Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: THURSDAY DECEMBER 1ST, 2022.

THEME: WHEN LIGHT COMES IN

MEMORISE: 

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 

Isaiah 60:1 

READ: John 8:12 

12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

MESSAGE

When light comes into a dark place, everything changes. Confusion and sadness changes to clarity and joy. John 8:12 says: Jesus is the Light of the world. When Jesus enters into your life, everything changes for better. When He comes in, poverty is driven out for prosperity, depression is replaced with joy and demonic oppression changes to spiritual dominance.

There was a woman who wanted to be the one controlling her husband, so she went to a witch doctor, who told her to put her husband's picture in a basket with a lid and cover it. He assured her that, as long as, the lid remained on the basket, her husband would do anything she said. He however cautioned her that any time she noticed her husband was beginning to act, sluggish, she should remove the lid for a while and after he returned to normal, she could close the basket again. She took the basket home and it worked just as the witch doctor had said. One time when she removed the lid so he wouldn't die, her husband heard the gospel and gave his life to Christ; Light came into his life. The wife put the lid back on the basket and tried to control him, but he said "No way, l am the head of this home". She ran back to the witch-doctor when she saw that the charm was no longer working. He conducted a check in the spirit and said, "A stronger power has rescued him from my hold". 

When light comes into your life, the devil will have absolutely no hold on you again.

Many people are suffering today because they don't have The Light in their lives. Many claim to be Christians but, because they don't really have Jesus in their heart as they claim, the devil has kept them in bondage. Let The Light come into your life today so that you can be free. The Light came into my life in 1973 and since then. I have had a better quality life. I remember how l used to have malaria at least once in every month, but today, malaria is gone. I was deep in the bondage of poverty that even though l was the one who used to pay my driver's salary, somehow, by the middle of the month, I would be so broke that l would have to borrow money from him to buy fuel in the car. When The Light came in, everything changed

Give your life to Christ today and begin to enjoy abundant life. 

KEY POINT 

Jesus is all you need to live a better life.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Romans 12-15

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 1: ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER

1 All to Jesus, I surrender 

All to Thee I freely give 

I will ever love and trust 

You In Your presence daily live  

Refrain

I surrender all, I surrender all 

All to Thee, my blessed Savior 

I surrender all  

2 All to Jesus, I surrender

Humbly at His feet I bow; 

Worldly pleasures all forsaken, 

Take me Jesus, take me now.

3 All to Jesus, I surrender Lord, I give myself to Thee 

Fill me with Your love and power 

Let Your blessing fall on me  

4 All to Jesus I surrender 

Now I feel the sacred flame 

O the joy of full salvation 

Glory, glory, to Your name

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 30TH, 2022.

THEME: DEALING WITH DESTINY KILLERS III

MEMORISE: 

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

1 Timothy 6:10 

READ: 1 Timothy 6:10 -12

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

MESSAGE

Another very dangerous destiny killer is the 'love of money'. One thing that you must realise  from the get-go is that having a lot of money is not a God-given purpose. Being in a position where you are in control of wealth is equally not an end in itself. It is what you do with the resources God has put in your care that will determine if you will fulfil your destiny. Joseph said his destiny was to keep people alive when the time of famine came. Becoming the Prime minister of Egypt and being in control of the wealth of the nation were merely the means God used to achieve His purpose for Joseph. This is clear from Joseph's statement in Genesis 50:20:

But as for you, ye thought evil against me;  but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

If you put your focus on money, you will lose the real purpose of God for your life.

Judas Iscariot was Jesus' accountant he was so focused on the money that he did not see all the other things he could get from Jesus Christ. While Peter was being prepared to lead the Church and John was staying close to the Master's chest and hearing His secrets, Judas was after money. He got the money but lost his destiny, along with his soul. If you just follow the plan of God for your life and take your focus away from money, you will fulfil destiny and have plenty of money too.

When l became a General Overseer, l was bothered about how l would take care of my family since l was leaving my job, so l thought of doing business by the side, but God told me not to. Honestly, l was worried, but because my focus was not on money but His will, l obeyed. Today, by God's grace, He has blessed me with more money than l would have had if l had gone into that business.

