₦airaland Forum

Jesus Christ cast demons out of people during His earthly ministry, and He also charged all Christians to do the same thing:

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Matthew 10:8

Deliverance, however, is beyond casting out demons. True deliverance happens when a demon is unable to return and repossess a fellow that has been delivered from it. Jesus said in Matthew 12:43-45 that when an evil spirit comes out of a fellow, it wanders around looking for a place to stay. If it doesn’t find a place to stay, it will go back to check if its former home is still empty. If it discovers that the place is empty, it will invite other demons that are more wicked than it, and they will reside in the fellow’s life. The end of such a fellow will then become worse than when he or she was possessed by only one demon. As a child of God, the moment you cast out a demon from someone, see to it that the fellow is filled with the Holy Spirit. If the demon returns and finds that the Holy Spirit already occupies the fellow, it can’t repossess him or her.

After Jesus cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene, she became one of His followers and followed Him until the end of His earthly ministry. The moment the Lord set her free, she became a divine treasure and committed to serving God with all that she had. Her commitment made her one of the first people to see Jesus after he was resurrected (John 20:13-18). In Luke 8:26-39, after Jesus cast the legion of demons out of the madman of Gadara, He told him to go about preaching the gospel. It is not enough for a demon to be cast out of a fellow; the real deliverance is when he or she is filled with the Holy Spirit such that the demon cannot return to repossess the fellow.

Beloved, true deliverance is when your heart is filled with the Holy Spirit because you pray and feed on the word of God daily, fast regularly, and live a holy life. True deliverance is when a delivered fellow does not return to his or her old lifestyle but rather remains filled by the Holy Spirit such that there cannot be a repossession by demons.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Today, I will conclude the teaching I started two days ago by examining prophecies that come from the Holy Spirit.

Years ago, God told me to wear seven agbadas to one of our programmes, even though He knows I do not like putting on any kind of agbada at all, not to mention wearing seven at a time. Even for those who like to wear agbadas, wearing two at a time, not to talk of seven, will be considered absurd. The instruction was strange, but because I know His voice, I obeyed. Then, He asked me to dance for a while and lay them on the altar afterwards. I obeyed again, and He said, “Let anyone who has a problem touch one of the agbadas. However, they should not hold them.” I relayed the message to the congregation, and many people came forward to touch the agbadas. We finished the service by 8am, and I retreated into my prayer room. Around 5pm, I heard some knocks on the door. When I opened the door, some church members told me, “A man is about to die.” They explained that the man had held on to one of the agbadas, claiming that his problem required more than one touch, and he had been shaking vigorously since then. The clothes looked ordinary, but because God had given instructions concerning them, they were saturated with power. I had to plead with God before the man stopped shaking.

A while later, I travelled to the United States for one of our conventions, and God instructed me to take one of the agbadas with me. During the service, I told the congregation that they should only touch the agbada and not hold on to it. A white man in the congregation said, “What kind of nonsense is that?” However, he went forward to touch the garment. The man was wearing an iron brace on his back, which enabled him to stand upright. Immediately he touched the agbada, the iron brace broke to pieces, and he received his healing.

Beloved, when the Holy Spirit speaks, whatever He says will always come to pass. No matter how foolish some utterances may sound, when God is the source, they will not fall to the ground. To hear from God, however, you must relate intimately with the Holy Spirit so you can distinguish between His voice, the voice of the devil, and the voice of your human spirit.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, I started teaching about the sources of prophecy and how a prophecy can come from the human spirit. Today, I will discuss some ways prophecies can come from the devil.

The prophecies that come from the devil are lies with some elements of truth in them to confuse and derail the recipients. The devil might even misinterpret a portion of the Scriptures to support his lies so that a believer will think that the prophecy is from God. When a prophecy comes from the devil, it is only a matter of time before it produces the fruits of the devil. When satan gets to a place, he has three assignments: to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Any prophecy from him will eventually steal from those who believe it, kill their joy and dreams, and destroy their hope.

When the young girl in Acts 16:16-18 said some prophetic words, they had many elements of truth in them. However, Paul knew that her words were from the devil. The devil wanted the people to keep their focus on the girl and not on Jesus. He wanted to distract men from knowing Jesus. The devil knows how to say things and manipulate them to come to pass. Some people hear prophecies from the devil and just ignore them; however, that can be dangerous. There was a very wealthy man who quarrelled with his wife, and she told him that by the time she was ‘done’ with him, he would have to walk to get anywhere within Lagos. When the woman said that, the man laughed because, at that time, he had fourteen cars. Before long, however, he lost all his cars until he had just one left and only 50 kobo in his pocket. He then said to himself, “If I use this 50 kobo to fuel my car, what will I eat? If I buy food with the money, then I will have to walk around Lagos like my wife prophesied.” That was when he came to Jesus Christ, and Jesus began to remedy his situation. On the day he shared his testimony, he dedicated two new houses. I pray for you today that any negative prophecy that might be working against your life and destiny is nullified, in Jesus’ name.

Beloved, you must be careful about the people you give permission to speak into your life. If someone speaks something that is contrary to God’s will into your life, plead the blood of Jesus and cancel it immediately.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Prophecies come from three major sources: the devil, the human spirit, and the Holy Spirit. Today, I will discuss prophecies from the human spirit.

When a prophecy comes from people’s spirits, they will say things that they sense will happen, but most times, they won’t happen. Many times, a person could get excited and think, in that moment, that he or she has heard from God; however, it could be that the person only heard from his or her human spirit. This is why you must put your emotions in check whenever you want to hear from God so that you won’t hear from your human spirit and assume you heard from God. When you are expecting to hear from God, and your mind is fixed on a particular result that you want, you will likely hear a confirmation of that result from your human spirit and assume that God has spoken.

When I was much younger in ministry and there were signs that I would be travelling frequently on ministerial assignments, an airline offered me some really good packages. I was excited by the offer and prophesied that the airline would prosper and never suffer any disaster. Shortly after my declaration, the airline suffered a plane crash. I could have just prayed for them and blessed them; instead, I prophesied based on my emotions.

If you do not let go of your emotions and allow God to sincerely search your heart, you will hear the idols of your heart giving you the go-ahead when you approach God for His counsel in prayer. For example, if a young lady is asking God about which one of her suitors is His choice, she needs to control her emotions despite her personal preference and give God total control concerning the matter if she really wants to hear from Him. If she asks God about His choice but discovers that her heart is fixed on the one she likes during her prayers, she should find a neutral person to pray with her because she just might hear from her human spirit telling her to go ahead with her preference. She must also genuinely want to hear from God because Ezekiel 14:4 says that if you approach a prophet with idols in your heart, God will answer you according to those idols.

