Monthly Archives: August 2022

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST 2022 FAKE FRIENDS

MEMORISE: The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. Psalms 55:21

 

READ: Proverbs 26:23 -27

 

23 Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.

 

24 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;

 

25 When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.

 

26 Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.

 

27 Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

 

MESSAGE

 

When you read the story in Mark 5:35-42, you see what happened in the house of Jairus. It tells you that fake sympathizer have been in the world long time ago. When Jesus came and said everyone should go out because the child was not dead, but only sleeping the Bible reported that they laughed him to scorn. They switched from weeping to laughing within a second. That means they were not sad to start with at all! I am happy that Jesus chased them out of the house. In the name that is above every other name, Jesus will chase every fake friends out of your life.

 

When the widow of Nain in Luke 7:11-17 was going to bury her only son and Jesus met her on the way, there were a lot of people there who pretended to be sympathizing with her, but l am sure they must have been saying “Is she the only one in the town? Why is it that tragedy upon tragedy is befalling her? First the husband died, now the only boy she had is dead. God must be punishing her for her sins”. That is what they must have been saying, until Jesus got there and stopped the procession. One of my children once said the grave diggers were waiting they had already dug the grave. The mourners were waiting to do the final mourning at the grave yard, but the Almighty God disappointed them. Every grave digger waiting for you shall be disappointed this year. Everyone waiting to mourn over you will be disappointed in Jesu name. Anyone who thought he or she had succeeded in making you sad., by the time God turn the tide, you will laugh last.

 

Everyone at one time or the other will encounter fake friends that is why you must be careful who you call, “Friends”. Not everyone who calls themselves your friend should be close to you. Not everyone who comes close to you should know your secrets. Not everyone should be given access to your inner circle. The Bible says that you should love even your enemies (Matthew 5:44), but it does not says everyone should be your friend, so, love them from a distance. Be good to people, but don’t make them your friends if they have not really proven to you beyond any reasonable doubt that they are true friends. You don’t need many friends. Proverbs 18:24 says there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. It didn’t say there are many friends, it says “a friend”.

 

KEY POINT

 

Beware of fake friends.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 34-36

 

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

 

HYMN 14: NEARER MY GOD TO THEE

 

1. Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer to thee!

E’en though it be a cross

That raiseth me.

Still all my song shall be

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer to thee!

 

2. Though like the wanderer,

The sun gone down,

Darkness be over me,

My rest a stone,

Yet in my dreams I’d be

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer to thee!

 

3. There let the way appear,

Steps unto heav’n;

All that thou sendest me,

In mercy giv’n;

Angels to beckon me

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer to thee!

 

4. Then with my waking thoughts

Bright with thy praise,

Out of my stony griefs

Bethel I’ll raise;

So by my woes to be

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer to thee!

 

5. Or if, on joyful wing

Cleaving the sky,

Sun, moon, and stars forgot,

Upward I fly,

Still all my song shall be

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer to thee

 

 

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL… TUESDAY AUGUST 30TH 2022 PRAISE RAISES

MEMORISE: The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Genesis 49:10

 

READ: 2 Samuel 6:20 -22

 

20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

 

21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.

 

22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.

 

MESSAGE:

 

Judah means praise, and in the memory verse for today, we witness God making a promise that the scepter will not leave the tribe of Judah. In other words, every child of God who belongs to the tribe of praise will always be a leader in their various fields of endeavour. People will gather to them, and they will always be at the top. This is not far-fetched; after all, Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His people. If you know how to praise God correctly, He will make His abode with you and make you the head. You will never fail, and you will also be prosperous. In 2 Samuel 6:11, they put the ark of covenant in the house of Obededom and all of a sudden he began to prosper. If God is with you, you will rise to the very top.

