Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY 24TH JULY 2020.

THEME: DANGERS OF BACKSLIDING.

MEMORISE:

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. 

Luke 9:62

READ: 2 Peter 2:20-22

20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

MESSAGE:

Our God is a builder- He builds lives, and He has a plan for every single person here on earth. Jeremiah 29:11 says:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

The moment someone surrenders his life to Christ, He begins to build that fellow into something great. However, every time the fellow backslides, the building will be affected. I also like to use the analogy of a sculptor for this. A sculptor may decide to carve a lion out of a piece of wood but find it uncooperative, breaking easily, and thus decide to carve a cat from what is left of it. If at some point while sculpting, the piece of wood breaks again, the sculptor may then decide to make a rat with what is left of the wood. If the wood breaks yet such that it cannot be salvaged, sculptor could turn it to firewood.

Every time you backslide, you frustrate the ultimate plan of God for your life.

Each time a person falls out of the faith, they are just like that piece of wood that keeps breaking. When they get back on their feet, God may decide to continue with what is left, but believe me, except by divine mercy, they cannot be what He originally planned for them. God’s original plan for Samson was that he would deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines and then be their leader, but he didn’t fulfil destiny. Gehazi could have become a greater prophet than Elisha, but he ended up with leprosy. Backsliding can cost you your destiny; beware.

The main danger of backsliding is being thrown into hell fire. Some people get the chance to stand again after backsliding, but not everyone does. Judas Iscariot had been falling and rising while he was Jesus’ treasurer (John 12:6), but one day he fell and never had a chance to rise again. It is a disaster for anyone who has had an encounter with Christ to still end up in hell.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, let me never do anything that can make me fall short of Your glory in the mighty name Jesus.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 37-39.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 5: DEEPER, DEEPER IN THE LOVE OF JESUS.

1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus

Daily let me go;

Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,

More of grace to know.

Refrain:

Oh, deeper yet, I pray,

And higher every day,

And wiser, blessed Lord,

In Thy precious, holy Word.

2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,

Take me deeper still,

Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,

And His perfect will.

3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,

Deeper let me go!

Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,

Let me fruitful grow.

4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,

Till all conflict past,

Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image

Perfected at last.

5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,

Holy faith and true;

In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom

Let me peace pursue.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heavens: (Thursday, July 23, 2020)

Take Heed 

Special Note:

These prayer points are not written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, but by one of his numerous disciples, of Christ, who was inspired and mandated by the Holy Spirit, about 5 years ago, (effective January 1st, 2015), to start writing these prayer points, based on the Open Heavens Daily Devotional, authored by Pastor E. A. Adeboye.

Some of the prayer points are deep spiritually and may not be understood by carnal minds.

If you want to be blessed from these prayer points, you must first, surrender Your life, to the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, by saying this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I come to You with a deeply repentant heart, please, forgive me all my sins. I surrender my life to you, today, and, I accept You, as my personal Lord and Saviour. Please, come into my life and save my soul from eternal destruction in hell fire. In Jesus' name, I pray.”

Prayer Points:

1.Faithful and Everlasting Father, I worship and adore You, for creating me in Your image and likeness, and for upholding me in faith, till now, by Your mercy and grace.

2.Father, in anyway I have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus' name.

3.Father, please, heal every inch of backsliding in my life, by Your mercy, in Jesus' name.

4.Father, let Your fire consume every spirit of complacency and lukewarmness that have crept into my life and destiny, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, give me the grace to meditate day and night in Your word, and to pray without ceasing, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, empower me never to forsake the assembly of brethren together, and help me to be punctual to all church services and meetings, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, give me the grace to be sober and be vigilant, because of my adversary, the devil, who walks about seeking whom to devour, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please, help me to keep my body under the subjection and control of the Holy Spirit, so that, after I have preached to others I will not be a castaway, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please, uphold me, till the end by Your right of righteousness, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor E.A.Adeboye; please, keep him till the end without blemish or wrinkle, in Jesus' name.

11.Father, bless Your son, that You have been using to prepare these prayer points, beyond measures, and all those who have been rebroadcasting them, in Jesus' name.

