A NEW BEGINNING OF FREEDOM

SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARY 2015

A NEW BEGINNING OF FREEDOM

Memorise:

If the son therefore shall make you free, Ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36

Read : Exodus 15:13-17

13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.

14 The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.

15 Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.

16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.

17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 22:11-23:40 and ACTS 18:24-19:20

Message 

A New beginning of freedom can be viewed from different perspectives. It can be seen as awareness of bondage, the rejection labels and stigma imposed by others, or deliverance from slavery and servitude. A new beginning of freedom can also refer to the elimination of formal constraints, the dawn of a new day or the rising of the sun over darkness. However, since freedom denotes salvation or deliverance from oppression or bondage, a survivor or deliverer is required before freedom can be attained. 

Many are in bondage without realising it. Long years of hardship have forced so many to accept suffering as normal. I pray that God will open your eyes to the reality of your situation in Jesus'Name. Some people have been labelled and stigmatised by the enemy. Some of such people even enjoy and take pride in such labels. Today , your eyes will be opened, and you will reject all evil labels and stigmas upon your life in the Name of Jesus. Some people are remotely controlled, constrained or enslaved by unseen power higher powers, to do things that are contrary to the commandments of God and their own wellbeing. I decree that God will deliver you from all bondage and give you a new beginning of freedom today in Jesus 'Name.

The Bible in john 4:42 proclaimed Jesus as the survivor of the world, and John 8:36 declare that if He sets you free, you will be free indeed. The primary assignment of Jesus Christ on earth is to save and deliver those who accept Him as Lord and Saviour, also to destroy the works of the devil in their lives . If you desire total freedom from all the evil elements of this world and from the influence of satan and his demonic hosts, you must first accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If you choose to accept Him as your Lord and Saviour today. he will deliver you from every opposition to the fulfillment of your destiny, and give you a new beginning of freedom in the Name of Jesus.

Jesus has the power to set you free from sins and its consequences ( Mathew 1:21, 1 Thessalonians 1:10). Jesus can deliver you totally from the fear of death and from death itself ( Hebrew 2:14-15, 1Corinthians 15:54-55). Jesus can set you free from the power of satan and his demonic hosts because all power in heaven and earth belong to Him ( Mathew 28:18). I therefore decree in the Name that is above every other name: be free from Sin, oppression,servitude,sickness,poverty and failure.

Action Point:

Accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour today, and begin to enjoy a new beginning of freedom. 

AUTHOR: Pst E. ADEBOYE

THE WONDERS OF DIVINE VICTORY

SATURDAY 31st JANUARY 2015

THE WONDERS OF DIVINE VICTORY 

Memorise:

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7

Read: 1st Samuel 17:44-50, 

44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.

48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 19:1-22:10, ACTS 18:1-23

Message

The wonders of divine victory are inexplicable. How do you explain the victory that King Jehoshaphat recorded in 2nd Chronicles 20:15-24? How do you explain confronting the armies of three kings with an orchestra and yet securing total victory? This victory was a wonder because it was divinely procured. Instead of organising bow and arrow, shield and spear, and other war implements, Jehoshaphat organised an orchestra that sang about the praise and mercies of God. This is what the wonders of divine victory look like:

“And when Judah came forward the watch tower in the wilderness, they look unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.”

2nd Chronicles 20:24

The story of David’s victory over Goliath is another classical example of the wonders of divine victory. If it is not a wonder, how else would you describe a tiny boy killing a giant man as if he was killing a straying lizard on the wall of his father’s house? When the Almighty God fights on the side of a person, apart from the fact that victory is sure, the way and manner the victory would be secured will produce wonders. When Goliath saw David, he disdained him and cursed him by his gods. David responded with these words:

“… Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.”

1st Samuel 17:45

There was a spiritual power-play going on here. While Goliath cursed David by his gods, David confronted him with Jehovah Sabaoth. David knew that warfare is not won by physical preparation alone. He knew it is even more spiritual than physical, so he quickly switched on his spiritual antenna. The story ends with the wonders of divine victory. An ordinary stone in the hands of anointed of God fell a giant who a whole nation dreaded for 40 days. As a matter of fact, it was the sword of Goliath that eventually severed his head from his body. David believed in his God and he was not disappointed. The Lord fought on David’s side, and the battle was decisive.

Prayer Point:

Father, please fight my battles for me and don’t let me be a victim of the battles of life.

AUTHOR: Pst E. ADEBOYE

WONDERFUL RESTORATION

FRIDAY 30th JANUARY 2015

WONDERFUL RESTORATION 

Memorise:

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Psalm 51:12

Read: Ezekiel 37:1-10, 

1 THE hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 16:14-18:23 and ACTS 17:16-34

Message

When the earth was in shambles in the beginning, the wonder-working God restored it by His word (Genesis 1:1-3). It is interesting to note that the Almighty does not only create, He also restores. I command the restoration power of the Almighty to come upon you today in Jesus’ Name.

Our Bible text has a narrative that described the wonderful restoration that God will give you today. It describes the wonder of the restoration of very dry bones. Ezekiel here was taken to the valley of dry bones. Dry bones of course signify a state of hopelessness and lifelessness. Thank God it was the Spirit of the Lord that carried Ezekiel to the valley of dry bones; if it were an evil spirit, he himself would have become one of them. When Ezekiel got to the valley, there was a dialogue between him and the Almighty! It is not amazing to discover that whenever God wants to perform wonders, He dialogues? He also demonstrated this character in the story of the feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:15-18). This character of God does not mean that He does not know what to do at any given time; He just likes fellowshipping with man. From His dialogue with Ezekiel, the wonder –working drama began.

