₦airaland Forum

Do you desire and seek rest for your soul!? There is a rest in Jesus Christ that you can never find elsewhere. To access this rest, you must be ready to receive His yoke by denying yourself, taking up your cross and following Him daily (Matthew 11:29). To find rest for your soul, you must reach a point where you are no longer ashamed of Jesus Christ. You must conquer shame or be dead to it with regard to your faith in Christ Jesus. To this end, Paul said this to us, from his experience:
“According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I Shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.”
Philippians 1:20
Are you still ashamed to publicly declare your faith in Christ? Do you allow people to intimidate you concerning your faith in Christ Jesus? Get out of that pit of shame today and let everyone who cares to know be informed that you are a true child of God! Let your lifestyle support your confession and copy Jesus in all that you do!
                                            
A confirmation that you have conquered shame with respect to your faith in Christ is that you will be bold to face anyone, anywhere and say to them that you are for Jesus Christ. If you are not bold, it is because you are infested with fear. If you have fear inside you and you are not a baby Christian, please check your life for sin. Why? Proverbs 28:1 says,
“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
Sin always brings in some degree of fear to a person’s life. There is a relationship between sin and fear. In the same vein, there is a relationship between righteousness and boldness (confidence). When you live your life transparently in righteousness, you will be bold and courageous. You will also be able to muster increasing levels of faith. If you do not have faith in your prayers being answered, it could indicate the presence of sin in your life. Sin kills expectations and hope. When you live to please God, your expectations will be strong and your hope will be strong. Check your life today. If you are lacking in boldness, faith, hope and expectation, there just might be some sins you haven’t confessed lurking around the corner.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

If you measure life by the experiences of some people, you will live far from your God–given purpose and barely scratch the surface. Some people are alive but only just surviving from day to day. In Luke 13:11-17, the woman who was bound for 18 years did not die, but she was merely surviving and not living. Also, the man with the unclean spirit in Mark 1:23-26 was continually going to church, and yet he was inhabited by an unclean spirit. It was even in the synagogue that the Lord met him. Although he was living, he was the captive of a demonic spirit. What of Naaman who appeared to be a distinguished and successful man, and yet he had a problem that no man could solve (2nd kings 5:1)? just like the individuals in all these examples, many people today are barely surviving, and are not living life as purposed by God for them. God not only wants you to live life, He also wants you to enjoy the abundant life that he gives (John 10:10). Are you not tired of “managing” struggling to survive, and living from hand to mouth? If you are truly tired, the Lord will make a way for you. 
                            
God is interested in the overflow of his blessings upon your life. He does not just want you to be healed; He also wants His healing virtue to flow through you to others. He wants you to be free from captivity, and beyond this, He also wants you to set the captives free. God does not want you just to be rich but also to lend to nations. He wants you to be so prosperous that when nations cannot balance their budgets, they will come and pay you a visit. God wants you to bring great joy to your family, community, city and nation. However, no matter how much He wants the overflow for you, He will respect what you want for yourself. He cannot force an overflow of his blessings on you when you want so little of it. There are different levels of greatness, and your choice of the type of life you want for yourself has a role to play in determining how great you become. Let us see the example of Esau. Yes, he sold his birthright, but as a seed of Abraham, he was so blessed from the remnant of blessing pronounced on him that he had 400 bodyguards. How many bodyguards do ministers, senators, state governors or even presidents have today? So you would agree that Esau was not doing badly. However, compared to Jacob his brother, who became a great nation, the difference is definitely clear. Do you want to merely survive, or do you want to be truly blessed with the overflowing portion of God’s blessings? The choice is Yours!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

“A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.”
Proverbs 1:5
According to the above scripture, knowledge is good, although not all knowledge is necessary for the children of God. It also states that only a wise fellow will benefit from what he hears. If you are taught something but you fail to act on it, you are at a greater disadvantage compared to those who were not exposed to such information at all. Why? Jesus says that on the last day, it is the Word of God that will judge us. In other words, any sound teaching from God’s word that you heard but failed to act upon will stand against you on the last day. This means that just as the word of God can liberate a person, that same word can also condemn him or her. May you not be condemned by what you have heard in Jesus’ Name! This is why you need to live your life by every word of God or teaching from the Bible you have received..

From Proverbs 1:5, we also learn that if knowledge is given its rightful position in your life, what you are taught will provoke you to desire more knowledge. In other words, if you are wise, you will always remain a student throughout your life, because one revelation of God’s word will prompt you to search for another in an unending chain. In this regard, believers are expected to be like professionals who need to constantly update their knowledge. Are you always seeking to know more? Do you find time to read good, inspiring books? It is popularly said that leaders are readers. If you fail to read and learn from the experiences and wealth of knowledge of others, you will only be left with the stale information that you have inside you. Therefore, seek knowledge from today for you to lead in your group; you ought to know what others do not know. According to Ecclesiastes 9:18 winning a war is not only dependent on the nature of the weapons available to you, but more on what you know and your ability to apply what you know to the situation at hand. If there is one area every believer in Christ should work on, it is to know God more. How well are your doing in this area?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is the great desire of the wonder-working God to work wonders through His children. However, for you to be a partaker of the manifestation of this desire, you must be prepared to pay the price. Nothing good comes cheap. Anything that is cheap is obviously of low quality and value. If you are interested in working wonders as a worker in God’s vineyard, you must be prepared to be a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). You must be ready to say, “Lord, for the rest of my life, feel free to do whatever you want with me.” In addition, to work wonders, you must have clean hands. Isaiah 52:11 says,
“Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.”
Your hands must be free from defilement at home, at work, when nobody is watching, and everywhere else. Many years ago, while I was still lecturing in the university, I wrote a personal letter, and as I reached out to take one of the official envelopes assigned to me, the Lord said, “You wrote a personal letter, but that envelope is for official use.” I replied, “Lord, how much is an envelope?”, and He said to me, “If it is so cheap, go and buy your own.” If you want to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, or if you want to lay hands on demon-possessed individuals and have the demons obey your voice, then it cannot be with hands that have been stealing, defrauding or writing false reports.

