₦airaland Forum

Self-condemnation is one of the evil arrows in the devil’s quiver. It certainly is one of the enemy’s weapons of choice deployed in attacking many Christians today. The activity of the kingdom of darkness in this regard takes the form of laying out accusations against the saints of God whenever they err. The enemy also tries to remind us of sins we committed in the past, which we have repented of, suggesting that perhaps God has not forgiven or forgotten them. No wonder the Bible refers to the devil as the accuser of the brethren, saying in Revelations 12:10:
“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”
However, our God is always several steps ahead of the enemy’s antics, and He has made provision for Jesus Christ to stand as our advocate in heaven’s court, pleading our cause and interceding on our behalf whenever the devil presents his accusations against us. The Holy Spirit also intercedes on our behalf whenever we err and our soul is cast down. After convicting us of whatever sins we may have committed, He comforts and encourages us to rise up from the pit of sin and return to our rightful place in the bosom of loving Father. We need to clarify the fact that remorse for sin is not the same as self-condemnation. Self-condemnation is a very deadly weapon that is affective in taking away the confidence of believers. As a child of God, the lies of the enemy cannot condemn you before God. Even if you fall into sin, you must remember how precious you are to God, who will surely not leave the judgment of His children in Satan’s hands.

Any time we separate ourselves to focus on God in the place of prayer, the devil is not happy about it. He therefore tries to step in by bombarding our minds with his accusations in order to disrupt and terminate our fellowship with God. He will do anything to keep you from praying, and condemnation is his favorite tactic. Surprisingly, we are also pleased to trash ourselves. Carrying the weight of blame and condemning oneself does not help anyone. The right thing to do is to go to God in prayer, confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness. Be wise, Jesus Christ our Advocate is the only one to consult on issues of sin and forgiveness. As long as you are not a habitual sinner that doesn’t take repentance seriously. Whenever you approach God in prayers, be confident that the Lord will answer your prayer in Jesus’ Name. Have you fallen from grace into sin? Stop condemning yourself today and start talking to your Advocate, Jesus Christ. He will treat your case with tender mercy and ensure that your joy of salvation returns to you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Being religious is not the same as being godly. It is surprising that people cannot tell the difference between the two these days. A religion is a belief system practiced by a group of people who subscribe to its teachings and set of rules. The Pharisees and scribes of Jesus’ time on earth are a good example of religious people. Although they followed all the laws of Moses, they were blind to the presence of the Messiah living amongst them, even though Moses spoke of Him. In spite of all the great works He did before their very eyes, which should have convinced them beyond any reasonable doubt of His identity, they questioned everything He did and refused to accept Him. You see, the Pharisees obeyed the laws of Moses to the letter but refused to acknowledge the power of salvation through Christ. They also didn’t believe in His message of love and mercy; rather, they believed that no sinner must go unpunished (John 8:1-5). The Pharisees paid a lot of attention to looking holy rather than actually living a holy life.
In contrast to being religious, godliness is synonymous to being Christ-like and living a life of holiness. A fellow is godly when he or she has the nature of God. Godliness is much more than looking holy or acting holy; it is a lifestyle. It is unfortunate that in the church today, there are more religious people than godly people. Religious people find it easy to castigate others, whereas they do worse things in secret. They can quote many scriptures by heart and know the right Bible passage that fits every situation. While this is good, religious people don’t live according to the scriptures they know and recite, because their hearts are far from God (Matthew 15:. Such people know all the rules and doctrines of the denomination they belong to but deny the power behind such doctrines. Their major problem is that there is a separation between their outer and inner man. In other words, they have mastered the art of pretence. The personality they show to the world is different from who they really are.

2 Timothy 3:5 admonishes us to move far away from religious people. They are quick to call for the head of any fellow in Christ who falls into sin, rather than disciplining and correcting such a person in love. If you find it difficult to show love to people, and yet you preach the gospel, you are practicing religion and not godliness. Godliness, as opposed to religion, will bring you great gain in this world and in the world to come. 1st Timothy 4:8b says:
“…but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”
Apart from getting your heart’s desires on earth through Christ, godliness will also ensure that you partake of life in heaven.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

A person who manifests high moral standards in specific areas of life is said to posses’ virtue in those areas. The virtues of boldness and courage are especially required in Christian leadership. For this reasons, several passages of the Bible admonish children of God to be strong and courageous (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:6). Speaking on boldness in Proverbs 28:1, the Holy Spirit says:
“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
No wonder we see the virtue of boldness being deployed in the declaration of God’s word in Acts 4:31, Act 14:3 and Hebrews 13:6. Only a person with strength of character can display courage in the face of trouble, while boldness is required to speak the truth in all circumstances, especially in the face of opposition and in hostile environments. May the Lord grant you the boldness and courage you need to overcome every obstacle in your life in Jesus’ Name.

More importantly, the virtues of boldness and courage have spiritual significance because they are necessary for entering the presence of God and for dealing with the forces of darkness. In Ephesians 6:12, the Holy Spirit reveals some truths about the forces of darkness, saying:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
This clearly shows among other things that Satan and his demons comprise a well-organized army that is skillful in carrying out devastating attacks on its victims. It also shows that the warfare we must fight as Christians is purely restricted to the realms of the spirit. This warfare calls for courage to withstand dreadful circumstances; determination to overcome at all cost persistent prayer. It also calls for loyalty to fight under the banner of Christ the Lord of hosts, standing in His strength and using the weapons He has provided. One good thing about the virtues of boldness and courage is that they yield confidence in us. Speaking on this confidence, Hebrews 10:35-36 says:
“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”
We cannot achieve much in our Christian race without boldness. We need boldness to correctly apply God’s word to life situations. Indeed, it takes courage to follow and obey God. Anyone who lacks courage will be full of fear. Fear paralyses and makes if impossible to take any progressive stride in life. If you will make impact in life, you must ignore the contrary circumstances around you and focus on God who has called you. All powers in heaven and on earth belong to Him; He has never failed and He will never fail. He will see you through, and you will celebrate at last. Glory be to God!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Matthew 21:28-29, Jesus tells the parable of a man searching for faithful labourers in His household, and even among His own children. This is indicative of what God does in every generation: always searching for a faithful servant, someone He can depend on, to deliver His undiluted message to the people. This was why Jesus commissioned seventy of His disciples to preach the good news of the gospel in the surrounding cities, towns and villages He planned to visit (Luke 10:1). He gave these disciples specific instructions that signified the level of discipline, commitment and faithfulness with which He expected them to carry out the assignment. The truth of the matter is, in all generations, God is always, in search of a few exceptional ones among His children who are obedient, trustworthy, reliable and dependable. Such committed labourers are usually set apart for special assignments, especially tasks related to soul winning. I pray that you will be found among these few special labourers in this generation in Jesus’ Name. In Luke 10:2, Jesus, Jesus acknowledged the vastness of the available harvest and scarcity of labourers to bring in the harvest. The harvest is a reference to the souls that are ready to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour, while the labourers are Christians who are faithfully committed to the task of evangelism or soul-winning. In saying the labourers are few, Jesus is not necessarily talking about the quantity of labourers only; He is also referring to their quality. In other words, the Lord is talking about the scarcity of genuine workmen who are faithfully committed to the task of gathering souls into the Kingdom.

