Delightsome Agbabo

December 1 EL SHADDAI And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I AM THE ALMIGHTY GOD; walk before me, and be thou perfect. — GENESIS 17:1 The original Hebrew of this Old Testament verse reads that God said, “I am El Shaddai.” God was revealed to Israel by seven covenant names, one of which was El Shaddai — which literally means “the God who is more than enough,” or “the All-Sufficient One.” It will help your faith to think of God as “the One who is more than enough!” Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed Himself as El Shaddai — the God who is more than enough. For example, as God was bringing the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, Pharaoh’s soldiers went after them to recapture them and make them slaves again. On one side of the children of Israel was the wilderness; on the other side, mountains. The Red Sea lay before them. They seemingly were boxed in, but they looked to God — the God who is more than enough — and He d

November 30 WORSHIP As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said . . . . — ACTS 13:2 This is the prayer of worship — ministering to the Lord. It is true that God is concerned about us. He is interested in us, and wants to meet our needs, because He has told us to ask. But my personal observation is that too large a percentage of our praying is, “Give me, give me, give me.” We need to take time in our individual prayer lives, in our gatherings, in our churches, to wait on God and to minister to the Lord. In this kind of atmosphere God can move. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost manifested Himself! God made man for His own pleasure so He would have someone with whom to fellowship. He is our Father. We are born of God. No earthly parent ever enjoyed the fellowship of his children more than God enjoys the fellowship of His sons and daughters. Take time to minister to the Lord: To pray. To wait on God. To tell Him how much you love Him. To praise H

November 29 MIDNIGHT PRAISE And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. — ACTS 16:25 Singing, praising, and thanksgiving all go together. Paul and Silas had been beaten with many stripes, cast into prison, and their feet put in stocks. But at midnight they prayed and sang praises to God — aloud. The other prisoners heard them! Most people in similar circumstances would have griped and complained. If they had been like some modern Christians, Silas would have said, “Paul, are you still there?” And Paul would have answered, “Where else would I be?” Silas would have complained, “I’ll tell you, my poor back is hurting so bad. I don’t understand why God let this happen to us. He knows we’ve tried to serve Him and do our best!” That kind of praying would have gotten Paul and Silas further in — instead of out! God didn’t have them thrown in jail; the devil did. But there’s truth and instruction here to help us in our midnight hour — the hour

November 28 GIVE THANKS WELL For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. . . . For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. — 1 CORINTHIANS 14:2,14-17 God has given to the Church a divine, supernatural means of communication with Himself! God is a Spirit. When we speak in tongues, our spirit is in direct contact with God, who is a Spirit! We are talking to Him by a divine, supernatural means. By this means we can “. . . bless with

SPIRIT-FILLED And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. — EPHESIANS 5:18-20 “I just can’t thank God like I should,” some people have said. You can if you follow Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 5:18-20, “. . . be filled with the Spirit . . . .” And just after giving this admonition to these Pentecostal people, Paul gives some ways to keep filled with the Spirit: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” An overflowing heart will be your testimony! Your cup will be full and running over! You will have a song in your heart! “Giving thanks always for all things . . . .” Your heart is thankful. You give thanks for all of God’s blessings. You can even give thanks for eve

November 27 BE FILLED Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. — COLOSSIANS 3:16,17 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. — 1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 Notice how yesterday’s scripture and today’s scripture are very similar. A song in the heart and the giving of thanks simply go hand-in-hand. And if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will experience this praise and this thanksgiving. If you don’t, then you’re simply not filled with the Spirit. Be filled! (See John 7:37-39, 14:16,17; Acts 1:4,5, 2:4, 8:14-17, 10:44-46, 19:1-3,6.) Then you’ll have a spirit of praise and a spirit of thanksgiving. Confession I let the word of Christ dwell in me richly. I benefit from teaching and admo

November 24 CHANGING OF LORDS For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. — ROMANS 6:14 Another translation of today’s text reads, “For sin shall not lord it over you.” Sin and Satan are synonymous terms. Therefore, we could read this verse, “For Satan shall not have dominion over you,” or “Satan shall not lord it over you.” The reason why Satan cannot lord it over you is found in Colossians 1:13 — the Father has delivered you out from under Satan’s control and dominion. The moment you were born again and became a new creature in Christ Jesus, Jesus became your Lord. Now He is the One who dominates you; Satan is no longer your lord. Satan can no longer lord it over you. When you were born again, Satan’s dominion over you ended — and Jesus’ dominion over you began! And anything that is of Satan — sickness, disease, bad habits, or whatever — can no longer lord it over you! Confession Jesus is my Lord. Thank You, Father. Thank You for deliverin

