Devotionals

Memorise: In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. John 7:37
Read: John 7:37-39
37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Bible in one year: Esther 4-7, Ezekiel 48:8-20

1. “How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?” Deuteronomy 32:30
2. Although praying corporately is good, it should never be regarded as a substitute to a vibrant personal prayer life.
3. Some people quote the above scripture to justify remaining at the level of corporate prayers, and as a result they consider efforts towards personal prayers to be a waste. It is not a wasted effort! God wants to relate with us individually and develop a personal relationship with us, just as much as He wants to relate with us as a group. For this reason, in Isaiah 51:2, He said this to us: for “Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.”
4. Even when we are in a group meeting, God still wants to maintain a personal link with each of us.
5. God is a personal God. When two brothers came to give an offering to God, the Lord related with them individually (Genesis 4:3-10). How often do you spend time alone with God?
6. Moreover, there are great benefits that come from staying alone with God.
7. If we look at the example of the widow of the prophet in 2nd Kings 4:1-7, we can see some of the benefits of individual prayers. When she was asked to shut the door on herself, several things happened to her, one of which is that she went in empty but came out full. She took several empty vessels with her into the room, and all the vessels were filled up. Even today, as you personally separate yourself to access the Throne of Grace, your empty vessels will be made full.
8. In today’s Bible reading, while attending the feast of the Jews, the Lord made a call. Although it was made publicly, it was a personal call. He said anyone who was thirsty could come to Him and be filled.
9. If you can cultivate your personal relationship with God by creating regular time to be in His presence, you will always be filled, even when you enter His presence empty.
10. Today, the Lord is sending you an invitation to come into His presence and He will fill you up.
11. Your emptiness can be completely swallowed up as you spend personal time with Him.
12. Are you ready to have your emptiness filled? How hungry are you? It is your level of hunger and thirst for Him that will determine how filled you will get, So, how hungry or thirsty are you today?

Can we heed to His invitation to enjoy and continue to enjoy the presence of the Almighty God? “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”Revelation‬ ‭3:20‬. This invitation is consistent and available to everyone.. Also, like stated by our Pastor E A ADEBOYE, corporate prayer is not the best for a violent Christian. “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:12‬. God be praised forever more for Pastor E.A Adeboye. May he wax stronger in Jesus name.

Action Point
Identify things that are working against your ability to spend time alone with God and prayerfully deal with them.
HYMN
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: Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89
Read: Genesis 13:14-18
14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
Bible in one year: Esther 1-3, Ezekiel 47:13-48:7

1. If your giving reflects a financial status below the level God has placed you on, this would amount to demoting yourself.
2. A wise fellow would rather promote himself or herself by giving beyond the level of his or her current financial status, so that God will upgrade him or her to that level.
3. Some people look at me with envy, thinking that God is partial. No, He is not!
4. God is not a respecter of persons, but He is a respecter of principles. 
5. When Peter realised this truth in Acts 10:34-35, He said: “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”
6. When you simply do what I do and follow the Bible principles that I follow, you will get the results that I get. I am not boasting, but if you think it is boasting, then I am simply boasting in the Lord.
7. My God is not a God that is ruled by emotions. He is not moved by your tears or by you rolling on the ground.
8. If there is something He expects you to do in accordance with His word, but you leave it and begin to cry your eyes out or roll on the ground for days and weeks, at the end of the day, He will still be waiting for you to do what He expected of you before He fulfils His promise to you. So the earlier you obey God, the sooner His intervention will come.
9. Some people think they can manipulate God with their tricks. No they can’t. God would rather wait for you to obey, even if it takes years, before releasing a desired blessing. Unfortunately, some people out of stubbornness are making God wait almost their entire life time! “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:” Genesis 12:1
10. When God called Abraham and gave him some promises, He also gave him three conditions he had to meet to access those promises. Abraham met two of these conditions, but he considered one of them not to be as important. He took Lot, his kindred, along with him. Probably he believed that his family would consider him a wicked fellow if he left his late brother’s son behind. For as long as he did not fulfil the condition of leaving his entire kindred, God also refused to fulfil His promises. This continued until Abraham began to feel the consequences of not separating from his relatives as instructed by God. It was after he obeyed and separated from Lot that God resumed discussions with him concerning His promises. Abraham lost 13 years to disobedience! Don’t be so wise in your own sight.
11. Obey God today!

