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Spying is a military strategy. In Numbers 13:1-21, God directed Moses to send spies into Canaan. In Joshua 2:1, Joshua send spies to Jericho. The devil also uses spies. In 2nd Kings 6:13-14, the king of Syria sent spies after Elisha. When the target is a great one, the spy is usually recruited from within. Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples was recruited to spy on Him. There is a saying that if the enemy within cannot kill a fellow, neither can the one outside. This is why you need to beware of spies, especially the ones close to you.

Spies collect information from careless talk. Ephesians 5:4 warns us to be careful of careless talk, even jesting. Spies ask questions to know your thoughts and plans. Proverbs 18:7 says:
“A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his souls.”

Many people are trapped by their loose tongues. If you are already succeeding, know that there is a spy nearby pretending to be your friend, so be careful of what you say. Be careful of the information you let out, no matter how trivial you think it is. One day, I went on a visit and someone offered to get me a particular brand of soft drink, only for some other fellow to insist that I had a preference of another brand entirely. I thought “Oh, so I have been observed! Should the devil decide to get at me, he could use that drink.” That day, I bid that preferred brand bye-bye. The devil can use the most minute information to get at anyone, however, your Ally can deal with the spy. He said in Matthew 15:13:
“…Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.”

It is really not your duty to begin to look out for spies; let your Ally deal with them (Psalm 54:4). You just watch your tongue. Proverbs 29:11 says:
“A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.”
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

PRAYERS
1. Bless the name of the Lord, thank Him for making you see this day, bless the Alpha and the Omega, give Him glory and adoration.

2. Father, destroy any form of sickness in my body and grant me divine health for the rest of my life.

3. Father, You said You would supply all my needs according to Your riches in glory; Lord, please fulfil Your promise and meet all my needs.

4. Father, help me to know You more, to love You more and to serve You better than ever before.

5. Father, empower me to perform great miracles and to win souls to Your kingdom more than ever before.

6. Father, open great doors for me, order my steps and help me to access all You have prepared for me.

7. Father, please keep evil far away from all my loved ones. Hide us in You at all times.

8. Father, as You ordered in the case of Haman and Mordecai, let my enemies fall into their own traps.

9. Father, smile on me today, let me see and enjoy Your favour every day of my life.

10. Father, every time I call on You, please answer me by fire.

11. Lord, like You prayed for Peter, please pray for me.

12. Your special prayer request.

I stand in agreement with you today and pray that God will grant your requests in the mighty name of Jesus.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The first thing Jesus’ resurrection from death does is that it assures us we are not serving a dead God. Our God is alive forevermore!
Jesus Himself says in Revelations 1:8:
“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen…”

When He rose and ascended to Heaven, He made room for the Holy Spirit to descend on us. According to John 16:7:
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

If you know me very well, you would know that I love the Holy Spirit. Oh, thank God that Jesus rose and ascended to Heaven. It is because He sent the Holy Spirit to us that we are able to heal the sick, make the barren fruitful and raise the dead.

Jesus’ rising up and going to sit at the right hand of the Father mean that we have an advocate in Heaven, pleading our case. It is because He rose that no matter how dirty you are, no matter how far gone you have been in the world, you can come to the throne of grace and obtain mercy from God because Jesus will plead for you. He has been tempted too, so you can share your temptations with Him and ask Him for grace to overcome them like He did His.

Ultimately, when He arose, He went to prepare a place for His people in Heaven. Those of us who love Him do His will (John 14:15) and we have the assurance that a mansion is waiting for us in Heaven when we leave this world (John 14:3). This however, is sad news for those who commit sin, because they will be going to hell with the devil (Matthew 25:41). Do not allow Jesus’ death and resurrection be in vain over your life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When Jesus died on the cross, He bore all our sins with Him. According to 1st Peter 2:24:
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

Without Jesus’ death and resurrection, it would be impossible for anyone to be dead to sin. Now, we are above sin because Jesus destroyed its power on the cross. For anyone who connects with Jesus, His blood will wash away their sins and they will receive an unusual grace to live above it. Again, Jesus being the Word of God means that if you are constantly reading and meditating on the Scriptures, then you will live above sin. David said in Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Jesus Christ Himself said in John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” This means that the word of God sanctifies. It is when you have the word dwelling richly in you that you have the supernatural power to live above sin.

Note that 1st Peter 2:24 says “…that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness…” This is contrary to the doctrine of ‘grace’ preachers when they say we can continue to sin once we have accepted Christ. No, His death on the cross gives grace to be dead to sin and live righteously, not to live in unrighteousness. Revelation 1:5 says: “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” He shed His blood on the cross so as to wash us from our sins, not to permit us to commit it.

After your sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus, you need the word of God to keep you sanctified. As you study the word of God diligently, the Holy Spirit will be ministering unto you and He will help you conform to the image of Christ.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The death of Jesus Christ on the cross opened up a new era in Christianity. The first thing that happened when Jesus died was that the veil of the temple was torn into two. Matthew 27:50-51 tell us:
“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”

The torn veil was what separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple. The only person allowed into the holy of holies was the High Priest, but the moment Jesus died, He went to stand in the place of the veil, so it had to give way. Now, everyone has full access to the Father through Jesus. John 14:6 tells us – “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

If you want to meet God, you had better make Jesus your friend. We know that Jesus is the Word of God. This means that to access God, you must always study the word of God. When you read your Bible, you access the mind of God and you can relate with Him on a new level. That is why I pity Pastors who only read their Bibles to prepare messages; they have lost that intimate relationship with God and cannot know His mind.

