Discerning Unusual Opportunities- Open Heavens Daily Devotionals by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 45-48
DISCERNING UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITIES  Thursday, December 23, 2010
MEMORIZE: “At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered” (Isaiah 33:3) READ: 2 Kings 13:16-19 Apart from unusual increase, another sign of the time of your favor is when God arises on your behalf. Psalm 102:13 says, “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time is come”. The Psalmist was compassed by strong and determined enemies who worked relentlessly to destroy him. Things became so tough that he had to weep while eating or drinking but patiently waited on God. At some point, his faith degenerated into hope as he wondered when God would penetrate the invisible walls hindering his prayers. But when the enemies started to quake and retreat, he realized it was the time of his favor. When those who have been fighting against you suddenly rise up in your defense, do know that your time of favor has come. “So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory” (Psalm 102:15). When your enemies are overtaken with fear and begin to confess their evil deeds and ask for forgiveness or seek deliverance, do know that the Lord has arisen on your behalf because your time of favor has come. Also, when Exodus 14:14 comes to you from the Lord, meaning that you no longer have to defend yourself because God has taken over your case, know that your time of favor has come. This season, concerning that fierce private battle you are going through, the Lord will arise on your behalf. Another sign to identify the time of God’s divine favor is when God gives you an unusual opportunity. Pray for grace to identify and maximize that opportunity for all its worth. King Joash had such an opportunity but could not make the best of it. When Elisha was about to die, since there was nobody worthy of his double portion anointing, he felt led to give king Joash an unusual opportunity to defeat all his enemies in all future battles through a prophetic action. With Elisha’s hand on the king’s hand, every arrow shot represented a victory for Syria. If only he had maximized that opportunity, he would never have been defeated: his victory would have been complete. It is unfortunate he could not discern the times. May you not miss your unusual opportunities this year. Ask God to open the eyes of your spiritual understanding to identify the signs of the time of your favor so that your blessings do not pass you by. ACTION POINT: Thank God for unusual opportunities coming your way this season. Pray for grace to adequately utilize them. N.B: Have you supported the RCCG PROJECT towards eradicating illiteracy in Nigeria? Join today.

Cost of Failing God- Open Heavens Daily Devotionals by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 41-44
COST OF FAILING GOD Wednesday, December 22, 2010
MEMORIZE: “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Joshua 1:5) READ: Joshua 1:1-5 Apart from knowing we have a multi-dimensional calling, another lesson from 1 Samuel 16:1-14 is that God always has a substitute. Do you know that if Saul had not failed God, Jonathan would have succeeded him? That means David might never have become king. We learn from this that God is a true business man.  He thinks and plans ahead of storms. He rearranges situations, events and even his servants to fit into a void caused by the failure of someone. One of my sons today is a senior pastor in this mission. God never told him he would be a pastor although God’s hand was upon him. One day, he was interviewed by his pastor and sent to head a parish from which the founding parish pastor had resigned. It took him by surprise as he solemnly protested that God kept him in the dark. What happened was sudden. The opportunities that the original pastor should have had have suddenly been transferred to him. If Saul had not disappointed God, David could have ended up as the national chief instrumentalist or musician but because Saul failed God, David’s scope of relevance was broadened. This tells us that one man’s misfortune is another man’s advantage. As long as you remain faithful and patient with God, you will rake the glorious destinies of those who fall by the way side. In addition, when someone disappoints God, it will expedite the promotion of somebody else. Someone who was originally slotted by God to occupy a post in 5 or 10 year’s time may suddenly find himself in that position. This was what happened to Joshua. This tells us to be ever prepared. Do not limit yourself to your present level. Take personal steps to develop yourself and gifts. Study the Word far ahead of others.  Be known for excellence. If Moses had not failed God, he would have led them to Canaan, and have lived many years in that land as his resting period before being called home to glory. Then, Joshua would have waited many more years to succeed him. Moses died suddenly (even at 120 years) just because he failed God. That means if you fail God, you have lost any justification to live. In any case, some people who may be smiling with you now are earnestly wishing you to fail God so that they can succeed you. Make sure you disappoint them! ACTION POINT: Failing God makes others take advantage of you. However, it is possible not to fail God.  Cry to God for grace never to fail Him. N.B Support the RCCG PROJECT today, God will surely surprise you as you do it.