November 23 THANK YOU, FATHER Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. — COLOSSIANS 1:12-14 The New Covenant tells us we should be giving thanks unto the Father because He has made us able to be partakers of something. Of what? “. . Of the inheritance of the saints in light”! The Amplified Bible translates verse 13 as, “[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness . . . .” God Himself has delivered us from the control of Satan! Satan’s kingdom is the kingdom of darkness. God’s kingdom is the kingdom of light. The Father has made us able to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us out from under the control and dominion of darkness. Satan has no con

November 22 PURPOSE . . . That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. — 1TIMOTHY 2:2-4 God doesn’t tell us to do something just to fill up space in the Bible. He has a purpose in mind. We are to pray for those in authority so that we who are Christians may lead a quiet and peaceable life. God is concerned about us, and He will work on our behalf, even when those in authority are not Christians. God’s ultimate purpose is that we be able to spread the Gospel freely. If we do not live under a stable government, the spreading of the Gospel is hindered. For example, times of political upheaval, war, travel restrictions, and other limitations hinder the spreading of the Gospel. Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Mat

November 19 THANKSGIVING Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. — PS 107:21,22 The forefathers of the United States set aside a day each year to offer thanks to God for His blessings on them in this new world.He had blessed them both spiritually and materially. We should also offer thanksgiving to God for the spiritual and material blessings of life He has bestowed upon us. And we should thank God for His loving protection and care for us. This Thanksgiving season, let’s look into God’s Word to see what He has to say about “the giving of thanks.” We’ll look into the New Testament, because we live under the New Covenant, to see what the New Covenant says we are to give thanks for. Confession I praise the Lord for His goodness. I sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing. I thank Him for the spiri

November 18 GROWING UP That we henceforth be no more children . . . . — EPHESIANS 4:14 I learned later that a few minutes after Momma told my uncle that I had said my cousin would recover, my cousin suddenly opened her eyes and was perfectly all right! She was in intensive care, with three doctors around her bed, and the head surgeon had said she’d never come out of it. I knew she would be well all the time, because Mark 11:23 said so. Through the years, I could make the Word work once with each of my relatives, bringing the supernatural to them. But I could never do it again. You see, that gave them concrete evidence that the Word worked. But when they’d come back to me the second time, I couldn’t carry them any longer on my faith. God expected them to do a little bit the next time — at least to agree with me. You can’t always make the Word work for others. It is not right to carry people spiritually all their lives any more than it is for parents to carry their children in the natura

November 16 FAITH FOR ANOTHER For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him . . . . — 2 CHRONICLES 16:9 I was told I had an emergency telephone call. My sister, Oleta, was on the line, crying hysterically. She told me her daughter’s baby had been born dead. The doctor now said the baby was alive, but he couldn’t live, and he wouldn’t be normal if he did live, because of a lack of oxygen to his brain. The doctor told the family, “The baby’s face is deformed. It would be better if you didn’t see him. We’ll just dispose of the body when the baby does expire.” Oleta cried, “Benny [the baby’s father] wants you to pray.” I knew my family were just babies when it came to spiritual matters, and I thought about Mark 11:23, “Oleta, where is Benny?” I asked. “Right outside the phone booth,” she replied. “Now listen — the minute you hang up, turn to Benny and say, ‘Benny, Uncle Ken said the baby wi

November 15 SPIRITUAL BABES As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. — 1 PETER 2:2 Under what circumstances can you help others? As long as people are bona fide baby Christians, you can carry them on your faith and get things for them. It’s the easiest thing in the world to get a new Christian healed. And it’s comparatively easy to get Christians healed who have never been taught about divine healing. But God expects a little more from people who have had time and opportunity to know about spiritual matters. When my wife and I were married in November 1938, she was a Methodist, and she knew nothing about healing. In December, the first real Norther’ blew into Texas and she got a sore throat. She said, “I’ll have to go have my throat swabbed out. I’ll have a bad throat all winter. I do every year.” That was a good opportunity to teach her about divine healing. Remembering Mark 11:23, I said, “No, we’ll not have your throat swabbed out. This chroni

