Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THURSDAY 10TH FEBRUARY 2022

THEME: THE WIND OF CHANGE

MEMORISE:

 "Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live."                        

Ezekiel 37:9

READ: Exodus 14:21-28

21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,

25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.

27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

MESSAGE

The wind of change is a term commonly used to describe breakthrough and blessings of great significance. However, it has a much deeper meaning in Christendom. The wind is an invisible force endowed with the capacity to accomplish unbelievable things. A seemingly harmless wind could become highly empowered to bulldoze anything in its path when it graduate into a storm.

The wind therefore symbolizes the move of God. It is usually called into action whenever God wants to accomplish great things. In Exodus 14:21 "......the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided." In Numbers 11:31 ".....there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth." Also, in Ezekiel 37:9, the Lord commanded Ezekiel saying, ".........Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. In verse 10, Ezekiel said, "So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army."

It is therefore clear from the above examples that when the wind of God blow there will be a way where there was none, as it happened in Exodus14:21-28. There will be restoration of life according to Ezekiel 37:5-10, and there will be abundant provision as seen in Numbers 11:31. Also, there will be deliverance in line with Acts 16:26, and divine promotion as in 1 Samuel 16:12-13; "........And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward...."

The wind of God can, however produce negative results for disobedient people, as seen in Jonah 1:1-2. As you surrender your life to God in holiness and righteousness, in total obedience to His commandments, He will cause the wind of change to blow in your favor, in Jesus' name.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please let the wind of change blow in my favor today in Jesus name.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 2-3

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN16: O God Our Help in Ages Past.

1. O God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

And our eternal home:

2. Beneath the shadow of thy throne,

Thy saints have dwelt secure;

Sufficient is thine arm alone,

And our defense is sure.

3. Before the hills in order stood,

Or earth received her frame,

From everlasting thou art God,

To endless years the same.

4. A thousand ages in thy sight

Are like an evening gone;

Short as the watch that ends the night

Before the rising sun.

5. Time, like an ever-rolling stream,

Bears all its sons away;

They fly, forgotten, as a dream

Dies at the opening day.

6. O God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Be thou our guide while troubles last,

And our eternal home!

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:

(Wednesday, February 9, 2022)

THE BENEFITS OF AFFLICTIONS.

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, 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 from eternal destruction through the blood of Jesus that was shed at Calvary.

2.Thank You, Father, for always making all things work together for my good, as I place my trust in You.

3.Father, in anyway I have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me; let Your mercy prevail over any judgement of sin in my life, in Jesus' name.

4.Father, please, give me the power to live above sin, and above all the activities of the flesh, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please, take away my afflictions and, restore unto me the joy of Your salvation, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, chase away devourers from my labours and put an end to every siege over my life, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please, release upon my life, the power to go and sin no more; in Jesus' name.

8.Father, give me the grace to obey and to do Your perfect will in all things, henceforth, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, heal our backsliding as a Church; have mercy on us and send Your salvation, in the mighty name of Jesus.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, and, renew Your anointing and grace upon his life, 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.

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.

Note:

You may not add, subtract or rearrange these prayer points. The Holy Spirit is the author, though He used someone, who, out of humility has refused to take glory for it, by not putting his name. It is plagiarism to use, or pass as your own, someone's else writing or work. The original author of these prayer points is the Holy Spirit. So, share, but don't share His glory with Him in the process. Remain blessed, as you obey, in Jesus' name.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: WEDNESDAY 9TH FEBRUARY 2022

THEME: THE BENEFITS OF AFFLICTIONS

MEMORISE

For the lightness of our present affliction works out for us a far more excellent eternal weight of glory,                                                    

2Corinthians 4:17 

 

READ: Judges 6:1-10

1 And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah. And Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

2 And the hand of Midian was strong against Israel. Before the faces of Midian, the sons of Israel made themselves dens in the mountains, and caves and strongholds.

3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the sons of the east, even they came up against them.

4 And they camped against them and destroyed the increase of the earth, until you come to Gaza. And they left no food for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as locusts for multitude, both they and their camels were without number. And they entered into the land to destroy it.

6 And Israel was made very poor because of the Midianites. And the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah.

7 And it happened, when the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah because of the Midianites,

8 Jehovah sent a man, a prophet to the sons of Israel, who said to them, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel: I brought you up from Egypt and brought you forth out of the house of bondage.

9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out from before you and gave you their land.

10 And I said to you, I am Jehovah your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed My voice.

 

MESSAGE

Afflictions are situations that we typically pray against. Interestingly however, afflictions have their benefits in the life of a person. One of the typical benefits of afflictions is that they draw men back to God, especially when faced with challenges they cannot surmount by themselves. In our Bible reading today, we see the afflictions of the children of Israel at the hands of the Midianites and Amalekites. These two nations attacked Israel successfully from time to time, causing them to suffer greatly. These afflictions drew the Israelites back to the God of their fathers, who they had neglected for strange gods, as we see in Judges 6:7, 

“And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites,” 

God was then able to speak to them through His prophet whom they would not have listened to but for the affliction.  The Lord reminded them that He was still their God, far superior to the gods of the Amorites and the gentiles among whom they were living.

