Open Heavens Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.. 

DATE : WEDNESDAY 23 MARCH 2016 

THEME : LIVING IN THE SPIRIT 

Memorise : 

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 

Read : Galatians 5:22-26 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. 

Message 

When you are not living in the Spirit, you will suffer spiritual famine. You will become victim of the works of the flesh such as adultery, fornication, uncleanness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, heresies envying etc. But when you allow your life to be directed by the Spirit, you will be able to express the fruits of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, long suffering, meekness, patience ,faith etc. Those who walk in the Spirit cannot make wrong decisions and even when they have decided to make a move, their moves will always lead to the right destinations, because they are guided by God. This is why it's important to allow God to speak to you so that you can hear His voice and find rest for your souls. When you live in Spirit, you will not grope around as someone in darkness. There are many people who have lost the energy required for the Christian race because they allowed their hearts to be taken over by the mundane things of this world. Don't be a carnal Christian. A carnal Christian enjoys what the world can offer as long as it it satisfies his ego. A carnal Christian is always a victim of sin because the body has not been trained to be disciplined. If you live in the spirit, you will no longer compete with the world in fashion. If you are walking in the Spirit you will not be comfortable exposing your body to cause others to fall into lust. You must make up your mind to break away from every act of carnality, so that the peace of God can rest on you. 

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,neither indeed can be Romans 8:7 

Do not be consumed any longer with the lust of the flesh, the list of the eye and the pride of this life. Make up your mind to be ruled and governed by the Spirit of God. Our hearts, deeds and fruits we bear must be patterned to please God. One of the ways to ensure we live in the Spirit is to continue to fellowship with Him. Those who find it difficult to come to the presence of God and fellowship cannot experience the power of the Spirit. You are supposed to value the presence of God more than any other thing in life. You may be denied of every other thing but not the presence of God. Also, to grow in the Spirit we must create time for the study of the Word of God. Make the study of the Word of God important in your agenda. The moment you begin to have excuses for not attending fellowship and not studying Gods Word, you can be sure that the devil is already causing you to experience spiritual famine, and at the end , there will be a manifestation of the flesh. Some who are no longer walking in the Spirit have given themselves over to the false doctrines blowing across the world. If you are in this category, you have to cry to God to help you so that you will not be a victim of heresy. The flesh is programmed to always yield to sin. Ask God to deliver you from the desires of your flesh so that you will no longer gratify its dictates. 

Prayer Point : 

Father, let not my flesh have dominion over me. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Judges 8:29-9:57 and Job 4:15-17 

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE 

HYMN 5: OH SPREAD THE TIDING ROUND 

Oh, spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found, 
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound; 
Let every Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound: The Comforter has come! 

Chorus: 
The Comforter has come, 
The Comforter has come! 
The Holy Ghost from heav’n, 
The Lord’s dear promise giv’n; 
Oh, spread the tidings ’round, 
Wherever man is found, 
The Comforter has come! 

2. The long, long night is past, the morning breaks at last; 
And hushed the dreadful wail and fury of the blast, 
As o’er the golden hills the day advances fast! 
The Comforter has come! 

Chorus: 

3. Lo, the great King of kings, with healing in His wings, 
To every captive soul a full deliv’rance brings; 
And through the vacant cells the song of triumph rings: 
The Comforter has come! 

Chorus: 

4. O boundless love divine! how shall this tongue of mine 
To wond’ring mortals tell the matchless grace divine 
That I, a child of hell, should in His image shine! 
The Comforter has come! 

Chorus. LikeCommentShare         View on FacebookEdit Email Settings       Reply to this email to comment on this post. 

Open Heavens Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: TUESDAY 22 MARCH 2016 

THEME: GROWING IN GRACE 

Memorise: 

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. 2 Peter3:18 

Read: Titus 2:15 

15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. 

Message 

It is the responsibility of every Christian to grow spiritually. It is not enough for us to allow our spiritual growth to be at the expense of the pastors, or the number of church programmes we attend. There is a need to be personally committed to your growth. The capacity of growth is within the grace and knowledge which has been given to us by Jesus Christ. The fact that Jesus became a sacrifice for us is an expression of the height of love which the Fathers has for us. Each time we put this in remembrance, it should condition us to do only those things which are pleasing and acceptable to God. Many peopletoday have abused the grace of God, they became so familiar with the ways and acts of God. The fact that we do not see fire fall like the days of old, or the fact that we do not see the manifestation of instant judgment like when the ground opened and swallowed those leaving in rebellion to God's authority, does not mean God has gone on vacation. It only means that many people have frustrated the grace of God in their lives and have totally stopped growing spiritually. 

