₦airaland Forum

After giving your life to Christ, you need to go further in your walk with God by becoming a disciple. Many children of God these days don't know that discipleship has a price. They don't even know that Jesus Christ, the Master, has a yoke that they must share with Him. The early disciples, with great difficulty, got to understand this truth on the eve of the crucifixion. While agonising over the inevitable death on the Cross, Jesus Christ asked the disciples to pray and watch along with Him, but instead, they slept. Matthew 26:40-41 says:
"And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

We are so blessed to have a Master who knows our frame. He knows that the flesh is weak, even though the spirit is willing. Our willingness to share in His yoke qualifies us to be His disciples. Today, many people don't want to be taught this aspect of the gospel. They prefer the doctrine of relativism, which teaches that the end justifies the means. Those things that the Lord Jesus Christ abhorred are being courted by some so-called believers today. This should not be so!

In Luke 9:23-26, Jesus Christ gives a vivid description of the price we must pay to be true disciples of His. In Luke 9:23-24, He said:
"...If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall loose it: but whosoever will loose his life for my sake, the same shall save it."
This is the price of discipleship. There are many so-called "disciples" today who are far from being disciples. Many cannot even deny their ungodly friends, not to talk of denying themselves. They hold tenaciously to the world contrary to the word in 1 John 2:15-17 which says:
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

Beloved, are you a true disciple of Jesus Christ or do you want to be one? Ponder on these things and don't deceive yourself. Always remember what the Holy Spirit said to us in 2 Timothy 2:12:
"If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us."
Writtten by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One of the reasons why there is spiritual decadence in the Church today is the loss of focus on the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus knew this would happen and for this reason, He gave us the parable of a king who went on a journey to a far country, leaving behind his servants to work and await his return (Luke 19:12-27). Our King is coming back to be the judge of both the living and the dead. As a preview of the nature of the judgement He will declare against those who rejected His Lordship over their lives, Luke 19:27 says,
“But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.”

Beloved, this will not be your portion in Jesus’ Name. However, you must always remember that our King is coming, and you must also remember what He is coming to do. This attribute will guide you on how to comport yourself in readiness for His return. Do not be deceived by the error of those who claim that Jesus Christ will not come again or that He has already come in the spirit. These are all lies of the devil. The angels who addressed the early disciples after Jesus was taken up to Heaven said this to them in Acts 1:11:
“….This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.”

You can therefore be rest assured in your heart that Jesus will surely come back. Our Lord Jesus Christ is coming to put the devil where he belongs (Revelations 20:10). All the angels that fell along with the devil, referred to as demons, will also partake of the eternal damnation that will befall him (Matthew 25:41). Our King is also coming to give rewards to every believer according to his or her works. The Lord in Revelation 22:12 says,
“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

Beloved of God, ensure you are one of those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. if your name is already there, work hard to receive commendation and a good reward from the Master. If you labour for the expansion of God’s Kingdom through evangelism and witnessing or through giving and intersession, you can be sure you will not miss your reward when the King returns.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

It is amazing that many people are suffering today but they do not realise it. Is it even possible to suffer without knowing it? Of course, it is! The Bible passage in 1 Timothy 5:6 points to one of such scenarios. A prostitute and his or her clients think they are enjoying life by indulging in indiscriminate sex and getting paid for it, but in the sight of God, they are dead. The reality of the word of God will knock on their door the day the doctor announces their HIV status. A drunkard also is one who is “suffering and smiling”. The Bible gives a vivid description of the pitiable state of a drunkard in Proverbs 23:31-35. It is also possible for people who profess to belong to God to be oblivious of their true state in the sight of God. For this reason, we must always look at ourselves through the mirror of God’s word, and wait on the Lord in the place of prayer to hear what His opinion of us is.

In Revelation 3:14-19, we see the verdict of our Lord Jesus Christ on the state of the Church of the Laodiceans. After the Lord x-rayed their spiritual life, their self-delusion became apparent for all to see. He gave His assessment in Revelation 3:17:
“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:”

This is food for thought for those churches in these last days which major on the so-called “prosperity gospel” to the detriment of the spiritual well-being of their congregation. Such churches are actually miserable, poor, blind and naked – they are suffering without knowing it. In Acts 3, Peter and John were going for a prayer meeting at the temple, and a lame man looked up to them in expectation of receiving alms from them. Pay close attention to these words of Peter to him in Acts 3:6:
“…Sliver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”

The lame man walked because the early disciples were rich in the things of God, even though they were poor in material things. Today, many churches have sliver and gold, but they no longer have the effective use of the Name of Jesus Christ. Beloved, let us go back to our first love, rather than groping in the darkness of self-delusion that we are fine. Many problems that were alien to the early Church are now common place in the modern Church. Ministers of the gospel are being carried here and there for healing. May God have mercy on us.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Most good things in life come at a cost. Many Children of God may find it hard to accept this truth, but it doesn’t change its reality. The reason why some children of God may not want to accept this reality of life is that our salvation is freely given to us. They would reason that since the precious salvation of our souls is free, other precious things of the kingdom should also be without a cost. They forget that although salvation is free for us, it came at the expense of the precious Blood of Jesus, shed through His gruesome death on the cross. The fact that it is given to us for free does not mean it was freely acquired by the Giver. Just as a child should not think the bread he is eating freely from his father’s table is actually free – as the father would have laboured for the money with which the bread was purchased – believers also should not think that it cost the Father nothing to give His only begotten Son for the redemption of our souls.

When Jesus Christ was healing the sick and delivering those that were oppressed by demons during His earthly ministry, the disciples wanted to perform the same feat. They were however disappointed when they discovered that they could not do what the Master was doing. They therefore asked Him why they could not cast a demon out (Matthew 17:19). Here is the Master’s response to them in Matthew 17:20-21:
“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

From this response, we understand that you cannot be eating three square meals with snacks in between and expect demons to obey your every command. Years ago, my children in Britain asked me to begin conducting a monthly Festival of Life Service in the U.K. I declined, the reason being that I could not minister at a Festival of Life Service without making adequate spiritual preparations. Hannah, Samuel’s mother, knew that God needed a priest to replace Eli, and so she promised God that if He gave her a son, she would give the boy back to Him. God immediately granted her request because she was ready to pay a price for what she wanted. Beloved, what is the motive behind your request? If it is to glorify God, be sure you will have it today.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One of the Greatest Worship Generals of our time.. Nathaniel Bassey... Watch and be blessed!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjjziYjtan8


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtIFLtjaHzk

Some people believe that the poor are automatic candidates for making heaven; hence they see them as being blessed. Nothing could be further from the truth. This error is derived from a wrong interpretation of the scripture in Matthew 5:3. No matter how poor you are, if you are not reconciled with your Maker, the Kingdom of heaven is a mere illusion for you. Whereas, you may be as rich as Father Abraham himself was, and when you die, you will still make heaven. Revelation 19:5 says,
“And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.”

