SECURED?- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Deut 19-31
SECURED? Saturday, April 10, 2010
MEMORIZE: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Cor. 9:27) READ: 1 Cor. 9:24-27 When Daniel was about to give king Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation of his dream, he said ...the dream be to them that hate you” (Daniel 4:19). In other words, he was saying, ‘May this negative event happen to your enemies, not you’. But the truth is, even when you succeed in transferring your guilt to somebody else by holding the fellow responsible for your negative action, you cannot transfer your punishment to them. It is the soul which sins that dies (Ezekiel 18:20). No wonder Galatians 6:5 says, “For every man shall bear his own burden”. Nobody will take your punishment. Your punishment is not transferable (Prov. 11:21). The only person who can take your punishment has already paid the price at the Cross of Calvary. If you fail to appropriate His finished work on the Cross and transfer the punishment for your sins, you will have to bear it. Nobody else will. This is one reason you must take decisive steps to prevent divine judgment. There is no escape from God’s judgment if you continue in sin (Heb. 2:3). Another lesson from Daniel’s encounter with king Nebuchadnezzar is that the tree he dreamt about was indeed himself. Many times we tend to focus on the need for others to change without even considering our shortcomings. This happens a lot among pastors and leaders. They usually think that every sermon is meant for a member of their flock without applying it to their lives. This is wrong! Although it is often difficult to see yourself, yet if you have the right mindset, you will first apply the message to yourself before you remember others who could benefit from it. This way, your life will blend with your messages and that will give you a high score in terms of credibility and integrity.It is foolishness to feed others when you are starving. Neglecting oneself in such matters may be as a result of carelessness or pride. This was one thing Paul did not do. He would not want to be a castaway while securing the position of others. You are better prepared to secure others when you are secured. Have you secured yourself with the messages and insights you get from God’s Word? Before you correct others, make sure you are not in the same mess. In this case, it is yourself first and others last. ACTION POINT: Before you correct others, make sure you are not in the same mess.

MIRACLE CHILD- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Deut 26-28
MIRACLE CHILD Friday, April 09, 2010
MEMORIZE: “And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care;” (2 Kgs 4:13A) READ: 2 Kings 4:16-17 In 2 Kings 4:16-17, Elisha prophesied from his heart on the rich but childless Shunammite woman that she would have a son in nine months and it was so. That prophetic pronouncement was provoked. It was provoked by her incessant hospitality for the man of God. She catered for Elisha time and again. Some people cater for their pastor once or twice but stop afterwards. They could not get to the point where they could provoke their miracle. If you study the deeds of the Shunammite woman, besides sustaining her care for the man of God, there was a build up. She kept increasing her seeds until it got to the climax that the prophet could not refrain from blessing her. The words came out of his spirit and were established. Have you sowed into the life of your leader to the point that he cannot hoard the prophetic word that should take you to your next level? During one of my trips to the Eastern part of Nigeria, a brother received me at the airport and drove me everywhere I went while the program lasted. When I was about to leave, I thought of a parting gift but knew cash gift was out of the question because he was so rich that I had jokingly thought that he could even buy me if I was offered for sale. However, I still gave him some money and said, “Brother, please give this token gift to your children”. He shouted “Amen” repeatedly and prayerfully. I was amazed at his response. Later, I called his provincial pastor aside to find out why the brother was so enthusiastic about the gift I gave to his children. It was then I was told that the man was childless inspite of his immense wealth. So I told the pastor that a pleasant surprise was coming his way. A year later, when I visited the same city, the brother was at the airport as usual to receive me. Only, this time with tears of joy streaming down his cheeks he handed me a surprise gift which he said was from his first son. He had become a joyful father! Wait on your spiritual parents! Give sacrificially to them. Put laughter in their mouth and your joy shall know no bounds. Your miracle baby is on the way. Each time you give from your heart to your pastor, you open your way into your breakthrough. ACTION POINT:Some gifts provoke a blessing from the lips while some provoke a blessing from the soul. To have the greatest blessing, touch the soul of your recipient.

