Delightsome Agbabo

April 30 PRAYER FRUIT If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. — JOHN 15:7,8 “If ye abide in me . . . .” If we are born again, we do abide in Christ. If Jesus had said that and that alone, we would have hadit made, but He continued, “. . . AND my words abide in you . . . .” Jesus’ words abide in us in the measure that they govern our lives — in the measure that we act upon them. If Jesus’ words abide in us, we are bound to have faith, because the Bible says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). It would be impossible for Jesus’ words to abide in someone and that person not have faith! Unbelief and doubt are a result of ignorance of the Word of God. If we live the Word, then when we come to pray, that Word dwells in us so richly that it becomes Jesus’ Word on our lips. It will be as the Father’s wor...

April 29 HE KEEPS HIS WORD For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. — ISAIAH 55:10,11 Isaiah 55:11 is a verse you should continually use in prayer. It is the very backbone of the prayer life. No word that has gone forth from God can return to Him void. God said, “. . . I will hasten my word to perform it” (Jer. 1:12). A marginal note in the King James version reads, “I will watch over my word to perform it.” God will make His Word good if you dare to stand by it! The greatest answers to prayer I have received came when I brought God’s Word to Him and reminded Him of what He had to say. Praise God, He keeps His Word! Confession: God’s Word shall n...

April 28 PLEAD YOUR CASE Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified. — ISAIAH 43:26 “Put me in remembrance . . . .” What does God mean by that? It means that we are to remind God of His promises about prayer. When you pray, stand before the throne of God and remind Him of His promises. Lay your case legally before Him, and plead it as a lawyer. A lawyer is continually bringing up law and precedent. You bring up God’s Word. Bring up His covenant promises. The margin of my King James reference Bible says “set forth thy cause” as another meaning of “declare thou” in this verse. God is asking you to bring His Word; to put Him in remembrance, and to plead your covenant rights. This is a challenge from God to lay your case before Him! If your children are unsaved — find scriptures which cover your case. Then lay the matter before God. Be definite in your requests. Find scriptures that definitely promise you those things you need. When you come t...

April 27 A BETTER COVENANT But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. — HEBREWS 8:6 All through the Old Testament, we find men who understood and took their place in the covenant. Joshua could open the River Jordan. He could command time to stand still. Elijah could bring fire out of Heaven to consume not only the sacrifice, but the altar as well. David’s mighty men were utterly shielded from death in time of war as long as they remembered the covenant. When you read about them, you think you’re reading about “supermen.” Nearly all the prayers in the Old Testament were prayed by covenant men. Those prayers had to be answered. The believer today has the same covenant rights as believers who lived under the Old Covenant. In fact, we have a better covenant established upon better promises. Therefore, we ought to be able to do all that they did and more, because we have a New Cove...

April 26 COVENANT FRIEND And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? — GENESIS 18:23-25 God refused to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah until He had talked it over with Abraham, His blood covenant friend! Abraham’s prayer in Genesis chapter 18 is one of the most suggestive and illuminating prayers in the Old Testament. Abraham was taking his place in the covenant that God had made with him — the Old Covenant, the Old Testament. Through the covenant, Abraham had received rights and privileges we understand little about. The covenant Abraham had just solemnized with the Lord Jehovah gave Abraham a legal standi...

April 25 LIMITING GOD Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. — PSALM 78:41 Can you limit God? The Bible says Israel did. And we have limited Him. We have limited God with our prayer life. John Wesley, founder of Methodism, said, “It seems God is limited by our prayer life. He can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him to do it.” Why is that? God made the world and the fullness thereof. Then God made man and gave him dominion over all the works of His hands. Adam was made the God of this world. However, Adam committed high treason and sold out to Satan. Then Satan became the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). God didn’t just move in and destroy Satan. If He had, Satan could have accused God of doing the same thing he had done. But God devised a plan of salvation. And He sent His Son, whom Satan could not and did not touch, to consummate that plan. Through Jesus, God redeemed mankind! Now authority has been restored to us through Jesus Christ— an...

