Monthly Archives: April 2021

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL SATURDAY 1ST MAY 2021: SECRETS OF FRUITFULNESS.

MEMORISE:
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

READ: Genesis 26:12-14

12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

MESSAGE:
God may grant you financial favor, but it is your responsibility to work towards getting to the pinnacle of all-round abundance. You must be diligent physically, mentally, and spiritually. Hebrews 11:6 says God “is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Diligence in hard work is always rewarded. We can learn something from farmers here. As they nurture the good seeds they have planted, they also work hard to get rid of the weeds that grow alongside them. Beloved, beyond hard work, you need to plan carefully and pray hard. Genesis 26:12-13 says:

“Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:”

Anyone who desires an encounter with God, which will result in abundant blessings, must be ready to work hard and pray hard. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6:
“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gavethe increase.”

He recognized that while he may have done his part, God had a huge role to play. Beloved, lazy people cannot experience all-round blessings. If you are not prepared to work hard and pray hard, then you are not ready for any form of super-abundance.

You must involve God in your planning then watch Him give you abundant fruitfulness and an overflowing harvest (Proverbs 16:3). As Malachi 3:10 prescribes, you must also be sure to honor God with your substance: your tithes, offering, and the very first of every increase you receive (first-fruits). Until you begin to do this, you may not be able to enjoy the full benefits of your hard-earned harvest.

Some harvests are wasting away because of disobedience. Many people are fruitless simply because they refuse to obey God’s command, thus their harvests go into bags with holes.

Put God first from today and you will experience unprecedented abundance.

ACTION POINT:
Think of the ways in which you have been deficient in your responsibility to God-in tithe, offering, first-fruit and giving to the poor. Repent and make restitution.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 17-19.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL FRIDAY 30TH APRIL 2021. THE HARVEST WILL SURELY COME.

MEMORISE:
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. James 5:7

READ: Genesis 8:20-22
20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

MESSAGE:

The time between sowing and harvesting could be short or long depending on the type of seed and some environmental factors. Farmers know this; thus, they are never in a hurry. However, some believers today are of the opinion that they can sow in the morning and reap that same morning. They must remember that the duration of the harvest is dependent on what you want to reap. Some crops can be harvested within three to six months, and others may require more time.

There are set procedures for harvesting. The seed must first die before it sprouts, then within a specified period it grows until it bears fruit. It is only at the stage of maturity that farmers begin to harvest.

As children of God, you must learn to wait. Romans 12:12 says your attitude while waiting must be such that you are always:
“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;”

Sadly, some ‘believers’ are too much in a hurry to take their harvest. They engage in anti-Christian practices and end up burning their spiritual fingers in the fire of lust and greed (1 Timothy 6:10).

The harvest can be in any form: promotion, compensation, recognition of hard work among others. When you are putting in your best in an organization, you must wait for the management to appreciate your devotion to work, and not begin to agitate for it. In fact, what you think is ‘best service’ may just be you being zealous or ambitious.

It may shock you if your employer says your best is not good enough for recognition. This is why you must remain humble and continue to work faithfully. I recall a farmer who hurriedly harvested his yam many years ago; he ended up depriving himself of a bumper harvest as his impatience disrupted the growth potential of the tubers. Unripe yam tubers are never as delicious as those harvested at maturity.

I pray that as you sow on good ground, your harvest will come bountifully. The Almighty will give you patience to wait for it, in the mighty name of Jesus.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please help me to patiently wait for my day of glorification, in the mighty name of Jesus.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 14-16.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 25: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.

1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

o Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

3. There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

5. There shall be showers of blessing,
If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
If we let God have His way.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL WEDNESDAY 28TH APRIL 2021: THE AGONY OF DEFEATED CHAMPIONS.

MEMORISE:
Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. John 5:14

READ: Joshua 7:1-5

1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.

5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

MESSAGE:
It is painful enough to be defeated in one round of contest, but even more so if one becomes an ex-champion, surrendering a crown totally. This is because as soon as a fellow emerges as a champion, people’s expectations of him or her would have increased. The attention of so many people- enemies inclusive, would be on the person. Thus, a champion has more enemies than ordinary contender. I pray that you will not be an ex-champion in the mighty name of Jesus.