Moreover, you need to be in constant touch with God. 1st Thessalonians 5:17 says that you should pray without ceasing. One way to do this is by regularly praying in tongues like Paul (1st Corinthians 14:18).
You can also keep in touch with God by constantly thanking Him. I tell you, Jesus would like that. I heard the testimony of a man who on his 50th birthday said all he wanted to do was say ‘Thank You’ to Jesus at least 50 times. I said that was a beautiful idea which had never crossed my mind. How old are you now? When you want to pray, say thank You to Jesus the number of times corresponding with your age, and you will be amazed at what could happen through this. Do you want to be a worker of signs and wonders? Are you ready to pay the price?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Lord Jesus Christ gave out several great invitations while He was on earth, and these invitations are still open to us today. If only you can accept them, your life will never be the same again. He says to us “Come and eat”, “Come and drink”, and “Come and Follow me” (John 21:12, John 7:37, Mark 8:34). To follow Him, you must deny yourself of certain desires and lusts; take up your cross daily by being ready to live the sacrificial life that He demands, and put your feet where He trod, while carefully studying the paths that He walked (1 Peter 2:21). May God grant you the grace to truly follow Him! Today, on different social media networks, quite a lot of people have a great follower-ship. There is no better person to follow than Jesus Christ! Following some of the characters on social media networks cannot add anything good to your life, but following Jesus will add both earthly benefits and eternal rewards to you (Mark 10:29-30). The best thing that can ever happen to you is to follow Jesus! A good follower of Jesus is a disciple of Christ.

In addition, the Lord invites His children to abide in Him. In John 15:5, Jesus says if you abide in Him, you will bear much fruit. Abiding in Him is one secret of fruitfulness in the Kingdom of God. If you want to be able to win a lot of souls to Christ, you must take time to ensure that He permanently resides in you and you in Him. It is only then that His life will fully and freely flow through you. If you are still toying with sin, you cannot be fruitful from God’s perspective.  Also, abiding in Him gives you the assurance that all your prayers will be answered (John 15:7). When your requests are granted, what more can you wish for? This is where God wants all His children to be and not just some of them. Are all your prayers been answered? If only some have been answered, then you really need to look at your present relationship with Christ and do some more work on your love towards Him, your faith in Him, your devotion to Him, your obedience to Him, your service to Him, and your study of His word. You need to look at how consistent you are in His presence and go deeper in Him. Don’t stop until all your prayers are answered! Don’t stop until you are most fruitful!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The institution of marriage is largely misunderstood and consequently abused by a lot of people in today’s world. Marriage was designed by God for the good of the partners involved. He designed it as an institution where they can complement each other, enjoy life on earth, and reproduce their kind to replenish the earth. In contrast to what is sadly the norm in the world today, marriage is a covenant relationship that is of a permanent nature. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself stated this in Matthew 19:6 when he said:
“Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God Hath joined together, let no man put asunder.”
Contrary to God’s expectations, the marital vow that is supposed to be very sacred is fast becoming a recitation that is violated at will. How many married people ever reflect on the vows they exchange at the altar to see if the current state of their lives has not deviated from it? Marriage is a very serious covenant relationship. God expects the partners involved in it to keep the pledge they made to each other in the presence of many witnesses. Are you married? How faithful have you been in keeping your marital vows?

As children of God, we should not be surprise by the current sorry state of the institution of marriage in the world today. The Holy Spirit told us ahead of time that unfaithfulness to vows will form part of the unrighteousness of men in such times as this, When in Romans 1:31 He describe the characteristics of people in the last days as follow:
“Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, Implacable, unmerciful:”
In 2nd Timothy 3:3-4, He also indicates to us that a sign by which we will know we are in the last days is when we see men increasingly becoming traitors and trucebreakers (i.e. implacable). Are you breaking any of the promises you made in your marriage vows? Are you the type that cannot be appeased? Do you find it difficult to forgive your spouse whenever there is a form of misunderstanding in your relationship? If you have any of those traits, it shows that you are not walking in the love of God. Are you are unmerciful to your spouse? How can you receive mercy from God when you cannot even show it to your own spouse? At the altar, you promised to take care of your spouse; are you doing so today? You promised to use all your worldly goods to make life easier for your spouse, but is that what you are doing today? You promised to leave everyone else and belong to your spouse forever; is that so? Are you secretly dating someone else? If you have fallen out of line, repent and keep your vows from today!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Everybody has a choice to make on the issue of focus in life. Your focus has a way of directing your activities and dictating how well or badly your resources are utilized. It is therefore great wisdom to make Jesus Christ your focus. May the Lord grant you grace to do so in Jesus’s Name. When you walk with God for a while, you will come to realize that He specializes in bringing something good out of something seemingly bad. This is why it is well said that opportunities are wrapped up in unpleasant packages. This truth was demonstrated in the life of Elisha (2nd Kings 2:1-15). To Elisha, losing his mentor and master was seemingly a bad thing, but this had to happen for him to get promoted to the office of the national prophet and become a mentor to others. Similarly, it was seemingly a bad thing when Jesus had to be beaten and His body was torn in shred. However, this was the price He had to fully pay for us to access healing for all kinds of diseases (1 Peter 2:24). This tells us that not every bad event is truly bad, particularly as it relates to children of the Most High God (Romans 8:28).

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you”
John 16:7
After spending just three and half years with His disciples, the time came for the Lord to leave them. This was an unthinkable scenario for them, and it was most undesirable! The disciple were not ready to let the Master go, not even when they knew that He needed to go the cross in obedience to God. In fact, Peter was prepared to involve himself in physical combat in his attempt to prevent Jesus from leaving them. However, Jesus needed to depart for the Holy Spirit to come. Some people may have to leave the scene so that you can move from obscurity into limelight. Have you been left out in the cold? Something will happen that will cause a sudden divine remembrance of you this season in Jesus’ Name! King Uzziah had to die for Prophet Isaiah to see more clearly (Isaiah 6:1). The Lord will do something about your matter today! Whether good or bad, things will happen that will favour you in Jesus’ Name. Both good and bad will work in your favour this period! As bad as afflictions appear to be, 2nd Corinthians 4:17 says they are actually working great rewards for us. May every seemingly bad event work for your good in Jesus’ Name!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

“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” Matthew 11:29
In the above scripture, Jesus mentions two profound things that will give rest to our souls, one of which is that we should take on His easy yoke. What is His yoke? It is that cross of self-denial we are required to carry as we follow Him. This refers to works such as these, which are integral to the Christian life: making sacrifices, giving, service, investment of time to pray and study God’s word, and soul-winning. One person who carried the yoke of Jesus was Paul. He understood what it means to be ‘made by Him and for Him’ (Colossians 1:16). When he met Christ on his way to Damascus and he surrendered to Him, from then onwards, he never turned back. He joyfully sacrificed all his earthly achievements and recognition so as to pursue one goal in life: to know Jesus (Philippians 3:! He worked like no one else did. He travelled extensively across the globe just to serve his Saviour, risking his life over and again in the process. When it was revealed that he would be bound and afflicted if he went to Jerusalem, with the brethren passionately pleading that he should not go, he responded with these words in Acts 21:13:
“…what mean ye to weep and break mine heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus”
Have you taken on the yoke of Christ to the extent that you can go anywhere, do anything and give up anything for Him?