Irrespective of whether you are rich or poor, once you meet the condition for admission into the Kingdom of God, you will be granted access. What is this condition? Revelations 21:27 gives us insight into this:
“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

The question then is this: What type of “poor” was Jesus referring to in Matthew 5:3? It is the poor in spirit, and not the poor in wealth or riches. Who then are the poor in spirit? They are those who realise their spiritual insufficiency as touching the requirements of God with regards to righteousness, and they have a thirst in their spirit to overcome this inadequacy. This thirst will metamorphose into a search for God and for His mercy. The Almighty God is always waiting to receive such people, and He leads them on the path of righteousness through His Son, Jesus Christ. Like the publican in Luke 18:9-14, the poor in spirit have no righteousness of their own, and hence, they cry for the mercy of God. The “rich in spirit” on the other hand will never cry for God’s mercy; they will always rely on their own righteousness. Of such is the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14. Concerning the poor in spirit (the publican), Jesus Christ said “this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. “Therefore, for anyone to enter into the Kingdom of heaven, such a fellow must first humble himself or herself at the Cross of Jesus Christ, confess his or her sins, forsake them with a promise never to return to them again, and then ask for grace to live a life that is pleasing to God Almighty (1st John 1:9). 
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

As children of God living in times of advanced technological developments, one truth we must never loose consciousness of is that God is still in the business of healing people. Some may want to ask why God still cares about healing people, since He has endowed humanity with laudable insights into the causes and cures of various sicknesses and diseases. The answer is not far-fetched: there are sicknesses that are not of physical origin; rather, they are demonically inflicted. Orthodox medicine is incapable of healing such sicknesses. Although orthodox medicine will always have a name for every sickness or disease it is confronted with, the truth of the matter is, some of these afflictions have their operations being supervised from the pit of Hell. Matthew 9:21 tells the story of a woman who was bound by the spirit of infirmity for eighteen years, Jesus Christ ministered deliverance to her, and He set her loose from that bondage of sickness. We might not have known the source of her infirmity, but for the opposition voiced against her being healed on the Sabbath day. Jesus, in His response to the objections raised, revealed the source of this woman’s infirmity to be Satan. In Luke 13:16 He said:
“And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bound on the Sabbath day?”

Nevertheless, the good news is: irrespective of whether a sickness stems from demonic or physical sources, the Almighty God is still interested in healing His people of all ailments afflicting them, especially those who believe in what He is capable of doing. In Jeremiah 32:27, the Lord Himself challenges us with this question:
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”

By this, He is telling us that since He created the human body, He cannot be incapable of fixing any problem that may arise within it. Automobile manufacturers cannot be incapable of fixing problems emanating from their inventions. In the worst case scenario, they will replace a problematic part of an automobile, and the whole system will bounce back to life. Even if automobile manufacturers cannot fix the problems of their inventions, the Almighty God can fix His. There is no sickness too small to attract God’s attention; neither is there any sickness too big to intimidate Him. The onus is on you to develop the living faith that will attract His healing hands to perform the needed miracle on you. My prayer for you is that your body will receive divine healing today in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The paradigm shifts introduced by the Lord Jesus Christ ever since He came to reveal the perfect will of the Father to us are indeed numerous. One of these is in the area of divorce and remarriage. The Jewish leaders hated the teachings of Jesus and the change He came to introduce; for this reason, they wanted him dead fast! Indeed, no man ever spoke like Jesus did. The amazing thing is that these leaders believed they were doing the will of God by killing Him. John 11:49-50 says,
“And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.”

Just like these Jewish leaders of yesteryears, some church leaders and pastors today try to justify their error in the area of divorce and remarriage, thinking that they are doing what is expedient for themselves or for the parties concerned. In Matthew 5:31-32, in opposition to the accepted standard of His time, Jesus revealed the perfect will of God concerning this. Hear what He said:
“But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”
Matthew 5:32

In Matthew 19:3-10, when Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees on the issue of divorce as applied from the time of Moses, they were shocked to learn His standpoint on this matter. Jesus revealed to them that they had been living under the permissive will of God in this area (Matthew 19:, and He also reinforced what He had already said about divorce and remarriage in His Sermon on the Mount. Just as so many people are perplexed by this teaching today, even the disciples of Jesus were also perplexed by it (Matthew 19:10). However, that is the verdict of the new covenant. We have to accept the standard the Master has set and walk in it. Whoever has ears, let them hear what Jesus Christ is saying to those who want to enjoy the provision of the new covenant in His Blood.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Under the old covenant that God had with the children of Israel, a person was not guilty of sexual immorality, like fornication or adultery, until they performed the act. This was the basis of the poser thrown at Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees in John 8:4-5:
“They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?”

What they failed to realise was that Jesus came to establish a new covenant with mankind and not to perpetuate the old. Under the new covenant, Jesus made it clear that it is not until you sleep with someone other than your spouse that you are guilty of sexual immorality. Rather, in Matthew 5:28, He said thus:
“… Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

This is food for thought for us who live in such times as this, where nudity and lust are glorified and glamorised by the world. This however should not be the case in the Church of Jesus Christ. When we promote the lust of the eye by allowing nudity in the Church, we expose members to sexual immorality, even if they do not actually carry out the act. A member of the choir who dresses seductively to lead praises and worship songs will not lead the congregation into the presences of God; rather, he or she will leave the congregation worse off than they were before coming to church. This is not a question of being legalistic; it is a matter of divine principle as put forth by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We should remember that God can only be worshipped in spirit, because He is a Spirit. When we then, in the name of liberty, promote adultery and fornication through lust, are we operating in the same Spirit as the Almighty God we claimed to worship? Hear the recommendation of the Lord Christ in Matthew 5:29:
“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

Based on the standard laid out in this recommendation, if a member of the Body of Christ conducts himself or herself in a way that exposes the people of God to committing sexual immorality through lust, such a fellow should be corrected in love and warned to desist. Further appropriate spiritual sanctions can be applied if the fellow does not heed this warning. Are you in any way living in sexual immorality? Repent and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save you! 
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Lord Jesus Christ came to this world to manifest the nature and character of God to us. He also came to establish a new covenant between God and mankind through His blood (Luke 22:20). By establishing a new covenant, He did away with the old, Hebrews 8:7-8 says,
“For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:”

He showed us the character of this new covenant through the relationship He had with the Father while here on earth. And through the words that He spoke. For this reason, we need to pay close attention to the things He said, if we want to reap the full benefits of the new covenant in His blood.

In Matthew 5:21-24, Jesus reveals some of the characteristics of the new covenant. He said that being angry with your brother without a genuine reason is tantamount to murder in the sight of God! For this reason, the Bible in Ephesians 4:26 says:
“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:”

It is even better not to be angry at all because being angry can degenerate into having murderous thoughts. We tend to say things that engender strife when we are angry. For this reason, the wisdom of God in Proverbs 15:1 admonishes us, saying:
“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”
Of course you know that most times, you don’t speak soft words when you are angry.

