23). They don’t want to hear that passage of the Bible that will condemn what they are doing wrong. When such people hear me say, “God said we should be holy for He is holy” they say, “Doesn’t he have anything else to say”?

Psalm 95:6-8 made it clear that if you want to hear God’s voice, “Harden not your heart”. Some of us have hardened our hearts; we don’t want to hear anymore. Remember the rich man’s plea in Luke 16:19-31 when he told Abraham to send Lazarus to preach to his brothers. Abraham told him that his brothers had prophets speaking to them on earth; if they didn’t listen to them, they wouldn’t hear anyone else. They were destined for destruction.

You have genuine men and women of God teaching you the true word now – this devotional is a testament to that. Listen now so that you will not regret it for eternity.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One of the most beautiful things about the word of God is that it produces faith. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The word helps faith to swell within you, so much so that you begin to do things that were impossible for you before. Daniel 11:32 says, “… but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits”.

The more of God you know, the stronger you become and the more exploits you can do for Him. There is just something powerful that consumes you when you study your Bible; you begin to see through the eyes of God. You would start to see situations as God sees them. You would become bold and fearless. Things that were impossible to you before would become normal; in fact, you would experience some miracles that would be difficult to testify of as people would find it difficult to believe you.

If you can eat the word of God so much that you are filled with it, then Jesus Christ said you can ask Him for anything and He would do it (John 15:7). What a great open secret! If you have been wondering why God answers some people’s prayers speedily, now you know what to do. Hebrews 11:6 says:

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Since faith comes by hearing the word of God and it is impossible to please God without faith, you need the word of God to please Him. If you are like me, always crying to God, saying, “Lord, I just want to please You”, the solution is simple: soak yourself in the word of God.

It is interesting though that fear also comes by hearing so be careful of what you listen to.

Choose to listen to the word of God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Word is almighty. He created all things and indeed, He is God Himself (John 1:1-3). The Word is so powerful that He creates new beginnings. In Exodus 3:1-5, when God spoke to Moses at the backside of the desert, he had a new beginning. Though he had become a fugitive and it seemed he had missed it in life, Moses got a chance for a new beginning the moment he started hearing from God. In John 11:39-44, when Jesus Christ was going to bring Lazarus back from the dead, He didn’t lay hands on him; He only spoke and a new beginning came for someone who had been dead for 4 days. I speak the word of God into your life now: receive a new beginning, in Jesus’ name.

The Word of God is not only all-powerful but also sharp – sharp enough to separate the joint from the marrow and even dividing the soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12). When you see a hardened criminal crying in front of the altar to give his life to Christ, that is an example of what the Word of God can do. It can pierce into the hardest of souls. That is why it is futile trying to change your stubborn relatives using your own words. Preach the word of God to them; pray that the Word pierces through their souls to convict them of their sins.

Someone once said that they were wondering how come we usually have such large crowds at our crusades. They wondered especially because my sermons at such crusades were usually simple and the general theme was always: “Be holy”, yet large crowds attend over and over again and thousands give their lives to Christ every time I make an altar call. I told them it is because beautiful sermons with analysis of the Bible using Greek and Hebrew languages do not convict sinners. Deep thoughts and philosophies can’t convert anyone without the power of the Holy Spirit. Simple and straightforward as the word of God is, it has tremendous power to convert sinners to saints.

If you are a preacher of the gospel, please don’t try to impress the people with how much Greek and Hebrew you know. Just preach the word and trust that the Holy Spirit will accomplish all that the Lord pleases (Isaiah 55:11).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In response to one of the temptations from the devil, our Lord Jesus Christ said, “…It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4).

It is true that as a human being, you need physical food to survive, but it is also true that your spirit man needs spiritual food to survive and that spiritual food is the word of God. If you don’t eat the word of God, you will be spiritually malnourished and it can lead to spiritual death. There are many spiritually dead Christians and even Pastors today because they don’t read their Bibles. God’s word will give you life. Jesus Christ said in John 6:63:

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

The reason many people are depressed is that they hardly feed on the word of God. The Bible says in Jeremiah 15:16, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts”.

When you eat the word of God, it strengthens your spirit man and you begin to feel a kind of joy that cannot be explained. Joshua 1:8 says if you want to have good success, then the book of the law must not depart from your mouth; you are to eat the word of God consistently.