Money is good, but the love of money will hinder God's plan for your life.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please cleanse my heart from any love that I have for money in Jesus name

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Romans 9-11

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 3: DEEPER DEEPER IN THE LOVE OF JESUS

1 Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus

Daily let me go;

Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,

More of grace to know.

Refrain

Oh, deeper yet, I pray,

And higher 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,

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: 

(TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2022)

DEALING WITH DESTINY KILLERS 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.I worship and adore You, my Father, and I bow before Your throne of grace and mercy; I worship towards Your holy temple.

2.Thank You, Father, for where You started with me, for where I am and for where You're taking me.

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

4..Father, let Your fire consume every spirit of pride in my life, in Jesus name.

5.Father, please, give me a humble and a contrite heart, in Jesus name.

6.Father, release upon my life and destiny, abundant grace, that will help me to fulfill my life and destiny, in Jesus name.

7.I decree and declare, that no weapon fashioned against my life and destiny shall prosper, in Jesus name.

8.Father, let every weapon working against the fulfilment of my destiny be rendered impotence, in Jesus name.

9.Father, please, empower me by Your grace to overcome every obstacle on my way and to finish well and strong, 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: TUESDAY NOVEMBER 29TH, 2022.

THEME: DEALING WITH DESTINY KILLERS II

MEMORISE: 

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. 

Proverbs 16:18

READ: Ezekiel 28:1 -19

1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

3 Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:

4 With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:

5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:

6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;

7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.

8 They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.

9 Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.

10 Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

MESSAGE

Pride is one of the most dangerous destiny killers l know. If there is any iota of pride in your life, or someone has been telling you that you are proud, you had better cry out to God to take it away as you work on becoming humble. James 4:5 says that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. You cannot achieve your destiny without God's grace, so if God resists you and refuses to give you His grace, that is the end.

I really thank God that He helped me with this early on in ministry. When l became General Overseer of the Church in 1981, the name plate on my table read 'Reverend (Dr) Enoch ADEBOYE, Ph.d, M.Sc, B.Sc.' I wanted everyone to know that this was not just an ordinary pastor, that l was a doctor too. What l should have added to it is empty barrel, because empty barrels make the loudest noise. God asked me if l wanted Him to lift me and l said, "Yes, of course, Lord". The Lord then asked me to remove all those titles and just be addressed as 'Pastor'. Thank God l obeyed, because no sooner had l done that than He started lifting me.

Pride is a destiny killer; don't let it hinder you from getting God's grace to fulfil God's purpose for your life. Oh, God made Lucifer very beautiful amongst angels he was special. Just as Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colors, God gave Lucifer a covering of every precious stone you could think about. God even made musical instruments inside him so, with his voice alone, he could play sweet music. He was really special. However, Ezekiel 28:17 says:

Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou had corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: l will cast thee to the ground, l will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Today, that Lucifer that was described as bright is now known as darkness.

If you become proud, you would lose everything God has in store for you. Instead of being celebrated, you would become abhorred. If you want to fulfil your destiny, you must wear humility like a garment (Colossians 3:12).

REFLECTION

Check your life for any element of pride. Be honest with yourself and deal with that pride today.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Romans 6-8

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 1: ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER

1 All to Jesus, I surrender 

All to Thee I freely give 

I will ever love and trust 

You In Your presence daily live  

Refrain

I surrender all, I surrender all 

All to Thee, my blessed Savior 

I surrender all  

2 All to Jesus, I surrender

Humbly at His feet I bow; 

Worldly pleasures all forsaken, 

Take me Jesus, take me now.

3 All to Jesus, I surrender Lord, I give myself to Thee 

Fill me with Your love and power 

Let Your blessing fall on me  

4 All to Jesus I surrender 

Now I feel the sacred flame 

O the joy of full salvation 

Glory, glory, to Your name.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS: 

(Monday, November 28, 2022) 

DEALING WITH DESTINY KILLERS 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 I am wonderfully and fearfully made.

2.Thank You, Father, for creating me in Your image and likeness; and, for Your purpose and pleasure.

