Memorise: When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in foots: pay that which thou hast vowed. Ecclesiastes 5:4
Read: Ecclesiastes 5:4-6
4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy
flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 2-3, Jeremiah 25:34-26:11

1. Our God is a God of faithfulness and He takes vows seriously (Deuteronomy 7:9).
2. In Genesis 28:20-22, Jacob made a vow to the Lord at a time of distress and uncertainty in his life. Twenty years later, after the Lord had prospered Him, the Lord reminded him of the vow he had made unto Him (Genesis 31:13). Later, the Lord reminded him yet again of his vow and instructed him to move on from where he was to the place where he would fulfil his vow (Genesis 35:1-6).
3. It does not matter how long ago you made a vow, God doesn’t forget! “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.”Ecclesiastes 5:4
4. One of the lessons from the above passage is that you are not compelled to make a vow to God. However, if you do, don’t delay in redeeming it, or else God will regard you as a fool.
5. It is important to know that in life; what comes or doesn’t come to you will be largely determined by your spiritual standing or status before God.
6. If God sees you as righteous, He will release all the blessings reserved for the righteous upon you, as long as you ask Him.
7. In other words, if your status before God is that of a righteous fellow, God will treat you with respect. He will treat you like he would treat His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who accorded you that righteous standing. However, if you violate His words and that lingers, it can definitely affect your spiritual status and change the way God relates with you.
8. For instance, if you fail to pay your vow after so long a time, your status is changed from that of a righteous person to that of a fool. Eventually, you lose the honour, respect and royal treatment God accords to the righteous. Why? It is because a fool denies the existence of God (Psalms 14:1).
9. In other words, if you believe God exists and is aware of your vow, you would hurriedly redeem it.
10. When you do not pay your vow to Him, you are saying that God does not exist, and this puts you into the same category as King Nebuchadnezzar, who in Daniel 3:15 pompously asked, “Who is that God that can deliver you from my hands?”
11. When God is thrown such a challenge, whether verbally, in thought or through actions, He is forced to accept the challenge and to prove His existence.
12. Vow defaulters call for God’s divine hammer to fall on them. Some people make a vow or pledge to God, yet one or two months after God has kept His part, they are still dilly-dallying on fulfilling their vow.
13. Are you defaulting in your vows to the Lords? Ask God for forgiveness and immediately set out to redeem them.

Most believers falls in the category of vow defaulters today and it is a terrible position to be. The express knowledge of God’s position with vow defaulters revealed in our devotional today is a call to order for as many that made vows but refused to fulfill or redeem it. I know our God is merciful and He will forgive anyone that will repent and redeem the vow. Let’s prayerfully follow the action Point given by our father in the Lord and I pray we won’t be a victim of God’s hammer in Jesus name. We pray that the Lord will strengthen Pastor E.A Adeboye for greater impact in Jesus name.

Action Point
Take stock of all your pending vows and take steps to redeem them today!
HYMN Point
1 Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.
2 Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.
3 Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.
5 Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee. 

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20

Memorise: The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Psalm 46:7
Read: Psalm 9:18-20
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
19 Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 1, Jeremiah 25:17-33

1.There are general blessings and also personal blessings.
2. I have observed that anytime David wanted to discuss something that was very important to him, he normally personalised it. For instance, in Psalm 23:1, he says, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” He did not say, “The Lord is our shepherd.” He was simply saying, “I can only speak for myself; I don’t know about you.”
3. I pray that you will experience God as the Good Shepherd, so that you can testify personally and not just by sharing other people’s experiences.
4. A shepherd is a person who looks after sheep. One thing you will observe about sheep is that they are very defenceless against predators. They cannot bite, they have no claws, and they cannot run fast; their only defence is the shepherd.
5. You will agree with me that it is a very frightening thing to be defenceless in a hostile world. It is indeed a horrible feeling to be completely hopeless.
6. When a man is sick, he runs to the doctor hoping to be healed, but when the doctor tries his best and says there is nothing else he can do, the sick becomes hopeless.
7. When a man has serious financial problems, he runs to his bank expecting a bail-out, but what will he do when the bank insists on using assets he doesn’t have as collateral?
8. In the same way, when a child is sick, he looks up to his parents for help and care, but how will the child feel if his parents tell him that the forces battling against him are beyond their capability?
9. Worst still, imagine how you will feel if your pastor tells you that after praying all manner of prayers, there is nothing more he can do to help you!
10. It is a terrible thing to feel lonely or forsaken by relatives and loved ones.
11. A man who once experienced such a situation used these words to express his feelings in Psalm 102:6-7: “I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.”
12. Have you been in such a situation? Do you feel exposed, naked and prone to shame? Are you facing the worst of times with no one to defend you? Has everyone you thought could help deserted you and now you think life is worthless? I bring you good news today! There is hope for the hopeless and cover for the naked.
13. God is so very close to you, and He will reach out and touch you today.
14. The Lord will make a way for you! Call on Him and tell Him you have no one to help you but Him. Ask Him to help you now. He will answer and turn your situation around for good.