The first lesson I will like to point out in the story is that whenever the Spirit of God is upon an individual, the fellow is empowered to do the impossible, like in the case of Ezekiel here. He was not even sure whether the dry bones could live or not. He pushed the answer back to God when God asked him if the dry bones could live. This is the second lesson we should learn. We must learn to acknowledge the sovereignty of God in all matters, no matter how pressing the need maybe or how ridiculous He may sound (1st Corinthians 1:25&27).

Whenever we acknowledge and put the sovereignty of God at the forefront, faith in the God of wonders will come. Ezekiel responded positively to the instructions God gave him concerning the dry bones. He prophesied as he was commanded, and the result was a mighty army. We can also learn from this story that without the Holy Spirit, there is nothing we can do, but with Him, all things are possible. Wherever the Spirit of God is, there is liberty, signs and wonders. Signs and wonders will be your portion this season in Jesus’ Name. 

Prayer Point:

Father, please speak to my situation and restore to me all that the enemies have destroyed in my life in Jesus’ Name.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

STOREHOUSE FOR WONDERS

THURSDAY 29th JANUARY 2015

STOREHOUSE FOR WONDERS 

Memorise: 

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not went. Psalm 23:1

Read: 1st Kings 17:12-16, 

12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 14:1-16:13 and ACTS 17:1-15

Message

You will observe that ever since God rested from His work in Genesis 2:2, He has been working on and through His earlier creations in propagating His purpose. For example, God never created another set of man and woman after the first man and woman had been created. Rather, he charged those He had already created to be faithful, to multiply and to replenish the earth (Genesis 1:28). When God is confronted with a need, He will use what is already available in His creation to meet the need.

When God was confronted with the need to feed His prophet for a number of years during a famine, He needed a storehouse of wonders to meet this need. The widow of Zarephath’s house become this storehouse for wonders. The man of God, Elijah, discovered a barrel of flour and a cruse of oil that were almost empty in this house. However, it was not the prophet but the God of wonders who located that storehouse for wonders, and He sent His prophet there (1st Kings 17:8-9). We must learn some lessons from this story of the storehouse for wonders. First, the house was available for the God of wonders to use. My prayer for you is that whenever the God of wonder wants to turn a house to a house for wonders, it will be yours in Jesus’ Name. The question is: will be yours in Jesus’ Name. The question is: will you be ready to surrender your house to the God of wonders to use for His glory?

Secondly, the widow did not shy away from a difficult assignment. Although it was a difficult thing for her to give Elijah her last meal, she obeyed the command for God and did as the prophet said. Hence her house became the storehouse for wonders. Her barrel of flour and her cruse of oil became instruments of wonders. Thirdly, this woman did not only know the wonder-working God, she was a sincere and straightforward woman of faith. She stated her case as it was. She said, “This is our last meal; we can’t with it. “ if it were some of us, we would not even admit that we have anything at all. This woman seemed to be saying to herself,

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want, even if I surrender my last meal to Him.” 

This woman exposed her miracle meal to the wonder-working God to work with. This was the exact thing the young led in Matthew 14:17-20 did, and he went home with twelve basketfuls as the interest on the five loaves and two fishes he lent to the wonder-working Lord. I pray that the Lord will feed your fat even in the time of famine in Jesus’ Name.

Action Point:

Determine to lend to God by way of sacrificially giving to His work this year, and you will see the glory of God.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

WORKSHOP FOR WONDER

WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY 2015

WORKSHOP FOR WONDER

Memorise: 

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. Acts 10:38

Read: John 9:1-7

1 AND as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,

7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Jeremiah 11:13, Acts 16:16-40

Message 

A potential recipient of uncommon miracles is a workshop of wonders. A classic example is the man born blind in today’s Bible reading. No artisan or craftsman can do his work effectively without a workshop. It may amaze you that candidates for miracles are workshops for the miracle-working Jesus. When the disciples confronted Jesus on whether the blind man was born blind as a result of sin, He said neither the man or his parents did sin. Jesus said he was born blind so that the works of God might be made manifest in him. Jesus swung into action immediately; with His creative divine ability, He produced brand new eyes for this man.

You too can be a workshop for the great Miracle-worker provided you are willing to receive your miracle today. There are several things we should learn from the blind man that qualified him as a workshop for wonders. One of these is that this man was available for the wonders. One of these is that this man was available for the miracle. Before someone can be a workshop for wonders, he or she must be available. The blind man was there at the right time when the Miracle-worker was to do His work! Another thing about this man is that he surrendered himself for Jesus to work on. The Bible says:

“When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.”

John 9:6-7

This blind man did not only surrender himself to be worked upon, he carried out all the actions necessary for the actualisation of his miracle. The miracle would not have taken place if he had not cooperated with the Workman – Jesus, by washing at the pool of Siloam. Naaman was another workshop for wonders who cooperated with the process required for the actualisation of his miracle; although this came after his initial self-aggrandisement that would have robbed him of his miracle (2nd Kings 5:13-14). My pastoral advice to you is that you should exercise complete obedience in humility of God, His word and His ministers if you want to live in the miraculous this year.

Prayer Point:

Father, please make me a workshop for your miracles. Let not my hour of miracles elude me.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

WONDERFUL SAVIOUR

TUESDAY 27 JANUARY 2015.

WONDERFUL SAVIOUR.

MEMORISE: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ISAIAH 9 : 6.