Believers must collectively ask for the spirit of prompt obedience to the instructions and commandments of God. There is great grace in the covenant and if you don't take the grace of God for granted, you will enjoy every provision accessible in it. The moment the grace of God leaves a person, it is disgrace that takes over. This we can confirm through the experience of King Saul and David. 

Believers should not toy with sin because the devil is out searching for that one moment of carelessness. We need to always be on guard and use the grace of God to dislodge the devil and his agents. It is the grace of God that helps us to justify our calling as children of God. There is nothing unique about us, it only pleased the Almighty God to count us worthy to be vessels in His hands and this is what the devil is sad about. If not for the grace of God, many of us are not qualified to be saved by account of our pasts deeds, yet He chose to use us and bless us with great talents and abilities. May the grace of God over your life continue to abound in Jesus' name. 

Let us always remember that we were not chosen because we were better, we were chosen because of the grace of God. You are a product of divine grace, therefore hold unto whatever He has promised you. You may be forgotten, but God is preparing you to show forth His glory in your life. 

Prayer point: 

Father, let your grace be sufficient for me in Jesus' name. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judges 6:36-8:28 and Job 40:15-41:4 

AUTHOR: Pst. E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 12: MY HOPE IS BUILD ON NOTHING LESS 

My hope is built on nothing less 
Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness; 
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, 
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. 

Chorus: 
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; 
All other ground is sinking sand, 
All other ground is sinking sand. 

2. When darkness veils His lovely face, 
I rest on His unchanging grace; 
In every high and stormy gale, 
My anchor holds within the veil. 

Chorus: 

3. His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood; 
When all around my soul gives way, 
He then is all my hope and stay. 

Chorus: 

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound, 
Oh, may I then in Him be found; 
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne. 

Chorus.

Open Heavens Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: SUNDAY 20 MARCH 2016 

THEME: BEWARE OF ENTICING MOCKERS 

Memorise: 

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived 
thereby is not wise. Proverbs 20:1 

Read: Genesis 19:30-38 

30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. 

31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: 

32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 

33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 

34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 

36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. 

37 And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 

38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. 

Message 

There are many people who argue as to whether it is a sin to take alcohol or not. This is amazing; simply have to look at the fruit of an action before you know whether it is good or not. In our Bible reading, the acts of the children of Lot wouldn’t have been possible if their father had not been drunk. So in his senseless state of mind, both daughters laid with him and conceived from his seed. The children born through this means became the Moabites and the Ammonites who become sworn-enemies of the children of Israel. 

Wine is a mocker that leads to uncontrollable behaviour. I have seen very quite people who will never, under normal circumstances, say anything that will put them into trouble. But the moment these people come under the influence of strong drink, they become someone else. There are many people who have lost precious things under the influence of alcohol. Many have lost their wives as a result of alcohol. With a ‘little shot’ many have been poisoned through alcohol. There are people who have experienced fatal accidents because they were not in control of themselves. Some were duped because they were under the influence of alcohol. Unfortunately, the devil is always waiting for such times when people are out of their senses to strike. He allows some of them to suffer damages which they may never recover from. 

“Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts” 
Proverbs 31:6 

Those who cannot stay away from alcohol will always be victims of wrong decisions. They will never be able to judge well. Men of integrity who value the life that God has given to them will control themselves and not allow the desire of the flesh to derail them. 

Alcohol is an instrument of unrighteousness and you should not yield to it. If you love God, it will show in your attitude to such things. God wants you to abstain from the old wine of sin and embrace the new wine of life in the Spirit of God. This is the wine of the Holy Spirit which is totally devoid of the input of man. There is no addition of chemical that will do your harm. The new wine produces joy and happiness in the Holy Ghost, while the old wine of flesh produces death and shame. You will not be a victim of mockery in Jesus’ name. 