Before Jesus died, people used to depend on the High Priest to talk to God or to hear from Him, but now, Jesus has bridged the gap. We can access God, speak with Him and hear from Him by ourselves. It is because Jesus died that I can call God “Daddy”. How is your relationship with God? Jesus died because He wanted you to have an intimate relationship with Him. God loves you, that is why He sent His son to die for you so He can talk to you one on one. To what extent are you open to God? He wants to help you with every inadequacy in your life. All He requires is that you are completely open and dedicated to Him.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

“Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
Matthew 7:5

Many people condemn those in error so as to feel good – not necessarily because they want to bring them to Christ. The men who tried to stone the adulterous woman in John 8:1-11 are classic examples. They wanted to show how ‘faithful’ they were, but did not know Jesus would eventually puncture their self-righteousness.

When you correct others to raise your self-esteem, you lower theirs and break their already bruised need. This makes it harder for them to submit to the Christ you preach. If this happens, you can incur God’s wrath. He could turn against you. Do you want Jesus to turn against you? When Jesus turns against anyone, it can lead to public disgrace. In the story above, Jesus turned against the men who were going to stone the adulterous woman and stood on her side, so she could get the chance to begin to live a holy life. Those who conspired to disgrace her left there in shame. You will not end up in shame in the mighty name of Jesus.

It is very painful to see some Christians gifting souls to the devil because of their ‘holier than thou’ attitude. Even in a bar, alcoholics buy drinks for one another and one would hardly be able to tell which of them cannot afford to buy a drink. If this happens in such settings, how much more should we look out for one another in the house of God?

If a pregnant teenage girl is disdained by her church members, the nightclub or brothel would readily accept her. This is why many fallen Christians go deeper into sin. Rebuke in love. Let your words to erring brethren lift the hands that are falling, and raise the feeble knees (Jobs 4:4). We should not be like that proverbial army that specializes in shooting down its already wounded soldiers.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There is a worrisome tread in Christendom today: many people claiming to be holier than others. While I am a serious advocate for holy living, I am not in support of condemning others because of the assumption that they are not as holy as you. We must acknowledge that we are what we are by the grace of God (1st Corinthians 15:10) and no one can be holy except by his grace.
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen
Jude 1:24-25

So, when you see someone living a questionable life, do not condemn him/her, rather pray that God gives the person grace to live holy. It is okay to correct someone who has done wrong, but if it is not done in love, you most likely will not get a positive result.

Many people have given up on faith because some Christians have condemned them. The hurting and reproaching words spoken to them have pushed them far away from God rather than closer to Him. This is not good at all. Let love reign. Let your actions be guided by intention to bring people out of darkness, not because you deliberately want to hurt them by pointing out their flaws.

If anyone is backsliding in your local assembly, pray for such as you lovingly try to restore them according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Don’t laugh at any backslider, don’t look at them with disgust. The father of the prodigal son never mentioned all the ills the boy had done, he just embraced him in love.

From today, begin to walk in love with people in your family, church, workplace and everywhere else. See them with the eyes of Jesus and He will not only convict them but will also draw them unto Himself by his power.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Genesis 1:28 tells us that in the beginning when God created humanity, He commissioned us to “…Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” To fully understand this assignment and successfully carry it out, God created us in His image so we may possess some of His divine attributes. One of which is the freewill to make choices. That is, the ability to reason and make decisions based on available options. Making choices is a deliberate act of will and is vital for our survival.

However, the fact that humanity was created with the freedom of choice is being overstretched by many today to mean that man is a free moral agent with the liberty to act as he/she wishes, without recourse to God. Take this as a serious warning: the notion that a person can do whatever he/she likes in this world without repercussions is a lie from the pit of hell. Ecclesiastes 11:9 instructs the youth to rejoice and celebrate with the consciousness that God will judge all things.

This is confirmed by the word of God in Ecclesiastes 12:14 that says “For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Revelation 22:12 also says:
“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

Children of God shall therefore make choices and decisions carefully, knowing that God will bring everything to judgement. Don’t make choices that will lead to sin, sickness, failure, demonic attack or death. Exercise your will to make decisions that will bring peace, prosperity, divine health, joy in the Holy Ghost, fulfilment of destiny, and eternal life with Jesus. Choose life by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Choose God’s will. Choose life (Deuteronomy 30:15-20).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Money can be a blessing or a trap, depending on one’s attitude towards it. Money is a powerful weapon against poverty and plays such a vital role in life that Ecclesiastes 10:19 presents it as the answer to all things. It is the great power and influence attached to money that makes financial prosperity the desire of almost every human being.

Contentment however, is an important virtue that money cannot buy. Ecclesiastes 5:10 teaches that anyone who loves money will never be satisfied with it, and whosoever loves wealth will continue to seek more.

