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Without a doubt, the responsibilities associated with being a child of God in this present age of spiritual perversion are highly demanding. Nevertheless, our benevolent Father, knowing our frame, has placed several pleasant privileges at our disposal as His children, to ease our sojourn through this wicked world. The first privilege we enjoy when we become children of God is that we are moved from the position of a servant or slave to that of a son and an heir of God (Galatians 4:7). This is the reason why we must have passion for evangelism, especially to Muslims, who believe that they are slaves of God. God did not create us in His image for the purpose of making slaves out of us. Anyone who has not come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed a slave to sin and not a slave of God (Romans 6:16-18).

In the story of the Syro-phoenician woman in Mark 7:24-30, Jesus Christ did not mince words in revealing her true spiritual state to her as a slave of sin, in order to cause a change in her spiritual life. Fortunately for this woman, she admitted her spiritual poverty, and she was therefore given the hand of fellowship in adoption, so that she could be a parker of the food meant for God’s children. Matthew 5:3 says,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Another striking thing in this story is that this woman was likened to a dog and she accepted it. Do you know why? It’s because this verdict came from the Way, the Truth and the Life Himself; when He speaks, He speaks with valid authority. So, when Jesus calls a sinner a dog, that is exactly what he or she is. This is why the liberal theologians who want to be 21st century compliant would want to rewrite the Bible so that it can be “politically correct”. Take note of the fact that what is politically correct can be spiritually bankrupt.

In light of these truths, you can therefore see how great your privilege is when you are a child of God. Being a child of God grants you access to the food of salvation, deliverance, healing and prosperity that is meant only for children of God. If you are not yet a child of God, don’t delay further; today is the day of salvation and adoption. Give your life to Christ today, admit your spiritual poverty and let Him cleanse you in His Blood.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yesterday, we looked at some of the responsibilities of the children of God in ensuring that they finish the Christian race in triumph. Another of these responsibilities is that children of God must be on the lookout for whatever appears to be evil and run away from it. Anything that can lead to fornication or adultery, anything that has a shade of idolatry, or anything that has to do with love of money falls into the category of things you should flee from (1st Corinthians 6:18, 1st Corinthians 10:14, 1st Timothy 6:9-10). Living a holy life is not automatic as some presume; we have to make a conscious effort to live holy. We wrestle not against flesh and blood; rather, we wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). To be effective in our warfare, our strategy has to be both offensive and defensive in nature. How do we engage in defensive warfare? It is by tactically abstaining from the world of darkness and sin.

In 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, we are exposed to the practical way of engaging in defensive spiritual warfare. The first thing is not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers because the Bible expressly says that friendship with the world is enmity against God, and that whosoever will be a friend to the world is an enemy of God (James 4:4). It is however unfortunate that some Christians don’t see this as an eternal truth. Even some pastors will tell you that we must be friendly with the world in other to win them. The question is ever since we have been making friends with worldly people, how many of them have we won? Instead, on arrival, they pollute the Church, and we end up becoming more like them! The problem is that the Church does not want to take the lonely stand for the truth anymore; we want to be world-compliant. Have we forgotten that the Almighty God assures us that even if the world forsakes us, He would be with us (Hebrew 13:5)? How happy our God would be, if His Church would take the stance that Shadrach, Mechach and Abednego took in Babylon, when they were faced with Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace (Daniel 3:16-18).

Beloved, it is your responsibility not only to rebuke the words of darkness but also to run away from all appearances of evil when necessary. Joseph did this successfully, and although he suffered for it for a while, he was later exalted to become the Prime Minister of Egypt (Genesis 39:11-23). That will be your story in Jesus’ Name. As you separate yourself to the Lord in holiness, your purity will stand you out from the crowd and cause you to be exalted in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

