Monthly Archives: October 2016

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND 2016-HATER OF GOD?

MEMORISE:

Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. Jeremiah 17:5
Read: Romans 1:28-32
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

AS REVEALED BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE IN TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

1. Haters of God are those who put the fear of man over and above the fear of God. They believe more in the invention of man than the creation of God. They are those who rely on their vain imagination rather the absolute truth of God. They prefer to stay away from God.

2. Those who put their confidence in man will always end up with frustrating experiences. If you keep to God He will keep you in perfect peace. There are many people who have no experience of what the Peace of God is. May this never be your portion in Jesus’ name.

3. Haters of God allow their hearts to be dominated by impure thoughts. They allow demons to control their hearts, and this is why they find it impossible to experience the Peace of God. You can make up your mind this day to be a lover of God.Those who hate God will never know the peace of God.

4. Don’t allow the power of hell to dominate your life. Every place of activity through which evil ideas come into your life must be avoided.

5. Separate yourself totally from those things separating you from the blessings of God. Keep a distance from those negative connections and influences that lure you into evil including internet views and impure television programmes.

6. Don’t give yourself further to those things that will attract the wrath of God upon your life, things such as masturbation, fornication, incest, rape, same sex relationship, occultism, and pornography. Through the power of God, you can dominate these evil practices that keep you away from the grace of God.

SHORT REFLECTION BY THE LIGHT POINTERS
Overcoming these evil acts require submission to God, fleeing from every appearance of evil and praying constantly to God not to fall into temptations that will lead to eternal destruction. The fear of God is also the beginning of wisdom, therefore having consistence believe that God is omnipresence will caution us from doing evil no matter our location.
Prayer Point
Father, please give me the grace to please you.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Revelation 3:14-7:17, Psalms 92

HYMN 10

1 When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
and the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
when the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Refrain:
When the roll is called up yonder,
when the roll is called up yonder,
when the roll is called up yonder,
when the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
2 On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
and the glory of His resurrection share;
ahen His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. [Refrain]
3 Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun;
let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. [Refrain]

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: Tuesday, November 1st 2016-GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT

MEMORISE:

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30
Read: Matthew 12:24-31
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

AS REVEALED BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE IN TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

1. There are many Christians living in frustration and defeat because they have set themselves against the flow of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the key to the outpouring of revival and every endeavour in this new dispensation. The Holy Spirit is the secret behind every supernatural occurrence.

2. As helpful as the Holy Spiirt is, one should be careful in relating with Him. Ananias and Saphirra lied to Peter about how much they sold their land. They felt they were deceiving Peter, unfortunately, it was too late for them to realise that they had grieved the Holy Spirit.

3. The moment a person begins to rebel against the instructions in God’s word, such a fellow is asking for trouble from the Holy Spirit.

4.The apostle, in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, said that the church must not quench the spirit of God. The Holy Spirit can be grieved when disciples begin to disobey God. Believers today should do everything possible to pattern their lives after the beliefs and practices that were maintained by the disciples of the early church.

5. Do not do anything that will make you an enemy to the Holy Spirit. Do not make yourself a stumbling block to the progress of others around you. Don’t have the ‘pull it down’ mind-set. Don’t scatter the good works others have done simply because you are in a position of influence. All those who do these will see the anger of God.

6. The Holy Spirit must not be grieved. He is always working hard against sinners. You have to allow the Holy Spirit to breathe on you with the breath of God so that your life can be filled anew. When your life is filled anew, you will find it easy to love what He loves.

SHORT REFLECTION BY THE LIGHT POINTERS
Grieving the Holy Spirit is as dangerous as being blind. Spiritual Obscurity will always be the portion of such person that won’t obey the quite voice of the Holy Spirit. Infact, there are many things Jesus didn’t reveal to His disciples that the Holy spirit reveals “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now” John 16:12. Classified information about life is available through the Holy Spirit of God.
PRAYER POINT: Your spiritual maturity can be measured by how much love, peace and unity your presence brings wherever you are.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Revelation1:1-3:13, Psalms 91
AUTHOR: Pastor E. A Adeboye

HYMN:

1 O 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!
Refrain:
The Comforter has come! The Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from heav’n, the Father’s promise giv’n,
O 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! [Refrain]
3 Lo, the great King of kings, with healing in His wings,
To every captive soul a full deliv’rance brings;
And thro’ the vacant cells the song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come! [Refrain]
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! [Refrain]

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LET’S DISCUSS GENESIS CHAPTER ONE+PRAYER EXTRACT

What is darkness? Why did God allow it ? What role does light plays?

