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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MEMORISE: I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. John 12:46

READ: Psalms 126:1-3

1 When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

MESSAGE

From the story of Bartimaeus, we learn that darkness and sorrow go hand in hand. You don’t have to understand philosophy to know that a blind beggar must have been sad. I pray for you: Your eyes will never grow dim, in Jesus’ name.

Darkness and sorrow go hand in hand, which means light brings joy. Psalm 16:11 says: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

Our Bible reading for today says that when the Lord turned around the people’s captivity, their mouths were filled with laughter. That is the nature of Light; He brings laughter. Light stands for joy (ohn 16:24).

There was this woman whose children were dying so she visited a white garment prophet for a solution. When she got there, the man’s wife gave her a piece of kolanut to eat, claiming that was the solution to her problem. She ate it and at night, found herself in a witchcraft meeting. Before long, she had offered up her husband. After about two years, the other witches asked for one of her children – the very children she wanted to protect. She attended one of our programmes in llorin and while I was preaching, I noticed a commotion in the congregation. After the service, the ushers told me that the woman’s dress caught fire during the preaching. We prayed a simple prayer after which she gave her life to Christ and when she went home, she excreted a dead snake. She was free from that day on. Darkness does not give joy, all it has to offer is sorrow. Proverbs 10:22 says it is only the blessings of God that maketh rich and addeth no sorrow. If the devil is offering you something that seems good, you will not fall for it, in Jesus’ name.

If you are truly a child of Light, how can you stay away from Jesus – the Light of the world? Jesus said in Matthew 11:28,
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” If you remain in darkness, you will keep suffering, but when you turn to Jesus Christ, He gives you a new beginning and turns the tide for you. If you really want to be in the Light, then you should begin to live holy from
today.

KEY POINT

If the devil is offering you something that seems good, that thing is only a bait; his real aim is to bring you sorrow.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 50

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 4: BE GLAD IN THE LORD AND REJOICE

1 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,�All ye that are upright in heart;�And ye that have made Him your choice,�Bid sadness and sorrow depart.

Refrain:�Rejoice! Rejoice!�Be glad in the Lord and rejoice!

2 Be joyful, for He is the Lord,�On earth and in heaven supreme;�He fashions and rules by His word;�The Mighty and strong to redeem.

3 What though in the conflict for right,�Your enemies almost prevail,�God’s armies, just hid from your sight,�Are more than the foes which assail.

4 Though darkness surround you by day,�Your sky by the night be o’ercast,�Let nothing your spirit dismay,�But trust till the danger is past.

5 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,�His praises proclaiming in song;�With harp and with organ and voice,�The loud hallelujahs prolong!

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MEMORISE: For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. Leviticus 26:9

READ: Genesis 1:26 -31

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

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.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

MESSAGE

Darkness is linked with barrenness. This implies that light is equivalent to fruitfulness. When you study the Scriptures, you will see that God is interested in your fruitfulness. The very first commandment He gave to man is “Be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 1:28). In Exodus 23:26, the Almighty God said clearly: “There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days l will fulfil”. I am decreeing, that if you are trusting God for the fruit of the womb, you will carry your own twins soon, in Jesus’ name.

There are some cases of barrenness where the doctor cannot see anything wrong with the couple because the devil is at work. A woman’s mother-in-law once visited her house and said, “My daughter, eat this bread and use it to block your womb”. The girl ate it, not taking the woman’s word seriously. From that day, she stopped menstruating for several years. Thank God we held a programme in her town that ran for some days. One afternoon during the programme, she slept and had a dream. In the dream, some people dressed like medical doctors laid her on a table, opened up her belly and been to pull out a rope. The rope was very long, and at the end of the rope was a very black piece of bread. By

The time she woke, she saw that the bed was wet with her menstrual flow. The last time l heard from her , she already had 5 children. Whatever darkness has used to stop your fruitfulness- whether it is in child-bearing or otherwise, the Light will deal with it.

Some people asked me too long ago, “Why are you against same-sex marriage?” I asked I turn, “How will two men or two women produce a child?” They mentioned adoption, but who is going to produce the child they are going to adopt? If we all adopt this lifestyle, the human race would become extinct in less than a hundred years. I told them, “The devil is a liar”. I don’t care what people or organizations say, l will stand by the truth. The word of God is clear: Be fruitful and multiply”.