In addition, Jesus said we must be ready to learn of Him. Jesus Christ can be likened to a well of knowledge that we cannot exhaust in our lifetime. Beloved, there is so much to know about Him. Have you ever wondered how the Holy Spirit gives you insight into a particular scripture, and by the following day, week or month, when you take up the same verse, you still receive a deeper revelation from it? Do you know that the Holy Spirit can give you deep insight in a verse of scripture from which you can produce 10 or more solid books from? Although Paul knew so much about Jesus, when he compared what he knew with what he was yet to know, he realized that he still knew very little. For this reason, he made it his life’s goal to know Him. Do you think you know so much about Jesus and boast over this? Repent now and commit to learning more of Him everyday till you meet Him in glory.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Those who attempt to hide their sins or cover up their errors fail to realize that nothing can be hidden from God, the heavenly saints and even from God’s angels. A child of God who indulges in hypocritical lifestyle is yet to be broken in spirit. Do you realize that God can expose the secret deeds of anybody He chooses to (Daniel 2:47)? If He has not revealed yours, it is not because you are smart, but because He is still giving you some time of grace to make amends. In the early Church, the secret conspiracy of a couple was revealed by the Holy Spirit, and this led to their death (Acts 5:1-11). No matter how deep that secret deed is buried, it can still be exposed at anytime.

In addition, a day is coming when everyone’s secret will be made public before a staggering crowd of every person that has ever inhabited the earth all through the ages. This will happen at the Great White Throne Judgment, where everyone who ever lived on earth will be divinely summoned, and stand before the Almighty God to face their final judgment and thereafter receive their eternal sentence (Revelation 20:11-15). On that great and terrible day, the past will be harmonized with the present to determine the eternal future of everyone. Before the greatest screen, every life will be reviewed before everyone, and then comes sentence. The only people who will not be judged at that universal judgment are those who were saved and washed in the Blood of Jesus, and who must have sustained their faith in Christ until they died or were ruptured. On that day, these saints will be part of the judges who will sit over the rest of the people from all nations, colour, tribe and tongues (1st Corinthians 6:2). On that day, would anyone still have a secret? No wonder Jesus said that there is nothing done in secret that shall not be exposed, and nothing said in private that shall not be broadcast from the mountain top. How prepared are you to face the judgment of God? How long will you continue to live in secret sin? Repent today and live in holiness and prepare for the Lord’s return.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Lord in Hosea 4:6 reveals that ignorance is one of the greatest factors that lead to the undoing of believers. What you attain in life may not go beyond what you know. What you know adds to you, but what you fail to know takes away from you. The Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 26:41 says,
“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”
From these words of the Master, we understand that there is a link between what you know and how effectively you pray. We also understand that there is a link between what you know and how you overcome temptations. The less you know about God, His ways and His word, the less inner strength you will have to overcome temptations. If you want to live a Christian life that manifest the victory that Christ has given us over Satan, sin, self and the pleasures of the world, you must be well versed in the Scriptures. You must study to show yourself approved before God (2nd Timothy 2:15). To what extent do you know God?

“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
Luke 21:36
This scripture tells us that although prayer is very important, it is however not enough. If you can pray very well but lack knowledge, many things can still go wrong. From the words of the Master in this scripture, prayer must be effectively combined with knowledge to be able to escape the dangers of the last days. Do you know the signs of the times? Do you take time to monitor local, national and international events and reconcile these events with what God has said concerning them in His word? If you have knowledge and are prayerful, certain things that would take the world by surprise cannot catch you off guard. In fact, you will be the one alerting others to the implications of the events happening around you. In addition, it takes a combination of knowledge and prayer to be able to stand as a worthy vessel before the judgment seat of Christ. When you know what the Lord wants of you, how He wants you to do the work He has assigned to you, and the time He has appointed for you to do the work, it will be easy to do it and to stand faultless before His throne at last.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

If you have been washed in the precious Blood of the lamb, thanking God for the salvation of your soul is something you need to do daily for the rest of your life. Some people throw parties to celebrate milestones and achievements in different areas of life, but Jesus said that what should give us the greatest joy is the fact that we are saved and have our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Luke 10:20). That your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life is a great testimony that you should regularly thank God for whenever you pray.

However, giving thanks to God is not always a very easy thing to do, particularly if you have been through a spate of negative and very sad events of experiences. In such situations, thanking God requires sacrifice. Our God loves sacrifices – particularly a sacrifice of thanksgiving. No wonder the Psalmist says thus in Psalm 116:17:
“I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD”
When you offer thanksgiving to God at a time when every situation in your life is saying that He doesn’t deserve it or that He has forsaken you, it is sacrificial.

Similarly, your thanksgiving is sacrificial when you thank God even when He has not granted your requests. This is an expression of faith. Sacrificial thanksgiving glorifies God and proves to Him that your faith in Christ has spiritual substance. Do you know that most people remember to thank God only when they believe He has ‘earned it’? Such people live by a personal philosophy which says “Whenever God does something for me, only then will I give Him thanks in return”. Such an attitude is simply calculative and myopic. There are so many things God does for us everyday which we take for granted as normal everyday occurrences, but the truth is, nothing is ever really “normal”, and every day comes with its challenges. Those who give God a sacrifice of thanksgiving do so because they choose to. They choose to see things from God’s perspective, which makes them see reasons why they ought to be grateful to God, even when other people cannot see any reason why.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

On one of their journeys by sea, the disciples saw Jesus walking towards them on the water. Astonished to see this wonder, Peter asked the Lord Jesus Christ if he could join Him, and Lord invited him to come. Peter’s fellow disciples watched in amazement as he walked towards Jesus on the water. If only they too had responded to the lord’s invitation, they would have partaken of this awesome experience, but they were not courageous enough to step out. Nevertheless, that invitation to do the impossible was not limited to them. It is still open to you and me today. In John 14:12, Jesus said,
‘’Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also.’ And greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
Beloved, the call to do the works of Jesus and even perform greater works than He did is a call to the impossible. To be able to do this, you must be prepared to believe in Jesus Christ with all your heart, leaving no space for doubt. Do you believe in him? Why then do you still leave room for doubt? Don’t you know that the Lord never fails?

