Open Heavens for today :Sunday September 13th 2015

Topic: HE GRAFTS IN

Key verse to Memorise: Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Romans 11:19

Bible Readind:Romans 11:16-20:

¹⁶ For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷ And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

¹⁸ Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

¹⁹ Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.

²⁰ Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

Bible in one year: Exodus 29:1-30:21, Romans 13:8-14:12

Grafting is an agricultural technique used for propagating fruit trees. It involves cutting a section of the stem of one tree and inserting it into the stock of another tree. A part of the tree providing the stock must be cut off before grafting can take place. The technique is used in order to make fruit trees reproduce true to type. Today’s Bible reading describes our entry into the family of God as a form of this process. The Almighty God has the power to reverse the irreversible. In the process of doing this, He can disconnect a person in order to connect another. Romans 11:17 says that God can take a branch from a wild olive tree and graft it into a good olive tree, so that instead of the wild branch producing bitter fruit, it will deliver good fruit. Are you living recklessly and on your way to Hell? As you repent of your sins today and turn your life over to Jesus, God will graft you into the Body of Christ, so that your future that was suppose to end in bitterness will end in sweetness.

The children of Israel were beneficiaries of grafting as an act of God. Seven powerful nations had inhabited the Promised Land for several years before God chose that portion of the earth for His children (Deuteronomy 7:1). He decided to cut off those nations and bring in His Children. This season, the Lord will displace the current movers and shakers of the most productive sectors of the world, in order to make room for you in Jesus’ Name.

Another beneficiary of God’s grafting was Esther. She was an orphan who became a slave when soldiers raided her city and took her captive (Esther 2:5-7). She knew sorrow and was meant to die a slave, but God went into her future and said, “Yon shall not die a slave but a queen”. For this to take place, God used Queen Vashti’s mistake to cut her off, so that the slave girl could be grafted in as queen. Are you a slave or a house-help, wondering if you will die in that present condition? The Lord who did it for Esther will go into your future and effect the necessary changes to make you a noteworthy person. Are people expecting your life to end in misery? No, my God will not let it happen! Your tomorrow shall be alright. You shall have the type of experience Esther had, and your end shall be honourable like that of Jabez (1^st Chronicles 4:9-10). You shall end well. Are you empty now? You shall end full. God will disappoint all the expectations of your enemies in Jesus’ Name.       

Prayer Point:Father, as I submit myself to You, graft me into greatness today.

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Open Heavens for today: Saturday September 12th 2015

Topic YOUR DESTINY IS UNSTOPPABLE 

Key Verse to Memorise: Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Romans 9:19

Bible Text: Jeremiah 1:4-7, ⁴ Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

⁵ Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

⁶ Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

⁷ But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

 Bible in one year: Exodus 27-28, Romans 12:9-13:7

If God has a destination for you, your present situation cannot stop Him. The circumstances of life surrounding young Esther as a slave girl did not stop her from becoming queen of a very powerful kingdom. In the Name of Jesus Christ, your present circumstances shall not stop you from arriving at your God-appointed destiny! Similarly, concerning where God is taking you, your past does not matter. 2^nd Corinthians 5:17 says if you are in Christ, old things are passed away and everything has become new. For this reason, God commands you thus in Isaiah 43:18:

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.”

If you are sure of your salvation in Christ, whatever was in your past that the enemy wants to use in hindering your destiny will receive a divine touch. Everything in your past that can destroy your present and future, especially as relates to your destiny, shall be completely arrested by God today. From today, the mercy of God will go ahead of you, and your past shall no longer hinder you. Every accusing finger pointing at you shall stop in Jesus’ Name. The Lord says this to you in Romans 8:1:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Moreover, another vital information you should have is that God is the One who decides destinies. He told Jeremiah: “I have determined what you would be, long before I formed you and put you in your mother’s womb. While you were still in your mother’s womb, I ordained you to be a prophet to nations.” Long before you were born, God had already decided what you will be. He did not consult with your parents before taking His decisions about your destiny. If He did, they could have disqualified you. “Witches and wizards from your village” did not know what was going on at that time. They were not there when God was planning your life, hence they can’t stop you. In His mind, God has decided the following concerning you: it shall be well with you, you shall live to glorify His Name, you shall not die prematurely, you shall fulfil your destiny, and many more. Every good thing that the Lord has decided concerning you shall be established! Every destiny destroyer sent to hinder you shall fail and fall. Your tomorrow shall be far greater than your today. Every force that tries to hinder you shall be destroyed by the fire of the Holy Ghost in Jesus’ Name. 

    

Prayer Point: Father, paralyse every gang up of the enemy that wants to stop the good things You have started in my life.