April 24 LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray . . . .— LUKE 11:1 Someone said, “It is more important that men learn to pray than that they gain a college education.” Notice he did not say that having an education is not important; he said, that learning to pray is more important. I feel sorry for people who don’t know how to pray. When the crises of life come, they know how to say words — but just spouting off words into the atmosphere isn’t praying! Simply talking into the air is not praying. Taking up twenty minutes on a Sunday morning giving God a homily on what His duties are toward the church is not praying. And giving the congregation a lecture pretending to be praying to God is not praying. Christianity, from a practical side, is a living religion whose believers are in touch with the living God who hears and answers prayer. And prayer may be defined as j...

April 23 FOUNDATION Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. — 2 TIMOTHY 2:15 Someone who reads about how I took my authority over the spirits binding my brother might say, “I believe I’ll try that.” It won’t work if you try it. I didn’t just try it — I did it! Just because someone sees a traffic policeman exercising his authority doesn’t mean they can run out in front of the cars and say, “I believe I’ll try that.” No one would obey them. Now, if they would put on a policeman’s uniform and put a whistle in their mouth, people would stop. They would recognize the authority behind the policeman. Believers sometimes hear how someone else used their authority, and they think, I’ll try that because I heard him say it. It worked for him, so it will work for me. Satan knows they are not convinced of their authority, and when they try to act on God’s Word without really having the Word built into their spirits, and ...

April 22 BLINDED But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. — 2 CORINTHIANS 4:3,4 No man in his right mind would speed down the highway at one hundred miles an hour past flashing red lights and signs that said, “Danger! Danger! Bridge Out!” But a man who was drunk or on drugs would. Likewise, no man in his right mind would go through life and plunge off into eternity and hell, lost. But people do it. Why? Because the devil has them doped and blinded. In the case of my Brother Dub’s salvation, I realized it was the devil who had bound Dub and was keeping him from being saved. So I said, “Satan, in the Name of Jesus Christ, I break your power over my brother Dub’s life, and I claim his deliverance and salvation.” We do not have control over human wills, but we do have control over evil spirits tha...

April 21 UNSEEN FORCES For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. — EPHESIANS 6:12 We are called upon to bind unseen forces. We have authority over the devil and evil spirits. But we do not have authority over men or their wills. Years ago, a pastor friend of mine accompanied me from FortWorth to a campmeeting in California. This man had diabetes, and he had to check his urine every morning for sugar content to see how much insulin he would need for his daily injection. As we were leaving for California, I said, “You won’t register any sugar as long as you’re with me.” He looked at me as if he didn’t believe me, but in the almost two weeks he was with me, he never registered any sugar, even though he ate pies and cakes. He later told me he was home for three days before he registered sugar again. Why? I took authority over his sickness. I had contr...

April 20 THE ARMOR Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. — EPHESIANS 6:13 The message of the armor tells us how to take our place and maintain it against the devil (Eph. 6:10-18). “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth . . . .” The girdle of truth is a clear understanding of God’s Word. It holds the rest of the armor in place like a soldier’s belt. “. . . And having on the breastplate of righteousness.” The breastplate has two meanings: (1) Jesus is our righteousness, so we put Him on; (2) The breastplate represents our active obedience to the Word of God. “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” This is faithful ministry in proclaiming the Word of God. “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” This is complete safety by faith in the blood. No power of the enemy can penetrate the bl...

April 19 TAKING YOUR PLACE If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. — COLOSSIANS 3:1,2 The elevation of the believer to be seated with Christ at the right hand of the Father took place potentially at the resurrection (Eph. 2:5,6). Meditate on this passage until it becomes real to you. Remember, every heavenly blessing is yours (Eph. 1:3). But you have to take your place there to enjoy them. The believer whose eyes have been opened to his throne rights in Christ may: (1) Accept his seat, and  (2) Begin to exercise the spiritual authority that seating confers on him. The devil bitterly resents our entrance into his domain. He has been used to exercising authority and ruling over someone’s life, so he will concentrate his forces against us when we come into these mighty truths. And no truth encounters such opposition as the truth of the authority of...

