OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - MONDAY- 21/04/2014 - DISCERNMENT – HOW VITAL! BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

DISCERNMENT – HOW VITAL!

MEMORISE

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:14

READ

Acts 16:16-18

16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

MESSAGE

One of the methods Satan and his agents use in deceiving people is the act of camouflage. The Holy Spirit has put us on notice concerning this in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15:

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

From the time of the early church, the agents of darkness have sought to come into the church without being noticed, so that from within, they could carry out the mission of their master, which is to steal, to kill and to destroy. If they could attempt this in the earliest days of the church (as was the case of Simon the sorcerer - Acts 8:9-24), what should one expect in the end-times, when without doubt the devil knows that he has but a short time before his destruction (Revelation 12:12)?

By the nefarious activities of these nice looking, seemingly harmless, active and warmth-exuding evil geniuses, not a small number of promising ministries and ministers have been cut short. Some bright stars of the kingdom have been dimmed by the enemy’s deep penetration into the centre of operation and into the life of the undiscerning leadership of the church. The world will say “unsuspecting leadership” because they exist in the realm of the senses where suspicion is used in fishing out “suspects”. In the kingdom of God however, we should not think that mere suspicions would enable us to identify fake brethren who are working as agents of darkness. This is tantamount to operating by the arm of flesh (1 Samuel 2:9). We are bound to make mistakes if we rely on our sensory observations rather than on the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in discernment.

In our Bible reading of today, a young lady had been following Paul and his team for several days, announcing them to be servants of the Most High God. No human intelligence would have identified her as a devil (which she truly was); in fact, she would have been considered a potential minister (a prophetess) whom Paul (a missionary) could entrust the leadership of the church to at his departure. Thank God that was not to be. I guess Paul by himself did not know who she really was until the day the gift of discernment of the Holy Spirit manifested.

ACTION POINT

Pray that God will make his ministers recognise the need for the gift of discernment to be in operation in our churches and that God will graciously pour this gift on His church.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Micah 5-7; Psalm 87

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL -SUNDAY - 20/04/2014 - CHRIST BEHIND YOU BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

CHRIST BEHIND YOU

MEMORISE

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

James 2:17

READ

Mark 16:15-20

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

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.

19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

MESSAGE

The confidence a man exudes depends on the power backing him up. As a child of God, all that Christ won back from the devil was for you and not for Himself. Our imagination cannot fathom the scope of His power. The good news is that he has granted you the authority to exercise this power. Ephesians 1:19-22 perfectly reveals this truth:

“And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,”

The power described in the above scripture is what backs up your authority in this life. This is what “Christ behind you” means. It means the power that holds the universe is backing you up. It is not to you that situations and people will submit, but to the power behind you.

The power of Jesus, grants you the authority to do the following:

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

Mark 16:17

The awesome events enumerated above, are to happen through the believer by the backing of Jesus. Some years ago, there was this man who was loaded with demons. He was brought for prayers to be delivered. While praying for him, he would get up. When I commanded him to sit down, he then responded, “In whose name”, I said “In Jesus’ Name”. He said “that is different”, and sat down quietly. That was a manifestation of “Christ behind me”. How many articles of this promise are reality in your life and ministry? For Christ to be behind you, you have to walk before him. In Genesis 17:1, God told Abraham to walk before Him and be perfect; therefore, if you will enjoy the backing of Jesus, you are to stay in front of Him and be careful to walk on in perfection as He takes interest in watching you. His grace is sufficient for you.