Shortly after I got born again, my brethren and I had a slogan: “No Bible, No Breakfast.” We ate the word before we ate physical food. The first thing you must do in the morning is eat the word. You would then be healthy, because the word had already gone in before physical food.

Resolve today to eat the word of God more than you eat physical food.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, we discussed how God’s word guides you to fulfil His purpose for your life. Today, We will discuss how His word guides you out of trouble. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. – Matthew 10:19

When I became General Overseer, I had a lot of problems because I became the leader over many people who had been in the Church since its inception in 1952 and I just joined in 1973. Some of these people were members of the Supreme Council in those days, so every meeting was hellish for me. They criticised everything. One day, God said, “At the meeting today, you will say nothing until you hear from me”. This particular meeting was the toughest of them all. I kept quiet as instructed and then all of a sudden, God spoke. “Tell them, it is written, every idle word that a man shall speak, he will give account of it” (Matthew 12:36). That was the last time I had a problem with them.

The truth according to John 17:17 is the word of God. With the guidance of the word, you will no longer be confused because the Spirit of truth knows even the hidden truths about all things.

When I left a very promising career in academics to become the General Overseer of a small Church that couldn’t afford to pay the salaries of its staff, it did not make any sense at the time but the Spirit of truth told me that my tomorrow would be all right if I took that path. Today I am glad I did. When the Redeemed Christian Church of God established its camp in the middle of a forest filled with snakes and highway robbers, it did not make sense, but that is where the Spirit of truth led us. Today, that same place has become a highly sought-after city to live and work in.

Let the word of God guide you in every decision you take. You can’t know better than the Spirit of truth; consult Him before you make any move and you will never regret it.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In (1 Kings 17:2-16), God sent His word to guide Elijah to where he would get food for a period of time. When the time elapsed, the word came again, telling him to go to Zarephath where God had already made arrangements for his feeding through a widow.

The word of God guides; He tells you what to do when there seems to be no way out of a difficult situation. I pray that the Lord will open your ears so that you can begin to hear from Him.

You will solve problems faster if you can hear directly from God. When I was working on my PhD thesis, I ended up with many simultaneous equations. Even solving one of these is stressful enough, talk less of the volume I had to deal with! I tried and tried to solve them but I couldn’t. One day, before going to bed, I read Exodus 14 where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. Suddenly, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Bring your equations”. I did just that and then He began to say, “Put this one on the right, put this one on the left and so on”. By the time I finished and took a look at those on the right, they all had something in common. It was the same thing for those on the left. Because they were all jumbled together before, I couldn’t see that. The Lord then said, “Solve the ones on the right separately, the ones on the left separately, then combine. That was exactly what happened at the Red Sea. The sea parted, the Israelites passed through and the sea came together again killing Pharaoh and his army.” Five hours later, my thesis was ready. God’s voice solved in 5 hours what I hadn’t been able to solve in 18 months. When my thesis was taken to the external examiner, he read through and said, “Award this boy his PhD; I have no question for him”. He was told that there must be an oral examination, but he insisted that he had no questions for me. He had no questions because I wasn’t the one who solved that problem, it was the Word of God Himself who did.

If you allow the word of God to be your guide for every decision you make, you will never walk in darkness and He will guide you to the fulfilment of His purpose for your life John 8:12).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When you read the Word’s mission statement in Luke 4:18-19, you will see that He came to preach deliverance to the captives. In other words, the Word – Jesus Christ, is the deliverer of captives. In Mark 5:1-15, God sent the Word to the Gadarenes for just one assignment: to deliver a man that had been possessed by demons.

Wherever God’s word enters, light enters that place too and darkness vanishes. Psalm 119:130 says, “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Every form of darkness in your life will vanish as you read the word in this devotional, in Jesus’ name.

In Daniel 5:5-30, when Belshazzar was being consumed by pride, God sent His word as a dream to deliver him from the pride of his heart. Unfortunately, he did not listen, so he eventually suffered the consequences of pride by being killed that same night.

Many a time, Christians begin to engage in something that can destroy them. When God decides to save them from that destruction, He sends the word to them. God’s word may come through a sermon, a godly friend, the Bible or even directly from the Holy Spirit. When that word comes, if the fellow is wise, he would desist from whatever God is trying to save him from.

I know numerous people who got a word from God that could have delivered them from their destructions but did not listen and were eventually destroyed. Don’t let that be your case.