I have repeatedly told my children that being wealthy is not evil and there is nothing godly about poverty. A poor person who refuses to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour will end up in hell. While a wealthy person who is born again will surely make it to heaven. When it comes to money, the real issue for us as Christians is our attitude towards it. Some have become slaves to money. Some also worship money and would do anything to get as much of it as they can. 1st Timothy 6:10 says:
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

I pray for everyone who money has dragged away from God and may be in any kind of sorrow right now: Be delivered today and receive the grace to renew your relationship with God in the mighty name of Jesus.

Godliness and contentment are gifts from God that money cannot buy. We must be able to say like Apostle Paul “…For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” (Philippians 4:11). May the Lord break the hold of covetousness over your life and fill you with godliness and contentment in the mighty name of Jesus.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Our God is great and mighty, the Supreme ruler and final authority in heaven and on earth. He deserves the best of all things; He does not accept service that is substandard from anyone, neither does He reward anyone that offers half-hearted service to Him. Romans 12:11 reveals God’s hatred from a slothful attitude to life and His service. It also shows a clear preference for people who are fervent in spirit. committed to His work. Romans 12:1 says;
“ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

While God is concerned about the quality of our service, He is even more concerned about our character and way of life. If the lifestyle of a person is not acceptable to God, then whatever service the fellow renders may not have real value to Him. the Bible in Ephesians 6:6-7 lays emphasis on rendering acceptable service not as men pleasers, but doing the will of God from the heart, as unto Him and not to men. 2nd Timothy 2:21 speak about the personality of the fellow God will use: “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.”

From the Scripture above, it is very clear that God will not accept the service of those not in right standing with Him.

1st Corinthians 3:13 also makes it clear that God will critically examine the works and service we render to Him and reward each person accordingly. Substandard service shall be consumed by fire, making such efforts a loss to the concerned persons. I pray that your service shall be acceptable to God and be rewarded accordingly, in the mighty name of Jesus.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Eternal death is the same as damnation to hell. It describes the condition of living in eternity without God. Eternal death is for those who die physically and depart this world without repentance from sin and acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. This is also known as the second death, which is the final banishment of unbelievers from God’s presence. To this effect, 2nd Thessalonians 1:7-9 says:
“….when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed… in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord…”

The agony of eternal death may be described in two major ways: (1) The loss of eternal peace and joy with God (2) The hardship of eternal damnation in hell fire. Romans 6:23 categorically states that eternal life is a gift from God. Romans 1:16 further tells us that this precious gift is available to those who believe in the saving power of the name of Jesus. Eternal life provides humility with rest from the troubles of life and grants the pleasure of being in God’s presence forever. Thus, missing out on eternal life will be a major agony of eternal death. The second major agony of eternal death comes from the suffering, pain and anguish of hell itself. The Bible describes hell as an everlasting fire that is prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Dwelling with the devil and his angels will be such a horrific experience. I pray that you will not partake in the agony of eternal death in the mighty name of Jesus.

To escape this agony, simply accept Christ as your Lord as Saviour. If you are saved already, congratulations! Please guard your salvation diligently to the end (1st Corinthians 10:12). Acts 4:12 says “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Spiritual death, described in the Bible as separation from God is a consequence of sin. It ultimately leads to eternal death if there is no repentance before physical death or the second coming of Christ. People who are spiritually dead are often ignorant of their status because when a person dies spiritually, he or she may continue to live a normal life physically. Such people may be intelligent and successful in their chosen professions; they may even be morally upright and committed to ‘good works.’ Spiritual death is characterized primarily by a lack of communication between God and man. It is a state of complete severance of communion with God.

The Bible in Matthew 4:16, tells us categorically that the two major symptoms of spiritual death are darkness and shadow of death. A man/woman that has been separated from God is living in darkness, totally unaware of the imminent dangers surrounding him/her. Often, calamities suddenly envelope such a man with neither warning nor remedy. Unless such a person retraces his or her steps to God in genuine repentance, the agony of spiritual death becomes a real experience. I pray for anyone that may be experiencing this: The Lord will deliver you today in the mighty name of Jesus.

To be spiritually dead is to live without God’s counsel and guidance. The Bible further hinted at the symptom of spiritual death in Ephesians 4:18 by saying:
“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because the blindness of their heart.”

Most human beings have come to accept a life of ‘suffering and smiling’ as normal. However, John 10:10 tells us Jesus came for us to have life in abundance. Therefore, you can confess your sins to God in true repentance and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Backsliders should also retrace their steps to God. Jesus in His love and mercy will reconnect with you and your life will never be the same again.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Bible mentions two kinds of death: physical or temporal, which is the termination of life on earth and then eternal death. The latter is the final and complete separation from God. When temporal death occurs, it opens the way to eternal life for children of God, but leads to eternal death for those who did not accept Jesus Christ during their physical existence.

Life is full of challenges that bring stress to the body and tension to the soul. The Bible presents this dilemma in Job 14:1 by saying “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” As a result, the ageing process take its toll on everyone to the point that many aged persons become totally dependent on the society and are unable to help themselves. 2nd Kings 13:14 says:
“Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face…”

The Bible records Elisha’s sickness as a natural occurrence and not a result of punishment. Great Bible characters like Isaac, Jacob and King David had almost identical experiences in old age, and a similar fate awaits all human beings. However, temporal death enable the body to escape the agony of sickness, particularly that which come as a result of old age. But for death, my Father-in-the-Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi would still be enduring the agony of a body weakened by age. Thanks be to God, he is now at rest. Revelation 14:13 and Revelation 21:4 tell us sweet and wonderful things that God reserves for His children after they experience temporal death. The saints will enter into rest from earthly labours and begin to reap the fruits of righteousness. They will not experience eternal death, sorrow, crying or pain.

