Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

 OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: WEDNESDAY 26TH AUGUST 2020.

THEME: DANGERS OF IDLENESS.

MEMORISE:

He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. Proverbs 18:9

READ: 2 Samuel 11:1-17

1And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.

5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

6 And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.

7 And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.

8 And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.

9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

10 And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house?

11 And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.

12 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.

13 And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.

14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.

17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

MESSAGE 

There is a popular saying that an idle mind id the devil’s workshop. This is very true. Ask King Solomon. He was probably the wealthiest man that ever lived. He was also the wisest on earth during his days, yet the book of Ecclesiastes which he wrote when he was very old, has a tone of depression all over it. Because there was no war in the days of Solomon, he relaxed and it cost him a whole lot. After he was done building God’s temple and completing all the assignments his father gave him before passing on, he was left with nothing to do. He then started marrying strange women, drifted far from the Most High God and built temples for strange gods.

Learn from Solomon. Avoid being idle, it can cost you your life and destiny. King David’s idleness resulted in him falling into adultery with Bathsheba and killing her husband (2 Samuel 11:2-17). This eventually brought a curse on his lineage (2 Samuel 12:10). The Bible speaks of idleness in 1 Timothy 5:13: 

“……. they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.”

If you find yourself spending one hour at a stretch watching videos and pictures on social media, be careful. Your free time could become tools in the devil’s hands; fill it with something meaningful. Take a good book around with you to read in your free time or go somewhere and pray. I remember one conference I attended abroad. Reverend W.F Kumuyi of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) was also at the conference. At a time when we were free, I went into the restroom to read my Bible. After fellowshipping with God, I came out holding my Bible, only to see the fellow in the next cubicle coming out, holding his as well. It was Reverend Kumuyi. We looked at each other and laughed. Today, when you look at some of the churches experiencing the extraordinary move of God in Africa, you find DCLM and RCCG at the top. We use our time wisely.

KEY POINT:

Killing time can kill your destiny.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 1-4

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 12:  I AM THINE OH LORD.

1. I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,

And it told Thy love to me;

But I long to rise in the arms of faith

And be closer drawn to Thee.

Refrain:

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

To the cross where Thou hast died;

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

To Thy precious, bleeding side.

2. Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,

By the pow’r of grace divine;

Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,

And my will be lost in Thine.

3. Oh, the pure delight of a single hour

That before Thy throne I spend,

When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God

I commune as friend with friend!

4. There are depths of love that I cannot know

Till I cross the narrow sea;

There are heights of joy that I may not reach

Till I rest in peace with Thee.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

 Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heavens: (Tuesday, August 25, 2020) - 

Speak Up! 

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 Your promise that the gates of hell will not prevail over Your church.

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

3.Father, let every false prophet and apostle, in Your church be exposed and be disgraced publicly, in Jesus' name.

4.Father, give me the grace to be committed to a daily and systematic study of the bible, in Jesus' name.

5.Holy Spirit, please, teach me all things and give me the understanding and correct interpretation of Your word, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, give me the boldness to speak up, against false teachings or doctrines; and, help me to correct them immediately, before they replace the truth, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please, break every yoke of ignorance in my life; and, reveal Your truth to me, and let the truth set me free, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, destroy every form of faulty standard in Your church and let Your own standard prevail, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please, let me make heaven at last, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor E.A.Adeboye and make a way for him where there seems to be no way, financially, materially and spiritually, 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 25TH AUGUST 2020.

THEME: SPEAK UP!

MEMORISE:

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 

Matthew 24:24

READ: 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

MESSAGE 

Is it not amazing how some people can speak against the Christian doctrines that have always worked for us while we who have benefited from these just keep quiet and watch? By so doing, you are indirectly giving the devil the opportunity to sell lies to other people who don’t know the truth yet. When you speak out in opposition to the lies, you are not speaking for yourself alone, but so that the wrong beliefs will not be taken as the truth. Whatever a person hears regularly sinks into his subconscious as the truth, so we must ensure that when the world tells a lie once, we say the truth five times with valid proof from the word of God. While you should never argue with them, you do need to speak the truth so that the lie will not prevail in the minds of the people. The younger ones- both age-wise and spiritually, are listening and if all they have to listen to is lies, then they will adopt these as the truth, so we need to speak up.