Has the Lord been warning you to desist from a particular sin? Has He given you some instructions you are yet to heed? Have you been rejecting the call to surrender your life to Jesus Christ? Beloved, heeding God’s word brings salvation and disobeying Him leads to destruction. Choose wisely.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Jesus Christ, the Word of God Himself read the reason for which He travelled all the way from heaven to earth, that is, His mission statement, in Luke 4:18-19:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

God sees when your heart is broken, and to mend your heart, He sends His word.

Many years ago, there was a boy I loved so much because he was very committed to God in evangelism. During his National Youth Service Corp year however, this boy died. His fellow Youth Corpers came together to pray for him, but then he came back to life, sat up and told them, “God asked me to come and tell you that you are disturbing Him; stop praying” and he died again. When I heard the news, I was really heartbroken. As a Pastor, I had to put up a bold front to everyone, but throughout that period, whenever I got back home, I would cry. I was really heartbroken.

One day, however, God sent His Word to me, saying, “My son, why are you so sad” I responded, “It is because of the death of this boy”. The Word came again, saying “No, that is not really why you are sad. You are sad because you and the boy are apart; now he is in heaven and you are still here on earth”. I said, “That is true”. The Lord then said, “If you are going to a far country that you have never been to, won’t you be happy to have someone you know go ahead of you so that when you arrive, there would be someone waiting to welcome you?” I said, “Yes”. The Lord then concluded thus: “Your boy has only gone ahead of you; when it is time for you to arrive, he will be waiting to give you a warm welcome”.

When you are heartbroken, don’t look to social media, movies, drugs, alcohol or friends to make you feel better; the real mender of broken hearts is the word of God. His word can come to you through a sermon, Bible study, or directly from the Holy Spirit.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Whenever God wants to do something special, His word takes up the form of a traveller and goes to the place where healing is needed. Psalm 107:20 says:

He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

At one point or the other, you will need the intervention of God over a matter; in that period, God can send His word on an errand to help you. My prayer is that God will never withhold His word from coming to you. When His word comes to you, it means a solution has come to your problems.

One of the special things that the word travels to do is to bring about healing. God created all the parts of your body. If you discover that any part of your body is not functioning as it should, cry to Him and He will send His word to heal it or install a spare part if the damage is beyond repair. That is what happened in Matthew 8:8-1³ when the Centurion’s servant was ill and he told Jesus to only speak the word and his servant would be healed.

And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. – Luke 5:17.

In the Bible passage above, as Jesus was sharing the word, the power of God was present to heal the sick. I used to lay hands on all the sick people at our programmes, but then, Luke 5:17 showed me that the healing can be going on simultaneously with the sermon. Now, even as I preach, God heals the sick. This is why I pity those who get carried away during the sermon; you are missing out on a lot more than you know.

Put all your faith in the Word of God today, and you will receive divine healing in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

From John 1:1-18, we can clearly see that the Word is Jesus Christ (John 1:14). The Word is extremely powerful. If you can know and be filled with the Word, then there is nothing that would be impossible to you.

If you meet someone and the fellow is introducing himself to you, he is likely to tell you what he does. For example, a Civil engineer will most likely introduce himself as one. In getting to know the Word also, you must first know what the Word does. According to John 1:1-3, the Word is the Creator of all things. Is there anybody who can duplicate the sun, moon, seas, or the human brain? Do you know that it is the Word that created you? To prove that all His creations are masterpieces, He put a unique code in your fingerprints such that no other creation of His is exactly like you. Someone else may have the same height, looks and complexion as you, but no two people are exactly the same. He made you unique for a purpose and you will fulfil that purpose in Jesus’ name.

When you see a masterpiece, it is usually extremely valuable, so valuable that no one can place a price on it and it’s thus often auctioned to the highest bidder. Matthew 16:26 says that your soul is so precious that even if all the riches in this world were to be put in a bid for your soul, there still wouldn’t be enough value for it. That is why I marvel when I see people selling their soul to the devil for material wealth. Such people are selling themselves short. The only price that is worth being paid for your soul is the blood of the Lord Jesus – the Word Himself. He has shed His blood and paid the price for you to be with Him for eternity.

