Monthly Archives: July 2018

1. If there is one man who epitomized what it means to wait on the Lord, that man is Job. In spite of his unquantifiable loss, his wife’s taunts and the harsh jugdemental words of his friends, he could still declare these words in Job 14:14 “If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”
Irrespective of the contrary voices all around him, all he desired was to hear from God about his situation (Job 13:3).
2. He was even willing to wait until the resurrection of the dead at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to get an answer from God and experience a change of his situation (Job 19:25-27).
3. Because he waited on God with all his heart, God indeed came to “reason” with him as he desired (Job 38:1-3), and his situation was turned around (Job 42:12).
4. Waiting on God leads to an atmosphere of expectation and confidence in God. It also makes us realize the inadequacy with patience, submission, dependence on God and contentment with His timing on delivering a pending and much needed divine intervention.
5. For example, while the Psalmist anticipated God’s vindication against his enemies, he told his soul to wait patiently on Him (Psalm 27:12-14).
6. Waiting upon the Lord is an act of faith that God will hear the prayers of His children and respond positively on our behalf. I pray that whatever you are waiting on God for, He will answer you speedily, and your expectation shall not be disappointed in Jesus’ Name.
7. Waiting requires patience and perseverance, and the word of God is clear that children of God sometimes need to wait on Him. Waiting is necessary when we are anticipating God’s judgement or hoping for His blessings.
8. Children of God must not consider taking revenge or repaying evil with evil; rather, they must wait for the Lord’s help and timing in all situations.
9. Persecuted and oppressed Christians must never rely on what human strength alone can do for them, they must pray earnestly with total reliance on the efficacy of God’s word (Psalm 46:1).
10. Finally, waiting upon God comes with many benefits. It builds up your hope, faith and trust in God (Psalm 5:3, Job 13:15, Jeremiah 32:27). Rest in God and wait patiently on Him. Although He will act according to His own will, it will be in your favour and for your benefit.

Wait on the Lord : be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalms 27:14. This scripture and several others shows us that strength comes from the Lord to us as we wait on Him. Wisdom is profitable to direct and the Holyspirit is available to everyone that will yield to His leading. We shall receive strength as we wait on the Lord in Jesus name. God be praised for blessing our generation with Pastor E.A Adeboye. May he wax stronger in Jesus name.

1. God is Spirit, and so He does not have physical attributes or possess a form like that of a physical body.
2. For this reason, a “closeness” or “gap” between mankind and God in the real sense of these words is practically untenable.
3. The existence of closeness or space between man and God is therefore used as a spiritual term to express the level of relationship that exists between us and God.
4. The Bible speaks of a gap or space between God and man in terms of break in fellowship between them, otherwise described as backsliding, falling away or portrays rebellion, betrayal, faithlessness or apostasy.
5. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, the Bible teaches that a falling away will precede the second coming of the Lord Jesus. Confirming this, the Spirit of God further spoke on people falling away from the faith in 1 Timothy 4:1: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”
6. The apostasy spoken of here by the Holy Spirit included giving attention to doctrinal deception, moral insensitivity and departing from the truth in God’s word.
7. The world is obviously in the last days, as we can see these prophecies being fulfilled more than ever before.
8. Several things can create a gap between God and man: hardship, temptation, lust, doubt, complacency and self-indulgence. Once gap is allowed to develop, a more devastating outcome will follow.
9. The gap that existed between Peter and Jesus Christ after His arrest eventually led to Peter’s denial of the Master.
10. To maintain a healthy fellowship or relationship with the Lord, we must follow Him closely rather than from afar off.
11. As soon as a gap developed between Peter and Jesus, his status changed from being a member of Christ’s inner circle to being a mere spectator who could only observe things from afar off. Peter lost the privilege of direct communication with Jesus, and he could no longer ask questions or receive directions from the Master. What a terrible loss this was!
12. Thankfully, God is able to heal His backsliding children (Hosea 14:4). He is also able to keep them from falling away (Jude 1:1).
13. However, some people argue that although a Christian may stray, he or she can never totally fall away, and so once saved, a person is forever saved. This is a lie of the devil as we have seen in our devotionals for the first two days of this month. Romans 6:1 tells us that if we continue in sin, grace is rendered ineffective.
14. BE WARNED! Maintain a close and healthy relationship with Jesus always.