Jesus specifically gave us the parable of the talents to teach the importance of faithfulness in stewardship (Matthew 25:14-30). All the servants put their talents to profitable use except the servants to whom was entrusted one talent, who went and dug a hole in the ground, to hide his lord’s money where it would lie fallow. When their master returned, the servant with one talent was seriously reprimanded. His talent was taken away from him and given as a bonus to someone else. In light of this parable, the Lord expects everyone of His children to diligently put their talents and special gifts to profitable use for the advancement of God’s kingdom. We are expected to be committed to God’s work, of which soul-winning is paramount. You will not be named among unprofitable servants in Jesus’ Name. Beloved, the greatest rewards and crowns in heaven will go to soul-winners. I therefore plead with you to become a committed soul winner today. As you strive to please God in your stewardship, God will crown all your efforts with success in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The All-Sufficient One" is one of God’s names that aptly describes His incomparable greatness and self-sufficiency in all things. God is sufficient in power, knowledge, wisdom, wealth and authority, being able to accomplish anything He desires and bring to pass anything He has ordained. It is for this reason that we are commanded to look up to Him and depend on Him to provide all our needs and desires. We are to look unto God for salvation and deliverance from all forms of sin, sickness and poverty. Our gaze should be focused on Him whenever we are in need of boldness, encouragement or strength to forge ahead in the difficult journey of life. Our ears and hearts should also be open to His guidance and direction as we live the Christian life daily. As you look unto the All-sufficient One for the fulfillment of your destiny, you will not be disappointment in Jesus’ Name.

From time to time in the rigorous journey of life, we sometimes find ourselves in a state of tiredness and confusion. At such times, the Holy Spirit admonishes us to run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, for encouragement (Hebrews 12:1-2). Not only are we meant to look unto Him for encouragement, we are also to look unto Him as our perfect example. Speaking on this, the Holy Spirit says in 1st Peter 2:21-23:
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did not sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:”

Looking unto other gods and human systems for forgiveness, deliverance, healing and salvation has brought untold hardship and losses to many. Even looking unto great men and women who are successful in life and ministry has resulted in great disappointment, sorrow and pain in people’s lives. As a matter of fact, this has been a major cause of failure, in the life of several people. While human beings are prone to failure, there is no failure or disappointment in Jesus. Looking unto Jesus can only increase your faith and uplift you spiritually and physically.

Looking unto Jesus in our daily Christian walk provides us with direction through the revelations He gives us in His word. By looking unto Him, an ordinary person becomes equipped to do exploits of supernatural dimensions. The Lord Jesus is the All-Sufficient God who provides forgiveness of sin, salvation and a life of joy and peace to all who look up to Him as the Messiah. As you call upon Him today, He will meet all your needs and guide your steps towards fulfilling your destiny in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The term ‘put on’ in Ephesians 4:24 is an instruction that is widely used in the Bible to mean ‘be dressed up’. God’s word commands all obedient children of God to be dressed up in certain ways spiritually and physically (Ephesians 6:11, 1st Peter 3:3). Modesty and purity are the hallmarks of our cultural heritage as Christians, we are to protect this heritage in this world of sin and godlessness. Therefore, children of God are to ensure that modesty and purity are reflected in their physical appearance and spiritual lives.

I strongly believe that a person is usually addressed the way he or she is dressed. Moses was mistaken for an Egyptian because of the way he was dressed (Exodus 2:19-21). If you dress like a prostitute, you will be addressed as a prostitute (Proverbs 7:10). If you dress like a hoodlum, you will be taken for one. Some good Christians choose to dress in ways that do not align with modesty and purity, and when others advise them to change their ways, they argue that a person’s preferred manner of dressing cannot in any way nullify their status as born again Christians. The truth of the matter is, it is one thing to be born again and another thing to submit to the authority of God through total obedience to His commandments. 1st John 2:3-4 says:
“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
The hallmark of a Christian is total compliance with God’s word. Many unbelievers are contending with God intentionally by refusing to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, but some Christians are unintentionally contending with God out of sheer ignorance. Those who claim to be born again Christians but are yet living in apparent disobedience of God’s word are in effect resisting or contending with Him. Romans 13:2 says:
“Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”
It is foolish for anyone to contend with the Almighty God (Isaiah 45:9), as this is an exercise in futility that is bound to end in failure, disappointment and eternal regret. I pray that you will yield to the voice of the Holy Spirit today as He speaks to you on the need to change your mode of dressing to comply with God’s standard in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Some wonder how big heaven is for it to accommodate all the people who have existed since the beginning of creation. The curiosity of such people should be appreciated and their questions should be answered by pointing out the mightiness of the Omnipotent God and His capacity to do all things in John 14:1-3, the One who framed the worlds, said:
“Let not your heat be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
Considering that what the Almighty God did within six days in Genesis chapter 1 has been more than enough to sustain life on earth for so long, despite the population explosion of man and animals over time, how much more will what Jesus Christ has been preparing for over two thousand years be able to sustain all those who qualify to be there? Definitely, you don’t need to be a mathematician or quantity surveyor to logically conclude that an estate that has taken over two thousand years to build would be very magnificent. In Revelation 21:10, this estate is referred to as “that great city”. If the Almighty God, who is greater than the greatest, says that something is great, the greatness of that thing must definitely be unimaginable. No wonder Isaiah 64:4 says:
“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”
Beloved, based on God’s word, I want to assure you that even if the whole world turns to Christ today, there still will be more than enough mansions for each and every one in “that great city”. Let us therefore intensify efforts toward fulfilling our assignment of winning souls. The Lord has assured us that the harvest is ripe, so let us reach out to the millions of souls still heading for hell, redirecting them to the path of righteousness and to the kingdom we are patiently waiting for. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we will depopulate hell and populate heaven to the glory of our God and Father. God bless you all as you take this assignment very seriously.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Worship is a beautiful act. Personally, I really love to worship God. The true act of worship is expressed when you bow down before a person in total surrender or in form of adoration. Satan knows this, which is why he told Jesus to bow down to worship him (Matthew 4:8-9). In the spirit realm, the act of worship is high priority. This is why I sometimes wonder why people think the time to worship in a church service is the right time for them to walk around to greet people. Some people purposely get to church after the worship session, while some church workers use that time to “put some things in place”. These are all wrong attitudes to worship. I remember one time when I entered a service during the worship session and all the people I passed by bowed to greet me. When I got the microphone, I asked them how they knew that I was passing by if they were truly worshipping God, and I warned them that no one should ever suspend their worship of God in order to greet me again. The time of worship is the most important time in any service.

