Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SUNDAY 24 APRIL 2022

THEME: FOLLOW JESUS CLOSELY I.

MEMORISE:  

And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire. 

Mark 14:54

READ: Mark 14:50 -70

50 And they all forsook him, and fled.

51 And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:

52 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.

53 And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.

54 And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.

55 And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.

56 For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.

57 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,

58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.

59 But neither so did their witness agree together.

60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?

64 Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

66 And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:

67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.

68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.

69 And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.

70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.

MESSAGE 

Many churchgoers these days are merely paying lip service when they call themselves Christians. If you were to really check, you would discover that instead of carrying their cross to follow Jesus closely, many are following Him from afar. The moment things get a little bit tough, they deny Him. Peter was an ardent follower of Christ; he was also very vocal about his beliefs, thus he was the last person one would have expected would deny Christ. We need to really enquire about what happened that day in Mark 14.

And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire. 

Mark 14:54

 

Take note of the first clause in the passage above- Peter followed Jesus from afar. How closely are you following Jesus now? So many Christian are following Jesus from afar, hence they deny him over and over again. Peter had boasted of how impossible it was for him to deny jesus in Mark 14: 27-31, but in Mark 14: 54 he followed Jesus from afar and ended up denying him. Why did he follow Jesus from afar? This is because he did not want to be associated with the persecution of Jesus Christ. Are you also running away from the persecution of Jesus? You don't talk like a Christian in the office because you don't want anyone to tag you with Christ.

You go for business meeting, and even though you are prompted by the Holy Spirit to pray before the meeting starts, you subdue the prompting because you don't want the people you are meeting with to know how seriously you take God. You don't preach the gospel to those you interact with daily because you don't want them to start calling you a Christian fanatic.

When you let them know from the onset that you are a child of God, there are deals and suggestions that they would never bring your way. On the other hand, if you are following Jesus form afar, they will bring those temptations to you because they have never known you to be serious about your faith. In Church, when you are engulfed in the presence of God and boasting that you will never deny him like Peter did, ask yourself, "When I get out there in the world, would I be following Christ closely or would I be following Jesus from afar?

KEY POINT

The only way you will not deny Jesus is if you are following Him closely and everyone can easily associate you with Him.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2King 21-23

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 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. 

3 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. 

4 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: 

(Saturday, April 23, 2022) 

ANTIDOTE TO MURMURING 

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 will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

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

3.Father, You're greater than the greatest, You're higher than the highest; a cattle upon a thousand hills are Yours, You parted the red sea; You brought water out of the rock; with You, all things are possible.

4.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.

5.Father, forgive all my murmurings and complaints, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, let me never murmur again against You, rather let me always offer You quality praise, instead of murmuring, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please, let Your praise never cease in my mouth, no matter the challenge that I may face, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, You're greater than any challenge confronting me, please, divinely make a way for me to overcome every mountain, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, very soon, let me dance  the overcomer's dance over all the challenges of my life and family, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, and  make him an Overcomer, 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 dates! 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: SATURDAY APRIL 23RD 2022

THEME: ANTIDOTE TO MURMURING

MEMORISE: 

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

1 Corinthians 10:10

READ: Psalms 34:1-10

1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

MESSAGE

And when the people complained, It displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. 

Numbers 11:1

God hates murmurings. He hates it so much that in the passage above, he sent fire to consume some of the Israelites who were murmuring. He wants you to live and rejoice in the knowledge of His love and care for you, not to be murmuring. You must understand that whatever it is you are going through, He is aware of it and He will bring you out of that situation victoriously. If you don’t trust Him, then why do you call yourself a believer? As long as you have placed everything in His hands, you can be sure that He would make the best out of the situation.

