Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: SUNDAY OCTOBER 9TH 2022

THEME: TREAT THE POOR RIGHT ll

MEMORISE: 

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. 

Proverbs 19:17

READ: Matthew 25:31 -46

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

MESSAGE

Worse than those who only oppress the poor just because of their lowly status are the ones who do so in order to become richer. The Bible has this to say about them:

He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.

Proverbs 22:16

If you have an allocation in your care to be given to the poor but you keep it all to yourself, the Bible says that you would surely come to want. Likewise, if you refused to pay your employees their salaries even though you are making money from that same work they are doing for you, you are oppressing them because they are poor and cannot fight you. The Bible says that you would surely come to want. God is passionate about poor people. Don't oppress them. Proverbs 21:13 says:

Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

If you have been ignoring the poor, at least for the sake of what you have read in Proverbs 21:13, stop ignoring them. Give of your substance to those who have not. The Bible says in Luke 3:11 that if you have two of anything and you see someone who does not have any, give that fellow one. These things should not be a big issue for Christians because the One who lives inside us is Love Himself. 1 John 4:8 says:

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

If you don't love your poor neighbours enough to give to them, then that puts a question mark on your claim of being a Christian. When we read the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-24, we don't see the rich man committing any sin as it were. The only thing that the rich man did wrong was that he blocked his ears to the cry of poor Lazarus. He ended up in hell where he cried and no one could hear him let alone help him. In our Bible reading for today, when Jesus was sending sinners to hell, one of their offences was that they did not help the needy. Be wise and give to the poor.

ACTION POINT 

Look for at least one person who needs something that you have and give to that fellow today. Make it a habit to always give to the poor.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBILE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 5-7

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 30: 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, 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: 

(Saturday, October 8, 2022) 

TREAT THE POOR RIGHT 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, for Your love, mercy and compassion for the poor.

2.Thank You, Father, for Your unfailing promises to always meet me at the point of my needs, as I put 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, show us Your mercy in this country, please, do not chastise us with hunger and poverty, in Jesus' name

5.Father, let Your fire consume every spirit of lack and poverty in my life and family, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, provide for me always, and let me never be counted among the poor in the land, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please, give me the grace to be kind and generous to the poor and the needy around me, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please, let me never shut my ears to the cry of the poor, so that when I cry also to You, You may hear me, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, let every bridge connecting me with poverty, collapse today, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; and, bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), forever, 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  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 OCTOBER 8TH, 2022.

THEME: TREAT THE POOR RIGHT l 

MEMORISE: 

He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor. 

Proverbs 14:31 

READ: Psalms 10:1 -15

1 Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.

4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

5 His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.

6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.

7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.

8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.

9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.

10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.

11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.

12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.

13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.

14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

MESSAGE

God is very passionate about poor people and He does not like them being oppressed at all. In fact, in our memory verse today, the Bible says that whoever oppress the poor is reproaching God Himself.

In Matthew 25:45, God put Himself in the shoes of the poor and said whatever you do to them, you have done to Him. God is passionate about the poor and if you treat them badly, He will punish you for it. In our Bible reading for today, verse two says that the wicked who persecutes the poor will be taken in his own devices, in other words, the same persecution that he is giving to the poor will be given to him also.

He hath said in his heart, l shall not be moved: for l shall never be in adversity. 

Psalm 10:6

The above verse is the thought of those who oppress the poor. They think that because they are high up there now, they can never become like one of the poor people, but that is a big lie. There are stories upon stories of people who are very wealthy, but somehow found themselves without any possessions after some time. Many of such people were brought down from their high positions because they did not treat the poor around them well.

Another thing that God can do is to leave the rich fellow where he is and then lift up the poor to become so great that the former would be like servant. I Samuel 2:8 and Psalm 113:7-8 say the same thing: that God can take the poor out of the dust and set him to be amongst the princes of the land. This is what God did to the Potiphar's. Mrs. Potiphar accused Joseph wrongly and because Joseph was too poor to get a lawyer to argue his case. Mr. Potiphar just threw him in prison without any trial. Before long, God raised Joseph up to be greater than the Potiphars in the same land.