Similarly, Jesus said if you call your brother a fool, you will be in danger of Hell Fire. There are many ways a man can call his brother a fool – not necessarily by the words of mouth alone. When you take a person for granted and take advantage of him or her, you are calling that person a fool. When you cleverly cheat on your spouse, you are calling him or her a fool. In light of these truths, if you have done anything synonymous to murder, you need to repent and make restitution. You may have angrily destroyed the career of a man who has mouths to feed. You have killed such a fellow, because he can no longer perform his obligations as a bread winner. If you are guilty of such, your salvation lies in repentance and restitution: seeking forgiveness from God and the wronged fellow. Whoever has ears, let him give heed to the message of Jesus Christ.  
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

There are many great things the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ can do in our lives, one of which is healing. It is unfortunate that many believers today, like Gehazi of old, prefer financial and material gains to the power in the Name of Jesus. They trade the precious Name of Jesus Christ for the ephemeral things of life. It is also highly regrettable that this divinely exalted Name, which God the Father gave to His Son, is being despised by many today. Philippians 2:9-10 says this about the Name:
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;”

Here’s good news for you: every kind of sickness in this world is included among the things that bow at the mention of the Name of Jesus.

Acts 3:1-9 shows us one of the reasons why we need to give pre-eminence to the Name of Jesus Christ. Peter and John, two of the Lord’s apostles, were entering the temple at the hour of prayer, and a lame man (who was born lame) looked up to them for alms. Although they had no money, but because they knew and cherished the Name, they used its healing power to give what money could not buy to this man. In Acts 3:6b, Peter said:
“Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee:  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazarethe rise up and walk.

The result of this effective use of the Healing Name is that a lame man, who never walked all his life, began to walk and to leap! I therefore command every storm raging in your life to be still in Jesus’ Name. Have doctors written off your case? I command that sickness to leave you alone right now in the mighty Name of Jesus Christ.

Beloved of God, I am introducing the Healing Name to you today, and that Name is Jesus. If you have not encountered the owner of that Name, may I introduce Him to you as the Saviour of the spirit, soul and body. Through His Name, He can deliver your ailing body from the grip of any terminal disease. All you need to do is to accept Him as your personal Lord and Saviour. Believe He can heal you, and He will surely heal you by His Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Psalm 24:8-10 reveals our Heavenly Father as the Lord of Hosts, who is mighty in battle. As a Man of War, there are some battles He may fight for you, while there are some others He may fight with you. He may also fight some battles through you. In Exodus 14:13-21, when the children of Israel were confronted with the Egyptians and the Red Sea, they thought their end had come, but Moses told them to be quiet, to wait and watch as the Lord would fight for them. Sure enough, God parted the Red Sea for them to go over, and He drowned all their enemies. The reason why some people are in defeat is because they are trying to fight the battles that only God can fight for them. You may want to ask this question: how do I identify such battles? May God open your eyes to know the battles meant for Him alone! I also pray for you that God will not ignore the battles only He can fight on your behalf. The Lord will arise for you, as you give Him quality praise and worship, and will drown your enemies.

In a battle against the Amorites in Joshua 10:9-14, while Joshua was busy fighting, God also was busy hurling heavy stones upon his enemies. God and Joshua fought together and victory was won. This is an example of a battle where God fights with you. In this case, God may just be waiting for you to start the fight before He joins in. Consequently, if you wait for Him to start the battle, He may never do so. Take for instance the battle for the salvation of souls; God expects us to go and preach the good news of the gospel to sinners, and then He will back us up with signs and wonders (Hebrews 2:4). If you don’t go out to evangelise, you may never see the signs and wonders promised by God being manifested in your life.

Finally, there are battles God will fight through you. In such cases, God will be behind the scenes while He puts you forward. The enemy will then examine you to see how vulnerable you are. He will be attracted to attacking you because to him, you will appear to be an easy prey. However, when he attacks, God will quietly tell you what to do, and the enemy will be floored. In Mark 11:23-24, Jesus said you are the one to speak to the mountain in faith, and God will move it into the sea. You are the one to condemn any tongue that rises against you while God frustrates every weapon designed against you. (Isaiah 54:17). In all of these, are you correctly playing your part?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Beyond fruitfulness, part of the first mandates of God to mankind is to subdue and have dominion over all creatures He has made. Genesis 1:28 says,
“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

To dominate is to be in charge or to take control. If God did not want you to take charge, He would not have mandated you to dominate. By the time God stepped into the appalling slavery situation of the Israelites, Pharaoh, who was once in control, became the one begging for help (Exodus 12:30-32). He even asked Moses to pray for him. In that situation where you have been the underdog, God is turning things around and putting you in charge in Jesus’ Name. It is now time for you to suppress your oppressors and tormentors, and to subdue under your feet those who had earlier taken you captive. I command the tables to turn for your good today in Jesus’ Name!

Meanwhile, it is good to know that since God has once turned around the situation of the oppressed, He can do it again. Even if nobody has ever had dominion before in your family, it will start with you. Fear not! In Joshua 10:12-14, while fighting the Amorites, the sun was about to set when Joshua interrupted it. The problem is that most of us run from the enemy rather than confront him. David did not run away from the lion, the bear or even Goliath. Rather, he confronted and fought against them all. In January of a particular year, I went to preach in Denver, Colorado. At that time it was very cold, and I don’t like it cold. Maybe that is partly why God made me a Nigerian. I prefer the Nigerian weather. On receiving the invitation, I asked my Daddy if I should go, and He said yes. I asked Him, “What are we going to do about the cold?” God then assured me that He would go with me.  From the first day I arrived until the day I left, people were wearing T-shirt because summer replaced winter. To know that this was not just a coincidence, within two hours after my plane took off at 5pm, more than 10cm of snow fell. You too can tap into God’s mandate to dominate situations and circumstances around you from today. You will dominate sin, your passions, your body and your finances from today in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

“But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Matthew 10:6
The Lord deliberately refers to His own as “sheep”. He affectionately calls them “My sheep”. From the above scripture, we can see that even when He is referring to sinners or those yet to be saved, He calls them the “lost sheep”. The Lord’s parable in Luke 15:3-7 makes it clear that His sheep can get lost. It also illustrates that the shepherd goes looking for the lost sheep until they are found. This means it is possible for sheep to go astray, but when the shepherd goes searching for them, he finds them and brings them back to the fold. In John 21:15-17, in His post-resurrection appearance to Peter, Jesus repeatedly asked him to feed His sheep and His lambs. A lamb is a baby sheep. Jesus does not pastor goats but sheep. He never said, “Feed my goats.” Never! This is why I tell my children not to call themselves “Pastor’s kids”, because kids are offspring of goats and rams. God has no place for goats.