READ: ACTS 2 : 22 - 24.

22. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 

24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 8 : 18 -10 : 25 AND ACTS 15 : 36 - 16 : 15.

Message

A major difference between Christianity and other religion is the availability of the Saviour for anyone who needs salvation. As a matter of fact, the essence of true religion is the salvation that it guarantees. Any religion that does not offer the assurance of salvation, particularly salvation from sin, is a base contraption. Concerning Jesus, the Bible in Matthew 1 : 21 says that : "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."

Why is Jesus Christ the wonderful Saviour? His confessions and testimony about Himself make Him wonderful. No man ever spoke the words that Jesus did. In John 15 : 13, He said this about His mission here on earth: 

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." 

No man ever did such a thing before Him, and after Him, nothing of such as happened.

In Acts 2 : 22 - 24, Peter plainly declared the mission, the passion and the perfect atonement that Jesus accomplished for humankind. Hebrews 9 also corroborates the perfect redemption that Jesus Christ brought to us. For this reason, the apostles declared in Acts 4 : 12 that:  "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." 

In light of the foregoing, the author of the book of Hebrews asks this fundamental question:

" How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;" Hebrews 2 : 3.

The Lord Jesus came with a specific assignment that distinguishes Him from the caricature of religious leaders. Even the Pharisees admitted that He taught as someone with authority ( Luke 4 : 18 - 22, Mark 1 : 22 ). Jesus Christ is not only the Saviour of the soul; He delivers the body from demonic torment too. Those who witnessed His life testified that He went about doing good ( Acts 10 : 38 ). My prayer is that if you have not accepted Him as the wonderful Saviour, you will do so today. 

PRAYER POINT:

Father, I accept your offer of salvation through Jesus Christ my Lord today. Receive me and forgive me as I ( re )dedicate my life to you today.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE.

CURE FOR DEFEAT

MONDAY 26 JANUARY 2015.

CURE FOR DEFEAT.

MEMORISE:

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. PSALM 51 : 1.

READ : 1KINGS 21 : 17 - 29 .

17 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.

19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.

21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,

22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

23 And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 7 : 1 - 8 : 17 AND ACTS 15 : 12 - 35.

Message

When a man continues to transgress the law of God, he becomes a profane person, and unless he quickly retrace his steps to the Word of God, he may suffer permanent defeat like Samson who died with his enemies. I pray for someone using this devotional, you will not die with your enemies in Jesus' Name. If you have suffered defeat due to carelessness, the Lord is interested in getting you back on your feet. The roadmap for your recovery can be found in the manufacturer's manual - the Bible. Let's take a look at the Bible therefore to see how you can recover from a defeat.

The first thing you need to do is to pay close attention to the voice of the Lord ( Deuteronomy 28 : 1 ). If you are in a state of defeat, the Lord will send a word to you on how to get out of that state. This word could come through the Bible, through His messengers or by Him speaking directly to your spirit. But you need to be listening in order to hear and recognise His voice. One problem of modern day so-called Christians is their non-readiness to listen to the voice of the Lord. The reason for this is not far-fetched. It is because the word of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing ( 1 Corinthians 1 : 18 ). Some people have erred to the extent that they teach people not to pay attention to the epistles anymore. To them, the contents of the epistles are meant for the original audience to whom they were written and not for those in the 21st century. To come out of your state of defeat, you are not only to pay close attention to the Word, you must also be diligent enough to observe and follow its instructions.

"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." Revelation 2 : 5.

This is another thing you must do to pull yourself out of any defeat you may have suffered. David knew this secret and he employed it to his advantage. My prayer for you is that, in whatever area you have suffered defeat, the Lord will restore and grant you permanent victory in Jesus' Name.

ACTION POINT:

Take a spiritual inventory of your life and determine in what areas you need revival. Call upon God to revive you in these areas.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE.

EX-CHAMPION?

SUNDAY 25th JANUARY 2015

EX-CHAMPION?

Memorise:

Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. John 5:14

Read: Joshua 7:1-5

1 BUT the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.

5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 5:6 and ACTS 14.19-15:11

Message

Although it is an unpleasant experience to be a defeated contender, becoming an ex-champion is a much more grievous experience. When you are not a champion, only a few people pay attention to you. But by the time you become a champion, you will be on the radar of many people, including your enemies. A champion has more enemies to contend with than an ordinary contender. I pray you will not be an ex-champion in Jesus’ Name.

The story in our scripture reading is a sad one. The people of God had just recorded victory over a great city called Jericho, and they forged ahead to occupy a small village called Ai. To their surprise and consternation, they were beaten silly! Their leader, Joshua, was downcast. But after making enquiries from God, he discovered the cause of their defeat. What great lessons we can draw from this story! There is always a reason for every set-back suffered by a child of God. Therefore, it is expedient that periodic, self examination becomes a lifestyle among children of God.

The Almighty had warned the children of Israel not to take anything from Jericho as booty, but Achan defied this instruction and stole part of the accursed materials. Joshua did not know about this. This singular act brought a lot of war causalities to the Israelites and turned the whole nation to ex-war champions. The nation remained defeated until the accused thing was removed form the congregation of the people of God, including the culprit and his household. Beloved of God, I want to encourage you to abstain from any form of ungodliness because it is deadly (Romans 6:23). After a man’s sins are forgiven, the next thing is for the fellow to stop living in sin and to perform restitution. In John 5:14, our Lord Jesus Christ told the man He graciously healed to go and sin no more so that a more terrible thing does not come on him. In conclusion:

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates? 2nd Corinthians 13:5

May the Lord be with your soul.