SUPREMACY OF WISDOM- Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Deut 23-25
SUPREMACY OF WISDOM Thursday, April 08, 2010
MEMORIZE: “ Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard ” (Ecc. 9:16) READ: Ecclesiastes 9:13-16 Another lesson we learn from Exodus 3:1-4 is that although God is a Consuming Fire, He allows His fire to consume selectively.  When the Consuming Fire descended on Samson in Judges 15:14, only the ropes that bound him got burnt, while he remained unhurt. Similarly, when the uncompromising trio were hurled into Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace, they were unhurt because they landed into the Consuming Fire’s protective cover (Dan. 3:23-25). Meanwhile, the ropes that bound them were roasted. When you go through fire and the Consuming Fire is with you, there is no need to fear.  You shall not be burnt.  Are you passing through some fiery situations or tests? As long as the Consuming Fire is with you, not one strand of your hair will be burnt. “God has spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God” (Psalm 62:11). The fact that God selectively consumes tells us something about His attributes. God is the Almighty and also the God of wisdom.  He has power and wisdom in tremendous degrees. We observe that His wisdom controls His power frequently.  His wisdom guides Him on what to consume and what not to consume. Ecclesiastes 9:16 says wisdom is more preferable than strength. The elders say The one with strength but lacks wisdom is worse than the laziest fellow. Anointing without wisdom can be counter-productive.  As a believer, you must let wisdom control all you do. When you expect God to act in a particular way but He doesn’t, do not fault Him: It could be because He is allowing His wisdom to control His power. Psalm 62:11 says power is God’s personal property.  When it appears God has failed to meet with your expectations, do not lose faith in Him. He is still in control being the All-wise God.  Even when such expectations are delayed, they will not be denied. God’s wisdom puts in place what should be done in its proper position, timing and perspective in a way as to receive maximum benefits for both the person in question and God. God’s wisdom guarantees mutual satisfaction of human and divine needs. God knows the best time to give you that desire. The time you consider best may not be so afterall. Do you employ wisdom in the use of power in your custody? Do you accept God’s decision on when, where and how your request is delivered to you? Ask God for more wisdom today. ACTION POINT: Father, help me to grow in wisdom and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

REAPING OTHER’S HARVEST- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Deut 20-22
REAPING OTHER’S HARVEST Wednesday, April 07, 2010
MEMORIZE: “For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit” (Eccl. 2:26) READ: Ecclesiastes 5:13-17 Besides battling with insatiable quest for more and insomnia, another problem of the rich is insecurity. They never believe they or their money is secured. You can put all the money in a bank but when you die, nobody will bury you with your money. At best, they may decorate the corpse with beautiful clothes and jewelry. But you can be sure that robbers will visit that grave to plunder any valuable thing that is in the coffin. “As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand” (Ecc. 5:15). You cannot take one kobo, cent or penny with you at death. Money is only useful for the things it can do that can add value, joy and laughter to the lives of people. Are you just amassing wealth? For whom is the wealth you are stock piling? One day, you will realize that it is nothing but vanity. How are you spending your money today? Another fact here is that many people are busy laboring so hard and accumulating so much wealth which will eventually be turned into the hands of God’s children. Ecclesiastes 2:26 says, “For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit”. Whether you like it or not, some people must work for others. If you are special to God, and you seek Him and His righteousness, always doing the things that please Him, He will cause you to enter into the harvest you never labored for. Today, some people sweat, toil, suffer or even cheat to acquire certain assets only to dispose of them at give away rates. A man erected a massive house of nine flats with every room ensuite. When a challenge came calling at the door, he sold it at a give away price to a brother who was in a rented apartment. The brother stood by this massive house and wondered how he had suddenly become the owner of such a property. This season, what others have labored for will come into your hands effortlessly. But if you forsake God and begin to pursue the things of the world, you may be laboring to deliver it into the hands of sincere believers. ACTION POINT: It is a curse for you to labor and other persons enjoy the fruit of your efforts.Ask God to stop such a curse in your life.

VOW DEFAULTERS- Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Deut 13-16
VOW DEFAULTER? Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Memorise: "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed" (Eccl 5:4)

Read: Ecclesiastes 5:1-6

1 ¶ Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.
4 ¶ When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?


Keeping accursed things away from your spirit, soul, body and environment is very crucial to keeping away famine or coming out of it. But that is not all: Job 22:27 says you should pay your vows. Have you vowed to God without honouring it? You are working against yourself. Ecclesiastes 5:4 says, "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou hast vowed". It is a mark of disrespect and dishonour to be capable of fulfilling one's vows yet refuse to redeem it. When you vow to God over something, do not delay in paying it. If you delay, Heaven will regard you as a fool. When people call you a fool, that does not make you one; but when God calls you a fool, even if the whole world acclaims the person as wise, he or she is truly a fool. Those who fail to redeem their vows are covenant breakers and classed in the same category with the fool who says there is no God (Psalm 14:1). In other words, refusing to honour your vow to God makes you deny His existence. It could be that bad. No wonder verse 6 of our reading says God will be angry at the voice of vow defaulters and end up destroying their works. Vow defaulting can turn God against you.