The story in today’s Scripture reading is a sad one. The people of God had just recorded a victory over the great city of Jericho and were going to occupy a small village called Ai. To their surprise, they were utterly defeated. Their leader Joshua was downcast but he understood the reason for the defeat after he enquired from God. There is a lesson from this event: it is that there is always a reason for every setback a child of God suffers. Therefore, it is very important for children of God to carry out periodic self-examinations. James 1:13-15 says:
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

God warned the Israelites not to take anything from Jericho after its destruction. Achan however defied the instruction; he stole part of the accursed materials. This singular act of disobedience turned the entire nation to ex-war champions, and they remained so until the accused things, the thief and his household were removed from the congregation of the people of God.

Beloved, you must abstain from ungodliness because it is deadly. Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death·” Once you are forgiven, you have to forsake sin and then restitute your ways. Jesus Christ told the man He graciously healed in John 5:14 to go and sin no more, so that something even more terrible would not befall him. As you go out today, examine yourself and see if you are standing right with God (2Corinthians13:5). May the Lord grant you victory always.

PRAYER POINT:
Holy Spirit, please help me to be vigilant in maintaining my victory in Christ. Help me Lord, so I do not fall into any temptation.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 9-10.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL SUNDAY 25TH APRIL 2021: TWO-EDGED RECONCILIATION.

MEMORISE:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32

READ: 2 Corinthians 5:18-20
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

MESSAGE:
Since Adam and Eve fell and decided to love what God hated, sin brought enmity between man and God (Genesis 3:6). Unfortunately, this gap has continued to widen because of the lust of the eye, lust of the flesh and pride of life that are still part of man today (l John 2:15-16).

God however, in His mercy, decided to reconcile mankind to Himself by offering His Son- Jesus, to die for the sins of the world. He wants to make children out of humans and like the father of the prodigal son, God is patiently waiting for man to come home to eternal bliss.
Matthew 5:9 says:
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

Who are the peacemakers? The peacemakers are those who acknowledge their enmity with God, and so forsake their sinful lifestyle and begin to live a life pleasing to God. In 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Paul said:

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”

Have you been reconciled with the Lord, your Maker? Do not forget that blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). After reconciling with God, you must also make efforts to be at peace with anyone who has offended you or whom you have offended. The kind of reconciliation that would qualify anyone for Heaven must be two-edged, as we see in the memory verse for today.

Forgiveness is also key to perfect reconciliation. We cannot be reconciled with God if He does not forgive us; but He did so graciously.

We too must forgive one another for our reconciliation to be complete.

ACTION POINT:
Reconcile with God through genuine repentance today if you are not born again. Also, reconcile with your estranged brother or sister today before it is too late.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 1-3.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL SATURDAY 24TH APRIL 2021: GOOD SUCCESS.

MEMORISE:
For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. Proverbs 1:32

READ: Joshua 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

MESSAGE:
There is good success and there is bad success. I know this because Proverbs10:22 say:
“The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.”

From the above, we can infer that there can be a ‘blessing’ with attendant sorrow because it is not from the Lord. This kind of success is bad. This may explain why God had to be exact in the type of success He promised in Joshua 1:8.

No one can tamper with good success that comes from God as He has assured His children of divine protection (Psalm 91). If after a breakthrough, you are afraid of calamity, perhaps the source of that ‘breakthrough’ is not God.

Genesis 26:12-14 bears record of the good success that Isaac recorded. He was so blessed that even the Philistines envied him. The secret of his good success is found in Genesis 26:2-6. We see that Isaac obeyed the Lord, stayed where God asked him to and became prosperous as a result. If you obey God all the way, good success will not be far from you.

You should pay attention to the Bible reading for today. For Joshua to have good success, God commanded him to keep the book of the law in his mouth and to also meditate therein constantly, so as to “observe to do according to” the content. James 1:25 says:
“But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

Thus, if you want to be blessed of the Lord and obtain good success this season, you must be a doer of God’s word.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please grant me good success in all my endeavors this year, in the mighty name of Jesus.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 13-14.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL FRIDAY 23RD APRIL 2021. CONDITIONS FOR DlVINE BLESSINGS.

MEMORISE:
And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 28: 2

READ: Genesis 27:1-4
1And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.

2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

MESSAGE:
Many people wish to be blessed by God and man yet have never done anything towards actualizing their desire. Some have received great prophecies which indeed were genuine but did not come to pass because of their in action.

There are principles that guide divine blessings, the first being that you must be ready to take action. When the Lord told the children of Israel that it was time, they possessed their long-promised land, they had to take action by first conquering the inhabitants before taking control of the land that flowed with milk and honey (Joshua 1:11 -15).

In Exodus 14, before the Israelites could walk on dry land in the midst of the Red Sea, they had to first move forward. That prophecy concerning you may not come to pass until you take action.

