Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SATURDAY 26TH FEBRUARY 2022

THEME: WHO SAID WHAT? II 

MEMORISE: 

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.    

Acts 17:11 

READ: Matthew 5:18-22

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

MESSAGE

There are many self-proclaimed teachers of the word, with hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers today. These people speak with a certain level of authority spanning a broad range of issues like religion, marriage, family matters, doctrinal affairs, Church government, entertainment, money matters, etc. Many of them have also put their questionable teachings and unbiblical views in print. Worse still, some ministers of the gospel who should know better are now peddling these wrong teachings on the grounds that they hold some wisdom, The question should be, “Who said what?” Whatever anybody says should be compared with the word of God. God’s word should always be held as superior to the word of any man – no matter how sensible it may sound.

Everybody’s knowledge and view is limited to his or her environment and level of exposure. However, the Alpha and Omega, the all-knowing God, has perfect knowledge of things from the creation of the world to the very end of time. This is why the word of God cannot become obsolete, irrespective of time, advancement in technology and level of civilization.

The word of God remains fresh and new to date. Psalm 138:2 tells us that God magnifies His word above His name, therefore, the word of God should be treated with the utmost respect and honor it deserves. Trivializing the word of God could have devastating effects as it happened to the special adviser to the king in 2 Kings 7:19-20. It is important to note that the word of God is different from the word of man that is subject to changes. God does not change and His word remains constant – forever. For example, in Matthew 19:8, Jesus pointed out a permissive law on divorce that was introduced by Moses, but was not part of the original code. Therefore, any alteration to the word of God is neither encouraged nor acceptable before Him.

Always confirm who is saying what before you jump on the bandwagon of new teachings. We would all borrow a leaf from the Berean Christians who searched the Scriptures daily to confirm teachings they received (Acts 17:11).

PRAYER POINT

Father, please help me to give Your word the honor it deserves, in Jesus name.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 7-9

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN13: My Hope is Built on Nothing Less

1 My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus' blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

Refrain:

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:

all other ground is sinking sand;

all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face,

I rest on his unchanging grace;

in every high and stormy gale,

my anchor holds within the veil. 

3 His oath, his covenant, his blood,

support me in the whelming flood;

when all around my soul gives way,

he then is all my hope and stay. 

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,

O may I then in him be found:

dressed in his righteousness alone,

faultless to stand before the throne.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:

(Friday, February 25, 2022)

WHO SAID WHAT? 1

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.I worship and adore You, my Father; You're the Most High God, who rules in the kingdom of men, and You appointeth over it, whomsoever You will.

2.Father, You're the Alpha and Omega, the lord of hosts, the One who has never lost a war, the Controller of the whole universe.

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.Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven; Father, please let Your word be my only guide in life, in Jesus name.

5.Father, hear my cry this moment, and come down, and deliver me from life's storms and afflictions; and, from the hands of the wicked powers of this world, in Jesus name.

6.Father, I stand upon Your word, that, no weapon fashioned against me shall prosper, and, every tongue that shall rise up against me in judgement, shall be condemned till eternity, in Jesus name.

7.Father, Your words are yea and amen, please, come and fulfill all Your promises in my life, and take me to my next level in life, financially, materially and spiritually, in Jesus name.

8.Father, the earth is Yours and the fullness thereof; please, meet me today and everyday of my life, at the points of my needs, as You have promised, in Jesus name.

9.Father, let every enchantment and divination, targeted against me, using the name of my mother or father, be rendered null and void, and of no effect, in Jesus name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; and, reveal Yourself this day, as a consuming fire, to all his enemies, 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 HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: FRIDAY 25TH FEBRUARY 2022

THEME: WHO SAID WHAT? I

MEMORISE: 

And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. Exodus 5:2

READ: Exodus 3:1-14

1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

MESSAGE

I have often told my children that the strength of any statement or promise should be measured based on the identity of the speaker. Therefore, when the Bible in Philippians 4:19says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus," the right response would be to check the identity of the One speaking. If God is to supply your needs according to His riches in glory and He is the controller of the whole universe, then you know that you are in for something great. 