One lesson to learn from this fall of Israel is that serving other gods will always bring affliction.  Also, the environment in which a person lives or operates could lead to a departure from serving God.  Many of the sound doctrines we cherished in the past have been trashed due to globalization and our contact with the Amorites, Canaanites and Jebusites of the present age. This has led to many ungodly practices among believers. This in turn causes grave afflictions. Sicknesses that were not mentioned among the believers before are now commonplace. For example, where would high blood pressure come from when a believer’s life is full of joy and the peace of God? A believer of old did not compete with the so-called rich people of the world and would seek God’s counsel before engaging in any enterprise. Believers ought to be led by the Holy Spirit on what line of business they should pursue. Failure to do this leads to loss of peace and rest of mind.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also a case in point on how afflictions can draw people to God.. All thanks to God as the Church is now retracing her steps to the old rugged way of peace and joy. May the Lord help us, in Jesus’ mighty name.

PRAYER POINT.

Father, heal our backsliding as a church; have mercy on us and send Your salvation in the mighty name of Jesus.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 27- Numbers 1

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 3: 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: 

(Tuesday, February 8, 2022) 

LIVING IN GLORY 5. 

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, 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 blessing me, and for giving me dominion and authority over all, that You have  created.

2.Father, in anyway I have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me; let Your mercy prevail over any judgement of sin in my life, in Jesus' name.

3.Father, I renounce and cancel every evil covenant and  negative confessions, that have brought me  under any satanic yoke, bondage and oppression, in Jesus' name.

4.Father, please, set me free from every entanglement of sin, and destroy every satanic yoke and bondage, in my life and destiny, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please, restore unto me   the joy of Your salvation, and, my God given dominion and authority, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, let everything that is contrary to Your plan and purpose in my life and destiny, be neutralised and be destroyed by the blood of Jesus.

7.Father, please, come and help me by Your Holy Spirit, to reverse the irreversible in my life, and to do restitution that I need to do, where practicable, in Jesus' name.

8.Lord Jesus, I completely yield and rededicate my life to You today, please, come and take absolute control, authority and dominion over my life and destiny, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please deliver me from everything blocking the manifestation of Your glory in my life, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, and renew his strength and anointing for the remaining works ahead of him, 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.

Note:

You may not add, subtract or rearrange these prayer points. The Holy Spirit is the author, though He used someone, who, out of humility has refused to take glory for it, by not putting his name. It is plagiarism to use, or pass as your own, someone's else writing or work. The original author of these prayer points is the Holy Spirit. So, share, but don't share His glory with Him in the process. Remain blessed, as you obey, in Jesus' name.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY 8TH FEBRUARY 2022

THEME: LIVING IN GLORY V

MEMORISE

 “But upon Mount Zion shall be those who escaped; and it shall be holy. And the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.”                                      Obadiah 1:17 

 

READ: Mark 5:1-15

1 And they came over to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.

2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately a man with unclean spirits met Him out of the tombs,

3 who had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one could bind him, no, not with chains

4 because he had often been bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the fetters broken in pieces. Nor could anyone subdue him.

5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones.

6 And when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshiped Him,

7 and cried with a loud voice, and said, What is to me and to You, Jesus, son of the Most High God? I adjure You by God not to torment me.

8 For He said to him, Come out of the man, unclean spirit!

9 And He asked him, What is your name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion, for we are many.

10 And he begged Him very much that He would not send them outside the country.

11 And a great herd of pigs was feeding near the mountains.

12 And all the demons begged Him, saying, Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them.

13 And immediately Jesus allowed them. And the unclean spirits went out and entered into the pigs. And the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea (they were about two thousand), and were choked in the sea.

14 And the ones who fed the pigs fled and told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.

15 And they came to Jesus and saw him who had been demon-possessed, and had the legion, sitting and clothed and right-minded, the one who had the legion. And they were afraid.

 

MESSAGE

Bondage is the condition of being dominated by sin-fleshly lusts, or demonic powers.  Bondage refers to any situation contrary to God’s plan and purpose for man, according to Genesis 1:27-28.  It is anything that binds a fellow in the torment of fear (Hebrews 2: 15).  Bondage of any kind has one purpose – to shame and disgrace.  Incidentally, bondage is usually not forced, as we see in the case of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:19). People usually become enslaved through the wrong choices they make in life. Consequently, many live by choice under the control of demonic powers, hard drugs and other forms of addiction like money, alcohol, sex, and worldly pleasures, without any idea that they are in bondage. That is why 2 Peter 2:19 says: 

  ".... for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."

