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

Open Heavens 3 November 2017: Friday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye –Upturning Blessings

Posted: 01 Nov 2017 01:03 PM PDT

UPTURNING BLESSINGS – Friday November 3^rd 2017

Memorise: And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. Joshua 6:18

Read: Malachi 2:1-6 (KJV)

2:1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.

^2:2If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

^2:3Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.

^2:4And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

^2:5My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.

^2:6The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Peter 1-3, 1^st John 1, Hosea 11, Hymn: Sing hymn 10

MESSAGE:

God can bless you by pronouncing a blessing on you, cancelling a curse or even turning a curse into a blessing. It is important to establish at this point that no man can change your blessing into a curse – not even the one through whom the blessing was pronounced. Once the blessing is pronounced, it cannot be taken back. We see a manifestation of this truth in Genesis 27:30-37. After Esau returned from his father's errand and realised his younger brother had stolen his blessing by impersonating him, he went to his father and said, "Daddy, what have you done?" Isaac his father replied, "I am sorry son, I have already blessed him and he remains blessed. I didn't know I was blessing the wrong fellow, but I can't change the blessing now. Open Heaven 3 November 2017: Friday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye –Upturning Blessings. He is already blessed!" In the Name that is above all names, every blessing that has been pronounced on you and your family shall come to pass! Your blessing shall never be reversed in Jesus' Name! Every plan of the wicked to upturn your blessings shall fail and meet with disappointment!

However, God can change a blessing into a curse. In 1^st Samuel 2:30, God told Eli, "With My mouth, I said that you and your father's house would stand before Me forever, but now, because of what you have done, I have changed My mind", and with the same mouth, God cursed Eli and his descendants forever. In that scripture, the Lord revealed that honouring Him is very crucial. If you want Him to fulfil His promises and beautiful prophecies to you and your family, you must be prepared to honour Him. God will only honour those who honour him. I have often told those brethren who attend our monthly Divine Encounter programme that when God asks you to give Him your first fruits, it is not because He is in need. It is simply a way of you honouring him. Proverbs 3:9-10 says,

"Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst with new wine."

Have you been faithful in paying your first fruits? If you pay it faithfully, He will definitely keep His word by bringing His promises to fulfilment in your life. If however you cannot meet His conditions, do not waste your time claiming the promises. God is a responsible God and He is the Father of responsible children. If you ignore the commands of your earthly father, it doesn't show you are responsible. It works the same way with God.

Action Point:

Pray that your blessing will never become a curse.

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.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.

hymn 10

1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

[Chorus]
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing--
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

[Chorus]

3. There shall be showers of blessing:
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing;
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

[Chorus]

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we're confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

[Chorus]

Open Heavens 2 November 2017: Thursday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye –Expect Tests

Posted: 31 Oct 2017 02:22 PM PDT

EXPECT TESTS – Thursday November 2^nd 2017

Memorise: And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. 2^nd Kings 2:2

Read: 1^st Peter 4:12-13 (KJV)

^4:12Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

^4:13But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

2^nd Kings 2:1-15 (KJV)

2:1 And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

^{2: 2}And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.

^2:3And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

^2:4And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.

^2:5And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

^2:6And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.

^2:7And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.

^2:8And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

^2:9And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

^2:10And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

^2:11And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

^2:12And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

^2:13He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

^2:14And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

^2:15And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

Bible in one year: 1^st Peter 2-5, Hosea 10, Hymn: Sing hymn 7

MESSAGE:

There are some vital lessons we can benefit from the story of Elijah and Elisha found in our Bible reading today. The first thing we see in that story is that God always has something better, more precious and more glorious in store for His children. No matter where you are and where you plan to be, God always has a better plan for you. This is why 2^nd Timothy 1:9 says,

"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began"

God has a unique purpose for your life. When you become born again, you were called by God to fulfil that purpose, and He also called you to holiness (1^st Thessalonians 4:7). This call of God on you is referred to as a 'high calling' (Philippians 3:14). Therefore, no matter how good you are in strategic planning, there is still a need for you to subordinate your plans under God's will and allow Him to have His way in your life. No wonder Psalm 37:5 says that you shall not fail to commit your ways unto God and trust Him to help you in actualising your plans. This is also why Proverbs 3:5-7 says that you should always tell God of your plans, so that He will provide divine guidance. Do you trust God enough to let Him direct your steps? Elisha was a successful businessman before the mantle of God's call fell on him, and he left his business to fellow God's plan for his life (1^st Kings 19:19). Eventually, he became a father to the whole nation of Israel and kings called him 'father'

Moreover, another lesson is that although God has a higher glory ahead for you, He can use people, situations and circumstances to test your resolve along the way. Sometimes when test come, we don't recognise them as tests, and because of this, many of us fail the test. You have to pray that in the tests of life, you will not be a failure. When Prophet Elijah was to be taken away, he told his servant Elisha that he had been sent by God on some errands and that Elisha should not bother to follow him. Thank God Elisha was dogged and sensitive enough to realise that it was a test, and he passed the test brilliantly. Some tests of life are so crucial that failing them may rubbish all the past good efforts one has put into achieving greatness. May you not fail in the tests of life!

Prayer Point:

Father, Whatever tests I would have to go through, please see me through. In the tests of life, let me not be a failure.

hymn 7

1. O Jesus, I have promised,

To serve Thee to the end;

Be Thou forever near me,

My Master and my Friend;

I shall not fear the battle

If Thou art by my side,

Nor wander from the pathway

If Thou wilt be my Guide.

2. Oh, let me hear Thee speaking,

In accents clear and still,

I dare not trust my judgment:

Thy way shall be my will;

Oh, speak to reassure me,

To hasten or control;

Oh, speak, and make me listen,

Thou Guardian of my soul.

3. O Jesus, Thou hast promised

To all who follow Thee

That where Thou art in glory

There shall Thy servant be;

And Jesus, I have promised

To serve Thee to the end;

Oh, give me grace to follow,

My Master and my Friend.

4. Oh, let me see Thy footmarks,

And in them plant mine own;

My hope to follow duly

Is in Thy strength alone.

Oh, guide me, call me, draw me,

Uphold me to the end;

And then in Heav'n receive me,

My Savior and my Friend