When the Lord of hosts, the One who has never lost any war says in Isaiah 54:17 "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper......." you can relax and take His word as a guaranteed insurance cover. When the One who neither slumber nor sleeps promise to watch over you and your family, you can confidently rest on His promise. Whatever comes out of the mouth of the One that is greater than the greatest, older than the oldest, richer than the richest, and wiser than the wisest, should be considered trustworthy, reliable and dependable. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 1:20, "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." Also, Psalms 119:89 says, "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven."

Many kings and powerful individuals who took it upon themselves to speak arrogantly against God and His people in the past all ended up regretting their foolish utterances.

Pharaoh perished in the Red Sea (Exodus 14), Herod was eaten by worms (Act 12:23), Nebuchadnezzar was debased and dethroned until he confessed that the Most High God ruled in the Kingdom of men, and that He appointed over it whomsoever He would (Daniel 5:21)

We need to ask about the personality behind whatever we hear before acting on it. More importantly, we need to find out the source of teachings and prophetic utterances these days, before acting on or even sharing on social media. However, once confirmed, we should not hesitate to do according to God's word, no matter how illogical it may seems.

Believe God and His prophets and it shall be well with you. (2Chronicle 20:20).

PRAYER POINT

Father, please let Your word be my only guide in life, in Jesus name.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 4-6

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN3: Deeper, Deeper in 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 ev'ry 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! tho' it cost hard trials,

Deeper let me go!

Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,

Let me fruitful grow. 

4 Deeper, higher, ev'ry day in Jesus,

Till all conflict past,

Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image

Perfected at last.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:

(Thursday, February 24, 2022)

GOD LOVES YOU

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

2.Thank You, Father, for the gift of eternal life to all those who believe and surrender their lives to Christ Jesus.

3.Thank You, Father, for creating me in Your image and likeness, and creating everything that I need to be comfortable on earth.

4.Thank You, Father, for Your promise, never to leave nor forsake me, even though, my father and mother, may forsake me.

5.Thank You, Father, for the precious blood of Jesus that was shed at Calvary for the salvation and redemption of my soul from eternal destruction, in hell fire.

6.Thank You, Father, for engraving my name in the palms of Your hands, and for Your daily divine visitations.

7.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.

8.Father, please, give me the grace to always seek first Your kingdom and righteousness, and, as I do, let all other things that I need in life, be added unto me, in Jesus name.

9.Father, empower me by Your grace, to maintain a holy and righteous walk with You, all the days of my life, in Jesus name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, and uphold him till the end by Your right hand of righteousness, 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 HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THURSDAY 24TH FEBRUARY 2022

THEME: GOD LOVES YOU 

MEMORISE: 

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.                                                                           

Ephesians 3:19 

READ: Deuteronomy 7:12-15

12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:

13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.

15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.

MESSAGE

Right from the beginning of the Scriptures in Genesis 1, you would observe love in action. The love of God for man is so great and deep that He created this world for it. In Genesis 1, God did not create man until He had created everything else that man needed to live comfortably here on earth. Scientists agree that the earth is created in such a manner that everything in it makes it conducive for man to live in it. We cannot quantify the extent of God’s love for man. The Psalmist said in Psalm 8:4,

What is man, that thou are mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?

The Scripture above makes it clear that even right now, God is mindful of you. He loves you so much that He said in Isaiah 49:16,

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

God’s love for us is great! This love is so great that it extends to every strand of hair on your head. He has given each strand of hair on your head a number, such that when one drops while you are combing it, He is aware of the particular strand that dropped (Matthew 10:30).

I just want you to know how much God loves you. You must know this love to be able to enjoy a fruitful walk with Him. The knowledge of God’s love for you is what makes your walk with Him effective. You must begin to believe His love for you so you can really experience joy. Everyone else may reject you, but not God. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). I am sure you have an idea of the kind of attachment a mother has to her child, especially when the child is still suckling. Isaiah 49:15 says that even if a suckling mother forgets her child, God will never forget you. Oh, such great love!

Even if you are still living in sin, I want you to know that He loves you (Romans 5:8)

He loves you so much that He will not stop calling you to come back into His marvelous light. Please heed His call today. It doesn’t matter how badly you have sinned, He will receive you with a warm hug when you come back home. Jesus loves you.