And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord , he hath also rejected thee from being king. 1 Samuel 15:22‭-‬23 Rejection of the word of God or His instructions can lead to delay, denial or death. He clearly spells out what He requires of us as His own children and we should be careful enough to do all He desires for us to do to the last letter. And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Deuteronomy 28:1‭-‬2 God bless and increase Pastor E.A Adeboye on every side in Jesus name.

Key Point
Noise, acrobatics and tears do not move God: simple obedience does.
HYMN
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.
O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary. Refrain
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me. Refrain
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he’ll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I’ll share. Refrain

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20

Memorise: For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. Luke 1:49
Read: Luke 1:46-52
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
Bible in one year: Nehemiah 12-13, Ezekiel 47:1-12

1. Our God is a great and big God. In terms of size, He is so massive. Imagine that He sits on His throne in the third heavens and His feet still touches the earth (Isaiah 66:1).
2. Due to the fact that our God is so big, He does great and big things.
3. In Genesis 1:20-22, when He said the waters should bring forth living creatures, the oceans were soon filled with all manner of fish and sea creatures.
4. All He has to do is to say “Let there be”, and it will come to pass.
5. The Lord will do great and mighty things in your life this season in Jesus’ mighty Name!
6. Doing great and mighty things is His specialty.
7. No wonder in Jeremiah 33:3, He said: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
8. When He met a young, ordinary and unknown virgin and He picked her for His great purpose, she was overwhelmed and had this to say: “For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.” Luke 1:49
9. In the mighty Name of Jesus, the Lord shall pick and use you for His great and mighty works to demonstrate his Almightiness!
10. In Genesis 1:28, God said “Be fruitful and multiply.” When He says “multiply”, He really means it.
11. During creation, when He spoke that command, it was just Adam and Eve, but today, the world has several billions of people in it.
12. Also, when Israel came into Egypt in Exodus 1:5, they were just 70 people; but by the time they were leaving, there were  600,000 men besides women, who would not have been less than 800,000, and children, who would have been at least 1,000,000 (Exodus 12:37). They kept multiplying in accordance of God’s word, in spite of all that the government of Egypt did to drastically reduce their numbers.
13. From today, no matter what the enemy does to stop your increase, God’s word on increase will continue to thrive in your life!
14. In addition to being a big God, He does big things. His purpose for your life is therefore big.
15. Are you small, little, unknown and a local champion? Because your God is big, you cannot remain small. His size will definitely affect and transform your size.
16. In the Name of Jesus Christ, you are breaking out of every barrier and limitation! You are coming out of every box of limitation that both you and others have enclosed you in! You shall be great, and you shall achieve great things for God’s Name, far beyond your dreams!

What a powerful description of our father, our maker, our redeemer,the God that created the Heavens and the earth. With no element of doubt, we reaffirm the awesomeness and mightiness of our God. He’s bigger than every problem or challenge confronting humanity and able to turn tides around for the hopeless. Because your God is big, in this season expect big and mighty testimonies. We are grateful to God for blessing us with Pastor E.A Adeboye. May he increase in wisdom in Jesus name.

Key Point
God cannot be big and you remain small. Your vision should reflect the size of your God.
HYMN
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:
Chorus
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:
 
And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
 
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, My God, how great thou art!

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20

Memorise: For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: Isaiah 28:10
Read: 2nd Kings 4:1-7
1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
Bible in one year: Nehemiah 10-11, Ezekiel 46:13-24

1. To avoid financial storms, you need to carefully note all the elements of a divine instruction.
2. God is a God of details.
3. When He gives you a recipe to solve a particular problem, He expects you to leave no details out.
4. In today’s Bible reading, to solve the serious debt problem of the widow of a late prophet, Elisha asked her to borrow vessels from all her neighbours, shut the door behind her and pour out her remaining pot of oil into all available vessels. If she had altered any element of this instruction, it would definitely have affected the result she got.
5. Some people receive certain divine instructions and thereafter determine which to obey and which to discard. No! All the details must be observed! Do you know that if the widow had borrowed the vessels but refused to shut her door, the oil would not have flowed?
6. Beloved, always pay close attention to whatever instructions you receive from God.
7. When it comes to sowing for instance, 2nd Corinthians 9:6-7 says, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
8. From the details of this scripture, it is not just sowing that will get you your expected returns, but rather, sowing bountifully and cheerfully.
9. Today, many people have chosen to forget these details on sowing, and this accounts for the financial storms in their lives.
10. On tithing, it is not enough to tithe, but to bring in all the tithes.
11. After completing my PhD research, I recalled I still had part of my research grant with the university. So I went to my Head of Department (HoD) asking to draw out of it to bind my thesis. He refused to release it to me, and when I insisted, he sent me out of his office. With no other funds available, I wondered how to get the money I needed. A little past midnight, someone came knocking on my door. He said he could not sleep, and so he came to return the money I had loaned him five years earlier. Although I had forgotten this money, God had not. He paid me the exact amount I needed. After binding the thesis, I was scared, wondering if my HoD would accept it and give me a good score. So on the following Sunday, I paid my tithe, and on Monday, when I submitted my thesis to him, he was impressed and offered to personally take it to the external examiner. He also waited on the examiner until he finished his job in three days instead of six months. After this, my PhD grant was paid, and it became useful pocket money for me. You cannot tell the extent God will go to satisfy those who are totally obedient.

