Monthly Archives: May 2019

May 1, 2019 In Devotionals No Comments

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THURSDAY 2ND MAY 2019:PROSPERITY BY WHAT MEANS?

MEMORISE:
He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live. Proverbs 15:27

READ: Proverbs 1:17-19

17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

MESSAGE

Psalm 35:27

“Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.”

While it is an incontrovertible truth that God wants the righteous to prosper, He does not want them to prosper by unrighteous means. Unfortunately, in the world today, many people want to get rich quick with minimal effort, and more often than not, they resort to stealing in one form or the other to achieve this. Being a thief himself, the devil aids such people in their enterprise, and some of them become very “prosperous”. When some children of God see this “prosperity”, they are tempted to apply the devil’s methods. This is a slippery slope every child of God must avoid because it leads to destruction (Psalm 73:1-3, Psalm 73:17-18).

Exodus 22:2-3 reveals what God thinks about the thieves and one of His cardinal commandment says, Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15). God is not only against stealing, He is also against those who support and encourage stealing, Proverbs 29:24 says that whosoever is a partner of thieves hates his own soul. In other words, if you want to prosper in the real sense of the word, don’t be a friend to thieves. There are many thieves in the world today, stealing from their place of work and even from God. I urge you to not align with such people. Jeremiah 17:11 reveals what happens to the prosperity gotten through fraudulent means, saying:

“As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.”

Prosperity is not meant for liars; nor is it for those who use fake measures or doctored invoices (Proverbs11:1). Some contractors would be asked to buy 20 bags of cement for a project, and thy would either buy 10 or use 10 out of the 20 purchased for their personal project. In the same vein, prosperity is not for the greedy. According to today’s Bible reading, the greedy can even kill for money, but they do not know that they are troubling their own lives by their greed. Just as declared in today’s memory verse, we see several families in the world today devastated by greed. Furthermore, prosperity is not for the lazy (Proverbs 6:6-11). Laziness is an act of unrighteousness, and it makes a person susceptible to sins like stealing (Romans 12:11, Ephesians 4:28). Lastly, prosperity is not for drunkards and gluttons neither is it for those who are given to a life of seeking pleasure (Proverbs 23:21, Proverbs 21:17). Beloved, although God wants you to prosper, He wants you to go about it in the right way so that your prosperity does not become a curse to you and your household. Are you seeking prosperity through just means?

PRAYER POINT:

Father, please prosper the labor of my hands so that I can have enough to give to others.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 44-45
Jeremiah 29:10-23

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 10: I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS

• I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow 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.

• 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.

• Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.

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May 1, 2019 In Uncategorized No Comments

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL WEDNESDAY 1ST MAY 2019: WHAT ABOUT YOUR HOUSEHOLD?

MEMORISE:
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:15

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.

MESSAGE

“…….. they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.” Song of Solomon 1:6

The sad scenario outlined in this verse of scripture applies to a lot of Christians who are actively engaged in the expansion of God’s kingdom on earth. They get so consumed with service to God and others that they neglect their own families. They preach the gospel to the world but fail to bring up their own families in the ways of God. This was the case with Eli, Samuel and David. They led God’s people but neglected their own households, and the result of their neglect had tragic consequences for their families (1 Samuel 8:1-6, 2 Samuel 13 & 15).

It is true that the Lord gave us the Great Commission to reach out to the whole world with the message of the gospel, but He also gave us the method we should apply to execute this mandate, saying in Acts 1:8:

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Take note of the order He wants us to follow: first Jerusalem, then Judea, followed by Samaria and finally to the uttermost part of the earth. He further said in Luke24:47:

“And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

In other words, you are to begin from your immediate community; that is, those close to you. When we do not follow divine order, we are bound to run into problems. For those who are saved, your household is your Jerusalem. The Great Commission must begin in our homes. It is disheartening to see children of committed Christian going wayward and doing abominable things like the children of Eli and Samuel. We must work on our children with the message of the gospel from when they are very young, during their formative years. The Holy Spirit did not mince words when He said in Proverbs 22:6:

“ Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Learn from Philip’s example in today’s Bible reading. He was an evangelist who brought up his daughters in the ways of the Lord. I pray that God will help you to do the needful and produce godly seeds in Jesus’ Name.

ACTION POINT:

Ensure you win your immediate family to God through prayer, supplication and teaching of the word both verbally and by your lifestyle.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 42-43
Jeremiah 28:10-29:9

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 16: GOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOMES

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 thy love hath 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 queenly quest
Strive to show others thy way is best
Homes where the lord is an honoured 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!
Amen.

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