Open Heavens Daily Devotional Messages, By Pastor E.A Adeboye. |
- CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN? Wednesday May 11th 2016
- NEW LIFE IN CHRIST – Tuesday May 10th 2016
- JESUS FOLLOWER? – Monday May 9th 2016
- IT SHALL BE WELL – Sunday May 8th 2016
- MORE THAN CONQUERORS – Saturday May 7th 2016
- PRACTICALITY OF FAITH – Friday May 6th 2016
| CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN? Wednesday May 11th 2016 Posted: 05 May 2016 01:13 PM PDT CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN? Memorise: And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Revelation 22:12 Read: Revelation 22:11-14, 11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.  Bible in one year: 2nd Kings 10:18-12:21, Proverbs 22:29-23:13 MESSAGE At the beginning of his ministry, Paul took a ride in a basket as he escaped for his life in Damascus (2nd Corinthians 11:32-33). But the God who delivered him from the garrison at Damascus, allowed him to end up in jail at Philippi (Act 16). Because God answered a particular prayer yesterday does not mean that He would repeat another in exactly the same manner. In Acts 16:25, Paul conducted a worship service in prison right in the midst of chains and bonds. He never complained. Paul learnt to praise God in whatever circumstance he found himself. Not many people can praise God when thrown into prison for the sake of the Gospel. He was prepared to undertake the worst of sufferings for the Kingdom of God (Philippians 1:20-21). He was not ashamed. Are you ashamed to suffer minor ridicule, persecutions, In African traditional religion, when a bird or animal is brought as a sacrifice to an idol, the giver forfeits his right to that animal; it becomes the property of the idol for the rest of its life. Whether it lives or dies or is given to someone is at the discretion of the idol. That living sacrifice may be fed so well in one moment and killed the next minute. This explains the term living sacrifice. You should be so yielded to God to the extent of delivering to Him the greatest pleasure in whatever you do. If dying for the Gospel will give Him the height of pleasure, you should be prepared to die like Stephen. The preparedness of Daniel to go into the lion's den demonstrates that he was a living sacrifice. But in the end, instead of death, his faith compelled a decree for the whole world to fear Daniel's God. If my death can produce a United Nations decree compelling all nations of the world to worship no other god other than my God – the true and living God, I will gladly be on my way to Heaven. Are you a living sacrifice? And to what extent? Prayer Point Father, please give me the grace to always look unto You for everything I need in life. |
| NEW LIFE IN CHRIST – Tuesday May 10th 2016 Posted: 05 May 2016 01:10 PM PDT NEW LIFE IN CHRIST Memorise: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 Read; 1st Corinthians 6:9-11, 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.  Bible in one year: 2nd Kings 8:25-10:17, Proverbs 22:13-28 MESSAGE Speaking about a 'new life' is an indication that there has been an old one. In Christianity, when we speak of the 'old life', we mean a combination of the philosophy of life and worldview that controls the lifestyle and behaviour of a person that is not born again. The new life in Christ however, is the new way of thinking and doing things in accordance with the Bible that we have come to be acquainted with since we became born again. Several passages of the Bible focus on issues concerning the old and new life in order to help Christians identify the sources of their thoughts and actions, whether they are remnants of the old evil ways or from the new life in Christ. Galatians 2:20 says: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." The book of Galatians devoted much effort to explanations on the old and new life, but what the above passage says about the old life and the new is golden. It simply says that when a person accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour, he automatically becomes dead to the old life, and communication with the old life becomes cut off. Everything about the thought process, interest, tastes, sensibilities, and the will becomes inaccessible to the former system of control. The old password simply refuses to work because the access code has been changed. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." At this point, everything about the life we lived before we met Jesus ceases. The control of our lives now shifts back to the original source, to the One who gave us this free gift of new life. We naturally begin to hunger for righteousness by pursuing purity, honesty, justice, unselfishness, love, humility, and service to humanity. The Bible makes it clear that becoming a Christian is much more than adopting a new philosophy of life. When a person becomes a Christian through the right process, all phases of life are renewed. It starts from a new mind; you instantly begin to think differently from the old ways, to the extent that you actually become surprised at your new self. You suddenly develop a new standard and you begin to measure everything you do in line with the Bible. The new life in Christ also comes with a new hope of abundant life here on earth and eternal life in heaven. People may equate hope with wishful thinking, but real hope is based on the authority of the one offering it. God is faithful and dependable. You can count on Him for a new life in Christ. Prayer Point Father, please let the new life You gave me be refreshed every day of my life in the Name of Jesus. |
