OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: SHEPHERD OR WOLF?

MEMORISE : Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 1 Peter 5 : 2.

READ : LAMENTATIONS 4 : 1 - 5.

1 How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.

2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

3 Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.

4 The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.

5 They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EZEKIEL 33 - 34; PSALM 73 : 18 - 28.

Our Bible reading for today is a grim lamentation of Prophet Jeremiah. It concerns both the spiritual and physical state of affairs of the people of God of his time. This state of affairs sadly reflects the current state of affairs of God’s people in our time. The Bible says that all these were written as examples for those upon whom the ends of the world are come (1 Corinthians 10 : 11). This state of affairs is therefore indicative of the times we live in; these are the end-times. Let us learn one or two lessons from this lamentation to deliver our soul from impending doom. In this end-time, many pastors and preachers are no longer building with precious stones on the Sure Foundation – Jesus Christ. Rather, they are building with rubble, i.e. the philosophy of men and modern ideologies in order to make Christianity “intelligible” to a 21st century audience. Even the sea monsters draw out the breast and give suck to their young ones, but the teachers of God’s people have become cruel – denying the flock the sincere milk of the Word, not even when sincere seekers of truth demand for it.

Many modern day pastors and ministers of the gospel of all categories are failing to live by the injunction of the dying Apostle Paul to Timothy, his son in the Lord, and by extension, to all ministers of the gospel in 2 Timothy 4 : 2 & 5 :

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”

The Bible warns ministers of the gospel against negligence or dereliction of duty in Ezekiel 3 : 18 - 21. Ezekiel was also told not to consider the unfriendly countenance of his audience but rather to deliver the word as he was asked to (Ezekiel 2 : 6 - 7). The reason we have worship centres all over the place without godly impact is because God’s watchmen are not doing their duty right. Some pastors don’t consider if members of their congregation are heaven-bound or not. In as much as they keep on bringing their offerings, “all is well”. This is not right. As a Christian parent, you need to take today’s message as yours as well. Your home is your God-given flock. It is for you to nurture in the fear of the Lord. Are you a shepherd or a wolf? Think about this, and may the Lord grant you understanding in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT :

Pray for all ministers of the gospel around the world, that God will grant them the grace to preach the gospel without fear or favour.

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: THE PEACE OF GOD

Memorise:

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7

Read:
Philippians 4:4-8
4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EZEKIEL 19 - 20 and PSALM 69:22-36
Message
There is nothing tangible that can be achieved in an organisation, family or mind without a peaceful atmosphere. This is why when the world was characterised with chaos in Genesis 1:1-3, the first thing God did was to restore peace to the chaotic world. I pray that the peace of God will be your portion today in Jesus’ Name. There are factors that can guarantee peace in the life of an individual, particularly a child of God. One of them is contentment. 1 Timothy 6:6&10 says that:
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Many people lack peace because they are not contented with what they have. They dabble into some nefarious activities in search of the material things of this world which lead to stress related diseases. We must beware not to run after the material things of this world which do not bring satisfaction, or those things that attract undue responsibilities, or those things that hurt when they have flown away. Also, avoid the abuse of things which bring discomfort like piles or stomach aches and other illnesses to your body (Proverbs 25:16). How do you cultivate contentment? Contentment is developed when you endeavour to enjoy the present blessings of God in your life and give Him glory for such benefits (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19, Psalm 103:1-5).
“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Philippians 4:5-6
Other truths about having peace are revealed in this passage: One of such truths is that, to have the peace of God, you have to be moderate in your lifestyle without hypocrisy. Another is: do not be anxious for anything, or else you will lose your God-given peace. How then do you survive in a competitive world where the essential things of life are scarce? The next truth answers this: make your request known to God. He is Jehovah-Jireh, the Great Provider. He will meet you at the point of your needs. It is when we obey what the Holy Spirit admonishes us to do here that the peace of God will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. I pray for you that the peace of God will come mightily upon your troubled body, soul and spirit today in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point:
Pray for the peace of God to reign in your entire life, family, church and nation today.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: GOD’S REMEMBRANCE & DELIVERANCE I11.