It’s is obvious that believers are loosing fellowship with God in this generation forgetting that without fellowship with God the father, son and the Holy Spirit, life becomes meaningless. We are overwhelmed with the issues of this world and ignore relationship with the almighty God. As mentioned in today’s devotional to maintain a healthy fellowship or relationship with the Lord, we must follow Him closely rather than from afar off. When was the last time you communicate with your maker? God help us in Jesus name. May God continue to help and strengthen Pastor E.A Adeboye on every side in Jesus name.
 

1. Power and might symbolize human strength of every description, including physical, mental, moral, financial and intellectual strength.
2. They represent the degree of resources at a person’s disposal to undertake an assignment, and therefore form the basis of assessment of a person’s ability to achieve success in any given task.
3. Every human being seems to have an awareness of his or her own abilities and limitations, and for this reason we respond with confidence to things we have the natural ability to do, while we react with fear and anxiety to those things we consider beyond our capability.
4. With this understanding, the purpose of God’s words to Zerubbabel in today’s memory verse should become clearer to the discerning heart.
5. Zerubbabel was responsible for directing the work of rebuilding God’s temple in Jerusalem. God sent him these words through Prophet Zechariah because the temple was being rebuilt under very challenging conditions.
6. God gave the prophet a vision of a candlestick with seven lamps, seven pipes and two olive trees, to show that just as oil was being supernaturally supplied to these lamps, so also was the work of rebuilding the temple being accomplished through spiritual means far beyond human understanding. I therefore decree over you that the unseen hand of God will intervene in your situation today, and your victory will confound your enemies and detractors in Jesus’ Name.
7. So, you need not be discouraged by your personal weaknesses, because the weakness of man is not an obstacle to the move of God.
8. God can accomplish His purpose “whether with many, or with them that have no power” (2 Chronicles 14:11).
9. God’s purpose in any situation will always be accomplished, irrespective of personal weaknesses or the limitations of the people involved.
10. God has chosen to work in this manner because He does not want any man to glory in His presence, neither does He share His glory with anyone ( 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, Isaiah 42:8).
11. God specializes in using physically weak and inadequate persons to confound and dispossess giants.
12. He used David, who was but a young man without military experience, to overcome Goliath the giant champion of the Philistines.
13. He also used four unarmed leprous men to put the whole Syrian army, which had besieged Samaria for months, to flight (2 Kings 7).
14. All these were made possible because God’s purpose is always carried out in the power of His Spirit, and His power is prophesy that the power of God will perfect your weakness and use you to accomplish great things in this generation in Jesus’ name.

God’s strategies are beyond human’s reasoning. He is too marvelous for words. He is the mighty Man in battle and this is why we need to give our lives to Him and let Him have His way in us. God bless Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.

1. In the kingdom of God, to be courageous is to have the spiritual, emotional and moral willpower to speak and act without fear in the face of distress or concerns over a threat or challenge being faced.
2. Courage is a cardinal virtue that is required to handle any godly leadership position or spiritual assignment.
3. To underscore the importance of courage, saying like “fear not”, “be strong” and “be courageous” were used in several passages of the Bible to encourage God’s appointed leaders. For example, God commanded Joshua to be strong and to be of good courage four times in Joshua chapter one alone. In Daniel 10:19, a heavenly being encouraged Daniel saying “Fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong.” God also encouraged Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, David, Zerubabel, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul and several others in similar fashion. The Lord will support you, encourage you and grant you the fortitude to overcome every obstacle and challenge of life in Jesus’ Name.
4. Moreover, God often instructs His children especially leaders among them to embark on assignments that are new and great, unprecedented, unbelievable, unrealistic and practically impossible by any natural means.
5. The nature of God’s assignment usually strikes fear, doubt and confusion with such tasks without first receiving divine support and encouragement. Courage therefore derives from the hope and assurance of the divine presence in such circumstances.
6. This was what prompted Moses in Exodus 33:15b to say:“If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”
7. Confronted with the impossible task of leading the Israelites to the Promised Land, he hinged his willingness to move forward on the assurance of God’s presence.
8. David also singlehandedly ran through a troop because God was with him (2 Samuel 22:30). I pray that God’s presence will see you through your present challenges and catapult you to your breakthrough in Jesus’ Name.
9. Courage is demonstrated in various ways, such as leading God’s people against their enemies, proclaiming the gospel to others, and exercising the authority of God’s kingdom in your sphere of influence. God gives strength to His people and enables them to be courageous by giving them faith. God proves Himself faithful to His promises, and His faithfulness enables His people to trust in Him for sustenance in everyday life.
10. Children of God are created to be the head and not the tail. You were created to take charge as a leader wherever you find yourself. You therefore need to be bold, strong and courageous because that is your heritage in Christ.

