AVERTING NEGATIVE DREAMS- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Josh 16 -18
AVERTING NEGATIVE DREAMS Saturday, April 17, 2010
MEMORIZE:   “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18:18) READ: 1 Kings 21:25-29 One lesson we learn from king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is that  the forces that were instrumental in bringing us to our present positions are still there, and could be used to remove us when we misbehave (Dan. 4:24-25). This means that to punish someone, God does not need extra hands. The instruments are already there. Never take your vantage position, or opportunity for granted. Make the best use of every opportunity and ensure there is no abuse. Some people find themselves in the pit of opportunity abuse. Dipping hands into the collections from any church service to meet personal needs is service abuse. Being nasty, talking rudely to and sleeping with a subordinate amounts to leadership abuse. Betraying the trust of those who voted you into power by neglecting their basic needs and concentrating on personal needs is power abuse. Every time you abuse the opportunity God has given you to make life better for somebody else, you draw the same forces that set you up to pull you down. May you not be the one to dethrone yourself in Jesus’ Name. After the interpretation of the dream, Daniel provided some counsel to the king. There are lessons to learn from each dream - particularly a revelational dream. If you cannot draw inferences from your dreams, which could guide you on appropriate lines of action, the purpose of such a dream could be lost. Do you prayerfully consider the possible lesson from each dream you receive? Moreover, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was an expression of God’s mercy in trying to prevent a possible unpleasant outcome. Apart from the dreams that are ‘For your information only’, you can give shape and direction to your dream by your works, prayers and fasting. Never joke with any vivid dream that looks so real, or that you remembered in details immediately you wake. If you do not take steps to change the direction of that dream, it could change yours. Have you been receiving dreams of impending judgment? Immediately change your ways, repent, right your wrongs through necessary restitution and prevent the judgment. When the evil genius - king Ahab humbled himself after hearing God’s verdict, the punishment for his sins was deferred; it was taken out of his life time. That negative dream can be averted! When you handle any negative dream with humility, repentance, restitution, prayer and fasting but it still happens, then it was only for your information only.  Nothing can change such a dream. But most dreams can be changed into something more preferable. ACTION POINT: The dream you refused to change will change you. List out all negative revelational dreams you have had. Prayerfully set out to reverse them.

WAIT ON YOUR SEED- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Josh 13-15
WAIT ON YOUR SEED Friday, April 16, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman  waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain”( James 5:7) READ: James 5:7-8 Usually, there is a time span between time of sowing and reaping. Depending on the type of seed, it could be long or short. While it takes the farmer about three months to harvest his maize seed, it could take several years to see the first harvest from a palm tree. Anything that will last takes time. Even when all the money required to erect a skyscraper is available, it takes time to build a solid foundation on which all the floors would rest. Today, people want immediate harvests. Sow today, reap today. It does not work that way. Farmers are never in a hurry. They know that for their harvest to be good, it must mature. Unfortunately, some Christians are very impatient with their seeds. The impatient farmer who goes for a premature harvest will end up setting his teeth on edge with his unripe fruits. Fruits are sweet and enjoyable only when they are ripe and mature. But if they are not, they can be quite upsetting and irritating to the teeth and stomach. Wait on your seeds! The average farmer understands the process of turning a seed into a harvest. After planting a seed, it dies and sprouts again. After a period, with continuous receipt of water and nutrients from the soil, it grows and increases capacity until it becomes a tender tree with not so strong roots; then its roots spread more underground and it becomes a young stronger tree and later a very strong tall tree with wider and firmer root tentacles. At this level of stability and maturity it begins to develop fruits in its branches which take some period to ripen before the farmer begins to take the harvest of the ripe fruits. There is no magic in farming as all seeds go through the same process - only that some ripen long before others. Every seed you sow goes through the same process. As long as you sowed a good seed on a good ground, it will surely deliver your harvest. Those pending seeds you have sown will deliver joy to you sooner than you expect. But some will bring theirs much later. And you will be glad they delayed their harvest till such a time. Keep on sowing! Seeds have a way of giving you hope for a future. Wait on each seed sown!Seed Time & Harvest Audio CD/Dvd Set! Paula White, SeedTime ACTION POINT: Seeds go on rescue mission. Dorcas’ seeds spoke for her and engineered her resurrection. You cannot tell when your seed will deliver you.

