MANAGING TIME- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Job 35-37
MANAGING TIME Saturday, March 26, 2011
MEMORIZE: “The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.” (Eccl. 1:5). READ: Ecclesiastes 1:3-6 “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecc. 3:1). One subject that is difficult to define is time. Although it can be measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years and so on, yet, it will require a divine revelation to define it appropriately. Simply put, time is a segment of eternity. Time is somewhere inside eternity. According to Ecclesiastes 1:4, time is transient. As one generation goes another one comes. Time is a process that flows nonstop like a river. It is always on the move. Ecclesiastes 1:5 says, “The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose”. When it's sunrise, before long it will be sunset. One lesson here is that we must never waste our time. Use the difference between sunrise and sunset profitably. Time never stops flowing. Some people erroneously talk of 'killing time'. Time never dies. Those who claim to kill time are only working against the natural order and therefore killing themselves. Time is a valid means of measurement. No matter how young a child is, it is common to ask how old he or she is. Why? The moment a child is born, he begins a journey to the grave. So what that child does between birth and death is entirely his responsibility. This is why we need wisdom to be able to maximize our time on the earth. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”. An aspect of that wisdom is in measuring your time on earth using days, and not necessarily years. Use the closer instruments such as seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and months than years which are farther. The one who effectively plans with days will have results for every passing day, week, month and year. But the one who plans only with years may have nothing to show for each day, week, month or year. What are your plans for this year? Are they carefully plotted—each day, week and month? If your minutes, hours and days are effectively occupied, you will end up as an efficient time manager. ACTION POINT: It is easier to handle the little, tiny bits of time that are closer to you than the big and far away variable called years. Plan out your days today!

When heaven and earth connive- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Job 32-34
WHEN HEAVEN AND EARTH CONNIVE Friday, March 25, 2011
MEMORIZE: “And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron” (Deut. 28:23). READ: Haggai 1:6-9 One reason you should not lose your sleep over your enemies is: God has promised to bless those who bless you and to curse those who curse you (Gen. 12:3). In other words, God will repay people in their own coins commensurate to what they do to us as believers. Have you come into the Christian fold? If yes, from today anyone who curses you has placed a curse upon himself or herself. Anyone who blesses you shall be blessed. It is a great thing to be blessed. A blessing is the direct opposite of a curse. It is a terrible thing to come under a curse. Deuteronomy 28:23 says, “And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron”. For anyone to be really blessed or cursed, that fellow must be served both by Heaven and earth. Heaven and earth must cooperate to deliver blessings to the blessed. Under a cursed atmosphere, both the heavens and earth would connive to withhold that individual's blessings. No matter the efforts, the rains would refuse to fall from Heaven. In spite of all the plans, toils and labors, the earth would refuse to yield her increase. Have the heavens and earth connived against your blessing? The Lord will intervene and bring about a change today in Jesus name. A curse can shut the windows of Heaven and harden the earth. It can turn the heavens over such a fellow into brass and the earth into iron. The ground of a cursed fellow is cursed. Imagine sowing into a stony, rocky soil with no sand or moisture. Can such a farmer expect any harvest? Some people under a curse think that they can still achieve their desired harvest if only they can work harder. Hard work is not recognized when a curse is in operation. In fact, one purpose of a curse is to get rid of harvests in the life of the cursed. According to Haggai 1:6-9, the earnings of a cursed fellow are also cursed. That means another purpose of a curse in the life of the cursed is to ensure that the fellow is incapable of gathering earnings, and making or storing wealth. Whatever he earns will be saved in a hollow basket so that by the time he wants to harness his gains, there will be nothing to show for it. Even God will blow away the increase of anyone who comes under a divine curse. Have any of these been taking place in your life? Examine your life, trace the source of the curse and prayerfully address it. Every curse operating in your life will be cancelled. PRAYER POINT: Father, destroy today every curse operating in my life, family and lineage. Father, thank You for the past Lets-Go-A-Fishing programs. Lord, make this year's Easter program the greatest in terms of souls won and miracles worked

