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

CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN? Wednesday May 11th 2016
NEW LIFE IN CHRIST – Tuesday May 10th 2016
JESUS FOLLOWER? – Monday May 9th 2016
IT SHALL BE WELL – Sunday May 8th 2016
MORE THAN CONQUERORS – Saturday May 7th 2016
PRACTICALITY OF FAITH – Friday May 6th 2016

CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN? Wednesday May 11th 2016

Posted: 05 May 2016 01:13 PM PDT

CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN?

Memorise: And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man

according as his work shall be. Revelation 22:12

Read: Revelation 22:11-14, ¹¹He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

¹²And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

¹³I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

¹⁴Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Kings 10:18-12:21, Proverbs 22:29-23:13

MESSAGE

At the beginning of his ministry, Paul took a ride in a basket as he escaped for his life in Damascus (2^nd Corinthians 11:32-33). But the God who delivered him from the garrison at Damascus, allowed him to end up in jail at Philippi (Act 16). Because God answered a particular prayer yesterday does not mean that He would repeat another in exactly the same manner.

In Acts 16:25, Paul conducted a worship service in prison right in the midst of chains and bonds. He never complained. Paul learnt to praise God in whatever circumstance he found himself. Not many people can praise God when thrown into prison for the sake of the Gospel. He was prepared to undertake the worst of sufferings for the Kingdom of God (Philippians 1:20-21). He was not ashamed. Are you ashamed to suffer minor ridicule, persecutions,
denials, beatings for His Name today? Paul could say we should become a living sacrifice to God because he was one.

In African traditional religion, when a bird or animal is brought as a sacrifice to an idol, the giver forfeits his right to that animal; it becomes the property of the idol for the rest of its life. Whether it lives or dies or is given to someone is at the discretion of the idol. That living sacrifice may be fed so well in one moment and killed the next minute. This explains the term living sacrifice. You should be so yielded to God to the extent of delivering to Him the greatest pleasure in whatever you do. If dying for the Gospel will give Him the height of pleasure, you should be prepared to die like Stephen. The preparedness of Daniel to go into the lion's den demonstrates that he was a living sacrifice. But in the end, instead of death, his faith compelled a decree for the whole world to fear Daniel's God. If my death can produce a United Nations decree compelling all nations of the world to worship no other god other than my God – the true and living God, I will gladly be on my way to Heaven. Are you a living sacrifice? And to what extent?

Prayer Point

Father, please give me the grace to always look unto You for everything I need in life.

NEW LIFE IN CHRIST – Tuesday May 10th 2016

Posted: 05 May 2016 01:10 PM PDT

NEW LIFE IN CHRIST

Memorise: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are

passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2^nd Corinthians 5:17

Read; 1^st Corinthians 6:9-11, ⁹Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

¹⁰Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

¹¹And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Kings 8:25-10:17, Proverbs 22:13-28

MESSAGE

Speaking about a 'new life' is an indication that there has been an old one. In Christianity, when we speak of the 'old life', we mean a combination of the philosophy of life and worldview that controls the lifestyle and behaviour of a person that is not born again. The new life in Christ however, is the new way of thinking and doing things in accordance with the Bible that we have come to be acquainted with since we became born again. Several passages of the Bible focus on issues concerning the old and new life in order to help Christians identify the sources of their thoughts and actions, whether they are remnants of the old evil ways or from the new life in Christ. Galatians 2:20 says:

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

The book of Galatians devoted much effort to explanations on the old and new life, but what the above passage says about the old life and the new is golden. It simply says that when a person accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour, he automatically becomes dead to the old life, and communication with the old life becomes cut off. Everything about the thought process, interest, tastes, sensibilities, and the will becomes inaccessible to the former system of control. The old password simply refuses to work because the access code has been changed.
This event effectively marks the end on an era called 'the old life', and the beginning of the new life in Jesus. 2^nd Corinthians 5:17 says;

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

At this point, everything about the life we lived before we met Jesus ceases. The control of our lives now shifts back to the original source, to the One who gave us this free gift of new life. We naturally begin to hunger for righteousness by pursuing purity, honesty, justice, unselfishness, love, humility, and service to humanity. The Bible makes it clear that becoming a Christian is much more than adopting a new philosophy of life. When a person becomes a Christian through the right process, all phases of life are renewed. It starts from a new mind; you instantly begin to think differently from the old ways, to the extent that you actually become surprised at your new self. You suddenly develop a new standard and you begin to measure everything you do in line with the Bible. The new life in Christ also comes with a new hope of abundant life here on earth and eternal life in heaven. People may equate hope with wishful thinking, but real hope is based on the authority of the one offering it. God is faithful and dependable. You can count on Him for a new life in Christ.