Our heavenly Father is the Almighty God. He created the heavens and the earth, but He has no creator. He has done so many wondrous things that man can at best only imagine (Psalm 72:18). He can kill and also raise the dead (1st Samuel 2:6). He can change the life of a poor man within minutes (1st Samuel 2:. He stretches the heavens out as a curtain and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in (Isaiah 40:22). Speaking of this great God, Exodus 15:8 says:
“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.”
Doesn’t He therefore deserve to be worshipped with utmost respect? When the president of a country steps into a gathering, all attention is on him; why then is our attention elsewhere when the King of kings is being worshipped? Please don’t take God for granted. If your boss is talking to you and your phone rings, you will immediately end the call, but when we are in the presence of God, we dishonour Him by answering and even making phone calls. Many people often wonder why they attend the same worship service as some other people, and those people get their miracles but they get nothing. Perhaps it is because they do not honour God during the service. God clearly said in 1st Samuel 2:30b:
“…Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”
From today, honour God by worshipping Him with all of your being at all times.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Ideally, everyone loves to have good things and hear good news. Indeed, speaking on the impact of good news, the Holy Spirit says in Proverbs 25:25:
“As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.”
I pray that good news will come your way this season in Jesus’ Name. Beloved, I want to clearly inform you today that the Almighty God is the fountain of good news, and He has embedded all good news in the person of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. The bad news of curses, sorrow and limitation came to mankind through the devil’s introduction of sin (Genesis 3:16-24). However, God turned this bad news around when He sent His angels to proclaim the arrival of Good News on earth (Luke 2:10-11). Upon this Good News rests all other news we can describe as good today. Let us consider the character of the good news brought by the angels to mankind. First of all, the angels said “Fear not”. When you consider what fear has caused in the lives of people down through the ages, you will appreciate the good news that man has no reason to live in fear any more. People have lost their minds and done several abominable things as a result of fear. The fear of death has led some to join secret societies and dabble into witchcraft- things which are abominations before the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Proverbs 29:25). As a result of the angels’ proclamation, Paul was able to write in 2nd Timothy 1:7
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Another thing to note from the angels’ message is that the good news brings great joy to all people. In other words, any news that does not bring joy is not of God. Also, any message that claims to be good news must be for all people. This can only come from the God of the entire world. So, the good news of the Son of the living God is not for any single race, tribe or class of people only; rather, it is for all people in all race and from generation to generation.

Now, what is the good news? It is the fact that the Saviour has been born, and He has paid the price of redeeming us from the consequences of the bad news that sin represents. For those who have accepted Him as their personal Lord and Saviour, the eternal punishment meant for the human race has been wiped away by His sacrifice. This is why we have the assurance in Revelation 21:4 that on the last day, God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, and we will no longer experience death, sorrow or pain. This is the source of our joy and hope. Anyone who accepts this message of the good news as true and also accepts Jesus Christ, who is the Good News, as Lord and Saviour will partake of this joy and hope. Have you done this?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Genesis chapter 28, Jacob became a fugitive because of his deceitful lifestyle. He ran away from the comfort zone of his father’s estate into the realm of the unknown. In the course of his flight, he got to a place where his strength could no longer carry on, and so he stopped to rest, using a stone as his pillow. He was so tired that he did not feel the hardness of the stone on which he laid his head. He even slept so deeply that he had a dream! When he woke up the following morning, he made a vow that showed his desperation and dejected state of mind. He said in Genesis 28:20-22:
“…If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shall give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.”
Thankfully, in Genesis 32:9-10, we see this same Jacob singing a new song, indicating that he had become a new man who had been blessed beyond his wildest imagination. His testimony shows that when the Lord in His glorious majesty shows an individual His mercy, that fellow’s song will change. How marvellous it is that a single man on the run with just a shepherd’s staff could now testify that God’s favour had multiplied him greatly, so that he now had a large family, two bands of men, women and assorted of sheep and oxen.

Another great example of an individual who was given a new song to sing was Hannah. The Bible says this about her in 1st Samuel 1:10&13:
“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore …Now Hannah spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.”
This is in sharp contrast with her new song of joy in 1st Samuel 2:1, which says:
“And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.”
Just as the Lord changed Hannah’s song, He is able to change your song too.

What has been your song so far this year? Have you been rejected and downcast because of things have not been working out for you? The Lord is ready to change your song before, this year runs out. Only believe and hold on to His word to you today. I pray that by the intervention of the Lord, you will sing a new song this season in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Whether you believe it or not, there is a price tag of time divinely placed on each day we spend on earth. It is therefore imperative for everyone, especially children of God, to cooperate with God in order to extract the maximum value possible from each day. We can only achieve this if we continuously assess the value we place on every passing moment of our lives. For this reason, Moses prayed in Psalms 90:12 that the only wise God should teach us to enumerate and evaluate our days on earth, so that we may wisely make the best use of every opportunity we have in the course of living our single lifespan on earth.

“Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.”
Job 14:1-2
Reading this scripture through the lens of Psalm 90:12 should teach us some vital lessons. The wisdom of God in these verse teaches us that we have a fixed number of days to live on earth, and those days are few, in the overall context of what God is doing in the universe. Every one of us must therefore place great value on each day we live, so that when the time comes to give account of what we did with our lives, it will not be said that we wasted it. Life is not like a football game that can be replayed; we only have one shot at it. The Holy Spirit puts us on notice as to this reality, saying in Hebrews 9:27:
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
The fact that God likens our lives to grasses and flowers which wither after a short while should serve as a wake-up call to us that we have a running stopwatch set against all our activities here on earth. You will therefore be wise to pay attention to the words of Hebrews 13:14, which says:
“For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”
Those who are building “towers of Babel” in order to create a name for themselves should be pitied, because they fail to recognize that we don’t have an abiding place of abode here on earth. Whether they like it or not, they will die someday. There is a Yoruba adage which says, “How many years will you spend on earth to justify making yourself a coat of iron?” The wisdom behind this adage is that a coat of iron will outlive you, and its style might even go out of fashion before you die! Beloved, let us learn to number our days and add value to our live by serving the Lord in Spirit and truth. Lastly, Ecclesiastes 12:13 says:
“Let us here the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The way many Christians live their lives today shows self-centeredness and a lack of consideration for fellow believers, especially those who are babes in the Body of Christ. This is why the Holy Spirit is asking us today if we are living for Jesus or for ourselves. There was a discussion among some Church leaders concerning the way people dress to church these days, which has become a menace in some quarters, particularly to the well-being of young believers just coming out of the world of lust and promiscuous living. The reaction of some of them was shocking, because they trivialized the effect of nudity and semi-nudity on souls that are not yet mature enough to resist the immoral thoughts that such horrible sights produce in them. The conclusion of that debate was this: “Let everyone dress the way he or she likes.” It is unfortunate that these leaders have forgotten the words of Romans 15:2-3, which says:
“Let everyone of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.”