Which area of your life have you been crippled with fear from the pit of hell that you cannot even exercise your spiritual authority over the kingdom of darkness? Today’s devotional is an awakening message to every believer. Let’s take charge and be courageous in this race, exercising the spiritual power we have in Christ Jesus. We are born to reign and have dominion.  God bless Pastor E.A Adeboye for this wonderful devotional, may the lord richly bless him in return.

1. Delicacies are rich, luxurious or expensive food enjoyed by royals and the wealthy.
2. Satanic delicacies symbolize worldly goodies and pleasures that appeal to the eyes and are deemed good for the body, which Satan and his agents craftily offer in exchange for a man’s soul. Such delicacies could be anything that feeds the ego, such as fame, power and access to wealth.
3. They are labeled “satanic” because the Bible contains several instances of the devil using them as bait while tempting children of God. For example, Adam and Eve fell because the devil convinced them that the forbidden fruit was delicious, beautiful to behold and would inspire knowledge and wisdom (Genesis 3:4-6). In the same way, the devil offered beautiful women to Samson in exchange for his great anointing, and unfortunately he fell for it (Judges 16:18-20). Similarly, the man of God from Judah was tempted to eat bread and drink water, in direct disobedience to God’s directive, and this ended his ministry abruptly ( 1 Kings 13:11-22).
4. In today’s Bible reading, the devil offered tantalizing delicacies to our Lord Jesus Christ, but glory be to God, He triumphed over the devil by the power in the word of God. I pray that you will not become a victim of satanic delicacies in Jesus’ Name.
5. Satanic delicacies are often offered in attractive packages to simple minded people. However, full disclosure on the true contents of such packages and the consequences of accepting them are usually withheld. The same scenario plays out in every temptation -a person will only discover the consequences of his or her choices when it is virtually too late. I pray that you will not discover the truth about the satanic delicacies that are set before you when it is too late in Jesus’ Name.
6. The good news is that despite the craftiness and deceptive schemes of the devil, the Bible has provided the means to overcome his wicked devices. Watchfulness, intensive prayer, total submission to God and resisting the devil are all key elements of this provision (Matthew 26:41, James 4:7).
7. Abstaining from all appearances of evil is another effective means of overcoming satanic delicacies (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
8. Satanic delicacies are usually offered to seduce, persuade or cajole gullible people into sin. A Christian should never fall for this old trick or agree with the devil under any circumstance. Proverbs 1:10 says: “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.”
7. Above all, the Bible tells us that victory is assured because the devil is only fighting a lost battle (1 John 4:4). I pray that you will never lose the victory that Christ has won for you in Jesus’ Name.

Delicacy of the devil is always appealing to the eyes when one has failed to look at it from the Spiritual point of view. However, when a believer remains watchful and alert, he will be able to desist and reject his delicacies. As the Bible says “ “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:13. Let’s be watchful, vigilant and continue to resist the devil from our endeavors. God bless and empower Pastor E.A Adeboye for greater works in Jesus name.

