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

WEEP NOT: A DIVINE COMMAND – Monday January 18th 2016
LIKE TEACHER, LIKE STUDENT – Sunday January 17th 2016
THE NEW ANOINTING – Saturday January 16th 2016
THE RIGHT SIDE – Friday January 15th 2016
THAT I MAY KNOW HIM – Thursday January 14th 2016
BEING WITH JESUS – Wednesday January 13th 2016
GENUINE PRAISE AND WORSHIP: A PATH TO PROSPERITY – Tuesday January 12th 2016
GENUNIE PRAISE AND WORSHIP: A PATH TO VICTORY – Monday January 11th 2016

WEEP NOT: A DIVINE COMMAND – Monday January 18th 2016

Posted: 09 Jan 2016 12:00 PM PST

WEEP NOT: A DIVINE COMMAND

Memorise: Rejoice evermore

1^stThessalonians 5:16

Read: Luke 7:12-15, ¹²Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

¹³And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

¹⁴And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

¹⁵And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 19:15-22:12, Job 6:8-23

MESSAGE!!!

At times, children of God lose the import of God's command, which invariably is for our good if we do not take it as a suggestion but as a command. Positively, one of such commands is in one of the shortest verse of the New Testament; "Rejoice evermore."

In today's Bible reading, we were given a command; "Weep Not". This command is easier read than obeyed, but then, it should be obeyed. A widow lost her only son and Jesus Christ commanded her not to weep! This command came before the action that justified it in that situation. To someone reading this devotional, Jesus is telling you; "weep not" because He will intervene in that situation which is causing you to weep. One terrible thing about weeping is that it does not solve the problem at hand. So, why engage in what will not change the situation? Once again I say, "Weep not". Jesus Christ who asks you not to weep knows what He is going to do about that situation, like in the case of the widow of Nain. The Bible says that Jesus came and touched the coffin that was bearing the dead young man and commanded life to come back to the lifeless body. Death then immediately released the soul of the young man at the command of the One whose Name is the Resurrection and the Life.

Weeping could be very detrimental to those who indulge in it. Apart from being a deviant behaviour against a divine command, it blurs your vision and reasoning. Also, weeping, particularly when God has spoken against it, is an indirect way of protesting against God's Word. It is equal to murmuring, which is also rebellious. The Bible assuredly says:

"Weeping may endure for a night; but joy cometh in the morning."

Psalm 30:5

Blessed are we, if we believe the scripture. In addition, the Bible says that weeping blurred Mary Magdalene's visions on the resurrection morning so much that she mistook Jesus Christ for a gardener!

"Jesus said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away."

John 20:15

An antidote for weeping is the reading of God's Word concerning His promises to us in time of trouble. Another one is high praises to God who specializes in reversing the irreversible. The Bible says that when David was distressed at Ziglag because his wives and children had been taken away by raiders, he appealed to God for consolation, and he was not only consoled, but was also assured of the reversal of the unpleasant situation. Beloved, trust the Lord for the reversal of that seemingly unpleasant situation in your life and that of your loved ones and you will laugh last.

Prayer Point

Father, please wipe away all tears from my eyes by removing those situations that cause me to weep today.

LIKE TEACHER, LIKE STUDENT – Sunday January 17th 2016

Posted: 09 Jan 2016 11:56 AM PST

LIKE TEACHER, LIKE STUDENT

Memorise: Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be

ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2^nd Timothy 2:15

Read: Philippians 3:14-17, ¹⁴I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

¹⁶Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

¹⁷Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 16:18-19:14, Job 5:17-6:7

MESSAGE!!!

In our Bible reading for today, we read of Paul, an outstanding apostle of Jesus Christ. He spoke of his relentless efforts to reach the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The following are what he did to attain this goal: he forsook the worldly glory and approval, to gain the approval of God through the righteousness that can only be found in Christ. He endeavoured to know more of Jesus Christ in order to do His will. He was never satisfied with an average Christian life, he made bold to say:

"Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example. (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: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)"

Philippians 3:17-19

Beloved, any Church leader who cannot say what Paul said above is not worth following. Show me your teacher and I will tell you who you are and how for you can go in the Christian journey. When I gave my life of Christ, I was blessed with a leader that was heaven-bound; the founder of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The first time I saw him, I saw the glory of God and the image of Jesus Christ in him and there and then, I knew that if I could follow in footsteps, I would make it in my Christian race. He was impeccably transparent, a lover of the Cross of his Master and Saviour. He did not only teach but practised what he taught to the letter. Paul, the apostle wrote:

"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8-9

It is necessary for Christians to prove all things in the light of the revealed truth in the Bible and then hold fast that which is good. Only the truth, and nothing but the truth can set you free from the errors of the end-time. Jesus Christ is the Truth.

