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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PRAYERS FOR YOURSELF

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

12. Your personal prayer points.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Place Of Mercy Parish, Enugu

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PRAYERS FOR MARRIAGES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

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

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

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

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

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

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

In Mark 10:13-16, they brought children to Jesus, and as He carried them, He also blessed them. When God carries a person, He also blesses the fellow as we see in Mark 10:16.

When you read the account of the Israelites leaving Egypt, you will see clearly that all the forces in heaven, on earth, and underneath the earth were working together to favour them. This is what happens when God carries you; you become blessed by Him.

Exodus 19:4 says:
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

Some people don’t know the real meaning of ‘God bless you.’ After you have said, “God bless you,” they still say, “Pray for me.” Being blessed by God is a summon to all the forces in heaven, on earth, and underneath the earth to assist you to succeed – that is the meaning of ‘God bless you.’ Believe it or not, even demons will be summoned to assist you when God is carrying you.

A few years ago, I was in an African nation for a programme. As we were heading to the venue of the crusade, we encountered a serious traffic jam. Even though we got a Police escort to help clear the traffic on the way to the venue, we were still stuck as nobody was obeying the Police escort. All of a sudden, a madman came to the front of the car we were in and began to clear the way. The man was so mad that if you looked into his eyes, you could see devils dancing in them. He cleared the way until we got to the end of the traffic jam. When the road was free, he came to the side of the car I was sitting in and bowed. When God carries you, everything will work together in your favour.

If you want God to carry you, you must become like a child. In Mark 10:13-16, there were many adults around, but the only ones Jesus carried were the children. If you are not like a child, you will be too heavy for Him to carry. This means that you must be humble, obey His word, not hold grudges, and have faith in Him like a child that believes whatever his father tells him.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

If you want the results of a particular man, copy that man. When Elijah left the earth and dropped his mantle, Elisha took it, rolled it together as his father did, went to River Jordan as his father did, smote the river as his father did, and called on the God of his father to answer him like He answered his father – and God answered! Apostle Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). The secrets of people’s successes lie in the things they do daily. If you can find those things and do them, you will also produce similar results. Romans 2:11 says:

For there is no respect of persons with God.

Our God is not partial; the success He gave to that fellow you admire, He can give to you too if you will do the needful. Genesis 4:6-7 says:

And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

God was essentially telling Cain that if he had done what Abel did, he would have gotten the same result he got.

How many books about successful people have you read? How many of them have you watched documentaries about? How many autobiographies have you studied? These are the ways to know what these people did that got them the results they got. In a book, you can learn within one hour things that took a man 70 years to learn. Once you have learnt them, you just have to put them to use and you will get the same results; there’s no need for trial and error. This is one of the beauties of the Scriptures and I believe it is the reason the stories of great prophets of the past were recorded for us to read. James 5:10 says:

Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

You are to take the men of God that have gone before as examples to follow, just as Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 11:1. You should however note that Jesus Christ is the ultimate model to be transformed and conformed unto. Yes, the children of God are encouraged to learn from those that have gone ahead, but such emulation must be in line with God’s will and directives.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Jeremiah 23:1-8, you will see God’s mind about follow-up; you will see that He doesn’t take follow-up lightly at all. He said pastors, and this includes anyone God has put in charge of others, should feed the sheep. When they fail to do so, they are invariably scattering the sheep, and there are woes in store for such persons. He said in verses 7 and 8 that He doesn’t just want to be known as the God who brought His children out of Egypt (the bondage of the enemy) but as the Lord who brought His children out of bondage and brought them to their own land (Zion or Heaven).

God is never satisfied with you just preaching to sinners. Beyond encouraging them to confess their sins and give their lives to Christ, He is more interested in you following them up until they see Him in glory. Learn from the apostles of old; after Paul had won souls in a place, he would stay with them for a while to ensure that they become grounded in the faith (Acts 18:11, Acts 19:10, Acts 28:29-32). Even after he left, he would keep sending them letters to strengthen them even more. Those are the origins of the letters that we read in the Scriptures today and which strengthen us to date. He also often made out time to visit them so that they may be further established (Romans 1:11). In Acts 15:36, the Bible says:

And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the LORD, and see how they do.