MEMORISE : Remember me, O my God, for good. Nehemiah 13 : 31b.

READ : 1 SAMUEL 1 : 17 - 19.

17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

19 And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EZEKIEL 17 - 18; PSALM 69 : 1 - 21.

One truth the children of God must continue to remember is that it takes divine remembrance to daily experience deliverance in their lives and ministries. The best way to explain this is to interpret “remembrance” as “attention”, because God is never forgetful. In Isaiah 49 : 15 God said:

“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”

So, God does not forget, but He may decide to ignore you if you continue to live in sin.

One person that experienced divine remembrance was Hannah. The Lord remembered Hannah by paying attention to her prayer in answer to Eli’s prayer. 1 Samuel 1 : 17 says :

“Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.”

Hannah was under the bondage of barrenness for several years, but when God remembered her, she was delivered from the bondage of unfruitfulness. To someone using this devotional, I pray that the Almighty will remember and deliver you from all forms of bondage today in Jesus’ Name. Let us learn from Hannah what she did to draw divine attention to herself and her situation. First, she prayed earnestly and fasted for God’s attention. At times we need to demonstrate our seriousness concerning what we really want God to do for us by embarking on prayer and fasting. Jesus taught His disciples this truth in Mark 9 : 29. In addition, for God to remember you in your unpleasant situation, you have to cooperate with Him by playing your own role. My experiences have revealed to me the mistakes some children of God make as they expect God to play their own roles together with His. This ended at Calvary where God suffered as a man, but there He declared: IT IS FINISHED. If you are looking for a job, write applications and go out to attend interviews because God will not write an application letter for you, neither will He attend the interview on your behalf. Sufficient is the fact that He will back you up during the interview. The Bible reveals something that many may not pay attention to which, of course, was fundamental to the divine remembrance of Hannah. What is it? 1 Samuel 1 : 19d says that:

“......and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.”

What could have happened to Hannah’s prayer if she and her husband did not play their part in this regard? Beloved, let us cooperate with God, He will remember us for good in Jesus’ Name.

ACTION POINT :

Pray, fast and take steps under the guidance of the Holy Spirit concerning that situation that is bothering you. You will experience divine remembrance and deliverance.

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS.

MEMORISE : Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 2 Timothy 4 : 2.

READ : LUKE 8 : 38 - 40.

38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,

39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

40 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EZEKIEL 10 - 12; PSALM 67 : 1 - 68 : 6.

There is one great sin of omission that contemporary followers of Jesus Christ are guilty of. We enjoy God’s grace, forgiveness, healing, breakthrough, peace and joy but fail to share the good news with others so that they may become beneficiaries of the benevolence of the Almighty God. We tend to take interest in staying in our beautiful cathedrals. When we are sent to go out and pioneer Churches in rural areas where people are in need of the gospel, we see it as punishment! We tend to enjoy listening to powerful, motivational sermons from our fathers in the Lord and their associates – tapping from their anointing on daily basis but refusing to go and share part of what we have received. What a crime of omission.

Our Bible reading reveals one fundamental obligation of every genuine Christian which unfortunately, many children of God do not pay close attention to. A demoniac encountered Jesus Christ in this story and immediately fell in love with Jesus and His company. This man wanted to stay with Jesus, but He commissioned him to go and spread the good news of his deliverance among his people. This is exactly what our Lord expects of us as His followers. This injunction however, does not encourage forsaking Jesus Christ to become independent or to begin to do whatever we like; Jesus spoke against such attitude in John 15 : 4 - 5. In Mark 16 : 15b He also said:

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Whenever we comply with this injunction, we do not only make our Lord happy, we also make His benevolence known. After the witnessing of the demoniac, the Bible reports in Luke 8 : 40 that:

“And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.”