God is always there for anyone who reverence Him to be help to the helpless. He is the ever present help in time of need. The good thing about God is that He is the all sufficient and almighty God. Nothing is too big for Him to turn around. Whatever category the help you need falls into, He is able to help you. And I pray we will experience His love and be marvellously helped by Him in Jesus name. God bless Pastor E.A Adeboye for this great insight into the word of God in Jesus name.

Key Point
When everything else has failed, never give up your hope for a better life; although it may take time, help will surely come.
HYMN
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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20

Memorise: Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:7
Read: Genesis 16:1-4
1 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
Bible in one year: Numbers 34-36, Jeremiah 25:1-16

1. After several years of waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled, Sarah sat down one day, had a long thinking session, and came up with an alternative plan which she presented to Abraham, and He accepted it.
2. She had been barren for several years and was now obviously tired of being in that state; hence, she decided to give Hagar, one of her slaves, to her husband hoping to get a child through this arrangement. How mistaken she was!
3. Sarah’s experience has a lot to teach contemporary Christians.
4. When God is leading you in a certain direction, or if He has made a promise to you, any contrary opinion or alternative is borne out of impatience, doubt or unbelief. It’s when people can no longer wait for God’s plan that they come up with their own alternatives.
5. One lesson from this story is that man’s alternative charts a new course for you, which can take you completely out of God’s original plan.
6. Just like Abraham and Sarah, many people have come up with alternatives that have landed them at destination they never expected. But for God’s patience and mercy, the step Abraham and Sarah took was enough to derail from God’s original course.
7. The reason why the Holy Spirit says in Proverbs 3:5-6 that you should subordinate your plans under God’s will is so that He can guide you along His original plan for your life.
8. Believe it or not, God has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 1:4-5). If you follow this plan, you will definitely obey God’s word and remain in His will. God’s word never negates His will for your life (James 1:18). The question is, “Are you still in God’s plan?”
9. To keep within God’s will, you must be filled with His word and His Spirit, prayerful, watchful, thankful and humble. Why?
10. The natural man within you will always come up with alternatives to God’s perfect plan for your life. You need to be watchful because some alternatives may look like the original plan, but in essence, they are miles apart.
11. If you will access God’s perfect plan for your life, then you must leave no space for the flesh or the devil to give you an alternative.
12. You must trust, rely on and completely depend upon God. God’s choice is always the safe choice. For this reason Proverbs 29:25b says, “… but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.”
13. If you depend on God 99% and leave 1% for an alternative, that is enough to derail you.
14. Never rely on what you think you know or your assessment of the situation.
15. No matter how brilliant your ideas may be, God has something better.
16. Bring your plans before God’s searchlight and let Him tell you if it’s okay or not.

God is never late. He has never failed. He is always on time. There are several account where men came up with alternatives to sort their problems ignoring God’s plan and it ended up being a big mess. The plan of God for man is always sure and it is the best. Let us always acknowledge Him in all our ways, settle for His plan alone and wait patiently until it is manifested. His word is true and ever sure and His precept is the best to follow. We are daily refreshed as we study God’s word using the Open Heavens devotional written by Pastor E.A Adeboye. The light of God in him will never go deem and his zeal, strength and ability is renewed by each day in Jesus name.