Beloved, train your human spirit to totally submit to God so that whenever you need to hear Him, your emotions won’t interfere with His counsel.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Some Christians get to church services late because they only start getting dressed to go to church when the praise and worship session must have started. They believe that the sermon is the main service; however, this is not true. Worship is actually the major part of the service, which is why a church service is often called a 'worship service'. Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of Israel. Right from the beginning of a church service, God is already moving. Christians who understand this always go to church early because they know that while the praise and worship session is going on, they can hear from God and receive an impartation from Him.

It Is unfortunate that many ministers of God do not take praise and worship sessions seriously. When the choir is singing choruses and praising God, many pastors are still sitting in their offices, writing letters and giving instructions because they feel that the main part of the service has not started. By the time they get on the pulpit, the service is almost over because a major part of the service is the praise and worship session. If you worship God well enough, you will see Him in action.

When believers know that they can do nothing without God (John 15:5), they will not miss praise and worship sessions for anything. In 2 Corinthians 1:6-13, the Bible tells us that Solomon worshipped God by offering a thousand burnt offerings to Him. It was an act of worship, the kind that the people around him had never seen before. That night, God paid him a visit and told him to ask for anything he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge so that he could serve God the way he ought to, and the Bible says that God granted him his request and added other blessings. The Bible also says that before him, there was no one like him, and after him, there will never be anyone like him (2 Chronicles 1:12).

Beloved, make it a duty to never miss any opportunity to worship God by dancing and singing praises to His name, especially during church services. If you sing and dance for Him regularly, He will set you apart for greatness. However, if you feel you are too big to dance before Him or worship and give Him thanks, He will also see you as being too big to be carried to the top.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul said that he planted, Apollos watered, but it is God who gave the increase. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts sinners to repent of their sins and become members of the body of Christ.

Beloved, no matter how eloquent you are, you cannot save a soul. If eloquence is required for people to turn to Jesus, the 3,000 people who got saved in Acts 2 would not have cried out to God in repentance because Peter was an ordinary fisherman, and his words were likely to have been unrefined. However, when the Holy Spirit came upon him, the people who heard him were convicted. When they heard his preaching, they were pricked in their hearts and asked what they should do (Acts 2:37). Paul, who was well-educated, knew that he could not save anyone by his preaching alone and that his eloquence could not soften any man’s heart. This is why he said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 that his speech and preaching were not with enticing words of man’s wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

Only the Holy Spirit can soften people’s hearts. He alone can bring light to the darkness in a sinner’s soul. (2 Corinthians 4:4) says that the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. Satan does not want people to be saved, so he blinds their eyes and keeps them from accepting Jesus. This is why you need the Holy Spirit when you go out to evangelise; He alone can destroy the lies of the devil in the minds of men. Without Him, your preaching will be mere words. People may clap for you because of your eloquence, but their hearts will not be changed, and they will remain hardened in their sins. However, when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you won’t need to say much before people surrender their hearts to Jesus.

Beloved, you cannot go into a strong man’s house without first binding him (Mark 3:27). To bind the devil and stop his activities in the lives of men, you need the power of the Holy Spirit. Before you preach to people, ask the Holy Spirit to work on their hearts. He is your Helper, and He is in you to help you become an effective soul winner. I pray that the Holy Spirit will work mightily through you to bring many lost souls into the kingdom of God, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When people claim to be good at something, they need to prove it by doing that thing remarkably well. When they do this, people will pay attention to them. Beloved, complaining that people do not notice your talents will achieve no result. Instead, prove your abilities by doing whatever you can from wherever you are, no matter how small it may seem. Soon, people will see your light and come to the brightness of your rising (Isaiah 60:1-3).

You can be very talented; however, if you don’t work hard and use your talent, people won’t take notice. Matthew 5:16 says that you should let your light shine for people to see your good works and glorify your heavenly Father. Did you notice the word ‘works’ in that verse? You must work for people to see you. Someone showed me a newspaper article in which a reporter was making a joke about the miracles God has performed in my life. The person who showed me the article said, “Daddy, what’s your comment?” I told him that I had no comment. I don’t have any comments about such jokes because I am too busy doing God’s work, and I can’t be distracted by trivial issues.

John 9:1-7 tells the story of a man who was born blind. When Jesus’ disciples started to debate about whose sin caused the man’s predicament, Jesus redirected their attention to what was important. He told them, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” Then, He spat on the ground, made some mud out of the clay, anointed the man’s eyes, and told him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam – the blind man returned with brand-new eyes. Jesus went about doing the work of the Father throughout His human ministry; He was so busy doing good that everywhere He went, people took note of Him and followed Him.

Beloved, when you go about doing the work of the One who sent you, you will become like a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden and a candle on a candlestick that gives light to everyone in a house (Matthew 5:14-15). People might not like a light bulb’s design, but nobody can ignore its importance. If you want to be so relevant that people cannot do without your unique contributions, let your light shine by focusing on doing the work that God has committed into your hands.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Numbers 11:10-29, God took part of the spirit upon Moses and put it on 70 elders because he had complained that the burden of leading the Israelites was too much for him to bear. When the 70 elders began to prophesy, a young man came to tell Moses that two men who were not part of them were also prophesying. On hearing this, Joshua told Moses to stop them. However, Moses replied that he didn’t mind if the Lord put His Spirit on all His people because that was His ultimate will. Moses was a true leader, and true leaders allow their followers to fly.

Someone once asked a pastor, “Why don’t you encourage the Holy Ghost baptism among your congregation?” He replied, “Because if they get the power of the Holy Spirit, they will outrun us, their pastors.” This amazed me because my prayer is that my children will be greater than I am. Every time I pray for the pastors in RCCG, I ask God to double the anointing on my life and give it to them because, if that happens, my job will be easier. For example, when a corpse is brought to the church to be raised back to life, wouldn’t it be wonderful if an usher could call the dead person back to life without my intervention or any other pastor’s intervention.

Many pastors do almost everything in their churches because they feel they are the only ones who can handle them; such pastors only end up stressing themselves unnecessarily. How can God bring increase to the church if ministers don’t endeavour to raise others to serve God in ministry? When pastors ask God to empower their congregations, and all their members are on fire for God, there will be a great revival, and the ministry will move forward. While it is true that when everyone in a congregation carries a measure of God’s power, they may become restless and grow tired of just hearing the pastor preach, a wise pastor won’t hold them back. Instead, the pastor should train them and put them in new territories so they can impact others with the anointing they’ve been empowered with. Yes, they might make some mistakes, but with the pastor’s guidance and God’s help, they will succeed.