Prayer Point

Father, please let the new life You gave me be refreshed every day of my life in the Name of Jesus.

JESUS FOLLOWER? – Monday May 9th 2016

Posted: 05 May 2016 12:46 PM PDT

JESUS FOLLOWER?

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

Read: Philippians 3:17-21, 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.)

²⁰For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

²¹Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Kings 6:24-8:24, Proverbs 21:30-22:12

MESSAGE

A brief look at many contemporary Christian leadership books seem to be confusing the followers of Jesus with a perceived strategy to shape future leaders of the church, as though Church leaders are in a special category. It should be noted that all followers of Jesus are called to a life of discipleship.
It is not exactly correct to interpret the relationship of Jesus with His disciples as an effort to develop a leadership training school for the future movement. The Bible is very clear on the fact that the focus of Jesus was first of all, the renewal of Israel, the establishment of the kingdom of God, and the transformation of lives through healing, deliverance, miracles, signs, and wonders, witnessed by the people. It is obvious that the function of the disciples within the Gospel narratives is not their exemplary leadership, but their role as models who braved the struggles that all followers of Jesus are destined to face. The disciples humanity, world view, character, and lifestyle, were openly displayed as an example for future disciples to follow. Jesus in Mark 8:34-35 says:

"And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it."

In one of Jesus' popular sayings, he said to His disciples, "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). This verse address issues of power, authority, and human dignity. Though all these are central to any discussion of leadership but the power of the text is in how it undermines notions of greatness and how a leader must use power on behalf of all members of the community. The modern teachings on Christian leadership have been redefined to mean that the servant and followers (present day Christians) have become greater than their masters and leaders (Jesus Christ). In response to this, Matthew 10:24 says:

"The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord."

All Christians must realize that a disciple cannot be above his master as a servant cannot be above his Lord. To be a Christian is to imbibe the discipline and humility of a servant. In addition to this important prerequisite for discipleship we might add the attributes of humility, gentleness, justice, and love. These were the contents for the discipleship training that Jesus gave to His disciples. Subsequently, deacons, elders, overseer/bishops, and believers are all expected to live out in very tangible ways, the lifestyle that honours God and is exemplary for the people of God. Followers of Jesus are to adopt this attitude toward life in general. The lifestyle of a Christian should be clearly different and morally superior to that of the world. The concept of Jesus on Christian leadership is firmly built on follower-ship, service, humility, obedience, and loyalty. If you want to follow Jesus acceptably, you must align your views on leadership to incorporate the ideals of Jesus Christ.

Prayer Point

Father, please help me to pay the price of leadership. Help me to imbibe the ideals of Master Jesus.

IT SHALL BE WELL – Sunday May 8th 2016

Posted: 05 May 2016 12:43 PM PDT

IT SHALL BE WELL

Memorise: For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may

endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalms 30:5

Read: Revelation 21:1-7, 21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

²And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

³And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

⁴And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

⁵And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

⁶And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

⁷He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Kings 4:38-6:23, Proverbs 21:16-29

MESSAGE

'It shall be well' it is futuristic statement. It speaks about something that will happen later, a speculation about the future state of man. Good appointed ministers of the Gospel as stewards of His mysteries. These ministers are saddled with the responsibility of 'rightly dividing the Word of truth', and distributing to everyone the right dose at the right time. It is also their duty to try to separate the precious from the vile, and to be God's mouth-piece in all situations. In addition,
they are commissioned to operate as God's ambassadors in this world by delivering every message according to the mind of God, as documented in the Holy Bible. It is in this respect that prophet Isaiah spoke in Isaiah 3:10-11:

"Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked; it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him."