12.Father, let every challenge, hindrance and obstacle of getting these prayer points across to Your children, timely, and on daily basis be removed, in Jesus' name.

13.Your Personal petitions.

( Philippians 4:6)

14.In Jesus' name I pray.

(John 14:13-14; 15:16)

15.Thank you Father for answered prayers.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18).

#GodBlessOurNation

These prayers have no expiry date! Please, pray them, irrespective of the time they get to you. Remain blessed, in Jesus' name.

Kindly, purchase your own hard copy or online version of the Open Heavens devotional & buy for your friends too, as a potent evangelism tool. God bless you, as you sow, into Pastor E.A. Adeboye's book Ministry, in Jesus' name.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THURSDAY 23RD JULY 2020.

THEME: TAKE HEED.

MEMORISE:

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 

1 Corinthians 10:12

READ: 1 Corinthians 10:12

1Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

MESSAGE:

“For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.” 2 Timothy 4:10

Who was Demas? Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 1:24 tell us that Demas was a fellow laborer with Paul, just like Luke. Who wrote the Gospel of St. Luke. How could anybody be that close to Paul and end up back in the world?

I want you to get something clear: there is no one above he possibility of backsliding. The Bible says that Moses spoke to God face to face; he had seen His wrath, yet he disobeyed Him. Don’t think you are above the possibility of backsliding. This was Samson’s mistake. He had won so many battles that he started to feel invincible. So he relaxed in the lap of Delilah. Apostle Paul said that he kept his body under subjection so that he would not mis  heaven (1 Corinthians 9:27).

Backsliding does not occur at once; it is a gradual process. The devil makes this process so slow that the one backsliding may not even realize it, when a person reduces the time spent in praying and/or reading his Bible and attending to fewer Christian programmes, before long, it will be normal for the fellow to go a whole day without reading his Bible or talking to God. Once there is a separation, the devil will begin to introduce little things that don’t look like sin; if the fellow accepts those, then he would bring in the little sins and before long, he wold have started doing things he once vowed never to do again. The devil may be many negative things, but he is no fool.

Check yourself: are you reducing the time you spend reading your Bible and talking to God every day? Are you beginning to have certain desires that you thought were already dead? If the answer is yes, then you urgently need another piece of iron to sharpen you; you need to be in fellowship with other Christians who can help rekindle your fire.

Take heed, the devil is on the prowl (1 Peter 5:8).

REFLECTION: 

Be sober and vigilant. The devil, your adversary is actively seeking whom to devour. Take heed.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 35-36.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 18: MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE.

1. My faith looks up to Thee,

Thou Lamb of Calvary,

Savior divine!

Now hear me while I pray,

Take all my guilt away,

Oh, let me from this day

Be wholly Thine!

2. May Thy rich grace impart

Strength to my fainting heart,

My zeal inspire!

As Thou hast died for me,

Oh, may my love to Thee

Pure, warm, and changeless be,

A living fire!

3. While life’s dark maze I tread,

And griefs around me spread,

Be Thou my guide;

Bid darkness turn to day,

Wipe sorrow’s tears away,

Nor let me ever stray

From Thee aside.

4. When ends life’s transient dream,

When death’s cold, sullen stream

Shall o’er me roll;

Blest Savior, then in love,

Fear and distrust remove;

Oh, bear me safe above,

A ransomed soul!

Open Heavens Prayer Points

Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heavens: Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Worldly Trends

Prayer Points:

1.Thank You, Jesus, for leaving all Your glory in heaven, to come into the world, to show us the way.

2.Thank You, Father, for sending me into this world, as Your representative, to continue the works of reconciling men to You.

3.Father, in anyway I have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus name.

4.Father, help me not to love the things of this world or try to fit in or belong; please, give me the grace to live only for Christ, in Jesus name.

5.Father, help me to place my affection and love on things that are above, and not on the mundane and ephemeral things of this world, in Jesus name.

6.Father, as the salt of the earth, please, don't let me lose my savour and become useless and irrelevant, in Jesus name.