However, in Matthew 25:31-46, you will observe that the sheep and the goats got mixed up together. This is so because wherever the sheep gather, goats would subtly infiltrate their fold (Matthew 13:24-30). This is why some people are heading for Heaven while some others are heading for Hell in the Church. The final separation will take place on the last day. God allows the goats to coexist with the sheep, but on the last day, He will separate them: the sheep will be on His right hand, while the goats will be on the left. He will address them separately and send them to their separate eternal destinations. This is very serious! Furthermore, this co-existence of sheep and goats gives room for pretence. That means the fellow sitting next to you might be a goat pretending to be a sheep. You also might be a goat pretending to be a sheep. This calls for self examination. Jesus gave the criteria for discerning a goat from a sheep in John 10:27. He said:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”

Do you pass the test of hearing His voice and following in His footsteps? Does He know you? I was telling one of my sons recently how my father in the Lord use to ask me to pray for patience. In those days, when I saw someone not fully complying with what we were taught, I would go to Papa, compelling him to do something about it. He would just ask me to pray for more patience. Today, I understand better. God allows goats and sheep to coexist. Are you a goat or a sheep?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Jesus is the greatest change agent that ever lived. A genuine encounter with Him always brings about positive change in the life a person. Not only does this encounter bring about change, it also transforms the changed individual into a change agent. In other words, after changing you, the Lord Jesus Christ can use you to change your city. In John 4:5-39, we see a woman who had been married and divorced five times, who was then living with a sixth man. At that point, she did not even bother with marriage. After she encountered Jesus, He changed the course of her life, and He used her to change her city. This is quite remarkable! How can you claim to have been born again for 10 years or more, and you have not introduced any level of change into your town or village? No matter how tiny the light may be, it will shine in the midst of darkness and overcome it. What impact have you made on your village, community, town or city? How many of your folks know you to be a Christian? A pastor died some time ago, and when his extended family members gathered to plan his burial, some of them thought of burying him the traditional way. His close relatives protested this and had to inform the other family members that he was a pastor. In your village, do people know you to be a born-again Christian? How many of them can say their lives have changed for the better since they encountered Jesus through you?

Moreover, if your encounter with Jesus is taken seriously, He can even use you to change your nation. Never underestimate the power of transformation that starts from just one fellow. Most of us are not pulling our weight spiritually in our nations. If you look at the Acts of the Apostles, you will find some change agents that God used to win whole cities and to turn around nations for Christ. Acts 13:43-44 says,
“Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.”
However, the extent to which God can use you will be determined by the degree of change you have allowed Him to perform in you. It will also depend on your mindset, love for God, level of alignment of God’s desire with yours, and the level of sacrifice you are ready to make. While some people are only leading a few souls to Christ, some others are leading whole cities or nations to Him. How impactful do you want to be?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The Lord of hosts never looses a war. If He gives up a battle, it is because He wants to use that medium to win a war. Our God is always full of surprises. When Daniel's enemies were plotting against him, God knew about it but He kept quiet. By the time Daniel fell into their trap and was thrown into the lions' den, God did nothing about it. After the entrance to the lion's den was shut behind Daniel, everyone thought he was finished. By the following morning however, God sprang some surprises on them all. The fellow they thought was dead and digested in the bellies of the lions came out alive. You are coming out from wherever the enemies placed you - alive, stronger, richer and better! All the mischief makers who thought Daniel's case was closed received a rude shock: his case was reopened, and what they thought was in their favour turned against them. That case that was decided against you in your office or in your extended family shall be revisited in Jesus' Name! What they thought was closed shall suddenly be reopened. The Lord will spring surprises on your enemies this season! In addition, the table turned for Daniel's enemies. Not only were they now to become food for the lions, so also were their family members. This season, all those plotting against you shall be completely wiped out! None of them shall escape in Jesus' Name!

Another surprise God sprang on the enemies of Daniel was that, by the reason of Daniel's miraculous deliverance from the lions' den, the God of Daniel became officially recognised and feared all over the kingdom as the true and living God. In Daniel 6:26, the king said,
"I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end."

Beyond this, after the coast was clear, Daniel prospered in the kingdom. He remained relevant in the corridors of power in successive governments and was recognised as a man that could not be ignored. Daniel 6:28 says,
"So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian."
If you are prepared to pay the utmost price for the Kingdom of God, you can be sure you will receive divine compensation beyond your imagination. How are you living today? Can you take a stand for the Lord in righteousness and refuse to compromise with sin?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”
Isaiah 65:24
The above scripture contains a very profound promise from God to His people. The Lord manifested His commitment to fulfilling this promise in Acts 10:30-44.
Acts 10:44 says,
“While Peter yet spake those words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.”

Before Peter finished his sermon, he had not even made any altar call or said any prayer when God poured out His Spirit, and the fire fell on all those hearing his voice. The answer to Cornelius’ prayer came while Peter was still speaking, in consonance with the promise of God in Isaiah 65:24. Do you know that the devil still delays prayers? This is why it is very important for us to be baptized in the Holy Spirit; this helps to expedite answers to our prayers (Romans 8:26). When you pray with your understanding or in a language the devil understands, he can take steps to hinder the answer to that prayer. In Daniel 10:1-14, when Daniel decided to set himself apart to seek God’s face in fasting and prayer, God immediately dispatched an angel to bring him the answer to his request that very day. However, the devil equally sent a principality to block the way of this angel for 21 days, until reinforcement was sent to help him. If you pray in the Spirit, the devil will be thrown into confusion, and he won’t know when the answer to your prayer is coming; neither will he know the angel bringing it. In that way, the answer to your prayer is not hindered.

In addition to answering the prayer of Cornelius, God also accepted his offerings. There is nothing as painful as offering something to God and He refuses to accept it. When Cain’s offering was rejected, he was so devastated that he murdered his younger brother (Genesis 4:3-5). On the other hand, when Solomon’s offering was accepted, he received a divine visitation (2nd Chronicles 1:6-12). Let me share what I normally do during offering time with you. When the minister says we should lift up our offering to God and pray, l ask God to send down His fire and take up the offering to Himself. So before I drop the offering in the basket, it is already gone. The cheque may be in the basket, but the actual offering has been taken by fire to Heaven. I pray that from today, God will accept all your offerings and sacrifices to Him!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One of the methods devised by the devil to impede our forward march on the straight and narrow way is to steal our joy and happiness. To achieve this, our enemy may make use of career burdens. The presence of a career burden might be the reason why you see some persons who were not as intelligent as you were during your school days, or even those who graduated several years after you did, now far ahead of you career-wise. A fellow under this yoke will want to hide his face when he or she comes face to face with an erstwhile junior, who is now better placed. Many years ago, while still lecturing at the University of Lagos, a professor applied for an advertised job and was invited for an interview. When he got to the boardroom where the interview panel was sitting, he soon discovered that the chairman of the panel was one of his students who had recently graduated. He therefore said to the panel, “I am sorry, it seems I came to the wrong room.” “You are not in the wrong room sir”, replied the ex-student. But he insisted and left.
You need to periodically take stock of your career to ensure you are where you ought to be. If you are deeply unhappy at your job because you are positioned at the level where you ought to be, the devil might be playing his dirty tricks on you. Are you in a situation where some people you interviewed for employment are now your superiors in the same office? Have you been denied your promotion for several years in spite of your hard work, and as a result, not only are your mates now your superiors, even your juniors have become your superiors? If you are experiencing any of these, you might be operating under a career burden from the pit of hell. The aim of this burden is to make you frustrated and disillusioned. Similarly, when your efforts are not receiving a commensurate reward like Peter in Luke 5:1-11, you might be carrying a career burden. Peter toiled all night long but caught nothing. I can relate with his experience because I love to fish. When I want to relax sometimes, I go fishing with my hook. From experience, within five minutes of casting the hook, a fish is taken; but occasionally, I spend hours without catching a single fish. Not too long ago, after spending some considerable time, I eventually caught a fish, but while pulling it out, it jumped back into the river, and there was nothing I could do about it. You might have failed in your career or business, not because you wanted to fail or because you were lazy: the presence of a career burden might be the cause. In the Name of Jesus, in any way you have been a victim of this wickedness of Satan, you are delivered today! That burden is destroyed and taken away from you! All you have lost over the years is restored to you this season!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

