₦airaland Forum

Many people see God as a magician: they want to just sit back and watch Him perform tricks to fascinate them. God does not work this way! He does not give miracles to onlookers. Those who experience His miracles normally have to make some form of input. When God was going to use Moses to perform miracles, Moses had to surrender his rod for God’s use. When He was going to feed five thousand men, He asked for an input, and one of those to be fed brought five loaves of bread with two fish. He could have turned stones into bread, but He chose to use something given by one of the recipients of His miracle. Your tithe is the input you make for devourers to be rebuked in your life (Malachi 3:10-11). Willingness and obedience are required from you so that you may eat the good of the land you find yourself in (Isaiah 1:19). Humility is your input in order to receive God’s grace (James 4:6). Don’t listen to fake prophets who tell you that they can pray and fast on your behalf while you carry on doing whatever you like; they are nothing but thieves because God doesn’t operate that way.

I have come to discover in my walk with God that whenever there is a miracle around the corner, God asks me for an input. After I have played my part, He will then play His. Years ago, I had a Pajero SUV that I loved so much because it never gave me any issues. One day, while asking God for miracles, I heard Him instruct me to give my Pejero away to a particular ministry. It was difficult for me, but I eventually did it. The car was so valuable that the day the new owners came for it, my driver wept. However, during the next service we had after I did this, the number of people that God healed was so great that they could not be counted. There was one time I almost lost a miracle because I was reluctant to provide my input. In the past, we used to receive contributions from the different parishes of our church towards the feeding of those attending our annual convention. One year, just after the convention, God spoke to me, instructing me to tell the pastors that for the next year’s convention, we would not be calling for contributions. When I heard this, I was afraid. Many things rushed through my mind, and I asked myself, “How will the people be fed? I cannot afford to feed that great crowd alone!” I decided not to tell the pastors what the Lord had said, but God said to me, “You are about to lose a miracle.” I obeyed and told them. To the glory of God, we have been feeding people at the convention for over 30 years without those levies. God has never failed us, and even though the crowd has grown into multitudes, everyone still gets fed and there are leftovers. When God asks you for something, don’t withhold it, or else you may be hindering your miracle.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many times, we miss messages from God and the miracles that accompany them because we fail to look beyond the person that the Lord is working through. To experience the fullness of God, a wise child of God will give heed to the words of 2nd Chronicles 20:20, which says:
“….Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Interestingly, it was a king, and not a prophet who gave this message. How beautiful this world would be if our rulers would admit, like King Nebuchadnezzar did, that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and He gives it to whomsoever he choose (Daniel 4:25-34).

In Luke 9:48, our Lord Jesus Christ said that if we receive even a child in His Name, we have received Him, and if we receive Him, we have received His Father who sent Him. Regardless of the age or status of a preacher, if you receive him or her in the Name of the Lord, whatever word the Lord has sent through that person will work for you. Naaman would have lost his miracle if he had not looked beyond the fact that Prophet Elisha did not receive him personally, or the dirty River Jordan he was instructed to dip in (2nd Kings 5:9-14). The story of the man born blind in John chapter 9 also teaches us a great lesson. This young man believed that Jesus came from God because God performed a miracle in his life through Him, and even though the Jews maligned Jesus Christ as a sinner, he refused to believe them (John 9:24-25). Because Jesus Christ grew up in their midst as brethren and countrymen, the citizens of Nazareth failed to see Him as anything more than the son of Joseph the carpenter, and for this reason, most of them missed their miracles. Matthew 13:58 says:
“And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”
In order to help the people of His time to receive their blessings Jesus often had to encourage them to look into the scriptures to confirm that what He was saying about Himself was true, and sometimes, He performed miracles to show that He was the Messiah (Luke 4:17-21, Luke 7:19-22). However, most of the people of His time could not look beyond His humanity. Beloved, I encourage you to search the scriptures to ascertain the authenticity of any message and its messenger. Looking beyond the messenger and seeing God behind them will help your faith in the infallible word of God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is clear from 3rd John 1:2 that God’s plan is for you to prosper. Also, in John 10:10, Jesus Christ promised abundant life to all His followers. Having prospered you, part of God’s expectations is that your children will be even more prosperous than you are. It is indeed a great blessing from the Lord when our children live better lives than ours. This what God did in Abraham’s life. God said to him in Genesis 22:16-17:
“By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;”
In this proclamation, God did not only promise to bless Abraham, He also swore to multiply his seed. How marvellous! In Genesis 24:34-35, we begin to see the manifestation of God’s blessing in Abraham’s life as a person. In Genesis 26:12-14, we also see the fulfilment of God’s blessing of multiplication upon Abraham’s son, Isaac. However, God did not stop there. Abraham’s grandchildren waxed even stronger in wealth than Isaac. Even Esau, who was denied his father’s blessing of the firstborn, was so rich that he had 400 bodyguards in his service (Genesis 32:6). As for Jacob, Genesis 30:43 says:
“And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.”
When it came to the turn of Abraham’s great grandchild, Joseph, he became de facto emperor of the then civilized world (Genesis 41:40-44, Genesis 41:57).

The secret of Abraham's ever increasing multi-generational blessing lies in the fact that he laid a good foundation for it. For example, Abraham always built altars to the Lord, meaning he was a true worshipper of God (Genesis 12:6-8, Genesis 13:18). He was also a payer of tithes, even before the Law of Moses institutionalized it (Genesis 14:18-20). Furthermore, Abraham paid first fruits in Isaac, whom he loved so much (Genesis 22:1-18), and in addition, he was a godly father, of whom God testified that He knew he would train his children in the fear and worship of the Lord (Genesis 18:17-19). Beloved, for the sake of your descendants, I encourage you to be a godly parent. I assure you that our God is a covenant keeping God. For your sake, generations of children coming after you shall be mightily favoured, if you lay the foundation of godliness and the fear of the Lord in your family today.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

As a believer in Christ who has obtained the saving knowledge of the Lord, you might consider the question we are reflecting on today (Do You Know Jesus?) to be elementary or irrelevant, but I encourage you to wisely give it some thought. This becomes even more necessary when you consider the fact that after months of being with Jesus day and night, He still turned around to His disciples and asked them in Matthew 16:15b:
“But whom say ye that I am”
In spite of their closeness to Him, the Lord did not assume that his disciples really knew Him. Knowing Jesus is more than knowing Him as Saviour, Master or even Lord. After years of walking with the Lord, Paul still wrote in Philippians 3:10:
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
As I was growing up in faith, I wondered what else Paul wanted to know about Jesus that he had not known already. Now I know better that we may not be able to know Jesus to His fullness until we see Him in glory (1st Corinthians 13:12). My prayer is that the measure of knowledge that will enable you to be with Him eternally will be given to you today in Jesus’ Name. Beloved, how much of the power of Jesus’ resurrection do you know? To what extent do you think the power that resurrected Jesus Christ can work for, in and through you? How much of His suffering can you share and endure? Are you ready to be conformable to his death?