Furthermore, Jesus invites us to follow him. John 8:12 says,
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
As the light, if you follow Jesus, you will not walk in darkness, and neither will you stumble. Also, if you follow Him, He will make something great out of your life. He will make you what you never dreamt you could become. Consider a person like Peter: he would have died an unknown fisherman if he had not accepted Christ’s invitation to follow Him (Matthew4:18-19). Have you accepted that invitation to follow Jesus? Today some people give various excuses for not following him. One of such excuses is that they do not want to be disturbed distracted from their life’s goal or ambition, failing to realise that if only they accepted Lord’s invitation, they would have had a greater future and they would have enjoyed His backing in all their life’s endeavours. Have you heeded His invitation?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Salvation through Christ is such a great experience, but the devil in his characteristic manner has introduced counterfeits into people's lives. The consequence of possessing a counterfeit salvation experience is a life of pretence. To guard against this wile of the devil, the Holy Spirit in 1st Timothy 1:5, admonishes us thus:
‘’Now the end of the commandement is charity out of a pure heart, and of good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.’’
While God wants us to show love to all, he equally cares about the source of this love. The source of a thing goes a long way in determining its quality and value. You cannot bring something good out of an evil heart. If you do, that good thing is already tainted. For instance, even though you see lots of food in dunghill, you will not go to eat from there. God is therefore saying that you should do away with pretence and hypocrisy, because they taint whatever good works you are doing. He is saying that if you will show Him love, make sacrifices for His sake, or give to His cause, such actions must come out of a pure heart, with a good conscience and done with sincerity; otherwise, the doer of these works may not get any reward.

Are you saved? Is your salvation genuine or false? 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says if you are saved, old things are passed away. This means that if you were stealing before, after experiencing salvation, you will stop stealing. You cannot continue stealing and still lay claim to salvation. While my father-in-the-Lord was alive, if you claim to be saved, he would ask you these questions. What were you saved from? ‘’What were you doing before that you no longer do now?’’ Today, people claim they are saved, and yet they still steal, lie or fornicate. What kind of salvation is that? In one of my missionary trips outside Nigeria, a man came to me and said, ‘’Sir, I heard that you are a prophet of God and that your prophecies are deadly accurate.’’ ‘’is that so?’’ I replied and further added, ‘’I am not a prophet but Pastor, but I do hear from God once in a while.’’ He then asked me to tell him his future. I asked him if he was born again and washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, and His response was ‘’No’’. So I said to him, ‘’Your future will be terrible’. Alarmed, he said, ‘’How do you know? You don’t even know my name, and you have not even prayed!’’ I told him there was no need for that because Isaiah 3:11 says ‘’Woe to the wicked!’’ On the other hand, if you are saved, your tomorrow will be alright. Are you saved? Did you genuinely give your life to Jesus Christ on a particular day? If not, do it today!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The way a child of God relates with sin is indicative of the level of brokenness he or she has attained. An unbroken fellow tries to cover up sin. He or she tries to play smart with sin, particularly when its repercussions are not immediately apparent. In proverbs 28:13, the Holy spirit has this message for such people:
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
If you fall into sin and the most important thing to you at that moment is that no one should know what you have done, it is because you are not broken. In any case, to what extent can you truly hide sin? For how long can you cover up your evil deeds? Can you hide your sins from God?  Hebrews 4:13 answer this:
“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
Thinking that you can hide away your sins from God is living in a fool’s Paradise. This can be compared to the proverbial ostrich which buries his head in the sand to hide from predators, not realizing that its body is still visible to its enemy and vulnerable to attack.

Not only are your sin never hidden from God, they are equally not hidden from the saints in Heaven. Hebrews chapter 11 provides a list of saints that ran this race ahead of us and are now in Heaven. Hebrews 12:1 calls them a ‘cloud of witnesses’. These brethren know and can see all we are doing. Someone who was privileged to visit Heaven and return to earth said that there is a curtain in Heaven that anyone there can pull and the fellow will be able to monitor the activities of anybody here on earth. Another brother who also had that same privilege spoke of how saints in Heaven gather together in a place like a stadium, where they watch earthly saints facing crucial trials of their faith. When a saint being watched compromises, they shout in disappointment, just like when your favourite football team concedes a goal. In contrast, when a person stands for his or her faith in Christ, they shout with excitement. Be aware that you are being watched. If only you can imagine the number of eyes monitoring you, you would be conscious of the fact that nothing you do is hidden!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

For your prayer to be a sweet savour before the Almighty God, you must be prepared not only to praise Him but also to honour His Name. You cannot truly claim to belong to God without reverencing or honouring His Name. This is why the Lord posed this crucial question to us in Malachi 1:6:  
“A son honoureth his father and a servant his master: if then I be a Father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my Fear? Saith the LORD of hosts unto you, o priest, that despise my name. And ye say, wherein have we despised thy name?”
If you look at the types of relationships referenced in the above Scripture passage, you will agree with me that the lower member of each relationship owes a type of honour to the higher member. A son owes his father a high degree of honour and respect borne out of love. Also, a servant owes his master some degree of fear, honour and regard, as the master is the source of the servant’s livelihood. As a result of those, a father can demand honour of his son, just as a master can demand honour of his servant. However, when it comes to our relationship with God, many people who claim to be God’s children, prefer to relate with God without giving Him the honour due to His Name. Unsurprisingly, this is unacceptable to the One to whom all honour is due.

Today, the Lord is asking, “where is my honour?” in other words, there are many honour-thieves in the Christian fold. Are you an honour-thief? If you call on God’s Name without giving it the high regard it deserves, you are an honour-thief. If you fail the materials test, by offering to God a detective gift or a gift that does not befit His status as the King of kings, nor reflect the level of His blessings on your life, you are an honour-thief. If you treat His assignments or handle His work with anything less than the honour due to Him, you are an honour-thief. If your lifestyle makes people look down on your God, you are an honour-thief. If you offer torn currency notes to God, when you know you cannot even use such to pay for things, you are an honour-thief. Do you honour the Lord in all you do?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The power of vision is one very crucial lesson we can learn from Elisha’s unshakeable focus when his master was about to be taken up to heaven (2 kings 2: 1-15). Vision gives directions. What you see is what you attain, and what you focus on determines what comes to you in life. You can never rise above your vision. While speaking to Abraham concerning His promise that Abraham’s descendants would inherit the land of Canaan, the Lord plainly told him that what he would possess would be determine by the extent of his vision. Genesis 13:15 says,
“For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”
People have often said that what the mind can conceive can be achieved. What can you see? What can you picture or envision concerning your future? For your mind to be able to see clearly, you have to be born again and have a recreated spirit which is capable of seeing things the way God sees them (Romans 12:2).

