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.

CHOSEN BY GRACE- Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

ACTION POINT:Father, give me the grace to justify your calling and endowments upon my life.

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Luke 7 -9
CHOSEN BY GRACE Thursday, April 22, 2010
MEMORIZE: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Eph. 2:8) READ: Ephesians 2:8-9 In John 15:16, Jesus says you did not choose Him but He chose you. In other words, He had chosen you ever before you saw the need to choose Him. Also, it is His choice of you that counts the most because if you choose Him but He rejects you, that choice will have no positive end. Talking of the chosen, whenever I attempt to study a Bible character like Abraham, I am amazed. Before Genesis 12 which talks of how God called Abraham, there was nothing unique that was recorded about him. He was the son of a particular man and lived among idol worshippers. There was nothing to indicate whether he was good or bad, yet God chose him. Our God is a God of choice. Psalm 115:3 says, “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased”. God is also a God of mercy.  He chooses to be merciful to whom He will (Romans 9:15-16). I am a product of His mercy.  He chose us by grace. This year, may the Lord choose to be merciful to you. In Exodus 3:1-4, the Consuming Fire came on a bush and it burned without a single leaf being consumed. If you consider this bush, there was nothing special about it. It did not have the best of locations as it was at the backside of the desert. It was not so green and beautiful enough to attract God to it. It was chosen out of God’s divine will. Ephesians 2:8-9 says our salvation is entirely by grace, not works. This is how God chooses the most unlikely people for Heavenly assignments. Imagine God choosing a persecutor like Saul as a divine vessel (Acts 9:10-18). If not for grace, many of us would never have been called to salvation, much more to become servants of the Most High God. In Jeremiah 1:4-5, God told this great prophet that he was chosen even before he developed as a fetus in his mother’s womb. Before His birth, he had been ordained. God has blessed many with beautiful talents and abilities and when they engage such talents, you would be amazed. As the Potter, He is free to do what He likes with His clay (Rom. 9:20-21). He may decide to give someone a beautiful voice while He gives efficient hands that can play the guitar or organ to somebody else. What is most important is yielding totally to the Lord and allowing Him to have His way in your life. Has the Lord endowed you with some talents or unique abilities? Are you effectively and effectually employing them in serving God? Always remember that you were chosen not because you were special but by grace. You are a product of divine choice so glorify God in all you do.

LICENCE FOR EVIL?- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Luke 4 - 6

LICENCE FOR EVIL?
Wednesday, April 21, 2010


MEMORIZE: “Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished” (Prov. 17:5)

READ: Prov. 22:22-23

“Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate” (Prov. 22:22). Another problem of the rich is that the richer they become, the poorer their workers become. They slave-drive their workers to unimaginable limits and at the end of the day pay them peanuts. Their workers are no more than a piece of machinery they must exploit maximally without feelings. And if they break down out of exhaustion from over use, they fire them and hire others. Some rich men have driven their workers to an early grave and yet, they never feel for them or their families.

Such people according to Proverbs 22:23, will have God to contend with. The temptation is there to exploit, mock or unjustly treat the poor. During raining season, some rich men will see the poor drenched in the rain and still splash dirty water on them without even stopping to say ‘Sorry’. No, their wealth has suddenly given them a license to be heartless and wicked.

If you say you are a believer and have been blessed by God, how is your relationship with your subordinates? Are you heartless, or wicked to them? Do you rob them of their rights because you have the money to buy judgment? Do you look down on the poor? Do you know that the table could turn against you and that victimized poor could suddenly switch positions with you?

Even in the church today, the highly privileged are oppressing the less privileged. As a senior pastor, why do you sit on the wages, salaries or stipends of your workers? It shows you lack understanding and the common milk of kindness. Workers must be paid their allowances promptly. If you delay by one month or more, you owe them interest on their money. If you deposit the salaries of your workers on fixed deposit so as to derive interest for yourself, you are wicked and greedy.

Today, after people have worked for the government for many years and have retired, years after, they will be unable to collect their pensions or gratuity from government because of mismanagement. God does not tolerate such wickedness. Whether individuals or government, the judgment of God will fall on those responsible and even their families. You cannot escape the evil harvest of your negative seeds. Repent and restitute today.

ACTION POINT: All oppressors end up oppressed. If you oppress others, sooner or later, it will be your turn.

Build up your reserves - Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Luke 1:3
REPLENISHING? Tuesday, April 20, 2010
MEMORIZE: “And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone” (Matt. 14:23) READ: Luke 15:11-14 One Bible character who experienced a famine but finally escaped its devastating effect is the prodigal son.  From today’s reading, it is obvious that no matter how large the initial capital or input may be, as long as it is being spent without replenishment, it will soon be exhausted. Even if you were given 100 million dollars and you begin to spend without replenishing your account, one day there will be nothing left. This is also true of spiritual things. What members of the RCCG are enjoying today are the harvests of prayer seeds of the past. The church founder was a mighty prayer warrior.  The move of God we experience today are as a result of the foundational prayers he had made. If we want to receive greater harvests tomorrow, then we must begin to sow in prayers now.  If we don’t, the reservoir will be exhausted.  “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good” (Eccl. 11:6). Not every income or increase that comes your way is meant to be eaten. Not every provision is disposable income. Your tithe must not be eaten. Part of your income are the seeds that will guarantee your future harvests. If you eat your seeds, you will lose your future. Sow, keep on sowing.  To be outstanding and remain relevant in any endeavor, you must be able to sow tirelessly in that area. Sow money.  Sow hours in intensive Bible study.  Sow in hearing or watching the sermons of others -particularly sound men and women of God. Some people were equipped with some sermons before they became ministers or pastors. After exhausting these sermons, they begin to go round in circles - repeating their messages. Also, sow in books and tapes. Do not spend all your income on fancy wears and pleasures. Build up your reserves. As you are giving out two or three, ensure you restock with four or five. After our Lord fed the multitude, He went to recharge His battery (Matt. 14:15-23). This was His constant practice. If Jesus had not gone to replenish His reserves, He would not have walked on water, stopped the storm or delivered the Gadarene demoniac.  Have a replenishing time table which you would follow closely from today. ACTION POINT: Any minister that would be outstanding in his generation must have a clear cut policy and timetable on replenishing whatever he gives out.