April 18 WHAT YE WILL If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. — JOHN 15:7 The Lord has said to me as I prayed about the impending death of loved ones, “Whatever you say about it, that’s what I’ll do.” In one particular case, as I pled my rights in prayer concerning a situation, the Lord came to me in a vision and said, “All right, I’m going to give them _______ more years. And I’m going to do it just because you asked Me to. No earthly father ever desired to do more for his children than I do for Mine, if they would only let Me.” Why doesn’t God just do it? Because we must cooperate with God in faith! The idea that God is a tyrant who rules over people, knocks heads together, and does what He wants to, whether man cooperates or not, is pure ignorance. We have a part to play! And, thank God, we can take our rightful place. The Lord Jesus Christ — Head over all things to His Body — is hindered in His mighty plans and working...

April 14 STRIPPED And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. — COLOSSIANS 2:15 And the hostile princes and rulers He shook off from Himself, and boldly displayed them as His conquests . . . .— COLOSSIANS 2:15 (Weymouth) The Bible teaches us here that Jesus put Satan to naught and He triumphed over him. Another translation reads, “He stripped him.” What did He strip Satan of? His authority over man. When Jesus put Satan to naught and stripped him of his authority, it was you in Christ who did the work. Christ acted in your stead — in your place. He did it for you. What Christ did was marked to your credit. He did it as your substitute. (He did it in your place, and God marked it to your credit as though you were the one who did it!) No, we’re not bragging about what you are in the flesh. (You don’t amount to much in the flesh.) We’re talking about who you are in Christ. You can say, “In Christ, I conquered Satan. I stripped h...

April 13 FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD Who [his dear Son] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. — COLOSSIANS 1:15-20 Although He is coequal with the Father, the eternal Son of God accepted a subordinate place and undertook the task of reconciling the world to God through the blood of His Cross. For this purpose, Jesus yi...

April 12 TO THE CHURCH And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body . . . . — EPHESIANS 1:22,23 What a need there is for the Church to awaken to the appreciation of her mighty place and privilege — to be exalted to the place God wants her, and to realize she is to rule over the powers of the air! How often the Church has failed in her ministry of authority, actually bowing down in defeat and being overcome with fear. “. . . And gave him to be the head over all things TO THE CHURCH . . . .” To the Church! The reason Jesus is Head over all things — the devil, demons, sickness, poverty, and everything else that’s evil — is for the benefit of the Church! We need to sit reverently and meditate before these mighty truths so their tremendous meaning can grasp our hearts. In this attitude, the Spirit of Truth can lift us into the place where we can see the full meaning of what God’s Word is saying: That God made Christ to ...

April 11 YOUR DOMAIN For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). — ROMANS 5:17 (Amplified) In the time when Paul wrote this, kings reigned over certain countries or domains. You are to reign in your domain too. This doesn’t mean you’re to reign and rule over other people, but you’re to rule and reignin your life, your dominion. You’re to rule and reign over circumstances, poverty, sickness, disease — everything that would hinder. You’re to reign because you have authority! How do you have it? Through the One, Jesus Christ. Don’t let the devil cheat you out of the blessings God intended you should have. God never intended that you should be poverty stricken and destitute. He didn’t intend that ...

April 10 CAST OUT DEVILS And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils . . . . — MARK 16:17 The very first sign Jesus said would follow any and every believer was: “. . . In my name shall they cast out devils . . . .” Jesus wasn’t talking necessarily about casting the devil out of people who are demon-possessed. Jesus was simply saying thatbin His Name believers would have authority over the devil. They would break the power of the devil over their own lives and the lives of their loved ones. They would be free from the enemy, because they would exercise authority over him. Notice again that Jesus didn’t say a word about praying to God or Jesus to do something about devils. Jesus said that believers would do it. Believers will cast out devils. Believers would speak with new tongues. Believers would lay their hands on the sick and they would recover. Don’t pray that God would lay hands on the sick — you do it! And don’t pray that God would cast ou...

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 2 Corinthians  1:20  Where is this secret place of the Most High and how do you get there? Before I answer this question, I want you to be careful of preaching and teaching about Psalm 91 that make "the secret place of the Most High" a place that only an elite few can go to, while the rest of us have no access to it because we haven't done enough, such as pray for eight hours. Usually, the person who teaches along these lines is trying to say that there is a standard of holiness that you must attain before you can reach the secret place of the Most High. Now, if this is true and it takes eight hours of prayer at home to be in the secret place of the Most High, then how about those of us who have full-time jobs and can't pray for eight hours, and who really need protection? Think about it for a moment. Who needs more protection—the one praying in the safety of his home or the one...