Prayer Point:

Holy Spirit, please help me to be vigilant in maintaining my victory in Christ and help me not to fall into any temptation.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

ENEMY OF DIVINE BLESSINGS

SATURDAY 24th JANUARY 2015

ENEMY OF DIVINE BLESSINGS 

Memorise: 

The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringth low, and lifeth up. 1st Samuel 2:7; 

Read: Hosea 5:3-9, 

3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.

4 They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.

5 And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them.

6 They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.

7 They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.

8 Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Beth-aven, after thee, O Benjamin.

9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 3:6-4:31 and ACTS 13:48-14:18

Message

At the beginning of Ephraim’s history, Ephraim was God’s favourite and a symbol of blessing. In Genesis 48:20, Jacob pronounced these blessings of Ephraim: “… In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.”

David also spoke about the blessings of Ephraim in Psalm 108:8. Without any doubt, Ephraim was indeed a beneficiary of divine blessings. But at some point in history, Ephraim became an object of ridicule (Jeremiah 7:15). How did Ephraim come to this state? The answer is in Hosea 4:17:

“Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.”

What is idolatry? Idolatry is the act of reverencing anything other than the Almighty God. It can take the form of esteeming your culture, race, idea, achievement, etc over and above the Almighty and His Word. Idolatry can also be an insatiable craving for the material things of this world (1st John 2:15-17). When you esteem your children, your cars or your educational qualifications so highly that you make them “no go areas” for the One who gave them to you in the first place, then you are guilt of idolatry. This was the undoing of King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30-33).

Idolatry is one of the archenemies of divine blessings. The Almighty God warned His people against idolatry in Exodus 20:3 saying: 

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

When the children of Israel become comfortable in the Promised Land, they joined themselves with the natives to worship their gods. For this reason, they suffered series of servitude under neighbouring kingdoms. At some point, they were even carried away into captivity by the Assyrians and Babylonians. A nation that had hitherto enjoyed divine blessings in the land flowing with milk and honey became slaves all over again because of their sin of idolatry. This was exactly what turned Ephraim’s divine blessings into a curse.

The word of the Lord is coming to you today to beware of idolatry. Put God first in all you think, say or do, and you will not be a victim of the sin of idolatry. 

Prayer Point:

Father, today, I put down every strange altar I have consciously or unconsciously erected to compete with you in my life, home, business or ministry, in Jesus Name.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

IRREVERSIABLE DIVINE BLESSINGS

FRIDAY 23rd JANUARY 2015

IRREVERSIABLE DIVINE BLESSINGS 

Memorise: 

The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22

Read: Genesis 22:15-18,

15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 1:1-3:5 and ACTS 13:26-47

Message 

The blessings that can be regarded as irreversible are those which come from God. God Almighty decided to give irreversible blessings to Abraham. In Genesis 22:16-17, God declared thus: “…By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;”

The condition nature of divine blessings makes some of them irreversible. When you fulfil some spiritual conditions for divine blessings, God will show Himself mighty, faithful and dependable in your life. Nobody is able to reverse a divine blessing, except God Himself. He will only reverse it if the recipient defaults in the terms of His covenant. For example, God reversed the promise He made to Eli when he and his sons failed to live to live by the terms of the covenant that made them God’s priest (1st Samuel 2:30). If God decides to bless you and you mess up, He can change a blessing to a curse.

The faithfulness of God in keeping His promise to Abraham is demonstrated in Genesis 26, while the irreversible nature of this promise is demonstrated in Genesis 35. In these two instances, the Almighty God reiterated to Isaac and Jacob that the promise He made to Abraham was an everlasting covenant.

Before a person can enjoy irreversible blessings, there are certain conditions he or she must fulfil in Jesus Christ. These include remarkable love towards God, sacrificial giving and commitment to holiness and worship. All these attributes are found in Jesus Christ, and they can rub off on anyone who accepts him as Lord and personal Saviour. The Bible in Colossians 1:19-20 says: “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”

To enjoy irreversible blessings therefore, you must establish a lasting relationship with the Almighty Father, from whom all blessings flow, through Jesus Christ.

Action Point:

Identify some irreversible blessings you have access to through Christ in the Bible, and ask God to bring about their manifestation in your life.

A PEACEMAKER?

THURSDAY 22nd JANUARY 2015

A PEACEMAKER?

Memorise:

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9

Read: 2nd Corinthians 5:18-20,

18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 65-66 and ACTS 13:1-25

Message

When Adam and Eve fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, this brought enmity between the Creator and His human creator. The first man and woman decided to love when God hated (Genesis 3:6). It is unfortunate that this spiritual depravity has continued till date. Men tend to love the world more than their Creator as a result of the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life (1st John 2:14-14).

“Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Genesis 3:23-24

The enmity and separation symbolised by the scripture above lingered for a very long time until God decided to reconcile mankind to Himself. God’s expectation is that men will get reconciled to Him by accepting the hand of love He has stretched out to humanity. Like the father of the prodigal son, God is expectantly waiting for mankind to come home to eternal bliss. God wants to make children out of his human creation.

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9

Who are the peacemakers? The peacemakers are those who realise their state of enmity with God and endeavour to forsake their sinful ways of life in order to please Him. Apostle Paul wrote that:

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ , and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself , not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”

2nd Corinthians 5:18-19

Have you been reconciled with your Lord and Maker? Do not forget that the peacemakers are blessed; they will enjoy the benefits associated with being a child of God.