Unlike the aforementioned leaders, a good example of a Christian leader who lived for Christ from the moment he gave his life to Him was Paul. This was what motivated him to write the words of Galatians 2:28. In Phillipians 3:1-14, this same Paul gave account of who he used to be before his encounter with the Master, and how he abandoned everything he had once considered gain in order to receive “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.” It is interesting to note that Paul willingly went the extra mile just to satisfy his Master and not as a condition for his salvation, because he further said in Philippians 3:9:
“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”
In other words, Paul was living to please Jesus Christ without being legalistic. When people want to satisfy their own desires, they overstretch the meaning of grace and begin to live careless and lawless lives. Such people are living to please themselves and not the Master any more. Beloved, for you to engage in acceptance service unto our God, you must begin to live for Jesus and pattern your life after His own. You can also pattern your life after His faithful apostles, one of whom said in 1st Corinthians 11:1:
“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
Live to please the Master in all you do and you will experience joy like never before.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Daniel was a very intelligent and knowledgeable young man who was taken into captivity in Babylon for the purpose of serving in the king’s palace. As was the custom in Babylon, Daniel had to be trained for three years before he could be assigned his duties. While undergoing his training, he was given a daily portion of the king’s meat, but Daniel refused to partake of it, stating clearly that he would not ‘defile’ himself with the king’s meat. Why? The reasons are simple: Daniel knew that the food the king ate was usually first dedicated to the gods of the land, and those who ate from it included the magicians, astrologers and Chaldeans. He knew his God and was sure that the God he served was not the same as the god of the king. He also knew that eating such meat would defile a child of the Almighty God.

Now, what was the result of Daniel not defiling himself with that meat? One day, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream he couldn’t remember, so he called all his magicians, astrologers and the Chaldeans, who usually partook of his meat, demanding them to remind him of his dream and also interpret it, but they couldn’t. The king then ordered the killing of all the wise men of Babylon for this failure. At that point, Daniel came onto the scene and consulted his companions, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Who along with him didn’t partake of the king’s meat), to pray to God for a solution to the problem at hand. That same night, God revealed the dream to Daniel in a vision (Daniel 2:19). If he has partaken of the king’s meat, his spiritual vision would have been blurred. In Daniel 1:20, the king himself testified that Daniel and his friends were ten times better than his magicians.

The king’s meat is anything that will hinder you from having continuous fellowship with God. For instance, if the staff in your office doctor figures and money from this evil practice is shared round the office, by collecting it, you are eating the king’s meat. If as a public servant you collect bribes to perform a duty you are paid to do, you are also eating the king’s meat. If you are having an affair with your boss or lecturer, you are defiling yourself with the king’s meat. It is therefore no wonder that many people are dull on their jobs and in school; if only they could reject the king’s meat, they would be found to be ten times better than their colleagues. Are others eating the king’s meat around you and it seems as if they are better off? Don’t fret yourself; it is only a matter of time before everyone sees that those who refuse to defile themselves are ten times better than others.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is one thing to look clean on the outside, it is another thing to actually be clean inside and outside. To be clean from within has a lot of advantages, while to be inwardly unclean has dire spiritual and physical consequences, one of which is mentioned in Proverbs 14:30. When you are clean from within and your heart is devoid of evil, you will enjoy good health with peace permeating your entire being. The importance of a clean life from within is revealed in our Lord’s teaching in Mark 7:20-23, which says:
“And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
In line with the Lord’s teaching, we further learn from Psalm 15:1-5 that only those who walk uprightly and righteously can fellowship with God. They are those who speak the truth from their hearts, and not those whose hearts bring forth deceit and all forms of wickedness.

What type of heart is considered to be clean in God’s sight? A clean heart is one that has been circumcised and washed by the Blood of Jesus Christ. The Heart of natural man is generally wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). This is the reason why every person needs to surrender his or her heart to Jesus Christ for cleansing. The Lord has promised to give us a new heart and a new spirit when we come to Him (Ezekiel 36:26). The blessing of a clean heart is declared in Psalm 73:1, which says:
“Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.”
When God is good to you, your case is settled. David knew this, and so he prayed this prayer in Psalm 51:10, saying:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
Beloved, I am using this medium to introduce you to the One who alone can make you clean in and out. That person is Jesus Christ. All you need to do is to surrender your life to Him. Going to church without actually surrendering your life to Jesus is an exercise in futility. Let Jesus come into your heart today, so that He can do the proper cleaning that will qualify you to be a child of God. He is standing at the door of your heart, knocking and waiting for you to let Him in (Revelation 3:20). Receive Him today, and you will be happy you did.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

A siege is a situation in which an individual is surrounded by a stronger physical or spiritual power, for the purpose of capturing or tormenting him or her. On several occasions, the children of Israel, due to their stubborn attitude toward God, experienced sieges of varying intensity and severity. Whenever a siege is lifted, the people who were its victims rejoice because it is not a pleasant experience at all. That is why psalm 126:1 says:
“When the LORD turned again the capacity of Zion, we were like them that dream.”
The Lord is saying to someone reading this devotional that the siege is over in your life. 2 Kings 7:1-9 records the deliverance of the children of Israel from a terrible siege. This siege was so severe that women began to eat their own children (2nd Kings 6:25-29)! However, when God caused the siege to be lifted through the words of His prophet, scarcity turned into plenty. Therefore, the first thing you will notice after a siege is terminated in a person’s life is a turnaround from lack to prosperity. An economic siege causes parents to send their children into forced labour for survival instead of being in school. The Lord will deliver you today if you are in this type of situation. I decree in Jesus’ Name that the economic siege over your life is lifted now!

Another thing that happens when a siege is lifted over a person’s life is that his or her captors find themselves in disarray. The Bible says the Syrians who laid siege against Samaria heard a noise of chariots and fled. The Lord will cause your enemies to hear a noise today and take flight away from you in Jesus’ Name. One of my ministers gave a testimony of how a witchdoctor who rented an apartment in his father’s house fled from the house. This witchdoctor had moved in before our brother’s father realised his mistake in renting out an apartment to him. He told his son about his dilemma and his son told him not to worry. Our brother then had just one night vigil in his father’s house and returned to his station. After the vigil, the witchdoctor began to hear a noise in the house and decided he could no longer live there. That was how this evil siege was lifted from this brother’s country home. One more thing that happens when a siege is lifted is that wealth changes hands. The Syrians abandoned all they brought at the gate of Samaria, and the people of Samaria became rich overnight, having food, clothing, silver, gold, horses and much more. This was all God’s perfect plan in action! I announce to you today: any siege over your life is over now in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When you understand the intensity of attacks the Church is under in these end times, you will appreciate the prayer for the multiplication of grace and peace in 2 Peter 1:2. The story of Noah illustrates the essence of grace in a man’s life. Grace located Noah at a time when God saw man’s wickedness and decided to wipe them off the face of the earth. Through grace, Noah lived above the corruption of his generation and was spared the outpouring of God’s wrath. Also, through the grace of God, he received this excellent report in Genesis 6:9;
“These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”

Beloved, considering the prophecies on the perilous nature of the last days, it takes abundant grace to live righteously in this present world. Evil ideas that seek to normalise abhorrent things like greed, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, racism, ethnic cleansing and so on are characteristics of these end times. Such evil ideas have made living a godly life difficult in our time. An end-time prophecy declared by the Holy Spirit in 1st Timothy 4:1-2, says:
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;”

