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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