When we do what we ought to do on the field of evangelism, many good things will happen. First, darkness will give way for the light of the gospel. Secondly, Jesus Christ will be Lord wherever the gospel is preached. Thirdly, in anticipation of the second coming of our Lord, people will be conscious of what they do in the society. Lastly, the world will be a better place to live in. Therefore beloved of the Lord, I encourage you to begin to spread the good news of what the Lord has done for you and what He is capable of doing for others too, all in the light of His gospel. God bless you as you do so in Jesus’ Name.

ACTION POINT :

Decide today that you will not sleep until you witness to at least one person about the goodness of Jesus Christ.

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: THE COST OF ETERNAL LIFE.

TUESDAY 18 MARCH 2014.


MEMORISE : And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Mark 9 : 47.
READ : MATTHEW 13 : 45 - 46.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EZEKIEL 1 - 3; PSALM 65.
Jesus Christ gave a parable in our Bible reading today on the importance of making sure we are not exempted from the kingdom of God. He likened the kingdom of God to a precious pearl that a rich merchant sought for, and after he had found it, went and sold all that he had just to buy it. In Mark 9 : 47, Jesus gave another serious instruction, showing just how important it is for everyone to strive to gain entrance into the kingdom of God. He said that if your eye, as precious and important to living as it is, will disqualify you from gaining entry into the presence of God at the end of your life, you should pluck it out! This is food for thought when we observe how careless we could be when it comes to the matter of making it to Heaven at the end of life. We seem to trivialise the problem of sin and what sin is capable of doing against our souls.
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Revelation 21 : 8
It is unfortunate that modern day theologians are writing and teaching people to be comfortable in their sinful lifestyle. They are explaining away the reality of Heaven and Hell. These two realms are real; they should not be explained away. As we continue to live on this planet earth, we should always remember that we do not have a permanent stay here. No matter how blessed we are with long life, eternity is not here on this present earth. A new earth and a new heaven are in the making for us according to Revelation 21 : 1 - 2. Therefore, whatever will disqualify you from gaining entry into the new earth and the new heaven should be discarded immediately. The reason is not far-fetched; death may come at any given time and the expected tomorrow may not come. Failure to enter to the kingdom of God leaves room only for the second option which is disastrous – hell. Today is the day of salvation, now is the acceptable time. Every weight that besets us must be done away with in accordance with the admonition in Hebrews 12 : 1:
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

PRAYER POINT :
Father, please grant me strength in my inner man to stop doing whatever I am doing that will make me a candidate for hell, in Jesus’ Name.
AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: ANTIDOTE TO CHALLENGES.

MONDAY 17 MARCH 2014.

MEMORISE : So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work. Nehemiah 4 : 6.

READ : NEHEMIAH 2 : 18 - 20.

18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.

19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : LAMENTATIONS 3 - 5; PSALM 64.

Every good builder has a foe, and that is the discourager. As we have read in the passage for today, Nehemiah determined to rebuild the destroyed city of Jerusalem; but then, he was faced with opposition! Sometimes, when you determine to do something good for God, you are surprised to come across opposition to your good intentions. Nehemiah could not be deterred, and neither should we be. As a young minister in the Church, I planned a programme for the purpose of winning souls to the Kingdom with the approval of my father-in-the-Lord. A senior pastor heard about it and picked a quarrel with me. I was surprised because my expectation was commendation and not condemnation. I could not understand how winning souls could become sacrilegious. I therefore reported the matter to the General Superintendent, but he asked me to go and beg the senior pastor so that the programme could hold! I obeyed; though I did not know why I should do that except for the fact that my father-in-the-Lord asked me to. I thank God I did.