Don't ever oppress those who don't have as much as you do, feeling that things will always be the way they are now. God is not sleeping, He is watching all that you are doing and says that, as long as you are oppressing the poor, you are reproaching Him. Don't call for God's wrath. 

KEY POINT

If you keep oppressing the poor, God may make you their servant tomorrow.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBILE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 1-4

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 16: O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST

1 God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

And our eternal home.

2 Under the shadow of Thy throne

Thy saints have dwelt secure;

Sufficient is Thine arm alone,

And our defence 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 guard while life shall last,

And our eternal home.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS: 

(Friday, October 7, 2022) 

EXPOSING DEMONIC OPERATIONS 6 

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 setting me free from all forms of demonic attacks and activities.

2.Thank You, Father, for giving Your son, Jesus, a name that is above every other name, that at the mention of His name, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess.

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, fill me to the brim with Your Holy Spirit, and let there be no space left for demons to hibernate, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, give me the grace to constantly study Your word and fellowship with the Holy Spirit that I may not be possessed or repossessed by demons, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, anyone You set free, is free indeed! please, let there be no scars or traces, that I had ever been previously possessed by demons, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, empower me by Your grace to stay away from places and anything that can cause demons to possess or repossess me, in Jesus' name.

8.Lord Jesus, You're the stronger man; please, Lord send any demon that may still be inside of me, out, today, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please, make me a terror to the kingdom of darkness; whenever demons see me, let them bow and relocate, at the mention of the name of Jesus, from my mouth, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; and, bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), forever, 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  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 OCTOBER 7TH, 2022.

THEME: EXPOSING DEMONIC OPERATIONS VI

MEMORISE: 

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

James 4:7

READ: Luke 11:21 -26

21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

MESSAGE

No matter how terrible the demons that possess a person are, the fellow can be free in an instant by the power in the name of Jesus. However, anyone who is delivered of a demon will still be constantly checked on by that demon. The moment the demon sees that the person is not filled with the Holy Ghost, he will come with seven demons worse than himself to repossess the person. The state of the victims would then be worse than how he or she was during the initial possession. Failure to constantly study the word and fellowship with the Holy Spirit will open a person to be possessed or repossessed by demons. A word is enough for the wise.

Beloved, it is better to avoid being possessed than to be possessed and then delivered. When you get injured, the injury may heal, but the scar will remain. The mad man of Gadara became free from demons after he met Jesus, but the scars on his body remained. His reputation as the person who had been demon- possessed remained. All the years he spent in the cave could not be restored. You must therefore stay away from anything that can cause demons to possess you.

And Devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

Luke 4:41

In Mark 9:20, Luke 4:41 and similar passages, demons recognised Jesus and were terrified of Him. Phillipians 2:9-11 says that every knee should bow before Him and every tongue should confess that He is Lord. Jesus is the stronger man He talked about in Luke 11:22:

But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and dividedth his spoils.

Only through the power of the stronger man can a demon-possessed person be delivered. Jesus lives inside His children, and greater is He that dwells in us than he that is in the word (1 John 4:4). When demon see someone in whom Christ lives, they bow (Acts 19:15). According to the mandate given to us by Jesus in Mark 16:17, as believer, we are to cast out devil in His name. Any believer who is filled with the Holy Ghost can cast out demon from a demon- possessed fellow (Acts 16:16-18). Let us put that authority given to us to use.

PRAYER POINT

Lord Jesus, You are the stronger man. Please Lord, send any demon that may be inside me out today in Jesus' name.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBILE IN ONE YEAR: Zechariah 13- Malachi 4

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 2: CONQUERORS AND OVERCOMERS NOW WE ARE

1 Conquerors and overcomers now are we,

Thro’ the precious blood of Christ we’ve victory,

If the Lord be for us, we can never fail;

Nothing ‘gainst his mighty pow’r can e’er prevail.

Refrain:

Conquerors are we, thro’ the blood, thro’ the blood;

God will give us victory, thro’ the blood, thro’ the blood,

Thro’ the Lamb for sinners slain,

Yet who lives and reigns again,

More than conquerors are we,

More than conquerors are we.

2 In the name of Israel’s God we’ll onward press,

Overcoming sin and all unrighteousness;

Not to us, but unto him the praise shall be,

For salvation and for blood-bought victory.