All those who have accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ over their life are children of God, by the grace of adoption through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:5). As children of God, while God has some responsibilities to make a success of our walk of faith in this world, we also have some responsibilities we have to bear in this regard. Peter, in 1 Peter 2:2, points out that one of our responsibilities as children of God is to desire things that are beneficial to our spiritual growth. When some new converts become children of God, due to zeal without knowledge, they begin to nurse some good desires which are inappropriate or unhealthy for sustaining their victory in the Christian race. For example, some converts after giving their lives to Christ immediately begin to desire the office of a pastor, evangelist or Christian minister of any sort. Although these are good desires, they are inappropriate and ill-timed. The first responsibility of a believer when he or she becomes a child of God is to desire the sincere milk of the word so that he or she can grow to maturity through it. It is after this that he or she can think of rendering service to the Kingdom work. Physically speaking, when a little baby desires to eat bread, yam, or rice, such desires could kill him or her. In the same vein, when a newborn believer desires to be a pastor or an evangelist overnight, he or she would not last long. This is the mistake some Christian organisations make when they make converts out of Muslims and traditionalists and immediately turn them into tools of evangelism. The resultant effect is that such converts, without having depth in the word of God, would begin to see themselves as evangelists. Based on my experience and observations, more often than not, such converts don’t last. For this reason, children being born into God’s family must take time to study the word of God and become well grounded in it.

In 1 John 3:1-3, we see another responsibility of children of God, which is that they must keep themselves pure (1st John 3:3). After being cleansed and purified by the Blood of Jesus, children of God have the responsibility of not going back to their old vomit or staining their garment of righteousness with the filth of this world (Ephesians 5:26-27). Practically, you achieve this by measuring your action against the standard of God’s word. Anything that is contrary to the word of God is filth that must be avoided. This is the more reason why all children of God need to be grounded in the word first before anything else.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Expectedly, you may be wondering what God is not interested in. God is not interested in the death of a sinner (2nd Peter 3:9). Many sinners don’t even know that God has no delight in condemning them. It is therefore necessary that those who know this truth should make it known to them.
“Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; if the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.”
Ezekiel 33:14-15

It is clear from the above Scripture that God is not interested in the death of any sinner, but desires that the sinner repents and turns away from his or her wicked ways. It is amazing that God Almighty promised that none of the sins committed by a converted sinner will be remembered any more. God is always wanting to restore fellowship with His human creation back to what it was in the beginning, if only they would appreciate His love for them. Jesus Christ in John 15:13 said:
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

If indeed we are the friends of Jesus, we then must do whatever He commands us to do (John 15:14). Are you a friend of Jesus or willing to be one? If you are willing to be a friend of Jesus, you must accept Him today, because tomorrow may be too late. The Bible says:
“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
2nd Corinthians 6:2

For believers who would always pray that sinners should “fall down and die”, I will like to admonish you to stop wasting your time, because if the fellow you are praying against is candidate for salvation in the future, your prayers may be an exercise in futility. This is why the Lord God said vengeance is His (Romans 12:19). May God fill our hearts with the compassion of Christ, so that we can be more concerned about the salvation of sinners rather than their death.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

We are often quick to judge Biblical characters when they do not measure up to God’s expectation in one area or the other. We should however not allow our judgemental opinions to becloud our minds from the salient lessons God is trying to pass across to us through the failings of these characters. To drive home this point, the Holy Spirit in 1st Corinthians 10:11 says,
“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

Among such characters are father Abraham and Isaac, who both misrepresented their wife as their sister. We also have prophets like Elijah, who opted to die in the face of adversity, and Jonah, the prophet who chose to run away from God’s assignment. In the New Testament, we have apostles like Thomas, who said he would not believe in Christ’s resurrection unless he saw and touched the palms of His hands. The shortcomings of these characters exposes their humility to us, and it also serves as a challenge to us that if characters with such shortcomings can go on to do great things for God, so can we in spite of our inadequacies.

Let’s take a closer look at Prophet Jonah, and compare his attitude to that of believers in the Church today. In Jonah 1, we read of how the word of the Lord came to him, instructing him to go and warn the people of Nineveh against the impending doom hanging over their heads because of their wickedness. Instead of carrying out God’s assignment, Jonah chose to flee to Tarshish, because he wanted the people of Nineveh to receive God’s judgement. He knew if these people heard the warning and repented, God would not punish them as He had earlier planned. However, Jonah wanted them to receive God’s punishment because of all they had done to the children of Israel. In like manner, our Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us to go and preach the gospel of salvation to sinners. Following the principles set out in Ezekiel 33:1-6, if we do not obey the Lord’s commandment, God forbid that their blood be required of us. We must beware of Jonah’s mistake so that none of us becomes another Jonah in the Church. Jonah landed in the belly of a fish before he understood the foolishness of trying to run away from God. Are you being called into the ministry of soul-winning? Stop running from your responsibility! Let us take the assignment of soul-winning seriously, and we will not miss our reward. Proverbs 11:30 says,
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Fruit-bearing is a necessity for every child of God. When the Scripture in Deuteronomy 7:14 says none shall be barren, this promise fundamentally extends to soul-winning and all other activities that populate the Kingdom of God. Our Heavenly Father is delighted when we in partnership with the Holy Spirit turn the hearts of men away from their wicked ways to the way of righteousness. For this reason, He reserved a special promise for such people in Daniel 12:3:
“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

