₦airaland Forum

One characteristic attribute of our Father in heaven is that He remembers details of past, present and future events. For this reason, it is dangerous to be part of bad events which He has noted down for judgment, because He will surely remember (1st Samuel 15:2-3). The good thing is that He will surely remember your good works also. Esther 6:1-12 narrates a classic example of remembrance of good works. On the night before the day when Haman intended to get the king’s permission to hang Mordecai, the God who specialises in remembering and recompensing good deeds took sleep away from the eyes of King Ahasuerus, and he could not sleep no matter how hard he tried. Naturally, when a person cannot sleep, he or she tries to find something to do. The Lord used this to lead Ahasuerus to open the book of records for Mordecai’s sake. The king found in it that Mordecai had been instrumental to foiling an assassination plot against him. He then asked a question, which should serve as food for thought: “What honour and dignity has been done to Mordecai for this?” There is one fundamental lesson that every person, especially children of God, must learn here. It is imperative to always remember every good deed people do to us. A proverb in my native language says, “Failure to appreciate good deeds is like daylight robbery.” I pray that your good works of many years shall be remembered this season, and you shall be honoured in Jesus’ Name.

Beloved, learn from the experience of Mordecai that God will always cause people to repay your good deeds. In this regard, the Lord said in Luke 6:38a:
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.”
What the Lord is saying here is that God will compel men, even when they are not willing, to bless you for your good deeds. The interesting aspect of Mordecai’s story is that the fellow who wanted to get permission to kill him came into the palace courts just at the nick of time to be used by the king in honouring this same Mordecai. I pray once again that your enemies shall become your stepping stones to glory in Jesus’ Name. I just want to encourage you to be addicted to good works (Romans 12:9). Many children of God block their way to glory and honour because they are bankrupt of good deeds, even though they are born again. Beloved, good deeds are proof of your encounter with the Master who Himself went about doing good (Acts 10:38, James 2:18).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is amazing that something as precious as humanity could come out from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). However, this could only happen because God worked on it. What a great lesson this is to the wise!
Any person who allows God to work on him or her will become a vessel unto honour in God’s hands. The Holy Spirit confirms this truth in 2nd Timothy 2:21, saying:
“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”
Unfortunately, observing the history of mankind has taught us that the mud of the earth often seems to be wiser than majority of the people who ever lived. Why? When the Almighty God wanted to make something precious from the dust, it did not protest against God’s work. In contrast to this, what do we see in mankind? We see stiff resistance whenever God wants to glorify Himself through them. For this reason, many people do not fulfill their destinies on earth.

The Lord took Jeremiah to a potter’s house where the potter was working on a lump of clay. In the process, the clay was marred in the potter’s hands and he made it into another vessel that he liked, according to his pleasure. Not once did the clay protest the potter’s intentions. In Jeremiah 18:6, the Lord then asked this question:
“O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? Saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”
Although man was made out of dust, he was glorified after the Lord God had worked on him. Along the line however, he became marred through the machinations of the devil. To the glory of God, the Greater Potter is working on us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Beloved, have you been worked upon by the Lord? Are you even allowing God to work on you? If not, today is the day of salvation. You must surrender your life to God through Christ and confess your sins to Him for forgiveness. Isaiah prayed a prayer on behalf of the nation of Israel, which should also be our prayer today. In Isaiah 64:8-9, he said:
“But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity forever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.”
Learn from the clay in today’s story. If you can pray this prayer today, the Lord will work on your marred life, business, family, job or studies and cause great restoration to take place in them.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

I want you to see today’s topic "It Shall Not Stand" as a prophetic word from God coming to you with power. You may be wondering, “What is it that shall not stand?” The counsel of the wicked against you shall not stand in Jesus’ Name. In this regard, there are many lessons to be learnt from Nehemiah and his team of builders. It is amazing that there are people who are opposed to good things in life, but the good news is that for those who know the true God, the counsel of the wicked will never stand. When Nehemiah got to know of the conspiracy hatched by Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians and their other devilish allies like the Ammonites and Ashdodities, he called for prayer. Nehemiah 4:9 says:
“Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.”
Beloved, if your suffering must cease and the conspiracies of the wicked against you must no longer stand, you must learn to pray.