Reading through the book of Nehemiah, you will discover that Nehemiah’s strength was hidden in his prayer life. He prayed all through to the God who gave him the vision to build, and he was strengthened ( Nehemiah 4 : 1 - 4 ). Jesus Christ also used the medium of prayer to overcome the challenges of His assignment of saving the world ( Luke 22 : 41 - 44 ). So, when you are convinced of what the Lord has asked you to do, go ahead and pursue it with all your strength, but do not leave prayer out of it. For those in opposition to good things, there are lots of lessons for you in this story as well. Beware of standing in opposition to what God does or wants to do, or else, you will live to regret your actions. You should know that what you think should not happen or will be impossible to achieve will happen, and will succeed as well. Know also that when the day of celebration comes, you will not be part of it. The story of the 24-hour miracle that terminated the famine in Samaria is one to take note of ( 2 Kings 7 : 18 - 20 ). The man of God prophesied super-abundance after a long time of famine in Samaria, but a powerful minister in the king’s cabinet said it was not possible. He saw it happen but he did not partake of it according to the word of the man of God. May this not be your portion in Jesus’ Name. Let us join hands to build our country. Let us cease from being destructively critical of our political and economic system. Rather, let us build our nation through prayers and we shall see and eat the good of the land in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT :

Father, give me the strength to build your kingdom on earth, and make me a partaker of the celebrations to follow.

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: DELIVERANCE: DIVINE ASSURANCE.

SATURDAY 15 MARCH 2014.

MEMORISE : Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. Psalm 91 : 3.

READ : MARK 16 : 17 - 18.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 52; PSALM 62.

When God speaks, that settles it. He reigns forever. When He gives a decree, it is forever. When He says “surely”, it means surely. When He says surely, it will be well with me, nobody can change it. He says surely, by His stripes I am healed, and nobody can change this. He says surely, everything I do shall prosper, and nobody can change this. This assurance can be yours too. Provided you dwell in the secret place of the Most High and you abide under the shadow of the Almighty, surely, all shall be well. But if tomorrow you decide to go back from Jesus, it is entirely a different matter. No doubt, there are enemies pillaging the lives of unsuspecting victims and careless children of God. Satan is their garrison commander. According to 1 Chronicles 21 : 1 :

“And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.”

It was Satan who plotted against Israel but it was David who did the actual numbering of Israel. Satan will always use somebody against you. He sets traps for people by luring them with bait.

In our Bible reading today, our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the assurance of victory and deliverance from the onslaught of our enemies. It is interesting that demons which Satan uses to kill, maim and destroy lives, are what our Lord Jesus Christ gave us authority to cast out in Luke 9 : 1 :

“Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.”

Take note of the fact that Jesus gave power and authority over all devils; all without exception. This indicates that it is a sheer waste of time to be asking demons or their victims such questions as: ‘What is your name?’ ‘Where do you live?’ In as much as the authority and power given to us covers all devils, it is wisdom to exercise it without limit. In the same vein, our Lord gave us power and authority to cure diseases – diseases in plural form! This is the assurance we have, that we should no longer be living at the mercy of the devil. Deliverance is a divine assurance for all believers that know their God. Let it be said on the mountains and in the valleys that Christians should not be living at the mercy of the devil any more. Also, let Christians take the battle to the gates of the enemy because victory is guaranteed in Jesus’ Name. The good news is that God can deliver you from every form of demonic possession. He will deliver you from all forms of diseases and demon-possession if you are already trapped. Call upon Him today and He will answer you.

PRAYER POINT :

Father, please deliver me from the snare of the fowler and protect me from the noisome pestilence, in Jesus’ Name.

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: GOD, MY REFUGE.

MEMORISE : I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Psalm 91 : 2.

READ : Psalm 71 : 1 - 3.