The obligation to bear fruit becomes more critical when we consider what our Lord Jesus Christ said in John 15:2. He said He would take away every branch in Him that does not bear fruit. Nothing can be more serious than that. I pray that you will never be alienated from the Lord Jesus Christ in Jesus’ Name.

Moreover, Luke 13:6-9 amplifies the fruit-bearing responsibilities of the children of God. The parable it references was equally given by our Lord Jesus Christ. The “certain man” in the parable is no other person than God, the Father. The vinedresser is no other person than Jesus Christ, the compassionate Advocate who makes intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). He is the one pleading on behalf of fruitless trees in God’s vineyard, which is the world. The danger of an endless wait for a tree in God’s vineyard to bear fruit is made clear in Luke 13:8-9, which says:
“And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.”

Are you bearing fruits? Another pertinent question is, what type of fruits are you bearing? For a sinner, he or she must bear fruits worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:. For believers, we must win souls into the Kingdom, thus fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). More importantly for believers, we must also bear the fruit of the Spirit:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many children of God dread prosperity because of the challenges associated with it, particularly when it relates to material prosperity. The reason for this attitude can be put down to either ignorance of the word of God concerning prosperity, or ignorance of the need for the children of God to prosper, if they would not live at the mercy of the ungodly. The Bible in Proverbs 22:7 says,
“The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”

In deuteronomy 8:10-18, we discover some truths about God’s purpose concerning the prosperity of His people. Deuteronomy 8:18 says,
“But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”

God gives power and opportunities to His children to get wealth for one singular reason: to prove Himself faithful to His word. In other words, the issue of God’s children becoming wealthy is not about them but about God and His infallible word. This is why those who pick and choose what they feel is suitable for them in the word of God are losers; God cannot be mocked. Such people want the blessings of Abraham, but do not want to keep the covenant that Abraham kept with God. Jesus in John 8:39d said:
“If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.”

Beloved, I have good news for you: God is interested in the prosperity of His people (3rd John 2). Not only is God interested in your prosperity, He also gives you the power to make wealth and to prosper. Furthermore, the prosperity from God is without negative repercussions and sorrow. The Lord who prospers is the same Lord who protects. He will not give you a car that will become a death trap. He will not give you a child that will break your heart. If you believe this, you will see the glory of God. Finally, in order to receive the prosperity that is devoid of sorrow, you must ensure that the prosperity you are seeking is from the Almighty God. This suggests to us that there is a counterfeit prosperity which puts its beneficiaries in tight jackets of regret and sorrow. The devil is the giver of counterfeits, but Jesus is the true source of eternal blessings. You can never regret being prospered by His benevolence because He paid the price of your prosperity in full. 2nd Corinthians 8:9 says,
“For ye know the grace our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”


Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Backsliding is such a terrible condition that any child of God who backslides must quickly seek for restoration. The danger with backsliding is that a backslider may perish with his or her enemies like Samson did, or lose all he or she had gained in God like Judas Iscariot (Judges 16:30, Acts 1:16-20). The good news is that God has provided a remedy for backsliding. In Jeremiah 3:11-15, we see the loving God calling and inviting backsliding Israel back to Himself. This is a pointer to the fact that God wants to restore all backsliders.
“Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every tree and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:”
Jeremiah 3:13-14

The above verses of scripture contain the cure for backsliding. Restoration for the backslider starts with an acknowledgment of sins and a contrite return to God. In other words, the cure to backsliding lies in genuine repentance. Repentance is a complete turnaround from one’s sins with a determination never to return to those sins any more. This was what Samson failed to do throughout his twenty years of being judge over Israel. To make matters worse, he always ascribed his victory and achievement to his strength. Hear what he said after one of his victories in Judges 15:16
“….With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.”