I pray that as you close your eyes in physical death, you will rise to the eternal life of joy and peace with the Lord, in the mighty name of Jesus.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Fire represents the potent and unlimited power of the Almighty God and also symbolises His manifest presence. From the stories of the burning bush in Exodus 3:2-5, to the appearance of a pillar of fire in Exodus 13:21, fire often accompanies appearances of God in the Bible. Fire also signifies the acceptance of sacrifices made unto God as evident in Leviticus 9:24. Likewise, it also depicts divine intervention. The contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal is a classic example of God’s intervention in a situation with fire.
“Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.”
1st Kings 18:38-39

Whenever the fire of God falls, works of darkness are exposed and destroyed. Supernatural laws become activated, leading to unprecedented miracles, signs and wonders. I therefore call the fire of God to fall upon you right now and destroy every work of darkness around you in the mighty name of Jesus. However, according to 1 Kings 18:30-39, some activities must precede the manifestation of divine fire.

Firstly, one must be born again. This makes you a bona fide member of the family of God. Secondly, we have to keep the altar of God in our lives pure and deal with sin decisively. Thirdly, we must obey all His instructions promptly and completely. These three steps will bring down the fire of God into your situation.

Are you standing at the crossroads seeking divine guidance? God requires absolute devotion from you. Jeremiah 29:13 says “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your hearts.” Seek God with all your heart and He will visit your situation with His fire in the mighty name of Jesus.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Stagnant water stinks – not necessarily because it is dirty, but because it does not share itself with others. A stream with flowing water on the other hand remains fresh and fragrant. If you are the kind of person who loves to hoard the good things you have, then you are stagnant water. It may seem like a good idea to hoard your possessions so that you alone can enjoy them, but soon you will discover that you are stinking to everyone around.

Many people like to hoard knowledge. The moment they know something that can impact others positively; they hide it and refuse to pass it on. Any teacher will tell you that you understand a subject better the more you teach it. This means that the more knowledge you hoard, the duller you become. If you are a student, make it a point of duty to always teach your colleagues any subject that you understand and they don’t. This way, you get a better understanding of the subject and stand a better chance of excelling in it.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to be number one always. My love to be number one has spurred me to always share whatever knowledge I have. The more knowledge I share, the more I receive. This is also applicable in your office; teach others how to get things done. That is what Jesus Christ would have done if He were in your shoes. Do not think that teaching others would make them better than you. Jesus said in John 13:16:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.”

As long as you don’t relax and stop learning, then people you teach cannot know more than you. As long as you are their teacher, you will keep rising higher. Every true leader longs for the growth of others. If you try to inhibit the growth of those around you, they will end up rising above you and leading you, but if you actively pursue their growth, you will realise that God will raise you higher and continue to make you their leader.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God is merciful. In fact, He is the Father of mercies (2nd Corinthians 1:3). Romans 9:15 however tells us His mercy will not always be accessible to everyone.

This means that even though God is merciful, He still reserves the right to withhold His mercy when He wants. Don’t take His mercy for granted. If God has overlooked your wrongdoing a number of times, then I think you should know that the more He overlooks, the less time you have until your cup is full.

A woman – very sick and at the point of death, was brought to me for prayers some years ago. As I laid my hands on her, I felt the anointing flow through my hands like warm oil and when it got to her head, it bounced back. I enquired the cause of this from God and He said He had warned her several times to repent but she had refused; now it was His own turn to refuse to heal her. I ran to the altar and cried for mercy on her behalf; there was hardly any scripture on mercy that I did not quote. Then I ran back and laid my hands on her head the second time; the anointing bounced back again. I ran to God pleading for mercy again, laid my hands on her the third time, yet the anointing bounced back. I tried to lay my hand on her head again but it was too late as she had given up the ghost.

In another incident, an elderly man who was the head of the occult in his village led some other cultist into the church where I was preaching. I seized the opportunity to preach the gospel to them with all my heart. When I made the altar call, the leader – the elderly man – was the first to give his life to Jesus. A few weeks later, he passed on.

The woman did not stop when she had the chance to, despite several warnings from God, and she faced the consequences. The elderly man on the other hand was wise enough to stop when he received a warning from God and he must have made it to heaven. Are you still committing one sin or the other? If you are wise, you will heed this warning now and stop it. Don’t wait until He withholds His mercy.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Before any organisation recruits employees, the criteria for qualification would have been determined. Similarly, there are qualifications God expects all workers in His vineyard to meet up with. In Acts 6:1-3, when the first set of Church workers were to be selected, it was mandatory that they had an honest report and be filled with the Holy Ghost. This is how the work of God can grow. After Spirit-filled workers has been chosen in Acts 6, verse 7 says:
“And the word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.”

It is wonderful to work for God but God is not seeking just anyone to work for Him, He is seeking spirit-filled workers. It is pathetic when someone comes to Church for the first time, willing to surrender to Christ and then he sights his girlfriend or someone who asked him for a bribe in the course of the week amongst the workers. He then say to himself “if these are the kind of people serving God, then I am not interested.”

