MORE THAN A ROD- Daily devotional with Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Rom. 5-8
MORE THAN A ROD Sunday, April 10, 2011
MEMORIZE: “And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod” (Exodus 4:2). READ: Exodus 4:1-5 Sacrificial giving is an appropriate thing to do during your time of favour. Yet, it is not limited to money as being popularly taught among preachers today. While the widow of Mark 12:41-44 gave all her money, the widow of Zarephath gave all her food. In the same vein, Jephthah gave his only child to God while Abraham gave his only son Isaac. David was not left out as he gave all his heart to God while the young boy in one of Jesus' crusades parted with his only meal. Stephen and Jesus Christ on the other hand gave their lives. These all have something in common—sacrifice, although the degree varies from one individual to another. If all these people could win in the 'giving contest', you may need to ask: 'what can I give?'. You have precious resources highly valued by God which you can give. You can sacrificially offer to God your time, talents, spiritual endowments and gifts, material possessions, academic and vocational aptitudes and abilities. Moses had a shepherd's rod. When he gave it to God, it became the rod of deliverance. You definitely have more than a rod to give! In addition to sacrificial giving, another thing you can do during the time of your favour is pray. In fact, you must not stop this at any point in time because Jesus Christ says “... that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).If you are weary in praying, you are still a babe. For years Hannah prayed and when her time of favour came, it met her still praying! No wonder she got her specific desire! Similarly, Zacharias the priest and his wife Elizabeth prayed all their youthful years but no child came. But when their time of favour came, it met them still praying, even at old age. No wonder they got the greatest of all prophets for a son (Luke 1:10-14). Never keep silent; keep on praying. You will soon reach the point that your prayers are answered. ACTION POINT: Prayer is key! You need to pray without ceasing

PROBLEMS ARE TIMED - Daily devotional with Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Rom. 1-4
PROBLEMS ARE TIMED Saturday, April 09, 2011
MEMORIZE: “For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” (Prov. 23:18). READ: Proverbs 23:17-18 edeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). The Rtruth is that many of us have wasted so much time and lost several opportunities that God has given to us, either as unbelievers or after we met the Lord. What time we have left is short; hence, we need to redeem it. This means, while giving no room for further wastage, we should also try to accomplish more than we could possibly do within the normal 24 hours. May the Lord help you to recover your lost time in Jesus name. “And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage” (Exodus 2:23). After holding the Israelites in slavery for many years, the Egyptian king died. This means that no problem lasts forever. If this powerful king could die, then human enemies don't last forever. Why? According to Hebrews 9:27, they must keep an appointment with death. Every problem in your life has an expiry date beyond which it can no longer trouble you. In fact, at the point of expiration, some problems become the solution you have been seeking. What is more important is that you do not expire or retire before the expiration of the problem. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, you will see the end of that problem: it shall not see your end. You shall not expire before the expiration of your problem. “For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off” (Prov. 23:18). If you were in doubt before, do know today, that there is an end to your problems. Your human enemies cannot operate beyond a certain limit. If the Egyptian king could die, every strong man or woman in your life has an end. That strong man is limited. You shall see the end of satanic agents troubling you. This season, the Lord will cut off everything standing in your way to your breakthrough. God will cut them off so that your expectations shall be realized. For a user of this devotional, you have been wondering when God's promises to you will be fulfilled because of the strong presence of the enemy. Rejoice! The Lord will cut them off just to enable Him grant your expectations and fulfil His promise. Worship the Lord with all your heart and thank Him in advance. PRAYER POINT: Thank God for causing your problems to expire and making you to see their end.

BETTER THAN BEING BLESSED- Daily devotional with Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Isa. 37-39
BETTER THAN BEING BLESSED Friday, April 08, 2011
MEMORIZE: “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:” (Gen. 12:2). READ: Genesis 12:1-3 state of being truly blessed is when you receive blessings with no Acurse to negate them. The presence of a curse in one's blessing can gradually erode all of one's gains and put that fellow in the same state with the cursed. That shall not be your portion in Jesus name. When you are blessed, not only will your efforts be crowned with great harvest, but lost opportunities will also be restored (Joel 2:23-27). The blessings on the blessed have a way of attracting lost blessings and opportunities. This is why the so-called losses of the blessed are only temporary. In the process of time, they are recovered. It is my prayer that you will be so blessed to the point of recovering lost opportunities of several years this season. It is so wonderful to be blessed, but being a blessing is far greater. Being blessed is just an addition of blessings to you. On the other hand, being a blessing means you have become the headquarters of blessings—that is, you are so full of it that the blessings you are carrying overflows to others. In today's reading, there is a list of seven blessings the Lord gave to Abraham. It is possible that my training as a Mathematician motivated me to scrutinize the arrangement of these blessings. After carefully listing them, I discovered that being a blessing was right at the middle of them all. That is, every other blessing in that passage revolves around it. It is better to be a blessing than being blessed. The one who is a blessing is characterized by an overflow. If there is no overflow, that person is yet to experience what it means to be a blessing. Let's take David as an example. In Psalm 23, he listed several blessings of the blessed - no lack, plenty to eat, good sleep, thirst quenched, provision of guidance and direction, restoration of the soul, protection in time of danger, access to provision in the presence of the enemy, being anointed, then cup overflowing. When your cup overflows, the focus is no longer you but others. If you observe God's order of blessing His children, you will find out that He first blesses before making the fellow a blessing. The way you handle the blessings is of keen interest to God and it will determine whether you will move to the next level—being a blessing. If you are stingy, tight-fisted or covetous, you may never become a blessing. If money is like god to you, you cannot be a blessing. KEY POINT: In the life of the blessed, a blessing is a visitor. In the life of the one who is a blessing, a blessing is a permanent resident. Is blessing a visitor or a permanent resident in your life?