Furthermore, observe that Nehemiah set a watch, day and night, against the evil conspirators. Jesus told the disciples in Mark 14:38 to watch and pray. Nehemiah and his team did not watch alone, because they knew that “except the Lord keep the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1). At the same time, they did not pray alone; they also watched. Very often, children of God fail in the area of watching. They are carefree, but this is not the will of God for our lives. God wants us to be vigilant, so that together with Him, we will continue to frustrate the counsel of the wicked. In addition, Nehemiah also did something strategic, as seen in Nehemiah 4:16-17:
“And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.”
There was precise division of labour, with everyone knowing his or her responsibility. Everyone of them also had their weapon of war ready, even as they engaged in the work of building. To frustrate the counsel of the wicked, we must be sensitive to the Spirit always and be ready to engage in spiritual warfare at all times. Beloved, let us comfort ourselves in such a way that our Father in heaven will know that we mean business, and He will not allow the counsel of the wicked against our destiny and our endeavours to stand in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

A major characteristic of every living thing is growth. If a child that was born 5 years ago now looks like a 5 years old child, this is only normal. If an orange tree you planted four years ago is now yielding fruits, this is also normal. You don’t need a miracle to grow, it is just natural. Multiplication on the other hand is a special thing. God did not tell us to grow, He told us to multiply because it is a command from God. You may be wondering, “How can I begin to multiply?” notice that when God told His children to multiply in Genesis 1:28, it was a time when there was no sin and they had constant fellowship with Him. The simple secret to multiplication is to live holy and to have God with you. Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His children. If you want God to be with you always, then you should live a lifestyle of giving praise to Him.

Many years ago, I was preparing for a three-day program. While I was in my prayer room, I was praying to God, saying, “Lord heal the sick today, show forth Your power and do mighty miracles.” Suddenly, I heard God respond sharply to me, and He said “Keep quiet! What about all the miracles I have done in the past? Have you thanked Me for them?” My response to Him was “Lord I’m sorry, thank You for all the miracles you have done for us; now today, heal the sick, and perform great miracles..,” He suddenly cut me short again, saying, “Keep quiet” I don’t want to hear any request from you for the next three days; all I want you to do is to praise Me.” This was very difficult for me because my mind was set on having the people that would be attending the program receive their miracles. I struggled with this instruction, but I obeyed. After the program was over, God told me to tell my people to prepare; He said that we had been experiencing increase in our church, but that from that time forward, we would be experiencing multiplication, and that has been our story ever since. Do you want to multiply? Learn to praise God regularly, and avoid sin. Taking Solomon as a case study, when he became king, he feared the Lord and kept away from sin. His only desire was to rule the people according to God’s will. There was even a time he sacrificed twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep, all just to worship God (2nd Chronicles 7:5). In 2nd Chronicles 2:1, he determined to build a house for Good and spared no expense at all in building this house. All the while, he kept multiplying. He multiplied so much that silver and gold were like stones in his kingdom (2nd Chronicles 1:15). However, the moment his heart turned away from the things of God, the anointing for multiplication dried up, so that by the end of his reign, he was taxing the people heavily just so that he could maintain his lifestyle. Determine today to stay away from sin and stay in the place of worshipping God, and your multiplication will be unending.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The proof of genuine repentance is doing those things you promised God at the altar when you gave your life to Christ. In Luke 15:18, the prodigal son repented of his ways and said:
“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,”
The fruit of his repentance is manifested here in Luke 15:20a and 21:
“And he arose, and came to his father….And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”
Many times we see people confessing their sins to God and promising Him never to go back to them again, but as soon as they leave the altar of repentance, they begin to live their lives as before. This suggests that their repentance was not genuine. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Beloved, can you sincerely say that old things have passed away in your life? The truth of the matter is that it takes conscious and determined effort to bear the fruits of repentance. 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18 and Ephesians 4:24-32 contain some practical guidance for bearing fruits of repentance; please take time out to read through these passages.

