Open Heavens Daily Devotional Messages, By Pastor E.A Adeboye.

Open Heavens 13 September 2017: Wednesday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Giving Determines Promotion

Posted: 11 Sep 2017 04:55 AM PDT

GIVING DETERMINES PROMOTION – Wednesday September 13^th 2017

Memorise: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee. Deuteronomy 16:17

Read: Deuteronomy 16:16-17 (KJV)

^16:16Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:

^16:17Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Chronicle 29-30, Ezekiel 40:20-34, Hymn: Sing hymn 10

MESSAGE:

When God commanded all males in Israel to appear before Him in today's Bible reading, He specifically instructed that they should not come before Him empty-handed. He also instructed that whatever they brought to Him must be a reflection of the level of blessings they had received from Him. Based on these two parameters, can you say you have followed the divine pattern whenever you appear before God? Today, when God's people assemble before Him, many of them do not care about what they bring as an offering, as long as they bring something. Do you know that God cares about this? For this reason, 2^nd Corinthians 8:12 says,

"For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not."

One year, during our annual thanksgiving service for pastors and ministers of our church, I told them that God expects them to bring an offering that reflects how much He has blessed them individually. Then I asked them this question: "Brethren, do you know that many of us demote ourselves by the offering we give? "They appeared surprised to hear this. So I further explained that God knows us individually, and He knows the level to which He has blessed each on of us. He knows those who can afford to give N500 and those who are unable to give more than N100. If you are in the category of N1000 but give N500 per offering, you are indirectly saying to God, "Dear Lord, you made a mistake placing me in the category of givers of N1000. You should have left me in the category of givers of N500," Then the Lord would reply, "I thought I promoted you, but if you want to demote yourself, no problem." This is why some people are experiencing financial dryness. You are the one who told God that the level He placed you at is too high and that He should take you lower. I shared with my children that at the beginning of every year, I draw up a budget stating what I want to earn as my income for the year. Then I tell God that this is where I was last year but this is where I want to be by the year's end. Thereafter, I start giving to reflect my expectations based on my target. I promote myself by giving beyond my present level, and I can tell you in unmistaken terms that God has never failed me, not even once. Before the end of the year, I would have already surpassed the limit I set for myself. How has it been with your life of giving? Make necessary adjustments today and key into your joy.

Key Point:

Giving at a level that matches the financial status of your expectations is a way to compel God to supernaturally upgrade you to that expected level.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical Church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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Open Heavens 12 September 2017: Tuesday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Little Requests Limit God

Posted: 11 Sep 2017 04:44 AM PDT

LITTLE REQUESTS LIMIT GOD – Tuesday September 12^th 2017

Memorise: And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 1^st John 3:22

Read: James 1:5-6 (KJV)

^1:5If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

^1:6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Chronicles 26-28, Ezekiel 40:5-19, Hymn Sing hymn 3

MESSAGE:

The Lord Jesus Christ instructed us to ask until our joy is full (John 16:24). Due to a lack of faith in God's ability to meet our needs, many of us ask for crumbs, and by doing so, we insult or dishonour God. Are you one of such people? During one of our special programmes sometime ago, while in my prayer room, God took me up on this issue. He reminded me of an incident that happened several years before then, when I went to London to prepare our Sunday School manual. After finishing it, I still had three days to go before my flight was due, but I had completely run out of money. The kind of ticket I paid for on that trip was a cheap one and so it did not allow for rescheduling of dates. I felt I could go without food for three days but could not avoid buying certain materials, books and tapes that I needed. These would cost me £50 and I had no money. So I said, "Daddy, it would be good if I could get £50. "Shortly after, my phone rang and I picked it up. The fellow on the line said, "Biyi". I told him there was nobody with that name there. He asked, "Is that not so and so number?" As we talked, he got to know who I was and he screamed. He called out to his brother with excitement, telling him that he was speaking with me. Obviously, they had been discussing how they could see me and now I was on the phone with them. Eventually, they came over, we talked, and as they were leaving, they gave me £50. As soon as they left, I said, "Daddy, if I knew it would be this easy, I would have asked for £100!"

As I went upstairs in the apartment I was staying at, I rejoiced over the £50 I had just received. Just then, the door bell rang, and then it rang a second time. By this time, it was night already. Before I got to the door, the fellow at the door had slipped an envelope through the door into the room and left. I picked it up, opened it and realised it had come from a man I had known for a long time. He was a very wealthy man who was also very stingy. He had never given me a dime before. In the envelope was £50 and a note saying, "I just felt like giving you some money." As I went towards the bedroom, I told God that if I had known this second £50 would come, I would have asked for another £50! That night, before I slept, another £50 came. Then I became afraid and told God I was joking and did not want to offend Him. In my prayer room, the Lord told me I had been a foolish boy. "If you asked me for £50 and I could provide it, why didn't you ask for £5000?" Are you trying to help God conserve His resources when you ask? He doesn't need your help! Ask, and ask big! Don't limit Him.

Key Point:

If the over seven billion inhabitants of the earth were ask their best from God, they still could not exhaust a drop of His resources.