Action Point
Has impatience made you pursue your own alternatives? Stop and beat a retreat today?
HYMN
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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20

Memorise: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bossom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38
Read: Luke 6:36-38
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Bible in one year: Numbers 32:33, Jeremiah 24

1. God is interested in the prosperity of His children.
2. Although He has made His resources available to us, it will take obedience and compliance with His principles to tap into them.
3. To tap into the financial resources of Heaven, you must pay your tithes, give offerings and fulfil your pledges and vows. You must be ready to give, if you want something in return.
4. A while ago, while preaching at a particular church, as I issued some prophetic decrees over the congregation, I noticed that their response of “Amen” was quite loud. Then I jokingly said one of them would buy me a new jet, and the loudness of their response nose-dived. Another time, I was in the same church and repeated what I said before; this time, their response was much louder. So I said to them, “You people are different.” I perceived that their faith and understanding of giving had grown.
5. Proverbs 3:9-10 says if you can honour God with your first fruits, you will be dazed and amazed at what He would do in your life.
6. It is one thing to have knowledge, and it is another thing to apply it.
7. I once shared with some pastors that your teacher will never teach you all he knows, otherwise he wouldn’t be a teacher; but your father will be willing to teach you all the knows, although he may reserve one or two till moments before his death.
8. In other words, there are certain secrets that a person can only get from his or her father, and I would like to share one of those secrets that God has revealed to me with you.
9. One day, while sitting quietly somewhere, God said to me, “Son, what kind of pastor would you like to be?” I replied, saying “Daddy, I am sorry I don’t understand the question.” He then further asked, “Do you want to be the best or worst, the greatest or least, the richest or poorest pastor?” I told Him I wanted to be the best, greatest and the richest pastor, and He went silent. At a Church programme not long after, the Lord asked again, “Son, what kind of pastor did you say you want to be?” I quickly replied, “The best, the greatest, and the richest,” Then He asked me to give the highest denomination in my pocket. I reluctantly obeyed.
10. At another meeting, He again asked me the type of pastor I wanted to be, and I responded as before, and He instructed me to double what I normally give as my offering.
11. I easily complied this time around because things had started changing for me since I began to obey His instructions on giving. When I shared this testimony some years ago, someone told me he moved up to giving N10, 000 for every offering. I congratulated him and told him I was at that stage in 1998 but had since surpassed that.
12. Although my giving was sacrificial initially because things were hard for me, I gave glory to God that things are no longer as hard. If you don’t grow up in your giving, you may not be enlarged in your receiving.

Brethren, what our father in the Lord revealed to us in today’s devotional is priceless and we must endeavor to run diligently with this truth concerning giving. Most of us always claim Abrahamic blessings but cannot afford to make sacrificial giving to the Lord. Many even claim the word of God in Philippians 4:19 but failed to understand what led Apostle Paul to pray such prayer for the Philippians as seen in verse 14-18 of that chapter. Please, listen to the voice of the Holyspirit concerning your giving and do not eat up the seed that will germinate and catapult your life to greatness. May the Lord help us in Jesus name. We pray that God will uphold our Father Pastor E.A Adeboye and help him as he tells us deeper truth from the word of God in Jesus name.

Prayer Point
Father, raise more Christ-like leaders to mentor your people, and make me one of such.
HYMN
There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.
Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.
There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.
There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.
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!

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20

Memorise: Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? Isaiah 43:13
Read: James 1:5-8
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Bible in one year: Numbers 30-31, Jeremiah 23:23-40

