OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: SUNDAY,DECEMBER 31ST 2017- YOUR LOCATION MATTERS

Memorise: “He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.” Proverbs 10:5
Read: Genesis 3:7-10
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
Bible in one year: Songs of Solomon 4-8 Malachi 3:16-4:6

1. Although God is very much willing to help you, before you can receive help from Him, you have to first settle the issue of your spiritual location.
2. In today’s Bible reading, when God came visiting Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and He did not find them where He expected them to be, He made a passionate call to them saying: “Adam, where are you?”
3. If God will help you, He needs to know where you are.
4. Do you want God’s help today? If yes, where are you standing presently? Are you where you were at the beginning of the year? Are you stagnant, unproductive, unprofitable, and not making progress?
5. In the parable of the talents, the fellow who received one talent proved to be unproductive (Matthew 25:24-30). That is however not God’s expectation of you. Some people are unproductive because they do the right thing at the wrong time. Proverbs 10:5 says, “He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.”
6. There is a time for everything. There is time to work and a time to rest.
7. Rest follows work and not the other way round.
8. Today, quite a number of people unfortunately go on vacations even though they have not worked.
9. Rest is earned.
10. If you rest without deserving it, you will be showing to the whole world how unwise you really are.
11. When many children of affluent people, who never worked one day to earn an income, are bequeathed with great wealth, the next thing they think of doing is how to go on a spending spree of the funds they never worked for.
12. Beloved, where is your present location?
13. If you are located in laziness, disobedience, self-will or un-forgiveness, receiving help from God may be a mirage.
14. If you are sleeping when you should be actively engaged for the Master, you are a shame to the Body of Christ. 
15. The harvest of the world is already ripe and gradually becoming overripe.
16. This is harvest time.
17. How many souls did you personally win to Christ this year? Is there any significant improvement to your life compared to last year or have you lost further grounds to laziness, procrastination and idleness? Can you say you are experiencing progress?
18. Movement can be sideways, forward or backward. May you never go backward in Jesus’ Name!
19. Consider your location and take appropriate steps so that you can receive God’s help this season.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6. Also Romans 6:14‭-‬15 says “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” This two scriptures above shows that we need faith and holiness to access God and what He has put in place for us. These 2 things position us rightly for God to locate us. There are some questions in today’s devotional which I will enjoin us to answer genuinely and make amends as and where necessary. God be praised for Pastor E.A Adeboye. May God continually uphold and strengthen him in Jesus name.

Action Point
Before asking God for anything, make sure you are not located in disobedience or unbelief.
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.
Chorus:
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.
(Chorus)
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.
(Chorus)  
To that 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.
(Chorus)

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