Some sell their souls to the devil because they are lusting after a woman. Some sell their souls by telling lies so as not to get in trouble with men. There is nothing the world and the devil has to give that can be as valuable as your soul. Don’t sell yourself short to the enemy, the Word has already purchased you with His priceless blood.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

If the richest man in the world gave you $100 and then later tells you to give him the money because he needs it for something, you are likely to give him immediately because he was the one who gave you the money in the first place and you know that he can give you even much more again. This is why I am surprised when I see people who refuse to pay their tithes. The fellow who is asking you to bring 10% is the One who gave you the 100% in the first place. He even promised you in Malachi 3:10 that if you give Him 10% of whatever He blesses you with, He will pour down a blessing so big that it would be difficult for you to contain it, yet you refuse to give Him the 10%; whose loss is it?

In Hebrews 11:17-19, the Bible says that when Abraham obeyed God by taking Isaac to the mountain to be sacrificed, it was because he got him from God in the first place and knew that if his son died, the Lord who gave Isaac to him could raise him from the dead. Abraham knew that he did not produce the boy, so offering him back to the One who produced him was not difficult. It is the same with Hannah after she had Samuel and took him back to God (1 Samuel 1:24-28).

In all the cases where God asked someone for something and the fellow obeyed, God ended up giving the fellow more than He had asked for. It is obvious then that He is not really interested in what He asked you to do, but rather in your obedience. God is very particular about obedience; if He asks you to give your car to somebody and you refuse, but bought another car for the fellow, you would have missed the mark. He is not as interested in your sacrifices as in your obedience. 1 Samuel 15:22 says:

…Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

God’s instructions are tough sometimes, but when you think about it carefully and realise that He owns everything you have, it becomes easy to obey Him. Don’t become like King Saul who forgot his origin and ended up in disgrace – the same disgrace he was trying to avoid when he disobeyed God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

We often have high expectations for how God will respond to various challenges that come our way, but after a while, when we don’t get the expected responses, we begin to wonder if God has even noticed our prayers.

The Bible says in Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.”

I want to let you know that God can see you and He will answer your prayers in a way you never thought possible, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Hannah had been attending Shiloh for many years but little did she know when she was leaving home in 1 Samuel 1:3-18 that this was going to be the last Shiloh she would attend as a barren woman.

Several years ago, we went to Haiti to conduct a crusade which was being broadcast over their radio. While preaching, I relayed to them God’s word of prophecy, saying, “There is someone listening to me now who is impotent; the Lord asked me to tell you that He has restored your potency.” A man who had been impotent was lying down on his bed in his house far away from where we were, heard that word on the radio and he was healed immediately. The man ran down to where we were, shouting, “I am the one. I am the one.” I don’t know for how long he had been praying and whether he had given up hope or not, but I am sure he was not expecting God to send a preacher from Africa to him. Thank God he had not given up; he was still in tune with God, listening to the live broadcast of a crusade.

I don’t know how long you may have been praying or if you are beginning to lose hope, but God can see you and even if He has to bring a man of God from the very ends of the earth, He will answer you soon, in Jesus’ name. Keep waiting on the Lord, He’ll never disappoint you (Psalm 27:14).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many years ago, when The Redeemed Christian Church of God was much smaller, one of my daughters-in-the-Lord told me, “Daddy, you must be at my wedding”. I laughed and said, “Okay, let’s look through my diary for a free date”. We looked through the Saturdays for the rest of that year and even the one after, but could only find one free in July the next year. She said, “Glory be to God; that is the date of my wedding”. The next year came and my mother died in July, while I was in London on an assignment and because I hadn’t written the lady’s marriage appointment in my calendar, my wife saw that Saturday free in my calendar and said, “Yes, this is when we will bury Mama”.

I loved my mother very much – I am her last born and only son, but because of how committed this lady was to having me at her wedding, I couldn’t let her down. There was no other free day so I decided that we would do the funeral on Friday so that I could attend the wedding on Saturday.

When God sees a committed fellow, when He sees someone that will do anything to fulfil His will, He will also be committed to that person. Abraham’s heart was totally committed to God – so committed that he was willing to sacrifice his son just to fulfil God’s will. That is why God was so committed to blessing him, even to the extent of swearing thus, “… By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son…” (Genesis 22:16).

Some people are not even committed in paying just 10% of their income to God as tithe and they want Him to be committed to their financial success. Some church workers are not committed enough to the work of God so they either go late or miss workers’ meetings, yet they want God to be committed to their businesses. Some Pastors hardly fast and pray for the work that God has put in their hands, yet they want God to be committed to the growth of the ministry. He can see your level of commitment and He is using it to weigh His commitment to you as well.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Not many people know what it really means to wait on God. I’ll try to explain it using how a waiter waits on guests at an upscale restaurant. The waiter ensures the guest sits comfortably then proceeds to take his or her order. The waiter then ensures the order is delivered promptly and exactly as specified by the guest.

Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 6:13, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Having done everything you know to do before God, stand. Once you are serving Him, winning souls, following up on them, paying your tithes, giving your offerings, honouring Him with your first fruits and all else you know to do, according to His word, the only thing left is to stand. You are to wait on Him, asking “Lord, what else do you want me to do?”. The moment you get an answer, jump into action.

When those who wait on the Lord go to Him in prayers, they pray the way He would want them to: they pray His word back to Him. Since it is His word, He will answer it. They don’t pray only just when they feel like it; many times, they feel Him nudging them to pray even when they do not feel like. Those who wait on the Lord don’t seek their own pleasure in life; all they want is to please their Master. If God tells them, “I need all the money in your bank account for this project” they don’t hesitate; they drop the money immediately. They are always at His beck and call, willing and eager to do His bidding.

Now, when you have had a very good waiter attend to you at a restaurant, you are likely to drop a tip for the fellow. The tip that God gives you in return for waiting on Him, according to Isaiah 40:31, is that He will renew your strength. This means that sickness and even old age will not have power over you. He will become your doctor, taking care of you by Himself. Also, He will give you wings to fly like an eagle. In other words, you will be in a class of your own. Great men will call you great. You will excel so much in all you do that it will be difficult for anybody to beat your record. Commit to waiting on God from today, He rewards all those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The presence of the Most High God is the best place anyone can be in. Those who spend time in His presence are always in control of life’s situations rather than the other way round. Elijah was just coming from the presence of God in 1 Kings 17 when he commanded that there should be no rain or dew for three years and it was so. If you want to be in control, then what you really need is to be in God’s presence. It’s a good thing we have the criteria required for you to be in God’s presence listed in Psalm 24:3-6. They are as follows:

1. You must have clean hands. In 2 Corinthians 6:17, God said: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” You have to be careful what you touch with your hands. I’ve always told my children to be careful what they sign. If a report is wrong or misleading, don’t append your signature. Don’t steal, don’t manipulate reports; watch what your hand touches.

2. Your heart must be pure. Matthew 5:8 says: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Be careful of what you let into your heart and what you meditate upon if you truly want to dwell in His presence.

3. Your heart must not be lifted up to vanity. Colossians 3:1-3 says: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” You must regularly check what motivates you to do what you do. Are you driven by material or spiritual things? 1 John 2:15 says you should not love the world or things of the world, that if you love the world then the love of the Father is not in you.

4. You must not be a liar. Revelation 22:15 made it clear: “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” If you are a liar or someone who takes part in the benefits of other people’s lies, God will keep you outside His presence.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

What you wear matters. While it is true that God says in (1 Samuel 16:7) that He looks at the heart, it is also true that what is inside you can reflect on the outside. The way harlots would dress should be different from the way a child of God does. In order to buttress this point to my Bible College students one day, I bought two oranges of the same size – one yellow, the other green. I stood before the class and asked them to indicate which they would prefer to have. They all chose the yellow one, because, according to them, it was the ripe one and so would be sweet. I asked how they knew and they replied: “The outside shows”. That’s the point I’m trying to make.

What you wear really matters. In Matthew 22:1-14, a king went through the crowd of guests at his son’s wedding and saw a man who wasn’t wearing clothes suitable for a wedding and so commanded that the man be kicked out.

I was talking to a relative who was always dressing like people of the world. I said, “You belong to a special family. The enemies are looking at us; if they want to attack, they will look for someone who is among us but different from us. You’re the only one standing out. If they decide to attack, they will find it easy to pick on you”.That changed the person’s mind completely.

Finally, you remember the story of Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52. When he was told that Jesus was calling on him, the first thing he did was throw away his garment. He was saying, in essence, “I will never dress like a beggar again; I’m not going to beg again, I’m not going to be in sorrow again, I’m not going to be in darkness again. “When you give your life to Jesus Christ, there should be a change of garments.

In Mark 5:25-34, the woman with the issue of blood said, “I just want to touch the hem of his garment”. The clothes Jesus was wearing was the conduit for the anointing that healed her. Acts 19:11-12 tells us that handkerchiefs and aprons were taken from the body of Paul to effect healing and deliverance. Your dressing is important and should glorify God always.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

A storm is a problem so big and weighty that no one can single-handedly resolve it. However, storms can be stilled, and from my study of the Scriptures, such an occurrence is the result of a collaboration between God and man.

