Monthly Archives: July 2017

Memorise: For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: Job 19:25
Read: Job 19:23-27
23 Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
24 That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!
25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Bible in one year: 2nd Samuel 17:18, Ezekiel 12:21-13:7

1. Prophecies are great tools that God uses to intervene in the situations His people’s lives.
2. Every prophecy has certain conditions attached to it to trigger its actualisation. Knowing this truth, one particular year, when the Almighty God said that there would be an overflow in that year, I immediately realised that there was some work to be done. When He then asked us to fast for 100 days, I was not surprised. Understanding such a task was not an easy one, but obedience to it produced a great harvest in joy, overflowing blessings and much more. This is your season of overflow of God’s blessings in Jesus’ Name!
3. In 1st King 17:8-16, when Elijah asked the widow of Zarephath to bring him some food, her response is worthy of note. 1st Kings 17:12a says, “And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse:” In other words, she took a good look at Elijah and said, “I know your God”.
4. Daniel 11:32 says if you know the Almighty God, you will be empowered to do exploits. ‘ Exploits’ here refers to activities that are way beyond the ordinary.
5. God is in the business of doing exploits. It takes God to turn the hideout of highway robbers into a beautiful godly city. It takes the God of exploits to construct the present auditorium at the Redemption Camp, even with its staggering cost. If you ever want to see exploits, you must know this God personally.
6. In addition, not only did this widow know Elijah’s God, she also declared Him to be alive.
7. One of the most profound statements in the Bible was made by Job. In Job 19:25, He said: “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.”
8. At the time he said this, he was in a most distressing situation. Things were very bad indeed. He had lost all his wealth, property, children and even his health. However, in spite of his ordeal, he still proclaimed that God was alive.
9. Many people tend to believe that God is not alive or that He is not who He says He is, just because of the severe trials of faith they are facing.
10. Problems can never take God away. He doesn’t cease to exist just because He has not answered your prayers.
11. How much faith can you repose in God while going through difficult times? This is a true test of your character.

Our trials doesn’t change God. It does not reduce His supremacy as well. We should not think otherwise of God because of what we are going through. He is God all by Himself and that can never change. Having faith in God for a turn around is the best thing to do in the face of trouble. God bless Pastor E.A Adeboye for this devotional in Jesus name.

Action Point
Ask God to open more doors for us to reach the unreached countries with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
HYMN
1. My faith looks up to thee, 
thou Lamb of Calvary, 
Savior divine! 
Now hear me while I pray, 
take all my guilt away, 
O let me from this day 
be wholly thine! 
2. May thy rich grace impart 
strength to my fainting heart, 
my zeal inspire! 
As thou hast died for me, 
O may my love to thee 
pure, warm, and changeless be, 
a living fire! 
3. While life’s dark maze I tread, 
and griefs around me spread, 
be thou my guide; 
bid darkness turn to day, 
wipe sorrow’s tears away, 
nor let me ever stray 
from thee aside. 
4. When ends life’s transient dream, 
when death’s cold, sullen stream 
shall o’er me roll; 
blest Savior, then in love, 
fear and distrust remove; 
O bear me safe above, 
a ransomed soul! 
 

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20

Memorise: Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? Saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Haggai 1:9
Read: Haggai 1:5-11
5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.
9 Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
Bible in one year: 2nd Samuel 15-16, Ezekiel 12:7-20

1. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31
2. The above scripture clearly tells us that God can be for us.
3. It is so reassuring to know that God can stand for you. Whenever He is for you, anyone against you is in trouble. However, do you know that just as God can be for you, He can also be against you? Yes, He can if you check through the Scriptures; you will see many instances where God stirred up the enemies of His children to fight against them (Judges 4:1-3, Judges 6:1-10). They remained defeated until they realised their evil, repented and ran back to God. Judges 13:1 says, “And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistine forty years.”
4. Every time you turn away from God, violate His word or live to gratify your fleshly lusts, you turn Him against you.
5. Moreover, God can personally fight or frustrate the efforts of His children. In our Bible reading, because some people refused to complete the building of God’s house, He decided to frustrate their personal efforts.
6. It is frightening to see the extent God can go to in fighting His own children! In Haggai 1:6, it is written that his people worked like elephants but brought in the harvest of ants. They ate but were never satisfied, and their thirst could not be quenched no matter how much water they drank. No matter how many clothes they wore, they could not get warm. They worked and were paid, but kept losing their wages. Haggai 1:9 even goes further to say that if they managed to bring in any little gain, God would blow it away. God also prevented the heavens from releasing rain and the earth for releasing its increase. He went further to declare a famine on their land.
7. This was God fighting His children and not any devil Why the fight? It was because they abandoned God’s house and focused on building their own mansions with the resources God had given them.
8. If you abandon God’s assignment or project in pursuit of yours, you are or God’s hammer.
9. In any way you have erred, repent today and turn to what you abandoned, and the Lord will turn away from His anger.

Selfishness and disobedience are factors that will make anyone abandon the work or assignment of the Lord for his or her own personal pursuit. These two are not in the fruits of the spirit and so it is clear they are of the devil. When we do His will He abides with us and rewards us greatly. Matthew 19:28‭-‬30 “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” It is wise for anyone in this category to turn to the Lord for forgiveness and amend his or her way. God be praised for Pastor E.A Adeboye for this great insight into the word of God in Jesus name.

Prayer Point
Father, prosper all Your missionaries in mission fields across the globe. Back them up with signs and wonders. Help them to win souls and to disciple your end-time army.
HYMN
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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20

Memorise: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans 6:16
Read: Romans 6:13-20
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
Bible in one year: 2nd Samuel 14, Ezekiel 11:14-12:6

1. When you have an encounter with Jesus that results in you accepting Him as your personal Lord and Saviour, your life comes under a new management. In Matthew 11:28-29, Jesus said: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
2. Before encountering Jesus, your affairs were managed by Satan and also by your own self-will (Ephesians 2:2-3).
3. A choice to welcome Jesus into your heart means that you have chosen to do away with all your former masters and have embraced the Lordship of Jesus over your affairs.
4. My father used to say that whosoever you allow to be your master will take care of you with whatever he has. If Satan is your master, he will give you what he has: sickness, sorrow, fear and all kinds of problems. If Jesus is your master, He will take care of you with good health, joy, peace and all kinds of blessings. Who are you yielding to presently? Who is you master?
5. I was once invited to preach at the thanksgiving service of a particular king. While I was preparing for the service, his chiefs, dressed in the regalia of various secret societies, began to come in. An usher saw them and ran to me to ask if they should be allowed to enter the Church. I told him to seat them in the front row where Jesus would be able to reach them quickly. I immediately changed my sermon to talk about Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. At the end of the sermon, because I know who my Master is, I said this to them: “I challenge all of you, if you can use all your powers to deflate one of my tyres, I will surrender to your god, but if you cannot, you must surrender to my God.” I then told them the registration number of my car. By the time I gave the altar call, the second-in-command to the king, who was the leader of all the secret societies, was the first to come forward. When the other chiefs saw this, they followed suit. After the service, the king said we should go and check up on his second-in-command to find out if he understood what he just did. When we got to him, he said he knew what he had done by surrendering to Christ, adding, “When you see a small boy like this challenging all of us, who doesn’t know that he must have someone behind him? It is the One behind him that we surrendered to.” Thirty days later, this chief died. He had served the devil all his life and was heading for hell, but thirty days before his death, he changed to a new government and he is now in Heaven.
6. Who is managing your life? 

When a sinner surrenders to God it is a new phase entirely. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 This scripture says it all. All things not some things and it means the control of this new being changes also. We have to live in this consciousness and reject every lie of the devil for we are indeed a new creature with new management. It is new revelation and insight as we study the Open Heavens devotional daily. God bless and strengthen Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.

Prayer Point
Father, wherever forces of darkness are challenging Your children in this nation, show up and paralyse them today.
HYMN
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, No turning back
Though none go with me still I will follow
Though none go with me still I will follow
Though none go with me still I will follow
No turning back, No turning back
My cross I’ll carry, till i see Jesus
My cross I’ll carry, till i see Jesus
My cross I’ll carry, till i see Jesus
No turning back, no turning back.
 