When a fellow who was stealing before his confession of faith in Christ stops stealing, we can say he or she is bearing fruits of repentance. An adulterous woman who for the sake of Christ sacks all her sin partners, thereby losing all the “fringe benefits” of her extramarital wanderings, can be said to be bearing fruits of repentance. When an alcoholic scraps the drinking bar in his or her expansive living room to begin hosting Christian gatherings in that space, sharing the word of God over cups of tea, we can say that such a fellow is bearing the fruits of repentance. This indeed was the first thing my friends noticed in me after I became born again. Any time they came to my house and asked for brandy, I offered them soft drinks. They would laugh at me and tell me to admit that I was just broke. I would tell them that although the money was there to buy brandy, my Lord Jesus Christ would not want me to drink alcohol or serve it to others. One by one they stopped visiting my house, which served my best interest as a growing child of God. Beloved, the whole world must recognise that you have actually given your life to Christ when they see undeniable proof of the fruits of repentance in you. A street fighter who is -now a peace-maker in the neighbourhood is the pride of the Master. God bless you as you bear fruits worthy of repentance in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

As revealed in Revelation 12:10-11, the devil is the accuser of the brethren”. It is unfortunate that some people ignorantly possess this attribute of the devil. How can a person be an accuser of the brethren without knowing it? The answer is simple: when you refuse to forgive those who wrong you, you are passively accusing him or her as an evil doer. The practical implication of refusing to forgive those who have wronged you is that you become a persecuting witness against a brother or sister. You are therefore on the side of the devil in heaven’s court litigating against your own brethren. It’s therefore court litigating against your own brethren. It’s therefore wise to heed the words of Jesus in Mark 11:25:
“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Many professing children of God find it difficult to forgive. One wonders if such people have ever experienced the joy of forgiveness from God or man before. Unfortunately for them, the fellow they are accusing in their hearts may not even know about it, or may even have settled their case with God, thereby obtaining forgiveness and justification through the Blood of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:11, Hebrews 12:24). For this reason, Romans 8:34 asks a rhetorical question and answers it, saying:
“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
May you not be found guilty of working against Christ’s ministry of intercession through un-forgiveness.

Beloved, who are you directly or indirectly accusing relentlessly? Of course, he or she might have wronged you; nevertheless, the Lord is saying that you should forgive the fellow. Once you do, he or she is no longer an offender to you, and so, no accusation originates from you anymore. The reward for this is revealed in Matthew 5:7 which says:
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
The good news today is that the God who is asking us to forgive and forget has demonstrated the same towards us when He through Christ forgave our sins. Have your sins been forgiven? If you have not experienced the joy of forgiveness, confess yours sins today and you will receive the mercy of God without measure.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Our God is a God of order. To walk in godliness, orderliness is very important. As a matter of fact, you cannot be holy if you are not orderly, because it takes obedience to be orderly. Contrary to the opinion of some Pentecostal zealots, God cherishes orderliness. But for the grace and mercy of God, disorderliness would have killed many so-called children of God and ministers of the gospel. Orderliness was so important to God that He instructed Moses on how to conduct His sanctuary in the wilderness, as seen in Exodus 40:1-10. When two of Aaron’s sons, who were priests in their own right, introduced disorderliness in the sanctuary, they both died at the altar of God. Numbers 3:4 say:
“And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father.”
Similarly, when King Saul usurped Samuel’s role by offering sacrifice unto the Lord, he was damned for it because he broke divine protocol. According to 1st Samuel 13:10 & 13:
“And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.”