1. God can make you laugh when He decides to overrule your doubts.
2. Going by the standard set in today’s Bible reading, if you are double minded over an issue you brought before God, you should not expect anything from Him.
3. However, if you doubted God in a given situation and He overlooks your doubt and grants your petition, know for sure He is doing it solely because of His grace.
4. In Genesis 18:9-15, when God visited Abraham and said his wife Sarah was going to have a baby in nine months’ time, she laughed. She could not believe that she could ever be pregnant at age 90. She laughed because she had never seen such a thing happen before.
5. Are you laughing over God’s promises and declarations over your life? Are you laughing because you have never seen anyone who experienced that kind of miracle? Stop your laugh of doubt and believe God today! Why? If there is no precedent to follow, God can make yours the precedence that others would refer to.
6. A life of faith is so important to God that four different times in the Bible, He repeatedly said “The just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38).
7. However, as a manifestation of His sovereignty, He also says that whenever He makes up His mind to do something, nobody and nothing can hinder Him – not even your doubts (Isaiah 43:13).
8. I pray that every good plan and purpose of God for your life shall be established in spite of your doubts in Jesus’ Name!
9. We see this truth demonstrated in 2nd Kings 4:8-17. When Elisha declared to the Shunammite woman that she would have a son after nine months, she replied, “Man of God, please don’t deceive me.” This meant that she did not believe him. Although Elisha did not say anything after that, God had already spoken, and so the matter was settled. She thereafter had her baby in accordance to Elisha’s declaration.
10. This season, God will overrule your doubts and give you that expected miracle!
11. There are some people who believe God’s promise for a little while and then fall into doubt again. Over the years, they have continuously swung back and forth between faith and doubt and so have not been able to receive God’s promise.
12. This season, by the mercy of the Most High God, the Lord will override your doubts and make the impossible possible in your life in Jesus’ Name. God’s mercy will show up for you today! Your laughing season starts now.

Doubt is of the devil and should not be found in the dictionary of believer. Doubt is the opposite of faith and without faith the Bible says it is impossible to please God. Hebrew 11:6. There are a lot of opportunities, blessings and miracles that we have lost in the past simply because of lack of faith. Consider Hebrew 11:1-2 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.”  The elders in this verse of the Bible were Heroes of faith like Abraham, who did not stagger at the promise of God. May the lord help us to live a life of faith without doubt in Jesus’ name. God bless and increase Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.

Prayer Point
Father, in Your mercy, override my doubts and every stumbling block on my way, and cause my laughter to begin today.
HYMN
1. My faith looks up to thee, 
thou Lamb of Calvary, 
Savior divine! 
Now hear me while I pray, 
take all my guilt away, 
O let me from this day 
be wholly thine! 
2. May thy rich grace impart 
strength to my fainting heart, 
my zeal inspire! 
As thou hast died for me, 
O may my love to thee 
pure, warm, and changeless be, 
a living fire! 
3. While life’s dark maze I tread, 
and griefs around me spread, 
be thou my guide; 
bid darkness turn to day, 
wipe sorrow’s tears away, 
nor let me ever stray 
from thee aside. 
4. When ends life’s transient dream, 
when death’s cold, sullen stream 
shall o’er me roll; 
blest Savior, then in love, 
fear and distrust remove; 
O bear me safe above, 
a ransomed soul! 

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20

Memorise: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 1:3
Read: Ephesians 1:1-14
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having pre-destinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Bible in one year; Numbers 28:29, Jeremiah 23:9-22

1. From our memory verse today, we understand that there are physical blessings and there are spiritual blessings.
2. The best way to distinguish between these two categories of blessings is to look at their lifespan.
3. Physical blessings are temporal, while spiritual blessings are enduring and external in nature. An example of a physical blessing is the rain that God sends on all of humanity. Another example is the air we all have access to breathe. Having a wife of a husband also falls under the category of physical blessings, and so also is having children. Both physical and spiritual blessings come from the Lord.
4. However, the better of these two categories of blessings is spiritual blessings.
5. Spiritual blessings, though manifesting in the physical world, transcend the present age. This is why Apostle Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 15:19 thus:“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
6. Spiritual blessings cannot be quantified in material or monetary terms. They include the Holy Spirit and His gifts, power and victory over principalities and powers, redemption through the Blood of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, etc.
7. The crux of all spiritual blessings can be seen in this response of our Lord Jesus Christ to the question about reward for sacrifice which Peter asked Him: “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive and hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. Mark 10:29-30
8. The spiritual blessing of eternal life crowns the physical blessings we have access to through our fellowship with Christ.
9. No matter how long we live on earth, we shall depart from it one day. The question is, “Where will you spend eternity?”
10. Would it be in Heaven or in Hell? My prayer for you is that you will not spend eternity in Hell in Jesus’ Name.    

