Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me.

—Psalm 139:23-24

READ:1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Is it possible to be too helpful? Can our helpfulness actually make life more difficult for others? Yes, if we’re being bothersome, intrusive, smothering, manipulative, or controlling. If the help we are giving is driven only by our own anxiety, we may be just trying to help ourselves.

How then can we know if our heart and acts of service are truly symbolic of God’s unconditional love? How can we love from pure motives? (Prov. 16:2; 21:2; 1 Cor. 4:5).

In prayer we can ask God to show us any way we are hurting or hindering others (Ps. 139:23-24). We can ask God to help us show love that “suffers long and is kind; …

The Painting entitled “Jesus Blessing the Children” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sermon By Pastor E. A Adeboye. RCCG April Special Children’sHoly Ghost Service “Rising Stars”

Let’s lift our hands to the Almighty God and begin into bless His holy name; give Him glory, give Him honor, give Him adoration, He is worthy to be praised, He is worthy to be adored, He is worthy to be magnify, praise His holy name, praise the King of kings, praise the Lord of lords, praise the Bright and morning Star.

Give Him all glory, give Him all honor. He is worthy to be praised; He is worthy to be worship. Give Him all glory, give Him all honor tonight, and bless His holy name.

Thank you Father, thank you Lord… In Jesus mighty name we worship.

Let’s lift our voices to Him, and say Father; You are the…

For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises up again; but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

“There has never been a greater opportunity for the church of Jesus Christ to shine
with the glory of the Lord. However, we must make certain we develop a “never give
up” attitude. Proverbs 24:16 “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises up
again…”
In every circumstance of life there are choices to be made. You must decide what
you will do in times of crisis, when you make a mistake, or when you experience
failure. It’s not about falling, it’s about rising again. Your enemy is intimidated
by your tenacity to never quit and to never give up.
So today I boldly decree your attitude is right, your faith is focused, and you
are expressing the reality that satan cannot win if I don’t quit.

God knows everything

God knows the future

I can tell you what is going to happen even before it happen (Isaiah 46:10)

During the 1990’s, highly educated and experienced economists predicted doom for the American economy, yet we experienced quarter after quarter of improved profits and higher productivity. Stock market consultants forecasted a market decline and advised clients to switch into safer financial investments, yet the stock market continued to climb to extraordinary heights.

The reality is that no one really knows what the economy will do. As someone once remarked, “If you lined up all the economists in the world one after another, you wouldn’t have enough to reach a conclusion.”

Now consider the foreknowledge of God. At one time, nothing existed but God, yet at any point in time, He knew the past, present, and future. He knew when He would create the universe, that Adam and…

The resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from the dead changes everything

Luke 24:5-6

“The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee,”
NLT

No matter who you are, the resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything. It changes how we think about life and death. It changes the way we approach relationships and grieve over losses. The resurrection also establishes a big difference between Our Lord Jesus and other spiritual or religious leaders. Out of all the religions of the world, only one can boast of its leader being raised from the dead and that’s Christianity.

So the question remains, “What is your response to…

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered

Psalm 32:1

The Secret of Forgiveness

Is it still hard to consider the thought of forgiving the one who hurt you?

We’ll never be able to wash the feet of those who’ve hurt us until we allow Jesus, the one we’ve hurt, to wash ours. That’s the secret of forgiveness. You’ll never forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven you.

Watch Jesus as he goes from disciple to disciple. Can you hear the water splash? Keep that image. John 13:12 says, “When he had finished washing their feet…” Note, he finished washing their feet. He left no one out. That’s important! It means he also washed the feet of Judas. Jesus washed the feet of his betrayer.

That’s not to say it was easy for Jesus. That’s not to say it’s easy for you. That IS to say—God…

Overcoming Obstacles

[The women] asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

Mark 16:3, NIV

The women who had been so faithfully vigilant at the Cross during the long hours of Jesus’ suffering returned together first thing Sunday morning to complete the embalming process that Joseph and Nicodemus had hastily done late Friday afternoon.