King Saul lost his throne because of his lack of respect for heaven’s order. Beloved, when it comes to spiritual matters, be wary of breaking protocol; it may cost you more than you can ever imagine. I love the spirit in Aaron and Ur, associates of Moses who assisted his intercession during the battle with the Amalekites. Narrating their service, Exodus 17:12 says:
“But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”
Aaron and Hur understand divine protocol. They knew that the only hands recognised by heaven in this project were Moses’ hands. Instead of raising their own hands when Moses’ hands became tired, they helped to stay the hands they needed to be raised, and the victory was won. Commit today to respecting and observing orderliness in every area of life.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The way some men relate with their wives is unbecoming of a child of God, some husbands deal with their wives like a highhanded boss would deal with an employee. When one beholds such sights, one begins to wonder whether it was love that brought them together in the first place or something else. They talk to their wives as if their wives are nonentities. Husbands who behave in this manner do not understand the essence of a woman in a man’s life. Genesis 2:18 says it all:
“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone, I will make him an help meet for him.”
What led to this divine decision, seen in Genesis 2:20, is equally intriguing:
“And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.”
We need to note some points from these two scriptures, first of which is that as fearfully and wonderfully made as Adam was, he needed a helpmate, of which none was found amongst other creatures. God then decided to create a woman customised and tailored to meet this need. Secondly, men do not seek help from an inferior entity; at best, they look in the direction of an associate that is at least equal to their status. Thirdly, if Adam needed help, he required a quality helper to render it, and this was exactly what God provided. Therefore, any man who treats his wife as an inferior being does not know God and cannot appreciate God’s gift in the woman God has given him. This is an unfortunate situation. The word “weaker” used when describing women as vessels should not be taken to mean “inferior vessel”; rather, it is best interpreted as flexible vessels. Indeed, women are flexible, and they must be if they would serve the purpose for which they were created as helpmates of men. It is however unfortunate that some men take advantage of the flexible nature of women to extort and manipulate them. The consequence of this terrible act is seen in Malachi 2:14:
“Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.”
Furthermore, note that God is angry with domestic treachery and unfaithfulness. It has negative effects on your spirit and on the children of your union. If your marriage is experiencing difficulties, may God restore peace to it today in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

From the beginning, God’s plan for mankind has been that we should live our lives guided by His counsel and direction in the place of fellowship. When we refuse to consult with God before taking decisions, we end up gambling and fumbling. Which more often than not damages a fellow’s destiny irreparably. The reality of this truth is visible in the lives of our first parents and Abraham. It would have been a different story completely if Adam and Eve had told the devil to allow them confirm from God the truth of his counsel. It would have also been a different story if the father of faith had consulted with God before consenting to Sarah’s proposal to have a child through Hagar. The world would have been saved the ordeal of the violent tribe which troubles the nations of the world today (Genesis 16:11-12).

You must be divinely guided in your endeavour if you will not fumble. As revealed in Psalms 25:9, it takes a heart of meekness to receive God’s guidance. The proud will not seek guidance, and even if the guidance is offered freely, the proud will reject it with impunity. For this reason, Proverbs 9:8 says:
“Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.”
Beloved, God can only guide the meek because He does not waste His time with those who despise His counsel. In accordance with His principles, when His people despise His counsel, God leaves them alone (Hosea 4:17).

We are told in Psalms 25:8-14 that the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him (Psalm 25:14). In other words, the fear of the Lord will also earn us divine guidance, so that we do not gamble with our lives. An example of someone who did not gamble with his life is King David. In 1st Samuel chapter 30, after his camp at Ziklag was raided and he wept with his men for the calamity that had befallen them, David not only encouraged himself in the Lord, he also inquired from Him on the next line of action to take. 1st Samuel 30:8 says:
“And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.”
This assurance from the Lord motivated him to pursue and recover all. This is praiseworthy because he did not allow the emotions of their great loss to push him into taking a gamble by pursuing the raiders without consulting God first. Beloved, I encourage you to begin to entrust, your life into God’s hands and never pursue a course of action without first seeking divine counsel about it.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is unfortunate that in the Church today, we underestimate the evil effects of nudity and exhibitionism. It has gotten so bad that in some quarters semi-nudity has become a norm. We pretend as if we don’t know or understand the motive behind suggestive dressing and what it triggers in the minds of the opposite sex. It seems a good number of people have lost the understanding of the difference between private and public body parts. Matthew 6:22 says that the light of the body is the eye and that our eye should be single. In other words, our eyes should not carry the abominable weights of sinful sights into our hearts. The question is, how can the eye be single when it is exposed to what should be covered by men and womenfolk alike. Some women expose their contours and we pretend as if we are blind to it or that our body has suddenly become dead wood. Some men, including some pastors, put on trousers that are fitted to the point to being too tight. The reason why many men are caught in the web of extra-marital wanderings is that their ‘eye’ is double or triple. In other words, they carry many satanic images of the opposite sex in their sub-consciousness. What is the consequences of our eye not being single? The Lord said the whole body would be full of darkness. No wonder such people grope in darkness towards eventual destruction and experience a bitter ending after the “honey” they were after turns sour.