1. Light is the manifestation of God’s creative word.
2. Having been spoken into existence on the first day of creation, light came into being even before the sun and the moon, which were created on the fourth day.
3. Light was separated from darkness and declared by God to be good (Genesis 1:4&18).
4. Light and darkness are contrasted in several verses of the Bible, and in all cases, light is affirmed as superseding darkness.
5. Ecclesiastes 2:13 equates wisdom with light and foolishness with darkness.
6. Light is declared to be the path of righteousness, while darkness is the path of those who rebel against God (Proverbs 4:18, Job 18:50. I pray that the light of God will disperse every form of darkness in your life today in the mighty Name of Jesus.
7. At the beginning of creation, the world was filled with gross darkness. This prompted God to create light as a solution to the problem of darkness, which is why He is referred to as the Father of lights (James 1:17).
8. Jesus also declared Himself as the light of the world (John 8:12).
9. As light, Christ’s role throughout His earthly ministry was to destroy the darkness of this world and enable humanity become children of light through faith (John 12:46, 36). He succeeded in His assignment and raised for Himself a people who are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).
10. As His chosen people, our light must shine before all men to provide guidance and leadership in a world full of sin, confusion, hatred, danger and all kinds of wickedness.
11. Jesus lived an exemplary life as the light of the world, and we also must follow in His footsteps. Jesus illuminated the world by preaching the good news of the gospel with love and compassion.
12. Through His own life, He showed us how to live in holiness and righteousness in a world full of sin. He brought joy to the hearts of men by healing the sick, delivering the oppressed and raising the dead. He was a father to the fatherless, husband to the widow and hope to the hopeless.
13. Functioning as light therefore signifies replicating everything that He did while He was here on earth ( 1John 2:6). We are to preach the good news of the gospel to all nations and ensure that lost souls are saved and properly made disciples of Christ.
14. Holiness and righteousness should be our watchword, and truth should be found in us always. We must be agents of peace and progress in our communities as we show good neighbourliness. Through us, the sick should receive healing and the captives should be set free. We must provide succor to the fatherless, widows and the helpless in our society.
15. We must speak out against sin, violence and wickedness in order to turn sinners to saints. The world must become a better place because of our presence and activities as light.

We had a clear description of what light is and what it does in today’s devotional. A particular paragraph summarised it all. “Jesus lived an exemplary life as the light of the world, and we also must follow in His footsteps. Jesus illuminated the world by preaching the good news of the gospel with love and compassion and this we must also do!” May God equip and strengthen Pastor E.A Adeboye for greater works in Jesus name.

1. While God is not against His people enjoying a comfortable life, He is against us living for pleasure.
2. There is a life of comfort and pleasure that can ultimately lead to spiritual death.
3. After God gave David rest from the life of wandering in the wilderness as a shepherd, fugitive, mercenary and warrior king, he started living in pleasure, so much so that he no longer went to battle. In the course of his life of leisure, pleasure and comfort, he fell into sin that would have destroyed his destiny, but for the mercies of God. He experienced spiritual death and had to cry to God for restoration (Psalm 51:1).
4. Spiritual death is a condition of alienation from God because of sin. It is the absence of spiritual life, which means being physically alive without having a relationship with God.
5. By nature, all of mankind is dead spiritually. However, whosoever accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour becomes genuinely born again and experiences transformative change. Such a person is liberated from spiritual death and is made alive by the Holy Spirit.
6. After experiencing new life in Christ, we are encouraged to take pleasure in everything God has created, but never to allow pleasure in His creation to overshadow our pleasure in the Creator Himself.
7. We live in times when the desire to live a pleasurable life is most paramount on people’s mind.
8. We must not allow ourselves to become overtaken by the wanton desire for pleasure we see all around us. Remember that in last days, men will become lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:4).
9. In these perilous times, people are craving to satisfy the lust of the flesh through food, drinks, stimulants and sexual gratification.
10. They also strive to satisfy the lust of the eyes through fashion, materialism and the inordinate acquisition of the beautiful things of life.
11. Lastly, they live to satisfy the pride of life through the accumulation of titles, recognition, fame and other achievements.
12. Children of God must not be caught in the snare of the devil. With respect to the pleasure of this world, the Spirit of God recommends restraint and discipline to every child of God.
13. In 1 Corinthians 7:31, He says: “And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.” God’s people must have self-control, be generous and have consideration for others.
14. The Bible insists that anyone who places priority on pleasure or invests much time and resources into a pleasure-seeking lifestyle is spiritually dead, even though alive physically.
15. There are so many of such people in the church of God today (Revelation 3:1)!
16. I pray that God will help such people to recognize their state and move them to cry to Him for restoration.

Comfort is good but allowing it to overshadow the will of God is more dangerous. As the Bible says that we are soldiers of Christ and soldiers are always alert even in their sleep. Many believers have missed the purpose of God concerning their lives as a result of comfort after victory. Let’s not major in minor and minor in major. We must try to constantly engage ourselves in the things and will of God. There is more battle to fight both physically and spiritually in this race than the pleasures of this world afterall this earth is not our home. Jesus fought, overcame and promised to grant us sit with Him on His throne if we fight till the end. “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3:21‬. However, we are not forbidden to enjoy comfort as believers but allowing it to cripple our spirituality is invaluable. God be praised for Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.