There is no record of him giving glory to God even once. When he should have prayed for mercy, he prayed a wrong prayer, asking God to strengthen him one more time, so that he could avenge his eyes! Due to the mercy of God, and because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance, God still granted him his request, and he died with his enemies (Romans 11:29, Judges 16:28-30). In Acts 3:19, we see some of the great benefits of repentance. These included forgiveness, the blotting out of sins and the experience of a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Beloved, are you in a backslidden state? I encourage you to return to God through the Lord Jesus Christ today. Read 1st John 2:1-2 for a better understanding of your heritage in Christ. As you do these, the joy of salvation and the victory over sin will be restored to you.
Written by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

Yesterday, we established that backsliding is a gradual process that remains hidden in the heart and only begins to manifest after it had gotten out of hand. In 2 Timothy 4:10, we discover one factor that brings about backsliding: the love of the world. 1st John 2:15-16 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,”

This Bible passage reveals the character of the love of this present world, by which the heart of Demas, a companion of Paul, was stolen away from the straight and narrow way (2nd Timothy 4:10). How far have you been drawn away from the narrow path which you have been treading on for so long? Is the relativism philosophy of this present world doing great damage to the faith which you once had? How far have you been drawn away by the pleasurable things of life? My prayer for you is that the fire of the first love you had for Christ will be reignited, and that you will relate with God and the things of God like when you first believed in Him in Jesus’ Name.

Taking a closer look at the life of Samson as a case study of the backslider-in-heart, one lesson we can learn from Judges 14:5-10 is that the backslider-in-heart can still be preaching, ministering in songs, doing all kinds of work of the ministry, and even performing miracles, while in the process of backsliding. Although Samson was going down into abomination, when a lion roared against him, he responded with the same ability of the spirit he always had. Judges 14:6 says:
“And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.”

As if marrying a Philistine was not enough, on his next trip to Timnath, he went to admire the relics of his conquest, the carcass of a lion he had killed. Behold, the devil had set up a honeycomb right there in the carcass of the dead lion to ensnare him, and Samson fell for it; even though he knew that a Nazirite must not touch the dead body of an animal (Numbers 6:2-. Samson’s stomach and taste continued to lead him on his downward slide towards destruction, just as they did to Esau (Hebrews 12:16-17). My prayer for you is that your appetite for the things of the world will not destroy you in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Backsliding is not an event but a gradual process that occurs over a period of time until it gets to a noticeable stage. At that stage, people will begin to say an individual has backslidden, but what they fail to realise is that it did not start at that point. Backsliding begins in the heart. When a believer becomes filled with his or her own ways, that believer has begun to backslide. That person would always be right in his or her own sight, and others would be wrong. Such a person would no longer take advice from anybody, becoming a loner. In Judges 14:1-3, we see the case of Samson, an anointed Nazirite to the Lord, who began to backslide right from his heart. The way Judges 14:1 begins is significant: “And Samson went down….” When a person begins to go down, may the Lord have mercy on him or her. As he went down, he saw an abomination that enticed him: a Philistine woman. He came to his father and mother to tell them of his intention to marry the Philistine woman. His parents counselled him against this abominable desire, but regardless of their warning, Samson said “Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.”

When a child of God begins to nurse the idea of getting engaged to an unbeliever, no doubt, he or she has started backsliding in the heart. An unbeliever should not be an attractive option for a genuine child of God. A female child of God should find it repugnant for a smoker or drunkard to become her husband; after all, such a person will get intimate with her after wedlock with smoky lips or a mouth saturated with alcohol. A Christian brother should also see it as degrading to be married to a lady operating under the influence of the spirit of Jezebel – knowing full well how Jezebel destroyed her husband (Ephesians 2:2, 1st Kings 21:25). You are influenced by the environment you live in and the people you are intimate with. An unbelieving woman or man will act as a weight around your neck, dragging you down to the pit of hell. The different abominable things going on in the world are enough to deter a genuine child of God from marrying a person who is not under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Such a person is not restrained from doing whatever the devil suggests to his or her heart and does not share the same standard of the word of God as a moral compass for life. Today, we hear of wives sleeping with drivers and domestic staff, and we also hear of husbands sleeping with housemaids and their wife’s sisters – things that are abominable in the sight of God. Do you know that an unbeliever might not find these things abominable? It is a terrible thing to be associated with an “uncircumcised Philistine” in these end times. Beware of backsliding!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