Pornographic websites have dealt deadly blows to the gentle souls of several people. As saints unto the Lord, we must not engage in viewing such sites, because it is what you see that you desire. If something has not come into your sub-consciousness, particularly through your eye, you may not crave it. it was after Eve saw the forbidden fruit that she fell in love with it. You will be wise to adopt Job’s principle in Job 31:1, wherein he said:
“I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?”
Our sisters should make a covenant with their bodies that they would not allow it to become a stumbling block to others, knowing that causing the fall of a saint is grievous in the sight of the Lord. They should also remember that Beersheba’s nudity was what ignited David’s woes; he saw it and his eye ceased from being single (2nd Samuel 11:2). Our brothers should also learn when not to look or stare. Most importantly, they should mortify the deeds of the body because there will always be daughters of Jezebel around to entice them. Romans 8:13 says:
“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Isaiah 22:22 is a prophetic message from God the Father to God the Son, speaking of how Jesus would possess the key of the house of David so that He could open easily and shut without any resistance. No wonder doors obeyed Him while He was here on earth. For example, He shut the door of the issue of blood in the life of a woman who had suffered for 12 years (Mark 5:25-34). He also opened the door of sight to a blind man at the gate of Jericho (Luke 18:35-43).

In Matthew 16:13-19, after Peter made a profound confession of faith received by revelation from the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ promised to give him the master key of the kingdom. The Lord could make this promise, because He is the possessor of this key (Revelation 3:7). However, this promise is not only to Peter, but also to everyone who believes and confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord (John 17:20, Mark 13:37). It is amazing therefore to see children of God running helter-skelter in search of the master key, whereas they have access to this key already. Speaking about this key, the Lord said in Matthew 16:19:
“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The meaning of this scripture is that God the Father gave Jesus Christ the Son the master key to open and shut, and Jesus in turn handed this key over to those who believe in Him. So, we now are the custodians of the master key. How effectively we use this key is another question altogether. I pray in the mighty Name of Jesus that we will not be wasters of this great grace that can shut the doors of calamity and open the gates of blessings, not only for ourselves but also for those who God has put within the sphere of our influence. Years ago, a young man came to us for prayers because of premature death that had been ravaging his family over the years. We prayed a simple prayer to the Almighty Father, who through His son handed the master key over to us. We shut the door of premature death and opened the door of abundant life in Christ to this young man, and this put an end to the calamity of premature death in his family. In like manner, I shut the door of all forms of calamity against you and open the door of celebration that has been shut against you from today in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Bible declares that our God is love (1st John 4:. He is love because no one else can love like Him. What greater love can a man have for his friends than to lay down his life for them? Our God’s love is incomparable with any other. People may claim to love, but you will find out that when their love is tested, it fails woefully. In contrast to this, God’s love never fails! He loves us so much that He has our names inscribed on His palm (Isaiah 49:16). Irrespective of the number of children He has all over the world, He knows every single one of us by name (Isaiah 43:1). Even every strand of our hair is important to Him, so much so that He numbered each one and not a single strand can fall without Him noticing (Luke 12:7). His love is unconditional, because while we were still living in sin, Christ died for us (Romans 5:. Believe it or not, a breastfeeding mother can forget her child, but our God can never forget us. He loves us even more than our earthly parents do, and nothing can separate us from His love. He will never withhold anything good from us; all we have to do is ask Him.