The world behind me, the Cross before me
The world behind me, the Cross before me
The world behind me, the Cross before me
No turning back, No turning back

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20

Memorise: One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 1st Timothy 3:4
Read: Acts 21:8-9
8 And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.
9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.
Bible in one year: 2nd Samuel 12:13, Ezekiel 10:20-11:13

1. Philip was a church planter, obedient, submissive to authority, had a servant spirit and was a man of good report. Beyond these, another valuable trait he had which made God use him mightily for signs and wonders is the fact that he was a man of total commitment to God.
2. Philip served God, but it did not end with him alone; he ensured that his family members followed the same godly path. Like Joshua who declared to the children of Israel that he and his household had decided to follow the Lord alone (Joshua 24:15), Philip decided in a determined way that everyone in his household would serve God.
3. In our Bible reading, we are told that he had four virgin daughters, who were all saved, filled with the Holy Spirit and operated in the gift of prophecy. This clearly shows us that he led his household in the way of the Lord. It also means that he was a good role model to his children. They saw how real the Christian faith was in the life of their father and they desired it.
4. Do your children follow the Christ you claim to follow? Are you a good role model for them? Does your life attract them to become true children of God? Joshua in Joshua 24:15 said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
5. Contrary to this stance, it is very unfortunate that today, some parents make excuses for the lukewarmness or even godlessness exhibited by their children and wards. Such parents may say, “Sir, you don’t understand; my children are now in the university.” Are they implying that children in the university should not obey their parents anymore, or that such children are incapable of doing God’s will? Some will even say, “We believe that when it comes to the issue of faith, it should be voluntary.” Is it right if your children voluntarily go to hell? No way! No child should be left to take such a foolish decision!
6. It is your duty to instruct your household after you in the way of the Lord.
7. My biological children, who are now adults, can testify to how I raised them up. None of them dared to come late for morning devotion. If you were late, you would remain standing or be spanked.
8. Joshua commanded his family to serve the Lord. No wonder he was able to command the sun to stand still and it did.
9. If you can instruct your household to genuinely serve God, you will be able to command what God created, and they will obey you.
10. Who is in charge of your home: you or your children? 

Parental guide is so demanding. The spiritual guide requires more energy than physical. This is because the devil stand to counter the godly seed parents try to sow in their children. It is a bit easier to monitor the physical activities of the children closely to a reasonable extent but their spiritual growth can only be discovered with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is why parent must be firm in the things of God and have a genuine relationship with Him so as to experience deep revelations in the place of true fellowship with God. May we never be damned or judged but receive reward for bringing our household in the way of the Lord in Jesus name. May God help us as we take up responsibility of raising our kids and household in the way of the Lord in Jesus name. We pray that the Lord will strengthen our Father in the Lord Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.

Key Point
If you raise your children well to follow and serve the Lord, He will reward you, but if you don’t, He will judge you.
HYMN
1 God give us Christian homes! 
Homes where the Bible is loved and taught, 
Homes where the Master’s will is sought, 
Homes crowned with beauty Your love has wrought; 
God give us Christian homes; 
God give us Christian homes! 
2 God give us Christian homes! 
Homes where the father is true and strong, 
Homes that are free from the blight of wrong, 
Homes that are joyous with love and song; 
God give us Christian homes; 
God give us Christian homes! 
3 God give us Christian homes! 
Homes where the mother, in caring quest, 
Strives to show others Your way is best, 
Homes where the Lord is an honored guest; 
God give us Christian homes; 
God give us Christian homes! 
4 God give us Christian homes! 
Homes where the children are led to know 
Christ in His beauty who loves them so, 
Homes where the altar fires burn and glow; 
God give us Christian homes; 
God give us Christian homes!
 

