TOLERATING DEMONS?

TUESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2015

TOLERATING DEMONS?

Memorise: Neither give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:27

Read: Acts 16:16-18

16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

Message

One of the signs affirming that you have received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour is the ability to cast out demons. This grace is not the exclusive preserve of a few Christians who are branded “deliverance ministers”; rather, it should be commonplace among all Christians (Mark 16:17-18). However, you need to know that you cannot cast out demons while living in sin; they will expose your secret deeds. There is the story of a minister who attempted to cast out a demon from a fellow, and the demon spoke out saying: “Are you the one commanding me to go? You who committed fornication with so and so yesterday?” That was the end of that deliverance session. In practice, we don’t see a lot of believers in Christ casting out demons today. Why is this so? Are you afraid, or living in secret sin? This should no be so. You should cast out demons whenever you perceive any operating around you. From today, you shall be a demon-chaser in Jesus’ Name. Wherever you go and find demons in operation, you should stamp your feet down in the Name of Jesus Christ and command them to take their leave. They will have no choice but to obey. If you need to support your faith, you can team up with one or two more believers and go out to preach the gospel, casting out the demons you find along the way, and they will obey you. 

In our Bible reading, there was this young lady with the spirit of divination who appointed herself as the Public Relations Officer of Paul and his team, while at the same time working for her evil masters. She did this for a while, until Paul was grieved in the spirit and commanded the evil spirit to come out of her, and it did. From this account, you should learn that as long as you are ready to tolerate demons, they will continue to harass you. The trouble you allow to stay with you may take you along with it. In some churches, spirits of divination are in operation and they are tolerated. In fact, some pastors don’t know the difference between a spirit of divination and the spirit of prophecy that comes from God. In such churches, the devil reigns, and he manipulates people freely. Many believers today are far from the place where God wants them to be, because the forces of darkness are fighting to hinder their joy, they throw up their hands in resignation to fate, expecting God to do something about it, but God expects them to command those forces working against them to loose their grip and take their leave in the Name of Jesus. Are you doing this today? 

Action Point:

If you notice demonic manipulation in any area of your life, command the spirits responsible to loose their grip and take their leave in Jesus Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: EXODUS 4-5 and ROMANS 4

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

PRAYER NEUTRALISES FEAR

MONDAY 31st AUGUST 2015

PRAYER NEUTRALISES FEAR

Memorise:

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Read: Luke 1:5-13

5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 

7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 

8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 

9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 

10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 

11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 

12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 

13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 

Message

Prayer unleashes great possibilities to anyone who is given to it. Looking at the experience of Zacharias in today's Bible reading, we can see some of the things made possible through prayer. First, when you pray, you attract angelic visitations into your situation. In other words, prayer brings the supernatural into the natural. Any time you are tired of the ordinary, pray, and you will see the supernatural. Are you tired of seeing ordinary results? Pray, and you will soon receive results that are beyond your imagination.

In addition, when you pray, your fear is substituted with calmness. Prayer causes fear to dissipate, because it is linked with faith, just as fear is linked with unbelief. While intensive prayers were going on in the temple, Zacharias heard an angel say "Fear not". When you hear "fear not", don't jump up in excitement until you have found out the source of that command. For instance, if a man tells you not to be afraid, there may still be reasons to accommodate some elements of fear, because of man's several limitations; but if God tells you not to be afraid, then you can rest assured there is nothing to fear.

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

Hebrews 4:16

Are you afraid? Pray! As you engage the prayer gear, boldness will surge into you, and before long, fear would have disappeared. If you are constantly tormented by fear, it is an indication of the absence of an effective prayer life. If you pray often, you will always be looking up at the sunny side of life. You will be optimistic. You will have hope for the future and easily accept that your tomorrow will be alright. On the other hand, if you seldom pray, you will always see the bleak side of life. You will be easily discouraged. You will be full of fear, worry and anxiety. You will equally be filled with suspicion. With fear in your heart, it will almost be impossible to do what you should do, go where you should go and be all you were created to be. Fear paralyses, don't give room to it.