With man, love comes with conditions. Some people only love people of the same or higher social class, and they treat every other person with contempt. As wealthy and highly placed as our God is, He does not behave this way. He came down from His Kingdom of many mansions and golden streets to be born in a manger, amongst animals, just so that He could associate with us and help us out of condemnation. He does not see you as a liability; rather He sees you as a friend to be treasured. Believe me honestly, God has His eyes on you all the time. He loves you so much that He doesn’t want you to get hurt. You may ask, “Why then am I going through all these troubles?” Our God did not promise that the road would be smooth all through life, but He promised that He would be with us all the time (Isaiah 43:2). His presence with you is assurance that no trouble can consume you, and that you will rejoice at the end of the day. However, have you given your life to Christ? He wants to take away your heavy burden, but He can’t do that if you are not ready to accept His yoke of lordship. In Matthew 11:28-30, He says:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest upon your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Accept God’s offer of love today. Surrender your life to Him and begin to live a new life of great possibilities.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many people don’t know that it is dangerous, if not a curse, to possess the knowledge of evil. To have the knowledge of evil is to know how to do evil. In Genesis 3:5, when the devil told our first parents that their eyes would be open and they would be like God, knowing good and evil, he was literally saying “you will know how to do evil”, even though he did not tell them he was teaching them how to do evil. This is why it is wise for every child of God to understand the source and nature of any knowledge they are acquiring. In James 3:17, the Holy Spirit recommends the type of applied knowledge we should seek after, saying:
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”
Do you know that some people acquire knowledge that destroys their entire life? When a young boy learns how to smoke marijuana or other narcotic substances, he becomes emboldened and begins to feel he has “become a man”. What folly this is! When a young girl is introduced to premarital sex, she may be deceived that such carnal knowledge will make her “a real woman”. Although she may be excited about it, the truth is she has only learned how to do evil, and it will destroy her destiny. This is why parents must endeavour to fill their children with godly knowledge before it is too late. God’s wisdom in Proverbs 22:6 says:
“Train up a child in the way he would go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

There are ways the devil introduces his “curriculum” on the knowledge of evil to mankind. In Genesis 3:1-5, he used the deductive method to achieve his goal. He asked: “Did God say you should not eat of every tree of the garden?” He was pretending not to know which of the fruits in the garden was forbidden. Would God have arranged for his children to starve by commanding them not to eat of every tree of the garden? Even today, the devil still uses this style. For example, he may come to you saying, “Did God say you should not drink any wine?” The answer is definitely “No, what God said is that I should not drink alcoholic wine.” He may also say to you, “Yes, I know God would not want you to have sex because it is bad!” The answer is “No, what God said is that I can only have sex with my spouse.” The devil is a liar; please don’t believe his lies.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

As a mathematician, when I first gave my life to Christ, the paying of tithes to God was ridiculous to me, and I saw it as a subtle way through which pastors wanted to swindle me of my hard-earned money. Prior to this time, my 100 percent was not enough; by the middle of any month, I had to borrow money from my driver to buy fuel. I then wondered within myself that if 100 percent was not enough, how then could 90 percent be? Thanks be to God that the Holy Spirit won this argument, and today, I am a living testimony of the faithfulness of God to every person who pays tithes. Hebrews 11:6 reveals that without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith in God enables a person to do the ridiculous. God asked Gideon to go to the battlefield with a “ridiculous” number of soldiers (three hundred) as against the thousands of Midianite soldiers opposing them. As if that was not enough, even the three hundred soldiers were not to carry any weapon of war, but rather an earthen vessel each (Judges 7:7-25)! Gideon complied with these instructions in faith and he got a miraculous victory.

Moreover, concerning the salvation of our souls, it takes believing the “ridiculous” before the miraculous can be experienced. The Bible in John 3:16 says,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The Bible further states that the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin (1st John 1:7). That scripture says “all sin” and not just a few sins! This truth is what the unbelieving people of this world cannot understand. In fact, nobody can explain it. It belongs to the realm of faith. In addition, many of those who have ever experienced the miracle of healing have a testimony of doing the ridiculous before they got the miraculous. An example of this is the story of the ten lepers (Luke 17:12-19). In spite of the fact that leprosy was still visible on their skin, Jesus told them to go and present themselves to the high priest to show that they were healed of their leprosy, because they needed to be certified as being free of leprosy before they could be reintegrated into their communities. They proceeded to show themselves to the high priest. In order to get the miracle of healing, they confronted the risk of being stoned to death for coming out of isolation as lepers. However, they got healed on their way; their “ridiculous” faith earned them miraculous healing! My experiences in my Christian walk and particularly as a minister of the gospel have taught me that unless you agree to do whatever God ask you to do, however ridiculous it may sound, you cannot experience the miraculous. Beloved, as you exercise faith in Jehovah-Rapha today, your healing shall be made manifest in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Proverbs 1:24-33, God, personified as Wisdom, bemoans men’s carefree attitude to His warnings against the day of calamity. God Himself is calling out to mankind like He called unto Adam when he hid himself in the Garden of Eden. Adam seems to be wiser than many inhabitants of the world today, because he came out of his hiding place so that God could cover his unclothedness (Genesis 3:21). God’s message to the world today says “I have waited enough: I have been stretching out My hands of love towards you and you have refused to come.” If this message applies to you, please respond to His call; any further delays is dangerous. The danger in delaying is declared in Proverbs 1:26 & 28:
“I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me.”
It is a wise thing to have God as your Ally before the day of calamity or overwhelming challenge. For those who do not know God or who have strayed from His way, the day of greatest calamity is the day death comes calling. Why? The day of death is a day of reckoning, when all deeds are brought to judgement (Hebrews 9:27).