If Peter really knew Jesus he would not have argued with Him when He told him that he would deny Him thrice (Matthew 26:34-35). Do you now see the wisdom of Paul’s longing and prayer to know the Lord? It was their lack of a deep knowledge of Jesus that made two of His closest disciples make the demand that they made in Mark 10:35-37. No wonder Jesus said to them in Mark 10:38b:
“Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? And be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
When Peter came face to face with the reality of what Jesus Christ told him, he realised how little he knew the Master (Matthew 26:75). I pray for you today that the grace to know Jesus the way you should know Him will be bestowed upon you today. To know Christ is to know victory, and it is to know the resurrection, the truth and the life. Come to Him in humility today if you really want to know Him, as He invites you to come and learn of Him (Matthew 11:28-30).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Bible makes several comparisons between goats and sheep. Those who are unrighteous are often referred to as goats, while the righteous are often referred to as sheep. The Bible compares goats and sheep because of their characteristics. The major difference between a goat and a sheep lies in how they take instructions. A goat is very stubborn, while a sheep is submissive. If you try to lead a herd of sheep in a particular direction, they will follow you effortlessly. Irrespective of their number, they will all go in the direction they are led. It is usually a different story with goats. When you tell a goat “go this way”. It will refuse to go in that direction, and you will have to drag it by force or even flog it sometimes to get it moving the right way. A goat does not yield to instructions, and it always argues with its guide.

In addition, goats are violent. While it is very rare to find two sheep fighting, a goat can start a fight for no discernible reasons. You can see two goats grazing peacefully together in one moment and the next minute they would start a fight. Sometimes, a goat can even fight its keeper. When he insists on the goat going in the right direction, the goat can suddenly turn on him and start a fight. In fact, as far as it is concerned, it is its own Shepard. A goat considers itself to be under its own government and will do whatever it likes. In contrast, a sheep knows its shepherd’s voice and listens to it.

Are you a goat or a sheep? Do you obey God’s instructions in the Bible? Do you still steal and tell lies? When was the last time you paid your tithe and first fruits? Are you violent? The Bible says the righteous shall be harmless as a dove (Matthew 10:16). Are you upset with your pastor because he told you the truth? Do you refuse to stay under anyone’s tutelage? Do you always want to have things your own way or no other way? Note that when a goat proves stubborn, it usually gets flogged and sometimes gets injured. Refusing to live by God’s word will only bring you pain and sorrow. In contrast to goats, sheep enjoy several benefits from the shepherd. For example, the sheep’s life is secure because the shepherd will protect it, even with his own life (John 10:11). If the sheep loses its way, the shepherd will find it and bring it back on track (Luke 15:4-7). The sheep never goes hungry because the shepherd leads it to green pastures (Psalm 23:1-2. Psalm 37:25). Ultimately, the sheep will reign with God in His kingdom (Matthew 25:33-34). The major difference between a goat and a sheep lies in their character; check your character today and determine which you are.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The story of Esau and Jacob in Genesis 27:1-10 contains a salient lesson we are often oblivious to. Not only was Esau irrational in his disposition to life in his younger days, he was also not prudent enough. I believe he eventually learnt his lesson, even though he learnt it the hard way. It takes prudence to become so rich that you have 400 bodyguards. The level of wealth Esau displayed at his reconciliatory meeting with Jacob also points to a life of prudence (Genesis 32:6; Genesis 33:8-9). However, the salient lesson I want you to be mindful of today is that Esau had no reservoir of meat. If Esau had been preserving his meat for ready-to-cook use, he would not have needed to go so far before preparing his father’s favourite meal. While he was living from hand to mouth, his brother had enough in his flock to spare in case of emergencies, such as the need which arose on that fateful day. Esau was not saving for the rainy day; he usually went to the field to fetch venison as the need arose. Unfortunately, his lifestyle of not saving enough made him susceptible to the tricks of his brother and mother. It is very important that children of God learn how to prudently conserve God’s blessing in their lives. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us these principles in the miracle of the feeding of the multitude with 5 loaves of bread and two fish. John 6:12-13 says
“When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.”

This is also why the Bible enjoins us to learn from the ant. Not only is it hardworking, it also knows how to conserve for the future. Speaking on this important truth, Proverbs 6:6-8 says:
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”

It's so amazing that the ant will not eat its winter food in summer! Remember that the prodigal son spent all he had in the time of plenty and was later in want in the time of famine (Luke 15:14). Joseph’s principle of conservation in the time of plenty saved the whole middle-eastern region from terrible famine (Genesis 41:33-36). Beloved, do not get swept off by the system of the world which encourages spending, even on credit, and discourages savings. Learn to save for the rainy day.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When you critically study the life of our Lord, you will observe that He was a man who swiftly went about accomplishing His mission (John 9:4). He went in such a hurry to finish His task (Matthew 17:17). Amazingly, the everlasting impact He made took just three and a half years to accomplish. If you want to be like your Master indeed, I encourage you to be diligent, not only in your service to God in the Church, but also in your job or business. Our Father in heaven is not slothful in carrying out His assignments. Speaking about the Father’s work ethic, Jesus in John 5:17b said:
“My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”
The Holy Spirit admonition on our expected work standard in Romans 12:11 is profound because it captures the three aspects of our being: body, soul and spirit. Our Christian experience must affect these three dimensions of our lives before we can say we are living according to God’s will for us. Physically, we must be industrious in our day to day activities. Don’t be deceived into believing that once you are born again, manna will begin to fall from heaven to sustain you. Remember that the rain of manna stopped immediately the children of Israel entered the Promised Land. They had to settle down to cultivate the land for a bumper harvest from God. However, pursuing your physical activities with vigour should not come at the expense of your spiritual life. In this regard, always have the words of Deuteronomy 8:18 at the back of your mind:
“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”

You need to learn some great lessons from David’s attitude in swiftly doing the needful in order to triumph over Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:48-51. Beyond the fact that he was fervent in spirit, he was also physically alert in getting his job done. He did not allow the battle to meet him standing still. 1st Samuel 17:48 tells us what he did:
“And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.”
He quickly took the battle to the enemy on his own terms. The story gets even more interesting after Goliath fell. Observing that Goliath might have been knocked unconscious or might be feigning death, David ran to where he fell, climbed over him and cut off his head with Goliath’s own sword, putting an end to any hope of his resurgence. I prophesy over you today that your enemies will be totally decapitated and you will have complete peace in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Do you know that if your service to God has not yet become sacrificial, you still have some very important heights to attain? Some people render service to God with an aspect of their life that costs them nothing, while they reserve the most precious parts to themselves. The sacrificial service of Apostle Paul stood him out among his contemporaries. The story that led to the statement he made in Acts 21:13 is a case in point. It was not that Paul doubted the prophecy that announced he would be bound in Jerusalem; rather, the fear of bounds had no impact on him because his heart was set on doing the will of the Master. For this reason, the brethren just couldn’t persuade him against going to Jerusalem (Act 21:10-14).

