Vessels for destruction- Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Judg 9-12
VESSELS FOR DESTRUCTION Thursday, April 29, 2010
MEMORIZE: “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction” ( Rom. 9:22)  READ: Romans 9:17-18 “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction” (Romans 9:22). Just as God chooses some people as vessels of honor so also some people are chosen as vessels of wrath meant for destruction. May you not be a vessel chosen for destruction in Jesus’ Name. It is not possible to fully understand God. Before Moses left for Egypt to rescue the Israelites, the Lord told him that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart to turn down his request in order to deal with him and drown him (Exodus 4:21). The day that Pharaoh was born, people rejoiced that a prince had been added to the family. He grew up under the best of care and eventually became the king. His fame spread virtually all over the world. He had high hopes just as many expected the best for him. Unfortunately, he had another destiny to fulfill - that of sudden destruction! In one night, he and his army were drowned in the Red sea. There are yet many people including those who occupy important positions today who are vessels fitted for destruction. The hopes and expectations of people concerning them would be disappointed. “Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness” (Psalm 95:8). In Psalm 95:7-11, God warns that when we hear His voice, we should not harden our hearts. Why? God knows how to help the hardened to become further hardened unto destruction. Pharaoh thought he could play games with God. He was called to release God’s people from slavery of over 400 years but he paid deaf ears. As he continued to sow deafness to divine instruction, God gave him a befitting harvest. A time came when it was glaring to even a fool that it was foolish to take God for granted; He knew he needed to heed to God’s call so as to prevent further divine torture yet, he saw himself unable to do so. Even after their release, he suddenly asked himself how he could have done such a foolish thing. So he chased them and got drowned. Are you paying deaf ears to any of God’s instructions or commands? It could boomerang! Repent and immediately obey His voice. Do not turn yourself into a vessel fit for destruction! ACTION POINT: Pray that God will make you and your family members vessels of honor.

You are the angel- Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Judg 5-8
YOU ARE THE ANGEL Wednesday, April 28, 2010
MEMORIZE: “He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor” (Prov. 14:31) READ: Proverbs 3:9-10 If wealth is not a license for evil and all forms of wickedness, then what is its purpose? When you have riches, it is not meant for multiplying wives, or husbands, or in buying what could destroy you. Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase”. If you have substance, honor God with it. If you have nothing at all, still honor God in your nothingness or poverty and that emptiness will give birth to something. If you honor God with your wealth, it will produce an incredible increase. Wealth from dubious or questionable means can never honor God. This is why holiness must be your watchword while striving for riches. Proverbs 22:2 says God is the maker of both rich and poor. The righteous rich man who understands this scripture would most likely use this God-given wealth wisely. He would know that according to Proverbs 14:31, God gave him wealth so that he can have mercy on the poor. You honor God with your wealth by showing mercy to the poor and needy ones. God will not come from Heaven to give your local currency to the poor or needy around you because He has you there. If I go on my knees and ask God for money, He is not going to send an angel with a bag of Naira notes. Rather, He would speak to somebody - a man like you and me who can hear His voice, and ask the fellow to go and give so and so such and such. I travelled to Korea some years ago. There, I met a man for the first time and he cared for me and drove me around. As he drove us to the airport, while I was on my way home he said the Holy Spirit had told him “Take good care of my servant from Nigeria”. If God wants to give rice to the poor,  He will not have to send an angel from Heaven with a bowl of rice. All He has to do is speak to any of His children to meet that need. Unfortunately, many believers have not been hearing God’s voice.  Or when they receive an SOS call from the Spirit concerning a needy one, they will pretend they never heard it. God cannot entrust such selfish Christians with His wealth. This is one of the factors responsible for persistent poverty of Christians. If God will entrust you with His treasures, you must prove to Him beyond mouth assurance and promises that everyone He intends you to minister to will receive their blessings. Have you convinced Him of this? Are you prepared to be the angel God will send? ACTION POINT: Are you hoarding somebody’s blessing?  Release it to the owner now!

Have Reserves- Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Judg 1- 4
HAVE RESERVES Tuesday, April 27, 2010
MEMORIZE: “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small” ( Prov. 24:10) READ: Acts 27:21-24 When God provides for you, make sure you do not spend everything. In Genesis 17:1, the Almighty God introduced Himself to Abraham as the Jehovah El-Shaddai. When you are connected with this inexhaustible Source, all your needs would be met. Yet, ensure you have some reserves against the rainy day.  In the parable of the ten virgins recorded in Matthew 25:1-4, some of them were called wise because they had reserves while those whose oil was spent were tagged foolish. Proverbs 24:10 says, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small”.  The day of trouble is bound to come as Christ has already warned us to expect tribulations as long as we are in this world (John 16:33). However, it is wisdom to prepare for war in time of peace. Prepare for famine in time of plenty.  Prepare for the time of weakness when you are strong. There is always a time for preparation. If you fail to effectively utilize your preparation time, the day of trouble is bound to embarrass you. But if well utilized, you will be laughing and celebrating when the evil day comes. Are you prepared for the evil day? Apostle Paul faced his evil days. Once, he was in a storm for over two weeks. He must have prayed and sang God’s praise, yet no earthquake came to his rescue this time. But in the midst of his evil day, when it appeared no hope was in sight, he was able to draw on his Heavenly reserves. An angel of the Lord paid him a visit and reassured him. This happened because he had reserves. Do you have reserves in Heaven? The account of many in Heaven is in red. Do you have any credit in the bank of Heaven? Some people demand for all their rewards here on earth. If you get them here, you will have nothing to draw upon in that evil day or even when you get to Heaven. Some people were involved in a particular ministerial assignment that could also fetch them a lot of money. When the expected money was not forthcoming, they were very disappointed. But the Lord spoke through His servant to one of them to take off their focus from money on the project. Not all your reward would be given to you on this side of eternity, or else, you will go bare in Heaven.  In the work for the Lord, is everything tied to how much you can get now? ACTION POINT: Put God above reward in your Kingdom service.

How clean is that money?- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Luke 22-24
HOW CLEAN IS THAT MONEY? Monday, April 26, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich” (Prov. 28:6) READ: Psalm 37:1-9 Gathering wealth by honest means is the path to increase. It may take quite some time, yet, give it all it takes. The little you earn from your legitimate source of livelihood is far better than the millions earned by the fraudulent, greedy or covetous fellow (Ps. 37:16). Isaiah 28:16 says, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste”. One race you have not been called into is the rush to get rich quick. If you cannot wait for God’s appointed time, you will definitely sin. Believe it or not, God has a time-table of wealth for each of His children. When your brother is getting blessed, thank God and rejoice with him because your time will come. If your day tarries, it is because God wants it to come when it will be best appreciated and needed. Whenever it comes is God’s right time. Just wait on Him in faith, patience and in righteousness. Like the Psalmist, many are secretly envying prosperous sinners, but this is rather unfortunate. Those who get rich quick through bribes, fraudulent means and pact with Satan or any of his cults find it difficult to retain such wealth. Why? Proverbs 13:11 says, “Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labor shall increase”. God has ordained that we shall eat out of our sweat. But those who want to eat without doing legitimate work will observe that the so-called wealth they have gathered will grow wings and fly away.  As bad as poverty is, God says it is better to be poor than tell lies to get riches (Prov. 19:22). Some people will go into a business with others, but along the line, out of greed, they would break their agreement with their brother because they want to have all the money to themselves. Such wealth will diminish. It is either you are getting the wealth that will glorify God or the one the devourers will feed fat on. At the end of the day, you cannot account for it. Some Christians still find themselves in this trap. They cannot tell what they do with their money.  For some, one way or the other, there is mysterious disappearance of money.  If you have been experiencing this, find out whether you are bringing evil money to add up to the ‘clean’ money with you. Let your money always be clean! ACTION POINT:Money is like a magnet attracting things and people to it. If you have blood money, it will send an invitation to hell.

THE KING MAKER- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Luke 18-21
THE KING MAKER Sunday, April 25, 2010
MEMORIZE: “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.  Amen” (Rev. 1:6) READ: Rev. 1:5-6 Apart from being full of blessings, the Book of Revelation brings us greetings from the Father, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ.  What this means is that each time you read it, grace is being released to you. Moreover, it calls Jesus the First Begotten of the dead just as Romans 8:29 calls Him the first born among many brethren. If He had been called the only begotten from the dead, there would have been no hope for us. But since there is a first born, there is a second, and third born, etc. The fact that Jesus rose from the dead, guarantees us of the first resurrection. He is our elder Brother.  When we get to Heaven, we will get to know our individual position as determined by our works for God’s Kingdom.  In Revelation 1:5, Jesus is also called the Prince of the kings of the earth. This means that He is above, superior to and higher than all earthly kings. He rules over all. This is why earthly kings who bow to Jesus are wise. Psalm 63:11 says, “But the king shall rejoice in God: everyone that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped”. He is the Super King who enthrones and deposes kings. Are you a king - somebody of power, position and influence?  Bow to the Prince of kings! “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.  Amen” (Rev. 1:6).  Jesus is the true king maker.  He can make you a king on earth and in Heaven. He can make you reign as king throughout eternity in His Kingdom that has no end. This is why you must worship Him. According to the above scripture, constantly give Him glory because He loves you. Also, Romans 8:37 says we are more than conquerors because of His love for us. Also give Him glory because He washed you from your sins in His own Blood. And He provided for our continuous cleansing (1 John 1:7). You must worship Him because He took you in your filth as sinner - a dog, slave, pagan; washed you thoroughly with His blood and made you a king and priest of the highest order. How often do you thank Him for your salvation? Give Him quality praise and worship. He deserves it. As you worship Him, He will cause elemental forces, spiritual forces and everything He created on earth to worship you. As long as He is on the throne, nobody can depose you. ACTION POINT: There are king makers on earth but the greatest King Maker is Jesus Christ. He can make you a king on earth and in Heaven.

HEARING TO IGNORE?- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Luke 14 - 17
HEARING TO IGNORE? Saturday, April 24, 2010
MEMORIZE: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22) READ: James 1:22-25 Whenever you receive any negative dream, make conscious effort to avert or change it through humility, repentance, restitution, prayer and fasting.  If it is not a fixed dream which is just for your information only, it will change.  While king Ahab prevented God’s verdict on his wickedness, his Babylonian counterpart - king Nebuchadnezzar could not. When the dream to warn this great king was not taken seriously, it came to fulfillment in the exact form. Any undesirable dream you fail to change, will end up changing you. Any unpleasant dream you cannot stop will terminate your joy, comfort and peace.  Many people get warnings through dreams but still do nothing about it. Words of knowledge are given at meetings during sermons to warn believers yet, they fall on deaf ears. If you hear but find it difficult to obey God’s Word, something may be wrong with your ears. Today’s reading talks about ‘Forgetful hearers’. Some hear only to forget. Forgetful hearers never take any warning to heart. Nothing hits them. They waive off the danger signal with a hand and simply say, “I reject that.  It will not happen to me. I return it back to sender”. And it ends there. Because no solid effort followed, they become victims of their unpleasant dreams. God can be very merciful - even to sinners. God gave king Nebuchadnezzar 12 months to follow Daniel’s advice and prevent the impending doom.  He had ample time but his ears were dull of hearing. What he heard made no meaning to him. Do you know that most unpleasant events believers go through could have been avoided? The famine, sorrow, pain, disgrace, demotion, barrenness, regret, etc. that some Christians are going through presently could have been prevented. They heard the warning. They had time, but like king Nebuchadnezzar, they failed to do something about it. There is a user of this Devotional whom the Lord had twice warned in dreams of an impending judgment. You have done nothing about it thinking nothing will happen to you. If you do not immediately repent, amend your ways and seek God’s face to avert it, it will be fulfilled within seven days.  You have been warned! God’s Word is meant to be promptly obeyed or disaster could be the next thing you see (Prov. 29:1)  what is your attitude to God’s warnings? ACTION POINT: List out the dreams where God warned you concerning certain issues. Immediately embark on seeking His face to reverse them.

SOW IN WISDOM- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Luke 10-13
SOW IN WISDOM Friday, April 23, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Who will render to every man  according to His deeds:” (Rom 2:6) READ: Galatians 6:7-9 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7). If you understand the natural farming process and scriptural principles on sowing and reaping, entering into your harvest will be a work over.  You will know what to sow, how to sow it and how to water the seed sown in order to have your desired harvest. When the Holy Ghost service congregation grew beyond what I could handle all by myself, I chose seven elders to assist me. I gave each of them a neck tie I had used during previous ministrations and asked them to wear them because they were already soaked with the anointing. Each time they wore them while ministering, there were records of miracles, signs and wonders. But then, I also observed that from that time, I began to harvest neckties from close associates and friends who travelled to South Africa, London or America. I became curious about the fact that if they were bringing me a gift, it was a neck tie. So I asked God, Why.  The Lord said, “Son, if you sow ties, you will reap ties”. Then I realized I was taking my harvest of the ties I gave out. So I began to sow shoes to pastors who shared the same shoe size with me. After giving out several of them, some of which were my best, I waited the first and second months but no shoe gift came from anywhere. Worried over the delay, I asked God why the harvest was yet to come and He taught me another lesson. He said “Son, if you plant maize, you can harvest it within three months, but if you plant yam, you would have to wait a little longer.  Shoes are more valuable than ties; the greater the quality of the seed you have sown, the longer you will have to wait to enter the harvest. Since you have planted shoes, you would have to wait a little longer, but the moment the harvest begins, it will not stop”. When the harvest came, I got shoes of different sizes, colors and levels of sophistication. Have you sown a seed? Your harvest will come. If you have sown quality seeds, give it time to mature to enable it deliver your harvest. If you are impatient with your seed, you cannot obtain the full potentials of that seed. On the other hand, sow quality seeds. Sow what you want to reap. It is wrong to expect a harvest from where you have not sown. Have you sown towards your desired harvest? ACTION POINT: Ask for the wisdom to sow and reap in every area of life.