In addition, what you focus on is equally very important. This is because what you focus on expands and fills your sight. Your focus affects you significantly, shapes your life and determines what you attract to yourself. The sons of the Prophets in all three locations Elijah visited before his rapture to heaven focused on loss. They focused on the fact that their national Prophet would soon be raptured, and they would soon be without their leader. Consequently, that was exactly what they got. On the other hand, Elisha focused on his singular goal of receiving a double portion of the Spirit of his master, Elijah, and he got it. We have a way of attracting what we focus on. What or who is your focus? Hebrews12:2 says we should look unto Jesus. In other word, it says we should make Jesus Christ our Focus. Furthermore, 2nd Corinthians 3:18 says,
“But we all, with open face beholding as a glass the glory of the Lord, are change into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
When we focus on Jesus, we will begin to change from what we are into what He is. Focusing on Jesus is a major change medium that will definitely make us what we ought to be. Until you focus on Him, you will unknowingly be focusing on other things, individual or even yourself. What is your focus today?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Scriptures declare that wisdom is a major asset we must acquire (Proverbs 4:7). To get wisdom, you have to first lay its foundation stones with knowledge. What you know can determine your position in life. It was what Joseph knew, together with the ability to interpret dreams, that God used to move him from prison to the throne (Genesis 41:1-44). In other words, the stop-gap between you and your place of destiny is knowledge. Can you truthfully say that you know enough to get you to your place of destiny? If your answer is in the negative, then start acquiring knowledge today. In many corporate organizations, preference is given to those who have acquired more knowledge than others. This is why there is a tendency to select employees with higher degree for higher positions in these organizations. So don’t just remain stagnant in knowledge, acquire more of it! Enroll for higher degrees and relevant online or offline training programmes to position yourself for a more successful career ahead of time. What you know can promote you and bring you before kings.

Furthermore, what you know can deliver you from death. No wonder the Lord in Hosea 4:6a, said:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:”
It was the information Daniel and his colleagues received from God that delivered them and the rest of the wise men of Babylon from death. In other words, what you don’t know can kill you. Ignorance is not just a disease, but also a killer – a worse killer than some diseases. Ignorance is a terrible destroyer! Lack of knowledge can lead to a lot of wasteful spending. For example, if a person doesn’t know the importance of maintaining good hygiene, he or she will fall sick often and waste money on treatments that could have been avoided. Do you know that many people are being taken advantage of by the devil because they do not know their rights and privileges in God’s Kingdom? They do not know that they have been healed by the stripes of Jesus, and so they continue in sickness. If you fail to know that Jesus has paid the price for you to be rich, you will remain in poverty and even celebrate it like some people do today. What do you know?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

If you are sure of your salvation from sin, you need to be grateful to God. The reason is that there is nothing else in the whole wide world that can transform a sinner into a saint other than the Name of Jesus and the power of His Blood. Acts 4:12 says,
“Neither is there salvation in other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
No hero from any country can save you; neither can any prophet from any age or dispensation deliver you. No amount of money can buy you out of Hell, and no level of good works or moral uprightness can redeem you either. Only faith in the Name of Jesus and faith in the cleansing POWER OF His Blood can save you. Thank God that Jesus fully paid for our redemption! If He had only paid in part, you can be sure that no one would have been saved today, going by Satan’s antecedents. However, Jesus fully paid for our redemption - Hallelujah! To show that the price has been paid in full, shortly before He died on the cross, He publicly declared “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Therefore, you ought to daily thank God for your salvation. How often do you appreciate Him for saving your soul?

Today, many believers celebrate their birthdays, graduation from school, promotion at the office, appointments, winning big contracts and other major achievements in life, but many of these people forget to even say “Thank You Jesus for the salvation of my soul”. This is the benefit that should give you the greatest joy! After the 70 disciples sent out by the Lord for evangelism returned with fantastic testimonies of the success of their outing, the Lord shocked them by telling them that they were rejoicing over what was not the main issue. He then told them what the object of their joy should be:
“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirit are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”                                             Luke 10:20
Your salvation from sin is far more important than any other achievements you have on earth. Great is the value that God and the whole of heaven place on it. You should therefore thank God for it every day of your life; it is well worth it.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

To experience exploits in your life, you must have a personal relationship with God. You must believe that He lives and love Him with all your heart. You must also learn to trust in Him. The command to pay tithes on your earnings simply places a demand on you to trust in God. Your response to this command shows the level of trust you have in Him. If you can pay your tithe correctly, it shows that you trust God for your livelihood, but if you find it difficult to be faithful in doing this, it simply shows that you trust more in your earnings than in God to sustain you. After I became newly born again and we were taught to pay tithes, I laughed and said in my mind, “These people do not know that I am a mathematician. If 100% is not enough for me, how can 90% be enough after I have paid 10% as tithe? Thank you very much! Even though these people are not educated, they still want to use their smartness to take 10% of my income from me. Let them try and take it” However, down the line, God convinced me by Himself and I observed remarkable changes in my life.

In those days, I was a lecture in the university. I had a car but was afraid to drive in Lagos so I got a driver. At the end of the month, I would pay my driver his salary, but by the middle of the next month, I would have to borrow money from him to buy petrol (gasoline). This happened month after month. I continued to struggle with my finances and even had to spend all my earnings. However, when I started paying my tithes, I suddenly realized I did not need a driver anymore, because boldness came from nowhere and I could now drive myself. Also, I did not have to visit hospitals again because I now had the Great Physician as my doctor. My children did not fall sick again, and that leakage in my finances was blocked off. All of a sudden, doors of opportunities began to open to me because I trusted the Lord. Are you still struggling with tithing? If you are, it only shows that you do not trust God to take care of you. The truth is, whatever you are paid may never be sufficient to meet all your needs because you are limited to that source, whereas you are open to various devourers. In contrast, when you tithe, you will have access to resources beyond your income because God’s storehouse will be opened to you, and He will also block every source of losses in your life. It is a matter of choice. Why don’t you start trusting God from today by paying your tithe faithfully?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One unfortunate thing about backsliding is that backsliders often fall so slowly that they hardly notice their deteriorating state. By the time some of them realize how far they have gone, it is rather too late. Are you a backslider? May the Lord restore you fully to Himself today! According to James 1:14-15, backsliding is a process that progresses from lust to sin, and ultimately ends with death. In Luke 22:3-6, Judas accepted to be paid 30 pieces of silver to betray his master. He must have thought he was going to make some quick, free money. He probably believed that nobody would be able to capture Jesus. After all, how could anyone apprehend the man who calmed the storms by His words? However, after the plot blew up in his face, he felt so disappointed in himself that he returned the money and committed suicide by hanging himself. The question is, why steal or accumulate what you are not going to spend? Do you know that some people who are stealing, particularly from God, will not be able to spend their evil loot? Those who steal God’s money to buy a car are only driving a moving coffin which can claim their lives at any time.