If there is anything we should consistently ask God to endow us with, it’s Grace for complete obedience. Often times the devil comes to manipulate the instructions of God and obstruct our blessing, victory and divine encounter with God. I pray that God will release unto us the Grace for complete obedience and the ability to be observant to His instructions in Jesus’ name. We pray that God will always empower Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.

Action Point
Ask God to lead our youths aright in the choice of life partners.
HYMN
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: And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence . Colossians 1:18
Read: Matthew 6:31-34
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Bible in one year: Nehemiah 9, Ezekiel 46:1-12

1. First thing first, so the saying goes. As a believer in Christ, when you come before God’s presence, the most important person is not you but Him. Also, unlike most of us believe, at God’s Throne of Grace, the most important thing is not your requests, but rather the worship you offer to Him. If you fail to get this right, and you fail to adjust your approach and attitude to reflect this truth, you will always have issues with God.
2. Do you know that every time you approach God’s presence, it is like facing a test?
3. Believe it or not, when you come before God, there are two crucial people at that meeting: God and you. One of these two must take pre-eminence.
4. Similarly, God has a need and you also have a need; one of these two needs must be more important. “But seek ye first kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33
5. The scripture tells us about a divine order that must be followed. It also talks about God’s need and man’s need. It tells us that God has already provided for all of man’s needs. In other words, God already has all you would ever need at anytime in your life.
6. For you to receive them, all that He requires from you is to simply meet His needs. Give Him what He wants. Put Him first and your needs last.
7. Give Him quality thanks, praise and worship.
8. When you follow Heaven’s protocol, you will easily receive a favourable answer to your requests.
9. God expects you to come before His presence with thanksgiving, praise and worship, leaving your request as the last thing.
10. Do you know that one way to know how important something really is to you is to measure the amount of time you give to it?
11. When you pray for one hour and you use 50 minutes of the time presenting your requests, you are telling God that you and your request are more important than Him and His desires.
12. How do you think this makes God feel? In any case, He has already expressed His thoughts about this in 1st Samuel 2:30d, where He said: “For them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”
13. Also, what you focus on becomes magnified. If you focus on your problems, they will be enlarged, but if you focus on God and on what He wants, He will be magnified to the extent that your problems will fade into insignificance. By the time you eventually remember them, you would discover that they have been swallowed up by His Almightiness, leaving you with the answer to your prayers.

It’s important to always consider the factors that can obstruct us from receiving from the Almighty God. One of such as described by our father in the Lord is wrong approach and attitude in our worship. When a man enters the Goldsmith house, he’s going there for purpose of refining the raw gold and must therefore cooperate and abide with the rules and regulations to purifying the gold. Same with God, if you desire anything from Him, you must be careful about your approach. He deserves your thanksgiving first , the Bible say “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;”‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6‬. We should note that our request must be accompanied with thanksgiving. May God help us. God bless Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.

Key Point
If you make God your priority, He will make you His priority.
HYMN
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the *worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the *rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:
Chorus
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:
 
And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
 
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then *I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, My God, how great thou art!
 