There are several Christians who have pending vows and have triggered famine for themselves. This could be why many are working like an elephant but returning home with the harvest of an ant. Vow-defaulting is fast eroding the harvest of many while they unknowingly seek for the culprit in a non-existent witch or enemy somewhere. There is a user of this Devotional whose present famine was caused by refusal to honour the vow made to God. As you repent and pay the vow, your harvest will be released. Take a stock of your vows. Have you made vows you are yet to pay? Immediately pay them now. If you are not allowed to owe man, should you owe God? From today, after making a vow or pledge to God, immediately redeem it. You can't afford to let God destroy all you have been building!

ACTION POINTS
Examine pending vows. Ask God for forgiveness and prayerfully redeem them this period after which, ask your pastor to pray for you.

HE FEELS LIKE US- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Deut 13-16

HE FEELS LIKE US
Monday, April 5, 2010

MEMORIZE: “Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom” (Micah 7:5)

READ: Psalm 142:1-7

When David found himself isolated by those he loved in the midst of trouble, the only one he could call on was God. Have you been in trouble before and called for help but those you thought could assist turned down your call? Oh, how disappointed you must have felt! Sometimes, God allows such unpleasant situations in order to reveal the hearts of your so-called friends. May the Lord expose to you who your friends really are.

On the other hand, you are not alone in such disappointment. Our Lord Jesus experienced it too, hence He knows how to fill the gap. If every friend and member of your family has forsaken you, there is someone who is the friend of the friendless. His Name is Jesus Christ. Are you presently isolated, rejected, and forsaken by those you love? Call on Jesus Christ today. He will fill the gap. He will provide you the comfort you need like none else can.

There are situations that some loved ones are present but unable to provide the required help. For instance, when somebody is dying or has an incurable disease, the best your friends and loved ones can do is keep you company and watch the fellow’s health deteriorate. But Jesus can help even in that situation. There are situations that your pastor cannot help, yet the Comforter can.

Have your friends disappointed you and you began to complain bitterly? It could be because you are ignorant of Micah 7:5 which says, “Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide. Keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom”. Jesus cares about what you are going through. He loves you so much that anytime you suffer, He suffers too.

In Acts 9:3-5, even though Jesus had gone to Heaven, when believers were being persecuted, He told Saul, “Why are you persecuting me?” This means whatever problem you feel on earth, He feels in Heaven. Hence, according to Matthew 25:40, if you do a good deed to a child of God, you have done it to Christ. If you hurt a child of God, you hurt Jesus. This also tells us that the way you relate with children of God reveals the true way you relate with Jesus Christ. How is your relationship with fellow believers today?

ACTION POINT:
Ask the Lord to comfort every believer going through unpleasant circumstances and keep them far from discouragement.

BEATITUDES- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Deut 10 -12

BEATITUDESThe beatitudes: Eight-step path to happiness
Sunday, April 4, 2010

MEMORIZE: “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God” (Rev. 19:9)

READ: Revelation 19:7-9

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life” (1 John 1:1).When God gave the Book of Revelation to John the Beloved, through an angel in Revelation 22:16, he declared what was given to him. That is faithfulness! By the time some believers are relating certain divine messages to those they should, they would have lost some details.

Others, in trying to create unnecessary impressions would have added to what was given. All John documented in the Book of Revelation were things he saw, heard or touched.  He got them first hand. How good are you at documenting divine communication? You cannot be faithful if you keep losing Heavenly information sent to you. Do you forget your dreams regularly? Ask God to destroy that yoke. It is Satan’s strategy to keep you in the dark concerning events that are about to take place that God wants you to know.

“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand” (Rev. 1:3).  In Matthew 5:1-12, the Lord gave us a list of beatitudes which every believer can partake of. Similarly, in the Book of Revelation, we meet with some other beatitudes. Do you know that you can partake of the blessings in Revelation by reading, hearing and adequately redefining your actions to tally with God’s counsel contained in the book? Also, if you are born again and faithfully serve the Lord until death, you are blessed (Rev. 14:13).

Another way to enjoy the blessings contained in the Book of Revelation is by constantly watching and waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ (Rev. 16:15).  In the same vein, Revelation 19:7-9 says those who are invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb are blessed. If the guests are blessed, then the bride is most fortunate.

Who is the bride? If you are born again or washed by the Blood of Jesus Christ, you are the bride. You need no invitation to this wedding of weddings. It is your day of glory.  You are the one Jesus is coming to wed. Have you made yourself ready? Is your life totally free from sin within and without? Are you partaking of the blessings of the Book of Revelation?

ACTION POINT:
Like earthly promos are run by organizations to provoke greater patronage and customer loyalty, so also the beatitudes are Heavenly promos to provoke Word compliance.