 

In whatever field you operate in, if you know how to really praise God, He will raise you to be number one. One day, a Pastor came to me and said, “Daddy, l think l have discovered the secret of your tremendous success in Ministry. When you get to the altar to preach, before you start at all, you first sing praises to God and then eulogies Him until His presence comes down mightily, then you go ahead and preach”. I said “Oh, you got it. Go back home and start doing the same”. Amongst Pastors in the whole world, l want to be number one. I know that if l can praise Him nonstop,then He will keep lifting me higher. The reason many Christian are not rising to be number one in their fields is that they don’t know how to really praise God. Some people find it difficult to kneel before God in public. In heaven, they not only kneel, they also fall on their faces before God (Revelation 7:11). When you ask some Christians to praise God, you see their mouths hardly moving. How can you praise the King of kings silently? Psalm 98:4 says:

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD; all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

 

Heaven is not a silent place, they lift up their voices and say ” Blessing, glory wisdom, thanksgiving, honour, power and might be unto God for ever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 7:12). You need tolerance to praise God the way He really should be praised. Just keep praising Him and you will discover that doors that were erstwhile shut will begin to open unto you and soon, you will be number one in your field.

 

ACTION POINT

 

Fall on your face, lift up your voice and praise the Most High God like you have never done before.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 28-30

 

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

 

HYMN 19: O WORSHIP THE KING ALL GLORIOUS ABOVE

 

1 O worship the King all-glorious above,

 

O gratefully sing his power and his love:

 

our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,

 

pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

 

2 O tell of his might and sing of his grace,

 

whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.

 

His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,

 

and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.

 

3 Your bountiful care, what tongue can recite?

 

It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;

 

it streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,

 

and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

 

4 Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,

 

in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.

 

Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,

 

our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!

 

5 O measureless Might, unchangeable Love,

 

whom angels delight to worship above!

 

Your ransomed creation, with glory ablaze,

 

in true adoration shall sing to your praise!

 

 

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL SATURDAY AUGUST 27TH 2022 YOU ARE SPECIAL

MEMORISE: But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7

 

READ: 1 Peter 1:18 -19

 

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

 

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

 

MESSAGE

 

The amount kidnappers ask for as ransom is proportionate with how important their victim is considered. The Bible says that we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It also says that those who sin are of their father the devil (John 8:44-45). This means that when God wanted to snatch us from the hands of the devil, he needed to provide a ransom. He is very rich so gold and silver are not a problem to Him at all. However, He deemed gold and silver too cheap to use in paying our ransom because of how special we are. He sees you as so special that He sent His only Begotten Son, His very own Word, to redeem you and me.

 

The fact that He sent His Son to die so that you may have life, to shed His blood so that the devil cannot drink yours, to take multiple stripes on His body so that you would not be sick should be enough to make you walk around with your head held high because you are very specail.

 

As long as you are a child of God, you are extremely special. He said in Isaiah 49:16 that He has a tattoo on His palm and that tattoo is your picture.

 

Behold, l have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me”.

 

In heaven, there are many angels. One of these angels can kill 185,000 men in one night; that is an ordinary angel. The Bible tells us that there is another category of angels that are strong (Revelation 5:2) – you can imagine how powerful those must be. Then there are the Arc-Angels who stand before Him (Revelation 8:2). He did not decide to adopt any of the angels as His children, leaving them in the position of messengers; however, He loves you so much, He decided to adopt you as His child and the Angels should be your messengers. 1 John 3:1 says:

 

Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…

 

Even if it seems nobody in the world loves or values you, the King of the entire universe loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) and values you above Angels and all His creations.

 

KEY POINT

 

You are worth more than all the treasures of this world put together.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 17-20

 

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

 

HYMN 4: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

 

1 Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

 

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

 

2 Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

 

3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

 

 

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL FRIDAY AUGUST 26TH 2022 BETTER CALL HIM LORD NOW

MEMORIZE: And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:11

 

READING REVELATION 5:8-13

 

8. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

 

9. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

 

10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

 

11. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

 

12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

 

13. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

 

MESSAGE

 

All the creations of God call Him Lord. The birds sing His praises, the trees clap their hands to praise Him, the seas roar His praises, the mountains skip at His presence, even the sun and moon speak of His majesty.

In Mark 4:39, Jesus simply issued a command for there to be peace and the storm ceased immediately. Everyone present there marvelled and wondered what kind of man He was that even the seas obeyed Him. He however, has one creation that proves stubborn sometimes humans.

Many people, even with all that they can see and have heard of Him still don’t acknowledge Him as Lord. When I was a lecturer in the University, my seniors, people with tremendous academic achievements, were divided into categories whenever I was talking to them about Jesus.