| JESUS FOLLOWER? – Monday May 9th 2016 Posted: 05 May 2016 12:46 PM PDT JESUS FOLLOWER? Memorise; Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 1st Corinthians 11:1 Read: Philippians 3:17-21, 17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.  Bible in one year: 2nd Kings 6:24-8:24, Proverbs 21:30-22:12 MESSAGE A brief look at many contemporary Christian leadership books seem to be confusing the followers of Jesus with a perceived strategy to shape future leaders of the church, as though Church leaders are in a special category. It should be noted that all followers of Jesus are called to a life of discipleship. "And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." In one of Jesus' popular sayings, he said to His disciples, "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). This verse address issues of power, authority, and human dignity. Though all these are central to any discussion of leadership but the power of the text is in how it undermines notions of greatness and how a leader must use power on behalf of all members of the community. The modern teachings on Christian leadership have been redefined to mean that the servant and followers (present day Christians) have become greater than their masters and leaders (Jesus Christ). In response to this, Matthew 10:24 says: "The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord." All Christians must realize that a disciple cannot be above his master as a servant cannot be above his Lord. To be a Christian is to imbibe the discipline and humility of a servant. In addition to this important prerequisite for discipleship we might add the attributes of humility, gentleness, justice, and love. These were the contents for the discipleship training that Jesus gave to His disciples. Subsequently, deacons, elders, overseer/bishops, and believers are all expected to live out in very tangible ways, the lifestyle that honours God and is exemplary for the people of God. Followers of Jesus are to adopt this attitude toward life in general. The lifestyle of a Christian should be clearly different and morally superior to that of the world. The concept of Jesus on Christian leadership is firmly built on follower-ship, service, humility, obedience, and loyalty. If you want to follow Jesus acceptably, you must align your views on leadership to incorporate the ideals of Jesus Christ. Prayer Point Father, please help me to pay the price of leadership. Help me to imbibe the ideals of Master Jesus. |
| IT SHALL BE WELL – Sunday May 8th 2016 Posted: 05 May 2016 12:43 PM PDT IT SHALL BE WELL Memorise: For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalms 30:5 Read: Revelation 21:1-7, 21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Bible in one year: 2nd Kings 4:38-6:23, Proverbs 21:16-29 MESSAGE 'It shall be well' it is futuristic statement. It speaks about something that will happen later, a speculation about the future state of man. Good appointed ministers of the Gospel as stewards of His mysteries. These ministers are saddled with the responsibility of 'rightly dividing the Word of truth', and distributing to everyone the right dose at the right time. It is also their duty to try to separate the precious from the vile, and to be God's mouth-piece in all situations. In addition, "Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked; it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him." This passage reveals that there are two classes of people in the world- the righteous and the wicked. No matter how diverse men are, they must fall under one of these categories. Consequently, the Bible classifies the people that are born again, sanctified and living in obedience to the Word of God ad righteous, and everyone else that refuses to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour as wicked. Therefore, no matter how wealthy, educated, and morally upright a person is, without Christ, they are wicked. Wickedness in this case is tantamount to the rejection of the work of salvation and the offer of peace and reconciliation freely extended to humanity. We may then say that the righteous are those who have been renewed in the spirit of their mind, and are following after biblical holiness. On the other hand, the wicked are those who are still in a carnal unregenerate state, unable to please God because of fleshly lusts. Ecclesiastes 8:12 says: "Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:" It is obvious from these passages that God has decided to make the righteous the focus of His love, favour, and blessings. God is saying that in spite of the negative circumstances around you presently, the present economic situation around the world, and the precarious political environment. It shall be well with the righteous. This is good news, however, it requires very serious consideration to decide where we belong. To which of these classes do you belong? Are you consciously living in obedience to God or are you living contrary to the Word of God? Answer these questions honestly and make a serious self assessment of your life. As you do this, I declare that it shall be well with you in Jesus' name. Prayer Point Father, please give me the grace to live in Your righteousness daily in Jesus' name. |