WHEN HE CHOOSES- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Josh 10-12
WHEN HE CHOOSES  Thursday, April 15, 2010
MEMORIZE: “He shall choose our inheritance for us, the  Excellency of Jacob whom he loved” (Psalm 47:4) READ: John 15:15-16 Moses was grazing Jethro’s cattle one day when he encountered the burning bush. One thing about this bush is that it was divinely chosen. God looked through all available bushes around and picked on this particular one just as He decided to locate the Redemption Camp on its present site. If given the privilege of determining the location of our camp ground, it would never have been in its present location.Marriage is of God I would have preferred a location much closer to Lagos. But if I were to choose the location as a tribalized leader of the church, I would have chosen a bush very close to my origin at Ifewara. Thank God His choice prevailed. For those believers who obtained their spouses from God, if asked to make that choice personally, they would have chosen someone else and would have missed God’s divine destination. Has the Lord had to choose for you on any matter? Appreciate Him for His choice and wisdom. You could never have chosen something better!  God’s choice may not look like the best. If it is a job, it may not necessarily offer you the fattest remunerations. If it is a spouse, the fellow may not necessarily be the most handsome or beautiful, comfortable, etc. Yet, if it is God, it is the best. “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). God still chooses for His own today.  When God chooses somebody for an assignment, it does not necessarily mean the fellow is the most qualified. Infact, usually, God chooses the least qualified so that flesh will not rob Him of His glory. If the Lord chooses a husband for you, it is not because he is perfect but because He is about to take the fellow through a process of change that will make the person your ideal partner.  If God has chosen your partner but the fellow falls far below your expectations, as long as he or she is a bonafide child of God and is living to please God, leave God with the remaining details. By the time He is through with the fellow, you will understand why God made that choice in the first place. When God chooses someone, several activities follow in quick succession. For instance, God’s choice of this burning bush culminated in the death of an Egyptian who knew nothing about the bush just to connect Moses with the bush. Because the Lord has chosen you, He will cause everything to work in your favor. ACTION POINT:If you cannot trust God to choose for you, who else can you trust?

DESTRUCTIVE PURCHASES- Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Josh 7-9
DESTRUCTIVE PURCHASES Wednesday, April 14, 2010
MEMORIZE: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10)Discovering God's Way of Handling Money Volumes 1 & 2. READ: 1 Timothy 6:6-10 Some people will labor for others to enjoy all through their lives. This happens to those who seek material things and forsake the One whom they should seek. It is a curse to labor only for others to take your harvest. That shall not be your portion in Jesus’ Name.  There is this Yoruba adage that says, When an English man was asked why he was not working, he said, ‘Who will take the harvest of the foolish man’s work?’ If you are not born again but pursuing wealth, assets and investments, sooner or later your harvest will be handed over to Christians. The rich sinner continues to attract problems to himself. The temptation that may not come to the door step of the poor will find itself at the thresholds of the rich. “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdiction” (1 Tim. 6:9). Another problem of the rich is the temptation to use their wealth to buy what will kill them. Many rich people engage in smoking cigars, and using other mind-bending substances such as heroine, cocaine, etc. They will buy whisky and other alcoholic drinks to show that they have arrived. Most of the time, they are actively buying death with their money.  If you do not have enough to eat, you would not be thinking of marrying a second or third wife. The rich can afford to marry 10 wives or more or even have one wife at home while several concubines litter everywhere. They think it is enjoyment, but they do not know they are buying what would tear their home in shreds. Smoking attracts several heart and lung problems such as cancer.  This in turn reduces the life span of the smoker.  It is a foolish person who would invest hard earned money in things capable of destroying him. The question is: What do you spend your money on? Are you buying what can kill your spiritual life or what can build it? It is amazing that many believers are still ignorant of what to spend their money on. As a rule, before purchases are made, engage in some planning. As much as possible, avoid sporadic purchases. Also, evaluate the physical and spiritual benefits of the intended purchase before going ahead. Never buy anything that will be injurious to your spiritual or physical health. Never buy anything that will become a temptation to you. Never use your money to buy what can destroy you. ACTION POINT: Carefully itemize foods, drinks, leisure or pleasurable services capable of harming you physically or spiritually and blacklist them.

SOUNDING THE TRUMPET?- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Josh 4-6
SOUNDING THE TRUMPET? Tuesday, April 13, 2010
MEMORIZE: “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: ” (Matthew 6:3) READ: Matthew 6:1-4 “Pray without ceasing” is a command to us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Besides redeeming vows, restituting your ways, returning to God and receiving instructions from God, continuous effective prayer is another way of averting famine.  To be effective, prayer must be fervent, fiery, Word-based and consistent.  It must be sandwiched between the wrappers of thanksgiving. It must be done without ceasing; that is, use every available opportunity to connect Heaven both day and night. Before you leave for work or school, pray. On your way to that appointment, pray.  On getting to the office, pray.  Employ the tool of prayer always and famine will be kept at bay. You shall not be a victim of famine this season in Jesus’ Name. Moreover, today’s reading tells us of the kind of individuals that could be rescued from famine. The widow of Zarephath was a blessing and she sustained that attribute. She was such a sacrificial giver that she could part with her last meal in time of famine just to avoid a famine. That is tough. That is some sacrifice. Are you that sacrificial? Like Isaac, could you sow in time of famine? To prevent a famine you must be prepared to part with what others hold tightly to. What are you grabbing so tenaciously? It could be what you need to release, to get out of that famine situation you are in. Another lesson from the story of the widow who overcame famine in 1 Kings 17:8-24 is that even though she was the vessel through which Elijah was sustained, nobody knew about it. Meanwhile, the king had declared a man hunt for the National Prophet. If she had opened her mouth, the whereabouts of the prophet would have leaked to the king. She knew how to be a blessing and also to avoid being a curse. Those people who provide assistance to some but later make public whatever they have given become a curse after being a blessing. It is possible to destroy your blessing and enter into a famine. If God used you to bless your pastor with a car, and thereafter you go about telling people that but for you, your pastor would never have experienced what it is like to be a car owner, then you are destroying the blessings that could have followed that deed of kindness. If you gossip about those who are under you, you are cursing your blessing. In any way you have cursed your blessing, repent and amend your ways. ACTION POINT: Avoid any evil act capable of uprooting good seeds sown. Father, let my labor not be in vain.