Relating this to modern times, after you have won a soul, get their contact details so that you can keep calling them and sending text messages to strengthen them. You must also visit them to see how they are faring. Visit the local assembly they attend to see if they have joined the workforce there and if they are fervently serving God. Give them the opportunity to ask you questions about their walk with God. New converts always have lots of questions to ask; be there to answer their questions and explain the Scriptures to them. Don’t leave them to become prey to the devil; follow them up so well until they are fully established in Christ.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

If God is ever going to use you to bring a harvest of souls into His kingdom, then you must be hardworking. This is because harvesting requires way more labour than sowing. Farmers will tell you that sowing is hard work; if you are going to sow on a large farm, you are going to work hard. However, reaping involves more hard work. This is because there is a time limit for harvesting. If you don’t harvest within the time limit, the fruits will rot. The harvest of souls that God has prepared in this end-time revival is great and we have limited time. I pray that God will give you the grace to bring in the harvest, in Jesus’ name.

When Peter cast his net into the sea in Luke 5:1-10, he did it alone without help, but when the harvest came, he realised that he needed more effort to bring it in. Proverbs 12:27 says that the slothful man will not roast the meat he caught while hunting. Do you know what that means? It takes hard work to hunt and harder work to prepare what was caught so it will not rot. God is not going to waste His anointing on a man who will win souls and not follow them up.

Soul winning is an easier job than following up new converts till they mature in Christ. This is why some people prefer the work of the evangelist to that of a pastor. The evangelist gets on a podium, preaches the gospel of salvation, makes an altar call, and leaves thereafter, leaving the pastor to do the hard work of training the new converts, setting them in systems that will help them grow spiritually, answering all their questions, and teaching them regularly until they can stand on their feet. In a time of revival, you must not only be ready to do the work of an evangelist but that of a pastor as well. John 15:16 says that you must win souls and ensure that they abide, implying that they never return to the devil.

As painful as it is, giving birth is still easier than taking care of a baby until adulthood. Parents will tell you that the work of a mother over her children never ends. Are you ready to nurture new converts till they make it to heaven? If your answer is yes, then God will really find you useful for His work.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In 2 Timothy 2:15-21, the various kinds of vessels that can be found in the house of a great man were identified. It says that you will find some vessels unto honour and some unto dishonour. This may make you wonder, why does the great man keep vessels unto dishonour in his house, why doesn’t he just throw them away? This is the same question that many ask when they consider the body of Christ today. They say, “Why does God not kill all fake pastors? Why does He not expose all those who are using His name to amass wealth and fame for themselves?” The answer to that is in Matthew 13:24-30. Verses 29 and 30 in particular say:

But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Our God does not act rashly; everything He does is for a reason. There are some fake pastors that some genuine Christians believe to be real. If God destroys such pastors, it could affect the faith of those who are following them. As such, the tares would have been gathered but the wheat would have unfortunately been rooted up with them. Don’t worry about the mixed multitude in the church, God is coming to separate the wheat from the tares and when He does, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

If you claim to be a Christian, yet you are bringing dishonour to the Lord, you better change now. If such a person refuses to change, that is not a problem. The fire that will consume him or her is getting hotter every day. Such a person can keep enjoying the benefits of being called a Christian for now, however, God is coming with the reward for such deceivers, and on that day, He will take no apologies.

Beloved, if you are one of such deceivers, it is in your best interest to genuinely repent now, forsake your sinful ways, and truly surrender your life to Jesus Christ. It is the only way to escape the judgment that is coming for all those that are vessels unto dishonour.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

John 1:12 says:
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

If you have received Christ into your heart and you believe in His name, not just in word, but in deeds such that everyone around you can see from your lifestyle that you are a believer in Christ, then you qualify to be called a child of God.

On the other hand, the Bible says that the devil has his own children too. Jesus Christ was addressing the Pharisees and He said to them in John 8:44:

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The question then is, how do we tell a child of God apart from a child of the devil? The Bible answers this question aptly. For example, the Bible says that people who love the world do not have the love of God in them (1 John 2:15-16). This clearly implies that such people cannot be described as God’s children. When you see someone who loves material things more than God, that fellow does not have the love of God in him and hence cannot be His child if he or she remains in that state.

A child of God on the other hand is one who is born of the Spirit and focuses on spiritual things rather than worldly things. John 3:3-7 says that anyone who wants to enter into the kingdom of God must be born of the Spirit, and of course, only the children of God can enter into His kingdom. This is why you must be born again.

Beloved, when you are born again, you are born of the Spirit, and you truly become a child of God. When you are born of the Spirit, you will begin to live by the Spirit and be led by Him. You will begin to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit as written in Galatians 5:22-23. Remember, it is the kind of fruit you produce that will determine who your father truly is.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Revival is here and only those who are prepared will be a part of it. God is doing a new thing and He wants to use willing vessels, not just pastors and men of God, but also ordinary people that are filled with the Holy Ghost. If you have not yet been baptized in the Holy Ghost, you better ask Him for the baptism. A big revival is here, and He doesn’t want to use the pastors alone; he wants to use all His willing and available children. The question, however, is, are you fit for the Master’s use?