PROVE ALL THINGS - Open Heavens Daily Devotionals by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 37-40
PROVE ALL THINGS Tuesday, December 21, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (I John 4:1) READ: 1 John 4:1-3 One area the Lord commended the Ephesian church in His letter to them was in their ability to try professing ministers and sieve the genuine ones from the fake (Rev. 2:1-7). This is also very necessary for the church today only that we are getting too lazy to even give such things a thought. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (I John 4:1). The ability to distinguish the fake from the real stands out a church from the crowd. Do not receive anything from just any man of God without trying him to see if he is truly saved, and manifesting the fruit of the Spirit. If his lifestyle contradicts God’s Word, then you must disregard him and his message.  If he prays in the Name of Jesus Christ, but adds that for greater result, you need to add something else, he is fake. If he is having two or more wives or divorced his original wife and married another woman, or if he has girl friends in addition to his wife, he is a false prophet. Any prophet who asks you for money in exchange for fasting and prayers is fake. Any prophet who demands to sleep with you before your problem can be solved is fake. Any prophet that calls on the names of Mary, angels and departed saints in their prayers is a false prophet. Try every prophet.  Test their messages too to see how they conform to the Word of God.  Any message meant to keep you in fear is not of God. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thess. 5:21).  All things must be tested. Try the spirits.  Not all ‘Thus says the Lord...’ are from God.  In fact, false prophets use that term just to manipulate their victims. Many people are becoming polluted from imbibing false teachings and spirits. Not all that glitters is gold as is commonly said. Not all pastors, prophets and teachers are of God. The Bible is the standard against which every doctrine must be compared. There are many religious spirits in the church today which have a form of godliness but lack the power of holiness. It is your duty to try every spirit and discard the bad and hold fast to the good. Examine all your beliefs, notions and principles in the light of God’s Word and anyone that does not conform, discard. Try every spirit from today! ACTION POINT: If people can know the spirit operating behind the ‘anointing’ they are exposed to, many Christians will leave their present place of worship. Ask God to open your eyes! N.B Have you supported the RCCG project? God will support you.

PLEASING GOD- Open Heavens Daily Devotionals by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 33-36
PLEASING GOD Monday, December 20, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34) READ: Matthew 3:16-17 There are categories of sonship in the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten of the Father (John 1:14) while the rest of us that are saved fall under the class of adopted sons. Under this class are golden, silver, wooden and earthen sons. Also, there are repentant, reliable and deceitful and unreliable sons. What kind of son are you? “And lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Today’s reading talks of another set of sons in God’s Kingdom. Although God loves all His sons because He is love personified, yet not all of them please Him equally.While the unrepentant displease the Lord, the repentant please Him and the reliable please Him well. John 4:34 says, “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work”. It is not easy to please God. You must be ready to pay a costly price. Anyone who wants to please God must be ready to get into trouble with the flesh. You can be classed as an enemy by those you love if you step out to please God. Usually, pleasing God can make you displease yourself. Are you prepared to pay the price of a son who pleases the Father? Jesus paid that price. He dumped His personal desires and aspiration for that of His Father. His food - what He enjoyed doing the most was making God very happy. Even when the task at hand involved giving His life, He obliged. At the Garden of Gethsemane, when His will crossed God’s, He gave up His (Matt. 26:39-42). Some people are ready to please God only when the price is affordable or cheap. For instance, while the unrepentant and unreliable son will struggle with paying his tithe, the repentant son will always pay his; yet, the one who wants to please his Heavenly Father the more would go beyond 10 percent to 20, 30 or more percent as tithe. Some pastors do not mind becoming full time pastors if only they would be allowed to stay where they prefer. But the moment they are sent to a remote place, they will begin to reconsider if that full time ministerial job is worth it after all; just because they cannot pay the price of pleasing God! ACTION POINT: God may not announce you to the world if you are not prepared to pay the price of pleasing Him. N.B Have you supported the RCCG PROJECT?