When a storm was brewing at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, there was a need for the servants to collaborate with Jesus in order to still it (John 2:1-10). If they had argued about pouring water inside a pot and taking a cup of it to the Chairman of the wedding, the storm would not have been stilled.

When the prophet’s widow in (2 Kings 4:1-7) was hit with a storm that would have taken away her sons, she was told to borrow many empty vessels into which she was to pour her little oil. That instruction did not make any sense but she did her part by obeying and God did His by multiplying the oil. If you can collaborate with God, He can help you still any storm.

Some years ago while preparing for a programme in the North, I was told how the sandstorms there could get so bad that there would be no visibility at all. I said, “I see”. That evening, while holding the programme outside as the crowd was too much for the little Church, a sandstorm suddenly started and people began to panic. I then heard my Father say to me, “Stretch your hand and say, ‘Peace’. I did just that and immediately, the wind stopped, the sand fell back to the ground and we had a wonderful programme.

In Mark 4:35-41, the Lord and His disciples were travelling in a boat when a storm arose. The Lord got up and stilled the storm, but then asked, “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”

Is there a storm in your life that has threatened you for long? The question for you is, “How is it that you have no faith?” Don’t you know that, if you would only collaborate with God, you would still that storm? Go to God in prayer and stay in His presence until He tells you what to do to still that storm. A man or woman of God should not be frightened by a storm. He or she should simply speak peace to the storm in the name of Jesus and it would become still.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Beyond the willingness to do the Lord’s will, another thing we notice about people who God promotes is that they are very humble. They don’t regard themselves more highly than they ought. In 2 Samuel 6:20-23, we see the same trait in Michal as was in her father, because just like Saul, she cared too much about what the people thought, whereas David’s focus was on giving praise to the Lord who made him king. If you can be humble enough to praise God in whatever way you can in front of people, if you don’t think too highly of yourself, He will keep promoting you.

As far as God is concerned, the one who should be at the top should be able to wash the feet of his subordinates, not one who wants everyone to see and regard him as above them all. Mark 10:44 says, “And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.”

When you are full of pride, God will resist you rather than lift you (James 4:6). If you really want to experience divine promotion, you must humble yourself before the Lord.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
1 Peter 5:6

Furthermore, James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

One day, God showed me a vision of two graphs. The graphs look like two mountains with a valley in between them. He asked me where I was on the graph, “Top or bottom?”. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, I replied “The bottom”, knowing that from there, He could then lift me. The Lord then said to me, “If you want to go to the top, then you have to be humble; you have to remove the titles ‘Reverend Doctor’ from your name and simply be called ‘Pastor’”. I did that and since then, I have been enjoying divine promotion. If you would choose to be truly humble, the only way to go would be higher.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

1 Samuel 2:7-8 tells us that God can make one fellow poor and another rich, He can bring one down and raise another. He can lift a beggar out of the dust and keep on promoting him until he is sitting amongst princes. Psalm 75:7 says further, “But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”

What does God look out for in the people He promotes? The first thing, according to our memory verse, is a willingness to do His will. Once He finds out that you are the kind of fellow who always wants to do His will, then He will mark you out for promotion. If He sees how passionate you are about lifting His name above every other name, He will lift you. This is the kind of heart that David had; it was this passion that made him confront Goliath when he heard the giant defiling the name of the Lord.

And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
1 Samuel 17:26

In 1 Samuel 17:45-47, David said that the fight belonged to God. He wasn’t fighting for his own accolades; he was fighting for the glory of God. How passionate are you about the will of God being done in your life and around you?

Once in a while, a fellow could start out pursuing the Lord’s will, so He promotes him or her, but then along the line, the person could get so carried away with power that he or she is no longer pursuing the Lord’s will. The Lord responds by demoting such a fellow immediately and disgracefully, as we see in the story of King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:23.

Today, when people talk about King Saul, they use him as a bad example. You can hardly find any good thing to say about him. That is the lot of those who, after being promoted by God, begin to do their own will rather than His.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Not everyone gets the opportunity to stand before kings. Standing before kings represents being at the very top of your career or profession. It means that you have become so successful, you are also a king in your own field of operation. The Bible says that if you want to stand before kings, you must be diligent (Proverbs 22:29). Laziness must disappear from your diary. Slothfulness must not be part of your lifestyle at all.