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Open Heavens for today: Friday September 11th 2015

Topic: SCHEMING: NOT ALLOWED

Key Verse to Memorise: But all these woreth that one and the selfsame spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 1^st Corinthians 12:11

Bible Text: Numbers 16:8-14:

 ⁸ And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:

⁹ Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?

¹⁰ And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?

¹¹ For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?

¹² And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:

¹³ Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?

¹⁴ Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.

 Bible in one year: Exodus 25-26, Romans 11:25-12:8

In Numbers 16, we read of a highly explosive rebellion that rocked God’s people in the wilderness. Some leaders were not satisfied with the level of assignment God had apportioned to them. Instead of going through Moses to God to ask if there could be an expansion of their job description, they began to eye the priesthood. They wondered how God could give them so little an assignment considering their zeal to serve Him. How could some other people be chosen as the priests when they were there? At some point, they succeeded in convincing 250 popular leaders, who were princes, to favour their cause. What started like a joke had become a great revolt. In the end, the Lord Himself stepped in and delivered judgement to all concerned.

From this story, we should learn to be content with whatever God gives to us. God gives talents to every person according to their abilities. The Holy Spirit is in charge of assigning jobs descriptions to the children of God. 1^st Corinthians 12:11 says:

“But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”

He is in charge of God’s vineyard, and so He is the One to give you the portion you should work on. Also, He will give you the required ability and the spiritual stamina to perform the assignment. Someone may say, “I am still an ordinary altar minister, whereas by now I should have become a zonal pastor.” The Holy Spirit knows why you are where you are. You can be sure that when you need to occupy a higher office than where you are now, He will take you there. However, to move up the ladder in God’s Kingdom is not by acts of the flesh but by the will of the Spirit. You are not permitted to seek higher office by scheming out your leader in order to take his place. Some people do this and succeed in replacing their leader, but they are completely outside of God’s plan and out of their divine assignment. They are no longer in God’s employment; they now serve their own bellies at best or the devil at worst. Any work done by such ecclesiastical rogues will never attract any reward from Heaven, because the foundation of that service is not the Holy Spirit. If they ever make it to Heaven, they will be told “You worked for yourself and not for God, so go and reward yourself.” 

Key Point: Many leaders are operating in God’s permissive will, outside of His perfect will. That God has not stopped you from following your inordinate ambitions does not mean He approves or supports your actions.

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Open Heavens for today: Thursday September 10th 2015

Topic: GOD: AN ENCOURAGER

Key Verse to Memorise: I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Psalm 85:8

Bible Text: Psalm 85:7-9:

 ⁷ Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.

⁸ I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

⁹ Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

  Bible in one year: Exodus 22:16-24:18, Romans 11:1-24

 “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

Psalm 27:14

After you have suffered a major loss, or when everything around you appears gloomy and bleak, turn your focus on the Lord. When those you look up to fail you, look up to God. He is the only One who will never fail you. Have your friends in the Christian race turned their backs on God? Are you becoming discouraged and wondering whether to continue with Christ or to join your backslidden friends? Focus on Christ and He will sustain you. Has your pastor done something so painful to you, to the extent that you are thinking of either leaving the church or going back into the world? Look up to Jesus! Remember, the Christian race accommodates everyone who has repented, but it is still a very personal race. If your friend or pastor chooses to go to Hell, must you go with them? No! Never be discouraged from doing the work that God has assigned to you, irrespective of contrary pressures from human and demonic forces.

Several years ago, just after I became a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, there was a misunderstanding among the ministers of the church. Some people I highly respected disappointed me, so much so that I became depressed and discouraged. As I returned from the headquarters of the church at Ebute-Metta, to the University of Lagos where I was lecturing, a traffic warden stopped my car at St. Agnes junction. While I was waiting, I said to myself, “If this is what they call the gospel, and it is not taking me forward, then I will go back to where I am coming from.” Almost immediately, the Lord spoke to me saying “Son, why are you so sad?” My reply was “Lord, You know all things. You saw all that happened.” Then He said “True, this fellow disappointed you, but have I ever disappointed you?” With that word, courage, hope and joy flooded my heart, and I moved from the valley to the mountain top. I went my way, singing “I have a God who never fails”. God is your greatest antidote to discouragement. Look up to Him and He will send you the right words that will terminate sorrow and discouragement in you. Are you disheartened? Feed on God’s word, remember His promises and recall how He has answered your prayers in the past. After doing all these, place your hope and trust in Him.  

Action point: When God encourages you, no discouragement can hold you back. Ask for His encouragement today.

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