CHILDREN: Endangered Species- Open Heavens Daily Devotionals by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 30 -32
CHILDREN: ENDANGERED SPECIES Sunday, December 19, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7) READ: 2 Samuel 22:26-28 After Jacob served seven years for Rachel, he was given a veiled lady that wedding night only to discover by the following morning that he was given Leah instead of Rachel (Gen. 29:21-27). Laban simply switched Leah for Rachel. Can God trick us? Galatians 6:7-9 talks of the law of harvest. God repays everyone according to their works. A trickster cannot avoid being tricked. The irony here is that fraudulent people do all they can to avoid being cheated. No matter how hard they try, they will enter into their evil harvest. According to today’s reading, you are the one to set the tone of divine relationship with you. If you are merciful, He will be merciful in His dealings with you. If you are froward, He will be unsavory in His dealings with you. According to Hosea 8:7, the harvest is usually greater than the seed. When an evil seed is sown, the harvest will bring out other dimensions: First, you may be fraudulent to one person in just one area of life but when the harvest comes, several people will defraud you in different areas of life. Also, the effect of an evil harvest reaches beyond the one who sowed the seed: It could affect the spouse, children or even generations after him. The seeds of greed and covetousness sown by Gehazi did not only make him leprous, but also turned his descendants into lepers. If your children are heady and very unruly, check out your past life: find out if you had done similar things before you falsely blame God instead of restituting your evil ways. David was a man after God’s heart yet he did not check his weakness for women. When his son Solomon succeeded him, he continued his father’s weakness with all his might and ended up with 300 wives and 700 concubines. A look into the Laban family reveals that deceit runs in the family. It’s in their blood. If you are stealing from God, be certain that your children will end up as thieves. If you tell lies, at least one of your children will become a certified liar. If you are lusting after the opposite sex, you are sowing trouble for your children. If you love your children at all, keep away from evil seeds that can ruin their lives and destiny, at least for the sake of Heaven. ACTION POINT: What you do today has a direct bearing on the future of your children. Watch what you do! N.B Have you sowed into the RCCG PROJECT?

Take a Higher Step- Open Heavens Daily Devotionals by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 27 -29
TAKE A HIGHER STEP Saturday, December 18, 2010
MEMORIZE: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9) READ:  1 Kings 19:19-21 Elisha was a rich man according to modern standards. He was the son of the wealthiest farmer who lived in their time. Twelve yokes of oxen could be compared with having 12 tractors for mechanized farming. Anyone with such equipment today cannot be less than a multi-millionaire. One lesson from this story is that God has a better plan for the rich. Initially, Elisha never knew but when he did, he took a leap for that better plan. God has a better, higher and greater plan for your life. Unfortunately, having experienced some trickles of God’s blessings, many settle down to rest when they still have a long way to go. This explains why many end up with something good but miss out on the better alternative. Always remember that there is something better awaiting you with God. You may never get it until you go to Him. Similarly, if Elisha had chosen to depend on his father’s wealth and achievements, he would never have been outstanding. But he was wise enough to start where his father stopped. It is common knowledge that the most industrious are usually those with nothing to fall back on, while some children of the super rich end up as busy bodies, unable to achieve something for themselves. They fail to realize that they can improve on their inheritance and end up greater than their parents. To achieve your ultimate financial breakthrough, you must be prepared to consider your present level as your starting point. According to 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, what God has for you is far beyond comprehension. Meanwhile, wealthy or comfortable brethren should not spoil their children. Never allow them to be lazy. Let them work hard. In fact, children of rich parents could be deliberately taken through some levels of discomfort or denial so that they can experience the tough side of life. If parents do not flaunt their wealth excessively, it would be easy to teach such children to learn to be independent of their parents. Ensure your children imbibe great virtues such as honesty, hardwork, the fear of God, independence, initiative and excellence which can help them to stand out in an increasingly competitive world. ACTION POINT: If your children get carried away with your wealth or level of comfort and become irresponsible, it is your fault! N.B Have you supported the RCCG PROJECT?