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20

Memorise: Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Psalm 46:2
Read: Psalm 46:1-3
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
Bible in one year: 2nd Samuel 10-11, Ezekiel 10:3-19

1. When you have God as your Refuge, you stand to derive numerous benefits.
2. Having God as your Refuge places you in an advantageous position and makes you truly blessed.
3. One of the blessings that money cannot buy is having divine cover over your life that keeps you safe from the enemy.
4. If you consider your strengths and weaknesses, and take stock of the opportunities and threats you are exposed to continuously, you will realise that having God as a Refuge is a priceless benefit indeed.
5. With God as your cover, you are shielded from so many attacks of the enemy. Even the losses that are programmed to come your way are terminated by God before they get to you. If you are not yet enjoying the strength of God’s cover, you are experiencing a big minus in your life.
6. Another benefit of having God as your Refuge is that His strength will be made available to help you in the time of trouble. Speaking about God’s strength, 1st Corinthians 1:25b gives this insight: “….and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
7. In several scriptures, God promises to help us in the time of need. For instance, Psalm 50:15 says, “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
8. If God is not your Refuge and you call on Him when you need help, He may not respond to you. On the other hand, He easily responds to those under His cover. Are you under God’s cover? Is He your Refuge?
9. Moreover, when God is your Refuge, no matter what happens, there is no cause for alarm. Just think about this for a minute: Psalm 46:2-3 says that as long as you are under God’s cover, when there is an earthquake and uproar in the seas, or even if the mountains are blown off their locations, you will still be safe where you are. Praise God!
10. It is an anomaly for you to be under God’s protective cover and still be afraid of the storms of life.
11. Beloved, do not be scared of the storms confronting you! Don’t be afraid of the earthquake! Don’t even shake when the unmoveable are moved from their secured places. Why? As long as God is your Refuge, you cannot be moved.
12. Whatever cannot move God cannot move you.
13. If out of fear, you have been displaced from under God’s cover, in the Name of Jesus Christ, as you repent of your lack of faith, the Lord will return you to the place of His Refuge!
14. With God as your Refuge, there is no shaking for you!

No shaking is a pure declaration of confidence. A clear display of assurance that regardless of the situation or circumstance that comes our way God is ever present to help. Doubt is an act of ignorance for a believer. We should be 100% at rest that with you in God and God in you every challenge is a walk over. We should daily live in the consciousness that whatever cannot move God cannot move us. With God as our refuge, no shaking indeed! God be praised forever more for a vessel like Pastor E.A Adeboye. May he wax stronger in Jesus name.

Prayer Point
Father, because You are my Refuge, let everything that is designed to shake me fail.
HYMN
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.
O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary. Refrain
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me. Refrain
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he’ll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I’ll share. Refrain

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20

Memorise: And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. Acts 3:8
Read: Acts 3:1-9
1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
Bible in one year: 2nd Samuel 7-9, Ezekiel 9:1-10:2

1. “And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.” Mark 10:52
2. From the above scripture, the way Bartimaeus responded after the Burden Bearer lifted the burden of blindness off his life is a lesson to us all. After the Burden Bearer has answered your call and lifted off your burden, certain follow-up steps are expected of you.
3. Some people are receiving their miracle thank God for a minute and then bid Him farewell. This should not be so! Immediately after Bartimaeus received his sight, he became a follower of Jesus Christ.
4. Know for sure that the devil will definitely contest every victory you secure over him. For failing to take the necessary follow-up steps required for you after each victory, the devil can reintroduce an entirely new burden into your life (Matthew 12:43-45). Post-victory follow-up action is as important as pre-victory perseverance.
5. After a burden is lifted off your shoulders, what should you do? You should praise God. For taking your burden away, praising God is the least you can do.
6. Praise should flow naturally out of you as it did from the lame man in today’s Bible reading. Immediately after his burden of stagnation was lifted, he got up, walking, leaping and praising God. For 40 years, he was placed in front of the temple gate, but he could not go in; but after he gained the ability to walk, he entered the temple, compelled a praise service to be held on his behalf, and on that day, many people learnt how to praise God through him. For 40 years, this man had observed how those parishioners came to the temple and would barely move their legs and bodies while praising God. He would have said to himself several times, “Oh God! I wish I had legs, I would have shown these people how to dance for you.” Then that day, God granted his desire and strengthened his two legs, and boy, he really did dance! He single-handedly changed a regular service into a praise service.
7. You who have always had the use of your two legs, when did you ever praise God by leaping? When you truly praise God, your legs cannot be motionless.
8. When some people praise God, only their lips are moving; the rest of their bodies, especially their legs, go on vacation.
9. How do you plan to praise God when He finally lifts that nagging burden off your neck?
10. From now on, start praising Him that way, and you will have your miracle speedily.

