Monthly Archives: February 2019

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL FRIDAY 1ST MARCH 2019 -FOCUSING ON JESUS I.

MEMORISE:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

READ: Hebrews 12:1-3

1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 17-18

MESSAGE
Have you ever wondered why the Bible admonished us to keep looking unto Jesus? The answer lies in our memory verse. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. in other words, our faith is based on Him and on He is capable of doing for and through us. No wonder Apostle Paul declared in Philippians 4:13:

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

The discovery of this truth should convince every child of God of how important it is to focus on the One who alone can help us accomplish what is humanly difficult or impossible to do. There are many reasons why we should focus on Jesus as we journey through the wilderness of this world, one being that He is the perfect image of God in Colossians 1:14-15 says these about Him:

“ In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:”

As the image of the invisible God, He stands as a perfect representation of who we are meant to be in this world. Speaking on this truth in 1 John 4:17, the Holy Spirit says:

“Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”

In order words, the knowledge of who we are as partakers of God’s divine nature only becomes clearer when we focus on Jesus, and this enables us to manifest the glory of who we really are.

Genesis 1:26 tells us that man was created to have dominion. However, this dominion was lost when man fell into sin. To restore us to our rightful place, Jesus Christ was made the last Adam. He declared in Matthew 28:18b

“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”

Do you know that He is ready to give this power to whosoever desires and will look up to Him for it? He demonstrated this while He was here on earth, as seen in Luke 9:1:

“Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.”

You cannot give what you do not have. Because Jesus possesses all power, authority and dominion, He was able give power to His disciples and He is capable of giving it to those who would accept Him as their Lord and personal Savior. Looking elsewhere for power is a waste of time because genuine power belongs to Jesus, and He gives it to those who answer His call to salvation. Have you answered this call? Keep your focus on Him.

KEY POINT:

How much time daily do you spend meditating on Jesus?

Isaiah 50:1-51:3

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 8: MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE
1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, 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,
Oh, 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;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL WEDNESDAY 27TH FEBRUARY 2019 NO FOOD FOR LAZY MAN.

MEMORISE:

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10

READ: Proverbs 6:4-11

4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

MESSAGE

Laziness can be defines as the attitude of being unwilling to work or dissipate energy in the pursuit of a goal. It can also be viewed as an attribute of a idle, slow or sluggish person. The Bible describes some characteristics of a lazy person which are important for us to consider today. As revealed in Proverbs 6:9, the first notable characteristic of a lazy person is the love for sleep. Lazy people find it convenient to spend the better part of the day sleeping, and when they finally get out of bed, they do as little work as possible. Proverbs 6:10-11 cites excessive sleep as the source of a lazy man’s poverty, saying:

“Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.”

Lazy people generally lack initiative. They won’t do any work unless they are forced, and they can’t work without supervision. For such people, when their supervisor is away, they resume late at work and leave before the normal closing hours. They always work at the minimum level, and have mastered the art of making excuses to avoid work. Whenever you question lazy people about their work ethics, they usually have must to offer in the form of excuses. Lazy people are more often than not out in search of easy money. They hope to get rich with minimal effort, and so they are constantly seeking for ways to circumvent God’s way of making money through diligence and hard work. Lazy people are dreamers who nurse hopes of bailout by Government, family or friends, even before starting any venture.

A lazy person is highly destructive by nature. He is a waster and a poor manager of materials, financial and human resources. A lazy person usually ends up destroying precious things such as time, income, opportunities, marriage and family relationships. Because of this, lazy people are bound to suffer many regrets later in life. They will be forced to think of their unfulfilled ambitions, wasted opportunities and unsatisfied desires. They will crave things that they no longer have the means of getting. A lazy man usually ends up being ridiculed in his family and disgraced in the community. God disciplines lazy people by allowing them to experience the consequences of their foolishness, with the hope that they will learn wisdom through their poverty. These are just a few of the severe consequences reserved for lazy people. May the Lord deliver the body of Christ and our nation from idleness and laziness in Jesus’ Name.

ACTION POINT:

Examine yourself to see if you possess any of the attributes of a lazy person and quickly adjust your life.

 

HYMN 5: LET OTHERS SEE JESUS IN YOU.

1.While passing thro’ this world of sin,
and others your life shall view,
Be clean and pure without, within;
Let others see Jesus in you.

Refrain:
Let others see Jesus in you,
Let others see Jesus in you.
Keep telling the story, be faithful and true;
Let others see Jesus in you.

2. Your life’s a book before their eyes,
They’re reading it thro’ and thro’
Say, does it point them to the skis,
Do others see Jesus in you?

Refrain

3. Then live for Christ both day and night,
Be faithful, be brave and true,
and lead the lost to life and Christ.
Let others see Jesus in you.

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