GREAT PROMISES- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Job 32-34
GREAT PROMISES Thursday, March 24, 2011
MEMORIZE: “And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron” (Deut. 28:23). READ: Haggai 1:6-9 One reason you should not lose your sleep over your enemies is: God has promised to bless those who bless you and to curse those who curse you (Gen. 12:3). In other words, God will repay people in their own coins commensurate to what they do to us as believers. Have you come into the Christian fold? If yes, from today anyone who curses you has placed a curse upon himself or herself. Anyone who blesses you shall be blessed. It is a great thing to be blessed. A blessing is the direct opposite of a curse. It is a terrible thing to come under a curse. Deuteronomy 28:23 says, “And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron”. For anyone to be really blessed or cursed, that fellow must be served both by Heaven and earth. Heaven and earth must cooperate to deliver blessings to the blessed. Under a cursed atmosphere, both the heavens and earth would connive to withhold that individual's blessings. No matter the efforts, the rains would refuse to fall from Heaven. In spite of all the plans, toils and labors, the earth would refuse to yield her increase. Have the heavens and earth connived against your blessing? The Lord will intervene and bring about a change today in Jesus name. A curse can shut the windows of Heaven and harden the earth. It can turn the heavens over such a fellow into brass and the earth into iron. The ground of a cursed fellow is cursed. Imagine sowing into a stony, rocky soil with no sand or moisture. Can such a farmer expect any harvest? Some people under a curse think that they can still achieve their desired harvest if only they can work harder. Hard work is not recognized when a curse is in operation. In fact, one purpose of a curse is to get rid of harvests in the life of the cursed. According to Haggai 1:6-9, the earnings of a cursed fellow are also cursed. That means another purpose of a curse in the life of the cursed is to ensure that the fellow is incapable of gathering earnings, and making or storing wealth. Whatever he earns will be saved in a hollow basket so that by the time he wants to harness his gains, there will be nothing to show for it. Even God will blow away the increase of anyone who comes under a divine curse. Have any of these been taking place in your life? Examine your life, trace the source of the curse and prayerfully address it. Every curse operating in your life will be cancelled. PRAYER POINT: Father, destroy today every curse operating in my life, family and lineage. Father, thank You for the past Lets-Go-A-Fishing programs. Lord, make this year's Easter program the greatest in terms of souls won and miracles worked

SIN AND SICKNESS- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Malachi 3-4
SIN AND SICKNESS Wednesday, March 23, 2011
MEMORIZE: “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: John 5:14-16 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (1 Cor. 11:30). One very disturbing trend today is the rate at which people fall ill and are affected by diseases and sicknesses that God promised to keep from His children. In Exodus 15:26, the Lord promised that certain diseases will not find their way into our bodies. Similarly, Exodus 23:25 says, “And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee”. The question in the hearts of many is: 'Why is it that many who believe in Christ still suffer from sicknesses?' In other words, why do the righteous still die of sicknesses that should not be mentioned among believers? One major cause of sickness is sin. If you live a holy life, sin-induced ailments may never be able to penetrate your body. In Psalm 119:67, the Psalmist observed that before afflictions came to him, he had veered off the path of righteousness. If you are toying with sin, you are sending an invitation to sickness. If you want to live healthy, keep away from sin and obey God's Word. Impotency was delivered to the man in John 5:1-16 because of his sin. Another cause of sickness is defying God's order on the Holy Communion. 1 Corinthians 11:273-0 says whenever you take the Holy Communion unworthily, you send an invitation to weakness. If this trend continues, your invitation will extend to sickness and thereafter death. You can be assured that such invitations are usually honored by these evil spirits. Are you always feeling weak, tired and always wanting to rest even when you have not done any strenuous work? Examine yourself! You may just be defying God's order on the Holy Communion! If you take the Lord's Supper and go back into your sinful life, or you pretend that all is well and because you do not want some people to think that you are living in sin, you take this uncommon meal while harboring sin, life will gradually drain out of you. The condition of the communicant is very important whenever the Holy Communion is taken. If there is sin, what is meant to give life will gradually take it away. Are you sick? Is the sickness as a result of sin or violation of the Holy Communion? Repent today and turn a new leaf. KEY POINT: Sin and sickness are related. Wherever you find one, you will most likely find the other.

WHERE IS THAT LEADER?- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Malachi 1-2
WHITHER THAT LEADER? Tuesday, March 22, 2011
MEMORIZE: “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word” (John 17:6). READ: John 17:5-6 Becoming an ecclesiastical leader is a serious issue. Not everyone can become a pastor or prophet. We need to be extremely prayerful and careful in choosing leaders. In Luke 6:12-16, the Lord had an all-night prayer meeting before picking His 12 apostles, yet, one of them was a traitor. If He needed to depend on God in appointing leaders, we need to depend on God all the more. Today, for our failing to take maximum care, more people who have no business with leadership in the church, find their way there. This is why the altar is polluted, divided and lacks the anointing. When wrong leaders find their way unto God's altar, He vacates it for them. No wonder many altars have no divine fire. Their fire cannot even roast a fly! God will hold you responsible for every wrong fellow you recommend or appoint to positions of leadership. Moreover, an examination of the Lord's prayer in John 17 shows that He prayed in total submission to the Most High God. In verse 6, He says, “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word”. One thing we learn here is that although those for leadership in the church are chosen from the world, however, they are truly from God. They belong to God. It is either you go to the world or to God for leaders. The quality of response from the leaders you appoint will depend on whether they come from God or the world. If you appoint a leader without God's express will, that fellow is from the world. Any leader from the world will mind the things of the world and will devise worldly methods to advance or achieve. If you appoint someone into a position of leadership out of tribal sentiments, or because you want him to protect your interest and cover up your mess, you can be sure that that fellow is from the world, not from God. Be careful about the leader you allow to rule over you. Is that man you want to appoint as the head of your proposed family from God or the world? Can you say that spouse is God's possession? Some believers, who claim to have prayed for the will of God in marriage, settle down with spouses from the world because they could not pay the price to get their rightful spouse from God. Appointing the right person to a leadership position will, to a large extent, minimize the risk of failure and raise your chances of success KEY POINT: If you want a leader that would mind heavenly things, take your search to Heaven.

MAKING OTHERS RICH- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Haggai 1-2
MAKING OTHERS RICH Monday, March 21, 2011
MEMORIZE: “As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” (2 Cor. 6:10) READ: 2 Corinthians 6:4-10 In Revelation 2:9, the church in Smyrna that was supposed to live in affluence, lived in poverty, possibly due to ignorance. Another likely cause of this could be semantics, since the way humans define 'wealth' is different from how God defines it. It is possible to be materially impoverished yet, spiritually rich. Although God wants us to have abundance in all areas according to 3 John 2, yet, God places the highest premium on our spiritual prosperity. In Luke 6:20-21, our Lord Jesus Christ consoled His disciples with prospect of a glorious eternity. How many years can a man who can afford the best medical service attain? At most, it could be three hundred years. But in the hereafter, you will live for all eternity. So, why kill yourself because you lack this world's goods? However, this does not mean that we should not ask for wealth, after all, God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 3:6), and each of these were men God committed great wealth to. Whether we have wealth or not, our hearts should be focused on God. “Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” (James 2:5). This is a very interesting scripture. When you are poor, the world rejects, disapproves of, humiliates, victimizes, ignores and even hates you. But when you are rich, not minding the source of that wealth, the world recognizes and celebrates you. However, God began to search for the world's rejects to give them eternal placements in His Kingdom. That was how He found you and me. Then He began to use such people to transform the lives of others. What makes you rich before God's eyes is your ability, in spite of physical limitations and disabilities, to make others rich; your ability to use whatever God has given to you to enlarge His Kingdom. To what extent have you been doing this? Some believers are waiting until they become millionaires before they give to God's projects whereas, God is looking for the faithful ones whom He has given hundreds and thousands to give for such projects, so that He can elevate them. Are you a poor rich fellow? Besides, it is easier for those who are materially and financially impoverished to humble themselves, praise God and trust in Him; whereas, many rich people trust either in their millions o elves. Are you making others rich in your present state? KEY POINT: One veritable way of being rich in Heaven is by making others rich through God's investments in your life. How rich are you?

Engage the hands of Faith- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Zeph. 1-3
ENGAGE THE HANDS OF FAITH Sunday, March 20, 2011
MEMORIZE: “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37). READ: Luke 1:34-38 When the time of favor comes, God may absolve you of any action. In other words, God may do everything possible to grant your expectations. But in most cases, at such a time, God still expects you to do certain things. If such steps are not forthcoming from you, that time of favor may just come and go without delivering its blessing. Many people have lost great blessings during their time of favor by folding their hands. May your day of favor not pass you by. What steps do you need to take to key into the blessings during your time of favor? You can simply believe God. Although in the time of your favor, God may not need your faith to do what He would, yet, sometimes it is required to possess your blessing. Picture it like this: the blessing is being offered by God and you need the hands of faith to receive it. Let us take Mary's case as an example. In Luke 1:343-8, after being told she would conceive in her virginity, Mary found herself in a tight corner. Like anyone else, she knew no virgin had ever conceived without meeting a man. This new idea defied logic, science and all the knowledge ever acquired. Yet, she chose to give it a try. She chose to believe God for such an impossible task to be done. As she voiced out the words: 'Let it be to me according to your word', she keyed into that prophetic utterance, and God's Word was fulfilled in her life. Today, God may be waiting for you to believe His Word and He will do the rest. Are you able to believe Him today? Sometimes, God's Word will come directly from His Spirit but at other times, it will come through His servant. In each scenario, it is expected that you believe it for you to get connected. Until you believe in God's Word and His genuine prophet, the prophecy that comes through that vessel may be unconnected to you. It freely flows without any attachment until it sees faith in a believer. When the prophecy sees the hands of faith, it attaches itself to them and its power begins to work in the life of the recipient. How often do you engage the hands of faith? Without faith, you cannot receive God's blessings and promises. KEY POINT: Faith is the spiritual hand for receiving your blessings. If they are short, you may not get much.