2 Samuel 23:14-17 also narrates a story of sacrificial service. David fantasized aloud about drinking water from the well that was at the gate of Bethlehem, but which was blocked off by a stronghold of the Philistines there at that time. Overhearing their master’s desire, three mighty men risked their lives and broke through the host of the Philistines to get this water for David. Being a warrior himself, David knew the risk involved in going into the camp of the enemy for whatever reason. While he celebrated the bravery of the three mighty men, he refused to drink the water they brought because of the value he placed on these men who risked their lives to fulfil a personal longing of his. His heartfelt words are captured in 2nd Samuel 23:17
“And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? Therefore he would not drink it….”
If these men could go to such great lengths for David, what level of sacrifice are you ready to make for your Master?

When service becomes a sacrifice, only few people will continue to hold the fort. Nevertheless, the reward for sacrificial service is very substantial indeed. The three men who jeopardised their lives for David were given top positions in his army. Here is the commendation and reward our Lord promises those who will step up the level of their service from ordinary to sacrificial:
“And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
Luke 19:17
I pray that God will grant you the grace to be faithful to the very end, and you will not miss your reward in heaven in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is one thing to have joy, and it is another thing to have unlimited joy. Walking in unlimited joy is the will of Jesus Christ for all His disciples, which is why He said to us in John 16:24:
“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
Nothing gives unlimited joy as when a request is granted, particularly requests for things that matter most to a person. The question then is, why do our prayers sometimes go unanswered? as revealed in Isaiah 59:1-2, one answer to this question is sin. In that scripture, the Lord said:
“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
This brings us to another question: why should a child of God struggle with sin, since we know it hinders prayers from being answered? The answer to this question lies in the fact that many children of God do not hate iniquity even though they love righteousness. One way or another they assist and encourage iniquity. Another reason why our prayers go unanswered is revealed in James 4:3:
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
Based on this scripture, you may want to also ask, how can I avoid praying amiss? In answer to this, I John 5:14 says:
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us:
We must pray according to God’s will in order to receive the answer to our requests or petitions. Nothing gives me joy as praying for sinners to be saved and seeing them confess to the saving grace of God. My moments of joy are those moments when those afflicted by the power of darkness are delivered after we have prayed for them at our meetings. The disciples shared in this unlimited joy when they returned from the missionary trip their Master sent them on. The Bible says that they came back rejoicing, not because they were given gifts, clothes, houses or cars, but because they ministered deliverance to the oppressed and their prayers were answered (Luke 10:17). However, in Luke 10:20, our Lord recommended what should be the greatest source of unlimited joy to us, saying:
“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”
Do you have this unlimited joy?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The magnitude of the Lord’s blessings under the new covenant is so astounding that we can barely comprehend the full dimensions of it. It is so great that even angels desire to understand it (1st Peter 1:12). The Holy Spirit described its scope in 1st Corinthians 2:9, saying:
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
One of those blessings is that our status has been changed to that of gods. Our Father Himself declared this in Psalm 82:6, saying:
“I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”
While on earth, Jesus demonstrated this new status that God bestowed on us by walking in authority and power, so much so that people marvelled and were in awe, saying, “What is this”, We never saw it in this fashion” and “We have seen strange things today!” (Mark 1:27 Mark 2:12, Luke 5:26). When the Jews questioned His boldness and audacity, Jesus referred them to God’s word in the same Psalm 82:6 (John 10:34-36). Having showed us what it is to be gods, He has empowered and mandated us to begin to operate as gods on the earth, because as children of the Most High, we share in His power and authority.

Our authority as gods includes the power to allow and to forbid things. Mathew 18:18 says:
“Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Through this power, we are to take charge for our Lord until He returns by enforcing the will of the Father on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). We have the authority to forbid whatever contradicts our Father’s will in our health, family, business, job, community and nation. In Psalm 82:2, the Holy Spirit challenges us, asking:
“How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked?”
He then commands us in Psalm 82:3-4
“Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of wicked.”
This forms part of our mandate as gods. As we evangelise the good news, whatever we forbid in the lives of the oppressed, diseased and afflicted shall be forbidden in Jesus’ Name. Let’s wake up to our responsibilities as gods today.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

I learnt a proverb from my mother which says, “When a child discovers honey, he despises bread.” In other words, when the best comes, the good gives way. I pray that the best will come your way in every facet of life in Jesus’ Name. Are you looking for a job, spouse or business opportunity, and it seems as if it will never come? Don’t fret – that apparent delay is because the best is yet to come. When the Lord is ready to grant you the best from His storehouse, people will marvel and join you in glorifying Him for the marvellous thing He has done for you.

1 Samuel 16:1-13 narrates Samuel’s visit to Jesse’s household. All of Jesse’s sons were made to pass before Samuel who was there to anoint a new king. However, to their amazement, all the seven sons that were made to pass before Samuel were rejected by the Lord. Then Samuel asked in frustration, “Are these all your children?” Only then did Jesse remember that there was one of his sons somewhere out there in the field keeping the sheep. After Jesse mentioned him to Samuel, the prophet sent for him to be fetched, saying, “We will not sit down till he come hither” (1st Samuel 16:11). I prophesy to your life today: until the best of the Lord reaches you, it won’t stop on the way. David came, and the Lord commanded Samuel to anoint him. The Bible says the young lad was ruddy, handsome and innocent. One lesson here is that even a great seer can make mistakes if God does not intervene. Samuel would have made the mistakes of anointing the wrong person if he did not listen to God’s voice. At every attempt he made to anoint the wrong person, God restrained him until the best came. Once again, I prophesy into your life: God’s best for your life shall arrive today, and you will know it in Jesus’ Name.

The guest at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee also experienced what happens when the best comes (John 2:1-10). After tasting the wine that Jesus made from water, the chairman of the ceremony confessed that indeed the best had come (John 2:10). The Bible says he did not even know the Source of the wine. One major lesson here is that whatever comes from the original Source of all things will always be the best. I therefore encourage you to always look unto Jesus for the best in life. He said in John 10:10b:
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
There is abundant life in Jesus, and it is from Him alone that you can get the best.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Weakness can be such a terrible thing. A person who is weak is helpless and sometimes even hopeless. People can be weak in several ways; some are weak financially, emotionally, spiritually, academically and so on. People who are weak are not in a state where they can protect or defend themselves. This is why anyone who oppresses the weak is a coward and a bully. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, who Himself was a help to the helpless, if a person is financially weak, you should not use that opportunity to cheat him or her. It is disheartening that some employers look for desperate people to employ so that they can pay them far less than the regular applicable wages. Some people constantly search for people in financial crises so that they can buy off their properties very cheaply. Are you playing with the emotions of the opposite sex because they are emotionally weak? Do you condemn people because they are not as strong as you are spiritually? You need to have a change of heart today.