I have always admonished believers never to pray that God should humble them; this is an ignorant prayer. The truth is that God has given everyone the capacity to choose whatever he or she wants to do, and He will not interfere with our choices. For this reason, every man is responsible for his or her actions. Why is this so? This is because man, unlike other creatures, was created as an agent of free will. The Bible in Deuteronomy 30:19 says:
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”

The above passage of Scripture explains God’s attitude to man’s fall in the Garden of Eden. Although He had instructed Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, He did not try to stop them when they did eat it, even though He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. His righteous nature would not allow Him to hold back the free will He had already given to them. However, they lived to bear the consequences of their choice to disobey God. In 1 Samuel 15:17-22, King Saul momentarily forgot the low estate he occupied before he was made the king of Israel. His forgetfulness caused him to think that he could flout the instructions given to him by the King of kings. He decided to listen to his human counsellors, and he began to rationalise the instructions God gave him. King Saul therefore became swollen-headed, and Prophet Samuel who anointed him as king became “old school” and “old fashioned” in his eyes. To him, there should be no ‘waste’; after all why destroy valuable fatted cows? Moreover, great kings would begin to pay tribute to him for sparing their lives. Contrast this attitude against his humble demeanour before he became king. He himself had once said in 1st Samuel 9:21:
“…Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all families of the tribe of Benjamin? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me?
Remembering this, Prophet Samuel in 1st Samuel 15:17 said:
“….When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?”

May the Lord deliver his children from pride in Jesus’ Name. Our approach to humility should be heed the counsel of submission in James 4:7; the reason being that if we do not humble ourselves voluntarily and God has to do it, one could end up like King Saul, whom the Lord rejected from being king over His people (1st Samuel 15:26). May that not be your portion in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

A crafty and complex form of idolatry in our world today, which has been around for a long while, and yet seems to go unnoticed by most people, is the reverence and premium place given to the god of money (Mammon) in the hearts of mankind. Our Lord Jesus was very clear when He started what the first and greatest commandment was in Matthew 22:36:
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

When our love, which should be given to God exclusively, is diverted to money, we err from the faith and expose ourselves to dissatisfaction and many sorrows. The Bible in Ecclesiastes 5:10 say,
“He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with sliver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.”

I am sometimes puzzled as to why people run after vanity. In some countries of the world, government officials embezzle billions from their sovereign wealth and cart their loot away to foreign lands. Some of these officials have become even “richer” than their country by this act. One wonders what they would do with all this stolen money. Nothing reasonable for sure! For such people, money has become their god, and so they worship it to the extent that the more they acquire, the more difficult it becomes for them to spend. Find out from some so-called rich people, they find it difficult to spend their millions. They eat like paupers because money is their god. In 1 Timothy 6:6-11, the Holy Spirit offers us a way out of Mammon’s bondage. He said:
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
1st Timothy 6:6-8

Beloved and fellow pilgrims, our stay here on earth is too short for us to run after Mammon. Let us follow the Master intimately, because He is the only One that would always stand by us, even after we close our eyes in death. Mammon would change servants immediately the fellow who worships him breathes his or her last. Let us be wise and follow after godliness.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

One of the attributes of the Holy Spirit that confirms to us that He is a person is that He can be grieved. Indeed, the Holy Spirit can be abused to the point of being grieved. At this point, He can decide to show His Almightiness like the other two personalities of the Godhead. This is the reason why Apostle Paul admonished us not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30).

There are many reasons why it is dangerous to grieve the Holy Spirit. One of such reasons is located in Ephesians 4:30. We are sealed unto the day of redemption by the precious Holy Spirit in our lives. This seal serves as a covering that shields us from the activities of Satan and his cohorts. If you make your Covering annoyed to the extent that He deserts you, in that case you will be left without a shield protecting you against evil spirits. This is very dangerous because we cannot pass through this world of evil as pilgrims without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Another reason why it is dangerous to grieve the Holy Spirit is that His wrath could be very devastating. The story in Acts 5:1-6 confirms that no man can withstand His wrath. Ananias and Sapphira his wife grieved the Holy Spirit and they were punished by death. What did they do to grieve the Holy Spirit? They lied to Him. Many so-called believers would regard this as a "simple lie", but it was enough to grieve the Holy Spirit, and He struck them dead. Cooperating with a liar can also grieve the Holy Spirit as in the case of Sapphira, Ananias' wife. It is dangerous to keep company with liars because the same punishment meted out to the original liar would be received by the accomplice. In times past, Christians used to be persecuted in various establishments because they would not cooperate with liars who would get to work at 10 a.m. but register 7 a.m. as their resumption time. Today, some Christians are doing worse, even in Church offices.