Key Point:

Prayerlessness ensnares the prayerless fellow in the trap of fear. Only a fervent, vibrant and consistent prayer life can set him free.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 1-3

Romans 3:9-31

AUTHOR: Pst. E. A. ADEBOYE

UNDERSTANDING THE ABRAHAMIC BLESSING

SUNDAY 30th AUGUST 2015

UNDERSTANDING THE ABRAHAMIC BLESSING

Memorise:

Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

Numbers 23:20

Read: Genesis 27:27-29

27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: 

28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 

29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

Message

When God called Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, he instructed him to do certain things, while He promised to bless him in specific ways. One of the articles of this blessing in Genesis 12:3 was:

"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

We can infer from this Scripture that when a man is operating under the blessing of Abraham, his friends will also be blessed, and his enemies will most likely be cursed. Thank God we have access to the blessing of Abraham through Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:14). When a man is blessed, his children are also blessed. The blessing of God on an individual can affect the genealogy of that fellow. Your generations can be blessed because of you. God did not just promise to bless Abraham, He actually fulfilled it. The testimony of Abraham's servant in Genesis 24:34-35, clearly shows God's faithfulness to Abraham. Every good promise the Lord has made to you shall be fulfilled in Jesus' Name.

Now, how can we define blessing? There is a generic definition of blessing and a spiritual definition for it. When all of your needs are being met and you still have extra resources left, generically, you can be said to be blessed. In other words, you cannot be said to be blessed when you are living from hand to mouth or you are begging. To be considered as blessed, there must be an overflow of resources. David in Psalm 23:5 spoke of his cup running over. After you have had enough for yourself and your immediate family, and you still have surplus, generically, you can be said to be blessed. It is good to be healed from a sickness, but it is better to be healthy.

You are considered blessed when, instead of just being healthy, the healing virtue flows through you. This shall be your portion in Jesus' Name. On the other hand, the spiritual definition of being blessed is the attainment of a state in which all the forces on earth, in heaven and under the earth are summoned to come to the aid of a person in his or her bid to succeed or excel. This was exactly what happened to Jacob. Isaac commanded the heavens, the earth and all people to help Jacob succeed (Genesis 27:28-29). In the Name of Jesus, the dew of heaven will favour you, the earth will yield her fatness to you, people and nations will willingly serve you, and you shall remain head everywhere you go.

Prayer Point:

Father, release the dew of heaven to me, grant me the fatness of the earth and let nations, situations and circumstances bow down to me.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: GENESIS 49-50 and ROMANS 2:12-3:8

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

WHEN HE BECKONS TO YOU

SATURDAY 29th AUGUST 2015

WHEN HE BECKONS TO YOU

Memorise:

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. John 7:37

Read: Exodus 3:3-4

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 

4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

Message

When a king beckons to you, it means you have caught his attention. In Esther 5:1-3, when King Ahasuerus saw Esther standing in the inner courts of the palace, he immediately raised his sceptre towards her. By so doing, he was inviting her to come nearer. When God beckons to you, you can be assured that things are definitely taking a new turn from that moment. This was the experience of Moses. For 40 years, Moses was at the back side of the desert looking after his father-in-law's sheep; but one day, this well-read and once very promising heir to the throne of Egypt (now turned shepherd boy) encountered the burning bush which was not consumed. He heard God beckon to Him saying "Moses, Moses". From that very moment, his story was never the same.

God beckons to you when the day of your favour dawns. There is a user of this devotional: you have invested so much time and money in acquiring several degrees but you have not been able to use them. It appears God has forgotten you for some years, and you have been wondering when the opportunity will ever come for your certificates to work for you. Rejoice! Your time of favour has just dawned. God has just remembered you and is presently beckoning to you. Within the next three months, your life will go through a transformation, to the extent that it will be difficult for you to believe this is happening to you. When the Lord does this for you, do not forget to appreciate Him and testify of it.

In 1969, while doing my postgraduate programme in Mathematics, a friend of mine was doing his research on the coastlines of Lagos, and so he needed to visit all the coastlines and take samples from them. He decided to go to Ebute Metta, Lagos, for some samples. Because we were friends and I was available, I accompanied him. At Ebute Metta, we saw a very large signboard which read "The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG)". Looking to see what the big signboard was referring to, we only saw a very little church. I turned to my friend and said "The big name killed a small dog!" We laughed and left. Four years later, somebody invited me to the same RCCG for the first time, saying "There is a small church at Ebute Metta where God is performing miracles." I told him I had seen that church before - the small church with the big signboard. Imagine what God is doing today after beckoning to me. May you heed God's beckoning in Jesus' Name.