Sometimes however, we may be faced with situations that would shake us and make us want to question God. Nevertheless, think about it: who are you to question the Maker of heaven and earth? Who are you to judge whether He is doing the right thing or not? Job tried to question Him and by the time God answered, he himself was frightened (Job 38-40). When situations get tough, thee way to prevent yourself from murmuring is to remember what David said in Psalm 34:1:

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Praise God all the time because He knows what He is doing. Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord. You may not understand now, but you will soon. If you decide that the praise of the Lord will be in your mouth at all times – no matter the situation, it will be hard for you to complain or murmur about anything. Every day, keep telling Him that He is greater that the greatest, He is higher than the highest, that He is the owner of the cattle upon a thousand hills, reminding yourself that He is the One who parted the Red sea, at that He is the One who brought water out of a rock and so on. Before you know it, your faith would have risen above the situation, showing clearly that your God is greater than whatever mountain you are facing and soon you would be dancing victoriously.

ACTION POINT

Consider the challenging situation you are facing currently and begin to praise God, knowing that He will help you overcome it victoriously.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2Kings 18-20

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE 

HYMN 19: O WORSHIP THE KING ALL GLORIOUS ABOVE

1 O worship the King all-glorious above,

O gratefully sing his power and his love:

our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,

pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

2 O tell of his might and sing of his grace,

whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.

His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,

and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.

3 Your bountiful care, what tongue can recite?

It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;

it streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,

and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

4 Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,

in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.

Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,

our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!

5 O measureless Might, unchangeable Love,

whom angels delight to worship above!

Your ransomed creation, with glory ablaze,

in true adoration shall sing to your praise!

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS: 

(Friday, April 22, 2022) 

SMITING THE ROCK AGAIN? 

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 Alpha and Omega, You're the unlimited God.

2.Bless the lord o my soul, and forget not all His benefits and blessings; thank You, Father, for  Your faithfulness and unfailing promises in my life.

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 all my murmurings and occasional lack of trust and faith in Your ability to fulfill Your promises to me, whenever i am overwhelmed by life's challenges, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, give me the grace to avoid murmuring, but help me to always trust and believe You for every of my need, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, no matter the challenges that i may face on this journey to heaven, please, let me remain focused on You and keep believing You, without doubt or wavering, till the end, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please, see me through my wilderness experience; don't let me die in the wilderness of life, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please, proof Yourself at every point of my journey to my promise land,  supply all my needs and  fulfill all Your promises of joy in my life, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please, don't let me ever crucify Your son, the rock of ages, the second time by backsliding and sinning against You again, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, and uphold him by Your right of righteousness till the end, and, let all his enemies be confounded and put to shame, 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 dates! 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 APRIL 22TH 2022

THEME: SMITING THE ROCK AGAIN? 

MEMORISE:  

And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. 

Numbers 20:12 

READ: Numbers 20:1 -12

1 Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.

2 And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

3 And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!

4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?

5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.

6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.

7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.

10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?

11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

MESSAGE

In Exodus 17:1-6,  the children of Israel were thirsty so, God told Moses to strike a rock that water may come out of it for His children. In Exodus 17:6 the Bible says:

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shall smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

You see, the Lord our God is the Rock (2 Samuel 22:32). He was with the Israelites all through their journey in the wilderness and this further validates Hebrews 13:5 where God said He would never leave nor forsake us.

In the Bible reading for today, God told Moses to speak to the rock, but instead of speaking, Moses smote it and God was angry with him. The Lord is not to be smitten twice. The first time Jesus was smitten on the cross of Calvary, He gave us living water which is the Holy Spirit. after that time, we are to speak to Him. Anyone who smites Him again is inviting the wrath of God. Hebrews 6:6 says whenever you sin, you are crucifying Christ the second time. In Hebrews 10:26-27, the Bible says:

For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

If after you have gotten to know Christ and His blood has washed away your sins, you then go back into sin, you are inviting the wrath of God. Proverbs 26:11 says it is dogs that go back to their vomit and Revelation 22:15 says the place of dogs is outside. The word ‘backsliding’ denotes a gradual process backwards.

Check your life: are there some things that you stopped doing when you became born again, but now you are gradually going back to them? Stop those things immediately! Don’t smite the Rock the second time! Don’t invite the wrath of God upon your life.