LET’S DISCUSS GENESIS CHAPTER ONE +PRAYER POINTS

by Bowale Daniel

Two things were created by God. Heavens and the earth. There was no problem, no challenges; nothing was void about Heavens. This means that after creation, heaven was perfect, complete, normal and good but the Earth was completely void and full of desolate. Darkness covered the deep waters. Darkness existed from creation. Water/Rivers had connections with darkness and its the Spirit of God was hovering upon it’s face. God called forth light into such darkness and it was so.
It should be noted that God did not create darkness for any purpose, darkness came into existence as an obstacles to the creation of the Earth. {Gen 1:2.} Also note that God did not say darkness was good even though He said light was good in Gen 1:3. God separated the light from the darkness, not darkness from the light simply because God has nothing to do with darkness. God repeatedly said all that He called into existence was good but never mention darkness as good. However, He allowed darkness in creation though he did not reckon it to be good.
God created everything by His words. God created everthing in the spiritual realm calling them forth. Night and day made a day recorded in the scriptures not day and night. God saw that all He made was beautiful Genesis: 1. 22. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
God created man in His image and blessed them to be fruitful and multiply. Genesis: 1. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. – 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

LET’S DISCUSS/CRITICAL QUESTIONS ARISING
What is darkness? Why did God allow it ? What role does light plays?

PRAYER POINT
Genesis: 1. 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
● Dear Father help me to exercise the dominion you have given me in life

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LET'S DISCUSS GENESIS CHAPTER ONE +PRAYER POINTS

What is darkness? Why did God allow it ? What role does light plays?

LET’S DISCUSS GENESIS CHAPTER ONE +PRAYER POINTS

by Bowale Daniel

Two things were created by God. Heavens and the earth. There was no problem, no challenges; nothing was void about Heavens. This means that after creation, heaven was perfect, complete, normal and good but the Earth was completely void and full of desolate. Darkness covered the deep waters. Darkness existed from creation. Water/Rivers had connections with darkness and its the Spirit of God was hovering upon it’s face. God called forth light into such darkness and it was so.
It should be noted that God did not create darkness for any purpose, darkness came into existence as an obstacles to the creation of the Earth. {Gen 1:2.} Also note that God did not say darkness was good even though He said light was good in Gen 1:3. God separated the light from the darkness, not darkness from the light simply because God has nothing to do with darkness. God repeatedly said all that He called into existence was good but never mention darkness as good. However, He allowed darkness in creation though he did not reckon it to be good.
God created everything by His words. God created everthing in the spiritual realm calling them forth. Night and day made a day recorded in the scriptures not day and night. God saw that all He made was beautiful Genesis: 1. 22. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
God created man in His image and blessed them to be fruitful and multiply. Genesis: 1. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. – 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

LET’S DISCUSS/CRITICAL QUESTIONS ARISING
What is darkness? Why did God allow it ? What role does light plays?

PRAYER POINT
Genesis: 1. 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
● Dear Father help me to exercise the dominion you have given me in life

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: BE COURAGEOUS Monday October 31st 2016

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Memorise: Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them; for the Lord thy God he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Deuteronomy 31:6
Read: 2nd Chronicles 32:7-8 (KJV)
7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him:
8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
Bible in one year: Malachi 1-4, Psalms 90:7-17

AS REVEALED BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE IN TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

1.Courage is a virtue that is not optional for children of God who want to fulfil destiny. Without courage, we can’t even say we are images of Living God.

2. There are many reasons why we cannot afford to be afraid of people. Proverbs 29:25 says: “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”

3. Anyone who wants to represent God in this world must be courageous, or else, he or she will make a mess of the divine assignment like king Saul did.