Key Point: 

It is a sin to engage in what destroys you. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judges 3:7-4:24 and Job 39:13-25 

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 9: MY FAITH HAS FOUND A PLACE 

My faith has found a resting place, 
Not in device or creed; 
I trust the ever living One, 
His wounds for me shall plead. 

Chorus: 
I need no other argument, 
I need no other plea, 
It is enough that Jesus died, 
And that He died for me. 

Enough for me that Jesus saves, 
This ends my fear and doubt; 
A sinful soul I come to Him, 
He'll never cast me out. 

Chorus: 

My heart is leaning on the Word, 
The living Word of God, 
Salvation by my Savior's Name, 
Salvation through His blood. 

Chorus: 

My great Physician heals the sick, 
The lost He came to save; 
For me His precious blood He shed, 
For me His life He gave. 

Chorus.    

Open Heavens Devotional

 OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL... 

DATE : THURSDAY 17 MARCH 2016 

THEME : A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD 

Memorise: 

And hast made us unto our God kings and Priests: and we shall reign on the earth. Revelations 5:10 

Read: 1st Peter 2:9-10 

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; 

10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 

Message 

The problem with many believers is that they find it difficult to believe what the scripture says about them. We allow the devil to convince us, telling us that we are not as qualified as God says we are, and that we do not have the ability to do what the Word says we can do. God created us in His own image and gave us the ability to reign on earth. The capabilities and qualities required of us to exercise our priesthood were also given to us. However, many people are not exercising their positions as priests because they do not believe they are priests. They allow the opinions of others to determine how they live; they do not have minds of their own. People commit suicide on a daily basis because they know so little about themselves; they have no idea who they really are. As a child of God, you need to know that every word said about you in the Bible is ever dependable and reliable. It doesn’t matter the circumstances surrounding you at any given time, you must always see yourself as God sees you. Always see yourself in a positive light. Like David, encourage yourself in the Lord no matter what happens. Every morning when you rise up, know that you are a victor and not a victim; there is much more to you than you can see. There is much more to you than you can see. The Israelites saw themselves as grasshoppers before the giants, but in the mind of God the opposite was the case. 
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:” 
Proverbs 23:7a 

The perception of who you are is crucial to your walk with God. As a royal priesthood, you are an embodiment of beauty, power and royalty. You are an epitome of God’s glory. You are created in the very image and likeness of God. All things created, visible and invisible are under your feet. This is why you need to take your place and not allow your life to be ruined by the devil. 

Note however, that you do not have this right and liberty to reflect the image of God anywhere you are, if you haven’t given your life to Christ. Holiness must be a daily lifestyle to you. The nature of royalty as given to you by God must reflect in your appearances and discussion. You can no longer hate those who hate you; you have to show love and forgiveness to those who deliberately do things to hurt you. You have to do according to the instructions in Philippians 4:8: 

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lonely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there will be any virtue, and if there will be any praise, think on these things.” 

It is when you do this constantly that you can become a partaker of the covenant privileges. 

Prayer Point : 

Father, please let your glory never depart from me. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Joshua 22 and Job 38:12-24 

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE 

Open Heavens Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2016 

THEME: LIVING ABOVE NATURAL LIMITS 

MEMORISE: 

Jesus saith unto her, saith I not unto Thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God. John 11:40 

READ: Psalm 67:1-7 
1. God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. 

2. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. 

3. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. 

4. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. 

5 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. 

6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. 

7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. 

MESSAGE: 

The presence of God in a life makes the difference. When you carry the presence of God, you will see the invisible and hear the inaudible. 

Prior to my becoming a member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, I realized that with all my degrees and certificates, I was still going through a lot of hardship, but the moment I surrendered my whole life to the Lord, I began to experience the supernatural. 

God saw my hunger for Him and He responded to my needs. God is always ready to do great things through the lives of those who seek Him. The moment you yield totally to Him, you will begin to operate above natural limits. Without this supernatural ability, you will remain a common man and you will always have common results. 

In Acts 2:1-4, after the disciples had encounter with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they began to speak with new tongues which turned them into a class of different people. They began to do exploit. The things they could not do before became very easy for them. They were casting out devils and speaking with new tongues. The Lord was confirming their ministry daily with signs and wonders. 

The moment you believe God and you allow Him to do His will in your life, you will become a visible evidence for the world to see. Your prayers become easily answered and every fear of the impossible will begin to give way to boldness. 

