OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY OCTOBER 18TH 2024
THEME: DECREE GOOD OVER YOUR CHILDREN
MEMORISE: And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them. Mark 10:16
READ: Genesis 27:18-33
18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?
19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:
28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.
MESSAGE
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. Job 22:28
The Bible verse above says that whatever you decree will be established unto you. This means that you must be careful about what you decree because they will come to pass. This is why I am always concerned when I see parents who say negative things over their children carelessly. Proverbs 22:15 says that there is foolishness in the heart of a child; I know some children can be naughty, however, the way you respond to their behavior will go a long way in determining whether those children will turn out good or become worse.
As a parent, how do you respond to your children's behaviors? Do you make negative pronouncements like, You are useless; you can't amount to anything,' or positive declarations like, You are for signs and wonders. It doesn't matter what the devil may try, you will succeed." Whatever you say is what will happen. There is power in your tongue and this power is even more potent over your children because they came into the world through you. As a parent, God has given you power over the future of your children, not so that you can destroy it, but so that you can shape them into what He wants them to become.
In our Bible reading for today, Jacob came to Isaac and got a blessing. As soon as he left, Esau came in, and Isaac told him that he had blessed Jacob and that he will be blessed. Whatever you speak over your children, especially when your emotions are stirred up, will stick and will be reinforced. After Jacob got the blessings and was on the run, he encountered God in Genesis 28:1 2-22, and God didn't say anything about the fact that he cheated. He didn't say, You cheated your brother and you will pay for it." I thought that Jacob would have been scolded, but God established the blessing he got from his father.
Beloved, please decree good things over your children. Whether they hurt you or not, remember that whatever you say will happen to them. Don't say something that will affect them negatively; you will regret it later. You will account for every word you speak over your children, and whatever they become will reflect on you also. Speak blessings over your children at all times.
KEY POINT
Be careful what you decree cover your children.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Mark 14
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 3: ANCIENT WORD
1. Holy words long preserved
for our walk in this world,
They resound with God's own heart
Oh, let the Ancient words impart.
Chorus
Ancient words ever true
Changing me, and changing you.
We have come with open hearts
Oh let the ancient words impart.
2. Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world, where e'er we roam
Ancient words will guide us Home.
3. Holy words of our Faith
Handed down to this age.
Came to us through sacrifice
Oh heed the faithful words of Christ.
4. Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world.
They resound with God's own heart
Oh let the ancient words impart.