Believe me honestly, there is no seed sown that will not be reaped. There was a man who was very good at treating people who had broken bones. Whenever someone with a broken bone was rushed to him, because of their desperation, he would charge their family members an extremely high price that would be very difficult to pay. If they complained about the cost, he would get a cutlass and suggest to them that if they couldn’t afford his charges, he could amputate the victim’s broken limb at a cheaper price. Not desiring the amputation of a member of their family, they would agree to his exorbitant price and pay. Through these means, this man eventually became very rich and had many houses. Down the line, he fell sick and had to spend so much money diagnosing the cause of his aliment. Before long he started selling his houses in order to afford his medical bills, but the doctors’ still could not tell what was wrong with him. After he sold his last house, it was discovered that he had cancer, but by this time, it was already too late for him. He died a poor man. Beloved, don’t be deceived into thinking that you can get away with wicked acts. Whatever a man sows, he shall also reap (Galatians 6:7).

No real Christian should ever turn his back on someone who needs help. That is not the nature of our Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ went about doing good, and He was always full of compassion (Acts 10:38). When He met a widow on her way to bury her son, without being asked, He wiped away her tears (Luke 7:12-15). If you claim to be Christ-like, you must also be full of compassion for the weak around you. As seen in Matthew 25:34-46, helping the weak is synonymous with helping God, because He feels their pains. So ask yourself are you helping to reduce Jesus’ pain, or are you ignoring Him?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Matthew 26:30-35, we see an overconfident Peter arguing with the One whose Name is Omega. Perhaps Peter forgot that as the Omega, God knows the end from the beginning. You need to recognise that overconfidence is not synonymous with faith. While overconfidence ignores that which is ordained as if it were not, faith calls these things that be not as though they were. When God’s ordained word says “Abstain from all appearance of evil and flee fornication”, it is overconfidence and not faith that makes a brother linger in a place where female nudity is on display. Your faith cannot annul God’s word. Some people believe that as new creatures in Christ, they are now super beings, no longer susceptible to weaknesses or temptations. Driven by overconfidence and not faith, such people throw wise checks and balances established in God’s word out of the window. No wonder they end up in the same pitiable state Peter found himself in after denying Christ thrice. After Jesus told Peter what would happen to him shortly, instead of praying for grace to stand firm or praying for a reversal of his impending denial, he was busy making “confessions of overconfidence” and not “confessions of faith” as he supposed. Hear his confessions in Mathew 26:35a:
“…Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.”
Unfortunately, the same mouth Peter used in making these confessions also denied Christ. Your confessions must be based on the totality of God’s word, if you don’t want to engage in a futile exercise. There is a place for making confessions and affirmations, but basing them on an isolated portion of God’s word cannot override the generality of God’s principles.

Apostle Paul got it right when he longed to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. In Philippians 3:12, Paul revealed his mindset with these words:
“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ, Jesus.”
Unlike Paul, some people behave as if they have arrived. Some of such people even try to persuade me to slow down and rest upon what God has done for me over the years in the ministry. They forget that only those who endure to the end will be saved (Matthew 10:22). Beloved, continually search the scriptures, and make God’s word your compass in life. Pray earnestly also that the grace of Jesus Christ will be more than enough for you to finish well and strong.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is possible for a person who once walked with God to drift out of the faith. This is the reason why 2nd Corinthians 13:5 says:
“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?”
From this scripture, we see that it is also possible for a person not to know that he or she is no longer in the faith, especially if such a fellow has become a reprobate. To become reprobate can be likened to spiritual insanity. When a person is psychologically insane, he or she can no longer differentiate between good and evil. For example, a mad person wandering around naked will regard someone who is properly dressed as abnormal for putting on clothes. In the same way, when a child of God who has been taught to be properly dressed now begins to dress half nude in the name of fashion, something fundamental has gone wrong in his or her life. The fellow must conduct a critical, biblical examination of his or her faith.

The Psalmist made a wise request from the Lord in Psalm 139:23-24. He asked the Lord to carry out a thorough search of his inner man to see if there was anything contrary to His nature in it. This suggests that we can pray to the Lord, as the Revealer of all secrets, to reveal the true state of our hearts to us. When a reprobate person prays this prayer sincerely, God will come to his or her aid to remove the scales covering the eyes of the heart from seeing its true state. The Psalmist prayed that God should graciously find out to him any iota of wickedness that might exist in him and lead him out of it onto the way of righteousness. The easiest way the Lord does this for His genuine children is through His written word. In Psalm 119:9, the Holy Spirit reveals the secret of righteous living, saying:
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
The word of God enables us to examine whether we are still in the faith. It acts as a mirror that shows our true state (James 1:22-25). When God’s word illuminates your ways, you will see where you might have erred (Psalm 119:105). The word does not stop at revealing sin in our lives, it also cleanses us from sin, but only if we allow it impact and change our lives (Ephesians 5:26-27). Beloved, if you sincerely want to examine whether you are still in the faith, study the word.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One of the blessings of the cross of Jesus Christ is the removal of generational curses that have been the bane of mankind since the great fall of Adam and Eve. The Holy Spirit reveals this to us in Colossians 2:14, saying:
“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”
The work Jesus did on the cross of Calvary brought about the fulfilment of the prophecies that came through Ezekiel and Jeremiah in Ezekiel 18:20 and Jeremiah 31:29-33. These prophecies foretold the nature and character of the New Covenant under which we are now operating. I encourage you to take out time to read these prophesies in full, so that you will have a full understanding of your place in the New Testament under the Blood of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit through Prophet Jeremiah prophesied that a time would come when everyone living under a new covenant would be responsible for their own actions and inactions. The good news is that we live in that time. Through the new covenant in the Blood of Jesus, we are empowered to individually live our lives to the glory of God and be accountable for the way we live our lives. Speaking on this new covenant in Hebrew 8:10, the Holy Spirit says:
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:”
Through this verse of Scripture, we understand that it is the Almighty God who helps us keep His new covenant through the Holy Spirit. This is an awesome provision which you must key into. With God’s help, we are also able to escape the impact of divine judgement invoked by parental sins. Nevertheless, we will not escape the consequences of our own sins if we continue in them. The new covenant however opens the door of opportunity for God to wipe away and forget our sins as we confess and forsake them. Hebrews 8:12 says:
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
Even if some people are still experiencing the destructive power of generational curses, its evil effects can be rendered powerless over you by the new covenant. The Blood of the new covenant makes all the difference. Are you a partaker of the new covenant?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There is a scarcity in the Body of Christ today, which only those who are sensitive to the Spirit will discern. The scarcity is neither a scarcity of food or drink nor of ministers or workers; rather, it is a scarcity of mature leaders. This is a source of concern to those who are awaiting the Lord’s second coming, because we need mature leaders to prepare the Bride for the Bridegroom. We have a crop of leaders in the Church today who can best be described as babes. As perfectly captured by Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 3:12, these are causing spiritual oppression in the Body of Christ. The current situation at hand can be likened to the situation Jesus met during His first advert, captured in Matthew 15:12-14. When the Lord exposed the ignorance and hypocrisy of the religious “baby-leaders” of His time, His disciples were afraid, and they came to let Him know that the Pharisees were offended by His teachings. In Matthew 15:13-14, Jesus responded to their fears with those words:
“….Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”
Furthermore, in His encounter with Nicodemus, the Lord lamented his ignorance of spiritual matters, even though he was a top religious leader. In John 3:10, Jesus said to him:
“… Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?”
Thank God Nicodemus was humble enough to learn from the Lord, and he eventually became a disciple of Christ (John 19:39-40). This is the response expected of the baby-leaders in the Church today.

