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: Ezekiel 36:24 -27

24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

MESSAGE

The Christian race is a marathon, not a sprint. Some of us thought that Jesus would come within a few years after we got born again. Although He hasn’t come yet, believe me honestly, His coming is far nearer than it was then; He will soon be here. Since this race is a marathon, then it means that in addition to strength, you would also need endurance if you want to run the race successfully. Endurance comes by the special grace of God which He makes available to keep you standing until the end. These are the works of grace.

When I became born again, we were taught that there were three works of grace that God makes available to Christians – Salvation, Sanctification and the Holy Ghost Baptism. I decided to check further and discovered that there are at least 7 steps in this process.From our Bible reading, you will discover that the first thing God says He will do even before Salvation is to gather His own together (John 6:44). You cannot be saved unless God draws you first.

When I came to The Redeemed Christian Church of God, it was because I had a problem my education could not solve and God used that problem to draw me to Himself. When somebody is talking about their salvation experience and they say, “I found the Lord”, they are only speaking from their limited knowledge. God was never missing; it is He who found you (John 15:16). This is why, if you are truly saved now, you should always thank God for the salvation of your soul.

It is however, possible that God could be drawing a man, yet the man refuses to come to Him.The end of such people is always disastrous. There was a popular chief God sent me to preach salvation to and every time I visited, he would say, “Not yet”. One day, he had a stroke that rendered him unconscious; I was called to pray for him and within one hour, he was restored to perfect health as if nothing at all had gone wrong. This time I told him, “I feel God is giving you a last chance; will you give your life to Christ now?” Again, he said, “Not yet”. The next time I heard about him, he was dead. If God is drawing you to Himself and you keep refusing, you are telling Him clearly that you prefer hell to heaven. You had better surrender to Him now for your own good.

REFLECTION

Check yourself: have you been ignoring the call of God to live holy?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 39-40

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 28: WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SIN

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

CHORUS
Oh! Precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow!;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

2. For my cleansing this I see?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
For my pardon this my plea?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

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!

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!

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MEMORISE: And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 2 Kings 2:9

READ: 2 Kings 2:9 -15

9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

MESSAGE

God wants the body of Christ to always go from glory to glory. He wants it such that men and women of God have followers who operate in greater measures of anointing. That is why He said we should make disciples of nations (Matthew 28:19-20). As powerful as He was,during His earthly ministry, before leaving He said: “Verily, verily, l say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that l do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because l go unto my Father” (John 14:12). No matter how greatly anointed your spiritual father is, God can anoint you more than him. You may be asking, “Are you saying that God can anoint me more than you?” Yes, indeed He can.

There was a woman who was in the Redemption camp when she received a call that her daughter had died while giving birth to a set of twins, both of whom had also died. After the programme, she went to the hospital and took with her a bottle of anointing oil that we had blessed, dropped a little of the oil in the twins’ mouths and said, “Don’t waste my time; come back to life” and they both came back to life. The body of her daughter was just about to be wheeled to no the mortuary at the time, she stopped the hospital staff, poured a little anointing oil on the daughter, placed an anointed handkerchief on her head and the daughter also came back to life. She raised three people from death in one day. Even I haven’t raised more than one person from death in one day yet. Thus, you can do even more than your Father-in-the Lord. For all my children, the anointing on you will be much more than the one on me, in Jesus’ name.

The reason we have had many men of God in the past and no one to carry that same measure of anointing now is simply that many people are not willing to serve the anointed with all their hearts. Not many people can carry the same burden that their Father-in-the-Lord do. If your soul is occupied with the world, you cannot carry the anointing of your Father-in-the-Lord whose focus is completely on doing the will of God. Elisha got a double portion of Elijah’s anointing because he remained loyal and committed to the latter.

KEY POINT

You can be more anointed than your spiritual parents, if you are completely loyal to them.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 33-35

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 1: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS NAME

1. All hail the power of Jesus’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.

2. Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre,
And as they tune it, fall
Before His face Who tunes their choir,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Before His face Who tunes their choir,
And crown Him Lord of all.

3. Crown Him, ye morning stars of light,
Who fixed this floating ball;
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might,
And crown Him Lord of all.