You cannot rise to the top of your profession if you are lazy. The Bible says:

The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
Proverbs 12:24

Proverbs 23:21 also says, “For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags”.

In the 1970s, there was a positive confession revolution. Many people confessed that they had Mercedes Benz cars, but you’ll find them still lazing around their homes by 10 a.m. on most days. Many years later, they were still making positive confessions but the Mercedes Benz cars did not appear. It is not enough for you to confess that you will be great, you need to back it up with hard work. Greatness is not for lazy people. Proverbs 24:33-34 says, “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.”

It is the word of God that says those who would not work should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). He has given you the power to make wealth as promised in Deuteronomy 8:18, but if you are not diligent at what you do for a living, the wealth will not come.

God can open a door for you, but you would have to get up and walk through it. My God does not bless laziness.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Prayers For The Church

Father, thank you for the Body of Christ in my nation and all over the world. Thank you that the gate of hell cannot prevail over the Church.

Father, please purify your church. Cleanse us and make us whole.

Father, please let there be a new wave of revival by the Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ in Jesus’ name.

Lord pour your Spirit upon us afresh. We need fresh fire Lord. Father, pour fresh fire upon your Church more than the days of old.

Father, help the Church to do more for you. Help us to win more souls until the entire world is saved. Help us to fill the world with Your love and light.

Father, keep sicknesses and diseases far from every member of the Body of Christ in Jesus’ name.

Father, please keep your Church United. Don’t allow the enemy to divide us. Please increase your love in our hearts so we are united to do your work.

Father, when the righteous rule, the people rejoice. Please Lord, raise righteous people who become leaders in nations and states all over the world.

Father, uproot and expose all false prophets and Pastors misleading your people. Let them be disgraced if they do not repent in Jesus’ name.

Father, help us to do Your will. Help the elders, the young, old and even children in the Body of Christ all over the world to do only what you say.

Father, help us to follow You whole heartedly in Jesus’ name.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Jesus said in Mark 16:15, “…Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel…” This is an express command to all disciples of Jesus Christ. From the scripture above, it is clear that all followers of Jesus have been assigned to preach the word but you may then ask, “Who should we preach to?” Jesus also provided the answer in the concluding part of the verse above. He said His followers are to preach to ‘every creature’ and in Matthew 28:19-20 He also said, “Preach the gospel to all nations”.

You may then ask, “When should I preach the word?” The Holy Spirit answered this question through Paul’s second letter to Timothy as we see in 2 Timothy 4:2. The word of God should be preached at all times. In other words, we must preach the word when it is convenient and when it is inconvenient.

You may also wonder why Jesus commanded all His disciples to preach the word to every creature and all the nations of the world. Romans 10:13-15 provides a clear answer:

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 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? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

It is God’s desire to save the whole world from sin and eternal damnation – but how will everyone hear the gospel if there are no preachers? Jesus Christ said that the harvest is plenteous but the labourers are few (Matthew 9:37). Sign up today to become a vibrant co-labourer with the Lord and you will begin to experience divine signs and wonders in your life.

Indeed, the feet of those who preach the gospel are beautiful (Romans 10:15) and he who wins souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30).

If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and saviour, please do so right away so you can also join in spreading the gospel of God’s salvation to every creature on earth.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Everything you see on earth originates from God – even those that were manufactured by man. This means that God is in control of all resources on earth. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein”. Whatever anyone has was given to him or her by God. That uncle you are depending on to help pay your school fees is only a vessel in the hands of God; he is not your provider. If your hope is in him and he were to lose his source of livelihood tomorrow what would you do? Man cannot be depended on at all; only God can provide for you in any situation or circumstance.

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
Jeremiah 17:5

Every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17). Put your trust in Him for the provision of all your needs and you will see Him meeting them one after the other. Before you seek help from any human being, ask God. Talk to Him and let Him be the One to direct you to whoever He has ordained to help you. David understood this, so he said, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2).

What do you need to do to keep enjoying the provision of God? Be generous. If you are stingy, remember that you will receive in the same measure you give. Jesus taught us in Luke 6:38 that when you give, men will in turn, give unto you. In other words, do not expect to receive if you don’t give. This principle is simple and easy to understand. Give to the poor (Psalm 41:1), to them that are of the household of God (Galatians 6:10), to the Lord (Proverbs 3:9-10).