1. Persecution is the harassment and suffering that people and institutions inflict upon others for being different in their faith, world view, culture or race, with the intention to intimidate, silence, denounce, convert or even kill them.
2. The story of man outside the Garden of Eden begins with the persecution of the righteous by the unrighteous in Genesis 4:3-8.
3. Abel was killed by Cain simply because God respected Abel’s offering and considered him to be righteous (Hebrews 11:4).
4. Lot’s experience, as narrated in 2 Peter 2:7-8, illustrates the suffering involved in refusing to conform to popular culture.
5. Daniel was persecuted because he disregarded the king’s decree by praying to the God of heaven.
6. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were persecuted because they refused to worship the image of the king (Daniel 3). Psalm 119:84-87 speaks of the cry of the righteous one who was being persecuted for upholding God’s word.
7. Various prophets of God in the Bible also suffered persecution because they tried to live out the will of God in adverse circumstances.
8. Jesus Himself noted in Luke 11:50-51 that the persecution of God’s people began from the foundation of the world and would continue throughout history. “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you…”
9. Based on these words of our Lord, persecution is a hard fact of life to be faced bravely, and a hallmark of genuine children of God.
10. Are your Christian virtues causing you problems with your friends, colleagues, neighbours, family members or boss? Have you been tagged antisocial because of your modest way of dressing, attitude to the opposite sex, refusal to consume alcohol or other stimulants, and rejection of a worldly lifestyle? Have you been told that you may never make it because you have refused to participate in illegal and fraudulent business practices? Have you been told as a woman that you may never get a man to marry you unless you wear skimpy dresses and make up excessively? Are you under any pressure to join a cult or swear allegiance to someone or something in order to make it in life? Are you under any attack because of your constant praises to God, Bible study or witnessing about Jesus? Do not yield to any of these threats or believe their lies.
11. Rejoice because the Lord has pronounced His blessings on everyone who endures persecution to the very end (Matthew 5:10-12).
12. The blessings of the Lord will be permanent in your life in Jesus’ Name.

Our Lord Jesus Christ who is our role model suffered persecution and this we should be prepared for also. Several scriptures prepared us in this line. “And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.” Luke 21:16‭-‬17 We are daily refreshed as we study the Open Heavens devotional. May God continually increase Pastor E.A Adeboye in wisdom and grace in Jesus Name.

1. Yesterday, we started reflecting on the doctrine of eternal security. We considered what this false doctrine teaches and the character of its teachers.
2. Today, we will be looking at the truth of what God’s word says in contrast to this doctrine. If there was no possibility of falling away and losing one’s inheritance in Christ, the Holy Spirit would not have given the counsel we have in today’s memory verse. In fact, the Holy Spirit in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 also warns:
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”
3. Only those who occupy a high position need fear a fall. The “falling away” in this scripture therefore refers to the falling away from grace of those seated with Christ in heavenly places. The possibility of a saved person falling is registered in these scriptures and in several others (Galatians 5:4, Revelation 2:5).
4. Also, in today’s Bible reading, God Almighty told Prophet Ezekiel the truth which disproves the doctrine of eternal security.
5. The Lord is therefore warning everyone who chooses to live a godly life never to depart from the path of righteousness, or else his or her past righteous deeds will not be remembered on the day he or she departs to do evil.
6. Some people argue that nobody sends his child away to the lions because he or she sins, and so God will not judge His children for their sin. What such people don’t seem to understand is that you cannot equate the ways of God with that of mere mortal men. They fail to recognize that a person who continues to live in sin after being saved does not have the nature of God and is therefore not a child of God.
7. This is made clear in 1John 3:8 devil.
“He that commiteth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
Furthermore, while forewarning us of things to come in Matthew 24:12-13, Jesus Christ said:
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved.”
8. In other words, the global increase in iniquity will not exonerate a backslider on the Day of Judgement. This is a lesson for those who think that because the world is changing, God should change His standards (2 Timothy2 : 19).
9. Beloved, it would be immoral for God to accept from us what He did not accept from those who ran the Christian race before us. Don’t be deceived; there is no eternal security.
10. The wages of sin is death: this is the truth of God’s word that is forever settled.

The word of God should be the only basis for the doctrine every believer will ever accept. It is also important for us to have a strong relationship with the holyspirit. This is because the holyspirit teaches us as we study the word of God and he as well help us to discern what is true and what is not true. May God strengthen our relationship with the holyspirit in Jesus name. God bless and strengthen Pastor E.A Adeboye on every side in Jesus name.