An encounter with Jesus Christ is such a powerful experience that it can bring about a change of name (Mark 3:16). This change of name indicates a change of destiny. His power of transformation changes you from a sinner to a saint (Romans 1:7). There is no greater change than that of a changed life made possible by the redeeming power in the blood of Jesus Christ. If you were known as a night crawler before encountering Jesus, you will become known as a more responsible person after encountering Him. The truth is, if you really encounter Jesus Christ, you will loose most of your old friends because it would be difficult for them to relate with the new you. They won't understand you anymore, because you won't talk the way you used to talk, drink like you used to drink or even dress the way they dress. Following a definite encounter with the person of Jesus Christ, what you like and hate will change, so much so that if you fail to leave your old friends, they will be the ones to desert you. If you say you are born again, and all of your old pals still feel comfortable around you, your salvation is most likely not genuine.

Before I became born again, I had many friends, some of whom were sailors. When they returned from their trips, they brought me assorted alcoholic drinks. Therefore, when my friends wanted to drink alcohol, they would visit me because they knew I would have a lot in store. They sometimes said they could not pass by the house of the king without saying hello to the king. I never knew I was king of alcohol in those days. However, after my conversion, when my old friends visited me, I would offer them soft drinks. They would protest, saying that I already knew the choice alcoholic drinks they normally enjoyed, but I simply told them that I did not stock such anymore. Consequently, I lost most of my friends, but today, God has given me like-minded, godly people as replacements. Have you truly encountered Jesus? What changes have you noticed in your life? Are you still keeping all your old friends, or have they observed the changes in your life and dumped you? Sometimes, some people are afraid of loosing their old friends, and as a result, they do everything to hide their new found faith from them. This is unacceptable in the Kingdom of God. The reality is that if you have met Jesus, you are linked to the greatest Friend anyone could ever have. You should be proud of that and let all your friends know about it. If you are ashamed of Him here on earth, He too will be ashamed to talk about you in Heaven (Mark 8:38).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Attaining maturity in the Kingdom of God is a process that occurs in stages, the first of which is babyhood. When a person becomes born again, he or she has to first learn the basic principles of life in Christ. Believers at this stage are fed with the milk of God’s word (1st Peter 2:2). They cannot take anything hard because they are babies. They depend on others to simplify processes for them. Just like babies in the natural realm, other people must carry them and clean them up; all they do is eat, play and sleep. If you are too dependent on others, you are most likely still in the babyhood stage spiritually, irrespective of your biological age. If you are very selective of the word of God you read, believe and practice, you are a baby. If you are always complaining about other people, what they did and how they did it, you could just be a baby. Spiritual babies are so dependent on the prayers of others. When confronted by the storms of life, if instead of going on your knees to pray, you find yourself pursuing one pastor or prophet around to pray for you, it is because you need to grow up.
Another level of maturity is adulthood. Christians in this stage are mature and no longer depend on milk but eat strong meat. Hebrews 5:14 says this about them:
“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

One major difference between those in babyhood and those in the adulthood stage of maturity is their level of discernment. Babes cannot discern anything. Anywhere people erect a signpost and call it a church, a babe will go there to worship. To him or her, every church is a Church of God. On the other hand, adults are more discerning. They are able to test every spirit they come in contact with by comparing the character of such spirits with the Holy Scriptures. They are also able to apply the “fruit test”, for every tree will be identified by the fruit it produces. An adult Christian is able to differentiate between good and evil. He or she can tell who is a servant of God and who is not. Can you call yourself an adult Christian? How sharp is your ability to discern? Are you able to discern between right and wrong? It is amazing that some Christians, who claim to have been saved for several years, still cannot discern between true and false prophets. Are you fellowshipping with people you should not be fellowshipping with? Can you differentiate the Holy Spirit from unclean spirits at any point in time?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

The very first mandate of God to mankind is to be fruitful (Genesis 1:28). This tells you how important your fruitfulness is to God. I declare that this is your season of fruitfulness! Today, everything standing in your way to fruitfulness shall be uprooted and destroyed in Jesus’ Name. Speaking of fruitfulness, you can be fruitful in different areas of life. Do you know that it takes just an idea to become a billionaire? Yet there are people who receive idea after idea. Ideas just keep coming to them because they are fruitful. Every spiritual embargo hindering you from receiving workable, lucrative, life-changing ideas is destroyed today in Jesus’ Name! From now on, you are connected to God’s storehouse of ideas, and you will never run out of them!

The Shunammite woman in 2nd Kings 4:8-17 had everything: a good name, financial resources, political connections and a supportive extended family, but she did not have her own child. Sometimes, life turns out this way. You may be okay in every area of life, except one. You may be making progress in every area except one. Do you know that God is interested even in that area where you are challenged? Yes, He is. If you are experiencing such, today, the Lord will make a way for you! It is your turn to be fruitful.