Unusual increase- A sign of favour?- Open Heavens Daily Devotionals by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 24-26
UNUSUAL INCREASE - A SIGN? Friday, December 17, 2010
MEMORIZE: “And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies” (Psalm 105:24) READ: Exodus 1:6-7 There are certain signs to indicate that your time of divine favor has come. An unusual increase is usually a signal of something imminent which could be good or bad but will altogether work in favor of the one who loves God. One of my sons who is self employed kept asking God to enlarge his business and profits every year and it was so. After about six years, he asked God to give him an increase in that particular year that equates the profits he made for all previous years and God gave him. He made so much money that year but almost immediately, the Holy Spirit began to prepare his mind for a period of dryness and intense trial of his faith that eventually lasted about 12 years. Watch that unusual increase: it could be signaling an upcoming event. The exodus of the Israelites from a 430 years bondage was preceded by an unusual increase. Exodus 1:7 says, “And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them”. The unusual multiplication of a family in Egypt pushed the Egyptians to envy which propelled a national persecution. Israel grew so fast that Egypt became too small for them. It is only natural to contemplate relocation when your present residence is becoming too small. This signals a time of God’s favor. It is during such a time that a once small business begins to blossom into a large conglomerate having branches in different countries of the world. Such increase compels the business owner to engage more hands, occupy a larger office complex and generate more profits. God was the brain behind Israel’s unusual increase because He was preparing an army that would inhabit the promised land. Psalm 105:24 says, “And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies”. For over 400 years, the children of Israel served as slaves but could not confront their oppressors to demand their wages or freedom. Then suddenly, boldness and strength came to them to the extent that apart from physical weapons, the Egyptians looked like weaklings to them: that was another sign. When your weaknesses are replaced with strength or you notice that any little thing you start suddenly becomes big, know that your time of divine favor to actualize your full potential has come. What are the indicators of the times of favor in your life? ACTION POINT: Ask God for grace to be alert to discern the signs of your set time of favor. Have you supported the RCCG PROJECT?

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL CALLING- Open Heavens Daily Devotionals by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 21 - 23
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL CALLING Thursday, December 16, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;” (Eph. 5:19) READ: 1 Samuel 16:1-14 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (John 15:16). Today’s reading, talks about how David was chosen.  One lesson to note here is that God’s choice precedes our choice.  He does not wait for us to choose to serve Him before He chooses us and has made His choice even before we were created. God has chosen you. He has seen some potentials in you before choosing you; afterall, He put them there. He wants you to bear fruit for His glory. May you not waste the divine deposits in you in Jesus’ Name.  One man who did not waste God’s deposits was David. He had great potentials to be a musician, king, warrior, priest, shepherd and prophet and he satisfied God in all these areas. Unlike king Saul whose bid to offer a sacrifice that only the priest should, cost him his crown, David enquired of the Lord with an ephod meant for only priests. His several fold ministry is a fore runner of the ministry of modern day believers. If you please God in everything you do and give Him what He wants, you can successfully operate in several ministries. According to Revelation 1:5-6, we are called to be kings and priests unto God. 1 Peter 2:9 says we have a peculiar priesthood - a royal one. We are also warriors because we have the fight of faith before us (Ephesians 6:1-12). We are armed with God’s armor just because we are called into this spiritual fight.  In addition, Acts 2:16-17 says because of the outpouring of God’s Spirit on us, we shall prophesy as prophets. We are also called to be musicians hence, Ephesians 5:19 spells out the type of songs we should sing. We are called into a multi-fold ministry.  However, to be able to function effectively as king, prophet, priest, warrior, musician and shepherd, we must have a heart for God like David. We must do His bidding every step of the way and give Him anything He wants. Are you effectively playing these multiple roles? Ask the Lord for grace today. ACTION POINT: Thank God for His multi-dimensional calling on your life. Ask for grace not to fail Him in any area. N.B Have you supported the RCCG PROJECT?