There was an unmarried young man in our church many years ago. Although he has no martial experience, there was almost nothing he would not teach concerning marriage and childbearing. One of his opinions at that time was that when a woman is in labour, all you need to do is bind the devil, loose the baby and the child will just come forth! With his untested spirituality, he intimidated many married brothers and sisters. He then got married and his wife became pregnant. On the day of delivery, this brother did what he had taught others to do: he bound the devil and loosed the baby, but his baby refused to come forth. After some days of agonizing labour in which his wife still could not deliver the baby, he ran into the bush, lay flat on his face and pleaded with God for mercy. After this, his wife delivered their baby. He then understood that his wife’s delivery was only by God’s mercy. It is always dangerous to be under the ministration of baby pastors because more often then not, their exuberance does not yield results when push comes to shove.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

We need to constantly remind ourselves as Christians that we do not have an abiding city in this world. These words of Hebrews 13:14 should continually echo in our ears:
“For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”
To take us to our abiding home, genuine children of God are expecting an event, called the rapture, which the Holy Spirit describes in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17, saying:
“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.”
One truth we should take cognisance of from the above scripture is that only the dead in Christ will be raised at this event. The “dead in Christ” does not include those who died as backsliders; only those who died as genuine Christians will be raised when Jesus comes again. That is why the Lord said in Mark 13:13:
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
To be repturable therefore, you must dig in and take a stand for Jesus Christ, even though this may attract persecution or tribulation. However, we must endure these. Persecution and tribulation are not strange to the Christian faith, as our Lord already told us they will happen (Matthew 5:11-12).

Those of us still running the Christian race today must be more careful because there are many distractions in the world today than there have ever been before. So many things are happening that can distract us, so much so that we may forget the great event we are expecting, which will determine where we will spend our eternity. We should therefore not be caught unawares, because in Luke 17:26-27, the Lord said:
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark and the flood came, and destroyed them all.”

I therefore beseech you by the mercies of God to ensure you are not conformed to this world, and to constantly present your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord (Romans 12:1-2).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

We need to fully comprehend what our Lord meant when He said “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). More often than not, we think of giving as being limited to material things, and so we lose sight of the fact that we can also give spiritual blessings to others and make spiritual impact. The early apostles realised this truth and that was why Peter and John were not intimidated by their financial limitation (Acts 3:6). They gave from the spiritual deposits God placed in their lives. One of the attributes our Lord Jesus Christ bestowed upon His early disciples was the ability to perform miracles, and we should not be different. They were specifically commissioned by the Lord to go and perform miracles, Matthew 10:7 says:
“And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast our devils: freely ye have received, freely give.”

It is a thing of unspeakable joy to receive a miracle. After I gave my life to Christ, the first notable benefit I received from God was victory over malaria that had hitherto plagued my life almost every month. The first month I did not fall sick was a month of celebration in my family. However, the joy of this cannot be compared to the joy I had the day the Lord first performed a miracle of healing through me. I almost jumped out of the window for joy when a dumb child spoke after I prayed for healing. Ever since, then the Lord has made this a continuous experience in my ministry. Countless miracles that may sound unbelievable have been performed by Him through our ministry. You cannot imagine the joy experienced by an agent of miracles, after God uses him or her to put smiles on the faces of several thousands of women who had been considered barren. Many times, some of my children would organise a dinner or luncheon for me, not only because they want to be generous to me, but because of the miracles that would follow from the encounter. I am full of joy when this happens. My prayer is that you also will become an agent of miracles today in Jesus’ Name. All you need to do is to surrender your life to Jesus and leave the rest to Him. He knows how He turned a fisherman into a fisher of men and an agent of miracles (Matthew 4:18-19, Acts 5:14-15). He also knows how He turned a person who was a danger to the Church into an apostle, whose apron could cast out demons (Acts 19:11-12). If you desire to graduate from being a consumer to an agent of performing miracles, He will fulfil the desire of your heart. Only believe!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Life is very sacred to God. It is so sacred to Him that its sanctity is guaranteed in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:13). Our Lord Jesus Christ also emphasized the sanctity of life in Luke 9:56a, where He said:
“For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”
As children of God, we must therefore ensure that we uphold the sanctity of life, irrespective of the philosophy or ideas in vogue in the world.

Genesis 21:9-21 shows in vivid terms how precious life is to the Almighty, who is the Giver of life. Hagar and her son Ishmael had been ejected from the household of Abraham by God’s instruction, and with a limited provision of water, they wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. When their water got finished, the child became so dehydrated that it cried for survival. At the brink of death, God heard the cry of the lad and He supernaturally provided a well of water for them in the midst of the wilderness. One would have thought that the circumstances surrounding the birth of Ishmael would have made him a total outcast in the sight of God. Instead of being an outcast, God heard his cry as the cry of an innocent lad, and this caused God to come to his rescue. God did not only save his life, He also made him an astonishing promise of greatness, saying in Genesis 21:18:
“Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.”

One lesson from the story of Hagar and Ishmael is that while God was instructing their ejection, He was also preparing for their survival in the wilderness. Another lesson here is for those who abort unborn babies because they do not want them. Such people should know that they are making a grievous mistake against their own future and they are committing a grievous sin against the Giver of life. What they don’t seems to understand is that although they did not prepare for the pregnancy, God who saw what led to the pregnancy has a plan for the life they are bringing to the world, even though they may not know it, and for this reason, you must be careful about what you do to lives within your sphere of influence. Why take a life you did not and cannot create? Takers of life will not be guiltless before God. Therefore, in whatever form you are taking lives, stop it today and cry to God for forgiveness.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Preacher’s observation in Ecclesiastes 10:7 is worthy of our reflection. It is indeed an interesting sight to see servants promoted to the level of riding on horses; of course, God is more than able to do this for those who love Him. However, it is an evil thing when princes are relegated to the position of walking on foot as servants. For those who profess to be God’s special people, such a situation is an anomaly and must be avoided. It is practically the same as performing below potential. The pertinent question we should consider is, how come those who should be served are now in servitude? Thankfully, Proverbs 6:4-11 does not only reveal the cause, it also reveals the cure.

Laziness is the root cause of performing below potential. Any prince caught in the web of laziness will not amount to anything in life. Instead, his or her inheritance will go to other hands that are diligent, because God’s principles set out in Proverbs 12:24 says:
“The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”
Poverty sends people to the field of servitude, and this is inevitable for the indolent. There is the story of two friends who went to an oracle to know their future. The seer turned to one of them and said, “Hail, the future king!” On hearing these words, he went away and began to celebrate himself as the future king, even though he was still in rags. The seer turned to the other man and said, “You will die in abject poverty.” He was dejected, but determined in his heart that he would fight to be successful, and so he went into the jungle and began to farm. After many years, he became prosperous, having plenty goods with male and female servants. A famine came to the town where his friend was living, still waiting for his “kingdom” to come. While searching for food, citizens of this town discovered the hardworking man and his abundance of supplies. They begged him to become their king, promising to serve him in exchange for food to survive the famine. That was how a man who was supposed to die in penury became a king, while an expectant “future king” remained poor for the rest of his life.