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20

Memorise: Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 1st Corinthians 10:22
Read: 1st Corinthians 10:21-23
21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
Bible in one year: Nehemiah 7-8, Ezekiel 45:10-25

1. Colossians 1:16 tells us that all visible and invisible things were created by God and for God.
2. You were created to make God happy by following His will, plan and purpose for your life. However, when you take the path of self-government and go contrary to the purpose for which you were created, that is rebellion.
3. Lucifer and several angels decided to walk out of God’s original plan, and they became who we now refer to as Satan and demons (Isaiah 14:12-16, Revelation 12:7-9).
4. Anyone who follows self-government today will also end up where the devil and his demons are.
5. The truth is, if you fail God, you fail yourself. Therefore, pleasing God is the real path to true self-fulfilment, lasting peace and joy.
6. I tell you the truth, living on earth without conforming to God’s original blueprint for your life makes you waste that life.
7. Without God, life is not worth living. “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” 2nd Timothy 2:4
8. We are not here on earth by our power or design.
9. We were created and placed here to satisfy God’s eternal plan and purpose for our lives.
10. Even when Jesus was here, in all that He did, He did not try to please Himself but His father (John 8:29, John 5:30). Now that He has chosen us to be His soldiers, we cannot afford to please ourselves.
11. When He gives us an assignment, we must do it exactly as He wants it done, or risk going against Him.
12. In 1st Samuel 15, King Saul was given an assignment by God to go and utterly wipe out the Amalekites. He went out to fulfil it but made slight changes to the instructions. In the end, he failed God and failed himself. He lost his kingdom because he could not totally comply with God’s will. Today, for this same reason, many people are close to completely losing their place in God’s divine plan.
13. A king who resisted God had to go on a seven-year trip into insanity, and he lost his throne for that period (Daniel 4). Similarly, another king who said that God’s word should not be heard was eaten alive by worms (Acts 12:1-24). If these great kings could not resist or withstand God, do you think you can? If you are wise, you will totally submit to His will today.
14. God has a problem with the so-called obedience of a good number of His children. Although He is speaking to them, they are not listening to Him; rather they are more interested in hearing themselves. Hence, He has almost grounded them in all areas. Thinking it’s the devil at fault, such people are wrongly praying against agents of darkness. It is time to do nothing short of God’s total will in all your ways!

Resisting God could be in different forms, not necessarily speaking against Him directly. Some will say ” I don’t see God, how do I resist Him? The truth is that most times through our disobedience to God’s instruction greatly affects fellowship with Him. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” ‭‭James‬ ‭4:8‬. This bible verse simply explains one of the conditions to enjoying the presence of God. The consequence of disobedience to God’s will is death. Many atimes this death does not come in the physical at first but it later become evident in the life of the person that disobey. It is amazing yet appalling that believers goes against the instructions of God our Maker. God is the extra ordinary strategist. He knows the end from beginning. It is therefore very wise for us to follow His instructions to the last letter. Have you at one time left His presence or even resistance to the instructions of the Holyspirit? Repent and draw closer to Him, He will bless and restore your soul. The grace to obey God is granted us in Jesus name. Pastor E.A Adeboye is a great blessing to this generation through the open Heavens devotional. We pray that the Lord will fill with power and might for greater impact in Jesus name.

Prayer Point
Those who resist God are fighting a battle they can never win.
HYMN Key Point
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: By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. Hebrews 11:20
Read: Genesis 27:20-29
20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine and he drank.
26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:
28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
Bible in one year: Nehemiah 4-6, Ezekiel 44:28-45:9

1. A blessing is an invitation to all the forces in Heaven, on earth and underneath the earth to cooperate with an individual and assist him or her to succeed.
2. When Isaac pronounced a blessing on Jacob in today’s Bible reading, he summoned the dew of heaven, the land, and all the forces on earth to be of assistance to Jacob. As a result of this blessing, Jacob became exceedingly great. Hear what Genesis 30:43, says about his greatness: “And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.”
3. How about his brother Esau? Genesis 27:38-40 says after Jacob had stolen the cream of the blessing from him, Esau came to ask for the remnant. What was the result of this “remnant”? From Genesis 32:3-6, we understand that this remnant got him so blessed that he could afford to retain the services of 400 personal bodyguards. If you become so rich that you require 400 men to go with you wherever you go, that is something remarkable.
4. I can recall the first time a president visited us at the Redemption Camp; he came with an entourage of 250 people. So Imagine how blessed Esau was for him to have had 400 people in his entourage! I believe he was really blessed.
5. Moreover, let me add here that after a blessing is pronounced on you, it may not be obvious how the blessing will be fulfilled. Most times, it may not even make sense. You may not even be able to afford a bicycle now, and a blessing may be pronounced on you that a time will come when you will need a Boeing 747 to airlift those who will accompany you whenever you are travelling. It may not make sense to you, but that is what a blessing can do.
6. I often say that I am where I am today by the grace of God and by the blessings of my mother. Any time I did something that pleased her, she would bless me. She would say, “You this boy, you will call one person, and two hundred people will respond.” I didn’t know what she meant back then, and I didn’t know how it would happen, but I always said “Amen”. Today, by the grace of God, I can say this has become reality.
7. Have you provoked the blessing of your biological parents? Have you provoked the blessing of your spiritual parents? Most importantly, have you provoked a blessing from God?