In the Scripture reading of today, Esau had to meet certain conditions before he could access his father’s blessing. The father’s blessing, whether biological or spiritual is so powerful and can only be reversed by God; this is why you must not miss it If receiving the blessing is so great, imagine the implication of missing it. To access divine blessings, you must be ready to give. Proverbs 3:9-10 says:

“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

You should always have something to give, not only to God but also to His servants; no gift is too big or too small.

Isaiah 55:10 says that God will always give seed to the sower. A seed is not to be consumed, but rather sown so that it can bring forth a harvest. As long as you sow, you will surely reap; as long as you give, you will surely receive.

I pray that at every point in your life, you will not lack seed to sow in order to access your divine blessings, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, give me all it takes to access divine blessings, in the mighty name of Jesus.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 12.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 25: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS.

1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

o Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

3. There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

5. There shall be showers of blessing,
If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
If we let God have His way.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THURSDAY 22ND APRIL 2021. PECULIAR GENERATION.

MEMORISE:
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 1 John 3:1

READ: 1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

MESSAGE:
In 1John 3:2, John the Beloved could pondering on how privileged we are as believers to be called children of God. Apostle Peter explained the glorious implication of this in 1Peter 2:9-10:

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people: that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

As believers, we are a peculiar generation – that is the generation of people who have given themselves to seeking God (Psalm24:1-6). A peculiar generation refer, to those who have obtained mercy and thus, have become solution providers and barrier breakers. They are unstoppable. Joseph belonged to this kind of generation; he would not compromise godliness and perfect loyalty to God and man as we see in Genesis 39:7-9.

The generation of solution providers like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was also a peculiar one (Daniel 2:17-19). If you want to belong to this generation, you must be ready to seek the Lord even in the midst of ungodly people (2 Corinthians 6:17). Today, we see people who treat the Bible as outdated literature: they do not see homosexuality, witchcraft sorcery as ungodly. Some of these people even make light of Christ’s teachings. Beloved if you belong to this peculiar generation, you must dissociate yourself from such people.

Sometimes though, you may experience marginalization. The good thing is that the members of the peculiar generation who remain undeterred, are always victorious in the end. This is because God already assures them of victory as we see in Number 21:21.

I encourage you to be a member of this peculiar generation of people seeking God actively at a time like this, when it is appearing unpopular to live by the principles of the over 2,000year-old Scriptures.

May God bless you as you do so today, in the mighty name of Jesus.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please accept me into the generation of peculiar people that show forth Your praise.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 10-11.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 2: AMAZING GRACE HOW SWEET THE SOUND.

1. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

2. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

3. Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

4. The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

5. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

6. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

7. When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL WEDNESDAY 21ST APRIL 2021. EXERCISING SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY.

MEMORISE:

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19

READ: Acts 13:8-12

8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.

9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.

10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

MESSAGE:
It is one thing to know that you have authority and another to exercise it. In the Bible of today, we see Paul exercising spiritual authority over an agent of the devil. Had he not known his authority in Christ, this sorcerer would have frustrated his preaching. God is not pleased when His children refuse to exercise the authority, He has given them. We see this in Exodus 14:15-16, when God said to Moses:

“……wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”

Moses used the authority he had and that put an end to the bondage of the children of Israel. The truth however is that you cannot exercise the spiritual authority you do not possess. If you attempt to, you would end up spiritually wounded like the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:14-16.

How can you enjoy this spiritual authority?

First, you must establish a relationship with the One who has the highest spiritual authority – Jesus Christ.
Mark 3:14-15 says:
“And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sickness, and to cast out devils:”

Secondly, you must play by the rules. An adage says nothing good goes for nothing. Once, the disciples wondered why they could not exercise spiritual authority. Jesus told them that they had to first give themselves to prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). Thirdly, identify and believe genuine ministers on whom God has deposited His authority and obey the word of God that comes through them. You too would then begin to enjoy spiritual authority according to 2 Chronicles 20:20. A simple “God bless you” from a man with spiritual authority can open the door to tremendous blessings in your life. This is why I wonder why people still ask me to pray for them after I have authoritatively pronounced “God bless you” on them. I say to you today: God bless you.

KEY POINT:
You will begin to exercise spiritual authority when you establish a relationship with God, study His word and have faith in Him.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 7-9.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4: CONQUERORS AND OVERCOMERS NOW ARE WE.

1 Conquerors and overcomers now are we,
Thro’ the precious blood of Christ we’ve victory,
If the Lord be for us, we can never fail;
Nothing ‘gainst his mighty pow’r can e’er prevail.