One of my children told a story of a personal encounter that shows his prophecy being fulfilled. He went to a part of the world to Minister God’s word, and there he met two other guest ministers who were busy chatting while the praise and worship session was going on in the sanctuary. When it was time to preach, these guest minister were called from the office of the host-pastor, and one of them said to the other, “Let us go and tell them what they love to hear!” They were obviously speaking lies in hypocrisy to the people, and although they had a form of godliness, they were living a life that denied the power to live holy (2nd Timothy 3:5). We are admonished to turn away from such ministers. It takes abundant grace to escape the charm of their motivational sweet talk and oratory prowess. While Noah found grace to survive the flood, we need abundant grace to escape the lake of fire. The grace is found in Jesus Christ. I therefore encourage you to seek this grace through our Lord. Everyone needs abundant grace to escape the coming outpouring of God’s wrath on earth. The purpose of this grace is not to live a lawless life; rather, it grants us the ability to live righteously, even in this perverse generation. Reach out to God and ask for that grace today, and you will discover that you will begin to do with ease those good things you were not able to do before.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

If you will flourish in life, one thing you need is simple obedience. When Jesus told a dejected fisherman who had toiled all night but caught nothing to once more launch into the deep and let down his net for a great catch, his response in Luke 5:5b was:
“Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”
The result of his simple obedience was a net-breaking and boat-sinking haul of fish, which had the capacity to transform his life forever. Beloved, God knows more than you do. Isaiah 40:28 says there is no searching of His understanding. If God instructs you to do something, please don’t argue with Him, because compared to Him, you don’t know anything. 1st Corinthians 1:25 says:
“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
If God says “this is the way” and it looks like a bush to you, I would advise you to simply go through that bush and don’t try to rationalise what God has said. When God asks you to do something and you don’t understand it because it doesn’t make sense to you, just remember that simple obedience is the key to flourishing.

When I became born again, I had a lot of problems with tithing. I said to myself, “What are those people talking about? One hundred percent is not enough, yet you are asking me to give ten percent. How will ninety percent handle what a hundred percent cannot cover?” Indeed, tithing doesn’t make mathematical sense, but when you are dealing with God, it won’t always make sense. He is too big for you to understand with your little brain. It took me a while before I began to tithe, but I started and suddenly things began to change for the better. The first thing that happened after I paid my tithe was that I got to my office and my head of department called me aside and asked why I had not requested any money for my research. At that time, I didn’t even know that there was any money provided to fund research. He then explained to me that I needed money so I could travel to gather data, and he asked me to apply for a certain sum. When I heard the amount, I couldn’t believe it; I thought something had gone wrong with my hearing! When God decides to help you, He will give you instructions, and your flourishing will be determined by how well you obey these instructions. Are you walking in simple obedience?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

As God’s chosen people, we need to realise that God has designed man to be His partners in His created order. Knowing this truth is essential for the easy fulfilment of our destiny in life. To understand the kind of partnership we have with God, we must go back to the beginning of creation to see the reason why we were created. Speaking on this, Genesis 1:26 says:
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepth upon earth.”
Our place as partners with God in ruling His created world becomes clearer when we consider the specific assignments God gave to Adam after he was created. According to Genesis 2:15 and 19:
“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it…. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.”
It is interesting to note that even after sin disrupted the initial arrangement of the divine partnership that existed between God and man, God still chose to work with man to execute His salvation plan for mankind. The Holy Spirit revealed the nature of this partnership long before it came to be, saying in Isaiah 7:14:
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
In fulfilment of this prophecy, Jesus Christ was born into the world through a partnership of the Holy Spirit with a human vessel, Mary (Luke 1:35). However, God’s partnership with man on the redemption of mankind did not end there. To execute His earthly ministry, God in human form, Jesus, also entered into partnership with man. Speaking on this partnership, Mark 3:14-15 says:
“And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, And to cast out devils.”
After His work on earth was done, He further commissioned His disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel. To populate the Father’s kingdom, we His disciples must therefore play our part by preaching the gospel to the unsaved, even as He continues to intercede for us in heaven. Beloved, according to 1 Corinthians 3:9, we are partners with God if truly we are His children. My prayer for you is that you will not disappoint His expectation in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

What can anyone do without hope? Absolutely nothing! Every being lives in anticipation of a better tomorrow. It is the hope of a better government that makes the electorate troop out to the polling booth to vote out a bad government. The absence of hope leads to despair, and that is not the state a child of God should live in. The Christian life is built around hope, which is the anchor of our faith. The heroes of faith who have gone ahead of us all lived in hope and were comforted by it. Hebrews 11:13 says:
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”
The hope of living in the kingdom of God in heaven produced a strong faith in them, which drove them to live blessed lives as strangers and pilgrims on earth.

Mark 5:25-34 narrates how hope worked for the good of a woman with an issue of blood. Even when she had no reason to hope anymore, she kept hope alive that she would overcome her problem someday. When she heard about Jesus, hope produced a great sense of purpose in her heart and persuaded her to come out of her hiding place. As she left her home and struggled through the crowd around Jesus in hope, she kept on saying these words of Mark 5:28 to herself:
“…If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.”
The forward-looking tone of her statement confirms the hope in her. Hope precedes faith, and without it there is no foundation of faith to stand on. This is the reason why we need to keep hope alive in ourselves as we live our daily lives in faith. Hope is so essential that an adage says, “If there is life, there is hope.” In other words, as long as you are still alive, there should be hope in you for a better tomorrow. Speaking along this same line, Ecclesiastes 9:4 says:
“For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.”
Indeed, hope is an essential part of human life.

Are you living in a state of hopelessness today? Please don’t contemplate suicide. No matter how things are for you, your condition is still better than that of someone else. Please keep your hope alive in God. Having Christ in you is the surest source of hope. He gives the hope of a glorious tomorrow to those who have allowed Him into their hearts (Colossians 1:27). Let Him come into your heart today and He will turn that hopeless situation around for good. It is well with your soul.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whosoever we ask, we know that we have petitions that we desired of him.”
1st John 5:14-15
This scripture reveals that as children of God, we should have the type of confidence that David had when he penned the words of Psalm 23:1. Why would a child of God not be in want? It is because the Shepherd of our lives, the Almighty God, is also our Provider. For this reason, our Good shepherd makes us to lie down in green pastures, and as if that is not enough, this same Jehovah Rohi leads us besides the still waters. Psalm 23:3 reveals righteous living as another secret to a life of not being in want. Speaking on this, Proverbs 14:34 says:
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
In other words, if you do not want to suffer lack, live a holy life. The reason why I don’t need to be persuaded to live holy is because having tasted poverty in the real sense of it and also tasting a little life of abundance, I know that the latter is far better than the former, and I have traced the life of abundance I enjoyed to the time I gave my life to Christ. So, I have made up my mind that I will be obedient to God’s word in its entirety, which is what holiness is all about.

