Who's wiser? -Open heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Lev 17-19
WHO’S WISER? Sunday, March 07, 2010
MEMORIZE: “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day”  (Prov. 4:18) READ: 1 Corinthians 1:18-20 “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Cor. 1:20). Apart from getting acquainted with God, another thing that must be done to overcome famine is that you must receive divine instructions concerning the issue at stake. Job 22:22 says, “Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thineheart”. God has certain dos and don’ts He would like  to give you concerning your ministry, project or business.  If He has five instructions and you only succeed in receiving three, your success rate will be limited by the remaining two instructions you are yet to receive. After God gave Abraham promises that were to link his present with his future and assist him in fulfilling destiny in Genesis 12:1-3, He still showed up to reiterate or provide further light on His earlier promises. Has God given you a promise on a particular aspect of life? If you can do a good follow up, He will further speak on the original word. The follow up words will help to gradually move you from darkness to light. Hence, Proverbs 4:18 says, “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day”. Every proceeding Word from God’s mouth on a particular subject has a way of throwing more light on what He said earlier.  This is one way many believers who initially heard God’s voice or instruction on a particular matter eventually lost out just because they could not follow up! Besides, each of those words or instructions should be documented and archived in your heart. They must not be forgotten! After the words are received from His mouth, they must be laid up in the heart. However, God’s instruction or solution to the problem may appear foolish. It does not make sense to march round Jericho walls and shout Hallelujah to bring it down. It does not make sense when Proverbs 11:24-25 says you have to scatter to increase, or when it says hoarding or holding tight to what you have will launch you into famine. No matter how foolish God’s instruction may appear, once you have confirmed God to be the One who spoke to you, obey and you will get the dividend of that obedience. God’s foolishness is a trillion times better, higher and more result-oriented than man’s wisdom at his best. ACTION POINT: God has designed that for you to succeed in whatever assignment He gives to you, you must be instructed. What is your attitude to instruction?

Positive Heart Transplant- Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Lev 14-16
POSITIVE HEART TRANSPLANT Saturday, March 06, 2010
MEMORIZE: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Eze. 36:26) READ: Ezekiel 36:24-28 Just as a negative heart transplant is possible, so also is a positive heart transplant. When Saul was being anointed king of Israel, God had to give him another heart to enable him perform his divine assignment. People saw him prophesying as a totally different person and were startled (1 Sam. 10). That was a positive heart transplant! Ezekiel 36:26 says, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh”. No matter how stony your heart is, God can operate on that heart and replace it with another.   A stony heart is a dead, insensitive and spiritually incapacitated heart. God can exchange this with a heart of flesh - a soft, sensitive and living heart which can respond to the Spirit of God. This tells us that when you are born again, it is more than mere words: it involves a spiritual positive heart transplant. Without this new heart, the Spirit of God cannot dwell in you and that individual will not be able to receive spiritual transmission from the Heavenly radio station. Another lesson here is that the type of heart you have is a reflection of the spirit that dwells in you. You cannot have a negative heart and expect the Spirit of God to be residing there. For God to come into your sinful heart, you have to realize that you are a sinner, confess and forsake your sins and invite Jesus Christ into your heart. At that moment, God will cleanse you from your filthiness and replace your evil heart with a heart of flesh and give you His Spirit. In addition, as we can learn from king Saul, there is an appropriate heart you must have in order to serve God in any Heavenly task. Without this heart, service will be such a struggle and will be incapable of eliciting Heaven’s expectations and goals.  This is why you should never lobby for positions - especially spiritual positions. If you can bribe or maneuver your way into that spiritual office or position, can you give yourself the required heart? This is how such self-seeking men and women undo themselves. But if God elevates you Himself, He would have given you the right heart for the assignment. Ask God for a positive heart transplant today! ACTION POINT: Do you have the appropriate heart to back up God’s calling upon your life?  Ask God for it today.

NO SICKNESS OR DEATH- Openheavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Lev. 11-13
NO SICKNESS OR DEATH Friday, March 05, 2010
MEMORIZE: “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon  their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Is. 35:10) READ: 1 Cor. 15:49-55 “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10). During the Messianic Age, there will be widespread fertility.  War equipment will be converted into agricultural tools (Isa 2:4). The enmity between men and beast will come to an end. May you not miss this glorious era in Jesus’ Name.  Another feature during this period is the cessation of sorrow and death for all the redeemed of the Lord who return with Jesus to rule for 1000 years. According to 1 Corinthians 15:49-55, we shall put on a glorious, incorruptible body that cannot be sick or die. However, on arrival on earth, we will still meet some people who survived the seven hellish years of the Great Tribulation. Those earth men and women could still take ill during the Millennial Reign. Since their bodies have not been transformed to immortal bodies like ours, they will still experience death.  Revelation 22:2 talks of the tree of life whose leaves would be available for sick earth men and women to use and get well. All this time, the earth will comprise the redeemed - those who returned with Christ and earth men - those we will meet on earth. Some of these earth men and women will die during the period of earth’s longest and most peaceful era, but none may die before the age of 100 (Isaiah 65:20-22). However, for us the redeemed of the Lord, there will be no more weeping. But when we get to Heaven, we will weep for joy.  Also, during the Judgment Seat of Christ when believers are receiving their rewards, those with lesser rewards will weep for their inability to work for more rewards. Yes, they could have earned more! How have you been working for the Lord? Are you utilizing all opportunities on earth to load your Heavenly account? Do you ensure your services are rewardable by Heaven? Are you living carefully to prevent suffering eternal losses? The choice is yours. Another lesson here is that there is a link between the type of body you wear and your likelihood of being affected by sickness or death. If you are always clothed in God’s glory, it can prevent age and  physical objects from taking their normal course in your life. If you are living in sin, you are likely to take ill. It is wisdom to fear God and depart from evil. ACTION POINT:Spiritual bodies are alien to sicknesses. If your body is sickness-prone, it is because it has not yet undergone the required spiritual transformation.