1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 49 : 23 - 50 : 46; PSALM 60.
The Almighty God, who is also the Most High, is our refuge, if only we belong to Him. A refuge is a place where you hide especially when trouble comes. For me, this place is in the presence of God Almighty. I can hide underneath the Name of Jesus and say nobody can touch or harm me. Hiding does not always indicate cowardice. Brave men also hide. As a matter of fact, an adage in my native language says in part that ‘you know a man of valour by his ability to fight and hide’. There are several occasions in the Bible where strong men of God were told by God to go and hide. 1 Kings 17 : 1 - 3 shows such an instance. Here we meet a mighty man of God who came before a king and pronounced that there would be no rain until he commanded it. Immediately after his statement, God told him to go and hide. Is this not strange? Was God afraid of the king? No! There are moments when we have to learn to hide. When God says you should go and hide, what it implies is that the battle is no more your own but His own. When God starts the fight, you have to leave the scene. I have learnt to hide when God says I should hide. If God asks me to hide so that He can fight for me, I will gladly hide.
In Psalm 71 : 1 - 3, the Psalmist declared his total trust in the Lord and earnestly prayed to the One who has never lost a battle. He told the Lord that if God would not keep him, he was finished, because he had no surer alternative. One of my sons told the story of how he threw away all the charms he took from his father’s house after his conversion. According to him, he blew the bridge between his magic world and the new world in Christ he had come into. It became difficult for him to think of going back because he had destroyed the charms which took his father decades to gather in the occult world. Let’s pay close attention to Psalm 71 : 2 which says:
“Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.”
The Psalmist points out something fundamental to divine security here. It is only the righteousness of God that can keep and cause us to escape the onslaught of the wicked world. It is also the life of holiness that will make God to incline His ear to our cry when we call on Him in the time of trouble. The promise of God in Psalm 91 : 15 is for those who love Him, know His name and keep his commandments ( Psalm 91 : 14 ). I pray for you that the Almighty God will be your refuge as from today in Jesus’ Name.

ACTION POINT :
Put your trust in the Lord and shun any other alternatives the world may offer, and you will live in peace and safety.

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: VICTORY OVER ENEMIES II.

MEMORISE : And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

READ : DANIEL 6 : 19 - 22.
19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 47 : 1 - 49 : 22; PSALM 59.
Paul in Philippians 3 : 10 prayed earnestly:
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
One wonders what prompted the apostle to pray this type of prayer! It may be, as we shall shortly see, that he discovered the secret of victory in the knowledge of the Most High God. It is beneficial to know Christ. In Daniel 11 : 32, the Bible reveals that the people who know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. The knowledge of God is therefore the key to doing exploits for Him. The degree of your knowledge of the Almighty God determines the level of victory you will experience over your enemies. For victorious Christian living therefore, knowledge is not a matter of choice but rather that of life and death; for lack of knowledge could lead to death ( Hosea 4 : 6 ). Knowledge is generally accepted as power. Power to conquer your enemies is in knowledge. This knowledge should be the knowledge of the Most High. Let’s take a look at examples of some heroes of faith and see how their knowledge of God gave them victory.
Joseph is a hero of faith who knew God, and this knowledge helped him to abstain from sexual immorality. When his master’s wife asked him to sleep with her, he in Genesis 39 : 9c said:
“....how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
Joseph knew that the act of sleeping with his master’s wife was directly a sin against God because He knew the God of his fathers to be a Holy God. Another example is Daniel. Daniel knew his God to the level of obeying Him rather than observing the malicious decree King Darius signed up to in ignorance. Daniel knew that with his God, all things are possible. He went ahead and prayed to the God that can kill and can make alive. Jesus said we should not fear those who can only kill the body; rather we should fear the One who can kill both the body and send the soul to hell ( Matthew 10 : 28 ). The three Hebrew young men were boastful of their God as being able to deliver them ( Daniel 3 : 16 - 18 ). They also knew that it could please Him to recall them to Himself in heaven through the fiery furnace. When you know God to be a consuming fire, you will not want to do anything that will offend Him. In return, your life of consecration and holiness will shield you against the onslaught of the enemy. Seek to know the Trinity today.
PRAYER POINT :
Father, reveal yourself to me. Let me know you as I ought to, and let the knowledge of you give me victory all the days of my life.
AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

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THEME : VICTORY OVER ENEMIES I.