In conclusion, please note that diligence itself is time-bound. There is time for everything under heaven. When some things are done belatedly, their purpose ends up being defeated. Proverbs 6:4-11 teaches about the ant, which provides food in the summer and gathers what it needs in harvest. What you do today determines what becomes of you in future. The cure for poor performance is proper preparation. For example, if you’re ambition is to become just a messenger, you don’t need a university education for that. However, if you desire to become a captain of industry, more often than not, you will need more than elementary education to achieve this. A word is enough for the wise.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Apart from sexual infidelity, one other way of defiling the matrimonial bed is through domestic violence. This can come from the man or woman. God hates violence generally, but particularly despises it in marriage, and for this reason, He said in Malachi 2:16:
“For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.”
The breakdown of affection between married couples is a highly emotional issue with God, so much so that in Malachi 2:13-17, the tears, weeping and crying emanating from the agony of broken marriages made Him disregard the people’s worship, as we see in Malachi 2:13:
“And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.”
Many people don’t know that domestic violence, particularly among married couples, is a great hindrance and stumbling block to their spiritual growth and blessing. This is the reason why the Holy Spirit sent these words to the Church in 1st Peter 3:7, saying:
“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”
Violence, wife battering, husband battering and the like directly offend the Almighty God. I have on many occasions told the story of a man whose only daughter was maltreated by her husband. This man hated his son-in-law so much that his hatred made him terribly sick. It was not until he forgave his son-in-law that he was able to recover from his sickness. This is how much domestic violence can destroy lives and families. Husbands, you are inviting the wrath of God upon your life when you maltreat the redeemed daughter of Zion you are privileged to have as wife. Note that in Malachi 2:16, when expressing how much He hates divorce and domestic violence, God used the Name He uses in combat. Therefore, stop defiling your bed with violence against your spouse, either physical violence or verbal violence. Wives should learn to submit to their husbands, irrespective of what the world thinks about this (Ephesians 5:22-23). Beloved, the truth is that unless we allow Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, to come into our marriages, the expected peace may continue to elude us. Therefore, I appeal to you to raise an altar of submission and cooperate worship to the Lord Jesus Christ in your home, and you will begin to experience peace and prosperity in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”
1st Corinthians 6:18
The above verse of scripture states God’s views on sexual immorality, which should be taken very seriously by every wise person. The only institution in which God permits sexual relationships is marriage. For this reason, the Holy Spirit says in Hebrews 13:4:
“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
To the Almighty God who created it, marriage is honourable. Proverbs 5:15-21 enjoins us to gratefully enjoy sexual relations as one of the benefits of holy matrimony. We must however be content to enjoy sexual relations with marriage only. It is an act of ingratitude, insatiability and greed for a person to go after sexual partners other than his or her spouse. This act grieves God’s heart just as it grieved Him when Adam and Eve abandoned all the other fruits they could have eaten in the garden, only to eat that which was forbidden (Genesis 3:11).

It is interesting that when God gave Eve to Adam, He gave her to him completely and wholeheartedly. We can imagine a marriage ceremony in which God walks Eve down the aisle and hands her over to Adam “to have, to hold, to cherish and to enjoy.” God’s desire is for spouses to enjoy each other, which is why Proverbs 5:19 says:
“Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.”
What a generous, loving and pleasant Father we have in God, who has blessed us with all things to enjoy (1st Timothy 6:17). In as much as He has given us all things to enjoy, we must enjoy them with the boundaries He has set in His word. Having been good to you by giving you that sweet spouse, He is posing this question in Proverbs 5:20 to you as food for thought:
“And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger.”
The stranger here is that extramarital sex partner. Beloved, don’t be an ingrate; the consequences will be grievous for you. Hold tight to the partner God has blessed you with and enjoy him or her only.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Love can be very good if it is geared towards God and the things He approves of. However, love can be very dangerous if it tends towards the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye or the pride of life (1st John 2:15-16). One object we must never cast our affection on is money. In 1st Timothy 6:10, the Holy Spirit warns us of the dangers of falling in love with money, saying:
“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.”
He went further to provide the antidote to the love of money, saying in 1st Timothy 6:6-8:
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”

Ecclesiastes 5:10 says something very profound about the love of money. It warns that if we love silver, it will never satisfy us, and that it is vanity to be obsessed with accumulating wealth, such as houses, cars, landed property, laurels of all kinds, chieftaincy titles, degrees of all sorts, etc. These are all vanity in the sense that they will never give the satisfaction that our soul craves. Apart from that, we can also die at any time and leave everything behind, as seen in story of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-20. It is therefore a great disservice to your peace and tranquility to love money or wealth. Based on his personal experience, Solomon spoke on this in Ecclesiastes 6:1-2, where he said:
“There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.”

Beloved, seek goodliness with contentment, which can only be found in Jesus Christ. I encourage you to totally surrender your heart to Him, including that secret lust for money. The rat race for material things that will all fade away will only lead to frustration at the end of the day. However, having Jesus in your heart is a treasure that will never fade. Have you lost so much money or have you been disappointed financially, so much so that you are contemplating suicide? Please don’t do it! Jesus offers you abundant life, and it has provision and contentment in it. Reach out and receive it from Him today.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In order to show that our Father is in charge of the affairs of this world, it may be necessary for children of God to engage in some spiritual fireworks that would lead to a spectacle. To demonstrate His supremacy over Satan before the whole world, our Lord Jesus Christ made a public spectacle of Satan while He was on earth. He cast demons out with just a word, He commanded unclean spirits and they obeyed Him, and to crown it all up, He made their master, Satan, fall as lighting from heaven (Matthew 8:16, Mark 1:27, Luke 10:18). To show that His superiority over the devil was not a fluke, He also empowered His disciples to make a spectacle of the kingdom of darkness, which they did. Not only did Jesus make a spectacle of Satan in this world, He went to the domain of the kingdom of darkness when He died, and boy, were there fireworks! The highlight of this event is seen in Colossians 2:15:
“And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
Hallelujah! Our Lord triumphantly made an open show of Satan and his cohorts in the spirit realm to show that He reigns supreme in both the natural and spiritual world. To demonstrate the superiority of our God, we also have been mandated to make a spectacle of the kingdom of darkness and their works, just as our Master did.