Action Point:

Are you struggling with God on any issue in your head or heart? Be reconciled to God today by submitting to his will.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

GOOD SUCCESS

WEDNESDAY 21st JANUARY 2015

GOOD SUCCESS

Memorise:
For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. Prov 1:32

Read: Joshua 1:8,
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 61:64 and ACTS 13:6-25

Message
The Bible classifies success into good success and negative or bad success. Of course, to the carnal mind, the idea of bad success is an irony. The Lord defined the type of success that emanates from Him in Proverbs 10:22 “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.”

In other words, if a so-called blessing is not from the Lord, certainly there will be some sorrow attached to it. This kind of success cannot be said to be good. Little wonder God Almighty prescribed what will bring good success to Joshua, as there are other type of success.

The blessing of the Lord makes you live long to enjoy the fruit of your labour (Psalm 91:6). The Lord who blesses is the same one who protects. If you are afraid of calamity after a breakthrough, maybe the source of that so-called breakthrough is not God. No man can temper with good success that emanates from God. Some people are afraid of success because of what people will say about them. You can go ahead and continue to run from success if the success is not coming from God, because it cannot be good success. However, when your breakthrough or success is directly from God, no witch, wizard or herbalist can tamper with it.

In Genesis 26:12-14, we read about a classical example of good success record by Isaac. This man was so blessed that even the king of the Philistines envied him. The secret of this good success is found in the Genesis 26:2-6. Isaac obeyed the voice of God, stayed where God asked him to stay and he became prosperous with good success. Good success is not far from those who determine to obey God all the way. In today’s Bible text, God revealed the secret of good success to Joshua which every child of God must pay attention to. God told Joshua that for Him to have good success, the book of the law should not just be in his mouth, he was to meditate therein constantly in order to observe to do according to its contents. This truth is reinforced in James 1:25: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
If you want to obtain good success therefore, be a doer of the work in God’s Word

Prayer Point:
Father, please grant me good success in all of my endeavours this year in Jesus’ Name.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

THE WORD & THE BLOOD

TUESDAY 20th JANUARY 2015

THE WORD & THE BLOOD 

Memorise: 

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11

Read: Hebrew 12:22-25, 

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 58:60 and ACTS 11:19-12:5

Message 

There are two irresistible weapons available to the children of God in spiritual warfare. These are then Word [of God] and the Blood [of Jesus Christ]. The Word is so powerful that the entire universe was made by abnormality in your life under control, just as He did in Genesis 1. Death is the greatest problem that confronts mankind. The Bible in 1st Corinthians 15:56a reveals that the power of death lies in sin:

“The sting of death is sin;”

But praise God, the Blood of Jesus took care of sin once and for all. Revelation 1:5b says that:

“Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sin in his own blood,”

Once the matter of sin is dealt with by the sinless Blood of Jesus Christ, the evil sting of death is rendered powerless.

As such, when a child of God is armed with the Word and with the Blood, victory if fully decided. The question then is: why are some children of God still living defeated lives? The problem is, for these two weapons of spiritual warfare to be effective for any child of God, certain conditions must be fulfilled. One of such conditions is that they must be ready to honour God’s Word, no matter the cost. At times, when some children of God are caught in heinous sins that should not even be heard of among moralists, they chorus, “it is the devil’s work.” Its as if John 10:10 has been erased from the Bibles. Because such Christians do not honour God’s Word by keeping it, the Word can’t work for them. When a so-called child of God continues to kiss women other than his wife and blatantly disregard God’s Word in 1st Thessalonians 5:22 that says,

“Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

The Word will not be effective for him in fighting against the likes of Delilah. Or is it the Blood of Jesus Christ, who some nail to the cross times without number as they rise and fall, that would avail for them? Notice that the Bible in the concluding part of Revelation 12:11 says that: “….and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

For the Blood of Jesus to work for you, you are expected to resist sin to the point of, if necessary, shedding your own blood (Hebrews 12:4). I pray that the Word and the Blood will work for you at all times in Jesus’ Name.

Action Point:

Determine to put the Word of God into proper application in your daily life, and plead the Blood of Jesus Christ against all negative situations of life for a pleasant turn around.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

DO YOU DESIRE TO BE BLESSED?

MONDAY 19th JANUARY 2015

DO YOU DESIRE TO BE BLESSED? 

Memorise: 

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Psalm 32:1

Read: Genesis 27:1-4, 

1 AND it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.

2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 54:57 and ACTS 10:44-11:18

Message 

Many people desire to be blessed by God and men, but they have never bothered to do anything to actualise their most-desired blessings. Many have received fantastic prophecies which they know are theirs indeed, but they have never taken any step to bring about the fulfilment of such prophecies. When the Lord told the children of Israel that it was time for them to possess the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey, the onus was on them to depose the illegal occupants before they could possess it (Joshua 1:11-15)

It is very important that the children of God know the principles that guarantee divine blessing so that they can endeavour to apply them. Years ago, at London Heathrow on my way back to Nigeria, I met two of my children who greeted me, and I responded accordingly. One of them moved towards me and helped me with one of the carry-on bags that I was struggling with and I said, “God bless you.” On hearing “God bless you” coming from me to the one who helped me with my bag, the other fellow said, “What abut me, daddy?” I spontaneously responded, “What for?” He saw me laden with luggage and merely greeted me, so I merely greeted him in return. If God’s blessing is conditional, and indeed it is, then I won’t put it on those who do not deserve it.