Their voices could be heard on the brisk early morning air as they discussed the problem of how they would roll the stone away. They knew it would be impossible for them to accomplish, even if all of them pushed together. What stone, what obstacle is ahead of you that you think you can’t move or get around, that blocks you from fulfilling your commitment to the Lord? Is it the stone of

Financial limitations?

Practical inexperience?

Physical weakness?

If we steadfastly cling to our faith in Him…

The Lord Must Build the Church

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

Jesus not only establishes the church but also removes a church when it
loses its value to the kingdom. If a church doesn’t witness, doesn’t
cause people to learn the truth, and doesn’t pray or if a church is
only formed by customs and catering to the flesh, not advancing the
kingdom of God, the Lord doesn’t want His name on it. You can look at the histories of some churches and some denominations and see that they
started out on fire for God, doing the great works of God. Today those
denominations are totally cold and losing members. What happened? Their
candlesticks were removed.

The…

You shall not murder.
Exodus 20:13

Speaking Life

Most people would never think of breaking this commandment by murdering someone.

In fact it’s easy to skip right over this commandment, thinking, “Well I wouldn’t do that, so, moving right along….”

Be careful! Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5:21-22 that unjust anger and refusing to forgive are acts of murder that we commit in our hearts. He says, “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.”

How often have we “killed” one another by holding grudges, hatred and anger over them? How often have we worked to secretly tear down others with our words and our gossip, speaking death over their lives and over their works?

I challenge you to search your heart for signs that…

King  Of Hearts

Mark 4:30, “And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?”

MARK 4:30-34

The word “kingdom” means “the realm over which a king rules.” When applied to God, it could refer to all creation, since “his kingdom ruleth over all” (Ps. 103:19), but the kingdom more often applies to His rule in and through those who are submitted to Him. “The Kingdom of God” more specifically refers to Christ living and ruling in our hearts. So praying “thy kingdom come” is praying for the expansion and influence of God’s rule in the hearts of men everywhere and, ultimately, the establishment of His physical Kingdom here on earth at His second coming (Rev. 11:15; 20:4).

Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Jews kept looking for Jesus to establish a physical kingdom here on…

Are You a pillar of encouragement

Encourage the Struggling

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4”

Encourage those who’re struggling? Don’t know what to say? Then, open your Bible.

To the grief-stricken: God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

To the jobless: “In all things God works for the good of those who love him.”

Are you a cancer survivor? Someone in the cancer ward needs to hear from you.

Have you buried a spouse and lived to smile again? Then find the recently widowed and walk with them.

Your experiences have deputized you! Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 that God is the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our…

Never ending Love

1 Corinthians 13:8

“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.”
NKJV

Have you ever thought about love in the light of eternity? One day all that we know here on earth will be changed. When Christ appears in all His glory, heaven will come to earth and our lives, homes, bodies and relationships will change forever. Yet, there is one thing that will never change. That thing is love. When we see Christ face to face, we will no longer need faith. As we glimpse the realities of heaven all around us, we will no longer cling to hope of a better day. But love will never disappear. The love that created the world and gave life to humanity will still sustain the saints in…

Are You Worthy of a Miracle!

“We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great
mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, my God, do
not delay, because Your city and your people bear your name.” -Daniel 9:18-19

Some people don’t say yes to their miracle because they don’t feel worthy of a miracle.
They mistakenly believe that God only heals or delivers saints, or those who are
good enough or important enough for God to step in miraculously.

“With all the BIG problems in the world – why would God care about me?”

“I must have sinned and I deserve the situation I am in.”

Such cause-and-effect thinking is misleading. So, we believe we deserve our suffering,
our disease, our failed relationships, our joblessness, and we don’t think we deserve
a miracle.

We receive…

God The Grand Architect

“Your Workmanship Is Marvelous.” (Psalm 139:14)

When I tour an historic mansion and scrutinize the building’s details – the quality, design, and decor – I can draw some conclusions about its builder. Is the foundation strong? Are the walls and floors plumb and square? How well are the most intricate details constructed? Does the design flow from one room to another?