WATCH YOUR FLOCK!- Open Heavens Daily Devotionals by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 17-20
WATCH YOUR FLOCK! Wednesday, December 15, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28) READ: Acts 20:28-30 One lesson from the letter written to the church at Ephesus is that it is possible for a church which was established in truth to breed false doctrines. Before Paul left the church at Ephesus, he correctly predicted the coming of false teachers from within and outside their fold who would wrongly indoctrinate others. One thing that gives birth to false teaching is when somebody comes into a gospel church with a wrong foundation and after receiving Christ, he does not take pains to re-examine his beliefs in the light of God’s Word.  A time would come when he will begin to spread such false teachings when he has opportunity. This is why every pastor has to be sure of what their ministers and invited ministers are teaching. Do not just invite any minister to your pulpit. Before you do, first ensure that minister is established in holiness. There are even ministers who when invited to preach in a church begin to give their telephone numbers to members of the congregation right from the pulpit. This is not only an abuse of privilege but also spiritual pilfering. God will hold you as the leader of the church responsible for all that is taught from your pulpit. As a result, the pastor must always be around as much as possible when he delegates teaching assignments. Protect your members from grievous wolves who come in as part of the sheep. If any false doctrine is taught at any time to your congregation, immediately return to your people and teach them the true counsel as regards that matter. One of my sons who is now a senior pastor once taught his congregation that Jesus Christ was created a long time ago because He is the wisdom described in Proverbs 8. Jesus Christ was not created but the Creator of all things (John 1:1-5). Another of my sons who is now also a senior pastor once taught his congregation when he was a minister that because of Jephtah’s rash vow, it was wrong to make a vow to God. On the day he taught this, his parish pastor was not in church but was informed. The following Digging Deep, the pastor using scriptures taught the congregation that it is good to vow and that God still honors vows. Do you ensure that only healthy spiritual diet is served from your pulpit? Watch  the kind of Christian programs your children watch on television lest they imbibe wrong teachings periodically.  Keep watch over the flock. ACTION POINT: As a leader, you are God’s watchman.  How well are you watching those under you? N.B Have you supported www.10millionexercisebooks.com project?

REPENTANT OR NOT? -Daily devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 13-16
REPENTANT OR NOT? Tuesday, December 14, 2010
MEMORIZE: “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21) READ: Matthew 21:28-31 “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor” (2 Tim. 2:20). God has two broad categories of sons - an Only Begotten Son - Jesus Christ and adopted sons. All the adopted sons are individually different.  Among the adopted sons, there are opportunities for golden sonship, silver sonship, wooden or earthen sonship. It is the duty of each adopted son to choose the type of sonship to operate in God’s Kingdom. Within God’s great house, you will find pastors, ministers and workers who bring honor and glory to God just as much as you will have sons who are black sheep of God’s family who will bring shame and dishonor to God’s name. If you look within your church, you will find some trouble shooters and rebellious people among the lot of godly ones. God allowed it so. If you do not want witches and agents of darkness to attend your church, you may not bother to ask God for the new wine. Why? Wherever fire is burning, moth must gather.  If you never have oppositions, difficulties, or people testing God’s power in you, you will be unable to fly.  They are there to put you on your toes, get you to see your need for the gifts of the Spirit and a higher level of the new wine to keep you burning hot. In today’s reading, we encounter two sons.  One was initially unwilling but later repented while the other was unreliable and deceitful. When asked to do something for God, can God count on you? Some sons are mouth-making sons. Tell them to go and do something and they will tell you, ‘Consider it done’ yet, they will not move an inch. If you accomplish tasks by mere words, then such sons are great performers. Can God rely on you? Can your pastor or leader depend on you? If you are unreliable, you are automatically a vessel that attracts shame and dishonor.  Are you a repentant and reliable son? When you make up your mind not to do what is right and you realize the folly in that, do you repent and return to the assignment? God wants to have sons whose hearts are pliable; those who can easily repent and make amends when He convicts them of a wrong deed or stand. Are you like this? ACTION POINT: The type of heart you have will either facilitate your repentance or otherwise. What kind of heart do you have? Thank God for all converts from Let’s-Go-A-Fishing right from inception.  Pray that this December’s edition will witness a greater harvest.  N.B: Have you supported the www.10millionexercisebooks.com project? You can join today.