Beloved, if you’re a leader in any capacity, seek the growth and empowerment of the people who serve under you because it will make your job easier. In addition, when they become empowered, let them fly.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Today, many men are afraid to get married even though they are mature enough, have good jobs or businesses, and are financially stable. Usually, this is because they do not want to marry the wrong ladies as wives. Likewise, many women are hesitant to get married despite being courted by many men because they do not want to make wrong choices when it comes to choosing a life partner.

It is important for Christians to know that once they are married, there is no going back. Marrying the wrong spouse can be hell on earth. Nobody goes on a long journey without adequate preparations, and marriage is a lifelong journey. This is why, if you are not yet married, you need God’s help to make the right decision regarding your partner on this lifelong journey. Some people have rushed into marriage only for them to find out that their partner is self-centered and foolish. Some have chosen spouses by their physical attributes alone and ended up with a physically okay but spiritually deficient partner for their journey. When the journey became tough, their spouses were neither spiritually sensitive nor capable of strengthening their faith. When choosing who to marry, believers must not allow physical attributes to dictate for them.

Samson was a man who was destined to be great. His glorious future was foretold before his birth, and he was truly on a path to greatness before the woman he chose as a partner, Delilah, cut short his destiny. Before then, Samson had compromised his faith in many areas, and he became insensitive to God’s leading. Therefore, he chose to love Delilah based on her physical attributes. Judges 16:4 says that he saw her in the valley of Sorek and loved her; he allowed himself to be enticed by her beauty. A valley is a low place, and if a believer is in a low place spiritually, where the fellow has compromised his or her values and disobeyed God’s principles, such a believer is not in a good place to make marital choices because he or she might make the wrong choice. Such a believer must first return to the Lord and ask Him to restore him or her before thinking about choosing a spouse.

Beloved, if you are not yet married, God wants to lead you to make the right choice about whom to marry. You must, however, be living in obedience to His words and principles for Him to lead you to make the right choice.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Some people who have received a measure of God’s power use it wrongly. For example, simply because people fall under the anointing during their ministrations, some ministers of God want to touch people just to show that they are anointed. Some even perform different acrobatics during deliverance sessions. Some of them give demon-possessed people microphones so that people can hear what the demons are saying. All of these are unnecessary and wrong. Ministers of God should simply cast demons out of people to set them free; they shouldn’t embarrass the people they are trying to deliver because they want to show that they are anointed.

The power of God isn’t a tool for punishment but for bringing joy to the hearts of people. When God gives you a measure of His power, it is for you to give life to dead things and bring glory to Him, not for you to show off or seek personal gain or vengeance. It is possible to destroy and kill with the power God has given to you; however, that is not what it is meant for. This is why most mature believers are usually slow to speak and try not to get angry no matter what people do to them. They don’t want to ever use the power of God for evil. When God gives you a measure of His power, you are not to go around destroying people you consider to be enemies. Ephesians 6:12 says:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

A vessel in satan’s hands today can become a great vessel in God’s hands tomorrow. If God could use Mary Magdalene, who had seven demons in her, He can use anyone who is considered evil. If Stephen had called death upon Saul as he was being executed under Saul’s supervision, there would never have been an Apostle Paul. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13:10 that the power of God is for edification, not destruction.

In Luke 9:52-56, James and John wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans because they didn’t receive Jesus. However, Jesus told them that He came to save, not to destroy lives. Beloved, God’s will is for everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4); He doesn’t want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). If He has given you a measure of His power, only use it to fulfil His will, not to destroy.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many self-acclaimed prophets prophesy by sight. They might look at a fellow, guess what he or she wants to hear, and say it with a serious countenance; that is guesswork, not prophecy. Some look at the sky, and when they observe that the clouds are dark, they prophesy that it will rain. Someone once prophesied that it would rain in Nigeria in June. I heard about the prophecy and thought to myself, “June is in the middle of the rainy season; if it doesn’t rain in June, when else would it rain?” That was a prophecy by sight. Real prophecies are, however, not based on physical observations; they are based on what God reveals in the realm of the spirit.

Most times, when God gives a prophecy, it will not make sense to the human mind because nothing in the physical will support what God is saying. In fact, many times, the one God gives the prophecy through might be afraid to say it because of how unlikely it is – humanly speaking – for what God has said to come to pass. If God gives you a prophecy and asks you to share it, do not be afraid to speak; rest assured that whatever you say will come to pass.

In 2 Kings 7:1-16, there was a severe famine in Samaria for seven years. The famine was so bad that women began to eat their children (2 Kings 6:25-30). Amid this hardship, God’s word came through Elisha:

…Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.
2 Kings 7:1

By all economic metrics, what Elisha said sounded illogical and practically impossible. That did not matter, however, because God brought His word to pass. Isaiah 55:10-11 says:

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Beloved, do not despise prophecies from genuine ministers of God because they sound illogical or impossible. Inasmuch as the messages are from God, He will surely bring them to pass.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One day in 1986, I was having a nice time in fellowship with God when He asked, “Son, what do you want for your birthday?” Ordinarily, I pay little attention to birthdays because, to me, the real birthday is the date a fellow becomes born again. However, the day you were born is also important because Psalm 90:12 says, “…teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” I replied, “I want every church member to receive a miracle.” Then He said, “Call them together and let them meet with Me for one week. At the end of the week, all of them would have gotten a miracle.” That one week in 1986 is one we can never forget in RCCG because God’s power was so mighty in our midst that we experienced many jaw-dropping miracles which have been happening more frequently to date.

God is always asking you for what you want. Even if He does not ask you directly as He did with me, He can ask you by presenting two options before you, and your choice can determine the rest of your life. When God asks you for what you want, you will ask for material things that will fade quickly if your mind has always been on material things. In Genesis 25:29-34, Esau did not know that God was indirectly testing him when he returned from his hunt hungry. When Jacob asked him to sell his birthright for a plate of food, he did not consider the choices before him; all he wanted was to fill his belly with food. Esau had enough energy to ask Jacob for food, and this implies that he really wasn’t at the point of death, so if he had refused Jacob’s offer, he would not have died. However, he accepted Jacob’s offer and despised his birthright because his mind was focused on material things. In Hebrews 12:16, he was called a fornicator and a profane person because he chose a material thing over something eternal.

Beloved, you will be faced with choices every day, and the choices you make today will determine the quality of your life tomorrow. What choices are you making today? If God gives you a blank cheque to ask for what you want, what will you ask for? Will you ask for things that fade away, like Esau, or things that are beneficial to fulfilling your glorious destiny in God? I pray that God will give you the wisdom to make the right decisions, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Genesis 1:2 tells us that the Holy Spirit moved over the surface of the earth before creation began. The world that was empty and void soon became full of life after the Holy Spirit moved over it. Any area of your life, such as your career, academics, ministry, marriage, or others that you give the Holy Spirit freedom to operate in, will become full and lively.