When you study David’s life, you will discover that one of the secrets to his life of abundance is that he was fearless. Some people are afraid of venturing into projects or careers that would bring them abundant material blessings because of the fear of death. Not David! Even when King Saul tried to persuade him not to fight Goliath for fear of him getting killed, he was not deterred (1st Samuel 17:33). He boldly declared in Psalm 23:4 that though he walked through the valley of the shadow of death, he would fear no evil, because the Good Shepherd was with him. After he became king, he lacked nothing because he did not allow the fear of death to rule his life. To sum it all up, he said in Psalm 23:6:
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
This verse is a great lesson to those who stop presenting themselves in worship before God in His sanctuary after receiving an initial blessing from Him. Consequently, their supplies dry up in a short while due to their ingratitude. To remain connected to the One who daily loads you with benefits, abide in His presence and give Him the worship He deserves. When you continually do this, He will show Himself as the Mighty provider in your life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Down through the ages, visualizing the future has always been one of the attributes of great men and women. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect example of a person who kept His focus on the future He saw ahead of Him. Hebrews 12:2 reveals that this attribute helped Him to accomplish His task on earth. He endured His arrest, humiliation and death, even though He had the power to prevent it all, because He knew the glorious future awaiting Him after His work on earth was done. When He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and one of His disciples tried to defend Him by drawing his sword, Jesus commanded him to stand down, saying in Matthew 26:53-54:
“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?”
Those who can visualize their glorious future ignore the present obstacles in their way, forging ahead to reach their goals. An example of such person is Joseph. Even though his childish disposition exposed him to the fury of his brothers, resulting in his enslavement and imprisonment, the glorious future he saw kept him undeterred. He kept faith in the God of his fathers and would not be corrupted by the promiscuity of his master’s wife. In Genesis 39:9c, His response to her evil advances was this:
“how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

Beloved, the ability to visualize the future will enable you work hard and live holy, even in the face of hardship, suffering and persecution. Students who catch a glimpse of the honour awaiting them at the end of their academic programmes will ignore any suffering attached to their burning of the midnight candle. A pregnant woman endures the pain of labour because of the joy of another life coming through her. As a child of God, it takes seeing the glory awaiting us in the future to endure the attacks of the enemy. Having seen this future glory, Paul in 2nd Corinthians 4:17-18 wrote:
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
We must not allow the present situation in the world to becloud our vision of heaven. Our Lord said we should not let our hearts be troubled, for He will soon return to take us home (John 14:1-3). We must keep this vision of the glorious future alive in our hearts.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Our God is a benevolent God who gives generous rewards for good deeds. In Hebrews 11:6, He is called a “Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him”. Thank God that Jesus was very clear on what our rewards would be when Peter asked Him what would become of those of them who had left all to follow Him. In Matthew 19:27-29, He assuredly affirmed that all our labours in His kingdom would be adequately rewarded here and hereafter. As if our Lord knew that there would be a disciple like Enoch Adeboye who would also ask, “What about us, the latter-day generation of Your disciples?” He therefore added in Matthew 19:29:
“And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive and hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”

Time and again, the Old Testament shows God rewarding good deeds in the lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs of old. Abraham is a great example of this; he got a child of promise in old age as a reward for being hospitable (Genesis 18). The widow of Zarephath is another example; God provided her with food for three and a half years during a time of famine because she gave her last meal to God’s prophet (1st Kings 17:9-15). Obed-Edom accommodated the ark of God in his home and within three months, the rich King David envied him, because the Great Rewarder had blessed him so much (2nd Samuel 6:10-12). No wonder the Holy Spirit says in Hebrews 6:10:
“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”

Looking through the New Testament, we also see Peter who left everything at the Lake of Gennesaret to follow Jesus now having at least one cathedral named after him in almost all the nations of the world. Our God is the greatest giver of rewards. I therefore encourage you to serve Him with all your heart, and you will not regret it. Even if your pastor seems not to acknowledge your service, your Father in heaven who sees your work for Him in secret will reward you in the open (Matthew 6:18). Be encouraged, and keep up your good work.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Beloved, the Lord is asking you today if you are a shining light in darkness. He is asking you this question because He has already declared who you are in this regard, saying in Matthew 5:14:
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”
He there wants to know how well you have done in fulfilling His word. To remove doubts from the hearts of those who think perhaps the time to shine is sometime away in the future, the Holy Spirit said in Isaiah 60:1:
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”
Beloved, it is time to shine in this dark world. The darkness in the world is becoming thicker and more palpable by the day, and for this reason we have no more time to waste. We have allowed darkness and its agents to be comfortable for too long now. Some decades ago, when a Christian was present in an organisation, no matter how young, small or low in rank he was, the agents of darkness in that establishment could not be comfortable. It is however disheartening that nowadays Christians are not just making them comfortable, they are also joining them to perpetrate works of darkness, such as fraudulent practices, looting and even modern occultism. While excusing themselves for not shining as light, some children of God say, “The agents of darkness are a lot more than the children of light.” They fail to recognise that even a little light is able to overcome any form of darkness, because the Bible says in John 1:5:
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

In order to successfully shine in a world filled with palpable darkness, you need to recognise that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, and He wants to shine through you to illuminate the darkness in this world (John 8:12). As the Light of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ shines through you when you stand as His witness in words and lifestyle. In other words, you must speak of Him everywhere and also represent Him through your lifestyle. He has done His part by dying on the cross, and now He continues His priestly ministry in heaven, interceding for us at the right hand of power. He left us in the world to bear witness to the Light that He is, so that darkness may vanish from our world. We must not disappoint Him in this assignment. Beloved, we have no excuse for not shining in the darkness of this world. Although we have no power of our own, we have been empowered to shine through righteous living, good works and showing love to the oppressed and downtrodden. Let us therefore arise, shine and give glory to our Father as we drive away the darkness of evil in our society.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Contrasting the world of godliness with that of ungodliness, the Holy Spirit sent us this command, saying in 2nd Corinthians 6:17-18:
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
Because our God is a jealous God, He has always desired those who are called to be His special people to stand out as distinct from the ungodly. Enoch is a perfect example in this regard – God completely took him away to be with Him (Genesis 5:24). God also commanded Abraham to get out of his father’s house and country for an exclusive encounter with Him (Genesis 12:13). Beloved, God has not changed His standard of separation for consecration today. More than ever before, He wants us to take a stand for Him in these perilous times, especially as the devil is on rampage to gather as many people as possible to be with him in hell. Speaking on his range and the urgency of his mission, Revelation 12:12 says:
“Therefore rejoice, ye heaves, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
If the devil had a short time when this verse was written, how much more now! We therefore need to be on our guard against his fury and wiles.

God is encouraging you today to make up your mind not to compromise your Christian faith on any issue at all. One area of compromise is participating in the excesses of the children of this world: excesses of parties, clothing, jewellery, leisure and so on. Due to extravagant living, a lot of Christians have gone into debt in their bid to compete with treasury looters. Some Christians with access to the treasury have even joined the world in looting. What a shame! We must be on our watch so as not to be overtaken by the subtle advances of the devil, which can shipwreck our faith. This is why the Holy Spirit warns us in 1 Peter 4:7 to watch in the place of prayer. Beloved, are you really watching in prayer? You can only take a stand for God when your ears are open to what He is saying to you in the place of prayer concerning issues of your daily life. Our Lord told the disciples to watch and pray so that they might not enter into temptation, but instead of doing this, they fell asleep (Matthew 26:41). No wonder they could not take a stand for Him in His hour of tribulation (Matthew 26:55-75). Are you watching in the place of prayer today?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is only natural for every human being to desire to attain a higher position, output or level of productivity in every sphere of endeavour. However, it is sad that not everyone is ready to pay the price needed to attain this higher level. Do you desire to go higher in your pursuits in life? Anyone who desires advancement in their career, ministry, business or academics must acknowledge that in God’s created order, you cannot expect an output where there is no input. In other words, there is a price to pay to obtain anything good in life. In Daniel 1:8, we have a good example in Daniel who desired to make excellent strides in his pursuits. When he and his friends were enrolled in the University of Babylon, they immediately determined in their hearts that they would graduate with first class honours and distinctions, even though they were in a strange land. To Daniel and his colleagues, it was necessary for them to defer the delicacies and luxurious lifestyle of a minister-in-making. The result of their choice to make sacrifices in order to achieve their goal is clearly seen in Daniel 1:20, which say:
“And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.”