Elijah was a prophet of God who engaged in a spiritual spectacle that disgraced the kingdom of darkness on Mount Carmel (1st Kings 18:21-39). Elijah had given the prophets of Baal the chance to showcase the power of Baal, whom they claimed to be supreme. Although they prayed to Baal from morning till evening, nothing happened. 1st Kings 18:27 says:
“And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.”
It was an interesting display which culminated in all onlookers confessing the lordship of the God of Elijah (1st Kings 18:39). After disgracing the devil and making a spectacle of him, our Lord Jesus Christ in Luke 10:19 fortified us with all that we need to victoriously put up a spiritual spectacle like Elijah did. He said to us:
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
With this mandate, instead of the devil making a mockery of us, the reverse should be the case. In your affairs today, use your God-given authority to put the devil down and exalt our God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God desires that we boldly come before His throne of grace to express ourselves with sincerity of heart and purpose (Hebrews 4:16, Job 38:1-3). Apostle Peter is one child of God who was sincere. He did not pretend as though he did not know what he wanted from God. After Jesus discussed the price of being His disciple, Peter boldly and sincerely asked Him what would be the gain of those who paid this high price. Here is Jesus’ response in Matthew 19:28-29:
“…Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one 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 an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”
The Holy Spirit also corroborates this truth in Hebrews 6:10. The essence of these promises of reward is to encourage you not to be weary in well doing.

Nehemiah 5:14-19, there is another classic example of someone who would not settle for pains without gain. Nehemiah knew that the God he served was not unrighteous as to not reward him handsomely for his labour and sacrifice in His vineyard. For this reason, he consistently prayed to God to remember him for good. He was not like the older brother of the prodigal son, who served his father without asking for his reward as a faithful son (Luke 15:11-31). Let’s take a closer look at Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah’s 5:18-19:
“Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people. Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.”
This prayer reveals this sacrifice Nehemiah consciously made to get the project of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls done. He boldly stated his case to the One who alone could reward him richly. This is a great lesson for children of God who are labouring day and night in God’s vineyard and have nothing to show for it because they do not ask Him for a reward. James 4:2 says “You have not, because you ask not.” I pray that the Almighty God will reward your labour of love as you begin to ask of Him today in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There is a lesson of eternal value in the parable found in Judges 9:7-15. One of Gideon’s sons named Jotham gave this parable against Abimelech, a child of Gideon’s concubine, who conspired with his mother’s people to kill his other brethren. Our lesson comes from the different responses of the trees in the parable when discussing which tree should be made king. First is the olive tree, which refused to be made king over all the other trees because it felt that the demands of palace life would prevent it from using its fatness to produce oil from anointing kings, priests and prophets. The olive tree considered its calling as a producer of oil to be far superior to being a king. It knew that without fulfilling its purpose, no king, priest or prophet could be installed. The olive tree therefore decided to stay within its calling as a producer of oil. What a great lesson! Next up was the fig tree, which also turned down the throne because it felt that the fruits it was producing were more important to humanity than being a king. The vine also believed that the wine made from its fruits was of greater importance to God and man than being the king of trees. How amazing! The question is, if trees of the field are so wise as to stay within their God-given roles in the divine arrangement, how come men are bereft of this wisdom? The Holy Spirit says in 1st Corinthians 7:20
“Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.”

More than ever, it is pertinent for the Body of Christ to embrace this truth. In 1st Corinthians 12:4-7, the Holy Spirit makes it clear to us that we all have different callings:
“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”
More often than not, those who struggle to occupy positions that they consider to be “juicy” lose their original place in God and become unprofitable in the positions they occupy through covetousness. They even become destructive to the Body of Christ, like the bramble tree in Jotham’s parable (Judges 9:14).

Beloved, do you know your calling? Are you operating within this calling? Are you satisfied with how God has made you and the assignment He has committed to your hands to profit His Body? As your honestly answer these questions, it shall be well with you in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One thing that interests me very much about our Father in Heaven is that He loves collaboration. In the beginning, He demonstrated this attribute when He wanted to create man in His image (Genesis 1:26). He summoned the opinion of the Godhead, because the man to be created must bear resemblance to them all. After creating man, He went ahead to share some of His responsibilities with him, which was one of the reasons why He created man in the first place. All through history, God has been working in partnership with man on earth. When He would destroy the earth due to the proliferation of evil, He found Noah as a worthy instrument to partner with in warning people of the impending doom and building an ark of salvation (Genesis 6). When the salvation of mankind was to be activated, God saw a worthy vessel in a young virgin called Mary. God partnered with her and she surrendered her womb for His use (Luke 1:26-38). When Christ came, He quickly summoned some people with whom he worked until He went to the Cross, and He commissioned them to continue from where He stopped after His ascension into heaven (Mark 3:14-19, Acts 1:6-9). These examples show that God’s use of partnership in carrying out His divine agenda is established. I pray that the Almighty God will open your eyes today to see how important you are in His plans.

Paul got the inner workings of God’s principle of multilateral partnership right. In 1 Corinthians 3:6, he explained that he might plant and Apollos might water, but the increase only comes from God. In other words, the success of the divine agenda is the collective responsibility of God and His human partners, especially in the area of soul-winning. Our Lord Jesus Christ also made this clear in John 15:4-5. To win the whole world for Christ requires a multilateral partnership with each and every one of us playing our part. Those who are given to preaching should continue to preach, and those called to ministration should do so as unto the Lord. Those who have the privilege of staying on their secular jobs should know that the purpose is to finance the work of the full-timers, while full-timers should not see themselves as being more spiritual than those who God has kept in secular jobs to bring meat into His storehouse. At the time of reward, it shall be as decreed in 1st Samuel 30:24:
“… but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.”
All that is required of you is faithfulness in your given area of stewardship.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Food can be very powerful. Adam and Eve lost their life of bliss, peace, abundance, glory and honour to food. It is rather unfortunate that many people today are still losing their great destiny to food. It is amazing that in spite of the abundant food provided by God for Adam and Eve, they still developed an appetite for that which was forbidden. It is quite easy to look at them now and judge them, but when you look at the world today and see how food is wrecking the lives of many, you will be shocked. To fast is the most difficult thing for some people because their belly has become their master, and even in some cases, their god (Philippians 3:19). When you read the account of how food destroyed Esau’s destiny and consider that the devil also tried to use food to destroy the destiny of our Lord, you will realise that addition to food can actually devastate a person’s life.