Many Christians claim to be led by the Spirit; however, they are the ones trying to lead the Holy Spirit. They think they have the best strategies for success, and some of them even depend solely on consultants or experts to tell them what to do instead of the Holy Spirit. Many years ago, I was constantly praying about church growth and attended many conferences. I tried everything I was taught in those conferences, but nothing happened. In fact, it came to a point where we were practically begging people with food to come to church – we called it Care Fellowship. People would come, collect the food, and return to their homes, never to be seen again. Frustrated, I told God in prayer, “Lord, there must be something missing.” He replied, The Holy Ghost”.

In Numbers 11:10-23, 30-32, the Israelites complained to Moses that they wanted meat. Moses reported the matter to God, and God said, “I will give them so much meat that they will be fed up.” The next day, the wind blew and there were quails on the floor all around the camp of the Israelites. Sometimes, when you read about the wind in the Scriptures, it is referring to the Holy Spirit. The wind directed millions of quails to the camp of the Israelites such that all they had to do was to pick them up. When God directed me to read this passage after I asked Him about the growth of the church, I told Him, “I don’t understand. What has this got to do with church growth?” He said, “Let the Holy Spirit blow, and people will come; you wouldn’t even need to go looking for them. They will be so many that you won’t have room to contain them.” That day, I let go of all my strategies and depended solely on Him, and before long, the church started growing.

Beloved, give the Holy Spirit complete access to every area of your life. He will remove the things that are contrary to God’s will and ensure that you walk in favour and abundance.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Whenever I am in God’s presence, I behave like a child because I recognise that I am just a baby in need of His love, comfort, mercy, and help. In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus told the story of two men who went into the temple to pray. One boasted about his achievements before God but was not justified. However, the other man who went humbly before God and acknowledged his helplessness was justified. In today’s world, many people approach God as ‘great people of faith’. However, this is why they pray for so long without getting responses from God.

When God described the dimensions of the mercy seat in the ark of the covenant to Moses in Exodus 25:17, He specified that its length was to be 2.5 cubits and its breadth was to be 1.5 cubits. Interestingly, God didn’t specify a height. This means that the mercy seat isn’t something to sit on but something to lie upon. Those who will receive God’s mercy must come in their lowest state. When you’re in God’s presence, you must be vulnerable and discuss your weaknesses, problems, feelings, and areas of confusion with Him.

There is a difference between discussing and praying. Praying is asking for assistance, while discussing is saying, “Lord, this is me. I have tried this step and that step. What do I do?” If you have this posture in prayer, He will start teaching you things others don’t know. Proverbs 3:7 warns us not to be wise in our own eyes. Some people ask for counsel but have already made up their minds on what to do. Such people aren’t ready to listen to any advice but are only looking to rubber-stamp their decision. People who come to God like this never get anything from Him because they act like they know more than Him. They feel too proud to lay their ideas and strategies before Him and listen to His instructions.

In Exodus 3:1-5, when Moses encountered God in the burning bush, the first thing God asked him to do was to take off his shoes. Beloved, your shoes represent the things that might be stopping you from being vulnerable with God, such as your knowledge and achievements. Take them off before coming to your heavenly Father. He never ignores those who are vulnerable before Him, and His mercy always finds the lowly (James 4:6). I pray that God will extend His grace and help towards you as you humble yourself before Him daily, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

I have noticed in my walk with God that even though He is Almighty and Omnipotent, He always wants to do things in partnership with His children. Many times, when He wants to do something, He will ask His children to handle a part of it while He does the rest. In Genesis 2:19, He took the animals He had made to Adam for him to name them, and whatever Adam called them became their names. In John 6:5-7, Jesus already knew what He would do, but He still asked the disciples how they could feed over 5,000 people. Eventually, He used the lunch of a little boy that one of His disciples brought to Him to feed the crowd. As mighty as God is, He loves to have His children’s input in whatever He wants to do. Unfortunately, however, not many of them are intimate enough with God for Him to ask for their input.

In Ezekiel 37:1-10, God took a man to a valley full of dry bones and asked him if the bones could live. When a Christian begins to take his or her relationship with God more seriously, the fellow will not only hear from God but he or she will also start having intimate discussions with Him. Anybody can hear from God, but only a few discuss with Him, and very few become intimate with Him enough for God to ask them, “My son, what do you think we should do in this situation?”

In Genesis 18:16-33, we see that Abraham was so intimate with God that God could not hide His intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah from him. If you want God to regularly ask for your input in the things that He wants to do, you must be very intimate with Him. You must become so close to Him that He will say, “I cannot hide what I am about to do from My friend.” It is not enough to only attend church regularly; there is much more to God than you can get by just spending two or three hours in a church service. To be intimate with God, you need to spend time with Him in prayers and read His word daily. When you spend time with Him daily, not only will you get to know more of Him, but He will also request your input on some of the matters that are dearest to Him.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Some time ago, I was invited by the president of my country to preach at his daughter’s wedding. There were many VIPs there – heads of state, diplomats, top government officials, and the like. At the end of my sermon, I made an altar call. Later, someone called my son and asked, “What kind of pastor is your father, making altar calls at a state wedding?” I explained to my son that the reason I accepted the invitation was because I wanted to win souls for God. Many of the VIPs at the wedding were not Christians, and I saw it as an opportunity for them to hear God’s word.

The greatest good anyone can do for humanity is to win souls for Christ. If you do this, you are automatically making the world a better place. Genuine Christians don’t rob banks, so if you win souls, the rate of robbery will reduce. Genuine Christians don’t lie and steal, so if you win souls, there will be less corruption in the society. If you refuse to win souls for Christ, the society will only get worse.

If a genuine Christian runs for a political office and the voters are all corrupt, do you think they will let him or her win? Thieves will not come together to vote a policeman into power. Therefore, it is important to convert the unbelievers in the society into believers so that the righteous can rule and the land can be prosperous (Proverbs 14:34). For your society and standard of living to improve, you need to win souls for God, plant churches, and do mighty works for Him. This way, you won’t have to worry about politics. If you win your town for Christ, the leaders of the town will be children of God, and Proverbs 29:2 says that when the righteous rule, the people rejoice.

A soul winner is a vessel that brings salvation to others. He or she is a giver, a blessing, a co-worker with God, and a divine partner with Him. Being a soul winner has several benefits. When you become a soul winner, you will enjoy greater blessings than just being a Christian who does not bear fruits in God’s kingdom because the Bible says that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). Soul winning also gives you greater access to answered prayers (John 15:16).