Many times, Christian don’t speak up because many of us don’t know the Bible well enough. Thus, you need to study the Bible every day and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. The devil knows the Bible and he is an expert in misinterpreting it. Hence, if you are not well grounded in the word of God, you could begin to believe his own interpretation as the truth. Jesus said:

“…….if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

If you don’t want to be amongst those deceived, then you must study your Bible in depth and pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth in the word to you. When you know what the word of God says, anytime you hear a contrary message, you can speak up with the truth and back it up with Scripture. When you hear a contrary opinion on tithe, for instance you can tell them what the Bible says. After you have gotten the real message of what God’s word says about a particular topic, you can even organize a Bible Study group and discuss it with other Christians.

KEY POINT:

In these last days, the devil is raising false interpretation of the scriptures. Don’t be deceived by these, get your interpretations directly from God.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lamentations 3:37-5:22

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 20:  NEARER, MY GOD TO THEE.

1. Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

Refrain:

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

2. Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,

Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;

Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee.

3. There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n;

All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv’n;

Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee.

4. Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,

Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;

So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee.

5. Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,

Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly,

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

6. There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest,

There in my Savior’s love, perfectly blest;

Age after age to be nearer, my God, to Thee.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

 OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY 24TH AUGUST 2020.

THEME: REDEEM YOUR VOWS.

MEMORISE:

When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. Deuteronomy 23:21

READ: Ecclesiastes 5:4-6

4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

MESSAGE 

It is a terrible thing to make a vow to God and not fulfil it. The Bible puts the people who do such in the same category as those who say there is no God- fools (Ecclesiastes 5:4). Many people have made vows based on resources that they don’t have. While they may claim to be making such vows by faith, is it not better to say “Lord if you give me this contract, then I will give you so and so percent of the money” than to make vows beyond your actual present reality.

“Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?” Ecclesiastes 5:4-6

From the Bible verse above, we see that there is an angel assigned to the recording and collection of vows. That is how seriously God takes vows. Ecclesiastes 5:6 shows that when a vow defaulter prays, instead of getting an answer to the prayer, he/she gets God’s anger. Then it goes ahead to say that God could destroy the work of their hands too! By now, it should be very clear to you that it is better not to make a vow at all than to make one and not fulfil it. Think very carefully before you make any vows.

Now, in case you have made a vow you did not fulfil, if at all you can, I advise you to quickly go ahead and do so now. If it is however, something that you cannot fulfil, then you should go before God pleading for mercy. Acts 17:30 says:

“ And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”

So, go ahead and cry to Him for mercy, but now that you know, ensure you don’t make vows carelessly again.

ACTION POINT:

Think of all the vows you have made in the past and didn’t fulfil. Do your best to fulfil them now. God takes vows very seriously.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lamentations 1:1-3:36

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 17:  MUST I GO AND EMPTY HANDED.

1. “Must I go, and empty-handed,”

Thus my dear Redeemer meet?

Not one day of service give Him,

Lay no trophy at His feet?

o Refrain:

“Must I go, and empty-handed?”

Must I meet my Savior so?

Not one soul with which to greet Him,

Must I empty-handed go?

2. Not at death I shrink or falter,

For my Savior saves me now;

But to meet Him empty-handed,

Thought of that now clouds my brow.

3. Oh, the years in sinning wasted,

Could I but recall them now,

I would give them to my Savior,

To His will I’d gladly bow.

4. Oh, ye saints, arouse, be earnest,

Up and work while yet ’tis day;

Ere the night of death o’ertake thee,

Strive for souls while still you may.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

 Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heavens: (Sunday, August 23, 2020) - 

Show Some Kindness 

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. I worship and adore You, my Father, because the earth is Yours and the fullness thereof, and they that dwell therein.