THEME : VICTORY OVER ENEMIES I.
MEMORISE :
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91 : 1.
READ : PSALM 91 : 1 - 2.
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 44 - 46; PSALM 58.
The first thing that strikes you in Psalm 91 : 1 is that there is someone called “The Most High”. He is called “The Most High” because He is higher than the highest ( Ecclesiastes 5 :8b ). The Name of that Person called “The Most High” is Jesus. It is written concerning Him in Philippians 2 : 9 that:
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:”
There is a story about four boys who were discussing their fathers. Each boasted about his own. The first said his father was the greatest because his father was the Head of State. The second boy said his father was greater because his father was the physician of the Head of State. His father could order the president to stay in bed for one week and the president would obey him. The third boy then said his father was higher than the fathers of the other two because his father was the medicine man of their fathers. He could kill the two fathers if he wished. The fourth boy, who was the son of a messenger, said his father was the greatest of all four fathers because, not only could his father kill all their fathers, he could also raise the dead. They were amazed, but he told them he was not talking about his physical father but the One above, whose name is Jesus.
In our reading today, we can see factors that guarantee us victory over our enemies. One factor is that “The Most High” has a secret place where He hides his own in the time of trouble. The secret place of the Most High is not a building. It is a Name, His Name. Proverbs 18 : 10 says:
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”
The Name of Jesus is our secret place of safety because the Father has ordained that at the Name of Jesus, every knee should bow ( Philippians 2 : 10 ). We also discover from today’s Bible reading that there is someone who is called “The Almighty”. He is so called because He is very strong; He can even do the impossible ( Luke 1 : 37 ). The reason He can do the impossible is because power, real power, belongs to Him ( Psalm 62 : 11 ). The question then is, “how do I get under the shadow of this Almighty God?” It is simple; all you need to do is to make sure you are born-again. In other words, you must be born of God through the appropriation of the work of atonement by Jesus Christ when you confess and renounce your sinful ways. The Bible says that only those who are born of God and live by faith in Him are victors ( 1 John 5 : 4 - 5 ). Victory is yours in Jesus’ Name.
PRAYER POINT :
Father, keep me from evil and let your mighty hand uphold me that I may not fall away from your grace and mercy.
AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL:- ARE YOU A FALSE WITNESS?

FRIDAY 7 MARCH 2014.

THEME : ARE YOU A FALSE WITNESS?

MEMORISE : A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.
Proverbs 19 : 9.

READ : MARK 14 : 57 - 60.

57 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,

58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.

59 But neither so did their witness agree together.

60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 33 : 14 - 35 : 19; PSALM 55 : 1 - 15.

In Exodus 20 : 16, God commanded that we should not bear false witness against our neighbour. The consequence of being a false witness is found in Proverbs 19 : 9. Wicked people cannot survive without false witnesses. They rely on false witnesses to perpetrate their evil deeds. For example, Ahab could not have gotten rid of Naboth but for the use of false witnesses ( 1 Kings 21 : 13 ). It was the false witness of Rehum the chancellor, Shimshai the scribe and their cohorts against the Jews that halted the rebuilding project of Zerubbabel (Ezra 4). These people wrote false allegations against the Jews and their leadership and sent the document to King Artaxerxes. The result as stated in Ezra 4 : 24 was devastating:

“Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.”

The effects of false witnesses are unimaginable. As a matter of fact, a false witness is a murderer in disguise. His or her motive cannot be mistaken: it is to destroy. I pray for you that false witnesses shall not destroy your destiny in Jesus’ Name.

When the Jewish leaders could find nothing to nail Jesus Christ, they opted for blackmail and false witnesses. Jesus had earlier told those who were following him in John 14 : 30b that:

“…for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”

So the only way they could get at Jesus was through false witnesses. Despite the conspiracy, the Bible in Mark 14 : 56 says:

“For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.”