ACTION POINT

Evaluate the level of fulfilment of Mark 16:17-18 in your life and pray to God concerning what part of it is not yet manifesting.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Micah 1-4; 

Psalm 86

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SATURDAYY - 19/04/2014 - CHRIST BEFORE YOU BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

CHRIST BEFORE YOU

MEMORISE

The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

Deuteronomy 1:30

READ

Romans 8:13-16

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

MESSAGE

When the Israelites left Egypt for the Promised Land, God chose their route and led them through the wilderness. He did this by the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. In spite of their number, the terrible conditions of the wilderness and the opposition of their enemies including giants, they got to their destination by God’s guidance. Praise God! The term “Christ before you” talks about Christ guiding and leading you. The Bible makes it clear that:

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

Romans 8:14

Beloved, the world is a wilderness and we are on our way to heaven. There are alternate routes in the form of choices and decisions for moving on in life. As a child of God who has a destination, you cannot afford to move on just by any route. You cannot make choices being led by the flesh, by your sight, by your feelings or even just by your mere senses (Proverbs 3:5-7). Remember, not all that glitters is gold. Your adversary, the devil is prowling, seeking a careless and straying child of God to devour (1 Peter 5:8). In Jesus’ Name, you will not fall prey to him. Many young Christian men and women have run into wrong marital relationships because they allowed themselves to be led by other things apart from God, their Father.

Psalm 114:1-7 reveals that nothing can stand before the presence of our God, be it sea, mountain or hills. With Christ going before you, obstacles will clear out of your way because of the awesome power of His presence. Enemies pitching battles against you also get crushed in the presence of Jehovah, the Man of War (Deuteronomy 1:30). Now, how do you get Him to lead you? Psalm 25:9 says:

“The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.”

The meek is the one who has the power and ability to fight but refuses to. He is not just gentle, he has all it takes to hit back and to crush, but he refuses to. He is like a tamed horse. The meek is submissive. Do you want to enjoy divine leading so that God can go before you? Then, be prepared to be meek.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please in any area I have jumped ahead of you to make choices outside of your leading, be merciful and forgive me. Whatsoever pain such action has brought to my life, remove and make me whole in Jesus’

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Obadiah 1, 

Jonah 1-4; 

Psalm 85

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - FRIDAY - 18/04/2014 - CHRIST WITH YOU BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

CHRIST WITH YOU

MEMORISE

There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Joshua 1:5

READ

Exodus 3:11-12

11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

MESSAGE

No man is an island. At one point or the other, you would have done something in partnership with somebody. More often than not, the result of such synergy is geometrically higher than if you go it all alone. Now imagine if your partner is Jesus. This is what “Christ with you” is all about. It means a partnership between you and Jesus. It indicates you and Jesus doing things together. There are many things for which you need God to be with you, both with respect to things of this world and things of eternal value. If God is with you, there is nothing you cannot achieve.

In the case of Moses, he had every reason to be apprehensive of the idea of having to go back to Egypt to set the people of Israel free from bondage. Obviously, Egypt was a powerful nation in those days. However, he did not have to deliver Israel all by himself, for God had said to him: “Certainly I will be with thee” (Exodus 3:12). In that project of yours, in that good but difficult step you want to take, in that God-glorifying but capital-intensive project that you would like to embark upon, God will be with you. Is there a call of God on your life for an assignment which you consider difficult, fearsome, dangerous or too big for little you? Don’t be afraid! All you need is God’s assurance that He will be with you, and it shall be done. Just like He was with those before you, God with you in that assignment shall also be to your honour and greatness. Joshua the servant of Moses, who took over the mantle of leadership from Moses, was too little in his own eyes to step into his master’s shoes. Yet all that God gave him was the assurance that He would be with him (Joshua 1:5).

The Lord Jesus Christ while here on earth was doing wonders, healing the sick, delivering the oppressed, all because God (His Father) was with Him (Acts 10:38). Let God be with you in your work, family and business. There is however no way God can be with you if your ways do not align with His ways. How can God be with you in your business when you do not follow his ordinance of paying tithes? Christ is ready and more than willing to be your partner but His question to you is this:

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”

Amos 3:3

PRAYER POINT

Father, help me to recognise anything in my attitude, habits and relationships that would not allow me to enjoy your abiding presence. Let the fire of your word purify me of them.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Amos 5:18-9:15; Psalm 8