Action Point:

What you look down on today may be your saving grace tomorrow. Ask for divine guidance in all you do.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: GENESIS 47-48 and Romans 1:18-2:11

AUTHOR: Pst. E. A. ADEBOYE

HE STILL SENDS BIRDS

FRIDAY 28th AUGUST 2015

HE STILL SENDS BIRDS

Memorise:

And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook: and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

1 Kings 17:4

Read: 1 Kings 17:2-6

2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 

3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 

4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 

5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 

6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. 

Message

Our God is awesome, and His ways are beyond finding out. Nobody can box God into a pattern or regimen. He can use anything He chooses to achieve His purpose on earth. God uses those who are lowly placed, and He also uses the rich. Luke 8:1-3 tells of some wealthy women who ministered to Jesus from their resources. Mary Magdalene and other women blessed by the Lord resolved to serve Him with the resources they had. Are you rich or wealthy? Do you serve the Lord with your substance? Experience has shown that those who have little are the ones who dare to give their all to God. This was the case with the widow who dropped her mites (Mark 12:41-44). Usually, the rich only give a fraction of what they have because they believe they are giving something big. However, God does not judge by size, He judges by proportion. Hence, the poor can give more than the rich in the sight of God, even if what they give is not as much as what the rich have given in quantity. Justifying why the widow's gift was more than what the rich gave, Jesus in Mark 12:44 said:

"For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."

Moreover, not only can God use humans to accomplish His purpose, He can also use animals. In 1 Kings 17:2-6, God sent ravens to deliver food to His servant, and they obeyed. We have equally seen Him use birds too. When we began to build the Redemption Camp in those early years, there were some trees that provided shade which I instructed the workers to preserve. Some little birds came in their hundreds of thousands to perch on these trees. Whenever they descended on them, there would be no leaves left on the trees the following day. They were also very noisy. I wondered if they were demonic birds. Some of my children who had guns would enter their midst and fire some shots; yet, they refused to go away. Some birds were hit by the fired bullets and dropped dead, but the rest stayed on. At some point, it appeared the more they were killed, the more they multiplied! The situation became unbearable. I therefore called on God to help us one morning. That evening, several eagles came and began to eat them up. Within hours, there was not a single one of them left. God has not stopped using birds! If He needs to send birds to meet your needs, He will do so; but you need to show Him that you can serve Him with all He has given to you. How faithfully have you served God? To what extent can you risk your life and all He has given to you for His service?

Key Point:

God can mobilise all of His resources to satisfy the needs of those who can give Him their all.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: GENESIS 45-46 and Romans 1:1-17

AUTHOR: Pst. E. A. ADEBOYE

WEAPONS FOR GOD'S SERVANTS

THURSDAY 27th AUGUST 2015

WEAPONS FOR GOD'S SERVANTS

Memorise:

And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

1Samuel 3:19

Read: 1 Samuel 3:19-21

19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. 

20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. 

21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

Message

There are some principles of God that can be used as weapons by everyone, regardless of their faith. Divine principles relating to the natural world are given to all to harness the power inherent in them. For example, the principle of sowing and reaping falls into this category. However, there are some weapons of God that are exclusively for those who have believed in Jesus Christ. In this subset, there are some weapons designed for the use of God's servants; one of which is prophecy. The Bible in Amos 3:7 says,

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

God attaches great importance to the words of His servants. In fact, if you walk closely with God, He will personally honour your word, just as He did with Samuel (1 Samuel 3:19). If only you can work on your relationship with God as His servant, He will become the backbone of your words. In other words, whenever you speak, people will tremble because they know God will back you up. In Ezekiel 37:1-10, God asked Ezekiel if dry bones could live, and he replied that only God could tell. Thereafter, God told him to prophesy: to make simple pronouncements from his mouth. He did, and God backed up his words. The result was a mighty army raised from dry bones.