If you can pause to reflect and think of the goodness of God and His unfailing promises concerning the righteous, you will always glorify Him. Consider this: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:3‬. However, believers should endeavor to earnestly desire spiritual blessings as we are encouraged by Apostle Paul “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:31‬. We bless God for Pastor E.A Adeboye for yet another great revelation in today’s devotional. More grace for greater works in Jesus name.

Action Point
Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour today, and you will be blessed with spiritual blessings. If you are saved, pray that the Lord will load your life with His spiritual blessings today.
HYMN
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 every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.

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20

Memorise: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Romans 8:14
Read: Romans 8:14-17
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Bible in one year: Numbers 26-27, Jeremiah 22:24-23:8

1. There is a song that was popular among children of God some decades ago which reveals not only privilege meant only for the children of God but also their appreciation of what privilege. It goes thus: “Something more than gold; The spirit of God in the heart of man; something more than gold.”
2. According to our memory verse, as many as are led by the spirit of God, are the children of God. In other words, only those who are children of God have the privilege of being directed and guided by the Holy Spirit.
3. Conversely, only those who are guided by the Spirit of God are genuine children of God.
4. If you take a look at the account of how God formed man from the dust of the earth, you will observe that in spite of the fact that every part was properly fixed and fitted, man could not fulfil the purpose of his creation until God put His Spirit in him. Genesis 2:7 says, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
5. After man fell, the Spirit of the Lord departed from him, and he became a shadow of his glorious past. Man became afraid of himself. Adam and Eve lost trust in each other, so much so that they were ashamed of seeing each other’s nakedness. Fear ruled the heart of man because the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him. Man lost his sense of purpose and direction. God appeared in the cool of the day and man took cover with his wife, who he now viewed as the source of his troubles (Genesis 3:12).
6. The certainty of what tomorrow holds eluded humanity, and man groped in darkness, being tormented by different taskmasters until God decided to have mercy on us through the grace of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
7. The moment we accept His grace of adoption, we begin to enjoy the privilege revealed in Romans 8:15-16: “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
8. I believe you now understand the reason why the old-time believers sang with great excitement that the Spirit of God in the heart of a man is something more than gold.
9. The Spirit gives us the assurance that we are children of God. This consciousness gives us the impetus to live like Him in this world, and also grants us boldness based on the assurance that with God, our Father, on our side, no evil can come near us.
10. So, if you are yet to become a child of God, don’t delay further; give your life to Christ today, and you will be adopted into the household of God.

There is a portion of the Bible that specifically states that our  body without the spirit is dead and today’s topic is just a reminder to every believer who think they can live without being conscious of the person of the Holy Spirit who lives inside. Just like Apostle Paul revealed in Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Walking in the Spirit means all the days of life, we are conscious of Him and obey His voice regardless of how strong the instructions or directions. Brethren, consider this ” “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” ‭James‬ ‭2:26‬. Thank God for Pastor E.A Adeboye and the inspiration to write the Open Heavens Daily Devotional. May His grace never depart from him in Jesus name.

Action Point
Thank God for His precious gift of the Holy Spirit and for all that His Spirit does in your life.
HYMN
1 O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound.
Let every Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!
Refrain:
The Comforter has come! The Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from heav’n, the Father’s promise giv’n,
O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found:
The Comforter has come!
2 The long, long night is past; the morning breaks at last;
And hushed the dreadful wail and fury of the blast,
As o’er the golden hills the day advances fast!
The Comforter has come! [Refrain]
3 Lo, the great King of kings, with healing in His wings,
To every captive soul a full deliv’rance brings;
And thro’ the vacant cells the song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come! [Refrain]
4 O boundless love divine! How shall this tongue of mine
To wond’ring mortals tell the matchless grace divine –
That I, a child of hell, should in His image shine?
The Comforter has come! [Refrain]

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Memorise: Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:7
Read: Mark 7:24-30
24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.
25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.
29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
Bible in one year: Numbers 23-25, Jeremiah 22:11-23