In Genesis 25:29-34, poor Esau had just returned from his hunting expedition with juicy bush meat. However, instead of settling down to prepare a meal with it, he lusted after Jacob’s pottage, which was ready to eat. Unknown to him, Jacob had been eyeing his privilege as the first born. It did not take Jacob much time to start bargaining with Esau for what he had always desired from birthright of the firstborn. Within a few minutes, they struck a bargain: Esau got the food he desired and Jacob went away with the privilege of the firstborn. By the time Esau realised that value of the birthright he sold for food, it was too late (Hebrews 12:16-17). It may sound unbelievable, but many ladies have sold their pride of virginity for food. Many housewives have become unfaithful to their husbands because of the generosity of a man who comes to their aid when there is no food at home. A good number of men are now polygamous because they could not control their appetite for the delicious meals of strange women. Beloved, here’s the good news: although the first Adam fell for food, the second Adam triumphed over the temptation of food brought by the same tempter (Luke 4:3-4). As seen from Christ’s example, the only way to avoid falling into the devil’s temptation is to heed the word of God. If you will overcome the devil in the area of food, the end can never justify the means for you. As stone that is turned into bread will never digest if you happen to eat it; it’s just a lie designed by the devil to steal from you. So please, don’t eat your destiny. Rather, be guided by the word of God. A job you get by sleeping with the personnel manager will not last; it will only bring sorrow and great disappointment to your life. Be wise today.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many people will end up in hell on the last day because they refuse to allow God clean up their mess now. The Bible makes it clear that the Almighty God cleanses the lives of those who are yielded to Him. In Isaiah 1:18, He made a call to all those who will listen:
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
One man who heard this call and yielded to it was Zacchaeus. Luke 19:1-10 narrates how the Lord Jesus Christ cleaned up his terrible past, even though he was chief among the tax collectors. He had fraudulently and violently enriched himself with other people’s wealth. This explains why he longed to see Jesus for cleansing. When he could not reach Jesus, he climbed up a sycamore tree in order to catch a glimpse of Him, and he got what he desired. How could such a terrible man get the attention of the Most Holy One? The Lord gave him attention because He had already made this promise in Jeremiah 29:13:
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
This scripture was fulfilled in the life of Zacchaeus as it will be fulfilled in yours today. Your case will catch Jesus’ attention today and all your guilt shall be wiped away. An interesting aspect of this story is that while Zaccheaus was savouring the saving and cleansing grace of our Lord, some other people were busy murmuring that the Redeemer was ushering a lost sheep of the Father into the cleansing room of eternal life.

Another recipient of God’s cleansing was David. He caught the revelation of the cleansing grace of God, even in the dispensation of the Old Testament. The Psalm 51:2 & 7, he cried to God to purify him, saying:
“Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleans me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
Beloved, something more effective than hyssop is now available, and it is the Blood of Jesus Christ. In 1st John 1:7 & 9, the Holy Spirit said:
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
This Blood is still available for you today. Beloved, have you been involved in terrible acts which you are so ashamed of? Surrender your life to Jesus today in genuine repentance, confess your sins to Him and allow Him to clean you up with His precious Blood.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

An African adage says that it is not wise to weep in the presence of a person who has no capacity to console you. It is a waste of time and energy to shed your tears at a place where they will not give any help in your favour. The Holy Spirit provides direction to genuine seekers of true help on where to get help. In Psalm 121:2, He says:
“My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”
Those who have been seeking help where there is none will be wise to heed those words. Concerning such people, Isaiah 31:1 says;
“Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!”

There was once a serious famine in Samaria, such that women started killing their own children for food. As the king of Israel walked by on the wall of the city on a certain day, a woman saw him and cried out to him for help. The king’s response to her is a great lesson you must take to heart today. In 2nd Kings 6:26a , he said:
“…If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?”
What an eternal truth this is! Beloved, in your Christian walk, you must develop to a point where you can say, “My God is more than able to help me; if He will not help me, nobody else can.” This was the stand taken by the three Hebrew boys in Babylon. In Daniel 3:16b-18, they said to King Nebuchadnezzar:
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
You need to come to terms with two truths today. First and foremost, the Almighty God is the Help that is very much present in the time of need (Psalm 46:1). Secondly, if the Almighty God cannot help you in your adversity, no “mighty man” or devil can help you. When the Lord sees that you consider Him to be your only source of help, He will arise for you speedily. I pray for you that the Almighty God will help you in the day of adversity, and you shall not be ashamed in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

“Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”
John 14:30
This declaration made by our Lord Jesus Christ shortly before going to the cross is very profound and significant to what He came to do for humanity. Prior to making this statement, in John 8:46 He also threw this challenge to the religious leaders of His time:
“Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?”
Without these credentials, our Saviour would not have been qualified to redeem us. Glory be to God, we have a Redeemer who is without sin.

The early disciples were first called “Christians” in Antioch because they lived like Christ after being taught His ways (Acts 11:26). This is what the Lord expects from us today. As seen in 1 Peter 4:15, it should not even be mentioned amongst us that one of us is suffering as a result of criminal acts. This is very important for us to note because some Christians think that they were born-again into lawlessness. This is a wrong idea of our liberty in Christ. The Bible says Christians should be law-abiding. It is an aberration when Christians are accused of tax evasion. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave us a perfect example in this regard when He paid His due taxes (Matthew 17:24-27). We should therefore learn from the Master. How would it have been if Jesus was genuinely found guilty of the offences cooked up against Him (Luke 23:4)? He would have been disqualified from carrying out the work of redemption, and we would still be in our sins today.

In Romans 13:1-8, we are admonished by Paul to obey higher powers. His understanding of God was so profound that he knew that no person could come into power without God assenting to it. If God installs a government for reasons best known to Him, disobeying such a government in civil matters would amount to disobeying God. As a matter of fact, our leaders are described as ministers of God ordained for our own good. For us to live peaceably in this world, let us therefore heed this warning in Romans 13:4-5:
“…But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must need be subject, not for wrath, but also for conscience sake.”
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Unbelief has been a reoccurring problem of mankind in spite of the abundant signs and wonders which the Almighty has demonstrated over the years. It is even more pronounced in this generation, where knowledge based on observations has tremendously increased as indicated by the Holy Spirit (Daniel 12:4). Because the human mind is crafted from childhood to be built around sense-based observations and not on faith, unbelief reigns supreme within the natural man. No wonder the Lord Jesus Christ in Luke 18:8b asked this question:
“Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
You may think unbelief is just a problem of the world, since anyone who comes to God must believe that He is, according to Hebrews 11:6. Well, let me announce to you that more than ever before, the problem of unbelief is now characteristic of the Church. The early Church also had this problem and this was why the Holy Spirit sent us this warning in Hebrews 3:12:
"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God."

The devil has craftily repackaged this old menace of unbelief in our time. When the authenticity of the Bible is being questioned and the relevance of its contents to the 21st century Church is being debated among high ranking church councils and leaders, should we be looking for unbelief elsewhere? Decades ago, some scholars sowed the seed of unbelief, and the Church seemed to be careless about it. They suggested that the New Testament needed to be “demystified”, so that the modern man could embrace the divine literature. In essence, certain things such as the accounts of miracles should be removed from the New Testament so that Christianity could sound logical to the modern mind. The Evangelicals and Pentecostals never thought that this is evil seed would find its way into their fold. Now we know better. Today, we have a situation where several Church leaders don’t believe in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Several so-called archbishops don’t believe Jesus is the only Way that leads to salvation. Several Christians don’t believe in the reality of eternal punishment in hell fire. These and several other forms of unbelief have taken hold in the hearts of many simple hearted Christians who are too lazy to search the scriptures to experience the truth of God’s word themselves. Little by little, the core of our faith as Christians is being eroded away. The question that Jesus asked about faith, which seemed so farfetched in His day, is increasingly becoming real in our day. This is why the Holy Spirit is saying to us in Habakkuk 2:4b:
“…but the just shall live by his faith.”
What is the state of your faith in God and His immutable word today?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.