How will the word of God increase when even the workers are not living by it?

Every worker in the Ushering, Media, Choir, Sanitation, Prayer team, Follow-up, Protocol, Evangelism, Traffic control, and all other departments must be Spirit-filled. Deuteronomy 34:9 says Joshua was filled with the Spirit of wisdom. He was the Personal Assistant to Moses. Everyone assisting a Pastor to do the work of God must be filled with the Holy Spirit, otherwise they will get him/her in trouble. In 2nd Kings 5:20-27, but for the intervention of the Holy Spirit, Gehazi, the Personal Assistant of Elisha could have put him in trouble. There are Church workers who collect money on behalf of their pastors without informing them. It is dangerous to be unfaithful in your service to God. Just ask Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, as recorded in Leviticus 10:1-3.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”
John 15:7-8

Since Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches, what then is my duty as a branch? The primary duty of the branch is to bear fruit, to win souls. He said if you don’t bear fruit, then you are no longer qualified to be a branch (John 15:2). How many souls have you won for God since the beginning of this year? Are you sure you are still His branch? In Genesis 1:28, the first commandment to human beings was to be fruitful and multiply. It was a blessing, more importantly, a commandment.

To carry out your duties appropriately as a branch you must abide – stay connected to the Vine. Any branch that disconnects from its Vine will die fruitless. If you don’t abide in Him, how can you bear fruits? You abide in Him by fellowshipping with Him regularly and staying away from sin. He hates sin, so the moment you begin to dip your hands into it, He will disconnect you from Himself. When you abide in Him, He passes spiritual nutrients to you on a regular basis. In other words, in those times of fellowshipping with Him by studying your Bible and praying, you begin to blossom spiritually and the same works that He did during His early ministry, you too will begin to do and even more according to John 14:12.

When you start performing the kind of miracles that He performed while on earth, it will be easy to win souls. In fact, the souls will be the ones coming to ask you to let them meet with your God. Abiding in Him is the most important duty of a branch. If you can abide in Him, you will be fruitful and everything else will fall in place.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman”
John 15:1
When you ask someone to introduce him or herself, you want the surname, first name and so on. In the above passage, Jesus introduced Himself as the Vine and His Father is the Husbandman. He went on to say in verse two that His children are the branches. At other times, Jesus introduced Himself as the Door, Lamb, Way, Truth, Life, Resurrection, Alpha, Omega and so on. As strange as these illustrations may seem, they carry the true picture of who He is.

He is the Vine and we are His branches; therefore, we are an extension of Him. If you open up a vine and you open up a branch, you would find the same thing in both of them; one is only bigger. That is why Jesus said in John 9:5 that He is the light of the world and then said in Matthew 5:14 that we are the light of the world; this simply means that we bear the light of Jesus. 1st John 4:17 tells us that as He is, so are we in this world. In Romans 8:16-17, we are called joint heirs with Christ. This means that we are His brothers, thus the same genes that are in Him are in us also. Ephesians 2:6 says we are seated together in heavenly places. In Acts 4:13, people saw Peter and John speak and they recognised Jesus in them. All these scriptures make one thing clear: as long as you are a child of God, you are to resemble your Father.

But then, how come we have so many ‘Christians’ who don’t resemble Christ? The answer is in 2 Corinthians 3:18 – they do not behold His glory. If you immerse yourself in God’s presence every day – studying your Bible and praying, you will begin to resemble Him as the days go by. When a man and a woman have been married for a few years, they begin to look, sound and even think alike. That is because they have been spending time together for long. Who you spend time with will determine who you become. You want to truly resemble Jesus? Spend time with Him daily.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God has principles and even He abides by them. For example, His principles is that for the cleansing of sins, there must be the shedding of unpolluted blood, so when the blood of animals was not enough to take away sins, He did not change the principle; rather He sent His own Son (which was a great sacrifice) who was completely unpolluted to shed His blood for our sins (Hebrews 9:13, 10:12). This is why I wonder how people do things contrary to the principles of God, yet expect good results. If God, in His sovereignty abides by His own principles, then we ought to also.

One of His principles is that if you don’t work, you will not eat (2nd Thessalonians 3:10). So, when a lazy fellow is asking for a breakthrough, I wonder if he expects God to just drop the money into his lap. If you want to be wealthy, then you have to be willing to work and work hard. Another principle of wealth that God has laid down is the principle of giving. Do you know that even herbalists use this principle and it works? Yes, because God’s principles are universal; whoever obeys them will reap the fruits. The reason many Christians are still in poverty is simply because they do not give. Luke 6:38 says:
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measures, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

One general principle of God is that whatsoever you sow is what you will reap (Galatians 6:7). This means that if you want kindness, show kindness to other. If you want help, help others. There are so many prayers that will not be answered until we begin to work in line with God’s principles. His word is yea and amen; you cannot use prayers to cajole Him into going against His word. Do the right thing!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Jesus came for one assignment: to shed His blood for the remission of our sins. 1st John 3:8 says:
“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

For Jesus to erase your sin, all He needs you to do is confess them. It does not matter how badly you have sinned, the moment you confess and ask Him to be your Lord and Saviour, He will cleanse all that unrighteousness away.