April 7 HIS BODY Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. — 1 CORINTHIANS 12:27 We’ve sometimes prayed about the Lord’s work upon the earth like this: “Lord, You do this. Lord, You do that.” But think about what Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 and 19, “ . . . All power [authority] is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore . . . .” The Lord Jesus Christ conferred the authority on the earth upon us. He commissioned us to go. Actually, the authority that Christ can exercise on the earth has to be exercised through the Church. The Church is His Body. And the Church is here. Christ is not here. He’s at the right hand of the Father. Christ is the Head of the Church, but all of His orders have to be carried out through His Body. Everything Christ does on the earth has to be done through His Body. You’re a member in particular of Christ’s Body. He has conferred upon you authority over all the power of the enemy! Confession : I am a member in particular of the Body o...

April 6 DETHRONED POWERS We do discuss ‘wisdom’ with those who are mature; only it is not the wisdom of this world or of the dethroned Powers who rule this world, it is the mysterious Wisdom of God . . . . — 1 CORINTHIANS 2:6,7 (Moffatt) God’s Word teaches that Satan and evil spirits are rebel holders of authority, and that they have been dethroned by the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice how Moffatt’s translation calls them “dethroned Powers who rule this world.” God made the earth and the fullness thereof. Then He gave Adam dominion, or authority, over all the works of His hands (Gen. 1:27,28; Ps. 8:3-6). Adam had dominion on the earth. In fact, Adam was made the god of this world. When he committed high treason and sold out to Satan, then Satan became the god of this world through Adam (2 Cor. 4:4), and a rebel holder of Adam’s authority. But the Bible calls Jesus Christ the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45). Jesus came as our Representative — our Substitute — and defeated Satan! Jesus didn’t do it ...

April 5 EDGE OF AUTHORITY . . . And they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. — MARK 4:38,39 A tornado arose one spring day in Texas. Most people had gone into their storm cellars. We didn’t have one. I was bedfast and almost totally paralyzed anyway. I became fearful. If the tornado were to strike, it would strike my corner room first, because the wind was coming from that direction. The housewould cave in right where I was! In desperation, and without thinking whether or not I could do it, I said, “Dear Lord, I’m Your child. When those disciples were about to sink, they awakened You and said, ‘Carest thou not that we perish?’ And You did care. You awoke and rebuked the wind. I know You don’t want me to perish, but I can’t get out of here. I’m here on this bed, and this wall is about to blow in on top of me. So I now rebuke this s...

April 4 THE WORKS THAT I DO Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he [Jesus] went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? . . . — LUKE 8:22-25 John Alexander Dowie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and moved to Australia as a young man. In 1875, while Dowie was pastoring a Congregational church in Newton, Australia, a terrible plague swept through that part of the country. It was during this plague that Dowie first received light on divine healing and the authority that believers possess. I read that Dowie once said, “I have crossed the ocean ...

April 3 BECAUSE I GO Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. — JOHN 14:12 Dr. John Alexander Dowie (1847-1907) was used by God to reintroduce divine healing to the modern Church. Dr. P. C. Nelson, founder of Southwestern Assemblies of God College, said, “You can’t follow Dowie’s doctrine, but you can follow his faith.” I heard Dr. Nelson tell about how when he himself was a young Baptist minister, he saw Dowie minister to a woman with a purplish-blue cancerous growth that covered most of her face. Nelson said, “I saw Dowie, in the presence of us six denominational ministers and three medical doctors, just reach out and take hold of that cancer, saying, ‘In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ!’ — and then strip it off that woman’s face. The doctors present examined her immediately, and said the skin on her face was like the skin of a newborn baby.” The reason Jesus...

April 2 UNDER OUR FEET . . . And set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. — EPHESIANS 1:20-23 The Church is the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are the Body of Christ. Now for a question: Where are the feet? Are they in the head, or are they in the body? They’re in the body, of course. Look again at today’s text. It describes positionally where we are seated. God has put all things under Christ’s feet. Christ’s feet are in His Body. Therefore, all things have been put under our feet! What are the “all things” Paul is talking about? Principalities, powers, might, and dominion. In other words, all the power of the enemy is under our feet! Someone has said that if ...