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

LESSONS FROM THE TRIUMPHANT ENTRY – Monday April 18th 2016
ABUNDANT BLESSINGS – Sunday April 17th 2016
LET GOD HELP YOU II – Saturday April 16th 2016
LET GOD HELP YOU I – Friday April 15th 2016
WHEN YOU NEED A MIRACLE – Thursday April 14th 2016

LESSONS FROM THE TRIUMPHANT ENTRY – Monday April 18th 2016

Posted: 12 Apr 2016 12:33 PM PDT

LESSONS FROM THE TRIUMPHANT ENTRY

Memorise: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of

the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. Mark 11:10

Read: Matthew 21:1-9, 21 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

²Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

³And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

⁴All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

⁵Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

⁶And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

⁷And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

⁸And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

⁹And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Samuel 14-15, Proverbs 12:1-14

MESSAGE

A lot of lessons can be deducted from the historic entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Right from verse two of our Bible text, we are exposed to revelations from the Lord's actions. Jesus had not entered into the village, but He knew there was an ass tied; not alone but with its colt. We can see the omniscient attribute of Jesus Christ, like that of His Father. He said loose them, and bring them unto me. To soul winners, you are expected to loosen your converts before bringing them for the Master's use. He said:

"And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."

Mark 16:17-18

We are not supposed to dialogue with the devil and his cohorts; all we need is to exercise authority (Luke 10:19). Since all these are written for fulfilment, we have a date with destiny to fulfil our divine mandate. As missionaries and soul winners, we must endeavour to go after our entire household to win them for Christ. It was not the ass alone but also its colt. The disciples decorated the ass and its colt for the use of the Master. Before our converts can be useful for the Master, we must work on them through the teaching of the Word. The Bible says:

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."

2^nd Timothy 4:2

Another lesson from the story of the
triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem is the high praise of God through His beloved Son. Whoever will glorify God the Father must do that through the Son because God has given Him a Name that is above every other name.

Our Lord Himself said:

"….I am the way the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6

He said,

"Behold I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with me."

Revelation 3:20

If we do not shut Jesus out of our lives, we are bound to be happy like the inhabitants of Jerusalem in our Bible text for today. I implore someone reading this devotional; open your heart to Jesus, let Him have full control of your heart and you will find rest for your soul.

Prayer Point

Holy Father, take absolute control of my life today.

ABUNDANT BLESSINGS – Sunday April 17th 2016

Posted: 12 Apr 2016 12:28 PM PDT

ABUNDANT BLESSINGS

Memorise: Blessing shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

Deuteronomy 28:3

Read: Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 28 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

²And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Samuel 12-13, Proverbs 11:18-31

MESSAGE

Jesus Christ said; "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33). In other words, there are abundant blessings in the kingdom of God. It goes without saying that there is wisdom in seeking to please God above all other ambitions. The Almighty God revealed the secret of abundant blessings of His people in today's scriptural reading; abundant blessing is embedded in perfect obedience to the Word of God.

Many people think that the moment they become Kingdom seekers, they will enter into a world of penury. This is the deceit of the devil which has unfortunately been believed through the ages. The devil has succeeded in making many people believe that unless they serve him, they cannot make it in life. He even had the audacity to attempt deceiving Jesus Christ during the temptations in the wilderness, but our Lord defeated him (Luke 4:5-7).

Beloved, I want to announce to you that there are abundant blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ; my life is a living testimony of this.
Before I gave my life to Christ, I used to borrow money from my own drive to fuel my car two weeks into a new month. It was when I gave my life to Christ that I began to know the true meaning of prosperity. Deuteronomy 8:18 says:

"But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day."

The Psalmist says that unless the Lord builds a house, the builders build but in vain (Psalms 127:1). Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ also corroborates this when he wrote:

"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase."

1^st Corinthians 3:6-7

May the abundant blessing from the throne of God be your portion in Jesus' name.

Prayer Point

Father, please let Your abundant blessings be my portion this season in Jesus' name.

LET GOD HELP YOU II – Saturday April 16th 2016

Posted: 12 Apr 2016 12:23 PM PDT

LET GOD HELP YOU II

Memorise: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the

Son of man be lifted up. John 3:14

Read: Numbers 21:7-9, ⁷Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

⁸And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

⁹And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Samuel 8:15-11:27, Proverbs 11:4-17

MESSAGE

The coming of sin into the human race brought about a lot of calamity into human life. One of the calamities is sickness. As sin can be very contagious in effect, so can sickness too. The good news, however, is that the Almighty God is also ready to help the human race get over this. He promised the people He chose for Himself through their progenitor, Abraham, that He would spare them the agony of sickness and diseases:

"And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all that hate thee."

Deuteronomy 7:15

From time to time, the devil causes man to sin against God so that he may be destroyed by the One who created him, thus frustrating the divine love which God bestowed upon humankind. As if this is not enough, the devil goes
ahead to deceive man not to accept the divine help that can rescue him from all his diseases. In the story we read in the Bible reading for today, the children of Israel sinned against the God of their fathers and God sent fiery serpents to kill them. After much plea by Moses, God decided to help them.