The devil however will keep coming to remind you of all your sins. When he comes, quote 1st John 1:9 to him:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Tell him that the fellow he is talking about is dead because 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says that when you give your life to Christ, you become a new creature and old things have passed away; all things have now become new. Don’t ever allow the devil to make you feel guilty for sins that no longer exist as far as God is concerned.

After confessing your sins, you are to forsake them. Proverbs 28;13 says
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Forsaking your sins means following away anything connected to your old lifestyle and sincerely resolving never to go back to it. If you still hang around the same friends and places that made you sin, enjoying the same worldly music or movies that your ‘old man’ used to love, then you are unwilling to let God erase your past. Confess your sins and forsake them today, you will experience peace like never before.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Jesus is the Shepherd of sheep, not goats. John 10:27 says:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

The sheep is totally dependent on the shepherd while the goat is stubborn and disobedient. No matter how anointed you are, if you are disobeying or ignoring God in any way, you are behaving like a goat.

Jesus Christ said His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. Did you see any part of that passage that talked about the sheep asking questions? No. When Jesus gives an instruction, His sheep obey immediately. They trust Him and know that He will not mislead them.

Has God been telling you to reach out to certain people for so long but you are stalling? Has He been asking you to write a book, but you are wondering if people will buy it? Has He been nudging you to sow something into His work, but you are wondering how you will cope after sowing the seed? Obey today. It is a dangerous thing for God to stop asking or nudging you to do something, because it means He has found someone else. Act fast before He gets a replacement for you.

Many times, His instruments don’t make logical sense, but that is exactly what a miracle is – something that is logically impossible. A long time ago, God asked me to tell the Pastors in The Redeemed Christian Church of God not to contribute for feeding during the annual convention anymore; that He would use me to feed the people. I was afraid, so I ignored the instruction until He said “You are about to lose a miracle”. I quickly announced it, though my plan was to sell the two cars we owned back then to pay for the feeding. I had decided that, once the provision ran out in the middle of the convention, I would simply announce that the programme was over, assure everyone that they had receive their miracles and could go home. What little faith I had! It’s been over twenty years now and I have not had to sell any car to feed the people during our programmes.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When we talk of Christian perfection as demanded by our Lord Jesus Christ, many think the demand is a ‘mission impossible.’ This is not true, especially when we consider the ‘grace factor’ which is exclusive to those who are born by the Spirit of God (John 3:3-5). Now, what are the ingredients of perfection?

The first is grace according to our text. It is grace that imparts on us the divine nature and power (1st John 2:15-17). Peter entreats us to add virtue to our faith. Virtue is the behaviour that exhibits excellence. Virtue also must be accompanied by knowledge or else your good intention may be evil spoken of. To knowledge we are encouraged to add temperance if we are not going to be guilty of being arrogant because the Bible says: “…Knowledge [without temperance] puffeth up, but charity edifieth.” (1st Corinthians 8:1). You must be patient with others – dealing with them with understanding. However, chief among these ingredients is charity which in modern language is love (Matthew 22:39).

“For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”
2nd Peter 1:8-9

We can see in the above scripture that, indeed, perfection has ingredients which, when present in our lives as Christians, bring us to the level of perfection as required by the law of liberty (James 1:25). Here we see the need to be well-grounded in the word of God. The problem with modern-day soul winners is that they do not do due diligence in feeding converts with the sincere milk of the world – precept by percept, line upon line according to Isaiah, the prophet (Isaiah 28:9-10).

Beloved, we must be perfect, even as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Worship is the most important part any meeting with God. Anyone who is not baptized in the Holy Ghost should not be in the choir. A good voice is not the qualification to be a worship leader. There is a difference between a talented singer and an anointed one – which are you?

Worshipers are supposed to glorify God and it takes the Holy Spirit to do this. In John 16:13-14, Jesus Christ said it is the Holy Spirit who would glorify Him. John 4:23-24 tells us that God is a Spirit and those who worship Him are to worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

While the presence of God is felt when some singers get on the stage and miracles happens, others do so without the same results because they have not connected with the Holy Spirit. Our Spirit are lifted when singing hymns and choruses – not because they were written by angels but by people who were filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit breathed on them and they wrote what He inspired them to write. The Spirit never dies, that is why hymns are evergreen. When next you are writing a song, remember that the letter kills but the Spirit makes alive (2nd Corinthians 3:6).

If you are a chorister, seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit if you are a Pastor, make sure that everyone who climbs on the altar to lead worship is baptized in the Holy Spirit. Let there be no instrumentalist who is not baptized by the Holy Spirit. Worship is like food to God: let us be very careful with the kind of food we bring to His table. If there are no instrumentalist, we have a ten-stringed instrument provided by God – our hands. God made voices and hands before musical instruments. If that is the only pure thing you have to offer Him, He is fine with it.

“O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto the God with the voice of triumph.”
Psalm 47:1
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In 1st Kings 18:38, the fire consumed the water. In this context, water represents tears and sorrow. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter who licks up your tears and gives you comfort. For all those tears you shed at night behind closed doors, God sees you and He will send His Holy Spirit to comfort you. Note that Elijah had purposely asked that water be poured on the sacrifice. There are certain sorrows that are self-caused; the Holy Spirit comforts us in such also (John 14:18)

That is why I have good news for anyone who may have made several mistakes in the past: the Holy Spirit will wipe your tears and give you a fresh start in the mighty name of Jesus.