Daniel 3:14-18 further tells us about the price paid by three of Daniel’s colleagues before they were promoted to higher levels of their profession. The king they served had decree that all subjects must worship his graven image, but Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego declined to do so because they served a God who alone is worthy of worship. That decision was to cost them their lives, but rather then being bothered by this, they boasted of the saving power of their God, going further to tell the king that even if their God decided to take them home through the furnace, it would be better than bowing to a lifeless image made by men. The story ended with this great report in Daniel 3:30, saying:
“Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.”
God is looking for those who will take a stand for Him. Will He find you doing so in this world that pushes godliness to the background? Are you ready to stand on the principles of the Bible in a world controlled by the philosophy of men? The decision is yours to make. If people like Esther and the apostles of old could do it, you can do it too, and God will be glorified in your life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Although God created man with glory and grandeur, this glory left him after sin entered his life. Thereafter, man became a shadow of his former self, because not only did God’s glory depart from his life, he was also sent packing from the garden of glory that used to be his home (Genesis 3:22-24). In the midst of this calamity, God devised a plan to redeem the destiny of mankind by raising a glorious generation to Himself from amongst men. However, this generation could only come to be through the righteousness of God, because a glorious generation is that generation that fears the Lord and walks in His righteousness. Describing the qualities of this generation, Psalm 24:4 says:
“He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”
In other words, the glorious generation is that generation of people who walk in purity of heart, the works of whose hands are clean, the words of whose lips are pure and the souls of whom are sold-out to God. We therefore deceive ourselves if we call ourselves the glorious generation but our character calls into question the holiness of God we claim to represent.

Children of God in this generation must endeavour not to be like the Israelites who were liberated from bondage in Egypt with the destiny of a glorious generation but ended up grieving the heart of God. It is sobering to read God’s description of that generation in Hebrews 3:10, saying:
“Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.”
Unfortunately, this generation that was supposed to enter into God’s rest in a land flowing with milk and honey ended up perishing in the wilderness. This should serve as a great lesson to us today. 1 Peter 2:9 declares that God has destined us to be a glorious generation. Nevertheless, we have to live a life that reflects we are indeed a glorious generation, through purity of heart, our manner of speech, the integrity of our works and a soul that is sold-out to God in love. Even though we live in a perverse world, we can still stand out as God’s shinning standard. Beloved, remember that gold is brought out of dirt, so choose to be among the glorious generation that worships God in spirit and in truth, even in the midst of this crooked generation.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

As a witness of the resurrection and saving power of Jesus Christ, I groan in my spirit whenever I see anyone who professes to be a child of God, like myself, suffering under the burden of sickness. I have zero tolerance for sickness in the lives of my children in the faith and all fellow believers. This is why we frequently organise meetings where we stir up faith in the hearts of believers to receive their healings. We do this for one singular reason expressed in Psalm 155:2: we don’t want unbelievers to doubt what we say about our God. Divine healing is proof that He reigns in the affairs of men. Those who don’t believe in our God will believe when He moves to heal diseases and sicknesses perceived to be incurable, like He did for the lame man at the temple’s gate (Act 3:1-4:4). God healed him, and that singular miracle created a platform for Peter to preach God’s word, bringing five thousand souls to the Lord. Pastors and preachers of God’s word must desire healing, not only for themselves but also for their ailing congregants, so that God’s word in their mouth will be established. This is why Jeremiah, a prophet of God, cried unto God for His healing in Jeremiah 17:13-16.

Another reason why you and I must live in perfect health is found in Isaiah 53:5, which says:
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
Our healing confirms that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and Saviour of the whole world. Healing is part of the package delivered to us through His work of atonement. When we minister healing to the world in the Name of Jesus, we establish that the word of God we preach is the eternal truth that should be embraced. When people of other faiths are afflicted with seemingly incurable diseases and we tell them of the healing virtue in the Blood of atonement, the healing they receive after believing our message stands their faith in Christ on the firm foundation of God’s power. Such people will treasure their salvation and hold on to their faith to the very end. This is why Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 2:4-5:
“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”
Let us begin to desire and ask God for the gifts of healing more than ever before, because when we manifest these gifts, our assignment of evangelising to the world will be much easier. Do you desire the gifts of healing? Ask God for it today.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

An adage from the Igbos in Eastern Nigeria says, “A stubborn fly follows the corpse into the grave.” This mirrors what the Holy Spirit is saying in Proverbs 29:1. Unfortunately, there are many people who behave like the proverbial stubborn fly; one example is Pharaoh in Exodus14:5-13. After experiencing the power of God through the ten plagues, he still stubbornly decided to chase after the Israelite's. Amazingly, he did not learn from the consequences of his stubborn attitude, which had cost him and all other Egyptians their firstborns (Exodus 12:29-30). He also witnessed an event that had never happened before – the parting of the Red Sea. This should have cautioned him against continuing on the path of destruction he was on. However, like the stubborn fly that followed the corpse into the grave, Pharaoh and his hosts went after the children of Israel and they got buried in the belly of the sea. Another sad example of the stubborn fly is Haman, who was after Mordecai’s life (Esther 3-4). Even after his wife and closest friends warned him against ,going after a man who carried the Abrahamic covenant, he did not listen to them, until he died on the same gallows he had prepared for Mordecai (Esther 6:10-13, Esther 7:9-10).

Beloved, you need to examine your relationship with God today to see if you are not like the stubborn fly. Self-examination is a vital tool recommended by the Holy Spirit to prevent us from being buried with the dead corpse of sin and the world. He said in 2nd Corinthians 13:5;
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”
Have you left your first love, like Demas, and still adamantly refusing to change in spite of the warnings of the Holy Spirit through His ministers and teachers of His word (2nd Timothy 4:10)? The Lord is saying to you today in Revelations 2:5:
“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”
May the Lord give us hearing ears in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The midnight cry in Matthew 25:1-13 is a shout proclaiming the commencement of an important event just like the announcement of the arrival of the bride and groom at a wedding reception by the Master of Ceremonies (MC). At such a time, you will observe different kinds of people. There are those who will not hear what the MC announced at all because they are lost in their own world, either chatting with friends or fiddling with their phones. Some will be so busy running up and down to attend to other matters that they will totally ignore the MC’s announcement but will stubbornly sit down instead of standing to honour the bride and the groom. These different reactions to the bride and groom’s arrival depict what will happen when our Lord returns as a groom to take His bride home. It is therefore important that we quickly examine our level of preparedness for this event and make necessary adjustments where necessary.