4. Crown Him, ye martyrs of our God,
Who from His altar call;
Extol the stem of Jesse’s Rod,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Extol the stem of Jesse’s Rod,
And crown Him Lord of all.

5. Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race,
Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.

6. Hail Him, ye heirs of David’s line,
Whom David Lord did call,
The God incarnate, Man divine,
And crown Him Lord of all.
The God incarnate, Man divine,
And crown Him Lord of all.

7. Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget,
The wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at His feet,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Go spread your trophies at His feet,
And crown Him Lord of all.

8. Let every tribe and every tongue,
Before Him prostrate fall,
And shout in universal song,
And crown Him Lord of all.
And shout in universal song,
And crown Him Lord of all.

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MEMORISE: Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12

READ: Luke 15:11-32

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.

26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

MESSAGE

The elders have a proverb that says you first chase away the fox before you ask the hen, “Why did you stray?” In Mark 4:35-41, when there was a storm in the boat and the disciples woke Jesus up, He first stilled the storm before saying, “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” This is how Jesus treat us His children. He will first solve the problem before scolding you. Why then do many parents and guardians leave their children to be devoured by the fox when they see that they have strayed?

When the children God has planted around you err, protect them from the error they have made first to ensure it doesn’t destroy them, before you turn to discipline them. A father, for example, may throw out his daughter because she got pregnant outside wedlock. Such an action would further expose the girl to the fox already trying to destroy her. At the end of the day, that child may get into worse problems, especially if she finds help from the wrong set of people.

Children must not be cast away because they made a mistake. With all the mistakes you make, God continues to call you His child. Should there be discipline? Yes, of course. Children should be disciplined when they misbehave, but first, fix the problem and keep them safe.

While you discipline a child, it should always still be clear to that child that you love them. There is something called tough love. A child will know if the real reason you are taking an action is to protect your reputation or out of your love for them. Nothing hurts a child more than to experience lack of love from the parents.

I know it can be disappointing when children don’t meet up to their parents’ expectations. I am a father too and sometimes l would have taught my children to behave a certain way, only to hear that they did the opposite outside of the home. However, let us remember that we do the same thing to God and He doesn’t cast us out. He chastens us because He loves us. Your labour over all the children God has planted around you will not be in vain, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please give me the patience and wisdom to protect and discipline the children around me with love, in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 28-30

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 31: WONDERFUL STORY OF LOVE

1 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, O won’t you believe it?
Wonderful story of love!

Refrain:

Wonderful! Wonderful!
Wonderful story, Wonderful story of love!

2 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!

3 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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20

MEMORISE:
“And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.”
Isaiah 54:13

READ: Matthew 19:13-15
19:13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.

19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

19:15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

Prayers

1. Father, thank You for all the children in my family, church, community and around the world.

2. Father, as children will be returning to school this month, please provide for their parents and guardians. Please, make a way for all children that should be in school but are unable to go.

3. Father, please bless my children and all children around me with a sound mind, in Jesus’ name.

4. Father, please use my children and all children around me for Your glory.

5. Father, please keep all the children around me away from evil influences and keep drawing them closer to You, in Jesus’ name.

6. Father, please give all the children around me pure hearts. Let their hearts remain pure in You, in Jesus’ name.

7. Father, please put Your angels on guard over all the children around me.

8. Father, please let the blood of Jesus be a mark upon my children and all children around me, in Jesus’ name.

9. Father, please reveal Yourself to all the children around me, just as You reached out to Samuel at such a young age, in Jesus’ name.

10. Father, please help me and everyone who has influence over the children around me to lead them according to Your will, in Jesus’ name.

11. Father, please make all the children in my family, church and community light and salt to this world, in Jesus’ name.

12. Your personal prayer point for all children around you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Ezekiel 25-27

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 want 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!
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 prayer.

3. Sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share
Till from mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight;
This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise
To seize the ever lasting prize
And shout while passing through the air,
Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer.

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20

MEMORISE: But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. 1 Corinthians 12:31

READ: Acts 19:11 -16

11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:

12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

MESSAGE

God wants you to grow spiritually so that you would eventually become a giant in the spirit realm. In l Corinthians 12:31, God says you are allowed to covet earnestly the best gifts. When l read that passage, l told God, Lord, give me a double portion of the Spirit of Elisha, double spirit of Peter, double spirits of Paul, double spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry, add everything together and double it again”. He responded that l was asking for trouble because people would not let me rest. I said l wanted it still because l could not afford to be anything else but a spiritual giant. You must make up your mind not to be an ordinary Christian from today.