You will begin to do what you wouldn’t have thought you were capable of doing. This is why I am always conscious of His presence in my life, because if His presence is removed, I no longer exist. God does not want you to remain and operate in the valley. 

If your eyes are set on the Lord, you will discover that the closer you get to Him, the higher and farther away He is. When we see the miracles of God around us, it means we are beholding the glory of God. 
As we study the immeasurable miracles of God as recorded in the scriptures and as seen in our everyday life, it bears record of what God is capable of doing. 

One of my daughters got a report from the doctor saying that she will never be able to bear a child. This report was premised on the fact that her womb was too small to nurture a child to the point of delivery, so she had been having miscarriages whenever the pregnancies got to a certain month. 

But a medical report is not always God’s report, besides, it is whatever report you believe that will manifest in your life, so my daughter believed the report of the Lord and she was getting ready to see the glory of God. At this particular time, she was pregnant and the Lord kept her till the point of delivery. By the time she was about to deliver, this same daughter whose medical report indicated she will never be able to keep a baby delivered four babies at the same time. 

There is a user of this devotional, I prophesy into your life; every negative report you are carrying that is making you weep shall be rendered useless in Jesus’ name. If only you can believe in the Word of God, you will experience the glory of God. God dwells in the realms of the supernatural, and as a child of God, you are expected to experience the miraculous at all times. 

KEY POINT: 

When you follow God nothing will be able to limit you. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 12:20-14:14 and Job 32:1-14. 

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

Open Heavens Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: FRIDAY 4 MARCH 2016 

THEME: THE SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE 

MEMORISE: 

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. 1st Corinthians 12:8 

READ: Daniel 6:1-3 

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; 

2 And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. 

3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. 

MESSAGE: 
One of the gems that made Joshua take over the mantle of leadership from his master was the excellent spirit he carried. Joshua excelled in all matters than most of his age mates and contemporaries. Those who remain in the crowd cannot become excellent in life, because excellence is a private matter, but with a public pronouncement. 

The spirit of excellence will never permit you to do things at a level which others are comfortable with. You cannot be flocking around the multitude and achieve greatness in life and ministry. This is why Jesus was always withdrawing His disciples to Himself at the point of every exploit. 

He did not want them to be carried away with the songs of the crowd. He knew the crowd well and he knew that those who were shouting “hail hail” will be the ones to say “crucify Him” the next day. Excellence is necessary for anyone to become a useful vessel in the hands of the Almighty God. 

Excellence is what releases the gem in a man’s life and makes him the envy of his generation. The spirit of excellence is a crucial requirement for being useful and relevant in the scheme of things. It is what puts you on edge in God’s programme and makes you a formidable force. “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” Hebrews 1:9 

Exploits in life have never been a function of a higher educational qualification or popularity; it is through the spirit of excellence. When you carry the presence of God, it releases the spirit of excellence in you which in turn gives you the wisdom to access the mysteries of life. 

The presence of God gives you deep insight and wisdom for every difficult situation of life and makes you become a master over situations and circumstances through His presence. You cannot have an excellent spirit and lack understanding. Your level of knowledge will begin to command the attention of all and sundry as we saw when the Queen of Sheba came visiting King Solomon. 

Excellence is a goal, so you have to strive for it. Excellence is the attainment of the highest level of perfection in anything you do. It means operating in a class of your own. Those who do things the way others do them cannot become excellent. You have to be willing to go the extra mile. You have to identify your goal and begin to pursue it with vigour. 

Joseph understood this early and it worked continuously for him until he becomes a reference point in a strange land. Daniel understood this early and he focused on it and remained a formidable force in the reign of three kings. The kings were leaving him behind, but the grace of God upon his life made him relevant under different circumstances. 

The spirit of excellence will help you to concentrate on your assignment until you become a standard. However, this spirit can only come from God. If you don’t know God, there is no way you can do exploits (Daniel 11:32). I pray that from this moment, as you surrender totally to God, you will begin to experience the miraculous in Jesus’ name. 

PRAYER POINT: 

Father, remove every hindrance on my way to greatness in Jesus’ name. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 
John10:22-12:19 and Job 31:29-40. 

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE. 

Open Heavens Devotional

 OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: WEDNESDAY 2ND MARCH 2016 

THEME: A WITNESS OR A BETRAYER? 