Refrain:
Conquerors are we, thro’ the blood, thro’ the blood;
God will give us victory, thro’ the blood, thro’ the blood,
Thro’ the Lamb for sinners slain,
Yet who lives and reigns again,
More than conquerors are we,
More than conquerors are we.

2 In the name of Israel’s God we’ll onward press,
Overcoming sin and all unrighteousness;
Not to us, but unto him the praise shall be,
For salvation and for blood-bought victory.

3 Unto him that overcometh shall be giv’n
Here to eat of hidden manna sent from heav’n;
Over yonder he the victor’s palm shall bear,
And a robe of white, and golden crown shall wear.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL TUESDAY 20th APRIL 2021. BLESSING FROM ABOVE.

MEMORISE:
And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 28:2

READ: Malachi 3:10-12
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

MESSAGE:
From Deuteronomy 28:1, we see that God can decide to bless an individual beyond his or her imagination. However, God can also change His mind concerning the decision later. This is because divine blessings are conditional. You must be ready to honour God with your life if you want to enjoy divine blessings (1 Samuel 2:30). You cannot claim to belong to God and still be flouting His commandments.
Romans 6:1-2 says:
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid…”

Deuteronomy 28:1 says you will experience upliftment only if you listen and obey God’s commandments. In Malachi 3:10-12, God promises to pour out blessings on His children if they would bring their tithes to His storehouse. It took me a while to be comfortable with this Scripture; my background as a mathematician did not help me in this regard. In those horrible days of ignorance, before the middle of the month I would have borrowed money for fuel from my driver. I would ask myself “Who are these pastors deceiving?” I felt that if 100% was not enough for me, how then would 90% be enough? I thank God for helping me; I surrendered to His will concerning tithes and offering and ever since I have been receiving his blessings.

ln Acts2:39, Peter said:
“For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

If you are not enjoying blessings from above, something must be fundamentally wrong with your relationship with God. I am encouraging you therefore today, to reconsider your attitude towards God’s conditions for receiving His blessings. Remember that God does not need you or your substance; He owns you and everything you think you have. He works by divine principles as we see in Proverbs 11:24.

lf you would begin to live by the principles that govern divine blessing, your life would turn around for good.

ACTION POINT:
Identify the areas where you have fallen short of the principles of divine blessings. Repent and begin to do the right thing from today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 5-6.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 25: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.

1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

o Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

3. There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

5. There shall be showers of blessing,
If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
If we let God have His way.

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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL MONDAY 19th APRIL 2021. THE CHILDREN’S MEAT.

MEMORISE:

But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. Matthew 15:26

READ: Matthew 15:21-28

21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.

27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

MESSAGE:

Revelation 22:15 says:
“For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”

Miracles are the meat for the children of God and not for dogs. According to the Scripture above, sinners are dogs. Now the question is, “are you a child or dog?”

It is unfortunate that many people remain in the position of a dog when they can have so much more as children. One woman had kept another woman’s husband un an illicit marriage. Unfortunately for her, she Still did not have any child. She had been going to different church programmes until one of my children-in-the-Lord told her to stop wasting her time because God would not answer the prayer of a sinner. He advised her to return the man she “stole” to his wife and then trust God for her own husband. That marked the beginning of a new life for her as a child of God.

Who is a dog from the point of view of the Bible? From Psalm 22:16, we can see that the wicked are dogs. Isaiah 56:10-11 described dogs as greedy. Paul the Apostle, in Philippians 3:2, also likened evil workers to dogs. In light of these, we can say that sinners who refuse to repent can also be likened to dogs.

On the other hand, those who are forgiven of the Lord are His children, according to Psalm 32:1. They are therefore the only ones who can access miracles. Psalm 23:1-3 gives insight into what qualifies a person for miracles: you must first be a sheep of the Good Shepherd. Unless a sinner repents and believes in the saving name of Jesus, he or she will remain a dog. John 1:12 says:

” But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”

Get ready for a big miracle this season if you are truly one of God’s children. If you are not, give up your pride, give up your self-righteousness and repent so you can be adopted by Jesus. Miracles are meant for children and not dogs. Submit to the Lord today and you too would have your testimonies.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, I need a miracle urgently. Adopt me into Your family today through Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 1-4.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 16: O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST.

1. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

2. Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

4. Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men”:
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.

5. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

6. The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in foll’wing years.

7. Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.

8. Like flow’ry fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flow’rs beneath the mower’s hand
Lie with’ring ere ’tis night.

9. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

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