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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