If you want to become a spiritual giant, 2 Kings 2:1-8 teaches that you must be loyal to your own Elijah. When Elijah wanted to leave this world, Elisha followed him three times; each time, Elijah told him to go back, but he refused. Your Elijah is your father-in-the-Lord. In 2 Kings 2:9-15, when Elijah was departing, Elisha got a double portion of his spirit.

One day, l was praying that my children would be greater than l, and one of them said, “Anyone who will be greater than you probably will never eat again”. He said that because of how often l fast, but then l told him not to leave God out of the equation. It doesn’t matter how great God made your father-in-the-Lord, you can become greater just by honoring and being loyal to him. Elisha got a double portion of the spirit of Elijah because he pursued the same vision as he.

Learn to minister to the one whom God has placed over you spiritually. In 2 Kings 3:11-12, the Bible tells us that Elisha ministered constantly to his spiritual father. It wasn’t long after that in 2 Kings 13:14 that we read that a king called him “Father”. If you are committed to honoring your father-in-the-Lord by serving him, you would receive something that you could otherwise have labored greatly in the spirit to get. Somebody once said that the tail of a lion is more powerful than the head of a dog. Your father-in-the-Lord is already a lion; if you are committed to following Him as he follows Jesus, you can do greater things than when you are on your own.

KEY POINT

You can become a spiritual giant by honoring and being loyal to your spiritual leader.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 21-22

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 18: PRAISE TO THE LORD THE ALMIGHTY

1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,

the King of creation!

O my soul, praise him, for he is

your health and salvation!

Come, all who hear;

now to his temple draw near,

join me in glad adoration.

2 Praise to the Lord, above

all things so wondrously reigning;

sheltering you under his wings,

and so gently sustaining!

Have you not seen all

that is needful has been

sent by his gracious ordaining?

3 Praise to the Lord, who will

prosper your work and defend you;

surely his goodness and mercy

shall daily attend you.

Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,

if with his love he befriends you.

4 Praise to the Lord! O let all

that is in me adore him!

All that has life and breath,

come now with praises before him.

Let the Amen sound

from his people again;

gladly forever adore him

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20

MEMORISE: There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. Exodus 23:26

READ: Genesis 1:27-30
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

MESSAGE

God’s plan for everyone is that they would be fruitful and multiply.
That is why He gave every woman considered barren in the scripture a testimony. The only person who died barren is the woman that mocked her husband- King David, for dancing before God (2 Samuel 6:20-23). If you have been considered barren, God is about to surprise you, in Jesus name.

You however, have a part to play as God is set to make you experience all round fruitfulness. John 15:1-5 makes it clear that you must be joined to a fruitful Vines to be fruitful. He said in verse 4, “Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it Abide in the very Vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” To become fruitful, you must be totally joined to the fruitful Vine. You must abide in Him.

Many years ago, we held a program in Lagos, Nigeria, during which I urge everybody to ask for something special from God. There was a lady there who said, “Father, I’m not going to ask you for anything anymore because I have repeatedly asked You for what I wanted and You didn’t give me. I used to ask for a husband, and now I’m too old to have children, so I won’t ask again. However, I will continue to to serve You all the days of my life”. God heard her and a few days later, a man came and said he wanted to marry her. She looked at the man and told him to pray again as she was already past menopause. He said he already had children, but he was a widower, so he was looking for a wife who would also be a mother to them. They got married and nine months later, she gave birth to twins- tow boys. When you commit yourself to the True Vine, He will make sure you become fruitful.

The true Vine can make you fruitful in every aspect of your life. God is the one who said in Leviticus 19:13 that everyone must pay the wages of those that work for them. If you are committed to God and His kingdom, you will definitely bear fruit. God said He is not unrighteous to forget your labour of love (Hebrew 6:10).

The Lord will definitely reward you as long as you remain connected to Him.