I was in Britain not too long ago, and among the testimonies I heard was one from a friend of mine, who is a professor. This testimony made me dance. His secretary had been trusting God for the fruit of the womb for some time, and so he called me, requesting to bring her to me for prayers. However, I was already on my way out at this time, and so I asked him to give her the phone. I prayed with her, and the Almighty God backed up the voice of His servant. By the time he called again, she had delivered triplet! Are you trusting God for a baby? The door is opened to you now. Receive your children in Jesus’ Name! Has your intellect been unfruitful? Have you been struggling with poor grades in your academic work? Receive a touch from God today. I command your intellect to be fruitful from today! Draw closer to God. Show Him how much you love Him. Worship Him, praise and thank Him. Give to Him and minister to His servants. Make Him happy by winning souls. The Lord will arise for you today.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

If there is any single word that symbolises Jesus Christ, it is the word “Change”. While some changes are good, some others have negative consequences. Encountering Jesus Christ brings positive change to you. Everything about Jesus spells change. The moment He was born into this world, things began to change. Even the old calendar was changed to reflect the years before Christ was born (BC) and the years after (AD). By His virgin birth, He introduced change to the rules of childbirth. This is why “mono-pause” can become “mono-play”. By the change He brought, we have seen a 56 years-old woman testifying before the people of God with her newborn baby. No wonder Jesus said God can raise children out of stones (Matthew 3:9). Are you trusting God for the fruit of the womb but menopause is telling you that your time is past? Tell it that because your Saviour and Master, Jesus, stands for change, it cannot stand in your way. Shortly, you shall celebrate with your own baby!
If you are connected to Jesus, you cannot but experience glorious changes in your life. Nothing that He created can stand in your way. If what He created cannot stop you, how then can the evil forces and evil mechanisms that were designed by the hordes of hell stop you? They also answer to Him! Indeed, the moment He walked on water, He not only defiled the law of gravity, He also made it respond to His will (Matthew 14:23-27). By this act, the man who said what goes up must come down began to have problems with his postulates. If you encounter Jesus, you go up and stay up. This is why Deuteronomy 28:13 says,

“And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:”

Is the law of gravity affecting your business, ministry, academics, family or spiritual life? I command its downward effect to cease dragging you down from now on! From today you shall go up, and your ascent shall be unstoppable. You shall be the head and stay ahead. Ask for a definite encounter with Jesus today. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour, that is the best place to start.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

A conspiracy can be defined as a secret plan by a group of persons to do something unlawful or mischievous. Whenever you agree or partner with one or more persons to do something against God's express word or will, you are guilty of conspiracy. The attitude of the Holy Spirit towards conspiracy is clear from His judgement against Ananias and Sapphira, who conspired to test Him with their lie (Act 5:1-11). Ahithophel and Absalom also engaged in conspiracy against the Lord's anointed, King David (2 Samuel 15:12). They paid for this sin with their lives, and they both died similar deaths through hanging (2 Samuel 17:23, 2 Samuel 18:9-14). Do you know that many people still conspire to lie to the Holy Spirit today? When auditors are visiting some churches, their pastors will connive with accountants to present doctored records. On arrival, when the auditor asks the accountant if the books presented are the actual financial records, they would affirm that they are. That is conspiring to lie to the Holy Spirit! Those who engage in conspiracy often die together, just like it happened to Ananias and Sapphira, Absalom and Ahithophel, and Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Numbers 26:9-10). This is where married couples need to be extremely cautious. If your spouse is going the way of destruction, never follow him or her. Do all you can to deliver him, but if the fellow refuses, let him or her take that evil step alone. Are you engaged in a conspiracy to defraud your employer or government? It's time to pull out of such schemes and repent.

In like manner, the Holy Spirit hates adultery and fornication. Why? It is because your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. You are His dwelling place. Adultery separates God from His temple. It keeps God outside His throne in your heart. Some people erroneously think that they can fornicate without affecting the presence of the Holy Spirit in them. No way! How can you expect the Holy Spirit, whose personality is defined by holiness, to dwell in a body yielded to filthiness? The Bible in James 4:4 says,
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

Fornication strips the glory of God away from you and clothes you in rags and shame. There is nothing glorious about sexual sin. It never adds anything to you; rather, it always takes away your prized possessions. Repent and flee fornication daily! Whatever separates God from you is something to resist by all means!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Total obedience remains a major key to unlocking the doors of signs and wonders. In 2 Kings 4:1-7, when the man of God gave some instructions to the widow whose sons were about to be taken into slavery, she had every right to call them stupid instructions. He told her to go and borrow empty vessels from her neighbours. With the human understanding, one cannot see the relationship between borrowing empty containers and the money she needed. Also, she was asked to pour the oil in her little bottle into large containers. How can a small bottle of oil fill up one large container, not to mention several containers? That is exactly the point. Blessed are those who will not argue with God. If you ask about my greatest secret, it is simply that I do not argue with God. He has asked me to do many things that the rational mind will call “foolish”, and yet I never argue. Why? I discovered a long time ago that my brain is too little to understand this great God. The Bible in 1st Corinthians 1:27 says,
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;”


Many years ago, when God asked me to go to the current site of the Redemption Camp, which was still a dense bush then, I did not argue. I could have advanced several reasons for not going. I could have said it was the operational base of armed robbers, or that it was very far from Lagos, or that there was no electricity or water supply there. Back then, we needed a place where a lot of people could converge for our convention. By the grace of God, I did not argue. Today, the result is there for all to see. If you can be “foolish” enough to obey God completely, you will definitely become a candidate for signs and wonders. Many of the divine instructions that produce outstanding results do not make sense. It did make sense when an axe-head fell into the river and the servant of God sank a piece of wood into the river to make the axe-head float (2nd Kings 6:1-7). It did not make sense when a single march of four helpless and hopeless lepers towards the enemy’s camp became the thunderous hustling of thousands of chariots and horses, thereby chasing away the forces that had besieged Samaria (2nd Kings 7:1-7). It does not make sense when you are in need and God instructs you to give Him or His servant the last you have on you (1st Kings 17:10-14). It may not make sense to you, but it does to Him. The sooner you accept His “foolish” instructions the better for you. If you have to wait until it makes sense, then the miracle might be delayed indefinitely.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Acts 2:38

For anyone who wants to partake of salvation from sin, Satan and the world, God requires genuine, heartfelt repentance. In Acts 2:37, after preaching to the multitudes, they asked Peter, "What shall we do?" He simply replied, "Repent and be water-baptized, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." From his response, we understand that the Spirit of life Himself is a gift, and that if you will have Him, you must start from the place of repentance. If you want to experience the move of the Spirit in your life, begin with repentance. Repentance is the foundation stone on which faith in Christ is built. Anyone who claims to be a servant of God but who did not start from the place of repentance is only engaging in self deception. Examine yourself today. Are you saved? Have you truly repented?