The story of the marriage in Cana of Galilee, from where John 2:3 is taken, teaches a couple of relevant lessons on having God as your Ally before the day of calamity comes (John 2:9-10). Firstly, Jesus Christ was invited to the wedding ceremony, ahead of the moment of shame that arose due to insufficient preparation. Shame was averted that day because the Present Help in time of need was involved. Secondly, Jesus’ mother counselled them to do whatever the Miracle Worker asked them to do; they obeyed this and got the miracle of provision. Thirdly, wine symbolizes merriment and joyous events. The presence of wine in a place signals celebration. The truth is that there will always be a time when the wine of your life would run out and you would be confronted by your inadequacies as a mortal being. It will be too bad for you not to have Jesus in your life before that day. Why? His presence guarantees supplies that are far better than what the world can provide, as testified to by the master of ceremony at the marriage of Cana of Galilee (John 2:9-10). Beloved, I am therefore appealing to you today to invite Jesus Christ into your boat before you run out of steam. You must get God involved in all you do because no matter how brief that venture is, you will need him along the way.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When you expound the things of God to the “wise men” of this world, they will consider you to be a fool. When you talk about the resurrection of the dead and the outcome of Jesus’ death and resurrection, they will use their limited knowledge of the natural world to demonstrate your “foolishness”. It is ironic that those who profess themselves to be wise in this world are declared to be fools before God (Romans 1:22). As a believer in Christ, you should therefore not be offended if you are classified as foolish by the “wise men” of this world. Based on the words of 1 Corinthians 1:27, if the world considers you to be foolish because your life is based on the principles of God’s word, you are blessed indeed. Remember that the devil came to our first parents disguised as a loving guidance counsellor. He advised them to follow his diabolical wisdom, and this led them into a state of foolishness. They realised belatedly that the wisdom the devil was introducing them to was actually foolishness in disguise, and ever since then, the wisdom that fills the hearts of men is the perverted wisdom of the devil, otherwise known as craftiness (1st Corinthians 3:19). This manifests as wisdom to cheat and get ahead of a neighbour, wisdom to defraud the government, wisdom to pervert the course of justice and wisdom to do diabolical things. In contrast to this, the wisdom of God cries out in proverbs 8:5-8 saying:
“O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing forward or perverse in them.”
This scripture reveals the nature and character of godly wisdom. You will observe that these characteristics are in direct opposition to what the children of this world consider as wisdom. Any wisdom that does not cut corners is considered foolishness by the children of this world. What they consider to be wisdom leads to both earthly and eternal perdition. A good example of the wisdom of this world is what Absalom exhibited against his father. The Bible says he stole the heart of an entire nation away from his father the king (2nd Samuel 15:6). This is the way of the world. In contrast to such ways, Isaiah 35:4-10 speaks of the highway of holiness, through which the unclean shall not pass. It is equally interesting to read that although those passing through it may be considered fools by the world’s standard, they shall not go wrong in it (Isaiah 35:. They will not err, because their Guide is the Lord of hosts (John 14:6). Beloved, do you seek wisdom? Do you want to be wise in things pertaining to godliness? The way to profitable wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and Jesus Christ is that wisdom that you need.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One page is definitely not enough to praise this great God, neither are all the pages of a book sufficient to extol His Names. This God is greater than the greatest. Think of anything great that anyone has ever done; my God has surely done greater. He perfectly calculated the distance needed between all the elements of the universe and their velocities, so that they move together and are just at the right distances apart to maintain a balance. He is also bigger than the biggest, so much so that He uses the whole earth as His footstool (Isaiah 66:1). For someone’s feet to be so big that He needs a footstool as large as the earth, you can be sure that He is indeed a very big fellow. No other entity is as big as this. In like manner, He is richer than the richest. My God has never gone broke, and He can never be broke. The whole earth and its fullness are His: all the natural resources and precious stones, known and unknown to man, belong to Him. He is the God that has money everywhere, even in the belly of a fish (Matthew 17:24-27). A Bible scholar once explained his take on what Jesus meant when He said He would do whatever we ask in His Name (John 14:13-14). He explained that the literal translation of that scripture of English from Greek is that even if we ask Him for anything that does not exists, He will create it and give it to us. He is so rich that He even possesses things that are not yet in existence! He can therefore never be stranded. He will show Himself through you as the one who is richer than the richest in Jesus’ Name.

