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

16 October 2016 Open Heavens:- I Know your works I

Posted: 13 Oct 2016 11:35 AM PDT

I KNOW YOUR WORKS I – Sunday October 16^th 2016

Memorise: Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou has left thy first love. Revelation 2:4

Read: Revelations 2:1-5, (KJV)

1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

²I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

³And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

⁴Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

⁵Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Bible in one year: Daniel 11-12, Psalms 79

MESSAGE

Many people think of a high level of sin and crime when we talk of backsliding, whereas to backslide does not require going into heinous sins as some erroneously think. What is backsliding? Simply defined, backsliding is failure to do the good things you were doing before. Open Heavens 16 October 2016:- I Know your works I James 4:17 says:

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

It becomes a serious matter when you have started doing a good work and you stop doing it; that is backsliding in its practical form. This was the situation in the Church at Ephesus. The Lord commended their labour, their patience and their zero tolerance for evil. The Lord also knew how careful they were in scrutinizing and distinguishing between true and false apostles. In other words, they did not take any message in the Name of the Lord if they were not persuaded in the Holy Ghost about its authenticity. They held fast the faith, labouring to defend it without compromise. However, the Lord had something against them; they had left their first love. As a Christian, where is your first love? Is it still intact or have you left it for the theology of relativism? Is the end justifying the means of your livelihood? Your Church is swelling up in attendance after you compromised the faith. Those who you could not tolerate on God's altar are those that are frequently invited. Those singers that you could never allow near God's sanctuary are those who now frequently "minister" in songs to your congregation. Where is your first love? The Master in Revelation 2:5 is saying:

"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove they candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."

In the past, Christians didn't walk in the counsel of the ungodly. They didn't stand where sinners stood, and they didn't sit at the forum of the scornful (Psalms 1:1). Nowadays, Christians promote and applaud jesting and ungodly jokes. We seem to have forgotten that not only doers will be punished but also those who love the doers. Romans 1:28, 32 says:

"…Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

Beloved, we should never allow our love for Christ go cold. Let us go back to our first love and be ready to suffer fleshy loss so that we can ultimately win Christ. 16 October 2016 Open Heavens.

Prayer Point

Father, please forgive me in anyway I have backslide and restore me to my first love for You and Your Kingdom.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A Adeboye

15 October 2016 Open Heavens:-Who is your role model?

Posted: 13 Oct 2016 11:24 AM PDT

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL? – Saturday October 15^th 2016

Memorise: Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 1^st Corinthians 11:1

Read: Philippians 3:14-19, (KJV)

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 anything 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.

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:

¹⁹Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Bible in one year: Daniel 9:10, Psalms 78:55-72

MESSAGE

One thing that thrills me about the Bible is that it is a library of books that confirms that there is no new thing under the heaven. Everything good, bad and ugly have happened before and they are written so that we can learn from them. We have had many leaders in both secular and religious history; we still have leaders in the present age. The question is; who is your role model? Show me your model and I can tell you who you are. In the Bible reading for today, we read about someone who was bold enough to tell his audience to follow him because he was a follower of the Greater Master, Jesus. Open Heavens 15 October 2016:-Who is your role model? He went further to tell the Philippians what he did with his life:

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:13-14

In his effort to please his Master and Lord, the apostle said that those things which were gain to him, he counted as nothing so that he may win Christ and His righteousness. He aspired to become like Jesus Christ to the point of no return. He said in Philippians 3:10:

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death."

We can learn many things from the life of this apostle: If we look at the dramatic change that followed his encounter with Jesus Christ on the way to Damascus, we cannot help but ask whether we plan to go to the same heaven with this soldier of the Cross. His memoirs are clearly written in 2^nd Corinthians 11 and 12. He spoke in part about the price of not only his discipleship but also of his apostleship, as he talked of a thorn in his flesh that buffeted him and then concluded in 2^nd Corinthians 12:9-10 by saying:

"And he said unto me, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

Beloved, who is your role model? We have living role models in the present age; those that are sold to the righteousness attainable only in Christ, those who have not corrupted themselves with the affairs of this life. Their lifestyles may not be amiable but if we follow them, our heavenly destination is guaranteed. Paul, the apostle under study, warned us thus in Philippians 3:17

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

The reason he gave was that many, even as early as the first century Church did not walk uprightly. As it was in the beginning so it is now. Therefore, beloved, watch out for good role models and pattern your life after them as they do after Christ. 15 October 2016 Open Heavens.

Action Point

Look among Christian leaders and find out those living according to Christ's doctrine. Follow their footsteps.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A Adeboye