The fire also consumed the dust. Humans are made out of dust (Genesis 2:7). The dust represents human flesh. One of the names of the Holy Spirit is the Transformer as we see in 1st Kings 18:46:
"And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel."

When the Hand of God (another name of the Holy Spirit) came upon Elijah, he became stronger and faster than chariots drawn by horses. He was transformed. In Judges 15:14-15, we see the Holy Spirit transformed the jaw bone of an ass into a weapon of warfare. Romans 8:11 say:
“But of the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you”

When the fire of the Holy Ghost comes on you, you no longer live by the flesh but by the Spirit. The moment you are baptized by the Holy Ghost and fire, you become transformed. May you experience the transforming fire of the Holy Spirit, in the mighty name of Jesus.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The fire is proof that your offering has been accepted (1st Kings 18:38). No offering is acceptable to God except it is by fire. Always pray to God to send down fire to take your offering up before you drop it. In Judges 6:19-21, when the angels put his staff on Gideon’s offering, fire fell.

The Holy Spirit as fire also has the power to consume wood. Every piece of wood has the potential to become fire, hence the term firewood. Every piece of wood will die an ordinary death unless fire comes upon it. every Christian has the potential to become a mighty man or woman of God. Unfortunately, many Christians will die without performing a single miracle for God because the fire never came to change their wood (gifts) into firewood (manifestation of the gifts). Even though Jesus had said he would make Peter a fisher of men, he still needed the fire to come upon him on the day of Pentecost, after which he preached a single sermon and won three thousand souls on that same day.

There is something great that God has deposited in you, a great purpose God has for your life. You did not become a Christian just so that you can go to Church, shout Hallelujah, eventually die and go to Heaven. You were created for greater things, but that hidden potential will not find expression until the fire of the Holy Ghost comes upon you.

The fire also consumed stones which are representative of hardship and poverty. God says in 3 John 2:
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

He wants you to prosper; it is the devil who brings hardship and poverty. When you see someone struggling so much, yet with minimal results, it is very likely that a demon is behind it. Once the fire of the Holy Ghost comes upon that fellow, the demon will flee and an end will come to suffering in his/her life.
You need the fire of the Holy Ghost.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Acts 2:3 tells us straightaway that there is a link between the Holy Spirit and fire. In Exodus 3:2, The Spirit of God spoke to Moses as fire burning in a bush. This was no ordinary fire as the bush was not consumed.
Hebrews 1:7 says:
“And of the angels saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.”

Hebrews 12:29 says our God is a consuming fire. This verse is talking about the Holy Spirit. For you to fully understand this aspect of the Holy Spirit, let us look at 1 Kings 18:38:
“Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.”

When Elijah prayed and fire fell from Heaven, it consumed the offering, the wood, the stone, licked up the water and the dust round about the altar. This is certainly no ordinary fire!

When you see a man who has fire, tread gently around him. Ananias and Sapphira were careless with the fire and paid with their lives (Acts 5:1-10). The fire also must not be grieved. When Jesus says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven (Matthew 12:31), it is because the Holy Spirit is fire and carelessness can be fatal. That is why I pity people who fake speaking in tongues and joke with it. If only they knew who they were toying with, they would never try that.

The fire of the Holy Spirit is not the exclusive right of a limited number of people; you too can carry the fire of God if you are willing. It was not only the Apostles that were at the upper room when the fire of the Holy Ghost came, but it rested on every single one of them, including Mary the Mother of Jesus and His brothers (Acts 1:13-14). The fire of the Holy Ghost can come upon you too if only you would lead a life of intense prayers and supplications.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Holy Spirit can move massively, so massively that you would even think there is a storm. In Exodus 14:21, when Moses lifted his hand across the Red Sea, the Bible says the east wind blew all night, massively, until the Red Sea parted. Moses described it thus in Exodus 15:8:
“And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.”

Now, while the speedy move of the Holy Spirit within a man is to work miracles, the massive move of the Holy Spirit is to birth an unusual passion for the things of God such that you would bear and do anything for the sake of the gospel. When the massive wind hit the Red Sea, the water received unusual strength such that the floods stood upright as a heap. When a timid person like Peter preached to thousands of people such that three thousand people surrendered their lives to Christ, you know the wind of Holy Spirit has moved massively.
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men” Acts 5:29

This was Peter – the formerly timid Peter, speaking boldly to the rulers of the city. Sometimes within him – a force that was pushing him to do whatever was required for God, had strengthened him greatly. Oh, how I wish Christians of today could catch this fire! Christians today are too careful for their lives. No one wants to go on missionary trips again, no one is willing to take the gospel to war-torn areas where it is really needed; we prefer to stay in our comfort zones and talk about Jesus from there. Many of us these days cannot preach the gospel in the face of the slightest opposition, allowing and even partaking of atrocities because we are afraid of what people will say if we oppose them. God has not given us the spirit of fear (2nd Timothy 1:7).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Holy Spirit can blow like a mighty rushing wind as recorded in Acts 2:1-4. Occasionally, the Holy Spirit has to move speedily to intervene, especially when things are about to get out of hand, just as in judges 15:14:
“And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.”