ACTION POINT
Be totally committed to God.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: . Ezekiel 16-17

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 26: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS

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

Refrain

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

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

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

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

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

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MEMORISE: And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Luke 12:15

READ: Deuteronomy 8:11-20
11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:

12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;

13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;

14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

20 As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.

MESSAGE

If l were to ask you, “Which will you consider more important – the blessing or the Blesser?” you are likely to say the Blesser. However, there are millions of self-professing Christians around the world today who prioritise God’s blessings above the One who blessed them in the first place. When you begin to choose your job over God, you are prioritising the blessing over the Blesser. I want you to do an honest check within yourself now; which one have you been prioritising – the blessing or the Blesser?

The unfortunate thing about prioritising the blessing over the Blesser is that the Blesser can withdraw His blessings at any time. In 1 Samuel 16:1,
God told Samuel to stop pleading on Saul’s behalf because He had given the throne to someone else. In Genesis 48:20, we see how Jacob blessed Ephraim above his older brother Manasseh. Ephraim eventually became ten times successful than his brother (Deuteronomy 33:17). However, when success came, Ephraim forgot God (Psalm 78:9-11), God kept sending prophets to Ephraim but he refused to listen to the Blesser. After some time, God said, “Let him alone” (Hosea 4:7). By the time we get to Hosea 5:9, God said that Ephraim would be desolate. Ephraim lost his blessings because he prioritise them above the Blesser. When success comes, don’t forget God because He has the power to give and to take away.

When l became General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God. I decided by faith that God would feed everyone that came for our annual convention. One of the young men who was a baker said he would provide the bread for breakfast. He later on changed his mind and decided not to supply us bread as he had promised because he didn’t like a message l preached. God however, sent help to us and we were able to purchase the bread we require. Years later, my baker friend appeared at my house very early one morning. I said, “What can l do for you? You came very early”. He said he would have come but one of his tires got flat and he didn’t have a spare. His was a man who used to have numerous cars; now, he didn’t even have a spare tire because he placed the blessing above the Blesser

Beloved, focus on the Blesser and not the blessing.

KEY POINT
God is more important than all the riches,great position and blessings in the world. Never forget that.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 5-8

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 18: PRAISE TO THE LORD THE ALMIGHTY

1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,
the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is
your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear;
now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.

2 Praise to the Lord, above
all things so wondrously reigning;
sheltering you under his wings,
and so gently sustaining!
Have you not seen all
that is needful has been
sent by his gracious ordaining?

3 Praise to the Lord, who will
prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy
shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriends you.

4 Praise to the Lord! O let all
that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath,
come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound
from his people again;
gladly forever adore him

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MEMORISE: And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. Genesis 26:4-5

READ: 1 Corinthians 1:6-12
6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

MESSAGE

I thank God that He made sure I studied Mathematics before I became a preacher. Every Mathematician knows that for any formula to work, certain conditions must be met. If you meet God’s conditions, He will do for you what He is not doing for others. This is so important that it could be the greatest thing you have ever heard or read in your life, because if you begin to ask, “What is your secret?”

When people sing, “Abraham’s blessings are mine”, many of them think it is just by singing it that they’ll have the blessing. When you do your research, you’ll see that Abraham himself, in Genesis 22:16-17, got his blessings by being willing to sacrifice his only son to God. That day, God swore by Himself to bless Abraham and Isaac also, because the boy was willing to lay down his life. When Isaac was going to pass on the blessing, he gave it to the son who brought him a meal that he loved (Genesis 27:1-29). I agree that when you became a Christian, you received the blessing of Abraham, but to tell you the whole truth, you got it on credit. You must be ready to give something for that blessing to really begin to manifest in your life. Nothing goes for nothing.

When God saved my soul, with joy I gave him the first house I ever built- a little mud house plastered with cement. There after, God built another one for me in my little village and when He needed it, I gave it to Him too. I also gave the first house I built in Lagos to God when He needed it. These are just a few of the things that I can tell you here. By the time God responded, He did so in a marvelous way. For example, anywhere I go to now and there is a member of Redeemed Christian Church of God there, I can be sure of a good place to sleep that night. If I announce that I need a car for an assignment tomorrow for example, I am likely to wake up the next day to see a fleet of cars brought by different people and each one would want me to pick the one they brought. If you really want God to bless you, you should ask yourself, “Have I met the conditions necessary for me to be blessed?”