ON ASKING- Open Heavens Daily Devotionals by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 9-12
ON ASKING Monday, December 13, 2010
MEMORIZE: “And if we know that he hear us,  whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:15) READ: 1 John 5:14-15 Jacob escaped from home for fear of being killed by his brother, and ran to Laban. After the latter consented to providing him with a job and roof over his head, Jacob took a step further by asking Laban for his daughter’s hand in marriage (Gen. 29:15-21). Laban - as we have already established typifies Christ. Jacob was not given a wife until he asked for it. You may not get any major thing from God until you ask for it. Thank God for all His promises. Yet, they may not reach you except you ask. Although power or anointing is available to all God’s children, yet it can only be released to those who ask for it. Even though prosperity was available, we could not access it in the 60’s and 70’s because we did not ask for it. It is only those who ask, seek or knock that Heaven will attend to (Matt. 7:7-8). You will be surprised that many people under-ask but over-expect answers from God. They prefer to ask fellow men for help or discuss burning issues with them than with God. It also happened in the Early Church. James saw this and addressed it in his general epistle: “Ye lust and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2). Instead of fighting, lusting and killing in order to have, just ask! And while asking, ensure you fulfill Heaven’s conditions to the letter. According to John 15:16, win souls and ensure they are established before you ask. Also, get rid of sin and live in holiness (Isaiah 59:1-2). God will not answer a thief, fornicator or liar.However, the closer you draw to Him, the stricter and tougher He becomes on the issue of holiness. What God may ignore in baby Christians, He will hold mature Christians for. In addition, always pray in Jesus’ Name but not for Jesus’ sake. Ask in faith (Matt. 21:22; James 1:6). Let your request be in alignment with God’s will. Use scriptural promises to back up your requests. Let thanksgiving start and end your prayer requests. What should you ask for? Ask for salvation of heathens (Ps. 2:8); revelation of coming events (Isaiah 45:11); the faith of patriarchs of old (Jer. 6:16); also ask for the latter rain of God’s power and blessing (Zec. 10:1); Ask for the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). What are you asking the Lord today? ACTION POINT: Father, I am tired of asking amiss. From today, help my prayer points to always hit the bull’s eye. N.B support the www.10millionexercisebooks.com project today. God bless you.

Entering a Turning Point- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 6 - 8
ENTERING A TURNING POINT Sunday, December 12, 2010
MEMORIZE: “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end” (Eccl. 3:11) READ: 1 Kings 17:8-16 There are certain factors that contribute to a turning point: The first can be taken from the story of the widow at Zarephath recorded in 1 Kings 17:8-16. You will notice that while the widow was preparing to take her last meal, God went ahead of her and sent His messenger of change. In that difficult situation you are in, the Lord will go ahead of you. While you are still thinking of what to do, divine help will locate you in Jesus’ Name. Also, the Lord intervened just before she exhausted her last meal. He knew she needed a seed through which her miracle will be delivered. Hence, He ensured she still had a meal He could multiply. The Lord will find something in your hand that can trigger off your turning point. If there is nothing in your hand that you can give, God may not be able to help you. But by His grace, the Lord will ensure you have a seed He will use as an excuse to bless you this season. The third thing was that the Lord gave the widow grace to down play sentiments and give God a chance even when the situation appeared impossible. The normal reaction was for her to have seen the man of God who is interested in sharing her last meal with her as greedy, selfish, uncaring and unthoughtful. If these sentiments had taken a toll on her mind, she would never have released her meal but rather abuses. God would grant you grace to play down unnecessary sentiments when you need a breakthrough. In addition, the man of God had to employ wisdom in introducing God’s message to the woman. If not, she could have turned it down and she would have missed her breakthrough. Do you know that poor or inefficient delivery of divine messages has been responsible for rejection and loss of divine intervention in the lives of many? As God’s servant, you must be very careful and ask God for wisdom in delivering certain sensitive messages to have the desired impact. Lastly, her son cooperated rather than hinder her. In some cases, either the spouse or one of the children would be the one to prevail on the fellow to ignore God’s command. In the day of your turning point, may your family and close associates cooperate with Heaven to facilitate your breakthrough. ACTION POINT: Ask that when at the threshold of your breakthrough, the Lord will cause everything and everyone to cooperate with Heaven for it to be beautiful (Eccl. 3:11).