Craving for the blessings of God for our life should be ou attitude because the Bible says “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭10:22‬ ‭‬‬. It’s also amazing that God is greatly interested in your prosperity “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.” Psalms‬ ‭35:27‬. However, there are people like our biological and spiritual fathers that we can receive blessing and honor through. May God bless Pastor E.A Adeboye and strengthen him on every side in Jesus name.

Action Point
When a blessing is pronounced on you, simply sustain a conducive atmosphere for its fulfilment, and it will surely come to pass.
HYMN
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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Memorise: And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Galatians 4:6
Read: Romans 8:14-16
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:
Bible in one year: Nehemiah 1-3, Ezekiel 44:15-27

1. In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus taught us to pray by approaching God as our Father. He said: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” Matthew 6:9
2. Why did He not say “Our God”, Our Maker” or Our Deliverer”? It is because God wants us to have a definite, personal relationship with Him.
3. Of all the relationships we could possibly have with God, the father-son relationship is one of the greatest.
4. In Mark 14:36, when the Lord Jesus Christ was facing His greatest challenge – dying on the cross of Calvary – He addressed God as “Abba, Father”, which in other words is “My Daddy”.
5. This level of closeness with God is not exclusive to Jesus Christ alone. Romans 8:15 says, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again for fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
6. If you compare this scripture with Galatians 4:6, you will realise that both the Holy Spirit and our Lord Jesus Christ have made it possible for us to share the same kind of closeness with the Father that Jesus had. Therefore, we too can unashamedly call God, “My Daddy”. If only you know how much God longs to have such intimacy with you!
7. Intimacy with God is something you cannot do without if you are to fulfil God’s plan for your life.
8. There is a time of need that everyone will face, which will require each of us to draw on our relationship with God. Those who have God as their creator will approach Him as “My Creator”, while those who serve Him will approach Him as “My God”. In such times, those who are intimate with Him will call Him “My Daddy”.
9. You can be sure that one carries more weight than the others.
10. How would you want to approach God? Would you want to approach Him as a distant Creator, as God of the universe or as your personal Father? The choice is yours.
11. When you develop a good relationship with God, He will indeed be a Father to you by acting as the fountain from which you came forth (Genesis 2:7).
12. David understood this and he experienced a very intimate level of closeness with God. This is the reason why in Psalm 23, he could testify of enjoying that which a father provides: food, sleep, water, protection, guidance, security, goodness and mercy. These all will be yours today in Jesus’ Name!
13. Do everything possible to build your intimacy with God!

The relationship of a Father and Son is far deeper and loving than that of master and servant or creator and the creature. Your relationship with God will determine which category you will fall into. For those that seek Him at all time, worship Him in spirit and in truth as well as obey His instructions, such will become dear to Him as His son. God has prompted our Father in the Lord to teach on this particular topic since the beginning of this year and we have been exposed to various benefits of son of Abba Father. Let us go back to the previous teaching and follow up closely every first Friday of the month for the Holy Ghost Service to enjoy deeper truth about the Abba Father and son relationship and benefits. Thank God for Pastor E.A Adeboye and we pray that God will always empower him for greater works in Jesus name.

Prayer Point
Father, draw me close to You like never before.
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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Memorise: I will sing unto the LORD because he hath dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:6
Read: 1st Chronicles 16:2-3
2 And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.
3 And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.
Acts 20:35
35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Bible in one year: Ezra 9-10, Ezekiel 44:1-14