Another weapon available to God's servants, closely linked with prophecy, is decrees. Job 22:21-28 reveals that if a servant of God can satisfy certain conditions, he will decree a thing and it shall be established. When you go through Scriptures, you will discover that those who skilfully used this weapon were mainly prophets of God. A heavily indebted widow ran to Elisha in 2 Kings 4:1-7, and he gave her certain instructions, decreeing that the little oil she had would continue to multiply until all available vessels she had were filled up. It happened just as he decreed. Notice that He did not say "Thus saith the Lord". Similarly, a very rich, elderly and barren woman who had consistently taken care of Elisha was told "Madam, nine months from now, you will have a son." She did not believe it, but it happened as Elisha decreed (2 Kings 4:16-17). When you hear a prophecy, you need faith in order to receive it and see its manifestation; but when it is a decree, even your doubts cannot stop it. As a servant of God, have you been using these weapons that God has made available to you?

Action Point:

After worshipping God today, decree good things into your life, family, workplace, ministry, etc.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: GENESIS 43-44 and JOHN 21:15-25

AUTHOR: Pst. E. A. ADEBOYE

CRUELTY, EXPLOITATION & STEALING

WEDNESDAY 26TH AUGUST 2015

CRUELTY, EXPLOITATION & STEALING

Memorise:

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Ephesians 4:28

Read: Ephesians 4:25-29

25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we 

are members one of another.  

26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 

27 Neither give place to the devil. 

28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 

29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Message

Although God loves the sinner, He hates their sins. For example, because God hates stealing, He commanded us not to steal (Exodus 20:15). In spite of God's commandment however, there is still so much stealing going on at workplaces these days. One way employees steal from their employers is by inflating the cost of items they are sent to buy in order to make some profit for themselves. If you were sent on an errand and you have some money leftover, it is your duty to return that money to the one who sent you. Today, many people corner such money into their pockets. This is wrong! It is stealing for a chauffeur to be given N2000 for petrol and he buys N1500 worth, pocketing the rest. It is also wrong for you to ask for a bribe from your clients or customers before carrying out a task you are paid for. If you do so, you are stealing from your organisation's reputation, goodwill and position as a credible workplace. What the organisation stands to lose is far worse than what you stand to gain from such a bribe. Are you a thief?

On the other hand, some employers are cruel, exploitative and they steal from their employees. If you detain your employee beyond the normal closing hours and you fail to pay them the stated amount for extra hours of work done, you are a thief. If you pay your workers below a liveable wage, you are exploitative. If you fail to pay salaries when due, it is cruel. If you take advantage of your staff by paying them peanuts just because there are no jobs around, you are exploiting them. If you fail to keep promises made to your staff, you are a thief. Organisations that fail to give their staff at least one day off from a week of work are cruel and exploitative. If you are using your workers without caring about their welfare, family and even the time they have to serve God, you are cruel.

When you fail to promote hardworking staff at the pre-agreed time, you are a thief. An employer who goes into an extra-marital affair with a member of staff is exploitative and is a thief. There are some employers or top company executives who recruit young ladies only after they agree to sleep with them. This is cruel, exploitative and amounts to stealing. Are you cruel to your staff or are you stealing from them? Do you exploit your employees or subordinates? As a pastor, are you abusing your ecclesiastical authority over the inheritance of God under your care? It's time to repent of these before the judgement of God comes knocking.

Action Point:

Examine your relationship with your employer or employee(s). Carry out restitution on any act of cruelty, exploitation or stealing.

MBIBLE IN ONE YEAR: GENESIS 41:37-42:38 and JOHN 20:24-21:14

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

TIME TO FAST

TUESDAY 25th AUGUST 2015

TIME TO FAST

Memorise:

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

Read: Matthew 9:14-15

14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?

15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

Message

It is good to fast, but it is important to know why you should fast. One of the reasons why we fast is so that we can be empowered to deal with demons and forces of darkness. In Matthew 17:14-21, a demon-possessed boy was brought to Jesus' disciples, but they could not cast out the demon. They later asked the Lord why. He told them that some demonic cases may not be solved by praying alone, but by combining prayers with fasting. We fast in order to be battle-ready, so that whenever the devil raises his ugly head, we are able to give him a good knock. Some people are surprised and disappointed when they do not succeed in casting out demons after quoting Luke 10:19. This Scripture says:

"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

If you want this Scripture to be effective in your life, then you must learn to fast and win souls to Christ. When you win souls to Jesus, you automatically put on the boots of the gospel, and as a result, no demon will be able to harm you.