This passage reveals that there are two classes of people in the world- the righteous and the wicked. No matter how diverse men are, they must fall under one of these categories. Consequently, the Bible classifies the people that are born again, sanctified and living in obedience to the Word of God ad righteous, and everyone else that refuses to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour as wicked. Therefore, no matter how wealthy, educated, and morally upright a person is, without Christ, they are wicked. Wickedness in this case is tantamount to the rejection of the work of salvation and the offer of peace and reconciliation freely extended to humanity. We may then say that the righteous are those who have been renewed in the spirit of their mind, and are following after biblical holiness. On the other hand, the wicked are those who are still in a carnal unregenerate state, unable to please God because of fleshly lusts. Ecclesiastes 8:12 says:

"Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:"

It is obvious from these passages that God has decided to make the righteous the focus of His love, favour, and blessings. God is saying that in spite of the negative circumstances around you presently, the present economic situation around the world, and the precarious political environment. It shall be well with the righteous. This is good news, however, it requires very serious consideration to decide where we belong. To which of these classes do you belong? Are you consciously living in obedience to God or are you living contrary to the Word of God? Answer these questions honestly and make a serious self assessment of your life. As you do this, I declare that it shall be well with you in Jesus' name.

Prayer Point

Father, please give me the grace to live in Your righteousness daily in Jesus' name.

MORE THAN CONQUERORS – Saturday May 7th 2016

Posted: 05 May 2016 12:39 PM PDT

MORE THAN CONQUERORS

Memorise: For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, through he was rich,

yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2^nd Corinthians 8:9

Read: Isaiah 53:1-5, 53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

²For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

³He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

⁵But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Kings 3:1-4:37, Proverbs 21:1-15

MESSAGE

Sometime ago, someone gave an illustration to explain the term "more than conquerors". He said it could mean that you are greater than the conqueror. He cited the case of a boxer who goes into the ring, fights and defeats his opponents, receives the prize and returns home ton handover the prize to his wife.
According to this fellow, the wife is the one who is more than a conqueror. Her husband is a conqueror because he endured some beating and bruises, but the wife did not suffer anything yet the prize was given to her on a platter of gold. In the same way, Jesus Christ our Bridegroom engaged the devil in a big fight. He was beaten, wounded, spat upon, defamed, disgraced, crucified and murdered. He won the battle through the power of resurrection and thereafter handed over the prize to us. Isaiah 53:4-5 says:

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed."

Being more than conquerors could also connote someone that has scored multiple victories from several battles or wars. There are several enemies that accost us in the battles of life. One of such enemies is the generational curse, this is a curse pronounced on someone's family even before his birth and it keeps affecting descendants of that family. For instance, in Genesis 49:1-4, Jacob pronounced a curse on Reuben saying he will never excel, and this affected his lineage for several years after. Some people are still suffering from a similar curse. In spite of all their talents, natural endowments and qualifications, they never get to the top. It is not because they are not making enough effort; in real terms, they are making more than enough effort, yet certain forces, in response to earlier curses, frustrate them or make it impossible for them to move to higher levels. Generational curses must not be allowed in your life. In the Name that is above every other name, any generational curse operating in your life shall come to nothing. The family of Eli that should have produced priest forever became beggars through a divine curse (1^st Samuel 2:30-34). Gehazi, together with his generation, was also cursed with leprosy (2^nd Kings 5:20-27). Are you seeing signs of generational curses in your life? Ask God to destroy them today. Also find out if there is anything you are doing to make such a curse effective in your life.

"As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

"More than conquerors" is a status bestowed on humanity through the love of God the Father, the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus the Son, and the magnificent work of the Holy Spirit. It is assessable to all human beings who will freely accept Jesus as their Lord and personal Saviour.

Prayer Point

Father, make me victorious over every negative circumstance of life in the Name of Jesus.

PRACTICALITY OF FAITH – Friday May 6th 2016

Posted: 05 May 2016 12:34 PM PDT

PRACTICALITY OF FAITH

Memorize: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not

seen. Hebrews 11:1

Read; James 2:14-23, ¹⁴What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

¹⁵If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

¹⁶And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

¹⁷Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

¹⁸Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

¹⁹Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

²⁰But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

²²Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

²³And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Kings 1-2, Proverbs 20:18-30

MESSAGE

Our memory verse for today provides the best explanation on the subject of faith. Practically, faith consists of making God at His word and acting accordingly. The idea of being sure provides a conviction that what we hope for will happen, not because we can make it happen, but because God has said it will happen.

In John 6:57-58, our Lord Jesus Christ assures us that His flesh and blood releases divine life. As you drink the wine representing His blood, the spirit will quicken your body because the wine is equivalent to the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 compares the wine with the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:11 says:

"But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you."