1. Generous divine provision is a benefit of those in the sheepfold of the Great Shepherd.
2. God prepares a table of abundance for His sheep (Psalm 23:5). No wonder David, in Psalm 13:6, said: “I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.”
3. This scripture is a personal testimony of David. After God had blessed him beyond measure, he began to testify of God’s goodness through songs.
4. If you carefully study the life of David, you will discover that the secret of his prosperity lay in the principles he lived by.
5. One of such principles is demonstrated in today’s Bible reading: he believed giving to be the key to receiving. Can you imagine a man giving a loaf of bread to every citizens of a country? This was what David did, and he even gave much more!
6. We often wonder why most of us are not flowing in God’s abundance, even though God has resources to cater for more than we could ever need. One likely reason for this is that we do not strictly follow divine financial principles. Jesus, in Luke 6:38, said: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
7. Let us draw a few lessons from this. Firstly, if you ever want to receive, it is your duty to first give. If you fail to sow, you would be deceiving yourself to expect a harvest.
8. Many of us refuse to give, and yet we continue to pray, fast and do all other things right.
9. If you want to receive, first give. It is important to note that God will never owe anyone.
10. If you give, you will receive a harvest, no matter how long it takes, as long as the seed is not uprooted.
11. However, the way the harvest comes and when it will come are issues that may not be too clear to you. For instance, you may be expecting your harvest for a particular seed in the form of physical cash, not knowing that God has already given it to you as a harvest of peace in the time of trouble, or as protection when the enemy came calling.
12. Sometimes, you cannot tell how the harvest of a given seed will come, although if you key into the Holy Spirit, He can sometimes reveal to you that a particular harvest you received was from a particular seed you sowed.
13. Moreover, God who knows our needs should be given the freedom to determine when and how our harvests should come.
14. Just make sure that a lifestyle of giving and sowing seeds in an indelible part of you.
15. Do you give to God? Do you give to His servants? Do you give to the needy? How often do you give?

I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35 This is a scripture we should prayerfully reflect on. If it is more blessed to give than to receive why not choose to be a giver and not a receiver? May God continually increase Pastor E.A Adeboye for blessing us with the word of God daily.

Action Point
Giving is an act. Giving is also a spirit. Pray that God will give you the spirit of giving.
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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Memorise: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Proverbs 24:16
Read: Luke 22:31-34
31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.
Bible in one year: Ezra 7:8, Ezekiel 43:13-27

1. It’s a fact of life that we are all susceptible to making mistakes. However, when we make mistakes, we must have the strength of character to admit our mistakes and also to resolve never to repeat them again (Proverbs 28:13).
2. A child learning to walk will stand up, take a step or two and fall down again. You will observe however that in spite of these falls, he or she does not give up trying. The child will repeatedly make attempts at walking, and in the process of time, the child will not only walk, he or she will also run, leap and jump, all without falling to the ground like before.
3. Do not turn a mistake into your final destination.
4. Can you believe that because some people made a mistake in their walk of faith in Christ, they gave up the race entirely and decided to die there? That is most unfortunate!
5. Some people cannot forgive themselves for either denying Jesus at a very crucial moment when their faith was tested, or for falling into a particular sin that they have been preaching against all along. Such people need to learn from the example of Apostle Peter, who thrice denied Christ. The Lord had to make him realise that it was not over yet. That same Peter was the one who later led the other disciples in defending their faith in Christ and in propagating the Good News of the gospel around the world. “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.” Micah 7:8
6. One lesson from this scripture is that the fact that you slipped and fell does not mean that the enemy has won the battle over your life. He hasn’t. It also says that there is the possibility of a comeback.
7. From where you fell, you shall arise in Jesus’ Name! Your rise shall be more formidable!
8. You may say that your case is a bad one because you have fallen so many times and you therefore concluded that it was better to stop trying. Oh, how wrong you are!
9. Proverbs 24:16 says it is possible for a righteous man to fall seven times and still rise.
10. To fall seven times simply refers to the possibility of falling to a point of experiencing what most people will call the final or ultimate fall.
11. Yet, even at that, if you are a child of God, the Lord says that you should not give up hope. Make another attempt at reconciling with the Lord, confess your weakness to Him, and ask for His help. He will lift you up and He will sustain you afterwards.
12. So are you still on the floor? Arise now!

The devil is always striving to make believers fall. And if by chance he succeeds he proceeds to make such believer remain fallen. We as believers should also strive continually to remain standing in Christ and also stand firm. It is God’s desire to have us on our feet again if we by any means fall. We should therefore always be quick to run back to God for help when we fall at any point in time. It is well with us in Jesus name. We are grateful to God for blessing us with Pastor E.A Adeboye. His strength is renewed daily in Jesus name.

Key Point
Falling and rising in the Christian faith does not make you a failure, it only shows that you are at the babyhood stage of maturity and would need to trust Jesus Christ the more.
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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