SINNER'S TRUE REWARD- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Josh. 1-3
SINNER’S TRUE REWARD Monday, April 12, 2010
MEMORIZE: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23) READ: James 5:1-6 The rush for wealth has led many people into divers traps. Wealth is good but the spiritual standing of an individual rubs off on his or her material possessions. That is, if you are wealthy but a sinner, your wealth would worth nothing in the sight of God. On the other hand, if you have little but you are in right standing with God, it is seen as abundance. Your spiritual state has a way of shaping whatever you have. Proverbs 20:17 says, “Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel” The food of a wealthy sinner is likened to gravel. It is impossible to chew or digest gravel. In the same way, benefiting from the wealth obtained from questionable means cannot give the benefactor the expected satisfaction, except trouble. The treasures of the wicked - no matter how beautiful, enticing and good they may appear are not only valueless but also snares of death This is why you should not envy the rich sinner. Amassing wealth in sin is of no use to the sinner. Are you a rich man or woman but still living in sin? If you want your wealth to have value, give your life to Jesus and let Him take charge of the government of your life. This is why Proverbs 10:2 says treasures of wickedness has no profit. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Not many people have realized the truth in this scripture. Sin cannot deliver anything but death to the sinner. If you rob other people of their valuables and think that you are making progress, sorry, you are retrogressing with speed. What you stole thinking would add to you, takes from you. The lady who compromised her marital vow to sleep with her boss or any man in authority in return for mundane consideration such as money, trip overseas, promotion, etc. is not getting these but death. Such blessings are curses because sin cannot deliver joy, true pleasure, peace, comfort or life to the sinner. Those who are in government and are looting public treasury into their personal pockets think they are getting wealth. No! They are getting death! They are getting blood money! They are getting the money that will take away their peace, sleep, comfort, rest of mind and even health. Are you wasting your time seeking what can destroy you? Repent and turn away from sin today. Sin cannot but destroy the sinner. ACTION POINT: Any blessing that is colored by sin is a killer. Run from it!

FIRST RESURRECTION - Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Deut 32-34
FIRST RESURRECTION Sunday, April 11, 2010
MEMORIZE: “And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14) READ: Revelation 20:5-6 The Book of Revelation is loaded with blessings for readers, hearers and doers. It catalogs categories of those who can benefit from these blessing: Those who read, hear and adhere to the teachings of the Book; those who faithfully serve the Lord till death and those invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. But there are more! Revelation 20:6 says, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years”. Although the word ‘rapture’ is not in the Bible, it is however denoted by phrases such as ‘caught up’ and ‘first resurrection’. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 says when the Lord Jesus Christ returns, He will come in company of departed saints - those who had already slept in the Lord whose souls and spirits were in paradise. While the Lord will wait for them in the air, they will descend to earth to pick up their bodies. Some of these bodies would have been cremated, turned to bones, or even sand. By God’s miraculous power, every cell which composed each of their bodies will come together to reform their bodies. As they put them on, their bodies will be changed into glorious, immortal bodies. These saints will return to join the Lord in the air while those of us who are born again and in right standing with God and still alive will also experience a change from mortal to immortal bodies and we will go and meet them in the air. This is the rapture or first resurrection. As many as take part in the first resurrection will never taste of death again. However, during this event - the change in the departed saints and the living saints, will take place in a moment. In the split of a second both had taken place. Some people are waiting for raptured saints to grab in order to gain access into Heaven. Sorry, it will be so fast and at an unannounced moment that before people will realize what is going on, it has been concluded. After the saints have gone, the greatest suffering, pain and sorrow ever known to man will begin. Today, you could prepare to be a part of the first resurrection. Are you born again but still holding a grudge against your offender? It is enough to stop you from going with the saints. Examine your life today and prayerfully repent, confess and restitute where necessary. Expunge any vice in your character. Live each day in expectation of your Master’s return. He is coming sooner than you think. ACTION POINT: Father, anything that will hinder me from making it to Heaven during the rapture, take it away from me today.