Memorise: 

Now he that betrayed gave them a sign, Saying, whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. Matthew 26:48 

Read: John 1:20-34 

20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 

21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 

22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 

23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 

24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 

25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 

26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 

27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 

28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 

30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 

31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 

32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 

33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 

34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. 

Message 

A witness is someone who bears record that Jesus is the Son of God for heavenly objectives to be realised, while a betrayer is also someone who bears the same record but for destructive reasons; so that the objectives of the Devil can be realised. I have a strong conviction within me that when Judas Iscariot was carrying out this destructive goal, he did not know that it would end so badly. He felt he knew Christ through and through. He was a very smart guy who believed that Jesus as usual would find a way of escape from the Roman soldiers, but unfortunately, the story did not end the way he envisaged. Are you a betrayer or a witness? There are many people that started out as witnesses but ended up as betrayers. They were portraying signs which they did not see as too bad. They thought it was not dangerous. They believed that they knew how to help themselves, till they met their fall. May this not be your portion in Jesus’ name. 

The kiss of Judas was a customary form of affectionate greeting among the Jews, and this was the same gesture that Judas used in identifying Jesus to the band of officers and Pharisees. The act of betrayal came from someone who was a companion of Jesus in His ministry. A betrayer could be one of your equals who is not happy with what God is doing in your life. Your betrayer may be your guide or your acquaintance, like we saw in the story of the false prophet and the younger prophet. Those who are most likely to betray you might not be far from those you take counsel from, and walk to the house of God with. This is why you must never allow anything to stand between you and God, because He is the only one who can deliver you from their wickedness and mischief. If you don’t know how to call upon God who alone can save you from the hands of betrayers, then you are in trouble. 

Amidst the opposition of the unbelieving and disobedient Jews, John the Baptist decided to be a witness. John was not in the palace, his ministry was in the wilderness, yet people were going there to hear the Word of God because he was a true witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Though John was not the Elijah they wanted to see, they saw him witnessing about the person of Jesus with the zeal and the power of a prophet. As a witness he was a lone voice in the wilderness. The happenings of his day did not alter his message, and lives were being changed and transformed. He preached repentance and he alerted the minds of the people to the presence of God. Such messages are scarce on the pulpits of 21st century Pastors and Evangelists. No wonder some are beginning to doubt what they once believed, which is eventually leading them to becoming betrayers rather than witnesses. 

Action Point: 

Are you a betrayer or a witness of the gospel? 
Pray for me on this my special day, that God should continue to strengthen me as I take the gospel to more nations of the world. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 6:60-8:30and Job 31:5-15 

AUTHOR : Pst. E. A. ADEBOYE

Open Heavens Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

MONDAY FEBRUARY 29 2016. 

THEME: CHILDREN! FOLLOW THE WAY. 

MEMORISE : 

My son, hear the instruction of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother: PROVERBS 1 : 8. 

READ : EPHESIANS 6 : 1 - 3 : 

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 

2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 

3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 

Message 

The Bible teaches that children have mandatory responsibilities to their parents. As a matter of fact, Children owe their parents certain important duties that include the obligation to respect, honour and obey them. Children are the heritage of the Lord and God has a special interest in their well-being. Meanwhile God is a disciplinarian as revealed in Revelation 3 : 19 : 

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” 

God has decided to commit the discipline of children to their parents as caretakers for Him; therefore, children must cooperate with their parents to make the work easy for their own benefit. Obedience in this respect attracts long life and prosperity. 

If you invested so much in your children, but have retired and they are gainfully employed, yet they ignore you, will you be happy with them? Some fathers have placed curses on their children for neglecting them. A righteous child will not neglect his parents at any time. He will make sure that those of them that are not saved are led to Jesus. After all, that is the greatest gift he can give them. Besides that, he will ensure that they have a roof over their heads and their needs are met in the area of feeding, clothing, healthcare, etc. 

God has joined children to their parents as partners in progress. For two people to work in agreement, they must see and mind the same thing. They must be focused on the same goal. 

God’s focus is that children have parents that will be godly examples to them, while making efforts to bring them up in the way of the Lord. God wants parents that will introduce their children to Him at very tender ages, so that they may learn to obey God and become familiar with His commandments, worship and fellowship. Children should be careful not to be a source of sorrow and pain to their parents. Proverbs 17 : 25 says : 

“A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.”