When an urgent miracle is needed, the Holy Spirit moves speedily. Whenever you need the Holy Spirit to move speedily, speak His language. As you build momentum speaking in tongues, the wind of the Holy Spirit and His power will begin to build up within you. When you have felt the wind and power strongly within you, let it out by speaking a word into that situation and you will see changes.

However, do not wait for a dangerous situation before you begin to call upon the Holy Spirit to move speedily. Many times when challenges come, they don’t give enough time for speaking in tongues. Make speaking in tongues a lifestyle. Speaking in tongues for at least one hour every day. Build up the wind of the Holy Spirit in your inner man so frequently and fervently that every word that comes out of your mouth is fire. When a man of God speaks to situations in public and things begin to change, the man must have spent time building up the wind of the Holy Spirit in himself privately.

When you have the mighty rushing wind of the Holy Spirit within you, every decree you make is accomplished speedily. Make speaking in tongues a lifestyle. It is a pathetic thing to be called a child of the most powerful being in the world and not have any power. Every night when I go out on prayer walks, I am building the wind of the Holy Spirit within me by speaking in tongues for hours. Start today, the Holy Spirit will take over and make it your lifestyle.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The first sign of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was that there was a sound of a mighty rushing wind that filled the upper room (Acts 2:2). Before the apostles saw the fire, they heard the sound of the wind. In Genesis 2:7, the Bible tells us that when God formed man, He breathed life into him. From the innermost being of the Almighty God came a little bit of wind that went into a lump of clay to make it into a living soul. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says:
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”
What God breathed into the dust that turned it into a living soul was the spirit. We can see therefore that there is a link between the Holly Spirit and the wind.

The Spirit can blow gently like a breeze. In Judges 13:24-25, the Bible talks about how the Spirit began to move Samson at times. Samson was growing up and the Spirit, in form of a breeze was moving him, shaking him a little. Occasionally, when someone is experiencing the Holy Spirit for the first time, he may find himself shaking just a little; not violently or convulsing as in when manifesting demonic possession, but just shaking a little bit. That is the Holy Spirit moving like a breeze. Sometimes, when worshipping God – alone or even in a congregation, when the Holy Spirit takes over, a little shaking may be experienced; that is the Holy Spirit moving as a breeze. You need to be sensitive at times like that so the Holy Spirit can do His complete work in your life.

On the day of Pentecost, the wind came into the room and filled the whole place. In Genesis 1:1-2, when God made the Heaven and the earth, and the earth was void and without form, the Spirit moved over the whole earth. This tells you that when the Holy Spirit is moving during the service, it is not the time to begin to look around; but to be in and be moved by the Spirit.

Key into the manifestation of the Holy Spirit during private or corporate worship and trust Him to work wonders in your life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When going to speak to someone or a group of people who are religious, but not born again, prayer is an excellent tool to draw their attention. In Nigeria for example, if you want to evangelise in a bus, because the people generally believe that prayers are effective, you can start with a short but powerful prayer asking God for journey mercies. When you have their attention, you can go ahead and preach.

“Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”
John 4:48

When people see signs, they will believe. Ask the people you wish to evangelise if they would like you to pray with them concerning any need they have. After you have prayed and God has answered the prayer, it will be easier to convince them to accept Christ. Many years ago, I had a team of youth who I had trained in evangelism. I had taught them that, when they encounter anyone who wouldn’t listen to them, they should simply ask if there was any issue the fellow wanted them to pray with him about. One day, they got to the house of a herbalist who was antagonistic. They said “Baba, we know you are very powerful, but is there anything at all that you have not been able to solve? We want to pray about it. “He told them that every time he got married, once the bride got pregnant, she would begin to bleed and bleed until she died. Now he had married again and his new wife was pregnant but, like all the others, she had begun to bleed and was close to death. My children prayed a simple prayer and left. They had only been gone for a little while when they heard someone calling them from afar. They looked back and saw the herbalist chasing after them. When he got to them, he said his wife has stopped bleeding and he was ready to accept Jesus into his life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Everybody responds to love. If you want to talk to someone about accepting the one who is Love Himself, then you should at least show some love to the fellow first and foremost. An evangelist must be full of smiles at all times. The person you are going to talk to may be going through a hard situation and your smile may just brighten his/her day.

You should always ask yourself when going on evangelism “What does this person need?” If the need is taken out of the way, then he/she can listen to you. You can’t be talking about Christ to someone who is hungry and expect him to listen, but if you came with food, then they would. A woman with a crying baby is more likely to listen to you if you help calm the baby first. 1st John 4:16 says:
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”

There is nothing too big for you to do if you want to win a soul to Christ. If you meet the fellow washing clothes or their car, join them. Don’t feel too big to do it. When you show humility, they see Christ in you and can easily believe your message. God throws a party in heaven when one single soul is won to Christ. What could be too hard for you to do to make your Father that happy?

If the people you’re sharing the gospel with perceive you as someone who cares about them, they would see God like that too. If on the other hand, they see you as someone who only cares about himself and does not seem to be behaving like the loving God they have always heard of, they push your message aside. Now, I know that some people will try to take your love for granted. If you cannot find a polite way to stop them from doing that, then allow them. If your message does not convert them at least they will never forget your Christ-like character.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.