SENSE THE SIGNS- Open Heavens Daily Devotionals by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 3-5
SENSE THE SIGNS Saturday, December 11, 2010
MEMORIZE: “And in the morning, it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” (Matt. 16:3) READ: Matthew 16:1-3 “And in the morning, it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” (Matt. 16:3). When the clouds are gathering for a heavy downpour, you can easily tell by reading the skyline. Across the countries, by means of satellites and other scientific gadgets, it is possible to predict weather conditions more accurately. The truth is, before some major events take place, it is displayed on the spiritual skyline. It takes only the spiritually sensitive to determine spiritual signs that are not apparent to physical eyes. It is important to be able to discern the times of your favor or else you may miss it completely.  Do you know that Satan and his cohorts easily identify the times of one’s favor and moves at such times to provoke the proposed recipient to take steps capable of triggering a loss? There are some people who will not compromise with sin until their time of favor comes. They would suddenly observe that they are under intense demonic pressure to sin. That is the time the devil will reawaken their old appetites for sin and do everything possible to get them to break their relationship with God. Some of these are the handiworks of familiar spirits which have been associated with the recipients’ family tree and lineage.  Whenever you come under intense pressure to sin, be wise and wait a minute: your time of favor could just be around the corner. Do everything you can to keep your relationship with God intact. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to notify you or point your attention to the signs signaling your time of favor.  He is the revealer of secrets. Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God”. If you know how to cultivate your relationship with the Holy Spirit, there is hardly an event that will take you unawares. Cultivate your friendship with the Holy Ghost. He wants to be your friend. Love Him, please Him, obey Him always. Avoid anything He hates. Study God’s Word more deeply and regularly.  Receive His Word as better than gold. And open your spiritual eyes: be sensitive to the signs of the times and you will never be caught napping. ACTION POINT: Holy Spirit, I want to be Your close friend from today.  Reveal Yourself to me more than ever before. N.B Sweet Holy Spirit, be my Guide, let me never lose my time of favour.

OTHER TOOLS OF SHEPHERDING- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 1 - 2
OTHER TOOLS OF SHEPHERDING Friday, December 10, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Ps. 23:6) READ:  Acts 10:34-39 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psalm 23:6). The eight tool a shepherd must possess is goodness. Goodness is an indispensable tool for leaders. A leader who is full of goodness will most likely succeed in his assignment whereas a leader who lacks this quality has already failed even before he started. Acts 10:38 says everywhere Jesus went, he was doing good. He was full of good works. Can this be said of you? Deficiency in goodness is responsible for the exit of potential congregational pillars in most churches today. When this quality is absent, there will be meanness, witch-hunting, scape-goatism, tribalism, nepotism, unforgiveness, bitterness, quarrel and strife. The truth is that you cannot sit on the fence on this matter. It is either you are good or bad. You cannot be in-between. If you are good, you will exude the fruit of the Spirit in all you do. The image of Jesus Christ will be evident in your life-style. Are you a good leader? A good leader is kind. Shortly before his death, David told his son Solomon to always be kind (1 Kings 2:1, 2-7). Assisting the needy is one way of demonstrating kindness. Some husbands are so mean and high-handed both to their wives and children. If you are wicked or mean to your wife, then you do not know what it means to be good. In addition to this, the shepherd must be equipped with mercy. The merciful is only being merciful to himself or herself because at the end of the day, that fellow will be the greatest beneficiary of his or her seeds of mercy (Prov. 11:17, Matt 5:7). The tenth tool is love. It was love that made the Good Shepherd to lay down His life for His sheep. According to John 3:16, love gives. If you say you love your congregation and you find it difficult to give your time, money, intellect and yourself to improve their lot, you are deceiving yourself. The much you are able to give determines the extent of your love. If love is present, there will be boldness, mercy and anointing. Anointing and the gifts of the Spirit operate better in an atmosphere of love. Which of these tools do you lack? Ask the Lord for it and for the grace to be an effective shepherd. ACTION POINT: If the anointing does not fill you with good works according to Acts 10:38, that anointing must be alien to God’s.  N.B Support www.10millionexercisebooks.com project today.