Furthermore, Romans 6 : 16 says: "Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

No matter what you are passing through, you can make a decision now that will change the course of your life forever.  All you need to do is reject sin and evil, then embrace God and righteousness.

There is nothing glorious about living in bondage.  Physical bondage includes poverty, sickness, failure, a sinful lifestyle, and addictions. Spiritual bondage includes demonic possession, being remotely controlled or tied down, being under the influence and experiencing situations that are not observable or physically explicable, as seen in the case of the mad man of Gadara in our Bible reading today.  The good news is that Jesus came to this world for the purpose of restoring freedom to man in line with John 10:10 and Luke 4:18.

As you reject Satan and submit to Jesus today, He will make you whole and deliver you completely form all forms of bondage, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please deliver me from everything blocking the manifestation of Your glory in my life in Jesus name.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 24-26

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 12: 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

O 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

O may my love to thee

Pure, warm, and changeless be

A living fire!

 3. When 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

O bear me safe above

A ransomed soul!

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:

(Monday, February 7, 2022)

LIVING IN GLORY 4.

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, 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, and for all Your unfailing promises in my life.

2.Thank You, Father, for Your promise, never to leave nor forsake me.

3.Father, in anyway I have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me; let Your mercy prevail over any judgement of sin in my life, in Jesus' name.

4.Father, please forgive me for backsliding and make me abide in You forever, in Jesus' name.

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

6.Father, whenever the temptation to go back into the world comes my way, please, quickly make a way of escape for me, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, restore every inch of backsliding in me, in Jesus' name.

8.I reject every bait that the enemies have been using to draw me away from Your presence, in Jesus' name.

9.I decree that I will not fail, I will not fall; no matter how hard the enemies may try, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, and uphold him by Your right hand of righteousness, 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

Please, share the Word of God.

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.

Note:

You may not add, subtract or rearrange these prayer points. The Holy Spirit is the author, though He used someone, who, out of humility has refused to take glory for it, by not putting his name. It is plagiarism to use, or pass as your own, someone's else writing or work. The original author of these prayer points is the Holy Spirit. So, share, but don't share His glory with Him in the process. Remain blessed, as you obey, in Jesus' name.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY 7TH FEBRUARY 2022

THEME: LIVING IN GLORY IV

MEMORISE  

 “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons,”...

                                                                            Luke 15:7

READ: Luke 15: 1-24

1 And all the tax-collectors and sinners drew near to Him in order to hear Him.

2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them.

3 And He spoke this parable to them, saying,

4 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he finds it?

5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.

7 I say to you that likewise joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

8 Or what woman having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does she not light a lamp and sweep the house, and seek carefully until she finds it?

9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.

10 Likewise I say to you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

11 And He said, A certain man had two sons.

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that is coming to me. And he divided his living to them.

13 And not many days afterward, the younger son gathered all together and went away into a far country. And there he wasted his property, living dissolutely.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land. And he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. And he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

16 And he was longing to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, and no one gave to him.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father abound in loaves, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you

19 and am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.

20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

21 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you, and am no more worthy to be called your son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring the best robe and put it on him. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.

23 And bring the fattened calf here and kill it. And let us eat and be merry,

24 for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.

MESSAGE

Backsliding is the act of becoming slack in spiritual commitment and not being fervent in the things of God.  It means turning back from following God’s ways and guidance, forsaking His laws and commandments (Isaiah 1 : 4).  It is a spiritual defection that grieves God, as it is a form of rebellion and adultery before Him (Jeremiah 3: 8).  Backsliders are likely to forget God’s mighty works in their lives, ignore His counsel, and reject His instructions (Psalm 78:11 Psalm 107:11), Isaiah 30:9).  Backsliders are children of God who had repented of their sinful acts and turned a new leaf, but then relapse into their former ungodly ways.  Backsliding is, therefore, like abandoning one’s faith, as we have learnt from the lessons of the past three days, there is nothing glorious in backsliding.  If anyone is in doubt, let the fellow find out from King Saul, who once prophesied by the Spirit of God but ended up being tormented by an evil spirit.

Backsliding is so terrible that it can invoke God’s anger. In 2 Samuel 12:25, the Bible says, “And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord”. Jedidiah means “beloved of the Lord”. However, in 1Kings 11:9, the Bible says, “And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice.”  Backsliding ignited the anger of God against Solomon, despite His initial love and affection for him at birth and early life.  God reacted to the backsliding of the nation of Israel similarly, according to  Psalm 78:57-59 which says, “But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers… When God heard this, he was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel”.

To return to living a glorious life in Christ however, a backslider must do the following:  Accept Jesus as personal Lord and Saviour, repent of and forsake every sin, and begin to testify to the mercy of God that restored him or her.

Have you fallen from glory to shame?  Return to the Lord, and He will welcome you with open  arms, as we saw in our Bible reading today.

God bless you.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please forgive me for backsliding and make me abide in You forever in Jesus name

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 22-23

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 28: 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 blest 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,

And 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.