1. Without a doubt, the responsibilities associated with being a child of God in this present age of spiritual perversion are highly demanding. Nevertheless, our benevolent Father, knowing our frame, has placed several pleasant privileges at our disposal as His children, to ease our sojourn through wicked world.
2. The first privilege we enjoy when we become children of God is that we are moved from the position of a servant or slave to that of a son and an heir of God (Galatians 4:7). This is the reason why we must have passion for evangelism, especially to Muslims, who believe that they are slaves of God.
3. God did not create us in His image for the purpose of making slaves out of us.
4. Anyone who has not come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed a slave to sin and not a slave of God (Romans 6:16-18).
5. In the story of the Syro-phoenician woman in our Bible text, Jesus Christ did not mince words in revealing her true spiritual state to her as a slave of sin, in order to cause a change in her spiritual life. Fortunately for this woman, she admitted her spiritual poverty, and she was therefore given the hand of fellowship in adoption, so that she could be a parker of the food meant for God’s children. Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
6. Another striking thing in this story is that this woman was likened to a dog and she accepted it. Do you know why? It’s because this verdict came from the Way, the Truth and the Life Himself; when He speaks, He speaks with valid authority. So, when Jesus calls a sinner a dog, that is exactly what he or she is.
7. This is why the liberal theologians who want to be 21st century compliant would want to rewrite the Bible so that it can be “politically correct”.
8. Take note of the fact what is politically correct can be spiritually bankrupt.
9. In light of these truths, you can therefore see how great your privilege is when you are a child of God.
10. Being a child of God grants you access to the food of salvation, deliverance, healing and prosperity that is meant only for children of God.
11. If you are not yet a child of God, don’t delay further; today is the day of salvation and adoption.
12. Give your life to Christ today, admit your spiritual poverty and let Him cleanse you in His Blood.

The promise of God concerning the righteous is amazing and sometimes looks unrealistic but the truth is, in Him there is no darkness. He is not a man that he should lie. As the word of God says in John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” ‭‭That means as soon as you receive and accept Him as your Lord and savior, you have the permission to be called His sons. Also in the book of John, He regards us a friends, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”‭‭John‬ ‭15:14-16‬. May God strengthen Pastor E.A Adeboye for greater works I Jesus name.

Prayer Point
Father, I call You Father because you are a Father indeed. Make me Your own child through Jesus Christ, and bestow upon me the privileges of being Your child today.
HYMN
Wonderful story of love;
Tell it to me again;
Wonderful story of love;
Wake the immortal strain!
Angels with rapture announce it,
Shepherds with wonder receive it;
Sinner, oh, won’t you believe it?
Wonderful story of love.
Refrain:
Wonderful! Wonderful!
Wonderful, wonderful story of love.
Wonderful story of love;
Though you are far away;
Wonderful story of love;
Still He doth call today;
Calling from Calvary’s mountain,
Down from the crystal-bright fountain,
E’en from the dawn of creation,
Wonderful story of love.
Wonderful story of love;
Jesus provides a rest;
Wonderful story of love;
For all the pure and blest,
Rest in those mansions above us,
With those who’ve gone on before us,
Singing the rapturous chorus,
Wonderful story of love.
 

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Memorise; Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1st Thessalonians 5:22
Read: 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Bible in one year: Numbers 22, Jeremiah 21:11-22:10

1. Yesterday, we looked at some of the responsibilities of the children of God in ensuring that they finish the Christian race in triumph.
2. Another of these responsibilities is that children of God must be on the lookout for whatever appears to be evil and run away from it. Anything that can lead to fornication or adultery, anything that has a shade of idolatry, or anything that has to do with love of money falls into the category of things you should flee from (1st Corinthians 6:18, 1st Corinthians 10:14, 1st Timothy 6:9-10).
3. Living a holy life is not automatic as some presume; we have to make a conscious effort to live holy. We wrestle not against flesh and blood; rather, we wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).
4. To be effective in our warfare, our strategy has to be both offensive and defensive in nature.
5. How do we engage in defensive warfare? It is by tactically abstaining from the world of darkness and sin.
6. In today’s Bible reading, we are exposed to the practical way of engaging in defensive spiritual warfare.
7. The first thing is not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers because the Bible expressly says that friendship with the world is enmity against God, and that whosoever will be a friend to the world is an enemy of God (James 4:4).
8. It is however unfortunate that some Christians don’t see this as an eternal truth.
9. Even some pastors will tell you that we must be friendly with the world in other to win them. The question is ever since we have been making friends with worldly people, how many of them have we won? Instead, on arrival, they pollute the Church, and we end up becoming more like them! The problem is that the Church does not want to take the lonely stand for the truth anymore; we want to be world-compliant.
10. Have we forgotten that the Almighty God assures us that even if the world forsakes us, He would be with us (Hebrew 13:5)? How happy our God would be, if His Church would take the stance that Shadrach, Mechach and Abednego took in Babylon, when they were faced with Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace (Daniel 3:16-18).
11. Beloved, it is your responsibility not only to rebuke the words of darkness but also to run away from all appearances of evil when necessary. Joseph did this successfully, and although he suffered for it for a while, he was later exalted to become the Prime Minister of Egypt (Genesis 39:11-23).
12. That will be your story in Jesus’ Name. As you separate yourself to the Lord in holiness, your purity will stand you out from the crowd and cause you to be exalted in Jesus’ Name.

God makes every of His instruction clear whenever He gives it to His children. He is also faithful to fulfil every promises made when we obey this instructions. Let’s meditate on Psalm 1 as said by our Father in the Lord and I pray the Holyspirit will minister to us and help us not to be hearers of the word only but doers too in Jesus name. God bless Pastor E.A Adeboye. We are blessed to have him in this generation.

Action Point
Read Psalm 1 meditatively and pray that God will help you to always shun the presence of evil and its agents.  
HYMN
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 every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.

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20

Memorise: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 1st Peter 2:2
Read: 1st John 3:1-3 (KJV)
1 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.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Bible in one year: Numbers 20-21, Jeremiah 21:1-10.

AS REVEALED BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE IN TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

1. All those who have accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ over their life are children of God, by the grace of adoption through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:5). As children of God, while God has some responsibilities to make a success of our walk of faith in this world, we also have some responsibilities we have to bear in this regard.
2. Peter, in today’s memory verse, points out that one of our responsibilities as children of God is to desire things that are beneficial to our spiritual growth. When some new converts become children of God, due to zeal without knowledge, they begin to nurse some good desires which are inappropriate or unhealthy for sustaining their victory in the Christian race.
3. For example, some converts after giving their lives to Christ immediately begin to desire the office of a pastor, evangelist or Christian minister of any sort. Although these are good desires, they are inappropriate and ill-timed.
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4. The first responsibility of a believer when he or she becomes a child of God is to desire the sincere milk of the word so that he or she can grow to maturity through it. It is after this that he or she can think of rendering service to the Kingdom work.
5. Physically speaking, when a little baby desires to eat bread, yam, or rice, such desires could kill him or her. In the same vein, when a newborn believer desires to be a pastor or an evangelist overnight, he or she would not last long. This is the mistake some Christian organisations make when they make converts out of Muslims and traditionalists and immediately turn them into tools of evangelism.
6. The resultant effect is that such converts, without having depth in the word of God, would begin to see themselves as evangelists. Based on my experience and observations, more often than not, such converts don’t last. For this season, children being born into God’s family must take time to study the word of God and become well grounded in it.
7. In our Bible reading today, we see another responsibility of children of God, which is that they must keep themselves pure (1st John 3:3). After being cleansed and purified by the Blood of Jesus, children of God have the responsibility of not going back to their old vomit or staining their garment of righteousness with the filth of this world (Ephesians 5:26-27).
8. Practically, you achieve this by measuring your action against the standard of God’s word. Anything that is contrary to the word of God is filth that must be avoided. This is the more reason why all children of God need to be grounded in the word first before anything else.

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SHORT REFLECTION BY THE LIGHT POINTERS

As rightly mentioned by our father in the Lord Pastor E.A Adeboye. “The first responsibility of a believer when he or she becomes a child of God is to desire the sincere milk of the word so that he or she can grow to maturity through it”. The kingdom of God is not a joke and require spiritual battle and if we fail to grow and become approved for use by God, the kingdom of darkness is given room for expansion and such is not permissible by God. There is need to feed ourselves with spiritual food as the word of God says in 2 Timothy 2:15″ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. Please, beware and know that we have responsibilities to grow in Christ.

Action Point
Make sure you read, study and apply the word of God to your day-to-day living as a child of God, and you will grow in faith.
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HYMN
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 every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.

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