 

One category would say, God is dead, another No, He is not dead. It may be true that He created the world because, from the little we see in science, it requires great intelligence to put the entire world together; but at the end of the day, He discovered that what He created was too big for Him and He has lost control.

 

The category of people who would want to be generous would then say, Well, whether He is dead or not, I don’t know. Whether He has lost control or not, I don’t know. One thing I know is that He is in Heaven minding His business and I am here on earth minding my own.

 

Philippians 2:10-11 says: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

If you refuse to call Him Lord when you are at peace, you will be forced to call Him Lord when you are in trouble. Those who don’t make Him the Lord of their life early enough will have to kneel and confess that He is Lord after the rapture when they are either left behind on earth or in hell underneath the earth.

 

If you continue to reject His Lordship now because you want to live as you please, you will still call Him Lord from hell later. The choice is yours.

 

Declaration

 

Father, I call you my Lord today and I promise to live my life according to Your word, now and always.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 13-16

 

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

 

HYMN 10: JESUS MY LORD, MY GOD, MY ALL

 

1 Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all,

hear me, blest Savior, when I call;

hear me, and from thy dwelling place

pour down the riches of thy grace.

Refrain:

Jesus, my Lord, I thee adore;

O make me love thee more and more.

 

2 Jesus, too late I thee have sought;

how can I love thee as I ought?

And how extol thy matchless fame,

the glorious beauty of thy name? [Refrain]

 

3 Jesus, what didst thou find in me

that thou hast dealt so lovingly?

How great the joy that thou hast brought,

so far exceeding hope or thought! [Refrain]

 

4 Jesus, of thee shall be my song;

to thee my heart and soul belong;

all that I have or am is thine,

and thou, blest Savior, thou art mine. [Refrain]

 

 

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24TH 2022 ANTIDOTE TO SICKNESSES AND DISEASES

THEME: ANTIDOTE TO SICKNESSES AND DISEASES

 

MEMORISE: And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. Exodus 16:18

 

READ: Exodus 16:16 -20

 

16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.

 

17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.

 

18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.

 

19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.

 

20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.

 

MESSAGE

 

There are many sicknesses and diseases in the world today that were not there in the days of our forefathers. This can be traced primarily to the difference in food consumption between those olden days and now. In those days, they didn’t have canned foods as they never tried to preserve anything through artificial means. Their bodies were strong and healthy because they got their food fresh from the farm as there were no freezers. These days, we want to minimize the number of times we go shopping. We want to be hungry this moment and have our food ready in five minutes, hence the increase in junk food and the use of microwave ovens. These things come at a cost to our health and vitality.

 

I am 80 years old now and still as strong as l was a couple of decades ago. Yes, no doubt, the Lord has been keeping me strong. I on the other hand too have not been consuming what will kill my body.

 

If you want to stay strong and healthy, stop eating frozen and junk foods when Jesus was teaching His disciple in Matthew 6:11, He told them to pray thus, “Give us this day our daily bread”, not our weekly bread, not our monthly bread. As much as you can, get your food for the day fresh from the Source.

 

All frozen foods and canned foods you see are being preserved with chemicals that are dangerous to your health. Have a small garden or flower pots somewhere around your house where you can plant some vegetables so that you can get fresh whenever you want.

 

In the days of old, our fathers did not have as many sickness as we have now because they did not have cars, neither did they have air conditioners. They breathed in fresh air and cool themselves with it. These days some people move from air-conditioned homes to air-conditioned cars to air-conditioned offices. You are still young why can’t you stay outdoors just for a little while every day to take in fresh air and vitamin D in the morning? If you start exercising your body and eating right, you will begin to feel the improvement in your health right away.

 

ACTION POINT

 

Going forward, be deliberate about eating right and exercising your body.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 6-9

 

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

 

HYMN 2: CONQUERORS AND OVERCOMERS NOW WE ARE

 

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. [Refrain]

 

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. [Refrain

 

 

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL TUESDAY AUGUST 23RD 2022 BE CONTENT II

MEMORISE: Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11

READ: Philippians 4:11 -13
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

MESSAGE

The interesting thing about contentment is that it is something you can learn. Paul said he had learnt to be content whether he had plenty or little. You can learn contentment and you can start learning it right now. Everybody needs to learn to be content. When you look at Paul’s statement, you can understand his mindset. What he was actually saying when he said that he was content whether in plenty or in lack is that he knew that no situation is permanent. This is a very important mindset to help us learn contentment. When you know your present situation is not permanent and things will soon get better, then you will be content with what you have now. When you know that every day is not a feast, you won’t be expecting to eat every delicacy possible every day. In any case, all you need is to eat enough to give you strength for the day.

The moment you learn contentment, you begin to enjoy the peace of God that passes all understanding because you won’t worry about tomorrow. Once you are content, nobody can tempt you to steal or falsify records, you then suddenly discover that there is nothing any man can do to shake you.
It is when lack of contentment has led you to do something that you shouldn’t have done that you become afraid. Jesus Christ said

Hereafter l will not talk much with you for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. John 14:30

If you are content with whatever God gives you, then you will not go after what the devil is offering you. In Luke 4:2-8, the devil offered Jesus a lot of riches and influence even though Jesus was hungry and tired at the time the offer was made, He did not take the offer because He was content with what God had given to Him. If you know that the Lord has prosperity planned for you, then you will not spoil your chances of getting that prosperity by being covetous now. Not being content has made many people steal thousands and lost the billions that God was planning to give them.

PRAYER POINT
Lord, please teach me to be content

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 3- 5

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE

Hymn 29: WILL YOUR ANCHOR HOLD IN THE STORM OF LIFE
1 Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Stedfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

2 It is safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand,
For ’tis well secured by the Savior’s hand;
And the cables passed from His heart to mine,
Can defy the blast, through strength divine.

3 It will firmly hold in the straits of fear,
When the breakers have told the reef is near;
Though the tempest rave and the wild winds blow,
Not an angry wave shall our bark o’erflow.

4 It will surely hold in the floods of death,
When the waters cold chill our latest breath;
On the rising tide it can never fail,
While our hopes abide within the veil.

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL MONDAY AUGUST 22ND 2022 BE CONTENT I

MEMORISE: But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6

 

READ: 1 Timothy 6:6 -12

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

 

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

 

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

 

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

 

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

 

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

 

12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

 

MESSAGE

 

Money never satisfies those who love it. (Ecclesiastes 5:10-12). When you have a Mercedes S Class, you rejoice. However, the day you see someone with a Roll Royce, you become hungry for more. In any case, Ecclesiastes 5:11 says that when the money you have increases, the number of those who will spend it will also increase. Ecclesiastes 5:12 goes further to say that the people you call poor enjoy more blessings than the rich ones because nothing bothers their sleep, whereas the abundance of the rich hardly allows them rest. A lot of rich people even have problems eating because they have so much to choose from. Some rich people will spend several minutes trying to decide on what to eat whereas those of us who are not rich just thank God for what is available, and we eat it with joy.

 

I Timothy 6:6-8 says godliness with contentment is great gain. The passage further says that if you have food to eat and clothes to wear, you should be content with that. No matter how big your house is, you can only sleep in one room at a time. No matter how many cars you have, you can only travel in one at a time.

We brought nothing into the world, and we will take nothing out when we are leaving. Whatever money or treasures you amass here on earth will be useless when it is time to leave.

 

There was a man who was so rich and so miserly that he used to go to the market by himself to buy foodstuff. Anytime his wife cooked his own pot of soup, he would take it into his room and lock it away from everyone else. He didn’t trust the banks, so he kept his money in a room where no one ever entered. One day, he died and his Children came home. On getting home, they began looking for the key to the room where he kept his money. The youngest then said, “l know Papa, l am sure he must have swallowed the key before he died”. So, they turned his corpse, started beating his back and the key popped out of his mouth.

 

All the wealth you are pursuing will be useless to you one day. Rather than focus on this thing that are temporal, why don’t you put your gaze on eternal blessings (2 Corinthians 4:18). Don’t lose eternal treasures because of your focus on material things. Be content with what you have.

 

KEY POINT

 

Spend your time on earth amassing treasures in heaven rather than treasures here which will be destroyed eventually.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 66- Jeremiah 2

 

AUTHOR: E. A ADEBOYE

 

HYMN 24: THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOR

 

1 Through the love of God our Saviour,

all will be well.

Free and changeless is his favour,

all, all is well.

Precious is the blood that healed us,

perfect is the grace that sealed us,

strong the hand stretched forth to shield us,

all must be well.

 

2 Though we pass through tribulation,

all will be well.

Ours is such a full salvation,

all, all is well.

Happy, still in God confiding,

fruitful, if in Christ abiding,

holy, through the Spirit’s guiding,

all must be well.

 

3 We expect a bright tomorrow,

all will be well.

Faith can sing through days of sorrow,

‘All, all is well.’

On our Father’s love relying,

Jesus every need supplying,

in our living, in our dying,

all must be well.

 

 

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL SATURDAY AUGUST 20TH 2022 LETTER TO THE LAODICEAN CHURCH 1

MEMORISE: And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23

 

READ: Revelation 3:14 -18

14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

 

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

 

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

 

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

 

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

 

Luke 9:23 -24

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

 

24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

 

MESSAGE

 

The Laodiceans were very rich people, but they were lukewarm. Jesus said He would spew them out of His mouth because they said they were Rich and thus had need of nothing. Jesus told these people that they were poor and to be rich, they needed to come and buy gold tried in the fire from Him. To be clothed, they needed to buy white raiment from Him too. This reminds us of what we learnt when we discussed the letter to the Smyrna Church earlier this month (10th and 11th of August).

 

Jesus didn’t say they should come and get from Him the gold tried in fire or the white raiment; He said they should come and buy it. In other words, they would have to give up something in order to get it. This is where the problem is with lukewarm Christian. They want convenient Christianity and that does not exist. They want to come to Church when they like and do only what is convenient for them in the word of God. If you are not giving something up to stand in the faith, you are a lukewarm Christian. If you discover that for some time now, the Lord has not taken anything from you that was difficult to give up – whether it is material or in your character, you are a lukewarm Christian. You don’t get the white raiment, or the gold tried in the fire without giving something up. You don’t become spiritually rich without giving up something in the physical.

 

If you don’t tell anyone about Jesus, or you indulge in the lust of the eyes or pay people to do the work of God because you can no longer work for Him with your own hands as that will be beneath your social class, you are a lukewarm Christian. If you are finding it difficult to let go of a particular thing or pick up something new so as to gain spiritual riches, you had better change your ways now because the Lord says He will spew you out of His mouth.

 

God has spewed some people out of His mouth, but they don’t know it. They think they are still in Christ, but they’re long gone. I hope that today’s message can help shed some light on whether you have become lukewarm or not.

 

I really do pray that the Almighty God shows you the area where you may need to reignite the fire, in Jesus’ name.

 

PRAYER POINT

Father, any area where my fire has become lukewarm, please show me and help me to become hot for you again, in Jesus name.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 55-59

 

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

 

HYMN 3: DEEPER DEEPER IN THE LOVE OF JESUS

 

1. 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 ev’ry day,

And wiser, blessed Lord,

In Thy precious, holy word.

 

2 Deeper, deeper! blessed Holy Spirit,

Take me deeper still,

Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,

And His perfect will.

 

3 Deeper, deeper! tho’ it cost hard trials,

Deeper let me go!

Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,

Let me fruitful grow.

 

4 Deeper, higher, ev’ry day in Jesus,

Till all conflict past,

Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image

Perfected at last.

 

 

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL FRIDAY AUGUST 19TH 2022 LETTER TO THE PHILADELPHIAN CHURCH II

MEMORISE: And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Matthew 24:12

 

READ: Revelation 3:11 -13

11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

 

12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

 

13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

 

MESSAGE

Behold I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown

Revelation3:11

 

Jesus Christ said that it is possible for someone to take crown that was prepared for another person. It is possible for a Christian to have worked hard for God but lose the crown to someone else due to carelessness and not being watchful. I pray that this will not be your portion in Jesus’ name.

 

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Matthew 24:12-13

 

There is no medal for starting the race- It comes when you finish it. If you drop out of the race and God chooses someone else to finish it for you, the fellow will get all your medals. In the name of Jesus, nobody else will get the crown that l have been working for in the Kingdom of God all these years. I want to say like Paul: l have finished my race, l have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).

 

I heard a story about fifty Christians who were being tortured by soldiers. The soldiers took the Christians to a very cold lake, stripped them naked and told them to get into the water. The soldier then makes a bonfire beside the lake. Then told the Christians that whenever any of them was ready to deny Jesus, they could come out of the lake and warm themselves by the fire. The Christian resisted and at some point, they were close to death. Suddenly, fifty angels appeared with crown in their hands, and they were moving towards these Christians in the lake. The Christians could not see them. It was at that point that one of the Christians thought he could no longer resist the cold, so he denied Jesus and, as he was coming out of the lake, the angel who brought his crown was about to turn back to heaven when one of the soldiers who had seen the Angel turning back put off his own clothes and jumped into the lake, thereby claiming the crown but the other fellow had lost. I tell you my brethren from the depth of my heart, hold fast to the end so that no one else would take your crown.

 

KEY POINT

 

Hold fast to the end so that no one else would take your crown.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 50-54

 

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

 

HYMN 2: CONQUERORS AND OVERCOMERS NOW WE ARE

 

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 DEVOTIONAL THURSDAY AUGUST 18TH 2022 LETTER TO THE PHILADELPHIAN CHURCH 1

THEME: LETTER TO THE PHILADELPHIAN CHURCH 1

 

MEMORISE: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 1 Peter 1:7

 

READ: Revelation 3:11 -13

 

11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

 

12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

 

13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

 

MESSAGE

Jesus was full of praises for Philadelphian Church. He also gave them several promises, only warning them to hold fast. Such a beautiful letter!

 

In AD 17, Philadelphia experienced a lot of earthquakes. The tremors kept the people of Philadelphia constantly alert.

 

When people have no troubles, they feel so relaxed and assume that they don’t need God. That is why 1 Peter 1:7 says that trials come to strengthen our faith. The reason you see so much revival in Africa these days than in developed world is probably that what we have to pray for in the developing countries is always provided by the respective governments of nation of developed world. Thus, we have no choice than to do as David did in Psalm 121:1-3 – to look up to the Lord from whence cometh our help.

 

Once in a while when God sees that a Christian is beginning to fall into spiritual sleep, He sends a trial to wake him up, l believe one of the reasons Solomon started worshipping idols is that after building the temple, he became idle and forget God. You must always look for new mountains to conquer, you must always say, like Caleb in Joshua 14:12 “…give me this mountain”. Don’t ever feel relaxed as if you don’t need God. If after building the temple, Solomon had decided to advance the Kingdom of God further, he would have had the constant need to rely on God. If you have made a lot of money, use the money to start organising outreaches for the sinners and the poor. Just remain busy for God, asking for new mountains to conquer all the time and you will never forget Him.

 

History tells us that the Philadelphian Church was a mission-minded one. The members were always witnessing and sending people out on missions. When the Mohammedans came to Asia Minor and all the other Churches collapsed, the Philadelphian Church stood firm. There is still a Church in Philadelphia to date. This tell us very clearly that if you are always witnessing, if you are always winning souls, the devil will not be able to make you fall.

 

KEY POINT

If you want your faith to last to the end, become a soul winner.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 45-49

 

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

 

HYMN 9: I’VE A MESSAGE FROM THE LORD

 

1 I’ve a message from the Lord, Hallelujah!

The message unto you I’ll give.

’Tis recorded in His Word, Hallelujah!

It is only that you “look and live.”

Refrain:

 

“Look and live,” my brother, live.

Look to Jesus now and live.

’Tis recorded in His Word, Hallelujah!

It is only that you “look and live.”

 

2 I’ve a message full of love, Hallelujah!

A message, O my friend, for you.

’Tis a message from above, Hallelujah!

Jesus said it, and I know ’tis true.

 

3 Life is offered unto you. Hallelujah!

Eternal life your soul shall have

If you’ll only look to Him. Hallelujah!

Look to Jesus, who alone can save.

 

4 I will tell you how I came, Hallelujah!

To Jesus when He made me whole:

’Twas believing on His name, Hallelujah!

I trusted and He saved my soul.

 

 

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