Beloved, make up your mind to become an ardent soul winner for Christ – it is in your best interest.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

My father, who was a farmer, would always separate the best fruits after a harvest so he could plant their seeds in the next planting season. This is because the quality of the seeds a farmer plants is a major determinant of the quality of his or her harvest. A seed may seem small and insignificant, but it decides the kind of fruit a tree will produce. In the same vein, a child may seem small and unimportant in the scheme of things at the moment, but the kind of adult the child becomes will shape the future of the family’s lineage. Therefore, how parents raise their children matters much more than the material things they give them.

In Judges 13:1-14, an angel appeared to Manoah’s wife and told her she would give birth to a son. Her husband was not with her at the time; however, when he heard what the angel told his wife, he prayed that God would give him his own encounter. God answered his prayer, and when he saw the angel himself, he asked an important question:

“and Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him.”
Judges 13:12

Manoah was a very wise father who wanted to know how to order and direct the child that God was about to bless them with so that everything God had said concerning the child would come to pass. Every parent must ask God for direction if they want to raise their children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). Some parents train their children the same way they were trained and complain that the children are not responding to their training. There is a way to ‘order every child, but parents cannot find it without getting acquainted with the One who made the child. Farmers know that some soils are best for some seeds, but if you take that same seed to another type of soil, it will either not bear fruits or grow at all. For instance, a plant like the cactus can thrive in the desert, but if you plant a water lily in the desert, it will dry up.

God knows the best way to train a child in the way he or she should go. If you are a parent, ask God for the manual on how to train your children so you won’t raise them in a way that is contrary to how He made them.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Over the past two days, I have established that you need the gift of the discerning of spirits to determine the kinds of spirits controlling the people around you. This is very important because for you to be able to deal with witches or wizards, you must first be able to identify them.

Once you recognize witches or wizards around you, your first reaction shouldn’t be to confront them or send them away. A popular saying where I come from goes: “Once God has shown you your enemy, that enemy can no longer kill you.” Once you discover witches or wizards, do not even let them know about your discovery because the moment they know that you have discovered them, they will find alternative ways to attack. Once the devil knows that a pastor has discovered his agents among a congregation, for instance, he will replace them with new ones, and the pastor must discover the new agents with the help of the Holy Spirit all over again. However, if the pastor keeps quiet about his or her discovery and just takes the right actions as directed by the Holy Spirit to ensure they do not carry out their evil plans, there will be no damage done.

When you notice witches or wizards around you, thank God for the revelation and seek His face to know the exact steps to take to handle them. You must ask God for the grace to be spiritually sensitive at all times so that beyond detecting them, you will also be able to know when they plan to execute their evil plans and what you must do to stop them. During one of the annual RCCG conventions, I overheard in the spirit realm that one witch was telling another one, “It is time to strike.” In those days, I wasn’t as mature as l am now, so I was always ready to call down fire at any time. Therefore, when I heard that, I called the witches forward, and one of them said, “l didn’t want to do it; it is the thing within me that was pushing me,” while the other one was weeping. God set them free that day. Thank God I was sensitive to the revelation from the Holy Spirit.

Beloved, you must live a holy life dedicated to constant fasting and prayers so you can stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit and know what to do to disarm and deal with satanic agents.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The gift of the discerning of spirits helps Christians to identify the kind of spirits operating in the lives of people they come in contact with. For example, a believer who has the gift of the discerning of spirits will be able to tell when he or she comes across a person who is not a child of God but is pretending to be filled with the Holy Spirit. With the gift of the discerning of spirits, believers are equipped to identify those who are wolves in sheep’s clothing around them. God intends that this gift play a vital role in the lives of believers, and it becomes heightened with greater intimacy with Him; unfortunately, many believers do not seem to appreciate its importance. You must note, however, that the gift of the discerning of spirits is not the spirit of discernment, as many people erroneously call it.

In Acts 16:16-18, Paul and Silas were on a very important assignment to tell the people of Philippi about Jesus when a demon-possessed girl met them. Everything she said about them was accurate; however, if Paul did not have the gift of the discerning of spirits, he might have put her in front of their evangelistic campaign or even made her the head of the evangelism team based on the things she said. However, Paul saw beyond her words and was able to identify that they were sponsored by an evil spirit, which he eventually cast out of her.

As I mentioned earlier, the gift of the discerning of spirits is vital for all Christians; however, it is even more critical for ministers of God to operate in it. This is because agents of the devil can sometimes sneak into the gathering of believers by pretending to be children of God (2 Corinthians 11:14). In such cases, ministers of the gospel must seek them out because they are not among the congregation of saints to have fun; they are there to slow down the work of God and extinguish the fire of God that is burning in the midst of the congregation.

Beloved, you must not be caught off guard by demonic operations around you. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ and do not have the gift of the discerning of spirits yet, ask God for it today so you can recognise and deal with the forces of darkness appropriately. Tomorrow, I will talk about how to deal with witches and wizards, especially within a church setting.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many children of God have fallen into the devil’s trap because they lacked the gift of the discerning of spirits. Usually, the messengers that the devil sends to believers appear as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). They usually seem harmless and very Iikeable, such that believers let their guards down around them and put their trust in them. By the time such believers realize that they are dealing with the devil’s agents, major damage would have been done, and they would have lost ground to the devil where their destiny is concerned. However, if such believers have the gift of the discerning of Spirits, they will get an inward witness, warning them about the devil’s agents.

Some Christian ladies have married occultic men who disguised themselves as born-again Christians because they did not have the gift of the discerning of spirits. Likewise, some believers have engaged in businesses with the wrong people because they lacked the gift of the discerning of spirits. Christian employers should not only look at the qualifications of the people they intend to employ; they should also be sensitive to discern the kind of spirits they carry so they do not impact their organizations negatively.

In 1980, I attended the wedding ceremony of one of my three close friends at the time. When I got to the venue, one of the other two friends welcomed me warmly and was doing everything to make me comfortable by offering me all kinds of drinks, food, and souvenirs. Suddenly, I heard God say, “He is your enemy.” I was shocked because I was really close to him and thought I knew him so well. However, I started treading carefully around him from that day on. Sometime later, I confronted him with what God told me, but he denied being an enemy. Some months later, we met again to discuss issues concerning the church after the death of my Father in the Lord. There, he showed his true colours and said, “From the day you came into this church, I hated you.”

Beloved, if you don’t have the gift of the discerning of Spirits, you most likely will commit the error of making an enemy a friend and a friend an enemy. This is why you must ask God for the gift of the discerning of spirits so you can truly know the spirits controlling the people around you. I pray that every devil disguised as an angel of light around you will be exposed, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

After I became born again, I started hearing God speak to me, and I stopped doing anything without His guidance or approval. In those days, I would ask Him which routes to drive through so I would not get caught in traffic jams, and He would guide me. However, something happened that made Him stop speaking to me for a while. I was an interpreter in the church, and the General Superintendent took a special interest in me and made me his personal interpreter. When the other pastors in the Church realized that he had chosen me to be his interpreter, they stopped asking me to interpret for them out of respect for him.