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
1st Thessalonians 4:16-17

From this scripture we understand that the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, and according to Matthew 25:1-13, this event will occur at a time symbolized by the characteristics of midnight, when most people are fast asleep with little or no expectation of His return. Speaking of what will happen prior to His return, the Lord said in Matthew 25:5:
“While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.”
I believe this is the reason why the coming of the Lord will be with a shout, in order to wake everyone up. I also perceive an ongoing revival that is gaining momentum, which will serve as a wake-up call for sensitive believers.

At the Lord’s coming, the Holy Spirit reveals to us that the dead in Christ will rise first (1st Thessalonians 4:16). The question is, are your dead to the flesh, to sin and to worldliness? Paul testified that he was crucified with Christ, what about you? Are you crucified with Christ indeed, or are you confronting to the dictates of the world (Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:24; Romans 12:2)? Only those who are dead to this world of sin will hear the midnight cry. Those who have died in Christ have a new type of life in Him. Only those who possess this life and remain faithful to the cross of Jesus Christ will be qualified to meet the Lord at His coming. May you be ready to meet the Lord when the midnight cry rings out in Jesus’Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In our walk with God, we must never lose sight of the fact that we are mere mortals saved and empowered by grace. Those who arrogate the power and capabilities of God to themselves end up being disappointed when faced with the reality of their own limitations and inadequacies. Such people find it hard to forgive themselves when they make mistakes, and this is a dangerous place to be in. Those who remain down after falling from grace are, more often than not, those who can’t forgive themselves for the errors they made. We must always remember that we need Jesus as our all in all. He Himself said that we can do nothing without Him (John 15:50). As we go through life, things will happen that might shake our faith, but what is important is that our faith remains unmoved. Some of those who have gone ahead of us also had their faith shaken, but it is because they remained unmoved that we celebrate them as heroes of faith today. One of such persons was John the Baptist.

In John 1:29, John the Baptist confidently announced the arrival of the Lamb of God, the Messiah, who would take away the sins of humanity; thus bringing an end to four hundred years of silence in the prophetic realm in Israel. He clearly knew who he was and what he was talking about. Many of those who heard his declarations about Jesus Christ believed him and followed Jesus, including some of his own disciples (John 1:35-42). However, in Matthew 11:1-11, we see a sobering turn of events in his life. This same John the Baptist was asking if Jesus was the Messiah! Prior to this, he had been cast into prison and faced the risk of being executed. While in prison, he heard of the mighty works Jesus was doing, which pointed to the fact that He was the long-awaited deliverer of Israel. He therefore expected that Jesus would use His Messianic authority to free him, more so as he was His forerunner. However, for reasons best known to Him, Jesus did not do this, His Kingdom not being of this world (John 18:36). Discouraged and perplexed, John sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus whether He really was the Messiah, for Israel’s Saviour would surely not have allowed him remain incarcerated for speaking the truth! John’s faith in Jesus was indeed badly shaken. Nevertheless, knowing what it is to be human, Jesus did not rebuke John; rather, He answered his questions in a way John would understand as a prophet. This steadied his faith to the very end, even as he was beheaded. Is your faith in Christ being shaken? I pray that God will uphold you as you go through that trial of faith today, In Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The life of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth shows us that we can have peace amidst the storms of life. In Mark 4:35-41, He demonstrated that He is indeed the Prince of Peace, as written of Him in Isaiah 9:6. While travelling in a boat with His disciples, having just finished a long session of preaching and counselling for only God knows how many hours, there arose a great storm bellowing against the boat in which they were. The disciples were so afraid that they would die at sea, because it seemed as if their boat would capsize. Meanwhile, Jesus Christ was fast asleep in the inner chamber of the boat. It is amazing that He could sleep even in the midst of a storm! The disciples woke Him up. Accusing Him of being unmindful of their predicament. Jesus was surprised that His disciples could ever imagine that the boat carrying the Author of life would capsize! Howbeit, He arose and rebuked the wind behind the raging storm, and there was a great calm.

The series of events that occurred in this story shows us that the devil and his cohorts can launch an attack against us after a successful outreach programme. Nevertheless, the good news is that God will always take charge and curtail such attacks. We also need to recognise from this story that the devil has no respect for the personality of the anointed. He can attack anybody, even when he knows that failure is inevitable, or how do we explain his attempt to capsize the boat of the one who created him? We must therefore be careful not to rest on our oars as we fight the good fight of faith. Nevertheless, in spite of the devil’s antics, we must not be afraid, because the Stiller of the storms is with us. You will be very wise to always rise to any challenge you are confronted with when He is the captain of your life’s boat. A person’s true character is revealed when he or she is confronted with difficult situations. The raging storm revealed that the disciples did not really know Jesus as they ought to know Him. If they did, they would not have accused Him of not being concerned with their plight. As a matter of fact, their show of surprise at Him stilling the storm shows that they had little understanding of Him being God among men. In light of their example, we must never assume that we have fully known the Lord until we see Him in glory (1st Corinthians 13:12). We must continually desire and pray to know Him the more, just like Paul did all the days of his life (Philippians 3:10). The more of Him we know, the more of His peace we will have in our hearts. I pray that His peace will continually fill your heart, even in the midst of storms of life, in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Romans 14:17 clearly shows that continuous sadness has no place in the Kingdom of God. As a matter of fact, being melancholic all year-round is not a Christian virtue. There is a song we used to sing in the past, and we need to remind ourselves of it today. It is a song in the Yoruba language, which being interpreted goes thus:
“My joy always abounds, My joy always abounds
Sorrow belongs to the camp of the devil; My joy always abounds!”

The angels who announced the birth of our Lord brought joy from heaven to our sorrow-ridden earth. From the abundance of joy in heaven, they proclaimed joy to the world. Only those who are joyful can be comfortable in heaven; melancholic people will not fit in there. Our Lord wants us to be joyous irrespective of what the situation is around us, because our joy is not derived from what is happening in the world. For this reason, in John 16:22-24, He said to us:
“And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
One lesson I would like to draw your attention to in this scripture is that Jesus Christ knows what heaven is like, and He wants us to have a taste of heaven here on earth. Unfortunately, some people specialise in making other people sad by their wicked acts, or through diabolical means such as witchcraft, sorcery and other forms of spiritual wickedness in high places. They must be pitied because unfortunately, they can never know joy in this world, neither will there be a place for them in the kingdom of God.

If you are currently living in sorrow, the Lord wants to bring you out of it before a broken spirit sends you to an early grave (Proverbs 17:22). God wants your joy to be full, and that’s why He said you should ask Him in faith for whatever you need. The joy we possess as Christians comes from the joy of our salvation. We must guard this jealously and pray for its restoration whenever we err (Psalm 51:22). We can learn to be joyful by bringing joy to others. In other words, when you put smiles on the faces of people, you will also smile. Happiness is not far from those who make others happy, and joy symbolise the presence of heaven in a place. Receive abundant joy today in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.