There is a great lesson that you as a follower of Christ must learn from this story. You must live above-board like your Master if you don’t want to become an easy prey for the accuser of the brethren – Satan. In the same vein, you must learn to be transparently honest. This will prevent you from being a false witness. When you engage in false witnessing and lying, you are crucifying Jesus Christ again and the danger is that you will fall into a state where it becomes difficult to be restored ( Hebrews 6 : 4 - 6 ). Another danger of being a false witness is that it exposes one to becoming a reprobate. This is a state where the conscience no longer checkmates a person against wrongdoing ( 2 Timothy 3 : 8, Romans 1 : 28 - 32 ). In what areas of your life are you a false witness? Fake affidavit? False claims that you are married with so many children whereas you have a family of just three? I pray for you that a lying tongue will not blot your name from the book of life in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT :

Father, deliver me from a lying tongue and help me to be a true witness of the Cross of Jesus.

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL;- ATTENTIVE TO THE MASTER’S INSTRUCTIONS ?

WEDNESDAY 5 MARCH 2014.

MEMORISE : Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
Mark 14 : 38.

READ : MARK 14 : 37 - 38.

37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?

38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 29 : 24 - 31: 40 ; PSALM 52.

It is always good to pay close attention to instructions given by someone you claim to be your guide or guardian. Often, we miss many opportunities, breakthroughs and victories because we fail to see the details of the instructions given to us on a subject. A multi-national company once held a promotional exam for their middle-cadre staff. The questions were simple, but the exam was meant to test their ability to follow instructions. There were ten items on the question paper with a long paragraph of instructions. The time allocated for the examination was only ten minutes, but reading the instructions through properly would take about five minutes. For this reason, many did not take time to read the instructions but went ahead to answer all the questions, which appeared very simple. However, the candidates were required to answer just one question, and the instruction to this effect was hidden in the last line of the instructions they failed to read. Whoever answered more than one question failed the test. Only one person read through to the end of the instructions. The instruction, indeed, was the examination!

The apostles of old also had issues with paying attention to detailed instructions and we must learn from them. When our Lord came face to face with the reality of suffering and the Cross, He admitted that it was not going to be easy ( Mark 14 : 34 ). There was only one way to pass the examination of the moment – prayer. He went to pray and told the disciples to do the same; though not for Him, but for themselves ( Mark 14 : 38 ). They were however busy sleeping! Beloved, to make it to the end of our Christian race, let us pay close attention to the details of the Lord’s instructions and we shall be happy we did. When the Lord in Malachi 3 : 10a said:

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse”

He meant all tithes. You do not need an advanced dictionary to understand what “all” means. When also the Bible in 1 Corinthians 11 : 10 says:

“For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.”

Apostle Paul did not say much on why a woman should veil her head while praying or prophesying. However, a conscientious child of God would not press for too many details before she jumps at this simple instruction of covering within the spiritual environment. I pray for you that the grace to pay very close attention to detailed instructions will be given to you in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT :

Father, though I may not fully understand why I should, give me the grace to be completely obedient to your instructions.

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

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Vision and Life.

Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you're riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts; put your vision to reality. Wake up and live!!!!!

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: THE INFALLIBLE WORD OF GOD.

 

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

TUESDAY 4 MARCH 2014.

THEME : THE INFALLIBLE WORD OF GOD.

MEMORISE : Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Mark 13 : 31.

READ : MARK 14 : 27 - 31.

27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.

28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.

29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.

30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.

31 But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 27 : 1- 29 : 23; PSALM 51.

One underlying lesson from the encounter of Peter with the Lord Jesus Christ in today’s Bible reading is that whatever the Lord says shall come to pass. It is therefore pertinent to take note of all prophesies of Jesus Christ as they affect the cosmic world and beyond. Surely, they shall come to pass. There was a story of a mad man who was fond of collecting alms, especially food items, by force. With his plate in his left hand, he would raise a cutlass in his right hand and say to the prospective donor, “If you think it won’t be and it is, what would you do?” In other words, “if you think I can’t cut off your head and I do; what would you do?” The fellow would quickly drop some food in his plate and he would walk away. He targeted mostly market women. One day, a woman dared this lunatic and said, “I won’t give you anything today; you can do your worst”. In anger, the lunatic landed a stroke of his cutlass on her head. But for providence which helped her to slightly dodge the cutlass, the lunatic would have beheaded her. Only her right ear was chopped off. The whole market was thrown into pandemonium. Beloved, if the lunatic made good his threat, what do you think of the words of the One who commanded the heaven and the earth to be and they were? It is foolhardy to think that the words spoken by the mouth of the Almighty God and His Christ will not come to pass. When He says the wages of sin is death – Romans 6 : 23, you better believe it before it is too late.