From our scripture reading, take note of the condition Esau needed to fulfil before he could access his father’s blessing. The father’s blessing, both biological and spiritual, is one that must not be missed. It is powerful and only reversible by the Almighty God. The greatness of our loss is therefore unimaginable, if we do nothing to access His divine blessing. One way of accessing divine blessing is stated in Proverbs 3:9-10. Take care to apply this in your life.

Many so-called children of God today are in deep financial and material agony. They seek God’s blessings to no avail because they have failed to realise that it is when they give that they would be given. It is my belief that you would always have something to give not only to God but also to His servants. You can use one orange to entertain four visitors at a time instead of letting them go empty. My prayer for you is that at every point of your life, you will not lack food to eat, and you will not lack the seed to sow to access your divine blessings in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point

Father, open my eyes to recognise what it will take to access my divine blessing, in Jesus’ Name.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

PECULIAR GENERATION

SUNDAY 18 JANUARY 2015

PECULIAR GENERATION

Memorise:

Beloved, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 1st John 3:2

READ: 1st Peter 2:9-10, 

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 51:53 and ACTS 10:24-43

Message 

When John the beloved pondered on the fact that believers in Christ are children of God, he could not stop wondering how privileged they were to be so-called (1st John 3:2). Apostle Peter expounded the implication of the adoption we receive through Jesus Christ.

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” 1st Peter 2:9

There are many things that characterise a peculiar generation. A peculiar generation is the generation of those who seek God (Psalm 24:6). A peculiar generation is the generation of those who have obtained mercy and through it have become solution provider and barrier breaker. They are an unstoppable group of God’s children. We have a good number of them in the Bible. For example, Joseph belonged to the peculiar generation who would not compromise godliness and perfect loyalty to God (Genesis 39:7-9). A peculiar generation is that generation of solution providers like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 2:17-19). To belong to this generation, you must be ready to seek God in the midst of ungodly people (2nd Corinthians 6:17-18).

In the 21st century, there are those who have decided to treat the Bible as outdated literature. Such do not see witchcraft, sorcery and sexual perversion such as homosexuality as evil. They explain apostolic teachings as inconsequential. Such are the people are peculiar generation must not associate themselves with. Although the peculiar generation might be marginalised, they are undeterred. On good thing about them is that they never suffer defeat, not even when demonic people try to attack them, because the Bible in Numbers 23:23” says “Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel:” 

I pray that you will choose to belong to this peculiar generation of people who seek God at such a time like this: when it is no longer popular to live by the principle of the Holy Scriptures. May God bless you as you decide to belong today in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point:

Father, help me remain steadfast in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

ENJOYING AND EXERCISING SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY

SATURDAY 17 JANUARY 2015

ENJOYING AND EXERCISING SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY

Memorise: 

And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? Acts 19:15

READ : Acts 13:8-12, 

8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.

9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,

10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 48:50 and ACTS 10:1-23

Message 

Enjoying and exercising spiritual authority is a pleasant experience. Are you enjoying spiritual authority? Better still, are you really exercising your God-given spiritual authority? If not, why? In today’s Bible reading, Paul exercised spiritual authority over an agent of the devil. Elymas the sorcerer could have frustrated the preaching of the gospel to a potential disciple of Jesus Christ, but for the fact that Paul the apostle knew the authority that he had. However, it is one thing to know that you have authority, and it is another thing to exercise it. You cannot exercise the spiritual authority you do not possess, because you cannot give what you don’t have. If you try it, you will end up with spiritual wounds like the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:14-16

You may be wondering, “How can I enjoy spiritual authority and alson exercise it? First and foremost, you must establish a relationship with the One with overall spiritual power (Matthew 28:18). His name is Jesus. It is His authority you are exercising. Take a look at His model:

“And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and cast out devils;”

Mark 3:14-15

Secondly, you must obey rules governing the exercise of His authority. He revealed one of such rules to His disciples in Mark 9:29. after they had failed while exercising His spiritual authority:

“And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”

Thirdly, identify and believe in genuine ministers of God, in whom God has deposited His authority (2nd Chronicles 20:20). Learn to fellow their instructions.

Many people don’t know the value of this utterance: “God bless you”. A simple “God bless you” prayer from a man with spiritual authority will give you tremendous blessings without sweating. One night, I was praying at the Redemption Camp during one of our special programmes. A young man was following me because he wanted me to pray for him. I struggled to pause my personal prayer to pronounce “God bless you” on him. To my amazement, he still wanted me to pray for him I wondered what else he wanted when I had pleaded with God to bless him.

Action Point:

Establish a relationship with Jesus Christ today. Study His word and exercise your faith in it, and you will begin to enjoy spiritual authority.

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

ENJOYING DIVINE BLESSINGS

FRIDAY 16 JANUARY 2015

ENJOYING DIVINE BLESSINGS'

Memorise:

And all these blessings shall on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 28:2

Read: Malachi 3:10-12, 

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 45-47 and ACTS 9:23-43

Message 

God can decide to bless an individual beyond the wildest imagination of men (Deuteronomy 28:1). However, He can later change His mind concerning this decision. Why? “…Be if far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” 1st Samuel 2:30

Enjoying divined blessings is conditional. You must be ready to honour God with your life and all it contains if you want to enjoy divine blessings (Deuteronomy 28:2). If you claim to belong to God and yet you are flouting his commandments you must be deceiving yourself because God is not a magician. God’s blessings can only be enjoyed on the condition that you obey Him.