We live on a grand estate called Earth. As we look at the beauty and intricacies of our residence, we marvel at the genius of the design. When we gaze up into the heavens, we are overcome with awe at the vastness of what our Creator has brought into being. In one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible, King David describes how nature testifies to the power of God: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship…

Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you
Exodus 20:12

Why is honouring your father and mother important? One of the reasons is because our mothers and fathers go through life before we do. If we honour them-honour their wisdom, honour what they learned through their mistakes and honour the history they wrote for us, then we will naturally benefit. We will live longer because we will not need to repeat those mistakes.

I recognize that perhaps you are growing up or have grown up in a home where the parents may have done things that were not worthy of honour. If that is the case in your life, you should find a spiritual mother and a spiritual father to teach and guide you-then honour them with all your might!

Sometimes we can find our…

Bread, Seed, and Fruits. God will increase the fruits of your righteousness

Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for
your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of
your righteousness
2 Corinthians 9:10

There are three things that are happening in your finances every day of
your life as you continue to follow God. First, He will “minister bread
for your food.” He will take care of all of your needs.

Secondly, He will “multiply your seed sown.” When you receive an
unexpected gift, the first thing you should do is check with the Holy
Ghost and find out what He wants you to do with it. This money is
earmarked for sowing. The money you receive is to not only come to you,
but to also go through you. The more money that goes through you, the
more money can come…

Seek The Lord, control your emotions and then act. God will take care of the rest.

2 Corinthians 2:1

“So I decided that I would not bring you grief with another painful visit.”
NLT

In 2 Corinthians, Paul recognizes a delicate balance in confronting, challenging and encouraging people in ministry. He had a deep love for the people of Corinth and because of that love, he needed to steer them the correct way. Unfortunately, even when there is loving intent, any corrective action can be seen as mean. This is why we must make every effort to walk in love and grace when we are confronting others or being confronted.

In those times of correction, emotions can run high and can often cloud our view of what’s really happening. Practice bringing your emotions under control so that you can be led by the Holy Spirit and not raw emotions…

Christ’s death on the cross has torn down the wall we use to keep each other at a distance

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation…Ephesians 2:14”

Christ’s death on the cross has torn down the wall we use to keep each other at a distance.

Pastor Bucker Fanning, experienced this firsthand in World War II three weeks after the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Imagine a young American Marine in that city of radiation-burned victims. He was a soldier feeling not victory but grief for the suffering around him.

But instead of anger and revenge, Buckner found an oasis of grace! The sign said: Methodist Church. What he found was a partially collapsed structure. Shattered windows; walls, buckled. But several men were setting up chairs. They turned as he entered…

God is merciful

“He was lost, but now he is found” (Luke 15:24)

John Newton‘s mother was a devoted Christian, but she died when he was a child. As a young man, he decided to follow in the footsteps of his father, an English sea captain. He joined the British Royal Navy but was discharged for unruly behaviour. He moved to the western coast of Africa and worked for a slave trader. He eventually became captain of a slave ship, treating the slaves despicably. What a loathsome man he had become!

On one voyage, a fierce storm severely battered his ship. Fearing for his life, he surrendered himself to God. Over the next few years as he became convinced that slavery was abhorrent, he gave up slave trading and crusaded against slavery. His life changed so much that he even studied to become a minister. Soon, he became known…

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I
will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26

Mark Twain said it: “Nobody likes change, except a wet baby.” And I would contend that Mark Twain has never changed a baby because even wet babies cry when they get
changed. They like it once they are changed – but they cry through the entire process.

The only times I have heard people ask for change are when they have overpaid for
something – extending their hands and asking, “Change, please?” Otherwise, nobody
likes change. Change is frightening. Change implies loss, grief, apprehension, fear,
even panic. Change is hard!

Sometimes we miss out on our miracle because saying yes to the miracle means that
we will have to give leadership to change…