I pray that God in His mercy will visit every Christian home and intervene in the life of every wayward child today in the Name of Jesus. 

PRAYER POINT : 

Father, please help me to always accept correction joyfully in Jesus’ name. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: JOHN 4 :30 - 5 : 18 AND JOB 30 : 16 - 23. 

AUTHOR : Pst. E. A. ADEBOYE

Open Heavens Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23 2016. 

THEME : HOW OLD ARE YOU? 

MEMORISE : 

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. PSALMS 90 : 12. 

READ : PSALMS 90 : 1 - 12 : 

1 LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. 

2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. 

3 Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. 

4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. 

5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. 

6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. 

7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. 

8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. 

9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. 

10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. 

11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. 

12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. 

Message 

The theme of Psalm 90 focuses on making the most of the short lifespan that we have as mortal human beings. The passage speaks of death as 'returning to dust', and discusses the total lifespan of man as being transitory, like an ordinary grass of the field. It also describes what humans proudly refers to as 'glorious years' as 'a short lifespan spent in serious labour and great sorrow'. Therefore, Psalm 90 discusses the concept of human life with such an unpleasant and derogatory language that it calls to mind the need to find a way of making the best out of life. The situation is made worse by the complimentary witness of other Bible passages such as Ecclesiastes 1 : 2 : 

"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." 

Job 14 : 1 - 2 that says : 
"MAN that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not." 

Furthermore, the experiences of life tallies with the Word of God in the most perfect sense, as revealed in the biblical testimonies of people such as Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Esther, Ruth,David, Solomon, Elijah, John the Baptist, and the Apostles. The Stories of the life of these people of God are full of hard labour, uncertainty, disappointment, betrayal, persecution,failure, and death. Though there people were mostly prophets and anointed kings, yet their stories show that they ended well only by divine intervention. Bible scholars generally identified Moses as the author of Psalm 90. The counsel of this great prophet who succeeded in life despite having his own fair of troubles and tribulations should therefore be taken seriously. Psalms 90 : 12 says : 

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." 

True wisdom comes from God alone and it is quite different from worldly wisdom that is based on human cleverness, insight, and intuition without Gods revelation which brings little profit. This passage speaks of the ability to make the most of our time in this world, despite the brevity of life. To do this requires a new understanding of the meaning of life. To number our days is to value the time we have by using it for eternal purposes. Focusing on eternity which then produces a heart of wisdom, enables a child of God to live in line with the Word of God. 

Godly wisdom is made available by digging deep into the Word of God. It is received through total submission to the will of God, imparted to Christians by Gods Holy Spirit, and graciously given in response to the fervent prayers of the saints of God. As you begin to dig deeper into the Word of God in total submission to His will in prayers, He will pour down His heavenly wisdom upon your life in Jesus' name. 

PRAYER POINT : 

Father, please fill me with the wisdom to excel in life and ministry in Jesus' name. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : LUKE 17 : 11 - 19 : 27 AND JOB 27 : 13 - 28 : 6 

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

Open Heavens Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

MONDAY FEBURARY 22 2016. 

THEME : APOSTATE OR REFORMER? 

MEMORISE : 

Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. JAMES 5 : 4. 

READ : 1 KINGS 18 : 41 - 46 : 

41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. 

42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, 

43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. 

44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not. 

45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. 

46 And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. 

Message 

Apostasy in Christendom refers to religious rebellion. It is the withdrawal of loyalty or a breaking away from the leadership or authority of God. An apostate is a practicing Christian that once pledge allegiance to God and the Bible doctrines, then afterwards turned back to live contrary to his avowed belief and declaration of faith. On the other hand, a reformer refers to a person that is making efforts to bring back those that strayed from godly commitments, to the proper form of Christian life. A reformer would do everything possible to instruct apostates, Christians and unbelievers, in the complete renewal of biblical instructions of Christianity. 