4. Another reason we should not be afraid of any man is that God is with us. His name is Emmanuel. He himself said “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20). Isaiah 43:2-3 says: “When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 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.”

5. There are facts that should instil courage into us because faithful is He who has promised; He will fulfil it.

SHORT REFLECTION BY THE LIGHT POINTERS
Trusting in mam is unrealistic, it’s only God who will promise and not fail. He’s the same yesterday,today and forever.No matter how hard the situation may be, He is capable of delivering us from every challenge of Life.
Prayer Point
Father, give me courage; don’t let me lose my ground of faith to the devil.

HYMN 9

1 My faith has found a resting place,
Not in device nor creed;
I trust the Ever-living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.
Refrain:
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.
2 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. [Refrain]
3 My heart is leaning on the Word,
The written Word of God,
Salvation by my Savior’s name,
Salvation through His blood. [Refrain]
4 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. [Refrain]

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: GODLY SORROW Sunday October 30th 2016

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL by Pastor E.A Adeboye: GODLY SORROW Sunday October 30th 2016

Memorise: Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4.
Read: 2nd Corinthians 7:9-10 (KJV)
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Bible in one year: Zechariah 11-14, Psalms 90:1-6

MESSAGE

There are different categories of sorrow; the ungodly sorrow and the godly sorrow. Ungodly sorrow leads to deadly actions that drag its victims to either temporal or eternal perdition. The Bible says that Cain was sorrowful because his offering was not acceptable by God. That type of sorrow was ungodly because it pushed his to commit a great sin against God. He became the first murderer in the history of man, a deviant one at that. The Almighty God asked him, “Where is Abel thy brother? And he confidently told God that he didn’t know where Abel was.
Another example of ungodly sorrow is found in Judas Iscariot. The Bible says he actually felt sorry for how the event turned out, but his sorrow was not godly; he only felt bad because his plan to swindle the chief priest failed. He did not think of the injustice of the action in the first place. He would have been happy if Jesus had slipped away from His arresters like He had in John 8:59. No wonder Judas Iscariot ended up killing himself.
On the other hand, godly sorrow is positive. 2nd Corinthians 7:10 says: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
When someone realises that he or she is a sinner and knows that the final destination is eternal perdition, if he becomes penitent like David after his encounter with Prophet Nathan, he will be forgiven.
Also, in the story of the people of Nineveh, after Jonah had handed down the coming judgement of God upon the city, they all, from the king of the least, engaged themselves in godly sorrow. The king declared a fast of both humans and animals Jonah 3:10 says: “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”
This positive sorrow was found in the Publican Jesus spoke of in Luke 18:10-14, he had godly sorrow void of self-righteousness and in verse 14, Jesus said: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other….”
Key Point
Don’t sweep your blunders under the carpets of self-righteousness; repent and exercise godly sorrow. You will be comforted by divine forgiveness.

HYMN 4

1 Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.
2 Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.
3 Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.
5 Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee.

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: NOT REPROBATE Saturday October 29th 2016

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL by Pastor E.A Adeboye NOT REPROBATE Saturday October 29th 2016

Memorise: But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 2nd Corinthians 13:6
Read: 2nd Corinthians 13:5-8 (KJV)
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
Bible in one year: Zechariah 6:9-10:12, Psalms 89:38-52

MESSAGE

To be a reprobate is very dangerous for the society and for the Christian faith in particular. The reason is not far-fetched; a reprobate does immoral and unethical things without any sense of guilt or remorse because his or her conscience has been seared with hot iron of defiance.
In our memory verse for today, Apostle Paul affirmed his confidence in the Corinthians Church premised on the fact that they would do according to the godly instructions he gave them. The problem of some of the 21st century believers is the philosophy of relativism which makes them think that an acceptable statement or action in the time of war will also be acceptable in the time of peace.
For instance, if you kill while on a battle field, you are valiant and patriotic, however, if you kill in the time of peace, even as a soldier, you will be charged with murder. An extreme case of relativism is when killing in the time of peace is considered the same with killing in the time of war. This is a human error that should not be allowed in the body of Christ because it turns believers into reprobates.
In our text today, Apostle Paul admonished the Church at Corinth, and by extension, the Church of today to make sure they are still in the faith. He goes further to challenge us to prove that we are carriers of Jesus’ image. This is the reason why John, the beloved wrote in 1st John 3:9 “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
Some people have sold themselves to reprobate minds, and so no number of sermons they hear can change them. They keep saying, “My conscience does not condemn me.” The truth is that a dead conscience cannot condemn, because it is not active.
Prayer Point
Lord Jesus, please cleanse my conscience with Your Blood so that it may be more active and sensitive for you.

