Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: WEDNESDAY AUGUST 16TH, 2023.

THEME: FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT II

MEMORISE: 

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 

Proverbs 4:18

READ: Isaiah 58:8 -14

8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.

9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

MESSAGE

Another symptom of darkness is poverty. Bartimaeus was not just blind, he was also poor. The Bible recorded that he was a blind beggar. Any situation that involves begging to eat is called poverty. The Almighty God's plan is not for you to be a beggar, but rather that you would prosper. For several years, the enemy kept the Church in darkness and pastors began to equate holiness with poverty. The devil knows that you can spread the gospel faster if you have money. I don't know about you, but in the name of Jesus Christ, l am going to prosper because light stands for prosperity.

Darkness works to make you poor, but it is the duty of the Light to make you rich. 2 Corinthians 8-9 says clearly:

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

He became poor that you, through His poverty, might become rich. If you are truly a child of God, carrying the Light of the Almighty within you, l have a good news for you: all those who have been saying that you are going to die poor shall be disappointed 3 John 2 says He wishes above all things that you would prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. If God wishes that you prosper as long as your soul is prospering, it doesn't matter what the devil may be planning - you will be prosperous.

There was a very wealthy man who quarreled with his wife. She said to him. "I will see to it that you trek in this Lagos". This man was so wealthy that he had more than 14 cars, so he just laughed the threat off. However, by the day this man came to our Church for the first time, he had only one car left and 50 kobo with him. He wanted to buy food with the money but knew that if he did, he would end up walking home like his wife said, so he decided to just buy fuel, when he came to the Light, the tide turned in his favour. The day he gave his testimony, he was dedicating two new houses. God can take you from abject poverty to affluence if you give your life to Him and live holy.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, please let Your lights send the darkness of poverty far away from me, in Jesus' name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 40- 43

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 2: AMAZING GRACE

1 Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,

  That saved a wretch; like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

  Was blind, but now I see.

2 ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

  And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

  The hour I first believed!

3 The Lord hath promised good to me,

  His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be

  As long as life endures.

4 When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

  Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

  Than when we first begun.