After you have successfully laid the foundation of repentance, your conscience will be purged by the Blood of Jesus and made to come alive through the prompting of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 9:14, Romans 9:1); to the extent that if you as much as tell a lie, you won't get away with it. You will remain troubled until you confess and restitute the lie. If you are never under the pressure of the Holy Spirit to make right your wrong deeds, you can be sure that something is wrong with your foundation. Many years ago, while travelling to Lagos from Ilesha (South-West, Nigeria), I forgot to buy a gift for my father in the Lord. By the time I got to Surulere, Lagos, I realised this oversight and so I bought some oranges to give to him from there. As Papa peeled and sucked the oranges, he said, "These oranges are sweet. You must have bought them on the way." "Yes sir", I replied. The Holy Spirit said to me, "You just lied." My response to this was "How did I lie? Roadside is roadside, whether at Surulere or between Ilesha and Lagos." The Spirit then said, "You know his question meant whether you bought them on your way from Ilesha to Lagos." I replied, Does it matter? Does this affect the sweetness of the oranges?" The Spirit insisted, You have lied." So I turned to my father in the Lord and told him I bought the oranges at Surulere, Lagos and not on my way from Ilesha, and Papa exclaimed, "Holy Spirit!" He knew the Spirit was dealing with me. Does this same Holy Spirit deal with you when you lie or sin? If your conscience is not responding to the pricks of the Holy Spirit, it means you have strayed from Him.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Besides physical and material burdens, the devil also weighs people’s lives down with marital burdens. He does this in order to prevent them from actualising God’s plan and purpose for their lives. A person who is weighed down by a heavy load cannot think of moving forward. Mark 5:25-34 tells us the story of the woman with the issue of blood. According to Mosaic Law, the fact that her blood kept flowing continuously implied that she was permanently considered to be unclean. She was therefore ostracized from society. In that state, no man dared come near to propose to her. Even if some man was brave enough to marry her, she had very slim chances of bearing children. Hannah also faced a martial burden as she battled with barrenness, which her mate used in taunting her. She never planned to be barren but barrenness attached itself to her until the Burden-Bearer stepped in. Are you laden with a marital burden? Is there no peace in your home? Is the enemy turning your spouse against you because of the delay in conceiving? Have you been weeping quietly because of the marital burdens you are forced to bear? This season, the Burden-Bearer will intervene in your situation and turn things around for good!

Moreover, some people are battling with spiritual burdens. Mark 1:23-27 tells us of a man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit. Although this man was regularly attending church, a demon was still living inside him. He was like a time-bomb waiting to explode. He did not like what he was carrying, but he could not do anything about it until he met Jesus. Compared to the mad man of Gadara, his case was even tolerable (Mark 5:1-20). He would come to church, sit in the crowd, and yet nobody knew what he was going through. Many years ago, while visiting my mother, some people brought a man who looked almost normal to me. To demonstrate what was wrong with him to me, he simply scratched his head and brought out a cockroach. He dipped his hand into his hair again and another insect came out. He put his finger inside his ear and I could hear the sound of a motorcycle. After a short exhortation, I simply asked him to give his life to Jesus, and he did. I then called on the Burden-Bearer to intervene. When he returned two weeks later, everything had changed. Have you been secretly battling with some spiritual burdens? The Lord will deliver you today! Whatever is responsible for that strange burden in your life, I command it to return to where it came from. You are free from today!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

As you go through life, the winds, waves and storms of life work against your progress, but be encouraged by the testimony of those who have successfully gone ahead of you in the Christian race. They serve as witnesses of God’s ability to keep His children from failing (Hebrews 12:1). God not only calls, He also keeps and sustains the called. Jude 1:24 says,
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,”

Be assured that God can keep you from falling. He can also keep you from failing. He can preserve you on your trip to destiny. He can keep you saved and living right before Him. Have you been unstable in your Christian faith? Have sin, Satan and the world been buffeting you, so much so that you are not experiencing the reality of a triumphant Christian life? The One who is able to keep you faultless will begin to strengthen you from today! By His grace, you will no longer be a victim of sin. The yoke of an inconsistent walk with God is broken today! Receive grace to live faultless before God’s throne in Jesus’ Name!
“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
1st John 5:4

If you are truly born again, you have been placed in a position that is in opposition to sin, Satan and the world. These entities will come against you on a daily basis. However, you should not be afraid, because God has given you the faith that overcomes. It is your duty to feed this faith and make it grow. Faith is like your body that requires food daily. The right food will strengthen and increase it, enabling it to withstand opposing forces, while the wrong diet will cause it to grow weak, lean and even die. Don’t kill your faith! Separate yourself from all those who constantly tell you that you can’t make it. Put a distance between you and anyone that wants to lure you into sin. Also, watch your activities on the internet and social media, so that you do not destroy your faith. Feed and develop your faith daily by studying the Bible, listening to messages of true servants of God, listening to testimonies, seeking counsel from godly counsellors and by praying in the Holy Spirit. If there is one thing you need to jealously guard always, it is your faith.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Burdens are loads imposed on a person by the wicked forces of this world or by circumstances of life. They come under certain categories, one of these being physical burdens. Physical burdens are exemplified by the case of Naaman who had an incurable disease (2 Kings 5:1). Also, the woman with a spirit of infirmity, who could not straighten herself for years, is another case in point (Luke 13:11). No matter how much she tried, everywhere she went, she remained bent. Similarly, the man who had been at the pool of Bethesda for 38 years had a physical burden (John 5:2-9). Do you have a physical burden? Are you physically handicapped? Jesus Christ will lift your physical burdens today! You shall experience a turnaround in Jesus' Name!

Burdens could also be material in nature. The widow of Zarephath was carrying a material burden (1 Kings 17:8-16). Things used to be good for her, but her situation deteriorated to the point where she had only one meal to her credit. In addition, the heavily indebted widow of 2 Kings 4:1-7 was plagued by the debts left by her late husband. The creditors came calling and threatened to enslave her sons. Thank God she knew the place to run to. She cried to the prophet, who was connected to the Burden Bearer, and the tide turned for her and her children. What about the wedding feast in John 2:1-11? They thought they had everything in place, but midway through the celebration, they ran out of wine. They called on the Burden Bearer and He supplied what was lacking.

A very wealthy man with a fleet of 14cars once picked a quarrel with his wife, and she threatened that by the time she was done with him, he would be trekking about the streets of Lagos, Nigeria. The man laughed it off, not knowing the kind of woman he had as a wife. Not long after, his business began to nose-drive, and things became so bad that at a point, he had only one car left with 50 kobo in his pocket. Then he reasoned within himself, "If I buy petrol with this money, I will starve, and if I spend the money on food, then I would have to trek in fulfillment of my wife's evil decree." That was when he decided to run to Jesus Christ for help, and the Lord turned things around for him. By the time he was sharing this testimony, he was dedicating two new houses on the same day. What material burdens are you carrying presently? If you run to Jesus, He will help you carry it. Through Him all material burdens can be lifted.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

"But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!"
Matthew 8:27
Are you currently in a state of perplexity? Does it seem as if the devil has vowed to sink the boat of your life? I have good news for you: he is only joking. Why? One reason why the boat of your life cannot sink is because all the elements, wind, storm and waves working against your boat were created by God, and they must hear His voice and obey Him. The disciples could not believe their eyes when they saw the manifestation of this. Jesus spoke to the contrary wind and the waves of the sea, and they obeyed Him. This season, everything working contrary to your boat and sail will hear the voice of the Master and beat a retreat in Jesus' Name.