In Malachi 3:10-12, God commanded His children to bring all the tithes into His storehouse, with a promises of opening the windows of heaven and pouring out a blessing which there shall be no room to contain. This was an instruction that took me a while to live comfortably with. My background as a mathematician did not help me in this regard. In those horrible days of ignorance, before the middle of the month, I used to borrow money to fuel my car from my driver. I thought to myself, “Who are those people deceiving?” I thought that if 100% was not enough, as indeed it was not enough for me back then, how could 90% be enough? I thank God for winning this argument in my heart and for making me surrender to His will concerning tithes and offering.

Are you really enjoying divine blessings? The promise of these blessings is for you and your children, as Peter said in Acts 2:39. Therefore, if you are not enjoying the blessings from above, something must be fundamentally wrong with your relationship with God. I encourage you to reconsider you attitude towards God’s conditions for His blessings. Remember that He does not need you or your substance; He created you and whatever you think you have. The truth is: the Almighty acts on His divine principles. One of such principles is found in Proverbs 11:24: “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.”

Your life will change for good if you start to live by the principles that govern divine blessings.

Action Point:

Locate areas where you have fallen short of the principles of divine blessings and repent.

AUTHOR: Pst E . A ADEBOYE

A CHILD OR A DOG?

THURSDAY 15 JANUARY 2015

THEME: A CHILD OR A DOG?

Memorise: 

But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. Matthew 15:26

Read: Matthew 15:21-28

21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 43-44 and ACTS 9:1-22

Message 

In His discussion with the Syro-Phoenician woman whose daughter was possessed by evil spirits, Jesus expounded that those who belong to the kingdom of God are children of the kingdom, while those outside of the kingdom are viewed as dogs. This truth is further established in Revelation 22:15: “For without are dogs, and sorcerers and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”

Jesus also said that miracles are meant for children of the kingdom and not for dogs. This should be food for thought for anyone seeking a miracle. The question is, “Are you a child or a dog?” You are a candidate for miracles of all sorts if you are a child, but it is unfortunate if you remain in the position of a dog.

What are the traits of those considered as dogs in the kingdom of God? The Psalmist gives some insight into this in Psalm 22:16: “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have in closed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.”

This means that the wicked are dogs. Paul , in Philippians 3:2 also warned against evil workers whom the described as dogs: “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.”

In light of these, sinners who refused to repent and come to the side of God are dogs.

One the other hand, the forgiven of the Lord are children (Psalm 32:1). Only the children of the Miracle Worker can access His miracles. The Bible in Isaiah 63:8 says: “For the said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.”

Unless a person repents and believe in the saving Name of Jesus Christ, he remains a dog. Are you a dog or a child? Get ready for a big miracle this season if you are truly one of the children of God. If you are not, be ready to give up your pride and self-righteousness in order to be adopted by the Holy One of Israel, Jesus Christ the Lord, if you really want a miracle urgently. Miracles are food meant for children and not for dogs. Repent today and get that miracle you need so urgently!

Action Point:

Examine yourself to ascertain if you are a genuine child of God. If you are, cry to your father for that miracle you urgently need.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

DIVINE TOUCH

WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY 2015

DIVINE TOUCH 

Memorise: 

And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. Mark 1:41

Read: Luke 7:11-15

11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.

12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 41:42 and ACTS 8:26-40

Message 

Divine touch simply refers to the touch of the Almighty Creator of the world. While there is the divine touch, there is also the satanic and human touch. Whatever is touched by God becomes extraordinarily good. Also, any negative situation that comes in contact with the divine touch experiences a positive turn-around. In Matthew 8:1-4, Jesus touched a leper and his leprosy disappeared. Also, in John 9:1-7, a man who was born blind regained his sight by the divine touch of Jesus Christ. A touch from Jesus can uproot a genetic problem. Even if the source of your problem is demonic, the touch of Jesus can take care of problems that even X-rays or MRI cannot see anything wrong with him or her, but the fellow would know that something is actually wrong somewhere.

It is interesting to note that a person can initiate the process that yields the divine touch if he or she believes. The leper initiated the process that brought him the divine touch when he came asking Jesus to heal him. It was just a touch that solved his problem (Mark 1:40-41)

The story in our Bible reading today is a classic illustration of how the divine touch can turn around a hopeless situation. A widow lost her only son to untimely death and was on her way to bury her only hope. This widow and her dead son encountered Jesus on the way, and their situation was turned around through His divine touch. I pray for someone using this devotional that you will experience the divine touch in all areas of your life in Jesus’ Name. For you to experience the divine touch, you must take out time to study those who have had this experience in the past. Take the example of the lepers at the outskirts of town and came into the town at great risk to meet Jesus, all because he had unwavering faith that Jesus would make him whole. You need to have unwavering faith in the infallible Word of God. You can demonstrate this when you have high regard for the contents of the Bible and keep to its tenets. My prayer again is that the power in the Word of God will work for and not against you in Jesus’ Name. 

Prayer Point:

Father, have compassion on me and touch my situation for good in Jesus’ Name.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

DIVINE REPLACEMENT

TUESDAY 13 JANUARY 2015

DIVINE REPLACEMENT 

Memorise:

And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. 1Samuel 15:28

Read: Esther 2:1-4

1 AFTER these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.

2 Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:

3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them:

4 And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 38-40 And ACTS 8:4-25

Message 

“And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen of Vashti,”

Esther 2:17

From the scripture above, you will observe that divine replacement has both positive and negative sides of it. For Vashti, the divine replacement that occurred was negative, but for Esther, it was positive. I pray that you will enjoy the positive side of the divine replacement coming your way this season in Jesus’ Name. The Bible says that it is God Almighty who sets kings on thrones (Romans 13:1). The One who installs a king has the power to unseat the same king. Just as there is divine placement, so also is there divine replacement (1st Samuel 15:28). Endeavour to keep your God-given positive and avoid replacement. You will not be replaced in Jesus’ Name.