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - THURSDAY - 17/04/2014 - CHRIST FOR YOU BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

CHRIST FOR YOU

MEMORISE

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:31

READ

James 4:5-8

5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

MESSAGE

Apart from Christ being in you, another dimension of Christ in relation to you is “Christ being for you”. The phrase “for you” in this context signifies approval of or support for you. The implication of ‘Christ for you’ is encapsulated in Romans 8:31:

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

I pray that God will give you the revelation of this in your spirit. With Christ for you, you become an unstoppable juggernaut. Every opposition against your forward movement is bulldozed away. It is a great thing when God is for you because anyone trying to curse you would merely be wasting his time. We see this manifested in the life of the children of Israel on their way to the Promised Land. Because God was for them, all attempts to curse them failed. In opposition to their onward journey to the Promised Land, Balak the king of Moab hired Balaam – a prophet, to curse them. God dealt with the prophet by warning him against his mission through the donkey that spoke like a man. Besides this, three consecutive times, at the point of pronouncing curses, God intervened and in fact made Balaam to pronounce blessings upon God’s people.

“How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!”

Numbers 23:8&23

How then do you obtain His support? It is by drawing near to Him. James 4:8 says if you draw near to God, He would also draw near to you. This means that you don’t serve Him only with the mouth, but also with your heart. Drawing close to God means spending quality time in personal fellowship with Him. Fellowshipping with Him means you talk to Him and He talks back to you. Study how a man and woman in courtship get close to each other and apply this to your relationship with God. They talk to each other, they share moments of ups and downs together, they parade each other around, they express their feelings of love and dissatisfaction in songs, poems and letters, they study each other’s character and they shed relationships not approved of by their partner and several other things. If you apply this principle to your relationship with God, you will be shocked at how real He will become and for sure He will stand up in your defence just like a man will stand up for his woman if confronted by danger while in courtship.

PRAYER POINT

Father, fill my heart with your love, cancel any curse upon my life and bless me.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Amos 1:1-5:17; Psalm 83

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - TUESDAY - 15/04/2014 - HEART: LIFE’S CONTROL TOWER BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HEART: LIFE’S CONTROL TOWER

MEMORISE

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Proverbs 4:23

READ

Proverbs 4:20-23

20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.

22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

MESSAGE

Physically, the heart’s role in keeping a man alive cannot be undermined. This organ is very crucial to human existence. In the non-empirical world, the heart of a man is that part of his soul that directs his physical actions. Jesus made this clear in Mark 7:18-23. It is this “heart” we are considering in this study. It is popularly said that “the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart”. This means that the core issues of life are matters of the heart. This is the crux of what our Bible reading today is saying in verse 23.

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

What moulds a life comes from the heart. Ordinarily, the Bible says the heart is evil – deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). After a man experiences the salvation of Jesus, the heart is impacted and made available for working upon by the word of God. It’s supposed to be a dwelling place for the word of God so that it can be transformed to bring forth virtues, victories and success. For this to be experienced in reality, the child of God needs as a matter of duty to work constantly on the heart through studying, meditating and memorising the word of God.

Basically, the heart of a man can be in any of these four states:

1)            The roadside heart

2)            The stony heart

3)            The thorny heart

4)            The good heart

Our Lord Jesus Christ explained these states in a parable he defined as the key to all other parables (Mark 4:13-20). The state an individual’s heart assumes is the choice of the fellow. The heart is the place to receive knowledge, besides the head. Until knowledge is obtained in the heart, a person will not benefit from it. What kind of knowledge do you receive into your heart?

A working relationship between the heart and the mouth charts the course of a man’s life – whether good or bad. The mouth is the outlet of the heart; thus, the issues that mould a life are coming out of the heart through the mouth. The state of the heart is the true identity of a man. It is the place God looks at to relate to a man (1 Samuel 16:7).