Anyone trying to do anything that disobeys that instruction is disobeying God Himself.

PRAYER POINT

Father, as you have commanded me to be fruitful, my body and all that concerns me will obey that command and bear fruit, in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 47-48

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

1 Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise,

Let them flow in ceaseless 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: Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22

READ: 1 Corinthians 10:13

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

MESSAGE

What is leading you in life? Is it your flesh or the Spirit of God? Whenever you allow the flesh to give you direction, it will always ends in regret, but when you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in all things, you can be sure that all will be well. The first step to overcoming lusts and temptations is submission to God, which supplies the power you need to resist the devil, and he will flee from you according to James 4:7. Moreover, the good news is that the faithfulness of God will not allow his children to be tempted above their ability, without making a way of escape for them.

In our Bible reading today, we saw that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and He will always make a way of escape for us. That is so reassuring, it is for this reason that James 1:2-4 and James 1:12, admonishes us to count it as joy and blessing, when we are going through diverse temptations. This is because; God uses it to perfect the patience of His children, and also as promotion exams for them to receive the crown of life.

In spite of the assurance above, however, if for example, your eyes are always glued to seductive images from the television, internet, and your surroundings, you are merely feeding the lust in your flesh and such will lead you to hell. Don’t fall into it. If you still tolerate ungodly desires to dwell and grow in your heart, heavenly thought, divine vision and inspirations cannot find expression in you.

All believers are required to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. Your body is the temple of God, not a showpiece for people. If you choose to dress in a way to stir lust in the opposite sex, you can no longer claim to be a child of God, but an instrument in the hands of the devil. Whoever you honor with your appearance, determines who you truly serve. God has provided us with everything we need to overcome lust and temptation through Jesus Christ, all we need is to follow His example. Hebrew 4:15 says Jesus our High Priest was in all point tempted, but He scale over them all without a sin. He has given us the power to resist the devil and to live above lusts and temptation. Hallelujah!

PRAYER POINT

Father, please empower me to overcome lusts and temptations , in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 57-59

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

1 Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless 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: For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Leviticus 17:11

READ: Hebrews 12:22 -24

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

MESSAGE

Blood is not just important in the life of man, but also vey sacred in the sight of our creator-the Almighty God. It is so sacred that the Bible says anyone who sheds blood will have his or her blood shed also (Genesis 9:6). The first place where we saw God being angry with someone who shed the blood of another fellow is in Genesis 4, in the case of Cain. The Almighty God said:

And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
Genesis 4:10-11

The sacredness of blood can be further seen in our memory verse. The life of the flesh is in the blood and that is why the blood of Jesus can make atonement for our sins and redeem us from eternal damnation that awaits all sinners.

Many people have however, shown complete disregard to the sacredness of blood. Many engage in or encourage abortion of unwanted pregnancies, ritual killing, cannibalism and so on. Some have told lies that led to others losing their lives. Some embezzled funds that should have been used to build roads or hospitals, thereby causing fatal road accidents and loss of lives due to poor medical services as a result of inadequate funding. Criminals shed blood with impunity without considering the position of the Almighty God concerning such acts.

Beloved, are you blood –guilty? You must repent today because blood is very sacred and God will not spare unrepentant sinners who are caught in the guilt of blood-letting. The goodnews is that Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, has paid for all our sins, including blood guiltiness, as we find in the Bible reading of today. The moment a person acknowledges that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose that we may have eternal life, that fellow is saved from every sin , including blood-guiltiness of the past.

Accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, and your sins will be completely forgiven.

ACTION POINT

Pray that God will cleanse you from all sins, including that of blood-guiltiness.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 50-52

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 28: WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SIN

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

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 my sin erase
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Naught of works, ’tis all of grace—
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: As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. Psalms 42:1

READ: Psalms 42:1 -5

1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.

5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

MESSAGE

God seekers are those who are comfortable with His commandments. People don’t seek God today – not because they are ignorant of what they stand to gain seeking the One from who all blessings flow. Rather, they are not comfortable with His demands on what they consider as their right to decide how to live their lives. The elders say, A child born yesterday who threatens not to play with us should be asked, “Do you think we were lonely before your birth?” In other words, if we do not seek God’s face, its to our disadvantage and not God’s.