When the Bible enjoins you to "study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth", it simply means, study closely those who lived before you and enjoyed the approval of God, learn those things which they did that earned them God's approval.

Prayer point

Father, please reveal Yourself to me afresh through your Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord.

THE NEW ANOINTING – Saturday January 16th 2016

Posted: 09 Jan 2016 11:54 AM PST

THE NEW ANOINTING

Memorise: 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. Revelations 21:5

Read: Acts 1:7-8, ⁷And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

⁸But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 14:1-16:17, Job 5:1-16

MESSAGE!!!

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:"

Jeremiah 31:31

The implication of this passage is that the new covenant presupposes a new anointing which is represented by Jesus Christ. He makes many things new including our mode of worship. After Jesus Christ had completed the work of our redemption, before He ascended to be with His Father, He promised the disciples the power of the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:5, 8). The coming of the Holy Ghost brought the new anointing which does many things in the life of a believer. One of such is the conviction of sin. Another thing the new anointing does is found in Luke 4:18-19

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

The new anointing brings the good news of salvation to sinners. It also brings healing. Deliverance and the recovery of sight to both spiritually and physically blind individuals.

With the new anointing, we are shielded from seducing and lying spirits. We are properly groomed into all godliness without having to struggle on our own. Also, the Bible says:

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."

1^st John 2:27

Our Lord Jesus Christ, under the influence of the new anointing, went about doing good, preaching the gospel of peace between man and the Almighty God. When a new believer comes under the new anointing, 2^nd Corinthians 5:17 explains what happens;

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new."

My prayer for someone using this devotional is that the blessing of the new anointing will be your portion in Jesus' name. however, you must surrender your life to Jesus Christ.

Action Point

Activate the new anointing upon your life by praying in Jesus' name for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

THE RIGHT SIDE – Friday January 15th 2016

Posted: 09 Jan 2016 11:53 AM PST

THE RIGHT SIDE

Memorise: And Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? Let

him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. Exodus 32:26

Read: John 21:1-6, 21 After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.

²There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

³Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

⁴But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

⁵Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

⁶And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 12-13, Job 4:7-21

MESSAGE!!!

Being on the wrong side of life is very dangerous. Many things go wrong when you are not in the right place. My prayer for someone using this devotional is that you will never be on the wrong side of life in Jesus' name. And if you are on the wrong side already, may the Lord move you to the right side of life in Jesus' name.

In the Bible reading for today, we need about the disciples' encounter with the resurrected Jesus at the sea of Tiberias. They toiled throughout the night and caught nothing. When Jesus came to them, they did not recognize Him. Jesus teased them and asked "Children, have ye any meat?" The answer was obviously negative. When you are not where you should be, you are on the wrong side and this can bring untold sorrow and lack. The compassionate Jesus then issued a directive that they should throw their net on the "right side" of the ship for a catch. Amazingly, they caught a multitude of fishes. One lesson we must learn from this story is that every child of God must find out which is the right side to be. In Genesis, we read about the wrong side Lot went to when he separated himself from Abraham.

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and behold all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other."

Genesis 13:10-11

Lot greedily chose the land that seemed good for his flock without considering his elder uncle who gave him the option to choose first. Unfortunately, it was the wrong side; it was a place that was marked for destruction, after Lot had become "successful", the iniquity of that land brought total destruction upon it and Lot took nothing out of the land. As a matter of fact, he lost his wife in the land.

"Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind, and she became a pillar of salt."

Genesis 19:24-26

Beloved, the side of the Lord is the right side. Jesus said: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." Come to the Lord's side today if you are yet to answer His call. Repent and accept Him as your Lord and Saviour. He will prosper you and give you all-round rest as He has promised.

Prayer Point

Father, please take me away from the wrong side of life and bring me to the right side.