Apostasy occurred in several places in the Bible, and each occurrence reveals God’s displeasure and terrible anger against apostates and anyone that incites the people to rebel against Him. I have frequently shared stories of several individuals who came to accept Jesus at the peak of their troubles when their situations were hopeless, and later decided to abandon God after they had received divine solutions to their problems through Jesus. Some years ago, when we tried to follow-up on one of such people, he said that a hospitalised fellow is usually allowed to go home after a successful medical treatment. He viewed the Church as a hospital and though he didn’t have any business with God whatsoever after being healed. The end of such ungrateful and rebellious people is always worse than their beginning. I pray that you will not be overcome by the spirit of apostasy in Jesus’ name. Hebrew 6 : 4 - 6 says : 

“For it is possible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” 

It is important to note that apostasy is not a casual sin but a voluntary rejection of God’s will. It is a conscious departure from the Fatherhood of God, and a deliberate walk away from Jesus Christ and everything He stands for. This is the reason why the above Bible passage presents apostasy as a terrible error that is virtually impossible to remediate. May the Lord deliver anyone that is in any form of backsliding today in Jesus’ name. 

On the other hand, the main assignment of a reformer is to call the Church of God and His people into genuine repentance and a careful reconciliation between contemporary Christian practice and Bible doctrines. The body of Christ must be delivered from end-time lukewarmness, modernism, and the doctrine of relativity that is presently holding it in captivity. May we yield ourselves to be used as the Lord raises reformers that will re-ignite the fire of revival in the body of Christ today in Jesus’ name. 

KEY POINT : 

Father, please set me on fire and use me as an instrument of reformation in Your Church in Jesus’ Name. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : LUKE 14 : 25 - 17 : 10 AND JOB 27 : 1 - 12. 

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

Open Heavens Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

DATE: FRIDAY 19TH FEBRUARY 2016.
THEME: BEWARE OF DECEIVERS (1).
MEMORISE:
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness - 2nd Timothy
3:16.
READ: 2nd Timothy 3:1-8
1. This know also, that in the last days perilous
times shall come.
2. For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those
that are good,
4. Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of
pleasures more than lovers of God;
5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the
power thereof: from such turn away.
6. For of this sort are they which creep into
houses, and lead captive silly women laden with
sins, led away with divers lusts,
7. Ever learning, and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth.
8. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses,
so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt
minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
MESSAGE:
A deceiver is someone who practices deceit as
means of seducing, misleading, or giving false
impressions to people. A deceiver would try to
impose a false idea that causes bewilderment,
helplessness, or confusion in people’s mind.
Every act of deception is a direct attack against
the truth for the purpose of distorting the original
creative order and position of things by the
Almighty God.
Deception is therefore the devil’s invention which
has been carefully designed to create doubts and
questions about the credibility of God in the
hearts of men. This is the reason why deceit is
condemned by God as an attempt to deny His
sovereignty and the revelation of Himself.
After the devil’s successful attack on Adam and
Eve in Genesis 3:1-7, God repeatedly warned
humanity about the subtlety of Satan and his
false prophets. Matthew 24:11 says “And many
false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive
many.”
The whole of the Bible from Genesis to
Revelation is full of similar warnings about the
deliberate plot of devil to send his evil agents of
deception in form of false prophets and heretic
teachers into the world, in order to deceive and
mislead many. These deadly agents of deception
have perfected the means of attacking
unsuspecting individuals from two seemingly
harmless fronts.
One of their tactics is to preach the gospel of
the alternative. They claim to be serving the
same God through another saviour, and therefore
present their religion as a better alternative to
Christianity that only has the appearance of the
Christian religion on the surface, but is full of
heresy, ungodliness, and immorality in actual
practice.
To this end 1st Timothy 4:1-2 says “Now the
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter time
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron;”
In the above passage, the Word of God is making
it very clear to us that the activities of these
agents of darkness will become very
concentrated and effective in the latter days,
such that it will cause some believers to depart
from the faith.
This will happen because those affected would
commit the error of giving heed to seducing
spirits. They would be seduced through the
preaching of other gospels, the gospel of
relativism, modernism and post-modernism, and
through attractive motivational messages.
To counter the evil, we must turn to 2nd Timothy
3:16. God has given us all scripture by His
inspiration, to be profitable for doctrine, reproof,
correction, and instruction in righteousness.
Dangerous heretic teachings are in the air, but
anyone that abides in the Word of God, can
never be deceived. Be warned.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please don’t let me ever give heed to
seducing spirits in Jesus’ name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 9:21-10:42 and Job
24:9-20.

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE