Monthly Archives: November 2023

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL..

DATE: TUESDAY NOVEMBER 21ST 2023

THEME: A PURE HEART

MEMORISE: Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18

READ: Ephesians 5:26 -27

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

MESSAGE:

Purity means ‘No contamination’. This also stem from the definition of purity we discussed yesterday. When something else comes into a material, it is no longer pure. All children of God must love Him with all their heart . Once any part of your heart is given to any other object apart from God , that object is a contaminant and must be removed immediately.

I gave an illustration many years ago in one of my books As Pure As Light, that if there is a big bucket of absolutely pure water that a group of people want to drink from, then a very little drop of feaces from a baby’s diaper drops into it – even if it is just a bit, would they still drink it? The big bucket of clean water becomes contaminated the moment faeces drops into it irrespective of the quantity. The water would no longer be pure and no one would want to drink from it.

In John 14:30, the devil came , examined Jesus Christ from top to bottom and discovered that He was pure; without any contamination whatsoever. That is the testimony I want to have also: that when the devil examine me I will be able to say, “The devil found no contamination in me”. What about you?

In 1 Timothy 5:22, Paul was advising Timothy:

Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.

Don’t get contaminated by other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.
You can be contaminated by other people’s sin when you partake in it. For example, anyone who watches pornography is partaking in other people’s sins. When you and some people do something wrong and one of them tells a lie to cover the entire group and you say, “After all I am not the one that lied”, you are partaking in someone else’s sin and that has contaminated you. In Proverbs 1:10, we are advised:�“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” If sinners entice you to come and be a partaker of their sins, run away. There is a congregation called the congregation of the dead (Proverbs 21:16). If you are found amongst them, you are like them already.

ACTION POINT

Stay pure: stay away from contamination.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 22-23

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 28: WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SIN

1 What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain:
O precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow;
no other fount I know;
nothing but the blood of Jesus.

2 For my pardon this I see:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my cleansing this my plea:
nothing but the blood of Jesus. [Refrain]

3 Nothing can for sin atone:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Naught of good that I have done:
nothing but the blood of Jesus. [Refrain]

4 This is all my hope and peace:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my righteousness:
nothing but the blood of Jesus. [Refrain]

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MEMORISE: Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. Job 1:10

READ: Job 1:8-10

8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

MESSAGE

I am a holiness preacher. In fact, if you were to cut me into million pieces, each piece would keep crying, “Be holy”. The reason l keep emphasising the need to be holy is that l have seen the tremendous benefits in living a holy life. I will share some of these benefits with you today.

First, when you are holy, you become untouchable to the devil. In Job 1:10, the devil said God had put a hedge around Job, making it impossible for him to be harmed. There is a hedge of fire around every true child of God living holy. The devil cannot harm you even if he tries. The devil tried to kill Daniel by throwing him into a den of lions. He however, failed because innocence was found in Daniel (Daniel 6:22). Throughout Jesus’ lifetime, the devil tried several times to get him killed but consistently failed because Jesus lived a holy life as we see in John 14:30 where Jesus said, “Hereafter l will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” Jesus however, surrendered His life later so as to fulfill God’s plan (John 10:17-18).

When I was a Lecturer at the University of Lagos, one of my students came to me one day and told me she had a dream where four men pointed guns at her. When she awoke, she ran to a palm reader who told her she would die unfailingly on the 23rd of March, that year. She decided to go to a witch doctor and a so-called prophet who both said the same thing. When she told me the story, I told her, “If you give your life to Jesus, you will live and not die.”She gave her life to Jesus Christ, He washed away her sins and she left. On the 24th of March, she was still alive and I reminded her that I had told her that she would not die. She however, told me that something strange happened the previous night. She said no one was able to sleep in her hostel that night as there were all sorts of strange occurrences. The spirit of death, indeed came for her but couldn’t touch her because of the hedge of fire around her.

If there is sin in your life, the devil can harm you, but when you live a holy life in Jesus, he cannot touch you.

ACTION POINT
Live holy.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 8-9

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 19: ROCK OF AGES CLEFT FOR ME

1 Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.

2 Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law’s demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.

3 Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.

4 While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when I soar to worlds unknown,
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee

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MEMORISE: Psalm 26:8 (KJV)

LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.

READ : Psalm 119:97-112 (KJV)

97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.

100 I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.

102 I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.

103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.

107 I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word.

108 Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments.

109 My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.

110 The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.

111 Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.

112 I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end.

MESSAGE

To become intimate with God, the major thing you will need to sacrifice is time. The more time you spend with someone, the more you will become like that fellow. God loves it when we spend quality time with Him, so much so that He prefers that you spend more of your time with Him than you do for Him. The difference between spending your time for Him and with Him is in Luke 10:38-42. Martha was spending her time serving Jesus and that is good, but He said Mary had chosen what was needful by sitting at His feet to hear His word.

The time you spend doing the work of God is good, but what is more needful is the time you spend at His feet, hearing His word. There are many Church workers and pastors who only read and study their Bibles, pray or hear the word of God when they come to Church. You cannot become intimate with God that way. God wants people who love spending quality time with Him, whether in Church or alone, just because they love Him. As dutiful as David was, he just loved to spend time in the presence of God (Psalm 26:8). That is why God said in 1 Samuel 13:14 that David was a man after His heart.