Rebelling against the Lordship of the Holy Spirit over your life is another way through which He can be grieved. When you get to a point where you refuse to take instructions from the voice of the Holy Spirit within you, then you have rebelled against His Lordship. The Bible in Isaiah 63:10 says,
"But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them."
Beloved, let us heed the admonition of Paul and desist from grieving the Holy Spirit by all means.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many people do not know that the act of giving has principles that must be followed in order to get rewarded for it by God. Due to their ignorance, such people have become discouraged from giving because they had given in times past without getting the results which they rightfully expected. The truth of the matter is: giving has principles, and unless you follow these principles, you will have no result for your giving. For example, if you sow your corn or wheat on the sea, you will definitely get nothing. Therefore, we must learn the principles of giving in order to have the desired results for our giving. God will never owe any man; He gave us His word of assurance on this in Hebrews 6:10:
“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have administered to the saints, and do minister.”

However, you must know the type of ground you sow your seed into. For example, it is an exercise in futility to sow your seed into a church ministry where the more money comes in, the more women the leaders acquire to his pleasure. Also, when you give to a ministry which you know diverts your seeds into private estates and into taking care of the body instead of using it for winning souls, do not expect any reward from God. Apart from being selective of the type of causes you give to, you must also learn to give intelligently. In Luke 15:11-14, the prodigal son took all that he had, left the environment of accountability and spent everything recklessly. The result of his wild lifestyle is glaring in Luke 15:14:
“And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.”

It is an established truth that giving brings blessings upon the giver (Proverbs 11:24a). The Lord Jesus Christ Himself established this in His teachings (Luke 6:38). However, there is another truth we also need to pay close attention to in Proverbs 11:24b, which says:
“…and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty”
In other words, though we are not expected to “spend all”, we must not fall into the error of conserving more than is necessary. This is the word of God. Those who live a lifestyle of spending their all always become a nuisance to the body of Christ through excessive borrowing. Learn from the story of the seven years of plenty and strategy of conservation given by Joseph against the succeeding seven years of famine (Genesis 41:33-36). Also, learn from the ants how to manage your resources prudently (Proverbs 6:6-. May God give you wisdom along this line, so that you can spend and give wisely.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, hypocrisy has been a character trait of mankind. For this reason, God has continuously reached out to man with the message of living a changed life. The Mosaic Law was all about making the Israelites live a life that was different from that of all the other nations around them, a life of change which conforms to God’s expectation. At different points in time, when they erred from the Mosaic Law, God still sent prophets to them with the message of change. One of such prophets was Ezekiel. Speaking through him, the Lord demanded that His people repent and change from their hypocritical ways (Ezekiel 14:6). The Lord also spoke through Prophet Ezekiel about the change of life He would bring about by the regeneration of the human spirit through Christ (Ezekiel 36:25-27). When this prophecy was to be fulfilled, the Lord sent John the Baptist to preach the baptism of repentance. However, John discovered that some people were just coming religiously for baptism without any intention of changing their ways, and he had this to say to them:
“Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”
Matthew 3:8-9

The apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ also had the message of change forming the central theme of the gospel they preached. In spite of the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders, the apostles did not mince words in declaring heaven’s demand for a change of life to the people of their day. Peter in Acts 3:19 boldly declared thus:
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”

It is sad, however, that many modern-day preachers have deleted the message of change from their sermons because they would not want to be “offensive” to modern minds. What such preachers fail to realise is that the message of change is the only hope for the world. The message of change brings repentance, and repentance brings times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. I therefore beseech you to effect the necessary changes befitting of a Christian pilgrim in your life today. Remember, tomorrow may be too late!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Many people who are blessed with the gift of children are not conscious of the fact that children are the heritage of the Lord, meaning that God is their rightful owner, and they are gifts from Him. This is why an adage from my village says “Rich people cannot find children to buy in the market.” What money cannot buy can only be obtained from the Almighty God. What then should be the attitude of parents to these priceless gifts? The answer can be seen in the story of the birth, adoption and upbringing of Moses, the child who later become the mouthpiece of the Almighty God. Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh had commanded that every newborn male child should be immediately killed. His mother tried to hide him for three months, but when he could no longer be hidden, she decided to drop him off by the bank of River Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter picked him up from there and adopted him as her own. By God’s providence, the princess gave Moses to a nurse who happened to be his mother. Hear what the princess said to her:
“Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.”
Exodus 2:9b