One day, we had a programme, and a pastor told me that I would be interpreting for him during his sermon. I became angry, but I didn’t object because the Bible teaches that we should always honour and obey those whom God has placed over us (Romans 13:1-2). I interpreted during his sermon, but in my heart, I murmured, “How can you call me, the interpreter to the General Superintendent, to interpret for you?” At the end of the programme, as I walked towards my car, God told me, “Son, so you are now too big to interpret for my servant.” That was all He said, and I didn’t hear His voice again. The period that followed was like hell because He stopped speaking to me. I was constantly stuck in heavy traffic as His voice wasn’t guiding me anymore. I pleaded with Him and promised never to allow pride to creep into my heart again. Thankfully, He started speaking to me again.

Pride will make a Christian vulnerable to all arrows from the devil. However, when a Christian stays humble, God will be his or her defense. God will always fight for humble people because they have acknowledged through their humility that they cannot fight for themselves. In 1 Kings 21:15-29, Ahab did a terrible thing before God, and God sent Elijah to pass judgment on him for his wickedness. When he heard God’s word, Ahab humbled himself before God, who had sworn to destroy him. When God saw that he had humbled himself, He sent Elijah to tell him that He would not bring evil in his days (1 Kings 21:27-29). God postponed Ahab’s judgement because of his humility.

Beloved do not leave yourself vulnerable to the devil’s attacks. Humble yourself before God, and He will cause you to always walk in victory.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

If there is a storm in the jungle, big, tall trees might be uprooted. However, by the time the storm is over, the lowly grass will remain in its position. When strong winds blow, a blade of grass will bow in the direction of the wind, but after the wind blows, it will return to its former posture and remain like that. In life, storms happen every now and then. When a storm comes, many people who have pride in their hearts and consider themselves to be better than everyone else are usually blown off, while the unknown – the meek and lowly – remain and praise God after the storm has passed. Everyone who became proud in the Bible was eventually blown off by one thing or the other. Nebuchadnezzar was blown off his throne for seven years, and he ate grass like an ox because he refused to remain humble (Daniel 4:28-37). Pharaoh lost his army to the Red Sea because he refused to acknowledge God and insisted on stubbornly pursuing God’s people (Exodus 14:28). Pride makes people put themselves in a place where they can be easily destroyed. Beloved, no matter the height you attain in life, it is wise for you to remain humble and avoid becoming a show-off.

Proverbs 11:12 tells us that with pride comes shame, but with the lowly is wisdom. Nobody can access God’s wisdom with a proud heart. When a man becomes proud, he invites shame to visit him. Pride always goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). A humble man, however, will enjoy preservation and promotion because humility attracts God’s favour and blessings. Proverbs 29:23 tells us that while a man’s pride brings him low, a humble man will be upheld by honour.

Pride is very dangerous because it makes people delusional. When they ought to work on themselves to become better, pride will lie to them that they are the best. Instead of seeking or receiving help from others, pride will deceive them that they are self-sufficient and do not need other people. When people allow pride into their hearts, they close the heavens over themselves because God resists the proud and only gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

Beloved, no man can go far without the grace of God. If you want God’s grace in everything you do, clothe yourself with humility and never allow pride into your heart.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, I said that Andrew was promoted to being in the background instead of the spotlight. Today, I will continue my discussion on Matthew 10:2 by sharing a few questions God asked me when I was studying the verse. He asked, “What part of a building carries the biggest burden?” I answered, “The foundation”. He asked again, what part of the building is unseen?” I responded, “The foundation”. He continued, “If the building is burnt down, what part of it escapes the fire?” I answered, “The foundation”. Finally, He asked, “When there is a storm, what part is blown off first?” I answered, “The roof”. The roof is the part of a building that people usually notice first, and it is the one that is usually blown off first in a storm while the foundation remains intact.

People who want to be seen every time are more likely to be blown off by storms. Believers who have an unhealthy desire to be seen and known as the people who make things happen need to pray to God for new hearts, so they won’t be the first to be blown off when storms come.

God often hides people to preserve them. Before John the Baptist began his ministry, he was in the wilderness until the day of his showing unto Israel (Luke 1:80). God hid him until the right time. If John had insisted that he wanted to fulfil all the prophetic words the angel gave his father before the day of his showing, he might have been blown off. Even when Jesus came to the earth as a man, God didn’t announce Him to the whole world immediately. As we read in Matthew 2:13-21, God instructed Joseph to hide Jesus in Egypt until it was safe to return to Israel. Moses’ mother also hid him for three months until she could no longer hide him from Pharaoh. She put him in a basket and put the basket on the River Nile, and God arranged for the very system that should have killed him to preserve him (Exodus 2:1-10). When people insist on being in the spotlight when God hasn’t permitted them, they expose themselves to the ‘Herod’s and ‘Pharaohs’ who are after their destinies.

Beloved, don’t get frustrated if it seems you are not operating in the realm of influence that God has promised you. He is faithful to His words and is only preserving you until the right time. Be patient and put your total trust in Him.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, I mentioned that I would discuss what I learned from Matthew 10:2, so I will focus on this verse for the next few days. The verse says, “…The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;” The question is, why was Andrew listed second even though he encountered Christ first (John 1:40-41)? Normally, if I were to arrange the list of apostles by their first encounter with Jesus, I would say the first is Andrew, the second is Peter, and so on. This makes me believe that the verse lists the apostles by Jesus’ intended hierarchy. However, as time went on, Andrew dropped from number two, such that he was not even among the first three apostles. Whenever Jesus wanted to go somewhere special, He would go with Peter, James, and John. What caused Andrew to be demoted?

If you read through the Bible, you will not find a single flaw about Andrew. Some of the other apostles had flaws: Peter denied Jesus thrice, and James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven to destroy an entire town that did not welcome Jesus (Luke 9:51-54). Despite this, it seemed that Andrew got demoted. However, the Lord told me that Andrew was not demoted; instead, he was promoted. The Lord told me that when Jesus informed the mother of James and John that only His Father will determine those who will sit on His right and left, He meant that the seats were already reserved. The Lord then further whispered to me that one of those seats has been reserved for Andrew.

What happens behind the scenes is usually greater than what happens in the limelight. While most people focus on the stage, the real work and benefits are usually behind the scenes. You may not know it, but the producers of successful movies, who are behind the scenes, usually earn more and are more respected than the actors in the limelight. They also don’t have to deal with the distractions and pressures that come with fame.