| MORE THAN CONQUERORS – Saturday May 7th 2016 Posted: 05 May 2016 12:39 PM PDT MORE THAN CONQUERORS Memorise: For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, through he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2nd Corinthians 8:9 Read: Isaiah 53:1-5, 53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Bible in one year: 2nd Kings 3:1-4:37, Proverbs 21:1-15 MESSAGE Sometime ago, someone gave an illustration to explain the term "more than conquerors". He said it could mean that you are greater than the conqueror. He cited the case of a boxer who goes into the ring, fights and defeats his opponents, receives the prize and returns home ton handover the prize to his wife. "Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed." Being more than conquerors could also connote someone that has scored multiple victories from several battles or wars. There are several enemies that accost us in the battles of life. One of such enemies is the generational curse, this is a curse pronounced on someone's family even before his birth and it keeps affecting descendants of that family. For instance, in Genesis 49:1-4, Jacob pronounced a curse on Reuben saying he will never excel, and this affected his lineage for several years after. Some people are still suffering from a similar curse. In spite of all their talents, natural endowments and qualifications, they never get to the top. It is not because they are not making enough effort; in real terms, they are making more than enough effort, yet certain forces, in response to earlier curses, frustrate them or make it impossible for them to move to higher levels. Generational curses must not be allowed in your life. In the Name that is above every other name, any generational curse operating in your life shall come to nothing. The family of Eli that should have produced priest forever became beggars through a divine curse (1st Samuel 2:30-34). Gehazi, together with his generation, was also cursed with leprosy (2nd Kings 5:20-27). Are you seeing signs of generational curses in your life? Ask God to destroy them today. Also find out if there is anything you are doing to make such a curse effective in your life. "As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. "More than conquerors" is a status bestowed on humanity through the love of God the Father, the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus the Son, and the magnificent work of the Holy Spirit. It is assessable to all human beings who will freely accept Jesus as their Lord and personal Saviour. Prayer Point Father, make me victorious over every negative circumstance of life in the Name of Jesus. |
| PRACTICALITY OF FAITH – Friday May 6th 2016 Posted: 05 May 2016 12:34 PM PDT PRACTICALITY OF FAITH Memorize: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 Read; James 2:14-23, 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.  Bible in one year: 2nd Kings 1-2, Proverbs 20:18-30 MESSAGE Our memory verse for today provides the best explanation on the subject of faith. Practically, faith consists of making God at His word and acting accordingly. The idea of being sure provides a conviction that what we hope for will happen, not because we can make it happen, but because God has said it will happen. In John 6:57-58, our Lord Jesus Christ assures us that His flesh and blood releases divine life. As you drink the wine representing His blood, the spirit will quicken your body because the wine is equivalent to the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 compares the wine with the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:11 says: "But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you." This means that if curses are warring against your body, when you partake of the bread and wine, physical victory will be delivered to your body. Are you sick? Has your body been afflicted with terminal aliments? Seek the face of the Lord concerning that sickness, go in faith for the next Holy Communion and you will be healed. There is a user of this Devotional with a terminal ailment, as you release your faith and partake of the next Holy Communion, you will be delivered from that ailment in the name of Jesus. Furthermore, in Luke 24:49, the Lord told His disciples to wait until the power came. That is faith. Waiting on God is an act of faith. Faith also provides a conviction of certainty for what we do not see. Just as physical eyesight provides evidence about visible things, faith provides evidence about the invisible. God has promised future blessings and eternal rewards. No one has seen these yet. Still, believers are certain that God will deliver on His promises, and we will one day see and experience these blessings and rewards. Faith proves the reality of what we cannot see. Faith enables Christians to live obediently in the light of what we know will come. "Faith provides a platform for hope and a perception into the reality of what would otherwise remain unseen" (Donald Guthrie). Prayer Point Father, please rekindle the fire of apostolic faith in me in the Name of Jesus. |
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