There are many lessons we can learn from this story. By adoption, Moses was the child of Pharaoh’s daughter, but she gave him over to a nurse to nurture him for her. This mirrors God’s divine arrangement, whereby He, being the owner of children, hands them over to parents to nurture them for Him. In other words, just as the princess told Moses’ mother, “nurse this child for me”, God is also saying to parents, “nurse this child for Me.” The princess also told Moses’ mother that she would pay her wages for a job well done. God is equally telling parents that if they properly nurture children for Him and not for themselves, He will reward them well. It is unfortunate that many parents are nursing God’s heritage for themselves or the devil; hence, they are getting their wages from the flesh or from the devil. This is the reason why many children have turned out to be a curse to their parents breaking their hearts because the parents nursed the children for themselves and not for the Lord. On the other hand, godly parents who train their children to fear the Lord are paid the wages of peace of mind from God at old age. The children of such parents prosper under the grace of Jesus, which they have been exposed to from infancy, and they are battle axes in the hands of their original Owner, the Almighty God.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

“And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.”
Luke 7:14-16

The account of events in the above passage of Scripture is indicative of what a divine visitation looks like. Divine visitation with its attendant supernatural occurrences brings joy to the heart of those visited. I pray that God will visit you today and your joy shall be full in Jesus’ Name. In Jeremiah 29:10-11, Prophet Jeremiah gave a revelation concerning the future deliverance of Israel from bondage. He prophesied that this would be realised by the power of divine visitation. When God comes visiting, He comes with deliverance from bondage and servitude like He did when He visited the children of Israel in Egypt (Exodus 4:31). When the children of Israel, because of their spiritual decadence found themselves in Babylonian bondage again, His love for His friend, Abraham their father, compelled Him to promise another divine visitation. In Jeremiah 29:10, He sent His word to them in Babylon saying:
“For thus saith the LORD, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.”

Also, Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied under the influence of the Holy Spirit about the coming of redemption to Israel through yet another divine visitation (Luke 1:68). Divine visitation brought salvation to mankind, when God personally came in the form of man to dwell among us, suffered, died and rose again so that we may obtain salvation (1st Timothy 3:16). Beloved, do you want a divine visitation of salvation? Jesus Christ says this to you today:
“Behold, I stand at the door; and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Revelations 3:20
Open the door of your heart to him today, accept Him as your personal Lord and Saviour, and He will come in right away and give you the gift of salvation.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Our God is a benevolent God; when He visits an individual, He does not come empty-handed. If you are privileged to receive a visitation from Him, you can be sure you are in for pleasant surprises. My prayer for you is that God in His infinite mercy will visit you today in Jesus’ Name. When Abraham entertained three strange men in his tent, little did he know that they were messengers of the benevolent God. Take a closer look at all the effort Abraham put in just to entertain visitors he could ordinarily have regarded as casual passersby. Genesis 18:6-7 says,
“And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measure of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.”
From this passage, it is obvious that Abraham engaged his entire household in making these visitors comfortable.

There are many lessons you can learn from Abraham’s experience which will make it possible for you to enjoy the blessing of receiving a divine visitation. First, you must be hospitable if you want to experience a divine visitation. Concerning this, the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 13:2 says,
“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

God visits those who share His attribute of generosity. God is so generous that He gave His only begotten Son as a ransom for our sins. Consequently, He became the Father of millions of people who were once alienated from Him. Secondly, when you are showing generosity or hospitality, you must do it willingly, and not as if you are being constrained to do it. The angelic visitors would not have waited if they had noticed unwillingness in Abraham, his wife or his men in receiving them. It was after the strange visitors had eaten their fill that they delivered the message they brought from God. Angels don’t eat human food, so how come these ones ate the food Abraham served them (Genesis 18:? This can only be explained by the sovereignty of the Almighty God. They were transformed and given a human nature in order to be able to eat, so as to teach us valuable lessons. One of these lessons is that when God requests for your tithe, offerings or your first-fruits, it is because He wants to set you up for a divine visitation in your business or chosen career. Be wise!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

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.