Glory to the almighty God for another insight to His Word. The topic might sounds nonsensical to some people who couldn’t reason with God for better understanding but sincerely, we must engage in praising and worshiping our maker without any restriction. If we understand the victories that we have when we dance and leap to appreciate God for His goodness, we won’t joke with praising God. Some are unaware that devil is interested in such a depressed style of praising God and uses such action to accuse you from receiving certain blessing from God. May the Lord help us to worship Him in spirit always without limitation. God bless Pastor E.A Adeboye for blessing us with this devotional in Jesus name.

Key Point
Those who understand the efficacy of praise are never shy to praise God anyhow, anywhere and anytime.
HYMN
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
*Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
[*And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.]
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy [*wealth can never buy]
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

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20

Memorise: He that convereth his sins shall not proper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Proverbs 28:13
Read: 2nd Corinthians 7:9-11
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.
11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
Bible in one year: 2nd Samuel 5-6, Ezekiel 8:7-18

1. God’s offer of salvation is for all those who come to Him.
2. To access this salvation however, there are certain criteria you must meet. For instance, you cannot experience salvation without genuine repentance.
3. Unfortunately, there are people who think that they can be saved even without repenting of their sins.
4. Some people believe that responding to an altar call for salvation is enough. No, it is not!
5. Can you believe that when some people come out to answer an altar call, instead of repenting of their sinful lifestyle, they take pictures? Those who do so can only come out and go back the same way they came. This will not be your portion in Jesus’ Name! Heaven’s demands for obtaining salvation are clearly stated in Proverbs 28:13: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
6. If you do not satisfy Heaven’s demand of confessing your sins to God and forsaking your sinful lifestyle, you will never be saved.
7. If you claim to be born again, how did you get saved? Did you confess your sins to God out of a sorrowful heart and resolve not to return to your sinful lifestyle? If your salvation lacks these key foundational pillars, you will need to revisit the salvation experience.
8. In Luke 13:2-5, Jesus plainly taught His hearers that except they repented, they would perish like those who went before them. God does not want anyone to perish, but He wants us all to repent (2nd Peter 3:9). God wants you to change your ways and to stop doing the wicked things you do. It is then you will obtain mercy from Him.
9. Today, the term “born again” has been so abused. Many people say they are born again but they do not even know what it means. If you are truly born again, you will receive genuine salvation that will completely turn your life around (2nd Corinthians 5:17).
10. When you come out to receive Jesus, you come out because you are truly sorry for your sins; you come out with a determination to change your ways.
11. You need to come to the altar of God crying to Him for help, not only to forgive you your sins but to also change you inside out. When you do this, you will obtain salvation. 2nd Corinthians 7:10 says it is godly sorrow that brings about the repentance that yield salvation. Are you really born again? If your salvation is not genuine, go back to the cross of Calvary today!

When a sinner genuinely repent of his or her sinful way, such sinner is doing no one favour but himself or herself. It is therefore unreasonable for such person to step out for repentance and not do it genuinely. Peradventure anyone falls in this category, it is wise for such person to go to Jesus’ feet truly and genuinely for a change as fast as possible. May devil’s plight never stand in our lives in Jesus name. We are grateful to God for blessing us with Pastor E.A Adeboye who daily through the Holy Spirit enlighten in the things of God. May he increase in wisdom in Jesus name.

Key Point
Fake salvation can never produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
HYMN
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, No turning back
Though none go with me still I will follow
Though none go with me still I will follow
Though none go with me still I will follow
No turning back, No turning back
My cross I’ll carry, till i see Jesus
My cross I’ll carry, till i see Jesus
My cross I’ll carry, till i see Jesus
No turning back, no turning back.
 