7.Father, help me not to act as the people of this world, but to be an imitator of Christ and spread the gospel, in Jesus name.

8.Father, while, adopting new technologies that could facilitate the spread of the gospel, please, help me to reject worldly culture/pattern of singing, dancing, drumming and dressing, in Jesus name.

9.Father, please, keep me pure and undefile in this world, and give me the grace to see You in glory, in Jesus name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor E.A.Adeboye and give him resounding victory, over all ministerial and life's challenges, in Jesus name.

11.Father, bless Your son, that You have been using to prepare these prayer points, beyond measures, and all those who have been rebroadcasting them, in Jesus name.

12.Father, let every challenge, hindrance and obstacle of getting these prayer points across to Your children, timely, and on daily basis be removed, in Jesus name.

13.Your Personal petitions.

( Philippians 4:6)

14.In Jesus name I pray.

(John 14:13-14; 15:16)

15.Thank you Father for answered prayers.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18).

# GodBlessOurNation

Please, share The Word of God

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: WEDNESDAY 22ND JULY 2020.

THEME: WORLDLY TRENDS.

MEMORISE:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Romans 12:2

READ: Matthew 5:14-16

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

MESSAGE:

It amazes me when I see Christians trying to copy the world. It is even when shameful when we see Church leader following worldly trends. The world is now dictating how we dress, sing and dance in the Church. It appears that a lot of people is the Church no longer follow Christ but the world. While Jesus Christ said that we are the salt of the earth, He said further that if the salt loses its savor, it becomes useless and will be trampled upon by men. I pray from the depth of my heart that we will not lose our savor in the mighty name of Jesus. we must not, in a bid to be acceptable, lose our savor. The sad thing is that the people of the world know the truth and they wish that they had the discipline to embrace the ways of God, but when they see you copying them, you make it more difficult for them to leave their lifestyle.

The problem is that we don’t understand the kind of power we carry. When it comes to fashion, our God has been wearing the same clothes from the day of creation and p till now, it is not outdated (Psalm 104:2). In music, He is the best, such that if you were to visit heaven just once and hear the angels singing, you would not want to come back. Talking about dancing and feasting, our God throws a party in heaven every time one single soul surrenders his/her life to Christ. Everything or God has is better than what the world can offer; the problem is that we are not seeking Him for inspiration. If we did, we like the Psalmist would say:

“ I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.” 

Psalm 119:99

Technology is good. We can use it to reach more people for Christ. However, dressing like the world does not bring more people to Christ, neither does drumming the beat of worldly songs to our own choruses, or dancing like the people of the world. While we are adopting new technologies, we must not adopt worldly culture. We must be the perfect reflection of who Christ is.

KEY POINT:

Light and darkness don’t look or act alike; be the light.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 31-34.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 30: WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD.

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will, He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,

But His smile quickly drives it away;

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,

Can abide while we trust and obey.

3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,

But our toil He doth richly repay;

Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,

But is blessed if we trust and obey.

4. But we never can prove the delights of His love

Until all on the altar we lay;

For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,

Are for them who will trust and obey.

5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;

What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;

Never fear, only trust and obey.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heavens: (Tuesday, July 21, 2020)

Show Me Your Friends

Special Note:

These prayer points are not written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, but by one of his numerous disciples, of Christ, who was inspired and mandated by the Holy Spirit, about 5 years ago, (effective January 1st, 2015), to start writing these prayer points, based on the Open Heavens Daily Devotional, authored by Pastor E. A. Adeboye.

Some of the prayer points are deep spiritually and may not be understood by carnal minds.

If you want to be blessed from these prayer points, you must first, surrender Your life, to the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, by saying this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I come to You with a deeply repentant heart, please, forgive me all my sins. I surrender my life to you, today, and, I accept You, as my personal Lord and Saviour. Please, come into my life and save my soul from eternal destruction in hell fire. In Jesus name, I pray.”

Prayer Points:

1.Thank You, Father, for the salvation of my soul; thank You, for drawing me out of the darkness of the world into Your marvelous light in Christ Jesus.

2.Thank You, Jesus, for being my best friend and companion on this life's journey, and thank You, Holy Spirit, for being my senior partner.

