OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: SUNDAY,DECEMBER 17TH 2017- ABIDE IN CHRIST 

Memorise: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:17
Read: John 15:4-7
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Bible in one year: Revelation 17-19, Zachariah 4:1-5:4

1. The Lord Jesus Christ gave out several great invitations while He was on earth, and these invitations are still open to us today. If only you can accept them, your life will never be the same again. He says to us “Come and eat”, “Come and drink”, and “Come and Follow me” (John 21:12, John 7:37, Mark 8:34).
2. To follow Him, you must deny yourself of certain desires and lusts; take up your cross daily by being ready to live the sacrificial life that He demands, and put your feet where He trod, while carefully studying the paths that He walked (1 Peter 2:21). May God grant you the grace to truly follow Him!
3. Today, on different social media networks, quite a lot of people have a great follower-ship.
4. There is no better person to follow than Jesus Christ!
5. Following some of the characters on social media networks cannot add anything good to your life, but following Jesus will add both earthly benefits and eternal rewards to you (Mark 10:29-30).
6. The best thing that can ever happen to you is to follow Jesus!
7. A good follower of Jesus is a disciple of Christ.
8. In addition, the Lord invites His children to abide in Him. In John 15:5, Jesus says if you abide in Him, you will bear much fruit.
9. Abiding in Him is one secret of fruitfulness in the Kingdom of God.
10. If you want to be able to win a lot of souls to Christ, you must take time to ensure that He permanently resides in you and you in Him.
11. It is only then that His life will fully and freely flow through you. If you are still toying with sin, you cannot be fruitful from God’s perspective. 
12. Also, abiding in Him gives you the assurance that all your prayers will be answered (John 15:7).
13. When your requests are granted, what more can you wish for? This is where God wants all His children to be and not just some of them.
14. Are all your prayers been answered?
15. If only some have been answered, then you really need to look at your present relationship with Christ and do some more work on your love towards Him, your faith in Him, your devotion to Him, your obedience to Him, your service to Him, and your study of His word.
16. You need to look at how consistent you are in His presence and go deeper in Him.
17. Don’t stop until all your prayers are answered! Don’t stop until you are most fruitful!

Abiding in God requires daily and continuous effort. It requires a lot of self denial. We must consciously do things that we increase our love for God and be sold out to Him completely. In Him lies all we need. There is no shadow of turning with Him. No darkness or disappointment can come the way of anyone who abides in Him. Hallelujah! God bless Pastor E.A Adeboye on every side in Jesus name.

Action Point
On social media networks today, so many people who are being followed are leading their followers to Hell. Watch who you follow!
HYMN
Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
Let them flow in endless praise.
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.
Take my voice and let me sing
Always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose.
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.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

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