To become intimate with God, you must never be satisfied with how close you are to Him now. You must constantly remain hungry for His word and His presence. Those who will be intimate with God will never be satisfied with how much of Him they know; they will keep studying more, praying more, fasting more, all in a bid to know Him more. Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him…”. You begin to wonder, with all the revelations and encounters that Apostle Paul had gotten, he was still saying he wanted to know God. Believe me honestly, the day you feel as if you already know enough of God is the day you begin to draw further from Him. You will no longer know the things you thought you knew before. If you stop growing, you start dying. If you decide not to get closer to God, you will start getting closer to the devil. This is a race track you are on, not a highway with bus stops. Once you stop moving, you are taken off the race track.

KEY POINT

How much time you are willing to spend in fellowship with Christ will determine how intimate you will be with Him.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Acts 4-5

AUTHOR : PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 22: Sweet Hour Of Prayer

1. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! �that calls me from a world of care, �and bids me at my Father’s throne �make all my wants and wishes known. �In seasons of distress and grief, �my soul has often found relief, �and oft escaped the tempter’s snare �by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

2. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! �the joys I feel, the bliss I share �of those whose anxious spirits burn �with strong desires for thy return! �With such I hasten to the place �where God my Savior shows his face, �and gladly take my station there, �and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

3. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! �thy wings shall my petition bear �to him whose truth and faithfulness �engage the waiting soul to bless. �And since he bids me seek his face, �believe his word, and trust his grace, �I’ll cast on him my every care, �and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

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MEMORISE: 2 Corinthians 5:10 (KJV)
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

READ : Ezekiel 18:4-20 (KJV)

4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,

6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,

7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;

8 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,

9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.

10 If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,

11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife,

12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,

13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,

15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour’s wife,

16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,

17 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.

19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.

20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

MESSAGE

Our relationship with God is strictly on an individual basis, not collective. Your relationship with God is yours alone – between you and Him. Therefore, the word ‘l’ is applicable in your relationship with God; it is ‘l’, not ‘we’. David said in Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth”. Our relationship with God is personal. Salvation is an individual business.

Let me make it clear: God has no grandchildren. You are either a child of God or not. Our Bible reading for today says if your father is godly and you are ungodly, your father will live and you will die. God has no grandchildren, only children; so if you have not yet given your life to Jesus and you think that because your parents are born again, then you will go to heaven, you are deceiving yourself (Ezekiel 18:20).

Furthermore, after you become born again and get to heaven, the work you put into the Kingdom of God will also be tested individually by fire. In Romans 14:12, the Bible says: “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God”. Every one shall give account of himself or herself to God. When it comes to God assessing you, it is going to be an individual business. In 1 Corinthians 3:13, the Bible says: “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is”. Our works will be tried separately, not together.

Remember that where we are going, there is no night there, so there is enough time. The Pastor, General Overseer and everyone else will stand alone with nowhere to hide. Therefore, when someone is discouraging you from doing the work of God now, remember that the fellow will not be there when your work is being tried. When you let someone else’s attitude affect your motives and zeal for God’s work, don’t forget that you will not be able to blame that fellow on the last day because you will be standing alone in front of God to answer for your actions and inactions.

KEY POINT

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
John 20-21

AUTHOR: PASTOR E . A ADEBOYE

HYMN 30: When We Walk With The Lord

1. When we walk with the Lord,�In the light of His word,�What a glory He sheds on our way!�While we do His good will�He abides with us still,�And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:�Trust and obey!�For there’s no other way�To be happy in Jesus,�But to trust and obey.

2. But we never can prove�The delights of His love,�Until all on the altar we lay,�For the favour He shows�And the joy He bestows�Are for them who will trust and obey. [Refrain]

3. Then in fellowship sweet�We will sit at His feet,�Or we’ll walk by His side in the way,�What He says we will do,�Where He sends we will go,�Never fear, only trust and obey. [Refrain]

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MEMORISE: Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12

READ: Jeremiah 1:4-10

4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

MESSAGE:

1. Father, thank You for the life of all our youths and for Your unfailing love over them.

2. Father, please draw all our youths to You. Let them love and serve You genuinely, in Jesus’ name.

3. Father, please use our youths to win their generation to You, in Jesus’ name.

4. Father, please help all our youths to live holy and do not let the devil rob them of their inheritance in You.

5. Father, please grant excellent success to all our youths and bless them mightily, in Jesus’ name.

6. Father, please destroy every agenda of the enemy to turn the hearts of Christian youths away from You, in Jesus’ name.

7. Father, please give our youths the grace to honour their elders so that their days can be long on earth.

8. Father, please give our youths wisdom, knowledge and understanding so they can improve and not destroy what their parents will hand over to them, in Jesus’ name.

9. Father, please pour out Your Spirit on all our youths and use them to bring about a revival in Your Church.

10. Father, please drive away every evil spirit causing depression, drug addiction and so on, far away from all our youths

11. Father, please help all our youths to fulfil Your will for their lives, in Jesus’ name.

12. Your personal prayer point for the youths in your family, Church and neighborhood.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 5-6

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 22: SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

1 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
that calls me from a world of care,
and bids me at my Father’s throne
make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
my soul has often found relief,
and oft escaped the tempter’s snare
by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

2 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
the joys I feel, the bliss I share
of those whose anxious spirits burn
with strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
where God my Savior shows his face,
and gladly take my station there,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

3 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
thy wings shall my petition bear
to him whose truth and faithfulness
engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since he bids me seek his face,
believe his word, and trust his grace,
I’ll cast on him my every care,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

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