Partaking in False Teaching?- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: 2 Tim 1-4
PARTAKING IN FALSE TEACHING? Thursday, December 09, 2010
MEMORIZE: “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation” (James 3:1) READ: James 3:1-2 In the church at Ephesus recorded in Revelation 2:1-7, the Lord singled out a sect within its walls which believed and preached that holiness was no more truly possible. These were the Nicolaitanes and the Lord said He hated them. Can the Lord hate those who claim to be His followers? This may be surprising but the Lord hates every preacher and teacher of false doctrines. This is a warning for those in the teaching ministry so that they do not veer off the path of sound doctrine and begin to teach cunningly devised fables and philosophy of men. In James 3:1-2, the Lord warns teachers to be very careful. Because God gives men liberty to say what they like without doing something immediately about it, many have taken liberty for license to go into false doctrine. It is very easy for a teacher or preacher to say something wrong and as a result mislead others. Be very conscious of what comes out of your mouth. Cross check facts and perceived revelations with the Holy Spirit so that you do not lead any astray. The Lord hates false preachers. Anyone who teaches you that you can continue to sin afterall we are human beings but that you will still get to Heaven is heading for hell and wants to take you along. Many people are heading for hell today for hearing just one wrong doctrine. If only you can determine the ill effects of just one false doctrine! Someone said ‘God is not as wicked as to fry His children in fire for minor sins and so there is no hell fire’ and millions of people who call themselves Christians are on their way to hell. Some also said that salvation is by what you are able to do - by works and as a result his followers find it difficult to accept salvation by faith and are now heading for hell. Idolatry is being openly practiced in some churches today because somebody has taught others contrary to Exodus 20:1-5 that there is nothing wrong in making images of God, Jesus, Mary and the apostles and using them to connect to God. And this is taking millions to hell! On the other hand, backslidden pastors, ministers or workers who are telling their sin partners to continue in sin because God will be merciful, are teaching them false doctrine contrary to Romans 6:1-2. They are in error! In what ways are your actions contradicting your teachings and messages? Such contradictions turns you into a false preacher! ACTION POINT: Are you teaching heresy? Repent, restitute where necessary and come back on the narrow path that leads to life.

What kind of Difference?- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Titus 1-3
WHAT KIND OF DIFFERENCE? Wednesday, December 08, 2010
MEMORIZE: “But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:12) READ:  John 1:11-12 “And he said, A certain man had two sons”( Luke 15:11).  This man refers to God. God has two categories of sons. The first category refers to the only Begotten Son. God has one Begotten Son and other adopted sons. John 1:14 says, “And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”. John 3:16 also confirms Jesus Christ as the only Begotten Son of God. God had one Son - the Begotten Son but wanted more sons so He sowed Jesus Christ and today, He has millions of adopted sons. Jesus Christ therefore is my elder brother because He is the first Son of my Father (Rom. 8:29). “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15).  Everyone who has accepted the only Begotten Son as Lord and personal Savior, automatically becomes a son by adoption. As a result of being an adopted son, they have the right to call God, “Daddy”. The moment you receive the Begotten Son, a power comes into you to enable you be like the One you received (John 1:11-12).  Do you have the only Begotten Son in your heart? Until you are an adopted son, you cannot access the benefits of the Kingdom. Another lesson we learn from the account of the prodigal son is that there are different classes of adopted sons.  The two sons were quite different.  One was adventurous while the other was an introvert. The volatile younger son wanted to experiment the world to see how it was, but the reserved elder son was content with just his home experience in his father’s house.  If you have two, three or more children, you will observe differences in each of them. Since we have been created individually different, however, the onus is on you to choose to be positively different or negatively different.  The younger son was negatively different.  He set a negative record as the greatest waster of their time. He went to a far country and used up in a moment what he and his children could have enjoyed for the rest of their lives. Even today, many so called Christians are known for setting negative records.  If you are the one to lead a revolt in your office or church, you are negatively different. If you are a fornicating pastor or minister, you are negatively different.  Change today! ACTION POINT: Father, in my generation, help me to make a shinning positive difference.