Remember, God is your only source and giving according to His will opens up avenues to receive good and perfect gifts from Him.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There are many great leaders in this world. However, there is Someone called the Most High, the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). He is higher than the highest (Ecclesiastes 5:. Isaiah 66:1 says heaven is His throne and the earth is His footstool. According to Revelation 19:16, He is the King of kings. Put in modern terms, He is the President of all the presidents in the world.

The Most High God rules in the affairs of men (Daniel 4:25). In Daniel 4:34-35, the king of the country considered as the superpower in the world at that time confessed that the dominion of the Most High is forever. Thus, once in a while, when one earthly leader or the other is beginning to feel big and in control, God teaches the fellow a lesson and shows the whole world that He is still in control. God demonstrated through the Coronavirus pandemic that despite the sophistication of the leaders of the world, they are powerless without Him and so they must surrender to His Lordship.

Proverbs 21:1 says He is the one who controls the heart of kings like rivers of water. When an earthly king is beginning to prove stubborn and refuses to bow to His Lordship, He can deal with the fellow in one of two ways. The first is by shifting something in the king’s brain so that he would begin to act like an animal. After a while, when he has learnt his lesson and really seen who is in charge, God would then restore his sound mind and He may even restore his throne too. This is what happened to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:30-37. The second way that the Most High can deal with such a king is to harden his heart and then destroy him, using him as an example to the whole world that He is still sovereign. This is what happened to Pharaoh in Exodus 15:4-6.

Something similar happened in Nigeria a few years ago when a military head of state was acting as if he owned the country, killing people and doing as he pleased. When his cup became full, God removed him permanently.

If you find yourself in a leadership position, don’t let it get into your head; always remember God is the one truly in charge.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Romans 13:1 says that anyone who is in authority was put there by God. In fact, Romans 13:4 says a leader is a minister of God and a revenger to execute wrath upon those that do evil.

Ecclesiastes 8:4 says, “Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?” Anyone in authority is powerful and should be obeyed unless their commandments negate the word of God.

Romans 13:3-4 says that the king bears a sword and you should fear him because he is not wielding it in vain. In other words, he is empowered to use that sword if you do wrong. Our experience when the Coronavirus pandemic started clearly showed the power of those in authority like never before. For example, when the government declared a lockdown, everyone was more or less automatically placed under house arrest. God gave them that much power. It doesn’t matter whether you are the most anointed fellow around – you must obey them because the One who anointed you is the same Person who put them in power.

What will we Christians look like if we always disobey constituted authority? Do you think our Heavenly Father wants the whole world to see His children as stubborn and unruly people? If anyone would disobey authority, it should not be Christians because the very essence of Christianity itself is in holiness, that is, complete obedience. When a businessman who is also a Pastor is the very one doctoring figures and evading taxes, would he be able to preach the gospel to the tax officials who discover his crime? When people see you throwing trash on the street or running a red light, what image are you painting to them of your Father? Believe me honestly, when you disobey constituted authority, you have disobeyed God, so when the authority uses their sword on you, God will not come to your rescue. God requires His children to obey constituted authorities. Disobeying those He has put in authority amounts to rebellion, which is a sin (1 Samuel 15:23).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There are many people living substandard lives because they don’t balance their spiritual and physical lives. Many Christians do everything spiritual; they pray, study their Bibles, are wonderful workers in the Church, evangelise and so on, but then, ignore diligence in the workplace, the need to eat healthy, and the need to build a good connection with their family members. At the end of the day, they are not pleased with how their lives are and they sometimes wonder why God is not magically making everything right. While you must do all that God expects you to do to be fit spiritually, you must not neglect what you need to do to be fit physically as well. Galatians 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

If you neglect your health, do not be surprised when you fall ill. If you sow disregard for your wife/husband and children, you would naturally reap disregard from them too. If you sow lack of diligence in your workplace, poverty would follow (Proverbs 6:10-11). What you sow in the spiritual, you will reap just as you will also reap what you sow in the physical.

3 John 2 tells of God’s wish for our prosperity, good health and spiritual growth. The case of those who put all their attention on the physical and neglect the spiritual is however, worse. For many of such people, they begin the fire brigade approach of fasting and praying for that specific problem, but may not get the desired answers because there are some things that only answer to a Father-child relationship with God (Matthew 15:26).

The kind of life that God wants you to live is one where there is a balance between the spiritual and the physical – one where you can live a fulfilled life here on earth and then spend eternity in heaven when you leave the earth. That is a well-balanced life. That is the kind of life you should seek to live.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.