November 14 AGREEMENT Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. — MATTHEW 18:19 You won’t be able to get someone healed if you’re believing that they will live, but they’re believing they will die! There’s no agreement there. When praying for others, it is important to get them to agree. Usually, when someone comes to me with a prayer request, I say (if I can agree with it), “Let’s join hands now and agree. Listen while I pray, and agree with my prayer. Because if we both pray at once and we don’t pay attention to each other, you may be praying in one direction and I may be praying in another.” Once a woman came for prayer for a financial need. I prayed, “Father, we agree concerning the one hundred dollars this family needs by the first of next month. We agree that by the first of the month they’ll have this extra one hundred dollars. You said that if two of you agr

November 13 YOUR DESIRES Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. — MARK 11:24 “. . . What things soever ye desire . . . .” No, not what things soever your grandpa desires. Not what things soever your aunt desires. Not what things soever your husband desires. Not what things soever your wife desires. You can get your desires. However, if what you desire is not what someone else desires, you won’t be able to push your desires off on them. Why? Because when someone else is involved, their will comes into play on the situation. Your faith will always work for you in your own life. And sometimes— not always — you can make your faith work for someone else. Confession My faith always works for me in my own life. By divine wisdom I will know when I can make my faith work for others.

November 12 IN ALL REALMS Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. — 3 JOHN 2 The Lord Himself taught me about faith for finances many years ago. I was in the field ministry then, and I had been fasting and praying several days concerning a severe shortage of finances. The Lord spoke to me, saying, “Your trouble is you aren’t practicing what you preach. You preach faith, but you don’t practice it.” I protested, “Why, Lord, I do!” “Oh, you practice faith when it comes to healing, and that is commendable,” He said. “You’ve used your faith for salvation, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and healing. But faith is the same in every realm. If you needed healing, you would claim it by faith and publicly announce you were healed. You must do the same thing with finances. “I’ll tell you what to do: First, never pray about money — that is, in the sense you have been praying. What you need is on earth. I’m not going to rain money down

November 11 FAITH FOR FINANCES Let us hold fast the profession [confession] of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised). — Hebrews10:23 When I’ve needed things in my own life, I’ve always stood on Mark 11:23 and said (or confessed) what I was believing God for. I’ve always just said it, and not prayed it.(When another person is involved, however, what they believe can affect your prayers; especially if they are not in agreement with you.) I haven’t prayed about money for years, and I’ve never been without money. I always just say, “The money will come,” and it comes. When I need a certain amount, I am specific in my confession: I specify the amount I need. Once I needed $1,500 by the first of the month. So I said it. And I kept saying it. During times of prayer, I didn’t pray it; I just said, “By the first of the month I’ll have $1,500.” When the first of the month came, I had $1,500! Praise the Lord! Confession I hold fast to my confession of faith without waveri

November 10 BELIEVING FIRST Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. —Mark 9:23 There is just a shade of difference in what you believe when you say it, and when you pray it. Look again at Mark 11:23 and 24. Jesus didn’t say, “Just believe.” He told us exactly what to believe. Faith by saying is: “ . . . believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass . . .” (v. 23). When you are believing that those things which you say shall come to pass, then that means they haven’t come to pass yet. But keep on believing that those things you said — be sure you’ve said it — shall come to pass. I always keep saying right in the face of contradictory circumstances, “It shall come to pass.” What will happen then? “. . . He shall have whatsoever he saith.” Sooner or later you shall have it! Faith by praying is: “ . . .when ye pray, believe that ye receive them . . .” (v. 24). When you pray. No after you pray. Not next week. But when you pray

November 9 PRAYING AND SAYING Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. — Mark 11:24 Faith will work by saying without praying (notice Mark 11:23 doesn’t mention praying), but faith also works by prayer. However, when you pray it, you still have to say (or confess) it. Let me repeat this: Faith will work by SAYING it, or it will work by PRAYING it, but when you PRAY it, you still have to SAY it. Mark 11:23 and 24 brought me off a bed of sickness many years ago. After I had prayed, then I began to say (not think) out loud in my room, “I believe that I receive healing for my body.” Then I specified each thing that was wrong with me: “I believe I receive healing for the heart condition. I believe I receive healing for this paralysis. I believe I receive healing for the incurable blood disease.” And just in case I had missed anything, I concluded, “I believe that I receive healing from the top of my head to t