This means that if curses are warring against your body, when you partake of the bread and wine, physical victory will be delivered to your body. Are you sick? Has your body been afflicted with terminal aliments? Seek the face of the Lord concerning that sickness, go in faith for the next Holy Communion and you will be healed. There is a user of this Devotional with a terminal ailment, as you release your faith and partake of the next Holy Communion, you will be delivered from that ailment in the name of Jesus.

Furthermore, in Luke 24:49, the Lord told His disciples to wait until the power came. That is faith. Waiting on God is an act of faith.
While waiting, there would be several distractions and discouraging moments. The devil will being people to mock you just like they mocked Noah while he was building the ark for a supposed rainfall that had never before been experienced. For as long as it takes God to fulfil His promises in your life, WAIT. Don't get tired! Time spent in waiting on God to fulfil His Word is not wasted at all; it is counted to you as an act of righteousness. You are simply obeying God. Besides this, where to wait could also be very important. The Early Church was asked to wait in the city of Jerusalem. They did not know why, but God knew He had planned to send the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

Faith also provides a conviction of certainty for what we do not see. Just as physical eyesight provides evidence about visible things, faith provides evidence about the invisible. God has promised future blessings and eternal rewards. No one has seen these yet. Still, believers are certain that God will deliver on His promises, and we will one day see and experience these blessings and rewards. Faith proves the reality of what we cannot see. Faith enables Christians to live obediently in the light of what we know will come. "Faith provides a platform for hope and a perception into the reality of what would otherwise remain unseen" (Donald Guthrie).

Prayer Point

Father, please rekindle the fire of apostolic faith in me in the Name of Jesus.

WHAT MUST I DO TO RECEIVE FROM GOD – Thursday May 5th 2016
SUFFERING HATRED – Wednesday May 4th 2016
LONG LIFE PROSPERITY – Tuesday May 3rd 2016

WHAT MUST I DO TO RECEIVE FROM GOD – Thursday May 5th 2016

Posted: 01 May 2016 02:42 PM PDT

WHAT MUST I DO TO RECEIVE FROM GOD

Memorise: If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will,

and it shall be done unto you. John 15:7

Read: Mark 11:22-26, ²²And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

²³For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

²⁴Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

²⁵And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

²⁶But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Bible in one year: 1^st Kings 21:17-22:53, Proverbs 20:4-17

MESSAGE

Children of God looking up to Him for blessings should learn that God has provided the means of receiving abundant blessings from Him. God has also established a few laws, principles, rules and regulations to govern the process. For anyone to receive anything from God, the fellow must at least have a relationship with Him and must have faith in His love, mercy and power to do whatever he is hoping to get from Him.

We must be connected to God and abide in Him before we can receive from Him. Wisdom for financial breakthrough teaches that: although God gives seed to the sower, He also expects the sower to sow and not eat the seed.

"Now He that ministers seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;"

2^nd Corinthians 9:10

You must realize that there is no child of God without a seed. Now you may say, "I have no money and therefore I have nothing to sow." You are wrong. If you have no money, you may have something more valuable than money. Look in your hands, heart, intellect, abilities, talents, time, what you have in your house, your academic training, your mouth to preach and win souls, etc. There is no one without a seed. When God provides you with a financial blessing, say your wage, salary or profit from a business, that provision has a seed in it. If you spend everything, you will harm yourself. The book of John 12:24 says:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."

That financial provision; salary,
wage, or profit increase is some kind of harvest. God expects that the harvest you take today will give you a larger harvest tomorrow. When you receive your harvest, pay your tithe, sow your seeds and spend the rest. The seed you sow, in the process of time will be multiplied and will fetch you bread. If you don't sow your seeds, they remain alone but when you sow them, they will be given an opportunity to say, "thank you for parting with us". They will give you a harvest that will yet give you more seeds to sow.

You can decide to keep your corn with you, eat it and starve afterwards or sow it and expect a harvest. Many believers today are poor because greed, gluttony, impatience, ignorance and lack of faith made them eat their seeds along with their bread.

Now you know better, simply obey and begin to experience increase on all sides. As you begin to follow divine principles today, you will witness an extraordinary supply of His favour and blessings in Jesus' name.

Prayer Point

Father, please give me the wisdom to observe divine principles in Jesus' name

SUFFERING HATRED – Wednesday May 4th 2016

Posted: 01 May 2016 02:40 PM PDT

SUFFERING HATRED

Memorise: Jesus said unto them, if God were your Father, ye would love me: for I

proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. John 8:42

Read: John 15:17-21, ¹⁷These things I command you, that ye love one another.