The world behind me, the Cross before me
The world behind me, the Cross before me
The world behind me, the Cross before me
No turning back, No turning back

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Memorise: Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 1st Timothy 6:19
Read: Psalm 11:3-5
3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
4 The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
5 The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
Bible in one year: 2nd Samuel 3-4, Ezekiel 7:23-8:6

1. The foundation of any building or structure is very important.
2. According to Proverbs 22:6, if a child is given the right foundation, it will be easy for him or her to build on it and succeed in life.
3. The question then is, what kind of foundation are you laying for your child or ward? Do you know that some parents are the ones who push their children into destruction?
4. For instance, if you have a child whose Christian foundation is not solidly established and you send such a child into a society with liberal values, don’t be surprised to see that child follow an ungodly lifestyle. For this reason, when you are considering tertiary education for your child, also put into consideration how that child will access spiritual growth in the institution you want to send him or her to.
5. An ideal school should be able to satisfy the academic, moral, extracurricular and spiritual needs of a child. All these should be well balanced. A child’s foundation is laid from kindergarten to university, after which the child will be able to continue in the righteous path of his or her upbringing.
6. Do your children have a solid foundation in Christ? Is their foundation strong enough to carry whatever will be built on it?
7. On the other hand, the strength of a child’s foundation is a function of several factors such as: the spiritual level of the parents, the values upheld in that family, the parents’ level of education, the financial resources available to the child, and so on.
8. It is true that you cannot give what you don’t have. The invariably means that as parents, the more you invest in your spiritual life, the greater the chances of giving your children a more solid foundation.
9. Children learn a lot by simply copying their parents. Many parents engage in certain unhealthy habits and their children are watching them. The laughable thing is that some parents who practise unwholesome habits even warn their children not to try such. To believe that their children will take them seriously is to engage in self-deception. Some men have girlfriends and their children are aware of this, but they beg them never to tell their mothers. Some even bring such ladies home and bribe their children to keep their mouths shut. How can such children ever grow up to become faithful to their spouses?
10. The strongest legacy you can give to your children is to live the kind of life you desire to see in them. 

Many parents keep regretting the wrong foundations laid for their children because they assume it’s too late to rebuild such foundation. The Bible say “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:1‬. When you fail to set right foundation for every thing you do, not just your children, it usually leads to struggle. May the Lord help us to set good foundation for our children and never liv our lives regretting our actions in Jesus’ name. May He strengthen Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.

Prayer Point
Father, help me to lay a very solid foundation for every member of my family.
HYMNPrayer Point
1 God give us Christian homes! 
Homes where the Bible is loved and taught, 
Homes where the Master’s will is sought, 
Homes crowned with beauty Your love has wrought; 
God give us Christian homes; 
God give us Christian homes! 
2 God give us Christian homes! 
Homes where the father is true and strong, 
Homes that are free from the blight of wrong, 
Homes that are joyous with love and song; 
God give us Christian homes; 
God give us Christian homes! 
3 God give us Christian homes! 
Homes where the mother, in caring quest, 
Strives to show others Your way is best, 
Homes where the Lord is an honored guest; 
God give us Christian homes; 
God give us Christian homes! 
4 God give us Christian homes! 
Homes where the children are led to know 
Christ in His beauty who loves them so, 
Homes where the altar fires burn and glow; 
God give us Christian homes; 
God give us Christian homes!

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Memorise: Like the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26
Read: Romans 8:26-27
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Bible in one year: 2nd Samuel 1-2, Ezekiel 7:5-22