3 Unto him that overcometh shall be giv’n

Here to eat of hidden manna sent from heav’n;

Over yonder he the victor’s palm shall bear,

And a robe of white, and golden crown shall wear.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS: 

(Thursday, October 6, 2022) 

EXPOSING DEMONIC OPERATIONS 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. I worship and adore You, Lord Jesus, for all powers in heaven, on earth and underneath the earth, has been given unto You.

2.Thank You, Father, for the salvation of my soul; for He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world.

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, You're my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble and shall compass me about with songs of deliverance, in Jesus' name.

5.I refuse to submit myself as a vessel to be used by the devil to perpetuate his evil works, here on earth, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, expose and disgrace every satanic agent hibernating in Your church, pretending to be Your child, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, empower me by Your grace, to avoid avenues, like worldly music, movies and sexual immoralities, through which one could become demon possessed, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please, give me the grace to avoid visiting or staying in demon infested places, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please, put an end to every operation of demons in my life, today, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; and, bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), forever, 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  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 OCTOBER 6TH, 2022.

THEME: EXPOSING DEMONIC OPERATIONS V

MEMORISE:  

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 

Psalms 32:7

READ: Mark 5:1-20

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

2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

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

6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.

8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

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

10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: 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 they that fed the swine 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 come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.

17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.

18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.

19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.

20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

MESSAGE

The worst of all demonic operations is possession - that is, when the enemy has taken over completely and is now dwelling inside the victim. Unfortunately, there are many people walking around with one or more demons inside them.

The mad man of Gadara was possessed by thousands of demons. He was seriously tormented by the demons, but he could not get rid of them. When Jesus sent the demons into the swine, the pigs preferred to drown themselves than to harbour these evil spirits inside them. In 1 Samuel 16:14-23, King Saul started acting like lunatic when he was possessed by an evil spirit. The goal of the demons when they posses a person is to use the fellow to carry out the agenda of the devil on earth and then ultimately destroy him or her. When they the child that was possessed with a demon to Jesus in Mark 9:22, his father said the demon was trying to destroy the child.

There are two types of demon-possessed victims; the willing and the unwilling. The willing are the ones who have submitted themselves as vessels to be used by the devil to perpetuate his evil work on earth. Witches and wizards are good examples of willing victims. The unwilling victims become possessed through two major ways. One is based on their associations. When people stay in places that are conducive for demons, the demons find them as hosts to stay in. I recall a time when a boy was brought to me for deliverance. He had gone somewhere and gotten loaded with so many demons that he could not kneel or walk by himself.

The second way many people become possessed by demon without knowing is through the things that they expose themselves to like worldly music, movies or sex with a demon-possessed fellow. My Father-in-he-Lord - Pa Josiah Akindayomi always taught us that music invites spirits. He backed up this claim with 1 Samuel 16: 23, where David played godly music to drive away the evil spirit from Saul. I Corinthians 6:16 says: that you become one body with whoever you sleep with. Thus, if you sleep with a demon possessed fellow, the demon gets the full right to possess you too. If however, there is any demon within you and you are willing to be delivered. I join my faith with yours and decree that such a demon or demons must leave you now, in Jesus' name.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please put an end to every operation of demons in my life today, in Jesus name.

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BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Zechariah 7-12

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 20: ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS

1. Onward, Christian soldiers!

Marching as to war,

With the cross of Jesus

Going on before.

Christ, the royal Master,

Leads against the foe;

Forward into battle,

See his banners go!

Refrain:

Onward, Christian soldiers!Marching as to war,

With the cross of Jesus

Going on before.

2. At the sign of triumph

Satan’s host doth flee;

On, then, Christian soldiers,

On to victory.

Hell’s foundations quiver

At the shout of praise;

Brothers, lift your voices,

Loud your anthems raise.

3. Like a mighty army

Moves the Church of God;

Brothers, we are treading

Where the Saints have trod.

We are not divided;

All one body we:

One in hope and doctrine,

One in charity.

4. Onward, then, ye people;

Join our happy throng.

Blend with ours your voices

In the triumph song:

Glory, laud, and honor

Unto Christ, the King.

This through countless ages

Men and angels sing.