ACTION POINT
Do something today that will impress God so much that He will look down from heaven and bless you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lamentation 3-5

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 26: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS

1. “There shall be showers of blessing”
This is the promise of love;
There shall be season refreshing
Send from a savior above

Chorus:
Showers of blessing
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops round us are falling
But for the showers we plead.

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

3. “There shall be showers of blessing”
Send them upon us Oh Lord!
Grant to us now a refreshing;
Come now and honour Thy Word.

4. “There shall be showers of blessing”
Oh, that today thy might fall,
Now as to God we are Confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

5. “There shall be showers of blessing”
If we but trust and obey;
There shall be season refreshing,
If we let God have his way.

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MEMORISE: Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 2 Timothy 1:9

READ: 1 Peter 4:7-11

7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

MESSAGE

After God has called you to salvation, the next call is to join Him in redeeming the world. Now, you must note hat He doesn’t only call people from all walks of life to serve Him in various capacities. For example, He can call some to join Him in the technology field because He want to use technology as a tool to reach the unsaved.

His agenda goes beyond the altar into the everyday lives of people. God is not a Sunday-Sunday God. He is God every single day and so He is using people to accomplish His agenda daily. Pastors don’t reserve the right to be used by God. As far as you are born again – whether you are in business, arts and entertainment or even in fashion, God can use you in that field to fulfil His will. He said in Colossians 3:17: “And whatsoever ye did in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

Thus, whatever it is that you do, make sure you are doing it in the name of Jesus Christ. When you do something in the name of someone, it means it is not you but the fellow being represented that’s doing it. In other words, when God calls you to an industry, you are not to go there to do your will but His. His agenda is already set; all He does when He calls you is to join Him to bringing it to pass. Thus, when you feel Him pulling you to work for Him in a certain field of life, then you must ask Him what His agenda is concerning that thing you are to do. Everything you do must be in line with His agenda. You should also note that you are His representative there and you must not do what He Himself wouldn’t.

As reward for answering the call to join Him in His redemptive work in the world, God make sure that all things work together for your good.

And we know that all things work together for good to hem that love God. To them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

Once you are called to His purpose and you answer that call, all things will begin to work together for your good.

KEA POINT
God called you to that industry to do His will; represent Him well.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lamentation 1-2

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 7: I AM THINE O LORD

1 I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

3 O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend!

4 There are depths of love that I yet may know
Ere Thee face to face I see;
There are heights of joy that I yet may reach
Ere I rest in peace with Thee.

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

DATE:. MONDAY AUGUST 21ST 2023

THEME: WHEN GOD CALLS YOU 1

MEMORISE: I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, Ephesians 4:1

READ: 2 Peter 1:1-11

1. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

MESSAGE

The call of God is actually a call to Himself. When He calls you, He is saying, “Come closer to me”. In Mark 3:14, the Bible says that the first reason he called the disciples was that they should be with Him.

The call of God is two-fold. First, He can call you to leave your sinful ways (Matthew 11:28). This is the very first call that every man will receive. It is a call that brings you close and guarantees an eternity with Him if you answer. Thus, when you hear an altar call, it is God Himself calling you to salvation. If you are still committing sin, this is one call that you should not ignore. You don’t know the final call that God will make for you to come to Him for salvation.

Many have received God’s call to salvation but then, after a while, started to live in sin again. That is not how this call works (Luke 9:62). If you become saved and then start living a double life where you sin willfully, the Bible says that God would spew you out of His mouth (Revelation 3:16) – in other words, He would reject you completely. 2 Timothy 2:19 says, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

If you claim to be a child of God, then you must depart from all iniquity. If you don’t depart from iniquity, then God would not recognise you as His child.

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

Once God calls you out of darkness into His marvelous light, you are described as a holy nation- not an unholy one. Be perfect, even as the One who called you is perfect (Matt 5:48).

KEY POINT
God’s call to salvation is a call to holiness. If you don’t live holy, you are rejecting the call.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 51_52

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 7: I AM THINE O LORD

1. I am Thine O Lord
I have heard Thy voice
And it told Thy love to me
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

CHORUS:
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

2. Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord
By the pow’r of grace divine
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope
And my will be lost in Thine.

3. Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend.

4. There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.

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