When our Lord Jesus Christ was speaking with His disciples of old on what was about to happen in relation to them deserting and denying Him, they could not comprehend any situation that would make them deny the Master. As seen in this case of the disciples, at times, children of God assume they are more knowledgeable than their Father. The Lord knew what would happen. He told them, but they could not believe such a thing could happen to them. Momentarily they forgot that they were dealing with the Word of God who became man. On few occasions like this one in our Bible reading today, they took Him and His words as words from an ordinary mortal. To us His disciples today, the Lord said this through His holy angels in Acts 1 : 11b :

“....this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

Our attitude towards God’s demand for holiness will become positive if we believe that Jesus is coming back to judge the quick and the dead ( 2 Timothy 4 : 1 ).

ACTION POINT :

Make up your mind that you will believe and act according to every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord, as well as the written words of the Holy Scriptures.

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

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THEME : THE LIFE-GIVING MEAL.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

MONDAY 3 MARCH 2014.
 

MEMORISE : Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6 : 54.

READ : MARK 14 : 22 - 24.

22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.

24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JEREMIAH 25 - 26; PSALM 50 : 16 - 23.

At the last supper of our Lord Jesus Christ during His first advent, He offered his body to His disciples, and by extension, to us his present day disciples. An invitation to a Holy Communion service is an invitation to come and partake in the life of the Life-Giver. The body of Jesus was broken for us. When we partake in the Lord’s Supper, we are eating the body of Jesus which is meat indeed ( John 6 : 48 - 50 ). Whoever eats His body has eternal life. The kind of life referred to here is the excellent life. Partaking in the Holy Communion introduces the dimension of excellence into your life. When you eat of the Lord’s body, the meal eats up or consumes whatever will harm you in the body. In other words, the life-giving meal has curative and preventive powers. To appreciate the value of the Lord’s Supper, let us take a closer look at its significance. The significance of the Lord’s Supper resides in its value. The Lord’s Supper marks the end of an era and the beginning of another. The Lord’s Supper is designed to give you a new life. The value of a meal is determined by how much you put into it. To give us the Lord’s Supper, the Lord had to pay a great price, shedding His blood on the cross. The Lord cannot pay such a great price only for us to remain in death. After a great price has been paid for this great meal, we must reap the benefits of life in it to the fullest.

In this season, as we celebrate the demonstration of the greatest love of all through our Lord Jesus Christ, we must appropriate the benefits of the broken body of our Lord. The body of Christ that we partake of during communion service provides abundant life. This meal positively affects our spirit, soul and body. When you partake in the life-giving meal as provided for by the broken flesh of Jesus Christ, value is added to your life. That life that seems to be empty becomes full of virtues, values and perfection. When next you partake in the Holy Communion, be full of great expectation that death is no longer your portion. This is because death has been swallowed up in victory by the resurrection power of our Lord and Saviour - Jesus Christ ( 1 Corinthians 15 : 54 ). As we commemorate the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection, we must not lose sight of the significance of this great feat accomplished by Jesus Christ our Lord. One way of appreciating this is by accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour and living by the precepts of the One who paid the supreme price. He said if we love Him, we would keep His commandment ( John 14 : 15 ).

PRAYER POINT :

Father, I lay hold of the benefits paid for by the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus Christ that are not yet manifest in my life in Jesus’ Name.

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

HBD Daddy G.O.

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