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
1st  Corinthians 10:12
On the straight and narrow way to Heaven, overconfidence has killed a lot of people, preventing them from making it to the very end. A case in point is Samson. His fall from grace, which led eventually to his tragic death, was a gradual process. From violating little instructions not to eat anything from a dead animal as a Nazirite, to unwholesome jesting and riddles that made light of the commandments of God he has broken, to visiting a harlot, and eventually ending his ministry on Delilah’s laps (Judges 14-16, Numbers 6:1-21). Overconfidence has brought many people to a pitiable place where they are now. Always remember that nobody can stand by his or her own power alone, except God helps the fellow. In fact, we are so weak that we need to always rely on God’s strength to live the Christian life. Have you ever thought or even boasted that you cannot fall? You are just like Peter who boasted that he would never deny Christ, but at the end of the day he denied Him thrice (Matthew 26:31-36). Recognize your weakness and engage in regular Bible study, prayers and fasting to draw strength from God. Furthermore, deliberately avoid any appearance of evil that can tempt you, and break any tie that can lure you back into sin. The Lord will keep you from falling, and He will restore you if you are already down.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When you walk with God, not only must you be obedient, your obedience must also be complete. From the story of how Elisha stuck with Elijah till the latter was taken up to heaven, we learn that until you obey to the very end, certain blessings may not be received, and certain promises may not be fulfilled by God (2nd Kings 2:1-15). This is very serious issue as it calls for endurance. Would Elijah have been ruptured if he had refused to go on to Jordan, after obeying God’s instructions to go to Bethel and Jericho, and after several years of obedience to God in ministry? I very much doubt it. Similarly, if Elisha had not served and followed Elijah till the very end, would he have received a double portion of the Spirit on his master? I don’t think so.

“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”
Matthew 10:22
Beloved, to get very special blessings or rewards from God, you must be ready to serve Him till you take your very last breath. You must pay your tithe, obey Him, win souls, worship Him, and follow peace with all men until your very last second on earth. Heaven is not for those who run the marathon for years and give up just a little before the finish line; rather, it is for those who endure all things to the very end.

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62
In God’s Kingdom, there is no room for half measures. It is either you are following Him to the end or you are not following Him at all. If you have decided to serve Him, Please don’t stop to look back! Looking back can disqualify you, rendering you unfit for God’s kingdom. Today, it is rare to get a committed worker or minister like Elijah, who would be doggedly determined to reach his goal without being discouraged, distracted or disillusioned. Have you turned aside from God’s calling on your life? Are you busy making excuses as to why you cannot obey God, saying “after all, God understands”? Sorry, God does not understand you going back on your commitments. He does not understand compromises. If you are in such a state, come out fast and hold the fort to the very end!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Man’s surest source of rest is Jesus Christ because He never breaks His promises (Matthew 11:28-29, 2nd Corinthians 1:20). In John 16:33, He assures us that as long as we are in this world, tribulations and problems will come, but because He successfully overcame them, He will see us through if we put our trust in Him. Therefore, because He overcame and we are following in His footsteps, we are also bound to overcome. Are you struggling with sin and expressing doubts on whether you can ever overcome like Jesus did? Fear not and do not doubt! You can overcome that besetting sin! The truth with such sins is that the one who keeps falling into them has not truly made up his or her mind to stop them. The Bible declares that sin shall not have dominion over you, and God cannot lie (Romans 6:14). If you are therefore falling into sin and you probe yourself a little deeper, you will find some level of tolerance for that sin, or some excuse you always give for why you cannot stop committing that sin, or even some iota of likeness for that sin. If the devil can find any of these in you, he will celebrate, knowing that any of these can keep you perpetually at the bus stop of that sin. If you are serious about stopping a bad habit, you will have zero-tolerance for it.

“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcome, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”
Revelations 3:21
God does not have double standards in the criteria He uses for allowing people into Heaven, or for giving them rewards for work done on earth. Jesus Christ is God’s standard. So if you will enter into eternal rest in Heaven, you must meet with God’s standard as exemplified by Jesus Christ. If you will be rewarded by God in Heaven, Jesus says you must be prepared to overcome the same way He overcame while He was here on earth. You can run the Christian race without stress when you follow in His steps. Have you taken pains to study the life of Jesus? Have you noted how He responded to temptations, sin, enemies, friends, difficulties, lack, needs, challenges in ministry, and betrayal by associates? God expects you to respond as Jesus did in all these situations. If you do so, you will be granted access to the privileges reserved for overcomers in Heaven. 
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

On the 22nd of this month, we saw that those Christians who always want everything to revolve around them and who always want to be in charge are yet to be broken. Another sign of not being broken is selfishness. The Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, has forewarned the Church of God that selfishness will be the hallmark of sins committed during the last days. 2nd Timothy 3:2 says,
“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,”
Selfishness is all about falling in love with oneself to a point where everyone and everything else is second place. The height of selfishness is when you love yourself to the point of idolizing yourself; this is a form of idolatry. The Holy Spirit reveals one class of such people in Philippians 3:19, where He said:
“Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.”
It’s unfortunate that a lot of selfish people are mounting the pulpit of God today, parading themselves as ministers of the gospel. Such people do not serve the God of Heaven, but rather they serve their own stomachs. The goal and desires of selfish people revolve around the mundane things of this world. They can never be heavenly-minded.

Selfishness negates God’s eternal word in Mark 12:30 which says:
“And thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”
God says you should love Him with all you have, but selfishness says “No, how can I love you when I have not even loved myself enough.” If you are a lover of self, you will always run into problems with God. To obey divine instructions and commands, you will often be required to displease yourself, and that is what a selfish person cannot do. If you are selfish, you will find it almost impossible to please God. A selfish person will hear messages on tithing but will find it difficult to tithe. Why? He would be calculating what he would lose if he gives up the tithe, and what he stands to gain from keeping these funds. A selfish person has no understanding of spiritual things. Are you controlled by love for God or by selfishness?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In Philippians 3:10, Paul expressed his burning desire to know Jesus. It is good to have your gaze focused on Jesus and equally important to know Him. Why? It is because what you know determines your position in life. Knowledge is power. Proverbs 4:7 says,
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge for personal or cooperate benefit. This implies that knowledge is the foundation of wisdom. If you want to be wise but run away from knowledge, wisdom will elude you. How open you are to learning new things demonstrates your readiness to be wise. Men of wisdom like Paul and Daniel were given to reading books. Daniel chapter 9 is a manifestation of how knowledge acquired from the study of books can be applied positively in actions that have serious spiritual implications. Daniel 9:2 says,
“In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.”
Today, not many people take time to read decent books on various subjects that can add to their knowledge base. For believers, this should not be so. If there are people who should be knowledgeable, it should be believers. We should be conversant with our environment, and we should stay very current.