¹⁸If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

¹⁹If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

²⁰Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

²¹But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

Bible in one year: 1st Kings 19:19-21:16, Proverbs 19:19-20:3

MESSAGE

As the time of the departure of Jesus began to draw near, He started talking to His disciples about the things that will befall them the moment when he would depart, so that they would not be caught unawares. These series of talks are generally referred to as the 'farewell discourse'. The Bible reading for today is one of the farewell discourses, it points to the fact that the disciples would suffer hatred. John 15:20 says:

"Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord. if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also."

Jesus said, if the world persecuted Him, then the disciples should expect a similar treatment in the hands of the people. Jesus told them that He was telling them ahead of time so that when these things began to happen, they would not be caught unawares. Jesus wanted His disciples to be fully ready for any eventuality.
What is the nature of the hatred that Jesus suffered in the hands of the people of the world? He was defamed, misrepresented, rejected unfairly, forsaken by friends and relatives, harassed, beaten, assaulted, abused, crucified and murdered. Jesus went further in John 15:21 to say:

"But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me."

The prophecy is not limited to the twelve apostles or those that were physically present with Him at that time. Jesus explained that this would be the fate of all that come after Him and live as true disciples. That the Church and people of God are presently operating under various kinds of attacks and persecution in many regions of the world is not news any longer. Christians are presently suffering untold hardships, insecurity, harassment, brutality, assaults, and murder. In fact, Jesus told the disciples that a time is coming that a person that kills a Christian would suppose that he is doing God a favour.

However, the Bible says we should count it all joy when we are faced with diverse temptations and persecutions, knowing that enough such challenges, we become exercised, our spiritual muscles get toughened and built-up.

Prayer Point

Father, please give me the grace to remain adherent to You no matter what the devil throws my way.

LONG LIFE PROSPERITY – Tuesday May 3rd 2016

Posted: 01 May 2016 02:37 PM PDT

LONG LIFE PROSPERITY

Memorise: Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the

land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Exodus 20:12

Read: Genesis 49:1-4, 49 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

²Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

³Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

⁴Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

Bible in one year: 1^st Kings 18:1-19:18, Proverbs 19:5-18

MESSAGE

The gospel truth is that the Christian lifestyle is so powerful, and yet deceptively simple and easy. I used the word "deceptively" because the Christian life can be likened to a police man or a soldier in uniform. These people may have gone through some rigorous training in their preparation for the job; however, the power behind their operations is in the uniform that bears the nation's emblem. A police officer or military personnel is therefore protected from assault and ill treatment for reasons beyond himself, and more so because he is on duty as an agent of the country. So also, a person that is born again is protected, supported, assisted, and backed up by the authority of heaven. More importantly, this special privilege is not earned through social status, popularity, hard work, financial status, or anything else. The only requirement is to accept Jesus as personal Lord and Saviour, and obediently submit to His authority in all things. For example, the Bible in Exodus 20:12 says:

"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."

This may seem very simple and easy, but unknown to many, great power is operating behind those words. This is the Word of God and anyone that will obey these words can expect to live a long life in prosperity.
If you are obedient to these words, not only should you expect to live long as a child of God, you can also expect to be fruitful and prosperous. Fruitfulness is a covenant benefit of God's children. Deuteronomy 7:12-14 reveals that God expects you to be fruitful by the fruit of your body, in your business and livestock. This implies that, because you are blessed by God, everything associated with you will carry a mark of that blessing. This is why you should have great expectations regarding fruitfulness. Are you struggling with barrenness? In the name of Jesus Christ, there shall be no more barrenness in your life, in your body and in your business. From now on, you shall be fruitful spiritually, mentally, financially, materially, and in your body.

Similarly, according to Deuteronomy 28:11-12, believers can expect supernatural abundance from the Lord. Remember, expectations should go ahead of you before the blessings are delivered. If you expect nothing, do not be surprised when you get nothing. Those without expectations demonstrate that they do not know what they want. When you read about God's powerful promises, expectations should rise up within you. The Lord says He will so bless you, that you will become a creditor to nations.

More so, this abundance is not limited to finance. God can bless the fruit of your brain so that you will be sought after by different educational institutions across the globe. The question is, are you born again? Are you in total obedience to the Word of God?

Prayer Point

Father, help me to be obedient to Your Word and bless me abundantly in Jesus' name.

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