Beloved, don’t be desperate for public recognition and the approval of others. Your main focus should be on fulfilling God’s will for your life in whatever capacity He has placed you. God rewards based on faithfulness and obedience, not on fame or perceived influence. I pray that God will reward you bountifully as you focus solely on pleasing Him (2 Corinthians 5:9).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Holy Spirit is a teacher. In John 14:26, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will teach you all things. When you are intimate with the Holy Spirit, He will cause you to be enlightened beyond your level of education. You might read the same materials that other people read, but the knowledge and insights you will get from those same materials will be far more than what they get.

When you study your Bible, the Holy Spirit will illuminate the word of God to you beyond your level of intelligence. Many ministers find it difficult to retain their members because they are unable to feed them with the real word of God. In some cases, by the time some of these ministers are halfway through reading the Bible text for their sermons, their members already know what they will say, how they will start, and how they will end. The only way you can get something new from the word of God every day is when the Holy Spirit teaches you Himself. He is the only One who is capable of giving you fresh revelation from the Scriptures daily.

When I study the Bible, I usually read a chapter, then I ask the Holy Spirit which verse we will dwell on out of the entire passage. He will often show me the verse, and then I will ask Him to teach me from that verse, and He will. However, one day, I was reading Matthew 10, and after I read verse 1, and while reading verse 2, He said to me, “Stop. We are going to discuss verse 2 today.” I looked at the verse: “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these…” I couldn’t imagine how there could be something to learn from that verse, so I said, “Lord, I can’t see anything to dwell on here.” He told me, “Read it again.” I read it again and again. By the time I was reading it the third time, light had broken out, and I had begun to see what the Holy Spirit wanted me to see. I will discuss what the Holy Spirit showed me in Matthew 10:2 tomorrow because I can write an entire book from that verse alone now.

Beloved, if you want to become smarter and more intelligent every day, you need to get more intimate with the Holy Spirit. He will teach you so well that even you will be amazed by how knowledgeable and wise you will become.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING:

1. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for saving me and bringing me into Your light.

2. Thank You, Lord, for forgiving my sins. Thank You for always having mercy on me even though I don’t deserve it.

3. Thank You, Lord, for Your unconditional love towards me. Even when I am unfaithful, You still remain faithful to me.

4. Thank You, Lord, for all Your promises to me. Thank You because I know that they will surely come to pass, in Jesus’ name.

5. Thank You, Lord, because my future is secure in You. Thank You because I know that You will bring me to an expected end according to Your will, in Jesus’ name.

6. Thank You, Lord, for my family members, friends, brethren in my local assembly, and everyone in my community. I’m truly grateful for the gift of relationships.

7. Thank You, Lord, for providing me with food, shelter, and all my basic needs daily. It is because of You that I am alive, and I am truly grateful.

8. Thank you, Lord, for delivering me from the forces of darkness. You protect me from evil daily, and I am truly grateful.

9. Thank You, Lord, for the challenges and trials I have faced in the past. Lord, I know that all things work together for my good, and I am grateful because You always give me victory.

10. Thank You, Lord, for every open door and opportunity that You have brought my way. You cause me to prosper, and I am truly grateful.

11. Thank You, Lord, for the ministry of Your word that comes to me through various anointed vessels, including this devotional. I am truly grateful for the growth and richness that Your word has brought into my life.

12. Your personal thanksgiving to the Lord.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When I first got born again, I noticed that each time an altar call was made in church, the pastor would say, “Those who want salvation should come forward. Those who want sanctification and baptism in the Holy Spirit should ask God for it.” At that time, I had never heard a teaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and I wondered what the pastor meant. After some time, I became thirsty for the Holy Spirit; I wanted to really know Him, and I began to read books on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In time, I became baptised in the Holy Spirit and grew really intimate with Him.

If you become a friend of the Holy Spirit, there is no limit to what God can do through you. While I was reading about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Luke 1:34-37 really caught my attention. The angel told Mary that she would have a son, and Mary asked a very important question, “How can I conceive when I am a virgin?” The angel then said, “The Holy Ghost will come upon you,” and he ended his statement with, “For with God, nothing shall be impossible.” Seeing this, I realised that if the Holy Ghost comes upon me and overshadows me, then nothing would be impossible for me.

Beloved, to live a life of holiness even when you are surrounded by so many temptations, you need the Holy Ghost. You also need the Holy Ghost for impossibilities to become possible in your life. When I read about how the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, I knew that I had to become intimate with the Holy Ghost in order to do exploits for God. Therefore, I got baptised in the Holy Ghost and began to speak His language. Then, He began to do seemingly impossible things for the spread of the gospel and the expansion of God’s Kingdom through me.

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

When you make the Holy Ghost your friend, you will become empowered to do exploits and take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Make up your mind to become more and more intimate with Him every day.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

John 10:27 tells us that anyone who is a sheep in God’s pasture should hear His voice frequently. When you hear from God, He will guide you in all your ways.

Years ago, during a meeting, some ministers of God had a disagreement on who to vote for between the two major presidential candidates in Nigeria. I was also in the meeting, and I said, “Brethren, has God told you that either of them will be president? Did He tell you if there will even be an election and if the result will be allowed to stand? Has He told you which of the two He wants?” I told them, “As for me, He hasn’t told me yet. I’ve been asking Him who will be president, but He hasn’t answered, which means I have probably been asking the wrong question. I’m going to change my question to ‘Will there be an election, and will the result be accepted?” Shortly after that meeting, we were having a pastors conference in RCCG, and I told those present that God finally answered me concerning the elections. He said that one of the candidates would win but would not be allowed to rule, and this was exactly what happened. Asking God about situations and waiting on Him to speak will help a Christian to live above confusion.

One morning, I asked God which route to take to work to avoid being held up in traffic. He said, “You are not leaving the house today.” I began to quote the Bible to the One who wrote it, “Lord, You said that he who will not work should not eat. Your word also says, ‘Seest thou a man diligent in his business, he shall stand before kings and not mean men.'” He insisted, so I said, “Okay. If they fire me, I’m sure You will provide another job.” At that time, I had not listened to the radio, so I didn’t know that a military coup had happened. A short while later, there was chaos in a school in front of my house as parents rushed to pick up their children. That was when I put on my radio and heard what had happened. God’s voice shielded me from the pandemonium that broke out on the streets.

Beloved, train your spirit to hear God’s voice by spending time in His presence studying His word, worshipping, and waiting on Him. His voice will instruct you in the way you should go and protect you from evil.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The first time God spoke in the Bible was in Genesis 1:2-3. To understand what it takes for God to speak to you, you must study that passage of the scripture carefully. Before He spoke, the Spirit of God moved over the face of the earth. This means that God speaks whenever the Holy Spirit is in operation.