Everything God has created treats His voice with fear and awe. According to Psalm 29:3-9, this voice is so powerful and awesome that there is no one and nothing that can withstand it. When the Lord speaks, thunder and lightning follow (Isaiah 30:30). When He speaks, the world beholds the true majesty of God. When He speaks, mighty cedar trees are split in pieces. When He speaks, the hottest of fires is cooled. When He speaks, the earth shakes and the wilderness quakes. When He speaks, hidden secrets are exposed and the impossible become possible. What can resist God's voice? Nothing in or out of this world can! Today, the Lord will speak into your situation and every force or power actively working against you will take their flight. Yes, when He speaks, anything standing in His way will have to give way. At a point in time, the Philistines gathered together to invade Israel like they had done in times past. Samuel cried to the Lord and the voice of the Lord sounded from heaven to roundly defeat them. They never invaded Israel again after this (1 Samuel 7:8-13). As God speaks into your situation today, the speed at which your oppressors will disappear will be quite amazing. Look around you today, what are those things that have refused to let you go forward? Call on the Lord to speak into your situation now and there shall be change. The Lord will speak into your life, family, work place, finances and academics today, and all your enemies shall scatter.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

In the world we live in today, a lot of people are overwhelmed by sorrow and are living in depression. It is therefore no accident that one of the crucial assignments of the Holy Spirit is the work of comforting the sorrowful and uplifting the depressed (John 16:6-7). His comfort shifts your focus away from your fears, wipes away your tears, sets your mind on the bigger picture you should see, gives you peace in the midst of the storm and gives you a reason to live beyond that moment of depression. In the end, He also gives you strength to help others in similar situations. In any area you need comfort of the Holy Spirit, receive it today in Jesus’ Name!

Several years ago, while still lecturing at the University of Lagos, I had a particular student we referred to as Brother Moses. He was a passionate soul-winner. His passion for the lost endeared him to me. We became so close that you would even think he was my biological first-born son. After he graduated from the university, he was posted to the northern part of Nigeria for his mandatory one-year service in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. Within a few months of his service year, his fellow corps members had fallen in love with him. Then suddenly, he died. His fellow corps members could not accept this, and so they began to pray. He died at about 10am and by 2pm he came back to life. He told the brethren the Lord asked him to come back to tell them that they were praying the wrong kind of prayers, and that their noise was disturbing Him. The Lord said they should not be praying for Brother Moses to return from glory to join them on earth; they should rather be praying for themselves to finish the race and end up in glory. As soon as he delivered this message, he lay back on the bed and off he zoomed back into glory! When I heard of this incident, I grieved so much. I tried to comport myself with dignity during the Church service but immediately after the service and at other times when I was alone, I wept over and over again. On the third day, the Lord asked me why I was crying. I told Him it was because Brother Moses had died, but He corrected me that I was weeping because Brother Moses left me behind. Then the Lord asked me this: “How would you feel if you travelled abroad to a place you have never been to and suddenly you bumped into someone you knew before?” I said I would be happy. Then He replied, “When you get to Heaven, Jesus will be there to receive you, but Brother Moses will be there to specially receive you.” That brought comfort to me like nothing else! Beloved, your loved ones who died in the Lord will be waiting for you at Heaven’s gate when your time on earth is up. Just fight the good fight of faith and pray that you finish well.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

For quite a long while in times past, I usually said that the Lord of Host never looses a battle, but quite recently, the Lord corrected me and said, "Son, I can loose a battle to win a war. I never loose a war." According to His divine wisdom, when it pleases the Lord, He can choose to loose a battle in order to win a war. He can give up a battle, but He has never lost a war. We need to tap into this divine wisdom and apply its principle in our lives. It's all about looking at the bigger picture. You will gain more from winning a war than from winning a battle. You will also loose more when you loose a war than when you loose a battle. Some people are not ready to loose any battle, and as a result, they loose the war that is more crucial. Take for instance, evangelism. If you go to preach to an individual about Christ and an argument ensues, you are faced with the choice of winning a battle (the argument) or winning the soul of the sinner (a war). If you choose to win the argument, you will most likely loose the soul. This is why you should not get involved in arguments when preaching the gospel to unbelievers. Time to evangelise is not a time to argue about whose religion is more superior. Faith in Christ Jesus is more than just a religion. Simply tell the sinner about Jesus and God's love towards him or her. Share your salvation experience with him or her. Stir up his or her interest in Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit will do the necessary work of conviction. After playing your part, you can then invite the person to surrender his or her life to Christ.

When you observe that God is seemingly loosing a battle or battles, it is because there is a bigger war He wants to win. For instance, in the midst of intense persecution of the early Church, God allowed His beloved Stephen to be martyred. Why did He allow this? It's because He wanted to win the war of saving the ring leader of Stephen's murderers, Saul. Through Saul, He planned to convert whole cities and to virtually turn the world upside down, and He succeeded in this (Acts 17:6). At the end, it became a double gain for the Lord as Stephen had a triumphant entry into Heaven while Paul, who supervised his martyrdom, became a mightier instrument in the hand of God for the salvation of souls on a massive scale across the globe. This testimony about Paul in Acts 19:26 show the awesomeness of God's wisdom:
"Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:"
Anytime you follow God's wisdom, you will know when to loose a battle in order to win a war.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

God's voice is so powerful that it can bring about abundant increase. When He speaks in a situation of lack and acute shortage, whatever is responsible for the anomaly is arrested and there is bountiful provision. An example of this can be seen in the lives of the children of Israel. In Genesis 46:26-27, we read that all the people that Israel brought with him into Egypt including Joseph and his family were 70. However, when they were leaving Egypt, the men alone were numbered at 600,000 (Exodus 12:37). In fact, the Israelites' rate of multiplication in Egypt was so rapid that it became a source of worry to the Egyptians (Exodus 1:7-10). Sometimes, we think that such miracles can only occur in Bible times. By the grace of God, in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, we have seen God's faithfulness demonstrated in the area of multiplication. In 1952, the Church started with about 12 people. By the time I became the general overseer in 1981, we had only 40 parishes including the headquaters. The convention we had in 1980 had a little over 600 people in attendance, yet we thought that was quite large. Today, through the grace of the Almighty God, this same Church has spread to over 174 nations of the world! Why? It is simply because there is a God who can speak from Heaven to make something little increase abundantly. This shall be your portion today in Jesus' Name!

A blessing summons all the forces in heaven, on earth and underneath the earth to help an individual to succeed. To bless someone, you have to open your mouth to declare it. When God blesses you, all the angels of God will assist you, and even demons will fight one another to clear the way for you. In Genesis 48:8-20, Joseph, while visiting his father Jacob with his two sons, carefully guided his father to rest his right hand on the head of the elder son, Manasseh, and to rest his left hand on Ephraim the younger. At this time, Jacob was old and sick, and could no longer see. When Jacob crossed his hands over the two boys, Joseph protested but Jacob insisted, saying the younger will be greater than the elder, and then he blessed them. Within a short period of time, the younger son had become 10 times more blessed than his elder brother (Deuteronomy 33:17). This is what the declaration of a divine blessing can do in the life of a person. Ask God to declare His blessings on you. You can also seek the declaration of blessings from a father that is connected to God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.