My God can do all things. He not only raised the dead, He also raised up dry bones and transformed them into a mighty army (Ezekiel 37:1-10). Psalm 139 says my God knows all things, and nothing is hidden from Him. He is everywhere, and so He sees everything. You can’t run away from His presence. Furthermore, He can heal all sicknesses and diseases. In Matthew 8:3, Jesus touched a man with leprosy. Not only did He not get infected with the disease, the man was also healed instantly. During one of our Holy Ghost Services in Nigeria, God instructed that all those who had incurable diseases should come to the front of the altar, and I should just walk in front of them with my prayer staff. As I did as instructed, they were getting healed. Those whose healing required surgery just fell and slept off while God performed the needed operation on them with invisible hands. After that night, several people testified of getting healed of incurable diseases.

Who is God to you? Is He your doctor or your provider? Is He your helper and your friend? A popular saying goes, “Show me your friend and I will tell you who you are.” If you make Jesus your friend, He will also give you the ability to do all that He can do.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

A name is not just a label; more importantly, it is an identity. Names are very important to God, and this is why it is important to search the scriptures to discover more about God’s identity through His Names. Those who know His Names and praise Him with these Names are dear to God’s heart. In Revelations 1:8, He Himself revealed some of His Names to us, saying:
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
Furthermore, in God’s dialogue with Job in Job chapter 38, He asked him some frightening questions which reveal that He truly is the Alpha and Omega. It goes without saying that He is the one who made the mountains, the oceans and all the other big and small things we see in nature. We also understand that He is older than the oldest, because by Him were all things created. He saw the beginning of everything on earth, good and bad, and He will also see their end because He is the Omega. He will end every bad experience in your life as you praise Him today as Alpha and Omega in Jesus’ Name.

In 1st Samuel 1:3, the Almighty is called the Lord of Hosts. In the past, I used to think this meant that He is the Lord of the hosts of heaven, but recently, He let me know that ‘Lord of Hosts’ means the Lord of all hosts, whether in heaven, hell, the earth, the seas, underneath the earth, and even other galaxies in the universe. Nobody can oppress His children because one command from Him can make life so unbearable for even the greatest king on earth. If you don’t believe me, ask Pharaoh (Exodus 5-11). According to Proverbs 21:1, my God has the heart of kings in His hands, and He turns their hearts wherever He pleases. If He has control over the commanders-in-chief of all armed forces, then He can also direct the armed forces of different nations as He pleases.

Isaiah 9:6 calls Him the Prince of Peace. The first thing a person experiences after giving his or her life to Christ is peace, because the Prince of Peace now lives within. My God can calm any storm, and I mean any storm. He calmed several storms when He was here on earth (Mark 4:39, Matthew 14:24-32), and there is no storm in your life that He cannot calm. Some years ago, I was invited to speak at a United Nations Summit, and I told the delegates there that it was a good thing that they were all trying to solve the problems of war around the world. I let them know though that if they really wanted peace, the only way they could get it was if they involved the Prince of Peace. In this world of war and turbulence, you can have peace if you surrender to Him indeed. May the peace of the Lord continually be with you in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

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.