If you want to hear from God, the Holy Spirit must be in operation around you. Once you know how to stir Him in you, you will constantly hear from Him. I hear from God frequently when I am preaching because usually, before I step on any altar to minister, the congregation would have spent some time worshipping God. Then, when I step on the altar, I would continue to worship and eulogize God. When I am done, and it is time to preach, the Spirit of God would have saturated the entire place, and He would begin to speak to me.

Ministers who do not hear from God will struggle because hearing from God makes ministering easy. God will tell you what and what not to do so that you won’t waste your time and resources. For example, if I want to host a crusade in a particular location, I would ask Him, “Daddy, should I go?” If He says, “No,” then I know that going there would be a waste of time. Some ministers go to minister in different places without hearing from God first. However, when they suffer all kinds of hardships and unnecessary persecutions, they will claim that they are suffering for Jesus. Some will say that since the Bible instructs believers to preach the gospel to all nations, they will build a church in a particular location, even though they did not ask God about it and He did not specifically instruct them to. At the end of the day, they might end up lacking the required funds to run the church and they will begin to look for people they can manipulate into giving them money.

Beloved, hearing from God and obeying His voice will always keep you at the center of His plan and provision. Even when things get difficult, as long as you are operating in His will, He will carry you through. Consistently create an atmosphere for Him to operate in your life, and He will always lead you into higher realms of His grace and glory.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, I mentioned that during the dispensation of the Father in the Old Testament, people got immediate judgment for their sins. The word ‘dispensation’ in this context means regime. The regime of God the Father on the earth was from the beginning to the day of Pentecost. The regime of the Son will be for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-4). There will be absolute peace during that period because the Prince of Peace will be in charge. Right now, however, we are in the regime of the Holy Spirit, which started on the day of Pentecost and is still on to date.

To prosper in a particular regime, you must understand and obey the people in charge. The One who is currently in charge of the affairs of men is the Holy Spirit. Therefore, to succeed in all things, you must know the Holy Spirit and be intimate with Him. Being intimate with the Holy Spirit does not mean that you are downgrading or ignoring the Son or the Father. In John 16:14, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will glorify Him and show us things concerning Him. Once you become intimate with the Holy Spirit, you will praise God the Father the way you should, glorify the Son the right way, pray the right way, and study God’s word the right way. When you become a friend of the Holy Spirit, you have automatically become a friend of the Trinity. You can become intimate with the Holy Spirit by speaking His language often and asking Him to fill you.

It is important to note that being able to perform miracles is not evidence that a fellow is intimate with the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:16-17 says that the flesh and the spirit are always in constant battle against each other. A fellow has become intimate with the Holy Spirit when he or she no longer walks in the flesh but according to the dictates of the Spirit. The people around such a fellow will testify to it when they start seeing the fruit of the Spirit at work in him or her. Jesus said in Matthew 7:16-20 that you will know a tree by the kind of fruit it produces. If the Holy Spirit is indeed your friend, you will produce good fruits that confirm your intimacy with Him.

Beloved, cultivate an intimate fellowship with the Holy Spirit; He will protect and preserve you. He will also ensure that you prosper in all that you do.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many people find it difficult to understand the concept of the Trinity. The Bible says in 1 John 5:7 that the Father, the Word – Jesus according to John 1:14 – and the Holy Ghost are one. They are one, yet they are three distinct entities. I’ll explain it this way: I am one man called Adeboye, but I can express myself differently in different situations. For example, if my wife breaks a ceramic plate, I will be gentle Adeboye; I will speak gently to her and ensure that she is fine. However, if it is my son, I could be furious Adeboye because I might be angry with him for being careless. I am the same person, but I’ll show different sides of myself depending on what is needed in different situations.

God is one. However, He chooses to express Himself in three different forms. Water can be in liquid, gas (steam), or solid form (ice) based on changes in its temperature. In the same vein, God is one God, and He chooses to express Himself as the Holy Spirit when needed, the Word when needed, and the Father when needed. One expression is not less God than the other, just as ice or steam is not less water than its liquid form.

God the Father is the side of God that is fatherly. However, just like Adeboye the father, which I described in the first paragraph, He can be strict in this form. During the dispensation of the Father in the Old Testament, people got immediate judgment for their sins. God the Son, who is Jesus Christ, came in the flesh, so as Hebrews 4:15 says, He has feelings just like us, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:. He is the most relatable to us as He has gone through the temptations we are currently going through, and He advocates for us with the Father (1 John 2:1). God the Spirit is the creative side of God. He is the One who lives in you to do the things that were otherwise impossible to you (Romans 8:11, Philippians 4:13, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 John 2:27, John 14:26).

Beloved, knowing the Trinity will empower you to live above limitations. Also, to enjoy God’s fullness, you need to know Him as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I pray that you will experience the fullness of the Godhead in your life, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In 2 Kings 5:1-14, Naaman, a commander in the Syrian army, came to Elisha because he needed healing from leprosy. The prophet instructed him to do something he felt was way below his status – he was to dip himself seven times in River Jordan, a river he considered to be way below other prestigious rivers in his home country. Angrily, Naaman rejected Elisha’s instruction and was already on his way back to Syria when one of his servants counselled him to obey the prophet’s instructions. Thank God he heeded his servant’s counsel and did as Elisha had instructed. He was cured of his leprosy immediately, and his skin became like that of a newborn. If he had rejected his servant’s simple advice, he would have had to live the rest of his life as a leper. The greatest miracle of your life might be tied to hearing and obeying godly counsel. It is important to never ignore godly counsel, no matter the age or status of the person or people giving the counsel.

“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”
Proverbs 11:14

In Exodus 18:13-26, Jethro travelled to the wilderness to visit Moses, his son-in-law. During his visit, he observed how Moses attended to every single issue that arose in the camp of the Israelites all by himself from morning to night, such that at the end of every day, he was always exhausted. After making this observation, Jethro counselled Moses on what to do. He told him to choose rulers of different ranks from among the people who could also judge matters that arose within the camp. Although Jethro didn’t have the burning bush experience that Moses had, Moses listened to him and received God’s counsel through him.

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto he humble.”
James 4:6

Humility or meekness is an ingredient for receiving God’s grace. You need a meek heart to properly discern when God is speaking through someone and receive what He has to say to you through them. Moses was known as the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3), and his meekness was what made him able to receive counsel from people who seemed not to have attained his spiritual height and influence. No matter how high you get, God wants you to remain meek. Ask God for a meek heart to receive His counsel through whatever vessel or method He chooses to use.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.