HYMN 5

1 O 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!
Refrain:
The Comforter has come! The Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from heav’n, the Father’s promise giv’n,
O 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! [Refrain]
3 Lo, the great King of kings, with healing in His wings,
To every captive soul a full deliv’rance brings;
And thro’ the vacant cells the song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come! [Refrain]
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! [Refrain]

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL:GOD GETS ANGRY TOO Friday October 28th 2016

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Memorise: For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalms 30:5
Read: Psalms 30:1-5 (KJV)
1 I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3 O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Bible in one year: Zechariah 1:1-6-8, Psalms 86:15-37

MESSAGE

A truth catches one’s attention in today’s Bible reading; God can be angry! If this wasn’t the case, the Bible wouldn’t have said; “For this anger endureth but a moment”. Jeremiah 25:6 further corroborates this fact by saying that the God of love can be provoked to anger. “And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.”
It is only a false teacher or prophet that will teach that God is so lovingly holy, therefore, He can’t be provoked to anger. This type of teaching makes children of God take the love of their heavenly Father for granted. Having said this, we must also acknowledge the fact that His anger does not last forever. There is a condition though. When you don’t take God and His mercies for granted, and you genuinely turn away from your wickedness, He will deal with you as if you have never sinned before.
Proverbs 28:13 says: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” When God is angry with an individual, that fellow cannot know joy. Psalms 32:10 says: “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.”
Going by this scripture, every man born of a woman is doomed for sorrow until Jesus Christ redeems him from the curse of sin. Our trust in the work of redemption without taking the One who made it possible for granted, will bring us unspeakable joy. When our relationship is cordial with God, we can boldly say like the Psalmist; “weeping may endure for a night…” (Due to the variable nature of life) “…but joy cometh in the morning.”
When I first became General Overseer, anytime I returned from my missionary journeys, my wife would be eager to tell me about all the matters that needed my attention. After listening to them all, I would ask for my food and after the meal I would go to bed. My wife kept on wondering about my attitude. I had to explain to her the fact that joy will come in the morning because I was leaving everything to God while I sleep. Faithful is He who has promised us joy in the morning; it shall surely come.
Prayer Point
Father, let my morning of joy come now.

HYMN 11

1 Standing on the promises of Christ my king,
through eternal ages let his praises ring;
glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
standing on the promises of God.
Refrain:
Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God my Savior;
standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
2 Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
by the living Word of God I shall prevail,
standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]
3 Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
bound to him eternally by love’s strong cord,
overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]
4 Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,
resting in my Savior as my all in all,
standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL:OCCUPYING WHILE WAITING Monday October 24th 2016

OCCUPYING WHILE WAITING? Monday October 24th 2016: Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Memorise: And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. Luke 19:13

Read: Joshua 13:1-6, (KJV)

1 Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.

2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,

3 From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:

4 From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites:

5 And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baalgad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath.

6 All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.

Bible in one year: Micah 1-4, Psalms 86

MESSAGE

The parables of Jesus sometimes were directed to the multitude and at some other times are directed to the disciples in particular. The parable of Jesus in the memory verse for today was directed to the disciples who were being prepared for the great commission (Mark 16:15-16). They were being told to occupy till He comes.

Sometimes we think the word “occupy” means “keep yourself busy” alone; it means more than that. We must not keep ourselves busy doing nothing substantial. To understand the importance of Christ’s command in Luke 19:13 we must take a look at the Bible reading of today. The Lord gave a not too good assessment of the journey to the Promised Land under Joshua, which should be a food for thought for the Church of the 21st century.

“Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.” Joshua 13:1 One lesson we must quickly learn from the above scripture is that Joshua was now old and there was no more strength and energy to lead the battle against the inhabitants of the land which God had given to them. They failed to occupy the Promised Land.

In the same vain, when Jesus Christ told His disciples (and us by extension), to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature, He was actually saying that we should go and occupy the land for Him and the Kingdom of His Father. It is beyond keeping ourselves busy just for its sake. The question now is, “Are we really occupying while we await His second coming?”

Another food for thought is, in our evangelistic and missionary efforts, can we say we are occupying both the geographical and spiritual landscape and atmosphere of the world? What can we show for all the money spent on missions and evangelistic efforts? Have we taken a break in our efforts to occupy the nooks and crannies of world kingdoms like the disciples of old? We must remember that our mandate is to make disciples of all nations.

Beloved, we must not lose grounds any more. As a matter of fact, the grounds we have lost to the enemy must be taken back. Like David encouraged himself in the Lord after the raid of his barrack at Ziklag, we must summon courage to go after the enemy and recover back the Kingdoms that once belongs to the Church. The cathedrals that have been turned to bars must be brought back for the worship of the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. Christian nations that have turned secular must be revived and brought back to the light of the gospel of the Son of the Living God. May the Lord help us in Jesus’ name.

Action Point
Let us set a strategic plan to go to the “garrison” of the children of the bondwoman and take what belongs to our God back to Him because He is the God of all flesh.

AUTHOR: Pastor E.A Adeboye‎

HYMN 11

1 Standing on the promises of Christ my king,through eternal ages let his praises ring;glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God. Refrain: Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior; standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.

2 Standing on the promises that cannot fail, when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, by the living Word of God I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]

3 Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, bound to him eternally by love’s strong cord, overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword, standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]

4 Standing on the promises I cannot fall, listening every moment to the Spirit’s call, resting in my Savior as my all in all, standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]

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‎OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: THE TOUCH OF FAITH Sunday October 23rd, 2016

Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Memorise: Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. Matthew 9:29
Read: Matthew 9:20-22, (KJV)
20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:
21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Bible in one year:Obadiah 1, Jonah 1-4, Psalm 85

MESSAGE

There is tremendous power in a touch. It may be positive or negative as there are categories and types of touches. Naaman knew the power in a touch, especially from representatives of God and said with a sense of disappointment when Elisha did not come out to touch him when he went to Samaria: “…Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.” 2nd Kings 5:11
A touch can bring death as in the case of Uzzah in the book of Samuel: “And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.” 2nd Samuel 6:6-7
During one of our Conventions at the Redemption Camp in Nigeria, the Lord asked me to lay out a piece of cloth for people to touch by faith and receive their healing, with a warning that it should simply be touched and not held. A man went ahead to touch (I will say without faith) because he also grabbed the cloth. It took special grace and forgiveness of God for him not to die the moment he touched outside of faith; his entire body began to shake uncontrollably from morning till evening. It would have been a touch of death but for God’s intervention.
Another touch can bring healing as in the case of the woman with the issue of blood in our Bible reading for today. “For she said within herself, if I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” Matthew 9:21. This is the touch of faith. The touch of faith can work for the one who touches and for the touched. In the same chapter of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus Christ was met by two blind men who were crying for mercy of healing. When Jesus found out that these men had faith to receive divine touches for healing, the Bible says: “Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, see that no man know it.” Matthew 9:29-30
The touch of faith is required anytime you need a miracle. I pray for someone using this devotional; the Lord will touch you for healing and deliverance today, and will have a testimony in Jesus’ name. I also pray that whatever you touch by faith today will prosper in Jesus’ name.
Prayer Point
Father, please touch me in the areas where I need Your intervention today and let my joy be full in Jesus’ name.
AUTHOR : Pastor E.A Adeboye Open Heavens By Pastor E A Adeboye
HYMN 7
1. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
2. Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.
3. Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
perfect in power, in love and purity.
4. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity.

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