There are two major things you need to be fit for the Master’s use in this revival. They are stated in 2 Timothy 2:21:

If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

The first thing you must do is purge yourself of any iniquity – you must be sanctified. Sanctification comes through constant study and dependence on the word of God (John 17:17).

Secondly, you must be prepared to work. God cannot use you if you are lazy, He only uses people that are prepared to work hard. Proverbs 18:9 says:

He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.

God describes the lazy man as being just the same as a waster. God won’t waste His anointing on you if you are lazy. When He gives you the anointing, it is not the time to relax but the time to work even harder.

Beloved, it takes hard work to become a champion, but it takes even harder work to remain one. When you are struggling to become a champion, you stretch yourself and train vigorously. Once you become one, you will suddenly realise that from that moment, everybody starts coming after your crown to take it from you. Clearly, it is better not to have become a champion than to be an ex-champion while still at one’s prime. The pain of the ex-champion is not the bruises on his body, it is the shame of walking in the streets and seeing those that had been hailing him as a champion suddenly turn their faces away from him.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Acts 4:1-13, Peter confronted the Sadducees, defending his faith and the name of Jesus Christ. However, was Peter this bold before he was baptised in the Holy Spirit? The simple answer is, “NO”.

In Matthew 14:28-32, Peter was described as being ‘afraid’ after he saw the boisterousness of the wind. In John 18:16-27, when servants recognised him as one of Jesus’ followers, he denied it and swore that he did not know Jesus. This same Peter was now the one confronting Sadducees.

In Acts 4:10, the one who denied Jesus Christ said, “The same Jesus you crucified, God has raised Him from the dead, and it is through Him that this lame man is standing before you whole.” He added that there is no other name given unto men by which anybody can be saved but by Jesus – he was now standing solidly behind Jesus Christ. The Peter after Pentecost was different from the Peter before Pentecost. He was now bold and could speak about Jesus Christ to anyone regardless of their status in the society.

Acts 4:13 says that the boldness of Peter and John was beheld by the people around them. In other words, their boldness became very obvious. What was responsible for this kind of boldness? The answer to this question can be found in Acts 4:8:

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel…

Being filled with the Holy Ghost is the antidote for fear. If fear has been holding you back from fulfilling your destiny, it is because you are not yet filled with the Holy Ghost. When you become filled with the Holy Ghost, you will look at the biggest obstacle in front of you and smile because you know that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

Whenever fear tries to creep into your heart, start speaking in the Holy Ghost. Speak in tongues to the point where you ascend above the level of that fear. The Holy Spirit gives you the boldness to surmount any obstacle that may be standing in your path, no matter how big it may appear. Pray in the Holy Ghost every day, study your Bible, and have the Holy Ghost lead you. Make the Holy Ghost your companion at all times, and fear will become a stranger to you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Acts 3:1 starts with ‘Now’. This implies that after the incident that happened before, something new is happening. Acts 2 tells us about the day of Pentecost and how everyone at the upper room was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now then refers to something that was about to happen in the lives of Peter and John as a result of that incident. Clearly, that was the working of miracles.

When you get baptised in the Holy Ghost, you carry divine power within you. You have the power to work miracles, heal the sick and raise the dead. Unfortunately, many Christians become baptised and are satisfied with just speaking in tongues. You received more than that when you were baptised in the Holy Spirit; you received the power to go out and do the work of God.

Many years ago, I prayed to God for many weeks for power to do His work, but He didn’t respond. At last, one night, He told me to keep quiet and began to ask me some questions. “Have you been baptised in the Holy Ghost?” I said, “Yes”. He said, “What is written in Acts 1:8?” I knew it offhand, so I quoted it to Him. Then He said, “You received power after your baptism in the Holy Ghost.” I responded, “Lord, but I don’t feel powerful.” He replied, “Did I say the just shall live by feelings?”

The next morning, a sick child was brought to me for prayers. I was afraid, but then I remembered the conversation I had with God the previous night, so I laid my hands on the child and prayed. Not long after, I felt the child go numb, and I thought to myself, “Has this child died?” When I finished praying and opened my eyes, I realised that the child was sound asleep. The mother said that the child had not slept in days, but now, she was sure that God had healed her child.

Go out and use the power that God has already given to you, if not, it will remain dormant. When I realised that I had been empowered by God, I was hungry to keep laying hands on the sick. That is how I’ve gotten to the stage where many great miracles happen through me today. I have been using the power God gave me since I was baptised in the Holy Spirit and it has been growing since then.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.