Moreover, we also fast while preparing for high-powered ministrations, just like our Master who began His ministry with a fast (Matthew 4:1-2). Some people ask God to fulfil His promise that we would do the same works Jesus did and even greater works (John 14:12). To those people, Jesus says "Fine, simply start where I did - with a 40-day fast." Many years ago, during the centenary celebration of modern Pentecostalism in Azusa, Los Angeles, a lot of speakers from prominent ministries were invited from across the globe. From Africa, only two people were invited to speak, and by the grace of God, I was one of them. There was a special room where the speakers waited before moving to the stage. All kinds of food and drinks were available in this room.

When I got there, I saw those slated to speak eating, drinking and chatting. An usher asked me what I would like to have, but I declined. The lady then asked, "Won't you take even a cup of tea?" In my heart, I knew that was not the appropriate time for me to eat or drink. It was time to hook on to the Spirit so that my ministration would be impactful; so, I took nothing. After God used other speakers powerfully, when it was my turn, the fire fell. If you truly want your sermons to be effective, feed your spirit and not your flesh. As you wait on Him from today, you will have greater results.

Action Point:

Use one to three days to wait on the Lord, just to thank, praise and worship Him.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : GENESIS 39:1-41:36 and JOHN 20:1-23

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

INSANITY TERMINATED INSTANTLY

MONDAY 24th AUGUST 2015

INSANITY TERMINATED INSTANTLY

Memorise:

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

Psalm 46:5

Read: Mark 5:1-15

1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 

2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 

3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 

4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 

6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 

7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 

8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 

9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name i Legion: for we are many. 

10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 

11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 

12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 

13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. 

14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.

15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

Message

Different people experience different stages of progress. While some people experience progress without wheels, some others experience progress with wheels but without an added push. However, there are some who experience the level of accelerated progress which has wheels and speed. The progress that suddenly moves someone from the bottom right to the top shall be your portion this season! Elisha, the servant of Elijah, experienced this type of progress (2 Kings 2:1-15). While he and Elijah were travelling from place to place, the other sons of the prophets mocked him. On the day his master was to be taken away, they mocked him saying, "Mr. Dedicated! Instead of joining us to acquire theological degrees at the school of prophets, you are busy following Elijah about.

We shall see what will become of you when God takes your master home today!" These sons of the prophets must have believed that one of them would be Elijah's successor, but in a twist of fate, when Elijah was taken away, Elisha was the one chosen by God as his successor. When they saw Elisha parting River Jordan and walking through on dry ground, they acknowledged that what they were hoping to get had been given to him instead. They all had no choice but to bow down before Elisha (2 Kings 2:15). All those mocking you today shall soon bow to God in your life, in Jesus' Name.

Not only does accelerated progress affect work, position and finance, it can also move a person from a state of insanity to sobriety in an instant. The mad man of Gadara did not undergo 10 weeks of deliverance coupled with fasting and prayer. He met Jesus at the height of his insanity, and the very next moment, he was saved and transformed into an evangelist. Many years ago, a bank manager ran mad. It took four hefty policemen to grab him, handcuff and chain him. He was being taken to the psychiatric hospital when, in a brief moment of sanity, he begged them to take him to the Redemption Camp. He told them that if his legs could just touch the soil at the Redemption Camp, he would be free. When they brought him, I was in my office close to the expressway.

He was very wild, but I asked them to release him. They refused, because of the difficulty they had experienced in capturing him at first; but I insisted that they should set him loose, since he had said he just wanted to step on the soil of the camp. Immediately he was set loose and he stepped on the soil of the Redemption Camp, he became completely healed. As witnesses of this miraculous event, the policemen asked me to pray for them. I told them to give their lives to Christ first, and they agreed. Your healing and deliverance shall come suddenly, in Jesus' Name.

Prayer Point:

Father, send Your power of deliverance to set free all those with issues of insanity around us.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: GENESIS 37-38 and JOHN 19:17-42

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE