Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY 8TH, DECEMBER 2023.

THEME: DON'T WORRY l

MEMORISE

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

John 14:1

READ : Mathew 6:25-34

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Matthew 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Matthew 6:27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

Matthew 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

Matthew 6:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Matthew 6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Matthew 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

MESSAGE

In our memory verse for today, the words "Let not your heart be troubled" simply mean "Don't worry".

Whenever the Bible says "Don't worry" it means there is something that could cause a person some anxiety.

Whenever you hear God say "Fear not" it means there is something frightening around. The Bible says in Matthew

6:31 that you should not worry because that is what the heathens do. If you really have faith in God, if you really believe He loves you, then you should not worry about anything. The God that feeds the birds in the air is capable of feeding you too. The God that clothes the lilies in the field so beautifully will clothe you too. If you are sure that He is your Father indeed, then you have no reason to worry. The son of a billionaire is never worried about what to eat or what to wear. Your Father is not just a billionaire - all the gold and silver in the world is His (Haggai 2:8). He promised in John 14:14 that if you ask for anything in His name, He will give it to you; anything means ANYTHING.

While He has promised to give us whatever we ask of Him, we must however, not be lazy. I have discovered that some Christians are lazy. There are jobs I have given to Christians to do and they charged much higher than the normal fee, yet didn't deliver on time and did the work shabbily. A similar job given to an unbeliever would not only cost less, but would be thoroughly done and delivered within the agreed timeframe. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says God does not support laziness and anyone who is lazy should not eat.

Anyone who calls himself or herself a Christian and is lazy is not a child of God, and so the Lord is not under any obligation to provide for him or her.

There are many people who sit around all day saying they haven't found a job, that is why they are not working. What a lazy attitude! Get up and find something productive to do with your time. Look within you; there must be one skill you have that you can use to meet other people's needs. If you remain focused and continue to improve yourself, you will definitely begin to earn some income from it sooner or later. Years ago, there was a man who didn't find a job so he started frying akara (bean cakes) by the road and within months, had bought ten motorcycles and was earning income from them. God has promised to bless the work of your hands (Deuteronomy 28: 12), but you must first show Him the work.

KEY POINT 

Don’t worry. believe in God and He will provide all your needs as long as you are not lazy

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ephesians 1-3

AUTHOR: PASTOR E . A ADEBOYE

HYMN 29: WHEN PEACE LIKE A RIVER ATTENDETH MY WAY 

1 When peace like a river attendeth my way,

  When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say,

  “It is well, it is well with my soul!”

It is well with my soul!

It is well, it is well with my soul!

2 Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

  Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

  And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

3 My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—

  My sin, not in part, but the whole,

Is nailed to His Cross, and I bear it no more;

  Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

4 For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live;

  If dark hours about me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

  Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.