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

Open Heavens Tuesday 15 November 2016:- Holiday in your Christian walk?

Posted: 12 Nov 2016 01:10 PM PST

HOLIDAY IN YOUR CHRISTIAN WALK? – Tuesday November 15^th 2016

Memorise: And Jesus said unto him, no man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 9:62

Read: Ezekiel 3:20 (KJV)

²⁰Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Bible in one year: Genesis 25-26, Psalms 104:1-18

MESSAGE

God's ultimate purpose for saving people is to make them true worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. He wants souls that will conform to the image of His son, Jesus Christ. The will of the Almighty God for us is not just that we stand out in life. Open Heavens Tuesday 15 November 2016:- Holiday in your Christian walk? For our Christian walk to be commended by the host of heaven, we need to remain focused and committed to the end. We should not allow the things of this world to deter us from the pursuit of true worship. Anyone who has said "goodbye" to the world should never go back. You cannot afford to go on a holiday during your Christian walk. Don't create an opportunity for the devil and his demons to access your life. Continue to dwell in the presence of God through witnessing, the study of His Word, in prayers and in fasting. Lot's wife missed it because she could not let go of her worldly affection. She did not make progress and she became a pillar of salt. This will not be your portion in Jesus' name. Have you been walking with the Lord passionately and you are getting tired? You need to check your life. If you quit, then you have lived for nothing. Those who begin the work of God must resolve in their hearts to go all the way. Every time you look back, is tantamount to taking a holiday and it is very dangerous because that is the window through which the devil will strike. His mission is to kill, to steal and destroy the lives of those who have separated themselves for Jesus. As long as you remain in Christ, you are secure. Looking back is drawing back and drawing back is moving towards perdition. Heaven is only for those who can endure to the end.

Heaven is only for those who can endure to the end.

Heaven is for over-comers and Jesus is our only way there. Hence, there should be no room for sin in the life of anyone who wishes to make it to heaven. As long as your mind is made up, there should be no going back to the past. A moment of ungodly pleasure will destroy a life of testimonies. Joseph refused to take a break with his master's wife; he ran and delivered himself from the devil's trap. Don't look back to those things you have dropped for the sake of Christ. Apostle Paul counted his achievements as dung. He pursued Christ till the very last moment. A disciple is a person with a singular focus, under one master. He must possess a single eye and live a single life. As long as you still have a mind for the world, you cannot be a candidate for His glory. One desire uppermost in my mind is to see believers live a life of excellence that demonstrates the magnificence of heaven. This can only happen when you walk in the revelation of 1^st John 4:17; "because as he is, so are we in this world". The one who wins will only be crowned if he runs with focus. You must run according to the rules of God. You have to forget the past and press forward for fresh victories in Christ Jesus. The zeal in our hearts must be so great that nothing will hinder us from fulfilling the plans and purpose of God for our lives. You cannot afford to stop running until you are called up into glory. Endure to the very end.

Key Point

Heaven is for great finishers not good starters.

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

Open Heavens Monday 14 November 2016:- Facing trials of faith?

Posted: 12 Nov 2016 01:00 PM PST

FACING TRIALS OF FAITH? – Monday November 14^th 2016

Memorise: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Read: Hebrews 11:36-40 (KJV)

³⁶And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

³⁷They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

³⁸(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

³⁹And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

⁴⁰God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Bible in one year: Genesis 24, Psalms 103:11-22

MESSAGE

There are several challenges that will confront us as we progress in the journey of faith, but none of them will dominate us. As a child of God, when you pass through the fire, the mighty man in battle has promised that it will not burn you. At one point or the other, your faith will be tried; your love for God will be tested. There will be persecutions of all kinds. Because of your belief in Christ, people will say all kinds of things against you. There will be false accusations despite your level of commitment to your assignment. No matter how good your intentions may be, sometimes, they may be spoken of in an evil way. Many times these tribulations, trials and persecutions will come from quarters you least expect. You should be bothered because the same people who hailed the triumphant entry of Jesus were the same people, who said to Pilate, crucify him. Have you been persecuted because of your faith and your holy living? I congratulate you, because you are fulfilling your part of the Christian calling. You have to know that the hostility of the world against believers in Christ Jesus is a transferred hostility. We are not the first set of people to be hated; the world hates us because they hated Jesus Christ. Despite the innocence of the young shepherd boy, king Saul attempted to kill him several times. You need to know that even in the household of faith, there are king Sauls. They are ready to kill you, not because you have committed any crime, but because they are uncomfortable with your standard of righteous living. Open Heavens Monday 14 November 2016:- Facing trials of faith? On several occasions, Jesus Christ, before his final persecution on earth, was persecuted by the people listening to Him in the synagogue. They did not like the way He was preaching with so much authority. And they always rose up against His good acts. What should you do in times of trials, tribulations and persecutions? You must rejoice in the Lord.

When Paul was going through persecution, rather than murmur and complain, he fellowshipped. No wonder he could say:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

Romans 8:35, 37

He said this despite the fact that he was beaten with rods, he was stoned, he suffered as shipwreck, and he was kept in the deep prisons. He suffered in the hands of robbers as well as in the hands of his countrymen. False brethren also surrounded him. There were times when situations and circumstances of weariness, hunger, nakedness and the cares of his missionary obligation threatened to discourage him, yet he finished well. You will finish well in Jesus' name.

Prayer Point

Father, give me victory over every trial I come across.

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