David, in our Bible reading, gave his reason for seeking God when he said: “For l shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” He said further, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2). Beloved, it pays to seek the Lord. Isaiah 55:6 encourages us to do so when He may be found and before it is too late. This means there would come a time when man may seek God and He may not be found.

For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Psalm 32:6

How do we seek God? God can be sought from His revealed truth, as written in the Holy Scriptures. When we study the word of God consistently, we are seeking God because Jesus is the Word of God and He is God (John 1:1).

We must also seek God with all our hearts if we would find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).

We also seek God by looking out for how to please Him. Jesus said we are His disciples indeed if we do that which He commanded us to. How many self-professing Christians are doing God’s will?

God promised that if you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him . Commit to seeking God with all your heart today and you will find Him.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please reveal Yourself to me as I seek to know You more and more.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 44-46

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 19: ROCK OF AGES CLEFT FOR ME

1 Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy riven side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Save me from its guilt and power.

2 Not the labor of my hands

Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All could never sin erase,

Thou must save, and save by grace.

3 Nothing in my hands I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress,

Helpless, look to Thee for grace:

Foul, I to the fountain fly,

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

4 While I draw this fleeting breath,

When mine eyes shall close in death,

When I soar to worlds unknown,

See Thee on Thy judgment throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee

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MEMORISE: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

READ: Psalms 34:1 -11

1 (A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.) I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad

3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

MESSAGE

Today’s memory verse clearly establishes the need to fear the Lord if we would be wise and gain an understanding of life. The Lord asks: “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then l be a father, where is mine honour?” (Malachi 1:6). How do we fear the Lord? Today’s Bible reading gives us ideas on how we fear the Most High God. One, we must magnify the Lord for who He is. It takes appreciation of God to fear Him. The Psalmist says:

O,Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens…When l consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.
Psalm 8:1, 3

Secondly, we must put our total trust in Him. Lack of trust in God may cause us to disobey Him like Adam and Eve did. They repeated what God had told them but the serpent countered it, thereby calling God a liar. Genesis 3:4-5 says, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” If Adam and Eve had had the fear of God in them, the devil would not have had his way in their lives. Here we can see that, indeed, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

Joseph is a classic example of someone who demonstrated the fear of God. Due to his fear of the Lord, he refused to take advantage of the adulterous offer of his master’s wife. He refused to commit sexual immorality and told Potiphar’s wife:

There is none greater in this house than l; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can l do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
Genesis 39:9

Fear the Lord and keep His commandments. When you do, the type of blessing that later came upon Joseph (Genesis 41:14) will also be your portion.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please help me to fear You indeed and fill me with Your wisdom, in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 38-40

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 1: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME

1. All hail the power of Jesus’ Namel
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diader,
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 your 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
the crowned Lord of all.
And shout in universal song
the crowned Lord of all

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MEMORISE: God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hebrews 1:1

READ: Hebrews 1:1 -2

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

MESSAGE

Yesterday, we started discussing the reality of God still speaking to His people, even to,this present moment. In today’s text, we read that though God spoke to His people through His prophets, now He speaks through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is made possible through the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent to the Church right from the day of Pentecost. He promised:

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever l have said unto you.
John 14:26

God still speaks to His people; no doubt about that. We must however, pay close attention to the later part of the sentence – “to His people.” In other words, God speaks only to His people. Why only His people? It is because it is His people who hearken and act on His words. God has no time to waste talking to those who will not do His bidding. This is why Jesus Christ was fond of speaking to His disciples, whomHe knew would abide by His words. He said further:

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 14:21

Beloved, there are a lot of blessings for those who hear from God. One of these blessings is that such people would avoid mistakes. For example, the word of God to the people in Cornelius’ household was based on Peter’s ability to hear from God and his obedience to the instructions given to him (Acts 10). In the same vein, Philip’s ability to hear from God took him to the Gazan desert where he gained the soul of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39).

For example, hearing from God can reveal the type of business you can do to prosper. It can also help you know where to go, live or what type of friends you should keep. If you desire to hear from God directly, you must give your life to Christ and live wholly for Him.

REFLECTION

Have you been hearkening and living according to His words?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 35-37

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

1 Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless 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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