The story behind the replacement of Vashti with Esther in Esther 2:1-17 should teach us some lesson as Christians. We should heed the warning in Revelation 3:11: “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”

It is a pity that many so-called children of God are no longer holding fast their position of adoption. They are selling their birthright like Esau of the old for a morsel of food. It was pride that replaced Queen Vashti. She momentarily forgot that she was only a queen because her husband was the king. She flouted the order of her husband, the king, and before she knew what was happening, someone else had taken her crown. To avoid divine replacement, we must be careful to obey every instruction given to us by our Saviour, King and Husband –Jesus Christ. One of such instructions is the commandment to bear fruit (John 15:16-17). When we bear fruit, we honour and complement His work of salvation. When we love our brethren, we establish His lordship on earth. However, when we refuse to bear fruit, we seem to make His death a waste. Also, when we behave in a manner that does not edify the brethren, we have no love. For example, when a so-called sister dress to ‘torment’ the libidinal instinct of brothers, where is the love of God? There is no love in being a stumbling block (1st Corinthians 8:13).

Prayer Point:

Father, please prevent me from doing anything that will make me lose my position in Christ, in Jesus’ Name.

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

DIVINE INVOLVEMENT

MONDAY 12 JANUARY 2015

DIVINE INVOLVEMENT 

Memorise:

And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: Exodus 3:21

Read: Exodus 3:7-8, 

7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 36:37 AND ACTS 7:44-8:3

Message

Divine involvement simply suggests God’s participation in a subject matter. When the Almighty God gets involved in a person’s affairs, it will appear as if the fellow is wiser or more powerful than others. Nothing becomes impossible for such a person. Whatever the challenges he or she is facing becomes history. The moment the Almighty God got involved in the affliction of the children of Israel, things began to work out for their good. God declared His involvement in their situation in Exodus 3:8a. He said: 

“And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians”

The first thing God did was to raise a deliverer for them. I pray that the Almighty God will send helpers to you this season in Jesus’ Name. Moses, the helper God decided to send, was not willing because he felt he was not capable. Notwithstanding the Lord did not only convince him to volunteer himself, He also equipped him. God said to Moses in Exodus 3:12:

“… Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.”

This is one thing that children of God should know. It is one thing to have a willing helper, and its another thing for the helper to be capable of rendering help.

Several years ago, while travelling to Ilorin, I saw a young girl crying and shedding tears profusely. My attention was drawn to her, and I asked my driver to pull up the car beside her. I asked her why she was crying so much. She told me she had lost her mother’s money and that unless she found it, her mother would punish her severely. I asked her how much the money was, and she told me it was “fifty kobo”. I handed the said amount to her and she galloped away rejoicing. When God gets involved in your situation, He wipes tears away from your eyes. I prophesy to someone using this devotional that God will get involved in your situation today, and things will turn around for your good in Jesus’ Name. However, for God to get involved in your situation, you must establish a relationship with him. God got involved in the terrible situation of the children of Israel because of the relationship He had with their patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 2:24-25).

Action Point:

Cry to God Almighty in the Name of Jesus to get involved in your situation today.

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

THE DAY OF FAVOUR

SUNDAY 11 JANUARY 2015

THE DAY OF FAVOUR 

Memorise:

For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Psalm 5:12

Read: Esther 5:1-3

1 NOW it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.

2 And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.

3 Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 32:9-35:10 and ACTS 7:23-43

Message 

Queen Esther found favour in the sight of the king and she was promised blessings up to one half of the kingdom. There are lots of lessons in the passage before us. First of these is that the king’s eyes located Esther. 1st Samuel 16:11-13 tells us how favour located David while he was watching over the flock of his father. Mark 5:1-15 also narrates how favour located the mad man of Gadara in the graveyard. A sister who had been looking for a husband once attended a funeral service. In attendance also was a brother who had also been looking for a wife. One seeing her, he concluded that if the sister could look that beautiful in the mourning clothes, she would look awesome when in high spirits. There and then, he concluded to go after her hand in marriage. This shows that favour can locate you anywhere you are.

The king did not just see Esther, he focused on her. When your day of favour comes, God will not just glance at you, He will focus on you. The day favour beamed on the sick man at Bethesda, Jesus located him for healing (John 5:5-6). There was a man who had two doctorate degrees but could not get a job. When this man was brought to us he was unkempt as if he never attended school. We introduced him to Jesus and prayed with him. Before he got to him hometown that day, favour located him and people in his local government started looking for him with several job opportunities. Another story of favour is that of a lady whose mother would not allow her to get married for fear of being neglected by her after marriage. After some words of prayer of this sister, there was deliverance. This sister had been in church for a long time, but when God’s favour located her, she suddenly got a suitor within one week. My prayer for you is that whatever is blocking the view of those who should favour you shall be removed this season in Jesus’ Name.

The only obstacle to divine favour is unrighteousness. The Bible in Psalm 5:12 says:

“For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield."

I therefore appeal to you to surrender your life to Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, and begin to live a life acceptable to God for divine favour.

Prayer Point:

Father, please let your favour locate me for breakthrough today in Jesus’ Name.

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE