WHAT'S YOUR CHOICE? -Daily devotional with Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Psa. 28-30
WHAT'S YOUR CHOICE? Saturday, July 2, 2011
MEMORIZE: “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 marvelous light:” (1 Pet. 2:9) READ: Acts 5:14-16 God has different purposes for calling and using His people. For instance, the purpose for which He created Peter was to show the world that in His hands, a nobody can become so anointed that his shadow would heal (Acts 5:14-16). Peter never went to school. He even confessed that it was difficult for him to understand Paul's writings. Yet, if his shirt mistakenly touched the sick, there would be instant healing. Not many educated people would be comfortable with that. This is not to say that God cannot use the highly educated. He took Paul with his outstanding academic credentials, wore him like a garment, and began to use him. God can use you whether educated or not. What is more important is what you want the world to know about God, through His manifestation in your life. What do you want to be remembered for after leaving planet earth? You have the opportunity of determining it now. As for me, I want God to reveal His holiness through me. If you take a look at God's Generals of our day, you will find that each of them exudes an aspect of God's attributes. For instance, He created Oral Roberts to reveal His healing power to the world. From his sick bed where he was dying of tuberculosis, God healed him and began to use him to heal others. Even at the point of his death and in a coma, Roberts was taken to the Oral Roberts Teaching Hospital and the doctors put his hand on a woman who had just been operated on but was dying. Immediately his hand touched the woman, the bleeding stopped and she was healed. Similarly, why did He create Kenneth Hagin? It was to reveal faith to the world. Sometimes you may almost think that all he knows is Mark 11:23. Personally, I want His holiness to show forth through me because of its key role in everything. If you are holy, faith is simplified. Also, God's blessing will pursue and overtake you (Deut. 28:1). In addition, Deuteronomy 28:1-7 says with holiness, you may not be required to fight your enemies by yourself. Holiness opens the door of Heaven. I don't want to labor in vain. I want to see Him on the last day. Hebrews 12:14 says without holiness, no one can see Him. What do you want God to reveal of Himself through your life? ACTION POINT: Consider the cloud of witnesses in Heaven and the present-day Kingdom Generals, and then prayerfully decide your area of specialization in God's work.

SIN CHANGES EVERYTHING- Daily Devotional with Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Isa. 7-9
SIN CHANGES EVERYTHING Tuesday, June 28, 2011
MEMORIZE:"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Gen. 3:19). READ: Genesis 3:17-19 After God created Adam, he ruled as a king over the whole earth. He named all the animals with his God-given, unparalleled wisdom. Everything went well and was peaceful. In addition, he regularly received his heavenly visitor - God. All he needed had been provided ever before he was created. Then came sin! The man who wanted to be like God was reduced to dust. While meting out judgment to them, God told him, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Gen. 3:19). Nothing debases a man like sin! Sin can relocate the one on the mountain top to the valley! The moment sin surfaced, everything on earth changed. Suddenly, man realized that he was naked. The animals also realized they could now govern themselves and did not need to be under the control of men. The ground hardened up as it resolved to reduce man's harvest. The heavens seemed to move farther from man as divine visitations now become a rarity. Sin changed everything! There are some people who are still looking at their mother-in-law, or at one relative somewhere as the root cause of their problems, whereas they fail to see the real culprit—sin—which they are carrying about with them. They are busy chasing shadows. Face reality! Is sin in your life? If yes, you are the one undoing yourself. It is an irony that people can go to any length searching for invisible enemies, whereas the visible enemy they are harboring has become 'invisible' to them. In the Garden of Eden, sin brought nakedness. It also brought disgrace and sweating. Until man's fall, there was no sweat. Progress was without sweat. Little effort delivered great results. But when sin came, great efforts delivered very little result. It was all work, much sweat and little or no progress. Have you not noticed that your gossiping, backbiting and jesting are working against you? As long as you refuse to cut off from sin—lies and deceit—you may continue to retrogress. Check yourself and pinpoint the sin that is hindering your life. Repent and ask God for forgiveness, resolving never to return to it. Live right before God while asking for your covenant benefits. KEY POINT? Sin and righteousness are two things that can rewrite one's destiny, but from opposite angles. Choose righteousness!