THAT I MAY KNOW HIM – Thursday January 14th 2016

Posted: 09 Jan 2016 11:52 AM PST

THAT I MAY KNOW HIM

Memorise: If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. John 7:17

Read: Philippians 4:7-10, ⁷And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

⁹Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

¹⁰But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 9:13-11:32, Job 3:20-4:6

MESSAGE!!!

Being with Jesus brings about knowing Him as we brought to. Many blessings await the one who knows Jesus correctly. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ prayed that he might know Him, because he knew the attendant blessings of knowing the Author of life. The question is: what does it entail to know Jesus Christ? It takes staying with Him, learning from Him, doing His bidding and loving the brethren. He said:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me…."

Matthew 11:28-29

There are lots of things we must learn from Jesus if we really want to know Him as He is. For example, in the three great temptations that confronted Him in the wilderness, He proved true and faithful to His Father in heaven. He did not misuse His power, authority and the privilege of being the Son of the God with whom there is no impossibility. So, He refused to turn stone to bread. He also turned down the offer of being the richest man on earth when the condition was to worship the devil. Jesus Christ was then confronted with the pride of life when He was prodded by the devil to engage in a show of power, but He refused to jump from the pinnacle of the temple.

It is interesting to note that these were the three main temptations that rocked the human race in the Garden of Eden, and our first parents fell headlong into them. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (Genesis 3:6; 1^stJohn 2:16). As we know Jesus Christ, we learn to do His bidding and when we do His bidding, we are blessed. Our lack of the knowledge of Him makes us alien to God and we short-change ourselves by this. The Bible says:

"And such as do wickedly, against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits."

Daniel 11:32

The apostles of old knew the impotence of knowing the true God and one of them said:"…. Shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." (John 14:8). Brethren, we must know Jesus through and through.

Action point

Using Philippians 3:10, pray earnestly to God that He my reveal Himself to you.

BEING WITH JESUS – Wednesday January 13th 2016

Posted: 09 Jan 2016 11:50 AM PST

BEING WITH JESUS

Memorise: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:29

Read: Acts 4:13-14, ¹³Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

¹⁴And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 7:1-9:12, Job 3:3-19

MESSAGE!!!

It is one thing to answer the call of Jesus Christ, and it is another thing to stay put with Him after we answer the call. There are casual followers of Jesus Christ and there are die-hard followers as well. The casual followers of Jesus Christ have their reasons for causally follow Him. One of it may be because they cannot live by the ideals that Jesus teaches in His gospel. Being with Jesus means living by His teachings, He once lamented.

"And why call ye me, Lord Lord, and do not the things which I say?"

Luke 6:46

Many call Jesus "Lord" with their mouths but indeed, they do not regard Him as the Lord of their lives. This is why, for the avoidance of doubt, Jesus said:

"….If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

John 8:31-32

Two things are clear from our Bible reading for today; the first is, if you have been with Jesus indeed, boldness will be your trademark. The Bible says:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

Romans 8:15

When a so-called child of God is living in fear, we must check out whether indeed he has been with Jesus. Secondly; someone who has been with Jesus lives a daily miraculous life, that is another trademark of genuine followers of Jesus Christ. The Bible says:

"And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it."

Acts 4:14

I have taught my children in the School of Disciples that we can do more than Jesus did according to His promise. When we believe this, we stop being caricatures of His Ambassadors on earth. Then, we shall bring the whole world to their knees, when we confidently tell them that Jesus is Lord. We are indeed the light and salt of the world if we chose to be with Jesus, living according to His ideals. Two great blessings of being with Jesus are; we shall learn of Him and when we learn of Him, we shall find rest for our souls. Come to Jesus today and decide to stay put. Don't be a casual or temporary follower of Jesus Christ.

Action Point

Make up your mind to live the rest of your life for and with Jesus today and you will be a blessed person

GENUINE PRAISE AND WORSHIP: A PATH TO PROSPERITY – Tuesday January 12th 2016

Posted: 09 Jan 2016 11:48 AM PST

GENUINE PRAISE AND WORSHIP: A PATH TO PROSPERITY

Memorise: The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22

Read: 2^nd Chronicles 20:24-26, ²⁴And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

²⁵And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

²⁶And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.

Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 4:32-6:25, Job 2:7-3:2

MESSAGE!!!

Yesterday, we considered genuine praise and worship as a path to victory, today we want to consider prosperity; the genuine praise and worship.

"And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the soil, it was so much."

2^ndChronicles 20:25

When God tells you that He would prosper you, don't insult Him by asking "how?" This is because while you do not have one way that can lead you to your prosperity, God has uncountable ways. All you need is to believe and obey Him (John 11:40). Is it not amazing, if not unusual, for the soldiers in our bible reading to go to battle with precious jewels and costly outfits as if they were going for wedding ceremonies? The reason for this was that God had determined to bless His people, because He knew from the onset that His people would praise and bless the beauty of His holiness, so He prepared their compensation beforehand! Another lesson we must learn from this story is that our praise and worship must be Holy Spirit inspired; it must not be offered from our carnal man. The way we sometimes sing God's praise confirms that these songs are carnally motivated; not seasoned with grace. It would have been acceptable if we were singing it to praise men like secular musicians do. Unfortunately, the One we claim to be praising is a Spirit; He knows everything.

"But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

John 4:23-24

Moreover, the Almighty demands our praise and worship of Him. He is also prepared to bless our obedience to this divine mandate. In other words, if we deny Him the praise that He is worthy of, He will also deny us the prosperity that we can so easily get. I once visited a relation with the aim of blessing him with a certain amount of money, but changed my mind because he failed to give me a modest hospitality according to our custom. When I left his house, I used about 5% of the money I should have given him to buy the soft drink he should have entertained me with. He lost 100% because he did not host me with 5%. Let us cultivate the habit of giving God abundant praise and worship and He will bless us with abundant prosperity.

Action Point

Throughout today, worship God in truth, in spirit and in holiness as you go about your daily business.

GENUNIE PRAISE AND WORSHIP: A PATH TO VICTORY – Monday January 11th 2016

Posted: 09 Jan 2016 11:46 AM PST

GENUNIE PRAISE AND WORSHIP: A PATH TO VICTORY

Memorise: And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the

children of Ammon, Moah, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 2^nd Chronicles 20:22

Read: 2^nd Chronicles 20:21-23, ²¹And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

²²And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

²³For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir,

every one helped to destroy another.

Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 2:26-4:31, Job 1:20-2:6

MESSAGE!!!

The issue of praise and worship cannot be over-emphasised. As a matter of fact, the primary reason God created man was that man should praise and worship Him.

"The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Revelation 4:10-11

Despite the fact that we are created for the purpose of praising and worshipping God, the Lord still provides great benefits for us as we go about doing what we must do to fulfil the purpose of our creation. One of these benefits is the victory that God gives us when we sing His praises, as is recorded in our Bible reading for today. When Judah began to sing the praise of God, the Lord arose and fought on their behalf. We have read this passage so often that we seem to have lost both its significance and implication. Ordinarily, the people of Judah would have found it difficult to do what their king asked them to do considering the impending doom of war. How many of us can sing the praises of God in the presence of danger or attack? At such times, instead of singing the praises of God, we begin to query God, as if our righteousness is good enough to make us immune to the attacks of both spiritual and physical enemies. It is easier read than practised, but only its practice can bring us blessings, not our reading about it.

Another thing we must learn in today's reading is that the Bible says, "he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness…." It is not all praise and worship that is genuine and acceptable unto the Lord; some are unto the flesh. I have often told my children in the faith that they should be mindful of the type of songs they sing in the name of praise or worship. Some of these songs are from the pit of hell, coated in Christian lyrics. Any song, dance, drama or general work of art that promotes promiscuity is abominable in the sight of God and will do the opposite of genuine songs of praise and worship. Our songs should come from a pure heart; its presentation should also be void of pride and ulterior motive. It is unfortunate that some so-called songs of praise and worship are the importation of songs from idol worship. They are melodious, so we embrace them without knowing the implication. From today, let us allow the Holy Spirit to give us songs that the Trinity will appreciate, and let us sing to the beauty of God's holiness for irreversible victory over our adversaries.

Action Point

Pray that the Holy Spirit should give you angelic songs from God's throne so that when you sing here on earth, they will join you to sing "holy, holy, holy" unto the Captain of life.