1. Prayer is very important for every Christian.
2. Most times, we pray in the language that we speak and understand, but sometimes, we get into a fix, not knowing exactly how best to pray on a particular subject matter. This may be caused by our limited knowledge of the situation or of the people involved in it.
3. There are also times in which we are so weighed down by the pressure of life that our understanding cannot string together the right words with which we ought to pray.
4. Our Heavenly Father knew ahead of time that we would find ourselves in such situations, and so He made provision for the Holy Spirit to help us out at such times. This ministry of the Holy Spirit is revealed to us in Romans 8:26, which says, “Likewise the spirit also helpth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
5. This passage of Scripture clearly tells us that we do not know how best to pray. In other words, no matter how good you are in crafting prayers, the Holy Spirit knows better what needs to be said in prayer at any given time, and He will help you if only you can pray about issues in the spirit.
6. The Holy Spirit can cover grounds that we cannot cover. For example, I cannot be at the Redemption Camp in Nigeria and know what is going on in Australia, England and other parts of the world, but the Holy Spirit knows everything. Even when I am at the Redemption Camp, I may not know how many women are in the maternity centre, there calling on God to assist them in delivering safely, but the Holy Spirit knows this. So when I do not know how to pray anymore, I hand it over to the Holy Spirit. He knows who needs prayers the most in any part of the world, and He will pray through me for them according to their need, even though I do not realise exactly what I am praying about. This is why I find it quite disturbing to hear that even the Pentecostal circles; there are some churches where they hardly pray in tongues.
7. The Bible says we do not know how to pray as we should. Since you don’t know how to pray, why don’t you let the Holy Spirit help you by praying through you?
8. Pray regularly in tongues. Pray at least for one hour daily, speaking in tongues as the Holy Spirit gives you utterance.

We don’t only edify ourselves when we speak in tongues, we also cover a lot of ground and things as we do. Today’s devotional is quite deep and explanatory enough. Let’s digest it so well and make use of it. We bless God for Pastor E.A Adeboye

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Prayer Point
Spirit of Truth, knowing my limitations, please pray regularly through me with Your perfect knowledge of my situation.
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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20

Memorise: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:3
Read: Psalm 23:1-3 (KJV)
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 29-31, Ezekiel 6:8-7:4

1. For the sheep of the Great Shepherd, the infallible word of God in Psalm 23:3 guarantees restoration of that which is lost.
2. Sometimes, God allows His chosen ones to experience a loss so that they can have the opportunity of experiencing Him as the Great Restorer. Be assured in your heart therefore that if you experience a loss that you did not cause by an act of carelessness or disobedience, you can obtain restoration.
3. However, if you fail to ask for restoration, you may not experience it. In Joel 2:23-26, God promised to restore all categories of losses. Every good thing that you have lost shall be restored to you as you hold the Lord to His word, in Jesus’ Name.
4. Moreover, not only does the Great Shepherd restore physical and material losses to His sheep. He also restores them spiritually.
5. Speaking of spiritual restoration, virtually all believers need this in some measures. In His letter to the Church at Ephesus, the Lord Jesus Christ told the brethren that they had left their first love. In other words, they needed spiritual restoration so that they could embrace the good things they did before, which they had abandoned. Revelations 2:5 says, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”
6. For many of us, the zeal, love and fire with which we served God when we first became saved have since ebbed. Our commitment, dedication and consecration are no longer the same.
7. In those days, we made some vows to God such as “No Bible, no breakfast”, but are we still true to those pledges? We promised to win the world of Christ, saying that no day would pass without us winning a soul into God’s Kingdom. How true is that today?
8. Some of us are even so shy or afraid of speaking about Jesus at God-given opportunities. We prefer to read books, surf the internet, or visit social media sites than to preach in buses or cabs like we used to.
9. We sure need spiritual restoration! To be restored, you need to recall how committed you were in times past, repent of your lukewarmness and pick up from where you stopped.
10. Go back to consecration and holiness! Go back to reaching out to the lost on a daily basis!
11. Do you know that no day should pass without you prospecting for sinners to be saved into God’s Kingdom?
12. Ask God to restore you today!

Keeping our walk with God intact has become great struggle for most believers. We get carried away with other things forgetting our vow with our Maker. Most of us are guilty of ignoring our evangelism duty as believers. God have mercy on us and restore us to our first love in Jesus name. We pray that God will help and strengthen Pastor E.A Adeboye as he turns many to righteousness in Jesus name.

Key Point
Words like consecution, sanctification and dedication which were common place in Christianity of old are now almost completely out of our vocabulary today.
HYMN
Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
Refrain:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.

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