KEY POINT

Nothing ever take away God's love for you. Nothing!

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 1-3

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN30: Wonderful Story of Love 

1 Wonderful story of love!

Tell it to me again;

Wonderful story of love!

Wake the immortal strain.

Angels with rapture announce it,

Shepherds with wonder receive it;

Sinner, O won’t you believe it?

Wonderful story of love!

Refrain:

Wonderful! Wonderful!

Wonderful story, Wonderful story of love!

2 Wonderful story of love!

Though you are far away;

Wonderful story of love!

Still he doth call today.

Calling from Calvary’s mountain,

Down from the crystal bright fountain,

E’en from the dawn of creation;

Wonderful story of love!

3 Wonderful story of love!

Jesus provides a rest;

Wonderful story of love!

For all the pure and blest;

Rest in those mansions above us,

With those who’ve gone on before us,

Singing the rapturous chorus;

Wonderful story of love!

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:

(Wednesday, February 23, 2022)

BENEFITS OF A LOCKDOWN 2

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 using lockdowns that come, most times in form of affliction, to teach us life's vital lessons, that we must learn in order to be an Overcomer.

2.Thank Father, for helping us to re-examine ourselves, and to enable us to discover the reason(s) for the affliction or lockdown, whether it is as a result of sin or a trial of our faith.

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, let all things continue to work together for my good, as I place my trust in You, in Jesus name.

5.Father, have mercy upon me, in anyway I have deviated from Your way, and heal every inch of backsliding in my life, in Jesus name.

6.Father, please, help me not to become bitter or harden my heart, when I am being chastened for a sin or misdemeanor; give me the grace to accept correction in good faith, in Jesus name.

7.Father, empower me by Your grace to walk through every persecution and trial of my faith, with patience and endurance, in Jesus name.

8.Father, help me to learn the lessons You want me to learn in a lockdown or during periods of afflictions, and help me to move on with my life, with divine assistance, in Jesus name.

9.Father, please, give me the grace to forgive all those who have wronged and despitefully used me, so that my prayers may not be hindered, in Jesus name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; and reward him abundantly for all his labours of love in Your vineyard, 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 HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: WEDNESDAY 23RD FEBRUARY 2022

THEME: BENEFITS OF A LOCKDOWN 2

MEMORISE: 

It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.   Psalms 119:71

READ: 2 Samuel 16:5-12

5 And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came.

6 And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.

7 And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial:

8 The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man.

9 Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.

10 And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the LORD hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so?

11 And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him.

12 It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day.

MESSAGE

Our memory verse today is a pointer to one fact: when we are locked down, we should discover what God really wants us to learn at such times. It is amazing to read the Psalmist saying, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes” (Psalm 119:71). (“It is good” the Psalmist says, “that I have been afflicted”. For what reason? “That I might learn thy statutes”. This is incredible!

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

The Psalmist knew the benefit of a lockdown. In today’s Bible text, we read about David’s experience when a palace coup was staged against him by his son Absalom. As he was fleeing, a relative of King Saul – Shimei came forth, stoning and cursing David and his entourage. A servant of David, Abishai was enraged and sought permission to kill Shimei but David’s reaction was completely different, as he believed that God was teaching him a lesson through all the problems he was faced with.

And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? Let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him. 2 Samuel 16:11

There are a lot of lessons to learn from the lockdown of David. David believed that God allowed it for a purpose. He did not fight back at the man who cursed and insulted  him since his son Absalom, had done worse. He believed that all things would work for his good (Romans 8:28). He taught his followers that the furnace of humiliation would perfect God’s will for his life. Children of God should share this belief for whatever situation they may find themselves in, with faith that all things would eventually work together for their good.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please turn all my gloomy moments to brightness today, in Jesus name.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 34-36

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 27: When Upon Life's Billow You Are Tempest Tossed

1. When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

 

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your blessings, see what God hath done;

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,

And you will be singing as the days go by.

3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold.

Count your many blessings, money cannot buy

Your reward in heaven, nor your Lord on high.

4. So amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.