November 8 FEELINGS . . . For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. — HEBREWS 13:5 A woman came up to me at the close of a service where I had taught on faith. She was crying almost hysterically. She said, “Brother Hagin, pray for me!” “What is the matter?” I asked. “It seems like the Lord has forsaken me!” “What awful sin have you committed to make the Lord forsake you?” “As far as I know, I haven’t done anything,” she said. “It just seems like the presence of the Lord is gone from me.” “The Bible doesn’t say we walk by ‘seems like,’” I explained to her. “It says we walk by faith. And God’s Word says that the Lord will never leave you, nor forsake you.” “I know that,” she cried, “but it just seems like He has.” “You have more faith in ‘seems like’ than you have in the Bible.” “But I know what I feel!” she said, almost angrily. “Yes,” I said, “but I know my Jesus. Jesus said it, and I believe it. We cannot be concerned by what we feel.” If you start believing right,

November 7 A GOOD REPORT And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. — NUMBERS 13:30 And Joshua . . . and Caleb . . . spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. — NUMBERS 14:6-9 Joshua and Caleb were the two spies who had a good report. They didn’t deny that giants were in Canaan; they simply added that the children of Israel would be able to overcome the giants. “We are well able to overcome them,” they said, “for the Lord is with us!” That was their good report. Similarly, we believers must not stick our heads i

November 6 EVIL REPORT . . . We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature . . . giants . . . and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.—NUMB 13:31-33 Israel came out of Egypt and to the border of Canaan, to a place called Kadesh-barnea. From there they sent twelve men to spy out the land of Canaan. And the Bible says that ten of those spies brought back “an evil report.” What is an evil report? It is a report of doubt. (A believer has no more business peddling doubt than he does peddling dope!) God had already told the children of Israel that He had given them this land flowing with milk and honey. They acknowledged that it was, indeed, a land flowing wit

November 5 WHAT TO SAY Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. — 1 JOHN 4:4 What is the Holy Spirit doing in you? Is the Holy Spirit just a “spiritual hitchhiker?” Does He just hitchhike a ride through life with you? Is He just some excess baggage for you to carry through life? No! The Holy Spirit lives within you to help you! He lives within you to strengthen you! He lives within you to comfort you! He lives within you to put you over in life! Make positive confessions like this instead of talking failure and doubt. Confession I believe that the Greater One lives in me. I believe that He is greater than the devil. I believe that He is greater than the tests and trials I may be facing. I believe that He is greater than the storm I may be going through. I believe that He is greater than the problems that may be confronting me. I believe that He is greater than the circumstances which may appear to have m

November 4 WORDS Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. — PROVERBS 6:2 Many Christians blame certain things on the devil, when actually they are taken captive by the words of their own mouths. One writer expressed it this way: You said you could not — and the moment you said it you were whipped. You said you did not have faith — and doubt rose up like a giant and bound you. You are imprisoned with your own words. You talked failure, and failure held you in bondage. Our words dominate us. That’s what Jesus was saying in Mark11:23: “. . . he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Never talk failure. Never talk defeat. Never acknowledge for one moment that God’s ability or power cannot put you over. If you do talk failure or defeat, you are acknowledging that God cannot and has not put you over in life. But thank God, He can! And He has! If you will believe right and talk right, you will walk in the reality of it! Confession I refuse to talk fai

November 3 WHAT I SAY For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; HE SHALL HAVE WHATSoEVER HE SAITH. — MARK 11:23 Let’s examine what Jesus said in today’s text: “. . . and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe [that is, believe in his heart] that those things which he saith shall come to pass . . . .” Those things that you say are your words — your confessions — and those words give you power over demons, disease, and circumstances. What is it Jesus says you shall have? What you believe for? No. Many people think, If I believe strongly enough, it will come to pass. But at the same time, they are talking unbelief, so what they are asking for cannot come to pass! Jesus did not say, “He shall have whatsoever he BELIEVETH”; He said, “. . . he shall have whatsoever he SAITH.” For you do receive what you