ACTION POINT

Examine your thought pattern in the mirror of Philippians 4:8 and pray accordingly.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Hosea 11-14; Psalm 81

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - MONDAY - 14/04/2014 - CONFRONT THIS ENEMY – FEAR BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

CONFRONT THIS ENEMY – FEAR

MEMORISE

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Romans 8:15

READ

Isaiah 41:10-14

10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

MESSAGE

The scripture is replete with statements of “fear not” from God to His people. Fear is one tool the enemy finds most useful in his hands in making the children of God suffer failure, pain and destruction of destiny. Often times, what people are afraid of is not real, but their minds paint an imaginary picture of the object or situation out of proportion and the enemy helps to blow it up. Thus people fear what they should not be afraid of.

On the other hand, there are some situations that are truly terrifying from a human perspective. Regarding such situations, the Lord our God still tells us not to be afraid. He expects us to know that with Him behind us and for us, no person, situation or thing can have us at its mercy. This is why in Isaiah 41:10 He says:

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Fear is an enemy; it paralyses the potential meant to be deployed for activities that lead to greatness. The Bible says fear has torment (1 John 4:18). Fear makes its victim disobedient to God. It deceives its victim into magnifying a challenging situation above God. Such was the case of King Saul who confessed that he had sinned because he feared the people and obeyed their voice against the instruction of God (1 Samuel 15:24). Being fearful is a sin that can lead to an eternity in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:8).

“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.”

Of all the listed sins above, being fearful is number one on the list. You have no business being fearful. Jesus our Lord is greater than any human being no matter his status. He is greater than any witch or wizard; Satan their master is no match for Him. In fact, Colossians 2:10 says Jesus is the head of all principalities and powers. Isaiah 8:12-13 says we should not fear any gang-up against us, rather, God alone should be feared. Once we fear God, we would have no one else to fear.

ACTION POINT

Confront anything, person or situation tending to make you afraid in the Name of Jesus. Command the spirit of fear to depart from you in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Hosea 6-10; Psalm 80:8-19

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SATURDAY - 12/04/2014 - PEACE ALL-ROUND I BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

PEACE ALL-ROUND I

MEMORISE

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27

READ

Isaiah 43:2-4

2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

MESSAGE

Peace is good and needful, whether to an individual or to a society. The presence of peace is to be cherished above having riches without peace. May you not have the kind of wealth that would take away your peace in Jesus’ Name. There is a dimension of peace I refer to as environmental peace: this has to do with physical security challenges such as is being grappled with in Nigeria – terrorism in the north, kidnapping and armed robbery all over the place. The truth is, environmental peace has a way of affecting the peace of mind of individuals. Glory to God, Jesus our Lord goes by the title “Prince of Peace”. What this connotes is that He is the controller, the giver and the One who sustains and nourishes peace in man. He controls all dimensions of peace possible – be it environmental, in the mind or any other. Lack of peace brings fear, confusion, and leads into bondage. No vision, development or progress is made where there is no peace.

The highest level of peace a man needs to attain is peace with God. This is why no one can boast of security except by coming to Jesus. When you come to Jesus – the author of peace, He dwells in you with His peace. He will keep kidnappers, armed robbers and assassins away from you, thus making you to dwell in peace environmentally. Your mind will be at peace also. You must however continue to love and trust Him with all your heart and resources. Psalm 91:1 says:

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

Psalm 125:2 also says:

“As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.”

These are the words of the Lord that cannot lie. One limiting problem is that some children of God are ignorant of His promises. We need to stand on His word, claim it, pray it and confess it. It is His plan that we should be delivered from our enemies so that we may serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives (Luke 1:74-75). Whatever negates that plan must not be accommodated.

ACTION POINT

Pray for peace in Nigeria and all troubled spots in the world. Pray that the gospel of Jesus will thrive in all nations of the world.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Daniel 11-12; Psalm 79

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - FRIDAY - 11/04/2014 - AN ASSET, NOT A LIABILITY BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

AN ASSET, NOT A LIABILITY

MEMORISE

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16

READ

Acts 27:31-36

31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.