It is unfortunate that many refused to look and live when they were bitten by the fiery serpent. They did not allow God to help them (1^st Corinthians 10:9). Jesus said, just as Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness and those who looked up to it were healed, so also whoever will allow God to help him will look up to Jesus for healing (John 3:14). The reason is that He came to pay for the sin of humanity and so, by His stripes we were healed (1^st Peter 2:24). Beloved, what infirmities are you suffering from? Have you tired and suffered by the hands of physicians like the woman with the issue of blood? Come believing the Great Physician today. Jesus Christ will heal you as He did to the impotent man at Bethesda (John 5:1-9). For you to enjoy divine healing, however, you must belong to the Great Physician. The food meant for children cannot be given to dogs or slaves (Mark 7:26-30). Allow the Great Physician to help you today.

Prayer Point

Father, please heal my infirmities today in Jesus' name.

LET GOD HELP YOU I – Friday April 15th 2016

Posted: 12 Apr 2016 12:07 PM PDT

LET GOD HELP YOU I

Memorise: if ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. Isaiah 1:19

Read: Isaiah 1:18-20, ¹⁸Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

¹⁹If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

²⁰But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Samuel 5:17-8:14, Proverbs 10:22-11:3

MESSAGE

There is one great barrier that stands between man and God; this barrier is sin. For thousands of years, man has struggled to get rid of this barrier, but all to no avail. However, God Almighty, in His infinite mercy decided to help man remove this barrier. Right from the Old Testament days, God has been offering individuals the olive leaf of reconciliation, but unfortunately many people have not responded to this gesture of love.

"Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;"

Proverbs 1:24-26

This God that man blatantly sinned against in the Garden of Eden is the same God that is now inviting man back to His fellowship. He said:

"Come now, and let us reason together saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Isaiah 1:18

During the earthly mission of Jesus Christ, He still made this pronouncement of love;

"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; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

Matthew 11:28-29

I am appealing to a user of this devotional who has been struggling with the barrier of sin to stop struggling. You cannot help yourself; only Jesus Christ, can help you. All you need to do is to surrender your life to Him in genuine repentance and believe that He came to die for human race (1^st John 3:8; Romans 5:8, 11). Beloved, let God help you solve your problem of sin today accept sin to be sin; don't rationalise it but admit, confess and forsake it. It shall be well with you in Jesus' name.

Action Point

Father, have mercy on me and give me power over and above sin in Jesus' name.

WHEN YOU NEED A MIRACLE – Thursday April 14th 2016

Posted: 12 Apr 2016 12:02 PM PDT

WHEN YOU NEED A MIRACLE

Memorise: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt

glorify me. Psalms 50:15

Read: 1^st Samuel 1:9-13, ⁹So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord.

¹⁰And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.

¹¹And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

¹²And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth.

¹³Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Samuel 3:1-5:16, Proverbs 10:8-21

MESSAGE

There is one thing that a child of God needs to know and do when he or she needs a miracle. This is to call upon the Lord in prayer. What is a miracle and why do we need it? Simply explained, a miracle is the supernatural intervention of God in the affairs of men. This intervention basically alters the established laws of nature. At times, the devil manipulates some natural phenomena to deny human beings some basic things that make life pleasant. For example, when Jesus Christ was travelling in a ship with His disciples, the devil manipulated the wind against them so that they may suffer a shipwreck. The disciples went to Jesus Christ in the ship and cried for help. Matthew 8:26 says:

"And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great clam."

Some so-called children of God are so hypocritical that, even in the presence of the Lord, they still pretend as if all is well, whereas they have unimaginable issues with their spiritual, physical, material and financial needs. In the case of the disciples, they cried to Him for help; they told Him exactly how they felt about the tempest. The danger of death was imminent and the disciples did not pretend as if nothing was wrong. So, Jesus Christ responded to their cry and stilled the storm. I pray that as you cry to the Lord today, He will not just hear but also respond to your cry in Jesus' name. The storms in your life will miraculous cease today in Jesus' name.

In our Bible reading for today, we see what one must do when he or she needs a miracle. Hannah needed a miracle, but from year to year she had been going casually to Shiloh until that wonderful year when she realised she needed to do what she had not been doing before; she offered fervent and heart-rending prayers. She prayed so hard that she lost her voice and Eli thought she was drunk. At times when I see how some of my children pray at our periodic meetings at the Redemption Camp in Nigeria, I rejoice because the tempo of their prayers signifies that they are people who need urgent miracles.

"And she was in bitterness of soul, and

prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore… now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken."

1^st Samuel 1:10, 13

The amazing thing about the above story is that Hannah was not even offended, when she was misunderstood by the high priest who was supposed to know when an individual was in serious communion with God. With joy also I always pray with my children when I see them praying desperately in need of miracles. My prayer is that as you pray to God today, your miracle will reach you sooner than you expect in Jesus' name.

Action Point

Tender your deepest heart desires to God today in faith.