3.Father, in anyway I have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus name.

4.Father, help me to choose my friends by the leading of the Holy Spirit; please, keep evil people far away from me, in Jesus name.

5.Father, expose and disgrace every enemy that pretends to be my friend, before they carry out their plans of betrayal, in Jesus name.

6.Father, please, don't let me be unequally yoked with an unbeliever, in business, marriage or any other venture, in life, in Jesus name

7.Father, give me the grace never to have unfruitful fellowship with the powers of darkness, but to reprove them, in Jesus name.

8.Father, empower me to love my neighbours as myself, but help me to keep a smaller inner caucus of friends, that are born again, spirit filled, who will not draw me back into the world, in Jesus name.

9.Father, whenever my name is mention today, let favour answer on my behalf, and make a way for me where there seems to be no way, in Jesus name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor E.A.Adeboye, please, let him finish well and strong, in Jesus name.

11.Father, bless Your son, that You have been using to prepare these prayer points, beyond measures, and all those who have been rebroadcasting them, in Jesus name.

12.Father, let every challenge, hindrance and obstacle of getting these prayer points across to Your children, timely, and on daily basis be removed, in Jesus name.

13.Your Personal petitions.

( Philippians 4:6)

14.In Jesus name I pray.

(John 14:13-14; 15:16)

15.Thank you Father for answered prayers.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18).

#GodBlessOurNation

These prayers have no expiry date! Please, pray them, irrespective of the time they get to you. Remain blessed, in Jesus name.

Kindly, purchase your own hard copy or online version of the Open Heavens devotional & buy for your friends too, as a potent evangelism tool. God bless you, as you sow, into Pastor E.A. Adeboye's book Ministry, in Jesus name.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY 21ST JULY 2020.

THEME: SHOW ME YOUR FRIENDS.

MEMORISE:

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 

1 Corinthians 15:33

READ: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

MESSAGE:

There is a popular adage that says “show me your friend and I will tell you who you are.” This saying is very true. No matter how spiritual you are, 1 Corinthians 15:33 says that “Evil communication corrupt good manners.” There are certain friends who would pull you back and there are others who would help you grow spiritually and in other areas of life. Choose your friends wisely. Before I became born again, I had friends with whom I regularly drank alcoholic wines. Then, I met Christ and my lifestyle changed. When my friends visited, I served them non-alcoholic drinks, and before long, they realized that things were different, and withdrew from me. It was painful to lose my friends the, but I let them go because I didn’t want them to drag me back to the world. Today, God has replaced those friends with a lot of brothers and sisters all over the world. I have made new friends who helped me in my walk with God. It is this kind of friends that you should have too- friends who will draw you closer to God, challenge you to pursue your dreams, pray with you when you are down and whose positive impact on your life will be evident to all. I must warn you that such friends are not many, but even if it is only one of such you can find, he or she is better than a hundred others who would pull you down. 

Jesus is the best friend that any man can have. He said in John 15:15 that: 

“……….I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

Jesus’ friendship should be your standard, if you cannot see through a person’s lifestyle that they have a relationship with Jesus, then they should not be your friend. While Matthew 22:39 says that we should love our neighbors as ourselves, we are only to have a few true friends. Jesus loved everyone when He was on earth, but He kept His inner circle small. Don’t hate those you cannot be friends with. You must love them; just don’t share intimate things with them. Set clear boundaries. 

Remember, iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17).

 

REFLECTION: 

Are your friends currently dragging you close to God or far from Him?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 28-30.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 5: DEEPER, DEEPER IN THE LOVE OF JESUS.

1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus

Daily let me go;

Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,

More of grace to know.

Refrain:

Oh, deeper yet, I pray,

And higher every day,

And wiser, blessed Lord,

In Thy precious, holy Word.

2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,

Take me deeper still,

Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,

And His perfect will.

3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,

Deeper let me go!

Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,

Let me fruitful grow.

4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,

Till all conflict past,

Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image

Perfected at last.

5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,

Holy faith and true;

In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom

Let me peace pursue.