In Matthew 26:41, Jesus established a link between watching and praying. What are you required to do while watching? You are required to gather information, and to know what is happening around you. God wants you to be informed. Why? Knowledge about your situation will help you pray more effectively with understanding. If you want to succeed as a prayer champion, knowledge is crucial. When you watch, seek knowledge or gather information, it will compel you to pray more often. Find out, those Christians who are prayer-less are often those without knowledge. They know too little, and so they do not see the need to pray. If people come to tell you lots of things or if they confide in you, it is because God wants you to stand in the place of intercession for them, rather than becoming a tale-bearer. Are you seeking knowledge? Is what you know making you to pray more?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

True leadership makes room for fresh leaders to be raised and imparted. One leader who succeeded in raising several other leaders was Paul. In Romans 1:11-12, he wrote to the believers in Rome, expressing his longing and sincere desire to be with them in order to impart some spiritual gifts to them. There is no better way to deploy the ministry of impartation than through fasting, prayer and laying on of hands. One of Paul’s spiritual sons who benefited from the ministry of impartation was Timothy. When hands were prayerfully laid on him, Timothy received some spiritual gifts. We see Paul reminding him of these gifts when in 1st Timothy 4:14 he said:
“Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.”
Through impartation, there can be transfer of spiritual gifts from a man of God to the one being prayed for. Note also that fasting plays a key role in this. As leaders, when workers, ministers and other leaders are being raised, before they are commissioned into service, it is important to support them through the ministry of impartation backed by fasting and prayers.

“And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”
Acts 14:23
After Paul and Barnabas had taken the gospel to several cities during their first missionary journey, they revisited these cities, appointing leaders over the churches they established there. It is worthy of note that in doing these, prayer and fasting were given prominence. This is why it is quite surprising to see some brethren who are slated for ordination engaged in normal activities as if there is nothing at hand, instead of separating themselves to prayer and fasting. In any case, the level of preparation before a spiritual activity will determine the extent of the blessings received by each person. Even for regular services in your local assemblies, it is important to prepare before attending such meetings. Whenever you want to prepare for any programme, do not forget to embrace fasting and praying.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In John 21:1-13, we have an amazing account of Jesus inviting His disciples to come and dine of a meal He had already prepared. The Lord Jesus Christ loves good food and He prepares the best of dishes in the whole universe. To catch a glimpse of how these meals in Heaven will be, just take a look at the bread and wine that is used during the Holy Communion. By the time the Lord takes them over and they are transformed into spiritual food, the elements of these erstwhile ordinary items will begin to do what no ordinary meal can do in the life of those who partake of it. In 1 Kings 19:1-8, after the mass slaughter of the prophets of Baal, Jezebel sought to kill Elijah. He therefore fled for his life until he was so exhausted that he lay down under a juniper tree and slept off. Then two heaven-backed meals were set before him and he ate them. What was the result? 1st Kings 19:8 says,
“And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meal forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.”
That meal provided him physical sustenance to the extent that his body survived without food and water for 40 days and nights! Medical science will tell you that it is impossible to live without water for three weeks, but Elijah did this after he took heaven-baked bread! Also, that meal revived him spiritually. The same person who was contemplating suicide was now able to ascend the mountain of God. Depression was completely gone away from him!

Do you know that the Holy Communion, which assumes a spiritual dimension after the Greatest Cook touches its elements, is capable of taking care of various sickness and diseases? Through it, you can be delivered from every power of darkness that is holding you bound! Through it, your debtors can be compelled to pay you what they owe you! By this Heavenly meal, you can break the yoke of besetting sins and live righteously before God. Through it, various impossible situations can be made possible. How often have you availed yourself of the limitless opportunities provided by the Holy Communion? How often do you attend a meeting where it is served? When you attend such meetings, do you release your faith along with your requests, or do you withhold your faith? From today, take steps to enjoy the heavenly baked meal that is the Holy Communion. 
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

To successfully run the Christian race, certain assignments cannot be delegated or carried out without your involvement. In Joshua chapter 7, Joshua delegated the assignment of fighting Ai to some of his men, and at the end of the day, they suffered defeat. Nothing kills like overconfidence! Have you ever wondered if Judas Iscariot was originally a thief? In Luke 6:12-13, the Lord prayed all night before selecting the 12 apostles. It is therefore most likely that he did not start out as a thief. However, even if he was originally a thief, nobody gets to the zenith of an evil deed suddenly. It is usually a gradual process. Backsliding is a process and not a sudden event. If you see a brother backslidden to the point of shamelessly going about with wolves, on closer examination, you will discover that he must have been secretly frolicking with sin for a while. He must have tried a sinful act the first time and “gotten away with it”. This would have encouraged him to try a second, third and fourth time. Since he was not caught, he would gradually continue to practice such acts of sin more frequently, until his final descent becomes glaring for all to see.

“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”
Ecclesiastes 8:11
The devil does not usually come with a frontal attack against a child of God. He uses subtle, little issues that one will consider as nothing. Those things the devil says do not matter really matter a lot. When you do not see anything wrong in intimately hugging the opposite sex or touching their bodies at will, know that you have started backsliding. If you take a little money from the church purse in your care unnoticed, you have also started backsliding. If you do not cry to the Lord and ask for His help there and then, and you allow your descent to linger, before long, you will be openly fornicating or even selling Jesus for peanuts without feeling remorse. Examine yourself; how is it with your faith today? Have you backslidden in any way? If you have, run to the cross of Calvary for God to restore you before you get to a point of no return! God still loves you. Respond to His love now!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In our walk with God, total obedience is the key to success. If you will walk with God, then you must be prepared to obey Him completely. If you decide to obey some instructions, delay your obedience to some or even flout some others, you will definitely have problems with God. If you doubt this, ask King Saul. From his experience, we can see that partial obedience is the same thing as full disobedience before God. Saul was sent on a mission by God with specific instructions which were clearly spelt out to him with these words in 1st Samuel 15:3:
“Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”
But when he got to the point of executing the instructions of God, he obeyed some, ignored some and outrightly disobeyed some. 1st Samuel 15:9 says,
“But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.”
He ignored and disobeyed some of God’s instructions because he wanted to remain in the good books of his soldiers. What was the end results of this act? He was rejected and abandoned on throne, while God chose a replacement for him. May God never reject you!

A further lesson here is that it’s not everyone rejected by God that He dethrones immediately. After Saul’s rejection, he was still on the throne for years, while God was already relating with David as king. During this period, how did Saul rule over the kingdom? As a lunatic of course! Today, like Saul, many leaders and pastors have been abandoned by God in the position they occupy. Although such people still maintain the status quo, the power to help them succeed is no longer available to them. Never be carried away by anyone occupying any position. It is only God who knows those who are standing and those He has rejected on their thrones! Are you in obedience? Do you obey God completely? Beloved, obey every instruction you are given by God completely, and you can be certain that all will be well with you.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There is a time to work and a time for rest. Everyone who labours very hard always looks forward to a time of rest. Rest is so crucial that even God Himself rested after spending six days creating the heavens and the earth. It is therefore not a mistake that God programmed sleep into our body system. He knows that after we have worked hard and are tired, we would need to rest the body in order to get back on our feet. Psalm 127:2 says,
“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”
Good sleep is indeed a blessing from God. However, rest for the body is not as important as the rest needed by the soul. If your mind is seriously troubled over an issue, even when you lie down on your bed, you will be unable to sleep. The only place to find rest for your soul is in Christ. No wonder He made a call for you to enter into His rest in Matthew 11:28-30. Have you been worried or troubled lately? Receive rest today in Jesus’ Name!

“Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.”
Isaiah 3:10
One major reason why you as a true believer should be at rest is because of God’s promises. According to 2 Corinthians 1:19-20, the promises of our God are very reliable. Romans 3:4 says that even if all men are liars, this cannot compel our God to be a liar like them; He will always remain true. Therefore, if He says your tomorrow will be alright, take it as a report card that you are getting even before sitting for the examination. If He said it, He will surely do it. God’s word has integrity. Based on His word that cannot fail, I know my tomorrow will be alright. Irrespective of the raging storm, I will simply rest in Him. Beloved, let Jesus Christ be the One you lean on. Who or what you lean upon in the time of trouble is very important. If you lean on human beings, they will most likely compound your situation because every human being is prone to failure due to so many factors within and outside their control. In contrast, if you lean on the Eternal Rock of Ages, you can be assured of true rest, joy and peace.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
From the above scripture, we understand that since we are expected to do the works of our Master, we as true disciples of Jesus Christ are here not only to advance the Kingdom of God on earth, but also to destroy the works of Satan in the lives, homes and circumstances of people (John 14:12). To be effective in this assignment, you cannot approach the battle physically; rather, you need both divine revelation and spiritual backup from God. Let us take the disciples of Jesus Christ as a case in point. Matthew 10:1 says,
“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.”
At this point, the disciples were empowered by the Lord to heal all manner of sicknesses and diseases, and to cast out demons. Not too long after they were empowered, a demonized boy was brought to them for deliverance. They struggled for so long to cast out the demon, but they just could not deliver him. Finally, this case was referred to Jesus and He delivered the boy. The disciples thereafter went back to Jesus to find out what was amiss, and why they could not deliver the boy. In response to their enquiry, the Lord told them that they had manifested some unbelief, and that their prayer was not backed up with fasting (Matthew 17:20-21).

This experience of the disciples goes to show that when you are having doubts or even unbelief, and decided to truly seek God’s face in prayer and fasting, such doubts, fears and unbelief would give way to faith. When you fast, it strengthens your faith and your prayer life is given a boost. We often attempt certain assignments without the backup of a commensurate level of faith, and hence we experience failures in such assignments. You can actually add fire to your faith and shut the doors against unbelief and doubt by spending time with God through fasting and prayer. Do you still harbour doubts, fears and unbelief in your heart about any assignment God has given you? Discard them now! God wants you to operate in the realm of faith and not doubt. Feed your faith with God’s word, prayer and fasting, testimonies of what God have done, and shun all remarks contrary to the advancement of your assignment.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

All those who have accepted God’s call to salvation should be aware that they have equally been called to a life of brokenness. The Christian life is a life that walks in the Spirit. Having crucified the flesh with its affection and lusts (Galatians 5:24, Galatians 5:16). The place of brokenness is the place of true service and reflection of Christ. While the fellow who is broken is dead to the flesh, the fellow who is carnal is still very much alive to it. There are certain traits that characterise the life of an unbroken fellow. These traits will be visible in such a life, irrespective of the ecclesiastical position occupied. One of such traits is the desire to be pre-eminent in all things. Those who always want to outshine others must be extremely careful. It is good to excel, and God wants this for His children, but struggling for pre-eminence within the fold, just to gratify the flesh or feed your ego is a mark of not being broken.

In the early Church, there were people who liked to show that they were in charge, even when there were superiors set over them. Apostle John encountered Diotrephes and he had problems with him because of this trait (3rd John 1:9). Those who like to have pre-eminence usually find it difficult to recognise or submit to higher authority. They want to be the ones calling the shots. They may have supervisors over them, and yet they will still want to be the ones that people take orders from. They run a parallel government to that of their superiors, and because their power base is illegal, they use lots of manipulation, coercion, intimidation and forming of unhealthy cliques to maintain their power. Such people are involved in every divisive and rebellious scheme being witnessed in the Church and in society today. Those who seek pre-eminence operate through charismatic witchcraft, and they are involved in very subtle mind-control. They want to be recognised and honoured first and above others. Their suggestion must always be taken or else you must be prepared for a fight. If you have those traits in you, you are very carnal and close to Hell’s gates. If you struggle and manipulate your way to gain pre-eminence over others, in Heaven’s records you will be the last or even have no placement there. If you are involved in this manifestation of carnality, beat a retreat today!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Looking at Jesus with the eyes of the spirit is so important to believers because it helps us to see ourselves more clearly. When you see Jesus and you take a look at yourself, it makes you to see yourself the way God sees you, and consequently, it propels you to make necessary adjustments. Also, you need to see Jesus so that you can access your help. In Psalm 121:1-2, David said he would lift up his eyes to the hills where his help comes from. When you lift up your eyes to heaven, you will behold Jesus. If only you can see Jesus, distractions will fade into oblivion. Many of us are separated from our Source because instead of looking up, we are looking sideways: we are looking for help from neighbours, colleagues and fellow men. These people are quite limited in the level of help they can render, no matter how highly placed, financially endowed or intellectually sound they may be. Making man your source brings limitations into your life. Even within your family, do you know that it is wrong to focus on your father or mother as your source? The right approach is to view God as your source of help, and to see every other person as a conduit pipe through whom God can channel His help. The right attitude to have in every home is to always channel the family’s requests to God, and thereafter, allow God to channel His provision through whatever means He wants. Henceforth, get your family to focus on Jesus as the Provider, and He will never disappoint you.

Moreover, focusing our gaze on Jesus is a sure path that leads to Heaven. Hence, Hebrews 12:1-2 says that we should look towards Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Jesus Christ is the One who began the Christian faith and He is the One who completes it. He walked the earth and successfully ended in Heaven. If you focus your gaze on Him, you will be able to follow in His steps. If you follow His steps, what He did you will do, and where He ended you will end. The shocking news here is that we really do not have any alternative to doing this. If you do not look to Jesus, you will not see His steps, and hence, you will end up following the wrong path. This will result in you not ending your journey where Jesus ended His. May this not be your story in Jesus’ Name. While here on earth, focus your graze on Jesus, and you will be able to see Him in Heaven.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.