33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.

34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.

35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.

36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.

MESSAGE

Every child of God is meant to be carrying divine treasure on the inside. This is true because you cannot be born-again except the Holy Spirit comes into you. The Holy Spirit is a divine treasure given to us as a deposit guaranteeing us of things to come (Ephesians 1:13-14). Besides this, the Bible reveals that though we are earthen, we are carrying inside of us great treasure. This treasure gives heavenly abilities – abilities above the natural. We have these abilities because of the presence of God in us. We are therefore the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). With this status, every child of God has got something to offer as an answer to every sense of loss among men. Rather than being the answer to problems, many children of God have become problems themselves within different circles and their communities. In the church itself, some children of God have no other business besides peddling both founded and unfounded rumours. For some, their business is to criticize; for some others, it is to analyse why the vision of the leader is not realistic. This is not supposed to be so, and except such individuals repent and turn a new leaf, they are toying with Hell; besides, they cannot enjoy the favour of God here on earth.

You as a child of God should not despise or belittle the great things you are capable of doing to turn the lives of individuals, families, towns, cities and countries around by the presence of Jesus in you. It is not about your physical build, human intellect or wisdom; it’s about Jesus in you. I want you to know that though you may look small in your own eyes, there are lives only you can affect (as God has pre-ordained) and they are waiting for you. In Acts 27:27-44, Paul was but a prisoner on board a ship transporting him and other prisoners to Rome. The leaders of the voyage were the trained captain and sailors who were to pilot the ship safely to its destination – Rome. However, when trouble came by reason of a storm that would not abate, with death on the horizon, it was Paul, a prisoner with no proficiency in the art of sailing that became the situational leader. He was able to perform this role because of Jesus in Him. He only needed to commune with his Father. Thus, he brought hope and solution to the trepidation of the moment. You can be the leader for the moment by being the solution to that naughty issue or to that life-threatening experience of that couple. You can bring tears of joy rather than the tears of sorrow being experienced by that brother, sister or neighbour. These you will achieve if only you realise that you are not a liability but an asset needing to be unbundled.

ACTION POINT

Prayerfully compose a list of individuals and or families for your intercession and those to reach for Christ.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Daniel 9-10; Psalm 78:55-72

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SATURDAY - 05/04/2014 - INGREDIENTS FOR ANSWERED PRAYER BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

INGREDIENTS FOR ANSWERED PRAYER

MEMORISE

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

Psalm 66:18

READ

Matthew 6:9-13

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

MESSAGE

Our Lord Jesus Christ gave us an outline of the pattern our prayers should follow in what is called the Lord’s Prayer. We must draw some eternal lessons on how to get answers to our prayers by studying the few words of this outline. The first lesson is that, we must acknowledge the Fatherhood of God if we want to receive answers to our prayers. This is why those who argue that God has no children are short-changing themselves. Jesus Christ in Matthew 15:26b said:

“It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.”

Who are the dogs? The Bible defines them in Revelation 22:15:

“For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”

Another lesson from the Lord’s Prayer is that only those who hallow or honour, or have regard for the Name of the Lord can have their prayers answered. The Bible in Exodus 20:7 says:

“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”

How do you take the name of the Lord in vain? By not living out the life of a Christian you claim to be. Apostle Paul wrote this concerning such people in Romans 2:21&24:

“Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.”

Also, is it not an exercise in futility if you pray earnestly for the kingdom of God to come and when it comes, you are nowhere to be found in it? Because it is written:

“For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”

Ephesians 5:5

Finally, every child of God must seek the will of God to be done here on earth in this perverted generation as if we were in Heaven. Contrary to the dictates of this world, its fashions and manner of living, children of God who want to be effective in their prayer life must ensure that they are not influenced by the present day so-called civilization, modern ideas and unfounded fundamental human rights that are not given by our Father Who Art in Heaven.