 

REFLECTION

Are you moving forwards or sliding backwards in your walk with Christ.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2Kings 15-17

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE 

HYMN 8: I'M PRESSING ON THE UPWARD WAY

1 I’m pressing on the upward way,

New heights I’m gaining ev'ry day;

Still praying as I’m onward bound,

“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:

Lord, lift me up, and let me stand

By faith, on heaven’s tableland;

A higher plane than I have found,

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

2 My heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise and fears dismay;

Though some may dwell where these abound,

My prayer, my aim, is higher ground. 

3 I want to live above the world,

Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;

For faith has caught a joyful sound,

The song of saints on higher ground. 

4 I want to scale the utmost height,

And catch a gleam of glory bright;

But still I’ll pray till heav’n I’ve found,

“Lord, lead me on to higher ground.”

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS: 

(Thursday, April 21, 2022) 

DON'T BE DESPERATE FOR THE SPOTLIGHT

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 upholding me in the faith, till now.

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, make me a terror to the kingdom of darkness; empower me  never to give any space for the devil in my life,  in Jesus' name.

4.Father, no matter the level of power and anointing You take me in life, please, give me the grace to keep a low profile, help me not to be desperate for public attention and recognition, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, by the time You're ready to take me from the backside of the desert and showcase me to the world, let me be filled with the spirit of humility, and let my life become too hot for the enemies to handle, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, when You bring me into limelight, please, surround me with Your fire and, shield and protect me from the fiery darts and arrows of the enemies, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, go ahead of me and straighten every crooked path and give me the grace to always put on Your whole armour, and let every wolf on my path be paralysed and subdued, completely, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please, give me the grace to live soberly and be vigilant and let me not be a prey for the devil to be devoured, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, as I grow in power, stature and grace in Your kingdom, let my life and lifestyle be such that will point the attention of men unto You and not unto myself, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, surround him with  Your fire  and let every evil arrow targeted against him and any member of his family, backfire upon the 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

These prayers have no expiry dates! 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 APRIL 21TH 2022

THEME: DON’T BE DESPERATE FOR SPOTLIGHT

MEMORISE: 

And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 

Mark 1:11 -12 

READ: John 6:5 -13

5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

MESSAGE

The boy in the Bible reading who gave his lunch to Jesus Christ was not named. One would expect that a boy like that who was selfless enough to share his lunch, through which over 5,000 people were miraculously fed, would have been named in the Bible, but the Scriptures are silent about his name. Not only he; many of the vessels of honour in the Bible were not named. For example, the slave girl in 2 Kings 5:1-3 who brought salvation to Syria was not named, the fellow who the disciples saw casting out demons in Jesus’ name in Luke 9:49 was also not named. This tells us that the work of God is not a popularity contest. You don’t have to be popular to be relevant and of great use to the Kingdom of God. When I see people struggling to be seen and recognized publicly while doing the work of God I wonder if they understand the nature of the assignment they are called to. That’s why in Mark 1:45, when the leper who Jesus healed went around telling everyone about his healing, Jesus could not enter the city openly again. Jesus know that the spotlight was going to distract Him from the real work which He was to do, so He stayed in the desert to carry out His assignment.

When you read Mark 1:10-13, you will see one of the dangers of being publicly recognized. The moment God bragged about Jesus Christ to the hearing of the public, Satan heard and a season of trials and temptations began for Jesus immediately. In 1 Samuel 13:14, Samuel announced that God had found a man after His heart to replace Saul. Immediately Satan heard that, he began to look out for who that man was. In 1 Samuel 16:11, when Samuel said nobody would sit until David arrived to be anointed, Satan knew it was David, so he raise Goliath against Israel so that David would not fulfill his God-given destiny. David killed Goliath and it became abundantly clear that David was loved and chosen by God, so the devil raised Saul against him and a season of trials began for David during which he resorted to hiding in caves. The moment you are hailed in public, the devil marks you for trial. Be wise; one of the prayer points in the Lord’s prayer is, “lead us not into temptation”.

Don’t bother about public recognition. Just face the work that God wants you to do, not the spotlight.

KEY POINT

The spotlight attracts the attention of the devil; stay away from it as much as you can.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2Kings 11-14

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 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. 

3 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. 

4 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.