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, let every spirit of laziness that could truncate my destiny be truncated, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please, make me strong and courageous, that I may fulfill my destiny, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, empower me with the grace to overcome every obstacle and danger, on my way, to enable me fulfill my destiny, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, help me to understand times and seasons, and seize the opportunities in them, when they come, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, give me the power and times to recover lost grounds, in Jesus' name.

9.I decree and declare that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, 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: MONDAY NOVEMBER 28TH, 2022.

THEME: DEALING WITH DESTINY KILLERS I

MEMORISE: 

And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land. 

Judges 18:9 

READ: Proverbs 6:6 -11

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

MESSAGE

Laziness is one major destiny killer that many people do not pay attention to. You need to realise that the journey to your destiny is divided into times and seasons, and if you miss one because of laziness, you may never be able to recover it. This may ultimately cause a dent in the fulfillment of your destiny. When it is time to make a move, go for it immediately. Don't postpone it. Proverbs 22:13 describes such a fellow accurately. When something needs to be done, do it, whether it is convenient or not. There is no convenience in conquering lands and expanding territories, it is only the courageous and strong that fulfil destiny.

Several years ago, my wife and l, together with one of our sons who was 2 years and four months old at the time, embarked on a journey from Lagos to Otukpo in Benue State, in Nigeria. The journey was for a dual purpose of starting a parish of the Church there and holding a Congress. It was during the rainy season and a major bridge on the way between Ore and Benin had been swept away by the flood. When we get there and found no bridge, we had to sleep in the car that night. The place was so dangerous that we were advised not to step out of the car at all. I remember there was an alternative road, so we turned round to go by that road which had been abandoned, only to discover that bridges along that road had also been swept away. We could have easily turned back and gone home, but we kept going. By the time we had travelled a couple of miles along the abandoned road, the silencer of the car broke off. We picked it, put it in the boot and continue the journey. It was time to go to Otukpo and there was no turning back! Whenever we encountered a stream, one of us would go into it to find out inch by inch, the areas where the car could drive.

In all, we spent three days on that road, but we arrived safely and did what needed to be done. Today in Benue State alone, we have over 500 parishes of The Redeemed Christian Church of God.

Understand your times and seasons and seize opportunities in them when they come.

KEY POINT

Convenience is just an excuse; when something needs to be done, do it, whether it is convenient or not.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Romans 2-5

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 every day;

Still praying as I onward bound,

“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:

Lord, lift me up, and let me stand

By faith on Canaan’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 the 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 rest I’ve found,

“Lord, lead me on to higher ground.”

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: SUNDAY NOVEMBER 27TH, 2022.

THEME: UNDERSTANDING DESTINY

MEMORISE: 

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

Ephesians 1:4 

READ: Jeremiah 1:5 

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

MESSAGE

Destiny simply means the plan of God for a person's life. In other words, it is the purpose of God for a person's life. In Jeremiah 1:5, God said:

Before l formed thee in the belly l knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb l sanctified thee, and l ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

God is a builder (Psalm 127:1). Like every builder, He works according to a plan. He doesn't begin to build until the plan is ready. Thus before He formed you, before your father met your mother, God had a plan for your life. The good news is that the plan is a good one (Jeremiah 29:11).

Now you may think, "If God has a good plan for all human beings, then why do some end up badly?" This happens because no matter how good God's plan for you is, if you say you don't want it, He will not force it on you. 

Romans 8:31 says

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

That question wasn't answered in the Bible; however, the clear answer is "You". Even if God is for you, you can be against yourself. How can you be against yourself? Proverbs 22:29 says it is only the diligent that will stand before kings. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 tells us that it is only those who are obedient that will be blessed by God.

If you decide to look into the Scriptures at all the people who fulfilled their destiny, you would see that they have these things in common. Joseph was a very hard-working boy - so hard-working that it wasn't long after he got to Potiphar's house that his master put him in charge of all his possessions. The boy also lived holy. When Potiphar's wife made advances at him, he said he could not sleep with her and sin against his God. Diligence and holiness. Believe me honestly, if you live holy and refuse to be lazy, you will fulfill your destiny

KEY POINT 

God's plan for your life will only be fulfilled if you cooperate with Him.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 27- Romans 1

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.