PRAYER POINT

Holy Spirit Divine, teach me how to pray effectively.

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - FRIDAY - 04/04/2014 - WHY THE WORLD RAGES BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

WHY THE WORLD RAGES

MEMORISE

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.
Luke 21:17

READ

Luke 6:22-23

22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 

23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

MESSAGE

The Psalmist in Psalm 69:8 wrote:

“I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.”

Why this sorry situation? He gives the reason in Psalm 69:9:

“For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.”

This is equally the lamentation of those who would live a righteous life in this world. The world is becoming more ungodly than ever before. Wickedness is becoming the accepted norm of our society. Worldliness is the order of the day in present day Christianity. Ruminating on this reality, one cannot but ask the following questions: If this continues, is there any hope for godly living? For how long would the wicked continue to hold sway in our society? The answers to these questions are: this ugly situation will not continue perpetually, there is hope for those who are on the Lord’s side, and a doomsday of judgement awaits the ungodly.

When you decide to live a godly life, there is bound to be persecution from the ungodly. The most painful aspect of this is that, the ungodly who once were outside the Church are not just in Church today, but are also taking positions and are “persecuting” those who are trying to go the extra mile for the Master. The Lord in our Bible reading foretold the persecutions, shunning and reproach that will befall those who will live godly lives in this world. He did this in order to comfort us. The Psalmist also was perplexed by this situation until he received insight from God.

“Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.”
Psalm 73:12&16-18

Our Lord Jesus Christ explained to us the reason why the world will hate us in John 15:19:

“If ye were of the world, the world would love is own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

Beloved, in spite of all these, keep your eyes on the Lord. Every persecution ends at His coming. To someone using this devotional, the Lord is encouraging you to endure the present persecution you are facing. The next phase of your life is all-round promotion. Praise the Lord.

PRAYER POINT

Father, give me the grace to identify with you in this evil generation in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Ezekiel 42:1-44:14; 

Psalm 76

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - THURSDAY - 03/04/2014 - DESIRING LONGEVITY & PROSPERITY? BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

DESIRING LONGEVITY & PROSPERITY?

MEMORISE

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

Ephesians 6:1

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

Most people want to live long on the earth no matter what their current situation is; be it good, bad or ugly. Why is this so? The reason is that most people hope that their tomorrow will be alright, and they do not want to die before that tomorrow comes. It is unfortunate that many people, especially the youths, do not know and are not shown the secret of long life and prosperity. This is hidden in the word of God. From our scripture reading, apart from saying it is right to obey our parents in the Lord, the word of God goes further to announce the rewards of doing so. Of all the commandments God gave to mankind, this is the first commandment with promises attached. Promises of what? Promises of long life and prosperity! This is interesting, particularly for those who want to live long and prosper on this earth which the Lord has given to us to occupy.

What other things apart from honouring father and mother must I do to prosper, you may ask? You must get revelations on what to do per time by meditating on the word of God. The Bible in Joshua 1:8 says:

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

The word of God contains several principles of God that will guarantee your prosperity. It contains wisdom on what to do in every situation of life. You however unlock the treasures hidden in the word by meditating on it. This is the reason why every child of God must not only read but also meditate in order to do the things that are written in the word of God.

It is a blessing to live our lives according to the word of God. I pray for you that you will not miss out on this blessing in Jesus’ Name. Failure, frustration and death will be far from you if you can live in the fear of the Lord. Beloved, it is your time to experience astonishing prosperity with long life. This type of prosperity does not kill. Make sure you live in perfect obedience to your parents, particularly in the Lord. That is, obey your biological parents as they teach you the way of the Lord. Also, you need to obey your spiritual parents as they feed you with the undiluted word of God. It is well with you in Jesus’ Name.

ACTION POINT

Ensure you follow the Bible in One Year reading plan contained in this devotional.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Ezekiel 40-41; 
Psalm 75

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