2.Thank You, Father, for Your promise to always meet me at the points of my needs, according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

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

4.Father, let Your fire consume in my life, every spirit of selfishness, self-centeredness and stinginess, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, give me words that will minister grace, love and encouragement to those who are weighed down by challenges and adversities of life, in Your vineyard, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, empower me to be able to identify and be sensitive to the needs of the less privileged in Your church and around me, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, give me a generous heart to give to the needy and the less privileged that You have helped me to identify, even, before they open their mouth to ask, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, give me the grace not to shut my ears to the cry of the poor, so that when I cry to You for help, You will hear me, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, give me the grace to encourage someone today, in Your church, with a gift, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor E.A.Adeboye; answer all his prayers and meet him at the points of his needs, today and everyday, 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: SUNDAY 23RD AUGUST, 2020. 

THEME: SHOW SOME KINDNESS.

MEMORISE:

Let brotherly love continue.

Hebrews 13:1

READ: Isaiah 35:3-8 (KJV)

3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.

4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

MESSAGE:

A Christian may be smiling on the outside because he/she is accustomed to looking cheerful, whereas on the inside, the person could be going through a lot of challenges. The ties and the hats we all wear to Church on Sunday cover the empty stomachs or the depressed thoughts of some workers in the Church.

Sometimes the Pastor is going through a marital crisis, but he still has to settle issue in the marriage of a Church member.

We need to look out for each other every now and then. We need to pick up the phone and call the brother or sister to ask how they are doing. We need to bring a gift, no matter how small to church once in a while to give someone. Believe me, the one who is strengthening others also needs strengthening once in a while.

When you notice the commitment level of a particular brother or sister wanting, before you accuse or judge them, find out how they are faring first. Checking on them, whether they are in Church or not, shows that you love them.

Sometimes, the devil brings suggestions to some of the ‘strong’ Christians to drop out of the Christian race, but just a word of encouragement from you, a smile or a show of love can give them strength to continue in the race.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says:

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will life up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”

Even as General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, many years ago, I decided to resign because I thought the people I was praying and caring so much for did not care about me. It was a little girl whom God sent to bring me a cake that He used to bring me out of that depressed state.

Even though I don’t like cake, I ate this one and ever since, I have not considered resigning again. You don’t know the effect that a little encouragement could have on your brethren.

Show kindness to one another always.

ACTION POINT:

Look for at least one person in Your Church today and just encourage the person. If you can give a gift, go ahead and do so.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 51-52,

HYMN 26: STAND UP! STAND UP FOR JESUS.

1. Stand up! stand up for Jesus,

Ye soldiers of the Cross!

Lift high His royal banner;

It must not suffer loss.

From vict’ry unto vict’ry

His army shall He lead,

Till every foe is vanquished,

And Christ is Lord indeed.

2. Stand up! stand up for Jesus,

The trumpet call obey;

Forth to the mighty conflict,

In this His glorious day;

Ye that are men now serve Him

Against unnumbered foes;

Let courage rise with danger,

And strength to strength oppose.

3. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

Stand in His strength alone;

The arm of flesh will fail you,

Ye dare not trust your own:

Put on the gospel armour,

And watching unto prayer;

Where duty calls, or danger,

Be never wanting there.

4. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

The strife will not be long;

This day the noise of battle,

The next the victor’s song;

To him that overcometh,

A crown of life shall be;

He with the King of glory

Shall reign eternally.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

 Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heavens: (Saturday, August 22, 2020) - 

How Hard Are You Joined To Jesus? 

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 first loving me, in that while I was yet a sinner, You gave Your son Jesus, to die for my sin.

2.Thank You, Father, for making me more than a conqueror, through Christ that loved me and gave His life for me.

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

4.Father, let every spirit of lukewarmness that has crept into my life and Your church be consumed by Your fire, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, rekindle the fire of Your revival in my life and in the entire body of Christ, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, let me be well grounded and rooted in You, and let nothing be able to separate me from Your love, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, let every chain that the devil has been using to draw me away from Your presence be consumed by fire, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, uproot from my life, and remove from my way, anything that has been competing with Your glory in my life, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, empower me to love You with all my heart, soul, mind and body; and, let nothing be too precious or too costly, for me to surrender for Your use, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor E.A.Adeboye, and keep him without blemish or wrinkle till the end, 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.